Breaking Free From Self(E) | Dr Daniel Kong

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We hope this message will light up your day.

Today's message is on breaking free from self bracket e Okay,

selfie Okay, Now it will make more sense at the

end of the of the message. Okay, okay. So everybody

remember the time before selfies were a thing. Right for

those new people, maybe you don't understand this, lab but

when I was growing up, you know, selfie is not

something that we do in fact, uh, And I had

some privilege to travel when I was younger, uh, you know,

to some places outside of Malaysia. And normally when you travel,

this is the pre mobile phone days where you use

the traditional camera. We will normally take photographs off the

place that you visit. Okay, let's say a beautiful scenery,

you know. Uh, you know I went to Disneyland as well.

So I was, you know, at that age, teenager, much

of the teenager by the way, not like how some

of our kids are a bit more privileged. This is

to travel a bit further. But yeah, it was very

magical and then we just took a lot of photographs

and if you look at those photographs in that era's

usually off the place and maybe maybe maybe maybe some

photos of the family member or friends, you know, uh

in front of that you know that that that that photograph.

But it's not a selfie, Okay, why because the cameras

during that time don't film film, right, so you take

you don't know what you're taking. Nobody has that gen

z kind of thing last time, right, It's almost impossible

with the traditional film camera and it's also probably bulky

and heavy, et cetera. Okay, so selfie is a new

kind of a thing that that that that that is

invented I think in the last maybe the last uh

decade or so, maybe even longer because since uh, social

media is sort of a birth okay. And also remember

one thing when I was younger again suggests about this,

I wanted to find a photograph, but I didn't mention

time to get it. But I also it's a habit

of like whenever my parents take photograph of me, I

will turn away very naughty and I'll do these sad things.

And half my photographs in my family when we travel

is me doing things like that. So background definitely not selfie,

uh and sort of wasting a lot of film and

film back then is quite expensive. Okay, and we do that, right,

we do that when we try not not do that,

that whole turning away thing. But we do that when

we go around nowadays. You know, you see a beautiful coastline,

a beautiful beach. You know when you hike, et cetera. Again,

first thing you do more probably not like that. You'll

probably do this. But why do you think we do that?

Because we want to include ourselves and also probad the people,

uh you know that they were traveling with, and also

the background, everybody all inclusive. Okay, that that is a

general thing. Okay. Let's look at bypically where selfie has

come about. Okay, uh, in a bit, now, the Bible

actually talks about selfies to the next dent. Okay, let's

look at scriptures second Timothy over here, chapter three Versus

one to five. But mark this. There will be terrible

times in the last days. Okay, this is the last

days and end days. People will be lovers of selfies.

Is it selfie? No? No, it doesn't say self e. Okay,

selfies themselves lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, this obedient

to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera,

et cetera, et cetera. Okay, so you get the idea, okay.

And this is Paul warning us that in the last

days the world is going to be very self centered,

self oriented, very selfie, kind of driven yourself first before

anything else. Okay. And this is a warning. And it's

not just you know, it's very specific. Is the church

in the church that we people who are lovers of self? No,

we're talking about the general non church people. The church

itself is going to be lovers of self. Okay. And

this is a warning, and it's really bad. Okay. When

I was younger, I still remember when I learned the

word narcissistic or narcissism. I was like, well, does thiscus

a cool word? Such a mouthful? Right? And we used

to say that, right when you take a photo of

yourself or you look in the mirror like this guy, right, naissistic? Right,

But today we don't call it that anymore. We call

it Instagram. Right. Half your Instagram pictures is usually of yourself.

In reality, you check it out, check your feet. You'll

mainly be yourself, or it might be your friends or

your spouse posting on you, but generally about eighty ninety

percent of it is really about yourself and maybe people

around you. Okay, because why you want to highlight you know,

what's happening in your life. You want to documented Okay,

and again jokes aside. One parent says that it's becoming

very normal now to focus on oneself more than the others.

And again the Bible wants us about this. In the scripture,

Segger just read that self focus can really creep in

if you do you're not careful about it. Moving from

self fiekay, just talking about being focused on self. It

can creep in if you're not careful about it. And honestly,

if I ask you a question right now, how many

of you come to church today thinking about somebody else

instead of yourself? Let's be honest. When you walked in

through those doors, what do you anticipate. Are you thinking, oh,

let's just see whether today I will receive something? Or

are you thinking about what somebody else will receive? Being honest, okay,

most of the time, you're fine. If you're really, really honest,

eighty ninety percent of the time is really what is

it in for me? Even in the church perspective. Kay,

And you know you may thinking, you know, where we'll

be sitting today? Who are messing with? Who am I

sitting with? Not who is the person? Maybe there's new

sitting where who's with next? Too? Is it my favorite

chairperson that's gonna be speaking today to be sharing today

about you know, sharing this the session today? Uh? Is

the speaker going to be sharing something that is going

to be for me today? Is it gonna be relevant?

It's gonna be good for me? Not good for my neighbor? Okay? Uh?

Is the worship leader gonna be singing songs that I

actually enjoy today? Are the carols really the carols that

I want to sing today? You know? It's all about

self And that's just being very very honest, again, being

very very honest. We are on selfie mode most of

the time. Okay, just being very honest. And again here

Bible tells us you're just gonna be very careful because

that needs fixing. Okay, what I mean by fixing? The

last two weeks ago I came and I spoke a

little bit about you know, purpose driven life, about you know,

answering your calling. A lot of these things, right, doesn't

involve cel phone if you remember, okay, but you haven't

go and catch it. But what am I trying to

say here is that we need to stop focusing on

oneself or ourselves. But really, instead of asking how can

you help me? Or how can the church help me?

Or how can every everybody else help me? How can

I help you? How can I move away from self? Fee?

But moving outside of just within my realm? Okay? And

that is the greater purpose, because that's why God just

just I guess biblicalarly has sort of mentioned you can

break careful of this otherwise you'll all lose it. No

matter what we do, you think about it, it will

never be enough. When you are a consumer, right, you

always think about itself. You come, you re see something,

you go back, hungry again, you come back. It keeps

going on and on and on and on and on.

If you are busy enough to focus on others, maybe

perhaps you also not to be so hungry to the

next tent. Okay. And sometimes you always wonder why is

it that in the last few years, for those who

who come to church for quite some times, what you

still feel hungry? Maybe perhaps you have also been in

the consumerism pathway that you are focused more on oneself

yourself then what you can do to bless others. And

we all know this, right, We're called to be a blessing,

but sometimes we're also guilty of not exercising that. In fact,

we are more focused on how others who blesses. Okay,

every okay, so far okay, So I want to show

you an approach and the method, a very practical way

of how to not have a selfie kind of lifestyle.

Start with your phone. If you look at selfie mode

right right, like this, you can see yourself right, no

matter how right. There is here a special button down here.

Now see this button that is going out of selfie.

And if you do that, no matter how you look,

you can't see yourself. No matter how you look, you

can't see yourself. I'm using a simple analogy here. Okay,

no matter how you look, you can't see yourself unless

you use somebody else's phone to mirror that image. Again,

there's IM trying to say. You can get out selfie

mode if you choose to, even in the phone. Okay,

So if you do not do that, talk to your

neighbor ask them how to do it. For those of

you who don't have mobile phones, I'm so sorry, but yeah,

I hope you understand whe I'm coming from. Okay, that's

the secret and want to share with you when we

stop staring at ourselves and start staring at something beyond ourselves.

If if you can't catch that, it's like I want

you to stare at God, okay, because if you look

at your phone, you're actually looking outside, looking further away,

looking at God. The perspective true God's eyes. That not true.

What you see again, origin design before selfie was created

is always like this. You're always looking out admiring the beauty. Right,

But somehow along the way, men being men, we started

to admire ourselves and then the beauty is the background.

But it's not meant to be right, it's not meant

to be okay, So let's get out of this mode now,

let us carry on. Some twenty seven. This is the

secret to joyer. Fixing our eyes on God is why

I wrote down here. I know it's very counterintuitive, but

this is what the Bible says. Okay. Some twenty seven reads.

One thing I ask from the Lord. This only do

I seek that I may dwell in the house of

the Lord. All my days to do what to gaze

on the beauty of the Lord. Gaze is to look

all right in case you don't understand what it is,

and to seek him in his temple. So you see,

even in design right when we want to uh, you know,

we want to seek God, it is always to really

gaze at Him, at what it gains, at his beauty.

And that is how you can move away from the

very self inward looking perspective, getting our self remote, to

then look at some but something beyond, look at what,

look at the beauty, the beauty of the Lord. Okay,

but I think in this generation, like I said, we

have lost it. We are more often than not looking

like I said, what what I can do? Even in

the way we take post social media posts and all

that kind of thing, what is it? What is it

in for me? And that's why sometimes we wonder why

we why, why aren't we fulfilled? Maybe it's because we've

always been inward looking. Okay, Now, when you say the

Lord's prayer, everyone knows lots prayer. What does it say, Hello,

be thy name the kingdom, Come y'are my y'all right,

y'all will be done by Selfie Moode. It's always mine,

will be done my what was in for me? Right? Okay?

So and if you think about it, just reading that

that will be done on earth here right now, as

it is in heaven, all right, it means we mirror

or we replicate. What is it to do in heaven?

It is to do in heaven. Now. I know today

it's a bit different because usually family and there I

do a very simple message. But I felt there's a

bit of urgency about this. So I'm so sorry. Kids, Uh,

you gotta catch catch alonga but I think it's very

important and crucial. Okay. Now, let's look at heaven. A

glimpse of heaven, right, what was it like? Okay, let's

go to revelation. Oh, revelation. This is what I said

I want the kids today. Revelation is coming up. Okay,

chapter five. Let's look at this so far. Okay, let's look. Okay,

Levana and I looked and heard a voice of many

angels numbering thousands upon thousands, ten thousand times ten thousand.

Basically a lot layah, a lot, a lot they all,

and the angels they encircled the throne, living creatures and

the elders. In a loud voice. They were saying, worthy

is the Lamb who was slain, Okay, to receive power

and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory

and praise. Then I heard every creature in heaven, every

it means all. Not one of the thousands and thousands,

thousands were distracted all all where was I. All of

them were saying to him who sits on the throne

and to the Lamb to sorry be praise and honor

and glory and power forever and ever. Okay, this is

a picture of heaven. Aren't we all trying to go

to heaven anyway? Eventually there's our aspirations. Right when they

get there, you get this, no selfimote. Did you know?

It's all looking out? And yet here we are so

focused on something else? Right, right? And this what's going

on in heaven. People are coming up to God and

say look, and if you see beauty, right, you would

not look at yourself. And usually you think about it,

if you see one of the seven oners in the world,

you're not look at your phone, n right. If you

see this in there as a kid, you wouldn't look that.

You look up at the you know whatever. Right, So again,

if we look at ourselves, it's because maybe perhaps we

we miss the beauty, we miss what God, God's picture

is upon our lives. We just totally missed the point. Okay,

we are not supposed to be staring at Him all

the time, all the time, all all, not just once,

or to say that God, you are worthy. God, you

are worthy of it, all right. You deserve all attention,

You deserve all the glory. Okay. And again I guess

we we we you know, if you are to mirror Heaven,

we are to then practice this all the time. Okay.

And and and if you think about it, someone that

you enjoy, someone that you love, you de face a

little bit more staring on. It's only natural you willn't

look away, Okay. If you're attracted to somebody, you will

look at that person. Correct. So if we stop staring

at God, would that also mean that maybe perhaps you've

lost something, You have lost that maybe that first leve Okay,

maybe you've lost it. And then you are wondering again

why a we're feeling so miserable is perhaps because again

we are focused on our problems. We're focused on our

own doing and we've focused on the bigger picture and

the greater picture and the beauty as we've just read earlier. Okay,

so what am I trying to say here is this

is an open invitation really to shift our focus from

ourselves to what God has installed for us and from

the perspective of God. And if you're not careful, as

we've read in the first verse, you will naturally tend

to do the self eating all the time. Okay, Now

you also know this scripture quite well. Some of us

have read about spiritual gifts. You all know that, right,

we're all blessed, right, everybody. How many gifts do you have?

At least one is bibigal at least one somewhere more? Now,

from a perspective for a gift, right, what are gifts

for two to give away? Right? If you have a

gift and you don't give it away, then it's not

really called a present or a gift anymore. Thing about it?

Christmas party, you go to a company Christmas thing, you

bring a gift, and you go better the gift. What's

the point of gift? Right? What's the point of the gift? Right? So,

but sometimes we're like this, we are blessed with something.

We are gifted with something, but when we come to church,

we actually don't give that gift. We don't exercise that gift.

And that's akin to taking home whatever God is facing

your hands, heart or ability. You just take it home.

Wasted gift, waste it. Give with a bracket as sometimes

more than one. Kay. And again you also want something.

The perspective of this, if you're going to read about it,

it's in first content twelve. It is really about the

gifts are a manifestation of how the Holy Spirit can

then work in not our lives, but people's lives. That

means it's to bless others. In other words, So if

you are withholding that, then you are also withholding the

blessings that somebody else can receive. Okay, And and and

that is something that I think is more prevalent these days.

It's because of this whole self inward looking I will

only serve, or I only do things. I only gift

when I feel that I've got it all, or I

work myself out. No supposed to give it away. It's

not yours anyway, right, it's not yours anyway. We are

called to be a blessing. Now, I'm just gonna come

back down here a little bit, because I can say

all I want to say. I can perhaps even convict

a small portion of your of your mind, but I

can never convict you in your heart. Is God's God's

job to convict your hearts. Okay, So while I give

you the hit knowledge, you have to also go to

the Lord and ask for that conviction. Otherwise, again back

to square one. And you always wonder why on earth

that we come to church. We don't progress because it's

small things, like there's simple things. Sometimes we cannot get right? Okay,

can I get right? So I know it's very humbling.

And it took me a while to even understand this

because I myself also four in the same track, because

I'm in looking. Let's just just the word selfish. When

I'm selfish, I think about myself. It's very hard for

a self focused person to understand that they're actually in

this position, that they're self centered. You catch my drift, right,

If you are looking at yourself, it's rare to see

that you're actually looking at yourself. You take somebod else

to tell you that, right, And there's a danger about

this Philippines, too, talks about imating Christ, emating what specifically

christis humility. Now, Christ doesn't have to be humble, you know,

He's God, you know, but yet there is humility in

how God portrays what is supposed to be. Let's read again. Therefore,

if you have any encouragement from being really sorry, being

united with price, if any comfort from His love sorry,

if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing

in the spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make

my joy complete? Whose joy? God's joy right complete? By

being like minded, having the same love, being one in

the spirit and one mind of one mind. Next part here,

verse three very important. Do nothing out of selfish ambition

or vain conceit next part. Rather in humility, value others

above yourself. Again, not looking at yourself. It's only that

you have to look others and need to place the

others above yourself. That's ultimate humility in that sense, because

you're already like forget about the selfie. You can look

at my neighbor and put him his priorities, his needs

above my needs. Kay. And this is again simple terms

are simple language in terms of scripture of God is saying,

if you want to make me happy if you want

to make me happy, right, just place importance on others

first before yourself. Simple. That's a simple version of it.

And that's a fact. Yeah, you come in, you consider

others more important. You've already there. Now what does it

mean in the practical? Kay? Maybe it is about let's

say you know there is a good parking over there

BB one, okay, But even if the parking is there,

I decide to go to B two and part to

allow somebody else better access to maybe to church or

to wherever. That is looking out for somebody else before myself.

It's a simple one. Or it might be Oh, I

may not understand this obeds thing, but it's okay. I

will queue up an always look at me. I will

queue up for days just to get that special exclusive

whatever tickets and I give it to her. That is

looking out for others than yourself. I mean parents, you

know what I'm talking about. Right? You often do things

not for self but for the sacrificial kind of a thing. Right,

And this is exactly what it is. Don't understand it,

but you still do it because it is will we go?

But how many of us are thinking that way? Let's

be honest, how many of us come in today to say,

how can I bless others? How can I bless others

on Sunday? Or don't say Monday, Tuesday or Sunday as well?

How am I thinking this way? These are easier people

to live, by the way, right, Monday may be different enough,

not so easy to love if we talked about it

the last time. But yeah, but that's also how the

world sort of shapes. The norm is we're always called

to take care of ourselves. Counseling, they always ask the questions, right,

how do you feel? This is modern day general counseling. Right,

how does that make you feel? Are you okay? Right?

Let's go back to your childhood, your past to explain

what you're doing right now. Again, it's asking about for

you to reflect on yourself, look at yourself. Right, Sometimes

you can't go back to your mother's room, see what

type of injuries? And not kidding, but but you know

what I'm trying to say. It's always asking you to

go deeper and deeper in self reflection. But God is

adopting a different model. He said, forget about yourself, look

at outside yourself, or other words, put others first. And

if not, we will come in this never ending cycle

of not feeling satisfied. You know this whole thing about

how sometimes even in scriptures, the enemy will know how

to twist it. Sometimes you've probably heard this, this scripture

right about loving your neighbor as yourself, right, very simple,

and not living a neighborment is loving somebody next to

you or somebody not you as yourself. But somehow we

always use the words oh maybe because I cannot love

my neighbor because I have not loved myself enough yet.

But you see the sequence that is, actually live the

neighbor first before you do, and trust me, you will

love yourself. And most of us are designed to focus

on oneself first so that their criteria is already checked

long time ago, so don't have to worry about that.

That's what I'm trying to say. But people do tend

to to to to twist it a little. So one

parent says that get over yourself quickly and then focus

on loving others. Don't twist God's word, okay, Paul. As

I we've read earlier in Philippines, it says considered everybody

else more important than yourself, And this is exactly how

Jesus was so exemplified it. He came down and to serve, right,

He came down to give. He came down to blessed,

not for himself. In fact, I think he went a

perfect beyond the call of duty. He really outgives everybody

or in other words, he also came to rescue people,

rescue from what rescue us from ourselves love pretty much,

to change that mindset, to change that self fee mode,

self centeredness. He came to rescue me and you. Otherwise,

the person that you see here will always just think

of my own interests, what Daniel needs, what Daniel will

think of what I will need to do. And trust me,

if you know the real Daniel right, very selfishent It's

very natural, It's very natural. I always think about self preservation.

What's it gotten for me? I do this? And so

that's why this whole thing about really uh you know

you heard this expression dying to self, right, It's exactly that.

It means to put aside what you need or a

bit more bit killing Daniel, killing myself right, so that

you allow something bigger to happen, right, because I don't

really like this person in me, the natural me, right,

it's going to lead myself to destruction. Let's regalations. I've

been crucified by Christ, sorry, crucified with Christ, and I

no longer live. Right, that is what it's all about.

Die to oneself. But when you die to oneself is

not the end of story. Now, to allow Christ to

live in you. You know, we sing those songs make

room for God. Right, it's exactly it. Once you die

to oneself, you put aside the selfiness. Then you allow

God to live in and true you the life I

know now live in the body. I live by faith

in the Son who loved me and gave himself for me. So,

in other words, living beyond self, living beyond your priorities,

living beyond your need. And it s at It ties

into the message I spoke about two weeks ago, which

is about understanding your purpose and calling. And that's exactly right,

because you understand there's a bigger picture, there's a bigger

need than just self preservation. We need talk of baptism earlier.

Baptism is just something like that, right, why do you do?

Baptism is symbolic of what I just mentioned, all right,

symbolic to no longer live, to allow Christ to live

in you and I I don't want Daniel come to

be in charge anymore. If you don't know my name

is my surname is Kong, so not somebody else. Don't

want then not to be in charge anymore. I want

to crucify this joker so that I allow God to

move and true my life right, because Christ himself has

done exactly that. You know, when Christ in the early

I think eighties and ninety, you always say what would

Jesus do? Right, because we assume when Jesus occupies us,

what will he do? God would definitely not be looking

at myself, and oh Jesus will not looking himself. He

will always stare at others needs. First, You've seen that

in his life, all right. So if we allow God

to move in when we die to ourselves, this is

what can happen because if, like we read earlier, if

we put outside the selfs ambition, that's when you can

start to activate greater things of how God has intended it. Okay,

let me turn to scripture again. He Brews five, he

Brews five versus sorry, Chapter five versus twelve. Let's read

Hebrew five versus Twealth. In fact, though by this time.

You ought to be teachers. You ought to be teachers.

You need someone to teach you elementary truths of God's

word all over again. What does it mean? Probably because

you regress. That means they have actually been taught before.

But they still go back to quote unquote basics because

they regress. You need milk, not solid food. Anyone who

lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted

with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for

the mature, who, by constant use have trained themselves to

distinguish good from evil. Like I said, just now, you're

actual wanted to put coffee in here, but but there

was like s no, I said, like off tangent. But

the thing is, you know, you find it weird that

grown adult of forty a years or sucked sucking milk

like this is because it's not appropriate at this age.

But how many of us write also sort of do

this we become to church, we still expect this kind

of feeding. Right, me, me, me, me, it's written there,

it's coming back to the basics, and we've not grown,

and we wonder, right the problem is really right, it's

because I suck literally and we expect that, right, we

expect that. You wonder how why this is the problem.

Maybe perhaps the problem is not so much the church

at large or even God at large, but maybe perhaps

the perspective we have not grown, or we have chosen

to be stunted. Right passing always say this, and I

keep having her face, always thinking of her when she

she I mean, she talks about the milk. So I

thought this perfect stream. By the way, it is the

best two ring gets spent, we said, they just to

illustrate my point. Why, because it's very awkward for you

to see me doing this, but many of us come

in with a bottle expecting to be fat. So I'll

we feeding or rather not me, but maybe any of

the leaders. We're feeding you just as though you're infant.

And there's also wrong, but we expect that because why

we are in looking feed me, feed me, grow me, okay,

and sometimes even for us. You may also be receiving

your nutrients once a week. You're coming to church once

a week, and this is the only time you get milk,

which is so wrong. Right, we should be moving on

the bigger things, right, But it's just stuck here. What

I'm trying to say, is that how often do we

pick up the Bible for ourselves? Right? Beyond just bringing

the Bible physically? But you know, how often do we

open it? Have we learned to feed ourselves? They will

talk about memorizing versus and all that, just opening the book?

How often do you open it? Right? And you know

we're talking about bigger stuff, solid food for the mature.

Are we all still are we mature? I mean age?

I know mature for sure, but are we mature in Christ?

Are we still infant? If you are a new believer

or you know, it's just a few much, is totally

fine to do that. But after year after year, day

after day, you know, decades after decade, if you keep

doing that, it's a bit strange, right, It's a bit strange.

And then sometimes how how it is we come to church?

We you know, we want past the Sandra to feed

us or past the Kenneth to feed us. The word

must be meety now the bottles passed to you like that,

But we don't take, you know, things into our own hands.

Are you kidding me? Really? Like I said, say, right,

we ought to be teachers by now, but we are

heavy regress. Kay? And this is how we do we

say it? Right? Oh, I think today's word it was

okay again. Maybe it's because you are looking at oneself today.

Song choices didn't drive with me. Right again. It's not

about you. It's not about your supplements. It's supposed to go.

It's will come full already, eaten your meat, lunch already,

it's already lunchtime, past lunchtime. Don't come in expecting to

be fed that kind of way, okay, otherwise you'll be

like like baby, it's one melanie, okay. So the real

problem of why we are unhappy or not satisfied or

feel that lack lack of better word is because excuse

my word, my words, because we su see kyla literally

we expect to suckle, okay, and when you do that,

you're not just deprive yourself. You also leach trying to

use that word less than the whole suc k word.

We leach off the people surrounding you. And you wonder

why the people around you starts to feel tired. It's

because you come in with that expectation to be fed,

and therefore you take from the others around you. But

the opposite is what we are called to do we

are called to minister, we're caught to the less, but

we end up sapping the life of our people around us.

And this is again just setting within the four walls

of the church. What happens out there. I don't know

if we can behave this way in church, wait more

outside of church. And that's a scary part. We are

myself and jes we had the privilege to put people

through pre mariage counseling uh PMC and in chortice to

call it, we actually having an a PMC of this

as well. One of the things that we often challenge

the couple is to uh, you know, couples are always like, oh, okay,

give more. Yeah, actually that's the correct model. How can

you minister to the other person more? I mean it

makes you take less, you give more because when you

give you challenge that you who can give each other more? Right?

It's actually very healthier, you know. Otherwise are you like,

see who can set each other or take from each

other or leach from each other? Right? This is where

things fall apart. And it's the same whether it's with kids, family, friends, church, friends,

et cetera. It's the same thing. Okay, two ways why

sometimes you do that because you feel that lack. If

you feel the lack, right, the need to suck, right

is because maybe you yourself are not feeled. And that's

also a problem. You know. It means you've got to

go back to the Lord and feel yourself. Don't come hungry,

simple way to put it. Look at Jeremiah too, Versustda

in his promises. Here Dad, he is a spring of

living water? What spring of living water? And unlink a lot?

You always be the full? Not so if you come thirsty,

then you take a lot lot h Yeah? Really And

it says it's a warning here, right, because you are

trying to dig out systems. Systems are basically a fancy

word for water containers. Luck, right, your your, your, your,

You are coming into even bringing water containers that are

not appropriate. It doesn't hold water, right, But God, the

everlasting source of living water is who's supposed to tap into? Right?

Let's read some tiny three This is David, some of David.

Now what does it say here? Someonimes we actually sing

that song? Right? The Lord there is my shepherd. Right,

what's the next one? I shall not suck, I shall

not leach, I shall not the same words, I shall

not want, I shall not demand right Why because the

Lord is my shepherd. He's only provided more than enough.

You shouldn't be drawing, I shall not want, I shall

not lack, I shall not want from other people. In fact,

I should be giving other people because I'm already fulfilled

before I come here. But in reality, that's not how

it is. We often come with those like and then

we expect maybe our peers, our church partners, our leaders

to fill that need, even though it's also not quite

right lar because why go back to God again? Doesn't

mean that there's not a place for us to come

together to pray for different needs. Not trying to say

we do that, partner with you, but at the same time,

you still have to draw from the living source. We

are just you know, peers helping you out as well, Okay,

but in doing so, you know life is going to

be different. And like I said earlier, this is how

even in marriage, you know, when you come together, how

can I how can I serve you? How can I

give you more? Why? Because I'm already fulfilled. I want

to let the let it outflow into my partner's life. Kay,

Because when we lack, I've got this slide over here.

It's like when we lack or we run empty, there's

a tendency to start to leach or tend to set

from others instead of what we're designed to do, which

is to outflow into others. And sometimes you wonder why

people are burnt out right, it's because you know we

we we cause es, We cause them to burn out.

Instead of blessing them, we are sapping from them. No

broken families also like this. You know they said that

I cannot it's just so selfish, so and so, it's

just so selfish. Sometimes I even say this to my kids.

Last time I was younger, like I died to myself

with anyway, I said, how can you just do this

to me? How come so inward looking kids? But you

know the moment the kids turn and become a bit

more thoughtful, think about you a big money, you feel like,

are so blessed? Right? But this is this is it.

We have to do this otherwise, right, the church will

collectively a s u c K. Because everybody is looking

at oneself when we are called to overflow blessings to others.

But if you do not watch the micro managed the small,

it's just gonna escalate everybody, you know, Like, however, many

of us are going to be in that category. You know.

My wife and I recently celebrated our seven aniversary not

too long ago. Yeah, seven three seven years, two thousand

and seven aniversary. Yes, oh, seventeen, sorry seventeen. I was

like when I was writing it down, twenty seventeen. Okay,

two thousand and seven. Sorry, sah, tonight, you're gonna sleep

in the culture, seeing the culturally, Yeah, my kids are older.

My kids are older. Okay, thank you for checking. That

goes my point of seven years of perfection. Yeah anyway, yeah, no, no,

but one thing I wanted to We were talking about

counting blessing in our years of marriage. She were saying

that we are so blessed. And I think it's not

to say that there were no challenges and trials and

things like that in our lives, you know, in different

seasons of our marriage life, but it's to say that,

you know, we feel complete, we feel fulfilled. I was

just so so sharing it is like somehow God doesn't

throw us into like very changes, not that it's not challenging,

it's just that so far, because we feel fulfilled, we

feel complete in our personal life. First, let me just

say I don't need her to complete met love for

the bits by the way, love to spend time in her,

but doesn't mean that I need to, you know, be

twenty four hours with her. Likewise, she'll probably say the

same as well. In fact, she's more independent. She can

go on for like longer time of disconnect and she's

fine with it and just the way we're wired. But

what I'm trying to say is that the only reason

why we can do this is because we already feel

fulfilled in the Lord. He completes us, you know, like

the I guess the practical like no, when distance is concerned,

recently she travels, so I feel a bit more. But

the Lord feels fine. And what does it mean againlf,

we want to look at the Lord. It's fine, You're okay.

We are amazing. Sorry, God, you're amazing. And therefore we

are fine, and we feel fulfilled. And when we feel fulfilled,

then it trickles down to the rest, it outflows to

the rest. Okay. This is important why because otherwise you'll

come into every situation without much to give. Right, you

come into your kid's life and you are dry. You

come into your spouse or your friends. You are dry,

nothing to give because you have not been filling up,

you know, with the living water. Not run any fiver,

but living water before you go up. So you need

to understand. Continue to stare at him, continue to look

to him, continue to allow him to feel you, and

you'll be fine. But the wind not too close to

the fast right, No, but really, let me just also

say a word of warning. Right. The enemy knows this,

knows it very well. You see, even as early as

uh in the garden of Eden. You know when when when?

When the when? When Satan came and tempted or suggested

to Eve to go and try that fruit. Right? What

did he say? He said, I'm paraphrasing here. It's okay.

On just think of yourself, think of what you need,

do not be, do not have to be under the

leadership of God. Right, that's pretty much what he's saying.

Go and try that fruit, make yourself feel more, you know,

put yourself first. You do what you need for yourself.

And again, very natural humans. Yeah, it sounds good. I

help myself first, and because of that we move away

from God. And it's the same same strategy. Thousand years later,

you know, saying ways creepy and say you need to

do this for this season that you're in. You need

to take care of your self first, you know, don't

worry about God or church or whatever. Focus on yourself

as this is your prime time to do what God

has caught you to do in the marketplace. I mean

can be Don't get me wrong, there are times that

God calls you to be that in the marketplace. But

it's his strategy to ask you to focus on yourself. Okay,

let's read this scripture John ten ten very famous strategy.

This is uh, this is Satan's table, all right. The

thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy. His motive

is very clear. And I've come that they may have

life is God and have it to the full. So

what is God trying to warn us Satan or the enemy?

The teeth will come in? You know what he does.

He just passes you a mirror or passes you a

modern mobile phone, switch it to self, emode and pass

to you. I am paraphrasing or other using an energy.

But yet I'm trying to say, focusing yourself, worry about God.

Suddenly your phone cannot cannot switch the camera over to

the anxiety, because it's just so used to looking at yourself.

You are so beautiful God. Forget about God. People right,

you see social media they tweet red profound stuff right

these days, or rather they post red profound stuff. So

it's about, oh, you know, are they of God? It's

usually about think about it most of the time, to

show some powers, some inner ability, or some achievements or whatever. Yea,

it's very normal. We are wired away unfortunately sinful right

comes there and me comes there, me, look at me,

look at me. This is why I done, what I've achieved,

this is where I'm where I'm going. Let's look at

is okay? And they were calling to one another. Holy, Holy,

Holy is the Lord Almighty. The whole earth is full

of his glory. And the sound of the voice their

voices the door post and the threshold shook, and the

temple was filled with smoke. WHOA to me, I cried,

I'm ruined, for I am a man of unclean lips,

and I live among a people of unclean lips. And

my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty. What

he is trying to illustrate here is we will always

think that we are. But when you actually see his glory,

the perspective change. What this guy's trying to say a

paraphrasing here, whoa, I'm ruined, I'm ugly, I'm disgusting, I'm unclean,

I'm dead. After he experienced God's glory, I'm not worthy,

It's another way to put it, because you are worthy.

Suddenly we see our imperfections when we take our eyes

off selfimode and look at our God, the Creator. Again,

it's not about you, bottom line, is not about you.

It's really about God and all his glory. Next light

in his light, our imperfection show it's never been about us.

So we are to focus on denying ourselves and follow

after God. Let yourself go. That's how you actually find

the true meaning of life. You know, true purpose of life,

your true calling. I mean I don't understand or fully

understand all the struggles and the things that you know.

Life trows your way and I may never right because

unless we sit down and talk about it. And again

I'm not downplaying that. You know, we have these things

to go through in life, not diminishing the importance of it.

But the biggest thing is that we need to look

beyond that and focus, stare at him, set your gaze

on him. Right, we are not built to just be

focus on you know what's reflecting back to us in

a sense, So how do we overcome this? You know

we talk about presence of God? Do you long for

his presence? Okay? Simple, simpletons me. When you long for somebody,

what happens? You want to see that person? Right, and

just was traveling for for some time. I long to

see her. I long for a presence, right.

Or her?

She doesn't call me, Like I said, we're a wire

a bit differently. Yeah, I used to excuse right, but yeah,

we as a family can't wait for her to come back.

I was gone longer last time. I think six weeks.

I was gone and you miss me? But maybe she

don't love me as much or don't long for me

as much as jogicide joke aside. Okay, but if you

long for the Lord, you want to see him? But

how is it? How how do you see him through

Sunday service? Only? You have to make your own appointment,

like you have to make your own text, You may

your own calls or whatever it is. Right, do you

yearn for him to come back into your life? Or

are you just relying on this Because if you really

really yearn for him, you long for his presence, you

want to make an extra effort in your own space,

in your own time to do so. Not just wait

for Sunday to be fed again coming to your presence.

Prepare for Sundays in other way to put it, feel

your feel yourself so much right that on Sunday, more

for you, more for you, more for you, more for you.

If you come Sunday, nothing much a case because probably

you didn't, You didn't fill up on the week. So

hard checker. What holds you back from longing God? Maybe

perhaps you haven't gazed at this glory. You know, we

talked about this, the rekindling of your first love. Maybe

that first lift is all diminished. Remember new Christians, right,

first time believers are They're very excited about gotten non

stop one. They spend time we've got as you age, instead,

you think meet we go back to this kind of thing,

and again, it's really about rekindling that flame. I'm sure

to have one, okay, but the wind down here extreme

can come up shortly, maybe in my five minutes. Again

it's not coming up, but I do have some time

to cover this. Okay, Now I remember the story about

Mount Sinai. Okay, I don't have the scriptures because I

thought I won't. We don't have enough time. But Exodus

nineteen is where I'm going to go to. It's a

red cool scene, by the way, It's very crazy scene,

but a red cool scene. Okay, Let's go to scripture

Exodus nineteen nine to twenty. Okay, let's go. The Lord

said to Moses, I'm going to come to you in

a dense cloud, so that the people will hear me

speaking with you and will always put their trust in you. Okay.

Then Moses told the Lord what the people had said.

And then the Lord said to Moses, go to the people,

concentrate them today and tomorrow, have them wash their clothes

versus eleven, and be ready by the third day, because

on that day the law will come down on Mount

Sinai in the sight of all the people. Put limits

for the people around the mountain. Let me just say,

there's some places you can't go to out of bounds.

Cannot go to these places. For the people around the mountain,

and tell them be careful, do not push the mountain

or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain

will be put to death. They are to be stoned

or shot with arrows. Now a hand is to be

li on them. No person or animals shall be permitted

to live. Only when the rams horns horn sounds a

long blast may they approached the mountain. So this was

the condition back then. You know, Moses will go up

receive something, and they come down and spread the news.

So in the morning ver sixteen, when jumping sixteen, on

the morning of the third day, there was a thunder

and lightning, the thick cloud over the mountain, and the

loudest trumpet blasts. Everyone in the camp trembled. Moses then

led the people out of camp to meet God. They

stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount signer was

covered with smoke. Imagine how with me because the Lord

descended on it in fire drama. Have a video, but

you get the idea. The smoke below below, below it below,

it up from it like a smoke from a furnace. Okay,

And the whole mountain trembled violently a earthquake, and the

sound of trumpets grew louder and louder, and Moses spoke

and the voice of God answered him. The Lord descended.

The Lord came down to the top of Mount Sinai

and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So

Moses went up. Such an awesome scene, right, he imagined,

if this morning, or rather this this afternoon, if you know,

delived pastor Kenneth like Moses went up to what's the

nearest Tallas mountain? Here? Tahan is it? Wookie gassing? Okay,

maybe closely by. I was thinking mount you know, Mount Sinai.

But Booki Gasing will do like book gasaying. He said,

stay here, stay down here, stay down here. I will

go up and speak to the Lord. The Lord will

tell me, because if you go up there, you get killed.

Oookay gassing, right, you get killed. So you wait down here,

and you what will happen to the people down You'd

be so excited waiting, eager, eager for Moses to come out,

eager for maybe past the Kenneth to come down from

Bookie Gassing to tell you what the Lord has shed

with him. Okay, that was the anticipation. Then just pin

there picture. But that was the old approach, That was

the Old Testament approach right now, right in today's era. Right,

you do not have to wait for pasta Kenav to

go up to the mountains. You take us saying download

and come back and tell you in fact you've got

direct access. Right, the whale has torn right, mean to say,

the high priests pass the kennif or leaders, Daniel cor whoever,

don't have to go up to the mountain anymore, thankfully, right,

you can go and access. Everyone accesss to the mountain.

But are we doing it? I mean a few a

few months ago I shared, you know, I challenge everybody

to don't just wait for past even share the vision.

You go and seek the vision for yourself and see

where it lies to pass the vision. But we have

become so dependent on putting our spiritual leaders in that

position to go and seek the Lord and then share

with you. Nothing wrong with that, Like I said, is

you know I enjoy doing this for example, but you

cannot just come once a week to wait to download

from whoever else is speaking up here. But are we

doing it right? Are we doing it? So? The worst

thing that actually we can do, those that are put

in the position at the pulpit, is to continue to

do this in proxy. That makes me play Moses and

deny you the ability to try it yourself, to go

up to the mountain. And that is the problem as well.

So last light, Oh if you shi, everyone has accessed

the mountain extreme come up with you. Everyone accepts the mountaintop.

You don't need a proxy. There are no barriers, but

you have to take that step to step forward and

encounter for yourself. The moment you encounter it right, life

will never be the same again. You know it's very different,

but it takes you to try it out. And how

can we do that again? Take away from the selfish

self fee mentality, selfish selfie, same thing. Start looking to him.

We are called to be in his presence until you

try it out, until you gaze at him, until you

love him that you're meant to do, until you have

you focus on his beauty. We will always fall in

the trap and tendency to be inward looking and self focused.

And you know, all the self self preservation, et cetera,

et cetera, you do not need to even look at others,

look to God and in that process you can then

see maybe how it can bless the others. So let

me just end here with you know, even Matthew seven trains.

You don't have it up. It's fine, it says here,

I never knew you. That's what Matthew seven trainees says.

Don't be the one that has never actually even tried

to go up the mountain. No one up the top. No,

they don't try going up the the foot or the

half of bookiet cussing, and just heavily rely and be

dependent and excuse my language, come every week to step

off the people around you on a weekly basis. I

think that's not right. We are called to give, we

are called to bless. Like I said earlier, all of

us have been given a measure. Have you used that

measure in according to God's will here on earth? Or

are we still fixated on ourselves? So really this is

a time simple message in that sense, because all you

need to do is just to want to change. You

know earlier, I should take a selfie right, exercise right

if you are, If you're there to do it, you're

there to do it. At the end of today, you

can post that selfie up and say this is my

last self bracket I e. This is the last time

I'm going to be focused on myself and not focused

on the people around me, because life really begins, fulfillment

really begins when we channel God's blessing to our lives

to others. But again, the balls on our call to

fill ourselves up. Let's not be, you know, having a

consumer mentality, but be a contributor. Give. We are called

to be teachers. We're not called to do this indefinitely.

This has got to stop. This has got to stop.

I was going to allow extreme the minister to us

earlier when Joe was just singing worthy is the Lamb

a pre service? I thought that was so app because

what we're trying to do is really focus on him.

He is worthy. He is all we need. So just

join me and stand and just worship the lot together.

Let this be the last day that we focused on oneself.

Let us die to ourself, be baptized in that sense.

Let us really live out life as God is intended,

Really be alive and overflowing. I FA's goodness in our lives.

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

more information on our church, please visit as Church Org.

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that this week is going to be a good week.

I hit for you.

God bless