Blessing on Shema | Rachelle Wong

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

We hope this message will light up your day.

Okay, we read this in English and we just read obey,

But in the Hebrew you saw the title. Actually, my

message title today is called what I put it on? Shama?

Uh.

Some of your Bibles will say blessings on obedience, right,

but I put the blessings on shamah. Shama is the

Hebrew word for obey. Okay, Hebrew, what shama? I don't

say shama. But when you read the Hebrew word shama,

it actually means listen here obey. And I want to

pause that a little bit because you know English and

Greek the word listen and hear. It's a mental activity, right,

I pick up sound I heard something, But in Hebrew

it actually means here listen, obey. It's you take heed,

do what I asked, act upon what is heard. It

means right, if I don't do what I heard, or

until I do want it's heard, I actually haven't heard

anything at all.

Right.

I shared this with the Leader sometime back. The word

here in the Bible, and it's it's amazing because I

hope when you catch this right every time you read

the word here or listen in the Bible. In the future,

you take note that it's not just I heard a sound,

I heard God's voice. It is I need to act

on it. Yeah, And I tell you, I tell you.

I don't know when I mentioned this in this well,

it means avice before about how I was as a child.

I was very, very very extremely quiet and shy and afraid.

And as a young child, right when when I'm out

with my parents or whatever and friends would come away,

Rachel try to talk to me, I won't respond at all.

And one day someone asked, my mom, is your daughter death?

Because no response? And we think about it. It's true, right,

if you don't respond, if you don't do something, someone

calls you and you don't come, it's as if you're deaf.

You didn't hear it at all, right, And I thought

about that, and I think all your parents as well.

If you're asking a child to do something and they

didn't do it, and you're like, did you hear me?

Are you listening? Right, that's the question because if they

didn't follow the instruction, then it's as if they didn't

hear or didn't listen. And if you read just now,

I think Passa mentioned about faith right and you know

Romans chapter ten, verse seventeen, it says faith comes by

hearing and hearing by the word of God again hearing.

This was written because in Greek, okay, the New Testament.

But if you study it, Paul would have been thinking

about the Hebrew word shama, and it's faith comes by

shama Shama the would have God. And doesn't just mean

or you listen to the message, listen to an MDG,

or you just read the Bible. It is hearing and

obeying and acting upon it. If we read, I'm gonna

get today, I'm gonna get quite a few to read

out scripture with me, Okay, so that's not just me talking. Okay,

So I want maybe Ganesh. Turn to Matthew chapter thirteen,

verse nine, I get Ben turned to Mark, Benjamin, sorry,

turn to Mark chapter four, verse nine. Let me see,

I get a lady, maybe Isabelle? If it turned to

Luke chapter eight, verse eight, and the just the second

part of the verse again b eight B. But that

meant you thirteen verse nine, Mark four, verse nine, Luke

eight eight B and one last one is Revelations to

verse seven. Who can I get the end. Okay, okay.

Revelation to verse seven, Okay, I want you to read

that verse for me, Matthew thirteen nine. Whoever has years

led them here? Amen, sweet mark.

Mark for nine. Anyone with ears to hear, So listen

and understand.

Amen, sound familiar these verses? Who is saying it? Who

is saying that? Jesus, when he said this, he called

out whoever his ears to hear, Let them hear? Amen?

Who there is the last one on the end and

all the way. In Revelations, John also says, he who

has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says

to the churches.

To him who overcomes, I will give the right to

eat from the tree of life, which is in the

paradise of God.

Amen, he who has an ear, how many of you

have ears here? Who has an ear? Two years? Let

him hear again? Let him Shamah. I pray all of

us well, Shamah. And just talking to the church. When

he says he who has an ear, let him hear

is talking to all of us here. Let us not

just hear a sound, right, Let us not just hear

his voice. Let us shama. Okay, So we've established what

these two words are here, and obey is the same

word in Hebrew. Okay, keep that in mind every time

you read the Bible. When you read here or listen,

think about that. It's shama, it's obey, obey the word

of the Lord. Okay. I'm gonna look. This is the

exciting part, and as we read through this, I want

us to really receive it, because I want to declare

this prophetically over each and everyone of you this year. Okay,

which is the rest of uh deter In chapter twenty eight,

We're gonna read all the way from verse one to

verse fourteen, and again I'm gonna call different ones of

you to declare that one verse. Okay. I'll come round

with a mic and you can read it with me. Okay,

I'll just start again. The first part says, now it

shall come to pass if you diligiently obey the voice

of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all his commandments,

which I command you today, that the Lord your God

will set you high above all nations of the earth,

and all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake

you because you obey, because you shamah, the voice of

the Lord your God. Okay, all these blessings should overtake you. Now,

what are these blessings? Let's go verse three. Verse three,

Blessed shall you be in the city, And blessed shall

you be in the country. Amen, whether you're in the

campong in the city, the lodge will bless your Okay.

What else was? Four?

Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce

of your ground, and the increase of your hearts, the

increase of your cattle and the offsprings of your flocks.

Amen, the fruit of your body, the produce of the ground,

the fruit of your body. What your kids, right, your children?

Your Yeah, even the generations after the fruit of your body,

the kids. You know, when I was in when we

were in Chang Mai and we were a ministering to

the to the families there, the people there, uh, And

I can't remember it was during the I think my

Sunday message was similar. And then when we spoke to

young families, we said the same thing. You know, when

you self gotden you love him and you just you know,

you're You're always in God's houses and son, you worry,

you're my kids are they're missing out? I didn't missing

out on you know, whatever activities out there, they're missing

out on something. But the Lord really will bless your

kids as you slf him as you love him. Right,

those of you whose kids have grown up, you've seen,

you've seen that as yourself God wholeheartedly, he's you know,

he's his blessing will flow to the lives of your kids.

And I was sharing about my own life, like I

see sometimes I was asking there are times I ask God,

like like why why do I experience all this favor

from God? And when I was preparing for the message,

he reminded me that when my parents diligently and just

faithfully followed him and served him, you know, from the

time before I was born and all the way till now. Still,

then the blessing flowed to me. You know, I'm receiving

the favor. I'm blessed. I'm that kid, that child is

blessed because of my parents. So I encourage your parents,

you know, don't don't feel like your parents. Your kids

are missing out anything. They will get the best, They

will be the best. They will also be the head

and not the tail, above and not beneath. And we'll

read a bit more of that what else a produce

of your ground? That's like the results at your place. Right,

I see that the produce of your ground, everything that

you put your hands to will bare fruit. Increase of

your hearts, kettle and offspring of your flock, your possessions,

your riches, your property, all that, I mean, God is

saying all that will be blessed. Let's read verse five.

Who's there your baskets and your kneeding trial will be blessed? Amen?

What is that? Your baskets and you're kneading ball? When

I read out a little bit, it refers to the

means by which one gets their blessing. Okay, any of

the means I mean, I think it could be your

resources and it it also looks like it's you know,

what contains your blessings. Whatever it's used to contain, whole

holder blessings, Even that will be blessed. Think about your work,

think about your marketplace. And let's read verse six. Verse six.

Blessed shall you be when you come in? And blessed

shall you be when you go out? Amen? Come in

and go out in your home? Right. When you're in,

it's in your home. When you go out, it's yours,

your work, it's your business, your business meetings, and even

for those in the home, I want to I'm not

sure if here we have any housewives, but some, you know,

I have many friends who have made a decision to

I would just want to be home, take care of

my kids. But summer housewives, that's a high calling. Sometimes

at Homer, I feel like I'm doing a mundane things.

I'm doing laundry, I'm doing the dishes, you know, feeding

the kids, cleaning the house. But even then being in

the home doing the mundane things, the lot's blessing is

upon you and man, and even as you do those things,

it's unto the Lord. And I remember seeing on Instagram

this this mom. She was sharing how she she always

felt like, uh, you know, picking up forever, picking up laundry,

picking up the the socks, picking up picking after the kids,

picked out her husband, you know, things left over the place.

But she, you know, she turned it around and she

she started every time she had picked something up for

that person, she prays for that person. This is the

these socks of my oldest child. Okay, pray for this child. Oh, no,

husband left, I don't know, underwear somewhere pray for her husband,

you know. But but you got you get a drift.

She she just prayed for everything she picked up and

it became a ministry. It became a ministry for her.

It wasn't just you know, doing all these mondane things,

but it became a minists of prayer and it became

so much more meaningful. So even in your home, right,

and you're going out some of you business, you saw

your own businesses run businesses really declaring upon you every meeting, right,

every person you meet, even if it's with clients, with vendors,

et cetera, it will be divine meetings. God will just

lead you to write people, Yeah, you're going out traveling,

meeting different ones this year? Really, may may you see

that blessing? It would be supernatural, That's what I really sense.

It'll be supernatural, Okay, for each and everyone you because

we all want a testimony. It shouldn't just be our

same as the other person down the road, same as

you know, my friends who don't know the true and

living God, but we know him. And yeah, everything that

we do and the stories that we have to share

should be supernatural. Amen, amen, Okay, Then we go on

two verse seven. The Lord will cause your enemies who

rise up against you to be defeated by you. They

will go out against you one way and will flee.

Amen.

Your enemies will be defeated before your face. That's what

the the you know, the word of God says. I've

heard for some of you at work. Actually, even Andrew

shared writes testimony last week. Sometimes at work we just

get these people who you know, you didn't do anything

to them, but they still come after you. Right, can

be in your workplace and it can be elsewhere. Maybe

some of you in college and in school, you have

people that just don't like you. They just want to

bring you down. Could be out of jealousy as well.

They you know they yeah, just don't like your face,

or they are they're jealous of your success and they

try to bring you down. God's word says they will

be defeated. I mean, I know we do not better

against flesh and blood. Of course, there's a there's a

much bigger enemy. And you know, our greatest enemy is

the devil. But there will be people that come against us.

But we don't need to fear, right, We don't need

to fear men. And I've shared some stories, But really

in my life, in my career, I've seen that happen

so many times. If God doesn't remove you from the situation,

he will remove those people, right, And and I shared

some of you may have heard it when I first

became a manager. I think that's the first time I

was a young manager. And actually before I became manager,

I was a team leader. And then there was a

toxic leader in my company, brought in a lot of politics,

made everyone not feel like they want to be in

the in you know, the office, everyone just wants to

be home because no one trusts each other. And yeah,

and the person got removed, Okay, within a year he

left because his boss was, you know, investigating the situation.

Right after that, I was given the position, so I

became the manager. And even then, because I was a

young manager, right, just became manager, and the HR hit

of HR at that time he said, you know, I

don't think she's capable of doing this. Too young, too

inexperienced when she said that. And even though I felt

inferior at the time, of course, I felt, you know,

maybe I can't do this. But the Lord just reminded

me too, you know, if he put me there it's

the lot who promotes right, so and even if that's

not the place for me, he'll give me something else elsewhere.

But long story shot again, within a few weeks that

head of HR was made redundant, you know, and I'm like, wow, okay,

and someone else, you know, in another region, the head

of HR took over. There was the second time I

saw that happened, and the third time was the most

recent one, which was when to two years ago, again

toxic leaders, impossible situation. Never thought anything could have happened,

but again the Lord removed two of them from the equation,

from the company. No one could believe it, but it happened.

And then again I was asked to step up to

the plate. But God, really, you know, if there's anyone

against you, some some are not here, but I know

some different ones when when they've asked for prayer needs

they say no, yeah, this this person is giving me

a bad time at work and you know, always trying

to find fault with me and all that. Don't worry,

just stand for like Andrew, thank you for sharing testimony.

Just trust God and not saying that you won't face

any of this. Right, even though we read through these

blessings God and say you're not going to face any challenges.

You will, but he will lead you out of them.

He will give you the victory. Okay, that was verse seven.

Less read verse eight. When should we go come? We

go up there, agent.

The Lord will command the blessing on you in your

storehouses and in all to which you set your head,

and he will bless you in the language the Lord,

your God is giving you.

Amen. Two things here your storehouses, what is that? Yeah?

Our bank Yeah, storehouses, our banks, our investments, you know,

anyway that you're storing up your riches. The Lord says,

that will be blessed as well. And then the land

which the Lord is giving you. And I see this

as your area of influence. Right, your land, your territory.

The Lord will bless that everywhere that you step forward,

those of you doing businesses, the different ones you're gonna meet,

the countries you're gonna go take back, take those territories

everywhere you go. Right just the Lord, this place is

for you. You know, the people that I'm gonna meet, these

people will come to know you, and the authority that

you will have, the authority that you will have everywhere

you go businesses that you deal with, other companies that

you deal with. And let's see first moving on to

verse Okay, Verse nine says again the Lord estabish you

as the holy people to himself, just as he has

sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the

Lord your God and walk in his ways. Now, as

we read through this, we have to remember all these

blessings does come with a i'd say prerequisite. There is

a requirement, right, what condition? Yeah, it is. It is

sort of conditional curse. He's saying, if you keep my commandments, right,

the commandment of the Lord your God, and walk in

his ways, and then goes on verse ten, then all

the peoples of the earth shall see that you are

called by the name of the Lord, and they shall

be afraid of you. Okay, not saying errorbie that good

of you are afraid of you. But but you know,

I think it is when you live with authority and

people see your life and see the favor that God

has upon you and see your success successors, right, there

is something different, write something different about your spirit and

how you overcome challenges as well. There's something different, and

they will know that there's a greater power behind you

that I put down. Don't mess with this person. I

feel like that's you know, that's the kind of reverence

or all that people will have. No, don't mess with

this person because this person God's got their back. You

better not mess with God's child, you know, receive that

when at work, right. So my my peers at a moment, so,

I mean, I think I've shed some so I'm country

here at a moment. So my peers are all mean British.

I mean they're all in working in UK. Some may

not be be English English, but like my boss is Kiwi,

but my peers are all there, and they're all you know,

they're all very eloquent, right, they speak so well, they

can say a thousand words, and we are like our

vocabulary right, so much smaller. Even though my first language

is English, but it's still not the British English. I

still yeah, I still don't. I'm all the vocap And

so when they speak, when they present, it's like, you know,

they sound so good, and when they reach my turn,

I'm like, you know, it's like so so scared to speak.

But but I've seen how even through that, I mean,

I still feel inadequate on certain days, and like everyone

speaks so well that you know, they present the ninety

day plan and everything so well, and then it comes

my turn, right, But there is a certain favor that

I've experienced. I really I cannot, I cannot express the

favor that my boss, that my CEO has upon me.

It's the kind that you know is supernatural. It's not

because of my ability. It's not because I speak well,

it's not because of my skill, because I'm probably the least.

I mean, the way saw them come out with their

plans and you know, all the technicalities and everything, it's

it really sounds it looks good. And then mind when

I look at it right and like it sounds like

so elementary, it's like so immature compared to the rest

of them. But still the favor that I received from

you know, the superiors is yeah, it is again, I

know it's got it's just got no other reason, no

other explanation. And the favor then that the relationships, the

good working relationships that have with my peers you know,

and who all I think are much much smarter than me.

It's all good because of godla And and I also

realized when different ones like just say, my colleagues, some

of them complaining like, oh, I can't about with this

person and I can't get this done, which personally every

time they shad it right, I'm thinking, my hit, I

never had this problem like when I went with that person.

Ring easier, the reccoperative, you know, easy to get along,

easy to get things done. But a lot of other

people struggle to work with and you know, get things

done with others. It's the same person, same person, right,

same company, same job, but others struggle. Why why do

I not again God's favor? Yeah, it is the favor

of the Lord. Amen. Where we verse we read through

verse ten right, verse eleven. Okay, let me read this,

and the Lord will grant you plenty of goods in

the fruit of your body, in the increase of your lifestyle,

and in the produce of your ground, in the land

of which the Lord swore to your father's to give you.

And verse twelve, let me go up de side. Verse twelve.

Verse twelve, the Lord will open to you his good

treasure the heavens, to give the rein to your land

in its season, and to bless all the work of

your hand. You shall learn to many nations, But you

shall not borrow.

Hey man, how many of you want that? You shall lend,

do mainy, but not borrow. You're never in debt. I

think a lot vers are in debt because we have

house loans, car loans. My parents, right, my parents really

live walk this and live this because they've never ever

taken a loan in the entire life. So even when

I studied in university, you almost most parents wept, right,

we oh, well, the student takes it, but my mom said, no, don't,

don't take a loan. Will pay for it like month

by month. And God really provided. Again for those who

don't know, my parents are full time workers. So my

dad is a pastor. My mom was so after that

became pastor. But basically theyself in the church. And for

many years my mom wasn't even taking a salary. She

was just basically voluntarily serving the church. And so yeah,

just my dad full time and then me going to university.

But they trusted got to provide, and he provided for

my whole four years degree. Someone was blessing my mom

every every month, so every month managed to just pay

pay enough for my fees and memuna. So it's not

like not like they listen not so. I okay, my

course on here cheaper. I think my whole cost it's

probably the price of our kids' school now. But the

whole cost was forty over ky for four years. Yeah,

so manageable. I mean every month is about thousand thousand

plus I thousand issues. So God was providing. And then

the moment I graduated, I finished, right, those funds stopped,

you know, so the person stopped giving. It was exactly

the right time and got just provided for my education.

And I was talking about that alone. So my parents

there never took alone. They were horrif when I took

a house loan. I mean for us it's so normal, right,

but for him it's like, what this is how much

you're paying for the house. You're just paying for the interest, right,

You're always paying for the interest. Yeah. So anyway, my

mom my parents walk this. But God's saying, you will

lend to others, you will not borrow, and yeah, just

never be in debt. It says open to you. It's

good treasure. The heavens rain in season. You're gonna say, right,

bless the work of your hands. Really in the right season.

It's his timing, right, he will bless he will reign

upon you. Okay, we're reaching towards the end. Now, it's

verse thirteen. Who hasn't read? I guess someone what they

reader's verse thirteen. And the Lord will make you the

heat and not the tail. You shall be above only

and not beneath. Amen, the head and not the tail,

above and not beneath. We always declare this, we pray this,

and this is where it comes from in the Bible.

All right, But again it comes to the condition, isn't

it What does it say if if you hear the

commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today,

and are careful to observe them.

Amen?

And verse fourteen just says, so you should not turn

aside from any of the words which I command you

this day to the right or to the left, to

go after other gods to serve them.

Amen.

Amazing at his blessings. I hope you you know, go

back read it again. This is what the Lord wants

and desires for us. But if we keep his commandments.

So let's look at then what you may be asking

you what?

What?

What? Commandments?

So many?

And if you read Deuteronomy is full of commandments, right,

It's actually like an expansion, extension, expansion of the ten

commandments right in a Genesis exodus, and then Deuteronomy is

like it goes down into the detail. If we try

to follow all of that, the hours for film miserably.

But let's look at what commandments are we looking at?

And maybe it's some of us who are younger believers.

Maybe you feel I don't know how to hear his

voice like specific, specific instructions yet. But let me give

you a guiding thought of principle to keep throughout this year.

Go with that. Yeah, okay, let's read Mark chapter twelve,

verse twenty eight to thirty three. That's my other key

text besides Deuteronomy, March ch At the twelve verse twenty

eight to thirty three. Were there, say yeah, good, okay,

I read it. Then one of the scribes came and,

having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that he had answered

them well, asked him which is the first commandment of all?

So I know we can't we can't read through all

the commandments in the Bible, but let's read what is

the first commandment of all? And you all know this,

and Pascalo just not declared it as well. Jesus answered him.

The first of all the commandments is here, Oh, Israel,

do you know where this worse comes from? Here, Israel,

the Lord your our God, The Lord is one. This

actually comes from Deuteronomy as well. Okay, if we will

look back at Deuteronomy. Here, Shamah or Israel, the Lord

our God, the Lord is one. And you should love everyone,

say the Lord your God, with all your heart, with

all your soul, with all your mind, and with all

your strength. This is the first commandment. We all know

this commandment very well. If we move on to thirty one,

and the second commandment is you should love your neighbor

as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.

So describes it to him, Well, said teacher, you have

spoken the truth. For there is one God, and there

is no other but He. And to love him with

all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul,

and with all the strength. And to love one's neighbor

as oneself is more than all the whole burnt offerings

and sacrifice. Man, Okay, obedience, it's better than sacrifice and

obeying his commandments. So I'm gonna turn back to Deuteronomy.

I said this here Israelonomy chapter six, verse four to five.

You read it's it sounds similar Tuteronomy chapter four. Sorry,

chapter six, verse four to five. It says, here, oh

Israel again, Shama, oh Israel, the Lord of God. The

Lord is one. You should love the Lord your God

with all your heart, with all your soul, and with

all your strength. And these words which I command you

today shall be in your heart. Right. So this is

all the way back again in Deuteronomy, and then we

hear it again in Mark, in the Gospels, and Matthew

as well. You have that recorded the first commandment. Okay,

so these two things, now, what does that look like.

Let's break it down a little bit. Okay, let's talk

about love.

First.

Let's talk about love. I'm sure y'all know this. It's

not just a feeling or emotion, right, because if it's

just a feeling last week buster Daniel to chat on

the ceiling. But yeah, it's not a feeling, because if

it is, then today I love you tomorrow I don't, right.

And when we talk about the word love, and I

think I then might have preached this before as well.

The Greek word is agha paw Okay. It means to

take pleasure in to prize it above other things, and

being unwilling to abandon or do without it. Okay, it's

a decision. It's not a feeling or emotion. It's a decision.

Loving something or someone is a decision of the will

to act because of a deep affection for the object

that we love. Okay, So we need to establish that

what love is first, and then we look at so

I bring it the two points out, which is loving

God and loving others. Okay, so let's look at loving God,

and the first one is loving God with all our

with our hearts. Our hearts is the center, the center

of our physical and spiritual life. Right, everything, everything stems

from our heart, right, our passions, our desires, our affections.

In fact, Proverbs four of Us twenty and three, you know,

tells us to God, our hearts, got our hearts, and

loving God just means loving God. Loving God with our

hearts means loving him exclusively. He's the only one. He

says that our God is one God. There's no one else.

When you love him and him alone, there's no other gods.

And then we look at the soul. When God breathed

the breath of life, into men. That's when we got

our soul. Right, he made man out of dust and

then he breathed life into us. That's when we got

our soul. And our soul is actually is capable of

knowing God. That's why only humans, right, only man has it,

men and women. Animals don't have a soul. Our soul

is knowing God and enjoying Him. But it's also capable

of sin, which animals aren't. Right, animals are They just

follow instincts, they're not capable of scen And if we

think about our achievements, music, art, all of it comes

from the soul, right, all the muss. You're like, oh,

he's got soul recently, And how many of you watch

Wild Robot? I know because you and your wife, right,

we watched it three times now and our kids love

the soundtrack. The music is all you know, it's it's orchestra.

But and you hear it, You're like, wow, I mean

you really you feel it? You feel it in your soul.

You know, the the emotion that the composer brings, you know,

with their creation, with their composition, it all comes from

the soul. And actually even athletes, powerlifters, you you would say,

isn't it The body is the body?

Right?

Yeah, we think the body because you know you're using

your body physical But actually we think about it, right,

don't you agree? It actually comes from a disciplined discipline, desire.

It's a commitment. It's a relentless commitment determination, because without that, right,

you will be a couch. What what gets him to

the gym every day? Not me, all, man, not me

at all. I'm like, what's the blah everybody think? You know? Yeah,

but the discipline to get into the gym or you know,

the athletes wanting to compete and all that, it comes

from the soul. It's the determination, it's our will, it's

our convictions.

Right.

So to love God with all our souls, I believe

it's to be satisfied by God and God alone. It

means we will not crave other things because our soul,

you know, it's capable of sin. Your crave things. That's

how we that's how we are tempted. Yeah, but if

we love God our soul, we will not crave other things. Riches, titles, positions, power,

wordly power, not holy spay power, wordly power, love from

someone else, from a man, from a woman, we will

not crave all that because our souls are satisfied in Him. Amen.

So we talk about our heart, about the soul, and

then loving God with our mind. So our mind is

our faculty of understanding.

Right.

It allows us to think, It allows us to imagine,

to reason. And when we love God with all our minds,

that we are saying we are making decision. We're making

the decision to obey all his commands. Right, it is

a conscious decision to make with our minds all his

instructions to us, despite our logic, our common sense. Right,

our minds needs to be anchored on his word, anchor

on his word as the final authority. How many of

us will do that this year? Like despite all the

lodging what others may be telling us, by God says this,

if you hurt him and you know it is his voice,

then he is the final authority. Amen. Strength this morning

during worship elbow, it's like trying to push us all

to use our strength. Well, I've got strength his movements, right,

it's false. It's the power we exert. And if we

can't love God with our whole being, and then we're

missing out this part. Then we got with our strength, right,

what anything, it takes up physical energy, I think coming

early to church or solet's doving go with our strength.

So how to get up this morning?

So far?

How to get up this morning? Been getting out late

every day because school holidays, so had to get up

in the morning to get the kids ready. Are your parents?

No one takes a lot of stranger double triple yankies.

Are yank It's not all the kids yankies, just getting

them dressed, getting our bait. We don't even get them dressed,

he just says to like sweating our rain coat everything.

Grab the kids, get them to the car. Let's let's

take strength men. So right, parents, the next time you're

dealing with the meltdown in the morning, explosive diaper, I

don't know know, babies, a rebellious teen, I don't want,

I don't want to go. Then you remember what I'm

loving you with my strength this morning. Okay, keep that

in mind. That's what I tell myself. So this morning,

when my kids are like deciding, and especially when they

know I'm not teaching, yeah, then she will be like

start readating. I'm sure that day can see her face

starting too fast. And when are you teaching who is teaching?

Can I stay out here so later she might join

a second service. But but yeah, but we still love

God with all our strength, you know. And when I done,

and when I run dance bookshops or leading dance practices,

I always tell a reminder, dancers, right dance, is that

she loving God with our strength. In Second Samuel six

or fourteen, you know the story of King David. Right,

King David, he danced before the Lord with all his might.

Remember the story and his wife, all right, his wife

just looked down upon him. What you're doing, humiliating yourself

in front of the whole kingdom. He was the king,

you know, but he didn't even care what anyone in

the kingdom, and even what his spouse, what his wife thought,

because to him it is only God. He loved got

that much to be dancing in barely anything, looking ridiculous,

but it was unto God, and he danced with all

his strength. And you know that King David was a

man after God's own heart. So imagine, you know, if

you want to be a man after God's own heart,

be like David. Man. And when I think about looking

God without strength, it's also persevering through trials because it

takes effort. Right, it takes effort to persevere through your

challenging times, through your problems, and you persevere through it.

Keeping the faith, holding on to holding on for dear

life is using your strength. You love God. I will

get through this. Yeah, I will get through this with you. Hey, man, home,

we are receiving some thing, and then we move on

to loving others. Love your neighbor as yourself. Number one.

Do you love yourself?

First?

We have to remember to love ourselves. Those of us

who you know sometimes feel like I'm not I'm not

good enough, I'm not worthy. Hey, remember how God looks

at you and he loves you, and he created you

just the way He wanted you to be, right, so

you need to love Loving Loving God is also I mean,

loving yourself is also loving God because he created you. Okay,

but let's look at I want to look at two things.

Loving others Number one is loving them by your actions.

Loving others by your actions. I pray we all love

others a bit more this year. And the perfect story

when I think about this, is the good Samaritan. Okay,

if you want to turn to the passage you can

is in Luke check ten verse twenty five to thirty seven.

I won't read through it, okay, but you can turn

to it and read through yourself. Looks at the ten

verse twenty five to thirty seven, so you know that

one guy got right. Everyone uses this story and they

do skids. But he got beat up, he got robbed,

he was left for dead. And who comes along the

good Samaritan? Right, he went out of his way to

help this guy that he doesn't know, and more importantly,

from a different race, and actually from a race that

doesn't associate with him, right, the Jews at that time,

they just Samaritans, unclean gentiles. But he went out of

his way, spent his own money, bandage the victims wounds,

you know, brought him to an inn, give some more

money if they just take care whatever it is, you know,

take care of him. And I prayed all of us

this year we will, you know, when we see someone

in it, we won't turn turn out. It's very easy

because we're so busy, right, I mean I always refer myself,

so we're away so busy. We just we need to

get things done. We need to get somewhere, We need

to get to church as sometimes you know the story

and the preacher, the who's there? A lawyer.

Preacher and.

Yeah, yeah, let priest, it was a priest, priest and

leave right they walk past, I mean the holy people.

They're probably on their way to the temple, but they

couldn't help this guy. And I pray none of us

are like that. Oh no, I need to get to church.

I can't help that person. But if we see a need,

maybe be the first one to reach out and help. Ahmen,

living someone without actions, and even loving your family, those

of you with families, living your spouse, I want you to.

I want to share this with you. I don't know

if any of you know Francis chan. I love his

writings and his teaching, but he has a book Call

You and Me Forever, So let me just share this.

I thought it's quite interesting to share this with you.

So even loving your spouse, right, he says, this is

an introduction actually the secret too Happily ever After, And

I'll just read this to you, he says. People accuse

me of going overboard and preparing for my first ten

million years in eternity. In my opinion, people go overbord

and worrying about their last ten years on earth. How

many of us are actually like that?

Right?

We worry about do I have enough? Am I saving

enough for my children for education? Do I have enough

for my funeral?

I don't know.

But do we spend as much time preparing for first

ten million years in eternity? And he says this, no,

I imagine it will be like when Lisa comes. Lisa's

his wife. Okay, Lisa comes face to face with God.

Because I'm crazy about crazy about Lisa. I want her

to have a great life. But more than that, I

want her to have a great eternity. I want her

to be confident that the time she spent on earth

prepared her for heaven. Most importantly, I want her to

hear God say, well done, good and faithful servant. You

have been faithful over little. I will set you over much,

enter into the joy of your Master. And it's amazing

because that's his view. I love my wife so much,

I want to prepare her for heaven. And if you

love your spouse, your husband, your wife that much, if

you love your kids that much, you want to prepare

them for heaven, not prepare the last few years on earth.

All well, the whole life on Earth, eternity is going

to be forever, guys, forever and ever. Amen. And the

second part of loving others, I pray we will love

them enough to want to snatch them out of Satan's

hands and Satan's group. We we sometimes forget when we

see our loves, we see the people who don't know Christ,

we sometimes forget that they, you know, the the end.

If we don't step in, if we don't share, if

we don't tell them the truth, then they're going to

go into an eternity without Christ. Sometimes my kids, I mean,

they're so young, but they asked, they asked, they've asked

us before. I know, if if that person doesn't know Jesus,

then what happens when he dies? You know, they're thinking

about that, or they ask it. I can't remember what

what brought it up, but they do ask it, and

we say, well they will. And then she's because she

probably learned the enva. She's like, they go to hell

to explain Elison who asked it? And then she answered

and I said, well, they will go to a place

without Jesus, right, and we don't want that. I hope

you love your your family, your friends enough to say

I don't want that for them. Paul says this in

the First Corinthians. I'm going to turn there. First Corinthians,

chapter nine, verse nineteen to twenty two. You can turn

with me pause the greatest apostle of all First Corinthians

chapter nine, verse nineteen to twenty two. For though I

am free from all men, I made myself a servant

to all, that I might win them all. And to

the Jews. I become as a Jew, that I might

win Jews, to those who are under the law, or

those who are under the law, as under the law,

that I might win those who are under the law,

to those who are without law, as without law, not

being without law to God, but under law towards Christ,

that I might win those who are without law. To

the week, I become as weak, that I might win

the week. I become all things to all men, that

I might be by all means save some. Paul became

everything to everyone just so that he could save some.

And I pray all of us will also have that.

You know we still our theme is the disciples first

this year, but the overarching one is still that all

may know right. And then in Romans chapter nine, verse three,

remember Pasident also reading this verse, but Paul says in

the Enalty version, he says, I'd rather be cursed myself

if that would save some. You know, he loved, he

loved the people so much, I think with Christ love.

And he said, you know, I'd rather be separated from

Christ if my brethren would be safe, if I could

save them. And we see in Matthew nine, verse thirty six.

You know, we read about Jesus and he's moved by compassion.

How much time do I have left? I forget what

I mean. It's okay, yep, I'm already closing. And Jesus

was moved with compassion, and I pray that all was

also be moved this year by compassion, compassion for the

lost more than anything, Yes, for those who are needy,

for the widows, for the orphans, but more so for

the lost, because when Jesus saw them, he saw them

as sheep without a shepherd. Right, That's what it says.

And I pray we'll also see that. I'm joined to close.

How many of you read this book called mister God,

this is Anna and you read a book. It's very

old books, so I think I read it when I

was in unia. So that's like, how many years ago?

Is that?

Call?

Ready? Three years? Twenty years? It's this book. It's called

Mister God, this is Anna's. It's a written I mean,

I don't know how much of it it's true, but

it's written by this guy called Finn. And the girl

Anna is four years old so and she's often she's abandoned,

and he takes him into her home with her with

his parents. He's his teenagerer, so he becomes like, you know,

an older brother to her. And I find it I

always remember this because she's so cute. No, she she

asked a lot of questions about God, and she has

conversations with him. It's I called mister God. This is Anna,

and she says this. This is taken from from the book.

She says, and God said, love me, love them, and

don't forget to love yourself. And so she was questioning.

She finally still leader that grown ups keep going to church.

Of course, you say, God say this word, love me,

love them, and don't forget to love yourself. And she said,

you went to church to get the message. Once you

got it, you went out and did something about it.

But why do growl us keep going to church. Is

it because you haven't got the message or you don't

understand it? So that was a question. I mean, your

little mind, it's like you just this. This is as

simple as it gets. This is God's commandment, love me,

love them, don't forget to love yourself. But many of

us we keep not saying, don't come to church. But

a lot of us we keep one thing, you know,

to hear more, hear God's work. But I'll be doing it.

And for her it's just just go out and do

something about it. So I just ended with this. The

bank can come up. No, let's let's keep keep thinks simple.

This year, it's just remember this first commandment and the

second commandment, right, love God, love others, love yourself, and

any other word that He gives you. This year, Shama,

be obedient. Here is word, obey, follow it and you

will be blessed with all that we read. Just now

in due twenty eight. Amen. Hallelo yeah, hallelo jah. I

want to pray for us, those of us who really

want to commit our life this year to these two commandments.

I mean, it's so simple that we all know this

by heart, but to really walk in it and walk

in his way is work in his commandments. It is difficult,

and we can wake up every morning, you know, just

dragging our feet, and someone is struggling with our day

to day. But we keep these two moments in mind

everything that we do. Just remember Lord, am I loving

you with all my heart, with my soul, with my mind,

with my strength. Am I loving you exclusively? Am I

satisfied by you and you alone? Am I making a

conscious decision to obey you today? And am I putting

the effort to love you even when it's praising you,

even when it's difficult. I'm going to use my strength

to love you. And am I loving others so much

that I want to snatch them out of the enemy's hands,

And I will do it by my actions. And if

that's you today, they want to just stand before the

Lord so that I can pray for us that he

will give us the strength, give us the determination, the

dedication will be committed to just follow through and to

love him and him alone, nothing else. We're coming away

so that we can receive all the blessings that he

wants to give us.

Amen, we hope you've been blessed by this message. For

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I hit for you.

God bless