Who is the Real Hero | Elder Peng Hoe

You're listening to a message to go from acts church.

We hope this message will light up your day.

And I've just simply entitled the message who is the

Real Hero? Because you're going to be reading a few

names in the show's time, but we need to think

who is the real hero? And of course then identify

yourself with one of those characters. And I thank God

today we've been singing songs about Jesus because it is

really about Jesus. We're going to continue to declare that

all the way to the very end of this worship service,

that Jesus indeed is the almighty King.

Amen.

Okay, Matthew, Chapter two, verses one to eighteen. If you

have your Bibles with you, I'm reading from the New

Living Translation. I've got some slight somewhere. Yeah, it's there. Okay,

it says these visitors from the East. Okay. Jesus was

born in Bethlehem in Judea during the reign of King Herod.

About that time, some wise men from eastern lands arrived

in Jerusalem, asking where is the new born king of

the Jews. We saw his star as he rose, and

we have come to worship him. King Herod was deeply

disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem.

He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers

of religious law and asked, where is the messiahs supposed

to be born in Bethlehem in Judea? They said, for

this is what the prophet wrote, and you owe Bethlehem

in the land of Judah. Are not least among the

ruling cities of Judah. For a ruler will come from you,

who will be the shepherd for my people Israel. Then

Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men,

and he learned from them the time when the star

first appeared. Then he told them, go to Bethlehem and

search carefully for the child, and when you find him,

come back and tell me, so that I can go

and worship him too. After this interview, the wise men

went their way, and the star they had seen in

the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went a head

of them and stopped over the place where the ChIL was.

When they saw the star, they were filled with joy.

They entered the house and saw the child with his

mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then

they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, Frankkensons,

and mirror. When it was time to live, they returned

to their own country by another round, for God had

warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.

The Escape to Egypt verse thirteen.

He says this, after the wise men were gone, and

the Angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream,

get up, flee to Egypt with the child and his mother.

The angel said stay there until I tell you to return,

because Herod is going to search for the child to

kill him. That night, Joseph left for Egypt with the

child and marry his mother, and they stayed there until

Herod's death. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through

the prophet, I called my son out of Egypt. Herod

was furious when he realized that the wise Man had

outwitted him. He send soldiers to kill all the boys

it's in and around Bethlehem who were two years old

and under based on the wise Man's report of the

star's first appearance. Herod's brutal action fulfilled what God had

spoken through the prophet Jeremiah. A cry was heard in Rama,

weeping and great mourning. Rachel whips for her children, refusing

to be comforted for their death the Lord. That's the

reading of his one. Okay, time to reflect. Okay, this year,

as we come to the end, twenty nine is today's date.

In a few days time we will celebrate the new year.

So who do you think the real hero of this

chapter is. I'm going to conclude it for you because

some people will think, Hey, maybe it's King Herod.

Herod looks quite cool.

Maybe it's Mary, maybe it's Joseph. But really the reason

for this season has always been Jesus. And the real

hero of chapter two of Matthew is not the wise man.

Because sometimes when we watch Nativity plays we go back

with the wise men. We're like, oh, man, wise men

are pretty cool, gold Frankenciers. They have all the cool stuff,

or sometimes all men's the angels angels are pretty cool.

And then Joseph, Joseph pretty cool as well. Of course,

know how could he just take it all in? No

so gracious? You know, his wife No, impregnated No by

the Holy Spirit, and he just talk it as it

is really amazing. That's not the most illogical thing that

one could ever hear. But the way he conducted himself

pretty cool. No, Actually, Jesus is the real hero, no

matter how we read it, even though sometimes I don't know.

I've watched so many Nativity players over the years that

we can lose.

The essence of the season that we are in.

It's not just seasonal, because I'm going to conclude today

and tell you that, No, Jesus is not just the

reason for this season. He's the reason for us being alive.

And that's the truth. And that's something that we need

to always remember. And so let us look and why

the Lord Jesus Christ is the main character of this chapter.

I'm gonna just study some of his traits. Okay, just

from the eighteen verses that we have read. Let's go deep,

let's find out. Let's ask no, the character of Christ. No,

what makes him that one amazing character? One makes him

the real hero, One makes him the king. And the

first thing that I want to highlight is this, Okay,

number one, Number one, very very important thing that we

need to realize about God and about the Lord Jesus

Christ is this. He conforms to his own ideas, but

never to men's. Okay, So if you read Matthew chapter two,

of course, Matthew is amazing book, amazing gospel to read.

It goes quite deep, not as deep as John. If

you read the Gospel or John, that's even deeper. But

Matthew in itself is actually a very Jewish gospel. That

is one of the reasons why it's actually a range

a hit the first of the New Testament books, right

after Malachi, which is in the Old Testament, because there

was going to be some form of continuity, especially for

Jews to be able to see the continuity.

That's why I met you straight away.

You know, it talks about it gives you the genealogy,

and the genealogy I believe. I think it ends with

Abraham on because he is the father of the Jews.

Where else Louke goes all the way to Adam. You

can actually study the geneology. Who met you or of

course the text collector by the name of Levi. He's

got two names. He was someone who was writing and

addressing his own people. Mainly he was trying to get

them to see that truly Jesus is the Messiah that

the scriptures have been talking about for years, in fact,

not just years, centuries, and so it was actually said

in the scriptures that it would be badly ham where

the Savior would be born, And a lot of times

people like, huh, is it, Yes, it's actually in Micah

chapter five, verse two. It says this in Michael chapter five,

verse two. But you or Bethlehem e Fratta, are only

a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet

a ruler of Israel whose origins are in the distant

past will come from you on my behalf. It was

already predicted right from the very starts. So whatever it is,

the Lord only conforms to his own ideas and never

to man's. Because when the Lord says I will do this,

he keeps his word. He always conforms to himself his word,

whatever that has been said, whatever that has been released,

whatever that has been spoken. And that's why the Bible

until today is still the most accurate book ever. It's

not a book that was just written at one period

of time. Is a book that was written throughout a

thousand year. Is a compend in a library of books.

And there are more than eight hundred, I think eight

to nine hundred prophecies in the Bible, and about eighty

five percent of it has already come to pass. You

know how amazingly accurate the Bible is. It says something

and something happens. That is one of the reasons why

as Christians we continue to hang on to it as

the truth, because it has proven itself to be the truth.

And the things that have yet to come to pass

are usually most of it is things pertaining to the

not just the First Advent, but the second. So this period,

this season we are celebrating is also known as the

Edmond means the arrival. Jesus came once, he will come again.

Then in the second Advent, if we got to look

forward to that as well. A lot of people huh,

Jesus coming again. Usually that means AMAgeddon. Usually that means

the big, big asteroid is going to hit the earth

and Aerosmith is going to be saying, Oh, I don't know, no, no,

it's it's not okay.

One my era, my era.

Okay, they didn't live that reallyve you know, we grew up,

we leave Thailand and anyway, okay, come back, come back, okay.

So we look forward, we look forward to the coming again.

But the prophecies that have yet to be fulfilled, which

I believe will be fulfilled, are those pertaining to the

second Coming of Christ, and we will see it come

to pass. And so you know, whatever the Lord says,

if he says he will do this, he keeps his word.

He conforms to it. Whatever that is revealed in the

Old Testament is his sticks to it. And that's why

the Old Testament is the New Testament in it, and

the New Testament has the Old Testament in it as well.

They are both.

One is a revelation of each other, the other one

is concealed in there. So the New Testament is concealed

in the Old Testament, the Old Testament is actually revealed

in the New Testament. That is what makes the scripture

so amazing. So that's the first thing that we need

to know about what we just read, because what we

just read is indeed a fulfillment of scripture from Micah

chapter five, verse to. So the Lord conforms to his

own ideas, but never to men. The next thing that

we need to take note is this God always fulfill

his plan. That's the second characteristic. He always fulfills his plan.

God.

Try to imagine him as a master chess player. He

is a chess player in that sense. No no matter

what move you make. He always is able to make

moves to achieve He's objective, not our objectives. Sometimes we

are trying to out maneuver God. Why do we try

to out maneuver God? He knows everything is going to

happen in accordance to his plan and his purpose. And

that is in a sense what we are seeing happening

here in Matthew chapter two. Because really that has not

just been one herold. There have been many herods ever since,

and really many people have tried to twat or try

to stop God's plans being fulfilled. Year God, sometimes he

may have to tell Joseph, even though you know, you know,

I'm going to reveal to you something so out of

this world, so supernatural, that it's going to be mind blowing,

and you're going to have to pack your bags. No,

pack this child with you and flee and go to Egypt.

Even if it's drama that has to unfold, if it's

God's plan, if that is a direction, it will come

to pass.

It will be fulfilled.

You know, for many centuries there have been many herods

ever since that have tried not just to kill Christ

the King, but tried to kill Christians, try to kill

the try to kill the Church, try to. I mean,

we have seen it time and time over. You know,

in World War Two, Stalin was actually out in Russia

uh to persecute Christians. He hated Christians and he was

trying to He was trying a lot of persecution was

upon the Church and believers. But even though all all

these plans could have been made to make sure that

no Christians are eradicated, Actually, you think about it, why

isn't it what's so difficult to eradicate?

You can just wipe them all out.

Why is it so difficult to eradicate even Jerusalem, you

can just wipe them out. But I believe all this, No,

the Church is part of God's plan. God's people is

part of God's plan. God's chosen Land is part of

God's plan. And that is one of the reasons why

it is still where it is today, because it will

be fulfilled and the glory of it is. All the

world's dictators and all the world's rulers are not able

to stop Jesus from coming again. That is my belief.

They could not stop him at the first advent. I

believe they will not stop him at the second at all.

And god fulfills his plan. So no matter what man

wants to do, God just makes a move and whatever

they attempt to do is undone.

And that was what no Herod thought. He had it

all figured out.

Actually, if you read the scriptures, he thought, Okay, sutinly,

I'm going to make sure that this child is there,

and this child is not going to be safe.

I'm going to get rid of the Christ. And he

thought he was safe. That's all.

He went to bed happy. But the truth is he

had done nothing of that. And any dictator who has

tried to stamp out Christianity, tried to stamp out the

Church really has already gone to pass.

And God's plan, I believe, will still come to be done. Amen.

That's the second thing that we need to take note

of his character. The third thing is this God is

willing to give light to those who are willing to

seek him with all their heart. Okay, this is something

that you realize because He's willing to lead them if

they are willing to be led. This is something we

can learn from the wise man. If you see mean business,

and if you really see I'm prepared to go all

the way, whatever it may cost. It may cause me treasure,

it may cost me my job, it may cost me

I don't know, my family, my friend.

Whatever.

If I'm willing to allow God to lead me, he

will lead you.

That is the truth of the scriptures.

God is willing to take us the next step and

the next step, and give us more light and more light.

That's why the wise men they were willing to go

all the way. They were not following the stars. Not

a lot of people when they read the scriptures, they think, oh,

this is one of the reasons why we must believe

in horoscope. No, this is not the reason why you

have to believe in horoscope. And don't don't count the stars.

Don't let the stars. And no, the stars is not

what is guiding you. It is God that is guiding

you using the stars.

Amen.

So remember who is God and who is King? And

we are glad. No, when we read of the wise men,

they were willing. So the question that you must always

ask is this, am I willing to go all the

way because I must find the truth, because I must

seek this King. They went all the way because they

knew they had to find the truth. They had to

find this thing that they've heard all their lives, and

they went, and they went without anything that could actually

hinden them, because really, Herod, I'm sure they knew Herod

had something up their sleeve, even though he called for

a meeting, want to consult them, et cetera, et cetera.

But I'm sure he knew, they knew. But yet they

were still purpose bound to look and find God. And

so that's the third thing that we can take note

of God. He is willing to give light to those

who are willing to seek Him with all their heart.

But here comes the fourth thing that you can also

take note of God's character. God is a God who

hides himself. Why do I say that, Well, you can

read the whole of this story. You can put it

into a Nativity play without thinking about God once. Also,

do you realize that you can think more about the angels,

like I said, just so you can think more about

the wise men, you can think you can get all

the impression that you know. You watch a Nativity play

and God is not on stage. He may be controlling

from behind, he may be pulling streams from someone really

far away and far beyond, but you cannot see God.

And that's why sometimes even Christmas, especially in the Western

world today, Christmas there's no God in Christmas, there is

no Jesus in Christmas. In fact, they have effectively removed

Christ from Christmas as well, because it's just too long

to write, and so it's probably more convenient to just

put an X there and then Maas you know, if

you are in the West, if you're in Europe, Christmas

is one of those days where it's all about buying gifts. Yes,

it's probably good for commercialism because that's when most companies

actually make a killing. That's where their sells actually go up.

And that is the truth, and that's all everybody is

talking about. No, no one goes to church on Christmas, really,

because when I was in UK Christmas Day, everything is datement.

He's just spend time at home with family. I'm not

saying you shouldn't spend time with family, but we have

actually effectively removed Christ even from Christmas. And know that

that is how it is. We can't I know, we

can't see God sometimes not directly. And that is why

Herod actually could go to blade and sleep well even

after he had done all that he had done, and

God did not force himself on herold. Do you realize that,

or on anyone else for that matter of fact, And

that is the truth. God does not force himself on people,

not now, not ever. He will one day when he

appears in his glory, But for this very moment he

is still. He has come first edvent as our savior.

He will eventually come as a judge, and that is

when we will all be made known of his role

as a judge. But right now, as a savior, he

never forces himself. So a man can come to church,

can sing praisers to the Lord, No, give his life

to Jesus, be on his knees, and then disappear for

the next twenty years. And God is not going to

pursue this person in that sense. Think about it. No,

you can go away and God's not going to force

this person to come back. That is the reality of it.

Because God is a God who hides himself. He does

it silently, he does it gently, he does it quietly,

and that's why it's so easy for us to ignore him.

And that is the sad fact. Many people ignore him,

and yet he has not forced himself on any one

of us. That is the honest truth. If you read

the scriptures and sometimes no, we always want to know God,

why can't you just make it so easy, like just

make everyone Christian, make everyone robber stamp. As you know,

that's not how it works. He doesn't force us, It

doesn't force anyone of it. You can't even force anyone

to come to church and believe. You can only believe

yourself and then hope that artists also see the light

in that. Amen the fifteen that I want us to

take note of God's character who we know Jesus is

the real hero of this chapter. And this one can

be a little bit deep, and I want to say

it may also be the most difficult one for a

lot of us to accept. But the Lord is a

lord who allows the innocent to suffer. I know this

is a big question that a lot of times we

ask you know, you see God did cause the slaughter

of the babies in Bethlehem. Think about it science We read,

Oh no, that's actually a legal story. I remember know

when I was learning law, because people always say the

law is good. So what happens if you pass a

law that's is that all blue eyed babies within a

two kilometer radius is to be killed if you follow

that law. Are you a law abiding citizen or are

you evil? Of course, that is one of the jurisprudence

questions no legal philosophy that people ask, and that actually

came from this story.

How that whole.

Example came about because there was a law that was

passed to kill, to kill all babies and the two

in that town, and he did cause it to happen.

He must have known. God must have known it would happen.

And yeah, he did not stop to save those babies.

Why have you ever asked yourself?

Why?

And that's the whole big problem about suffering, right? Why

does God allow the innocent to suffer? He is a

god who is prepared to let the innocence suffer. And

he told Joseph to save his own baby.

Wow.

Sometimes when we read that, we're like, oh, okay, why

here is a God who protects his own baby and

lets others be killed. That is how the world cries

out against God most time. God, why do you let

these kind of things happen? Why are there so many

people in this world who are perishing into a christless eternity?

We ask all these questions, why should God protect his

own baby's son? And none of the others when in

a sense, his son was the cause of the other

innocent baby is dying. People ask this, Well, we have

to face something very honestly here. First, we have got

to say that God is a god who will allow

pain and suffering if out of it good will come.

We must be able to accept that fact. God is

that kind of a god, and he has given you

that freedom to actually because we are all given the

freedom to hurt and the freedom to help. You can

hurt your children, or you can help your children. You

can help your friends, or you can hurt your friends.

God has given us that freedom. He does not protect

people against each other. He allows us the freedom both

to help and to hurt each other. We have got

to face that fact. But I want you to go

a little further than this story. It is true that

God saved his own baby out of this and let

others die without helping them. But we must ask this question,

why did he save his own baby? Have you ever

asked yourself that question? Was it because he was going

to protect him all through his life and bring him

to a peaceful old age and let him die peacefully

in all age? No, because we know someday the only,

the only innocent person whoever lived in this world was

going to face the greatest suffering by God's will, and

God would allow it to happen if.

Good can come out of it.

Right right, The cross took place thirty three years later.

If God had never sent Jesus to Mary, Mary would

never have endured that broken heart of seeing her own

son tortured to death. And God is prepared to cause

pain if his purpose requires that. In a way, the

evil of the world is to be allowed some freedom.

If you want to look at it from that point,

it is true. Think about it. If God had allowed

Jesus to be slaughtered by Herod, the death of Jesus

could never have been a sacrifice for sin. Had that

ever struck you, because think you no, wait, Jesus died

on the cross. Jesus died the baby the same thing,

or Diemer died so that you can be the ones

and for all atonements. So why not just let him

die when he was a kid, and that would have

sorted everything out and all those babies.

Didn't have to go? Why? Why not? Why not?

A lot of times we ask questions like that because

it would not have been a voluntary sacrifice. You see

a baby's blurn, it's not going to be able to

cleanse your heart on my heart, That's the truth, because

a baby's blurn could not could not have cleansed any

of us from our sins, because the baby would not

have chosen it, The baby would not have known about it.

In fact, the baby may not even have suffered if

if it was just like that, right, But it was

God's will. He knew that evil can never be dealt

with unless and innocent suffers, and he was waiting for

someone who would voluntarily accept this suffering and go through

that suffering, even though in my last hours, even though

he would have to bear the most excruciating pain that

anyone can ever imagine for the sins of the world.

And so God had to save his baby from being

slaughtered by Herod. That is the reality of it. The

baby Jesus was safe for a period of time, but

we know thirty two years later, Jesus, the only innocent

person to have ever lived, the only man without sin,

voluntarily chose to suffer death on the cross for me

and you. If he had not done so, then you

would not be reading this. We will not be here today.

If he had not done any of this, we won't

be able to rejoice and bring gifts and share with

one another. You're in Christmas in all honesty, we won't

be able to worship today. These are the privileges that

came with death sacrifice, so it would not have been

if he had died at birth. That is something that

we need to be But that's why I say, I'm

going to make you all think it's going to be deep,

but this is the truth because his death on the

cross is what made it all possible.

Amen.

So fast forward, okay, fast forward to where we are today.

And you know, the Old Testament actually makes it absolutely

clear how we are to live our lives. You know, Micah,

the book that we just read just now actually gives us,

actually prescribes how we are to live our lives. Michael

chapter five says the Savior of the world is to

be born in Bethlehem. If you read on mid chapter

six and Michael chapter six, verse eight is this portion

of scripture that we love to recite with love to memorize,

it says, is not the Lord has told you what

is good, and this is what he really choirs of

you to do. What is right, to love mercy and

to walk humbly with your God. Basically, this is a

prescription on how we are supposed to live, because it

was actually addressed to the Jewish people, to Israel, this

is how you are to live your life. This is

what is good, and this is what's required of you.

Do what is right, love mercy, walk humbly with your God.

So it was prescribed to the people even in the

Old testamonially. But you see, by nature we are unjust,

we are unmerciful, and we are proud people.

And that is the problem.

Actually, we know that we can't resolve anything by ourselves.

So what is going to happen?

Do we just face a future like Israel in Myca's prophecy,

Because Israel in my cast prophecy, is going to face

doom if they do not change their ways. That was

the one actually learn how to live properly. Please start

to do what is right, Please start to love mercy,

and please start to be humble. If not, you are

going to meet your doom. That was what the scriptures

were actually prophesying. And you know how did they circumvent it?

Is? How did this all come to where it is? Today.

And this is where I thank God that we have

the New Testament, because if we lived on in the

Old Testament, doom is the only thing that awaits us.

But Mica saw that sacrifices will be no use because

there are no substitutes for right living. There are no

substitutes for right living. Supposing you could find a sacrifice

of a life that had been lived right, just think

it's true. God says, if you have given him even

your eldest son, it will still not be satisfactory.

Right.

That was what Abraham was going to do, to give

not just his eldest son, the son that was his

promised son. But even that would not have been satisfactory.

What will satisfy God? He will only be satisfied if

he gives his only son. That is a tremendous thing

that we need to be able to fully understand. Why

should the sacrifice of the life of Jesus be any

more acceptable than the thousands of cows that they used

to slaughter during the Old Testament, than the then compared

to the unblemish lambs, We ask.

Why, why? Why? Why is it? All those things is

not enough? But Jesus is enough.

Well, it is because it was the first sacrifice that

had lived in the way God the Father has prescribed.

Jesus is the only person to ever fulfill Micah chapter six,

verse eight. Because Jesus did justly. He loved mercy, and

he walked humbly with God. For the first time a

life had been lived on Earth that gave God what

he wanted, the only life that had ever done so.

And so Jesus for thirty three years on our planet,

in our flesh, walk around in our society with people

just as crooked as you and me, and Jesus did

absolutely justly. Every time they tried to make him act unjustly,

every time they tried to tell him, he found a

way to be fair, and not a word escaped from

his lips that wasn't fair. Everything he said was fairness.

Not an act of judgment that he made was unfair.

He loved mercy. You know who else could say to

the woman caught in adultry, neither do I condemn you,

go and sin no more. Jesus loved mercy. He walked

humbly because the words that he spoke were just the

words that the Father told him to say. And so

he offered God the Father what was wanted, and God

accepted that sacrifice.

And can forgive sin. Amen.

And that is how it is all resolved today, that

we are where we are today, and praise God that

me and you can stand before God. Though I have

not acted justly, we have not loved mercy, and we

have not walked humbly, but yet we can say, Father God,

I present to you Jesus' sacrifice, his life as a

substitute for mine.

Mine.

And some people can still say he very very simple,

very easy. Does that mean that I can go on

acting unjustly? Can I go on being unmerciful? And can

I continue to be proud the way I am?

Never? I pray that we see beyond it. Amen.

For Christ is to become my substitute, not only in

his death but in my life. You see, he is

not only to die in my place, he is to

also live in my place.

Amen.

It becomes possible, in fact, gloriously possible, to give God

what he wants. Sometimes we think, oh, God cannot, cannot,

we don't have what it takes. No, if you let

Christ be your substitute in life as well as in death,

you are saying, Lord God, you live in my life

instead of me living. Then you will see yourself doing justly,

loving mercy and walking humbly, because it won't be me

or you at all, but it will be Christ living

true us.

Amen.

And it will be Christ presenting to God the Father

what he wants, true us. That is what the miracle

of salvation is. When that great exchange happens, we are

able to say, law, not only in death am I alive,

but also in life are you living true me? And

that is why the old testimony is incomplete without the new,

And that's why you are left with this unresolved problem.

But that is how God is going to resolve it. Amen.

This is what God wants, but I can't give to him.

But I can only give it to him when I

have Christ in me. And thanks be to God that

true Jesus' birth and eventual death on the cross, he

now lives in my heart and I am now able

to present to him what God wants.

That is what me and you have today. Amen.

Never, never, never ever take your salvation for granted. Never

ever think that it was by chance or by fluke,

or by coincidence. Maybe a few years down previously, you know,

I responded, to God and that's it.

No.

Now I do whatever i want and I've got this

insurance policy covered for me, and life is going to

be okay. I can party all the way to the

very end and then I'll see God.

Allow God to live through you. Amen.

Amen, I'm almost done. I'm gonna invite the bannum. And

that's why I say I want to start off by

asking you to reflect. To reflect, as we have come

to the year end. Who are you? Are you like

the wise person the three wise men who really wanted

to find Christ and is prepared to go all the way. Well,

whatever it may cost you to find the truth. Because

if you are like the wise man, praise God. I

believe you will. You will discover Him. Because all who seek,

all who asks, all who know, at the door of

God's heart you will find.

You will the door will be opened to you.

But you know that scripture is actually in the continuous stance.

Let mess says, all who asks and continue to ask,

all who seek and continue to seek. Don't just seek

once and like, hey he didn't answer me. Don't just

knock once. Hey he they open the door to me

and I'm just turning my back. No, he says, ask sick, no,

but more importantly is actually us? And carry on asking sick,

and carry on seeking no, and carry on knocking, because

I believe you will find him, those who sick and

desire to find him, you will find him.

Are you like the wise Man? Or are you like Herod?

And you have discovered that Jesus is the biggest rival

you have ever had? Because that is the truth for

some of us. And in the shortest time we're gonna

declare Jesus the last song. Joel, you can be on

the guitars, not the drums. Is he a rival to

your ambitions? Is here a rival to what you want

to do in your life? Is here a rival to

certain relationships in your life that you want to keep?

You've got to ask yourself this question. Am I like that?

Because really, sometimes he's that rival to the certain things

that you want to end and you don't want to

give up. He is a rival, and he comes to

take the throne of your heart. That is the honest truth.

Though you may go to worship him, you may also

think at times, how can I get rid of him?

That was what King Herod was doing. He went to

worship him, but he was also plotting how do I

get rid of this Jesus Because he's going to be

my rival, He's going to take my place. How can

I get all this out of my life? Are you

like a Herod? Because if you are like a Herod,

then I pray that you will see Jesus differently. He's

not your rival, he is king?

Amen? Or are you like a Joseph?

And if God speaks to you to a sermon, to

a dream, God says, get up and go?

Will you go?

God says sit still and stay? Will you stay? Because

that is Joseph amazing. You know, whatever God told him,

he accepted it, even the most preposterous explanation on how

his wife became pregnant. But the truth is she became

pregnant supernaturally, and he believed God. And when he was

made to bring her away, he brought her away. He

was made not to divorce her. He did not divorce her.

He stuck by. And because of that, Joseph fulfill the

prophecies that a son of David was to be born

in Bethlehem.

Amen.

It was true Joseph's lineage that you can trace it

back to King David to Abraham and eventually also to Adam, amen,

are you a Joseph? If so, maybe God is saying

I want you to stay or I want.

You to go. It's time to reflect.

As we reached the end of the year, and so

the final question is is do you really know the Lord?

Do you really know the Lord?

Because sometimes we want to see the stars, we want

to see things which are spectacular.

No, we love reading the scriptures, but the whole point of.

It is really to get true to the Lord. That

is why we continue to do what we do. Because

there are days when He is a lord who hides himself,

but he is also the lord who leads those who

are willing to be led by him. He is the

Lord who makes his plan come true always, but he

does it true human beings who respond to him? How

are we responding to God? And above all, he is

the Lord who is willing to let you suffer in

order that he will come true. His will will be

made known, and his will will come to pass. He

is willing to cause you pain and sorrow in order

that one day you may rejoice with him in glory.

That is the Lord. Are we able to follow him?

Because I want you to know this He is the reason,

not just for this season, but he is the reason

for us living today. Let's stand and we're going to

declare the name of Jesus right from the very stun

because he is King and he is the Lord of

our lives.

Hallelujah.

We hope you've been blessed by this message. For more

information on our church, please visit as church org. We

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this week is going to be a good week. I

hit for you. God bless