Step off and out | Dr. Daniel Kong

You're listening to a message to go from ex Church. We hope this message

will light up your day. How many of you enjoyed the public short public

holiday? Yeah, A bit strange, right because I went back to work

on Friday and it felt like a Monday, kind of lose. But maybe

some of you had an additional day off, which is good. So back

to public holiday Thursday, very short one. Some of us actually went on,

and I assure you there's something related to what I'm going to speaking today.

Yeah, we went on a short trip fishing trip. Right, I'll

just flashed up the first one first. That's the crew randomly selected and we

went. We went to this place called Kloon, right, which is just

a floating boat house where we spend the night fishing. Okay, obviously we

need to take a boat to get there because it's there's no jetty whatsoever.

And then we spend some time together over I think less than twenty four hours,

but I think it was a long twenty four hours with someone's liven sleep

at all. Okay, I'll flash some pictures and I shure you'll be related.

So these are some of the photographs on the top left corner that you

see a photograph of us arriving. There's cent a message day when I wanted

to speak about it, which i'll share a little bit about. Was maybe

to step forward, okay, but I thought step off. Stepping off the

boat is one way to put it. But that's how this messages inspired a

little bit. Okay, So we got to the kilo, we got off.

You can see the amount of items we have there. Ninety nine of

the items that we brought over, which takes up nearly half the boat.

It's actually all food. So I was telling the crew before we went on,

ee of little faith, you don't think we're God get catch any fish,

okay, And of course we were fed even before we started. Okay,

there was a bit of a barbecue going and uh, top right corner,

if those are you a big gully closer eyes, that's how that's the

bit that we used. Uh. And you know last week, sorry,

last week two weeks ago when we came, I spoke a bit about you

know, how we are to set or project our targets for the year.

KPI right is a temp performance review because it's always good to set the pace

for the year because otherwise, and this is on a personal level, right,

so all of us have to grow. And following this, I thought,

maybe it's a good and I made a commitment right as a CPC.

I said, Okay, one of the things that I will do better,

I will feed more people in the literal sense. So I'm going to have

more people over in smaller groups at our place as much as we can.

I was just committed to say that I will walk very integracedly, and in

the fact that I will not, I guess do any fanila. That's my

commitment to you. So I thought, I think the commitment to another level

to also teach people to fish. I think out of all the people that

were there, only Johanness had some background of fishing all right, or experience

of fishing. The rest totally zero. So that's why down there, literally

we're teaching them how to fish. Okay, moving along next slide. So

yeah, just to show you guys, now, yeah, purposely highlight those

two couple there with permission. H yeah. But but that that moment,

that moment started only quite some time some hours how many hours a gate remember,

I think past midnight maybe two am or something at that one one am

okay, thanks, like one am. We got there about nine ten.

Yeah, so you can already tell us. It's so people are already like,

oh, you know, are we going to be getting any fish at

all? Et cetera, et cetera. So at two one two am was

when our first catch, and then after that the fish kept coming. Okay,

just one more slide after this, everybody got a fisher in short,

okay, right from the right, from the oldest to the youngest. I

didn't catch much, even though I'm supposedly the more experienced one. The youngest

actually caught the most, which is esher. I don't know how he did.

Does it every time he chrose it in within minutes. The next day

he caught some fish, and of course we did some barbecue, and Menda

was there as well. She used to caught one ray, caught a sting

ray and ray sorry, gavee caught a sting ray. Sorry ray ray probably

will not be there anyway, kidding, kidding, sorry, gape caught a

string ray, etcetera. So we caught I think in total of twenty fish

if we counted correctly. Some escaped, some are two small sumber poisonous,

so we had to release some. But yeah, twenty okay, and just

one more slide had some other pictures just clean out all the fish they were

fishing. They were so inspired by the mound that we were catching. They

were fishing when it was raining. Uh. Some of us, like as

I mentioned, we didn't sleep much. I didn't had thirty thirty minute sleep,

so I just went on. So the Friday wasn't too productive at work.

Charles, Wow, look at that GQ men. Yeah. Yeah.

And then there's Johanness just taking a nap all right. But but more importantly,

the thing that started this whole thing was this this photograph on the top

left corner. This was at the break of dawn okay. Uh. And

and remember last time I spoke about having a higher perspective, uh, you

know, standing a bit taller, you can see the horizon. That was

a horizon from the Klong Uh. Literally I think we're looking at one of

the islands of the pot Klang. Okay. I don't know which is this

pull out the low Oh well, thanks okay, so and the sorry the

background is that the lobe. You can see that the dawn and in the

sunlight is just breaking, okay. And that reminded me of a story of

the red Seed parting because literally there's a sea there, and of course today's

message will be part of that, inspired by our short getaway. But yeah,

I think everybody was happy. And I will come back to this the

photographs later when I talk about different things, But yeah, thanks Gabe.

Now coming back to this last time, as I mentioned, we talked about

setting a a I spoke from the Book of Psalms, and I talk about

having a higher perspective, so as every step as we take we get a

different perspective, just as how you fly on the plane, you see things

differently. On the ground, you can't see past the chair. Remember last

week I put fill in front of me. Last week two weeks I got

put fel in front of me. Obstacle And sometimes like this, right when

you see an obstacle, you'll focus on the problem, not that fields a

problem by using this illustrated problem. But as you go up, you see

things differently, you see a bigger picture. And the whole of last year

we sort of talked about that as well, where we talk about how Daniel,

not me, not this Daniel, but Daniel, as in the Daniel

has a different perspective. He served too many administrations, and he's still going

strong because he's always had a higher perspective. And if you look, if

you if you don't, if you don't know not familiarly some one to one,

go and have a look through it. Go and look at a message

recording if you want to. But every step you take you see a different

perspective. So today, uh in that putting messages a challenge to put two

also commit right, not just a commitment for myself, a charge to everybody

right. And one thing about stepping up to see better. There's nothing about

stepping forward as well. And that's the title of my message today. To

step forward or to step or to step off the boat, whichever you want.

I can't remember what I put up there because it's shifted from different different

things. But yeah, either way, you need to step forward. Otherwise

what's the point of going up and not, you know, taking action to

move forward? All right? And this is part of the thing that I'm

going to be speaking about. Okay. Now, of course this is not

just collectivity as a church. We can do this as a church together,

but it's also a personal thing. Otherwise it will be same old, same

old, last year. Whatever God has set in your heart, in twent

tre in three twenty tree and two twenty and in one. It's not going

to be taking any any progress if you do not step forward every Okay,

so far, okay, okay, cool, cool, All right now today

it's also going to be from Psalms. I'm going to speak from Psalms one

O six. I've got the slide up in queue, so it's one O

six again. I'm going to read very quickly and i'll come back again.

Uh So from verse seven, when our ancestors were in Egypt, they gave

no thought to your miracles. Okay, they did not remember your kindness,

and they rebuilt by the sea. This is the Red Sea. And in

some transition we click on the little a over there, it goes talks about

it as another type of name for that sea. But Ritzy is what we

most of us know it as. Okay, yet he has saved them for

his namesake, to make his mighty power known. He rebuilt the Ritzya,

and he dried up this talking about the miracle of the Ritzya itself, the

crossing. I think everybody knows this story, even if you're not not a

Christian, right, you've seen different variants, and if you don't, I

have something in store for you. I'll share. They show you a video

later. Okay. He saved them from the hand of the foe. These

are the different ones, the armies that are chasing them as Israelites flat from

the hand of the enemy. He redeemed them. The waters covered their adversaries,

came down upon them. Not one of them survived them. It's all

the enemies were wiped out. Okay. Then they believe his promises and they

sang his praise. Okay, So why they're stuff this particular story. This

story here talks about the I mean psalms. As you know, it's all

about songs more or less. Okay. So they were singing about this,

and there's a story about not remembering God's miracles. Kind of a strange kind

of a song, you know. And of course this talks about if you

don't look at the actual documentation of what happened, you go to Genesis,

which you're going in a little while, if you like to take notes.

The title of my message today is I can't remember what it was. Step

out and step forward, step off the boat was the original one, but

I thought, okay, let's do this step forward, it's a bit more

positive. Okay, step up, so laterally, you know, laterally vertically

step up from two weeks ago. Now literally step forward as well. Okay.

So let's look true, not just have a different perspective, but let's

look through what God has in store for us. Okay. Now, as

I mentioned, the reference was there. If you brought a Bible, I

would like you to go to Exodust the thing put your finger on their digital

bible. That fine, But we're gonna cover a little bit about what we're

talking about. Okay. So Exodus thirteen is the story, like I said,

a very familiar story about the Red Sea parting. Now, just in

case you think the Red Sea is just some small long kung or drain,

right, it's not. It's actually I mean, it's actually a river,

a very wide river. Okay. I put us some stats as well.

Of course we are not quite exactly sure which part in the modern time,

but this is the Red Sea. The length of the Red Sea is about

two point three, sorry, two three hundred kilometers long. That's the lengtha

not the width two thousand three and red kilometers Okay, the width itself.

That means from one end of the Red Sea to the other end. Again,

we don't know where exactly, but roughly about three fifty kilometers wide.

Okay, So just to illustrate this, because you know we're talking about miracle

here. The miracle is not only the crossing and the partying and all that

is a very long journey, Okay, it might take some time to get

across. Again, no documents of duration taken to across. There are also

some speculations about how it wortually walked across, because we'll talk about in a

while. They talk about an entire nation of Israel, so it can be

thousands, some even say millions. We'll find out whether it is. But

again, just trying to say that there's some significance here and the miracle,

and that's why they sing about it as a miracle. And they also say,

hey, how can you not remember a miracle such as that. Okay,

this is the significance of it. Okay. So yeah, one thing

that people do not maybe forget, is that it symbolizes a few things.

It symbolizes God's commitment to freedom for his people. Of course, we know

that this is the talking about the freedom of them coming up from slavery,

in Jip right, and then escaping the whole empire that is hunting them down

Pharaoh and his army. Okay, so you know this is something that we

have to understand. But of course today we don't get chased by armies anymore,

I hope not not in that context. But sometimes we use that context

of Egypt chasing us in the context of other things that are sort of withholding

us back from crossing our own respective seats. So just alluding to that a

little bit, okay. But God's commitment is really about freedom, personal freedom,

okay. And this freedom can be different from for different people, freedom

from an addiction. Maybe you've got an addiction to I don't know, drugs

or something like that, using extreme seale so that I'm not pinpointing anybody,

and of course everybody's okay here, or an addiction to something else, or

even sometimes got also removing certain things so that you can progress forward. Otherwise

people will not cross the racy ever ever thought about it. If they were

not being hunted down, right, they may not even walk across all right.

So sometimes it's about God's commitment to not only see you progress, but

see freedom in you. But of course it helps love when there's a whole

entire army chasing you in the background, so that you are inspired to go

across. Because so that's one one thing, Okay. The other thing I

wanted to allude to about this signature of this racy is actually how God's glory

came into the story. While rhymes, God's glory came the story. Uh

and and this comes from verse eight gain one more Yet he saved them for

his namesake, to make his mighty power known. So his glory, his

will be done power, and the glory is there. So again God's glory

was there. And you think about it, if God did not do what

he did right, or rather God did what he did because somewhat his reputation

is in the line, right, so he he cared about this and therefore

he actually did what he did. And I was just talking to just before

we came, and we had this little bit of argument in the car about

how I would frame it, and I was saying that even if you do

not do it right, his glory was still prevail. But what it's better

to do it or rather be part of the plan, and used this I

use this expression what they used an expression earlier. I don't know. I

think I used the wrong term for it, but I was saying that even

if you are just a believer and you're not active, I used the word

smart, not active, which is wrong, not active at all. His

glory was still prevailed, because that's our God. But please, I don't

think we should live by just bare minimum. We should live by more than

that, okay, because there's triumphant in what he did. Jesus died for

us at the cross. There's triumph in that, and his glory will prevail.

Okay. Now coming back to the Red Seas, let's go to Exodus

thirteen. This talks about crossing the Red Sea itself. Yep. So when

Pharaoh let the people go this stuther Israelites. Okay, God did not lead

them on the road through the Philistine country. Okay, though that was shorter,

so actually right, it's documented to sayn extent right there. It's actually

a short or what milicians is like the called shortcut to that place. But

they let or rather God rather let them through the desert before reaching that particular

junction. Okay, Now, why do you think there's a case Just curious

any thoughts on this? Okay, actually the answers written there is highlighted that

if they face war, they might change their mind and return to Egypt.

Okay. I mean to say, if they are faced with adversaries, they

may like, okay, I give up, let's just go back to slavery

kind of a thing. So the longer journey is actually necessary because in another

way of putting it, God doesn't think that they're quite ready for it yet.

Okay. And also you can see in verse eighteen, God lets people

around the desert road toward the Red Sea, and some call it the sea

or reads that's the original word name. Rather then they likes went out up

out of Egypt ready for battle. So when the time is right, when

they are ready, God allowed it. And we know this right as believers.

God will not send you or test you until you're quite ready for it.

And this is exactly in a larger macro scale talking about thousands and millions

of people, all of them are not quite ready yet, but eventually they

were. Okay. So this is a significance of the redc and this radcy

can represent multiple things in our lives. It can represent maybe I don't know,

people going back to I don't know a debt if they are in debt,

people going back or regressing back into addiction, as I mentioned earlier,

if they because it's always easier to regress. Okay, And whatever is you

know, bad arrangements, bad relationships, I don't know, even though God

tells you know, but you go for it because it's easy to regress.

Right. So this is something that I think we ought to know. And

it's important to understand that God the shot the way sometimes may not be the

best way. Another way to put it. Okay, Sometimes you say,

God, you know you lead us all to hear here, you created a

halfway for me to go abroad to work, et cetera, et cetera.

How come there will be a resistance here? I had to take another Uh?

You you turn a detour to get there? Why is it normal?

Right? When God gave you the job, right, yeay? Happy?

But when God gives you a problematic person at work, and then you'd be

like, why are you gonna give you this job? That is your longer

ler, not your short cut? Okay? I hope I caught that a

little bit of that. Okay. So when God knows you're already, you're

ready, Okay, now, I'm gonna take a pause here for a while.

I actually found a Netflix video of this, and this is a dramatized

version of the Crossing of the Sea. So we're gonna get Gabe to uh

play a short five minute clip and I'll come back in a while. Kids,

you can watch too, okay, sure a yeah, lor the story

that's the Egyptians taste them down this case the way us this suppose us by

the way, but the way these six days, weeks or even months,

a days fast forward. This is a very long distance US shop. We

must say, yeah, let me say no, use why brother leave?

Now that's a Hollie Wood Wishould nobody be maybe some ridiculous though. You're back

back? You're back? What? Okay, let's stop it there? What's

Cliff Hagner? La? Al right? Cool? Thanks Gabe? All right.

So again, as I mentioned this, the Hollywood version of it,

if you want to check it out, it called Netflix, is available for

us on Netflix. It's called Exodus or something like that. Anyway, recognize

the lead role there, Batman? Yes, so Batman was actually Moses in

that particular story. H Kristen Bale. If you don't recognize him with the

beard. Yeah, so I always, like I said, the representation is

not quite right because you know, as we read Moses, you usually think

of very old old man Wrinkley, not Christian bial material. So for those

who think that this is what most like, I'm sorry to burst a bubble.

Probably not. We're not sure, but yala whatever it works like.

But yeah, I think more importantly, I think this is just to show

the the the the emotions also within the army and also the people there.

They were all what was the emotion that you actually experienced them when you saw

that thing? Everybody was in a hurry, right, There's a bit of

urgency, right. It's not like, oh, let's talk slowly across the

thing. You know they're coming and get me right. The armies are behind

me, right, and and in order to survive, they have to move

forward. Right. That's the only way they can survive. Okay, let

me just jump to Exodus fourteen, which is one chapter later. I'll jump

towards four h and I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them,

but I will gain glory for myself. This is God talking. A

true pharaoh and his army and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.

It also anxious by saying, so the Israelites did this. Okay,

I've highlighted so the Israelites did this is because it's to also illustrate that God

told them to do this and then they obeyed. The Jalatin they ran,

they they didn't resist. And sometimes it's a bit like this, right,

we can sometimes overthink things, but in the in the urgency, the sense

of urgency, when things are not going right and then you sort of exhausted

all ideas, et cetera. Keelah, we obey, we do it.

But again it shouldn't always have to come to that. But in this case

it was like that luck okay, hopefully that drama sort of call it a

little bit. But again we are being pursued here by Pharaoh and his army,

the Egyptians. But more importantly, when God spoke, they obeyed.

These are the Israelies. They obeyed. And we're not talking about one person

obeying, you know, like I said, there are thousands, possibly millions

of people obeying, and if you think about it right, logistically, so

it's quite hard to coordinate getting across there. And like I said, for

quite some time. But again, whatever you see there is just a representation.

Some may argue that some accuracies in the way it's presented. Somebody say,

oh, you know, there's supposed to be a left wall, right

wall of sea. That one is quite you don't see it. Again,

it's Hollywood's way. I don't think Moses and Pharaoh also came together. Certainly

they come together one on one, like you know, just it's all Hollywood.

Okay, But if you look at the scriptures, which is what we're

going to go to in a little while, can you go to fourteen ten?

Okay, let me read this. As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked

up and there were the Egyptians marching after them. We saw a little bit

of that. They march, they marched, They came in full force.

They were terrified. Who are they the Israelites. They were terrified and cried

out to the Lord God help me. How I don't know what to do.

In case you don't realize, when they actually went through the desert and

all that week they came this imagine you walk up the hill and they're like,

oh man, why is there? I thought this was the way out.

They saw an entire not a small drain, not a river that you

can see across. You can see the end of it. So you can

just imagine the panic in their faces when they actually reach what supposedly is God's

part of God's plan to lead them out into freedom. Okay, So they

cried out to the Lord, and of course there were some murmurings. Uh

they were, They were complaining, they how can you let me read them?

What say? Eleven? They said to Moses, Moses the hit honcho

ah? Was it because there were no grace in Egypt that you brought us

to the desert to die? Okay? What have you done to us by

bringing us out of Egypt? Isn't this again read familiar? Right? Why

did you leave me here? Why did you bring me here? If you

brought me so far, why did you let me bring me here to die?

It's another way to put it. And of course they're blaming somebody in

this case Moses, because Moses heard from the Lord. And then they were

saying, leave us alone, let us serve the Egyptians. I mean to

say, I didn't mind going back to slavery, right, regressing, regressing,

Okay, But Moses answered the people in thirteen. Do not be afraid.

Stand for and you will see the deliverance of the Lord. That the

Lord will bring you today, that you see today will never see again.

The Lord will fight for you, and you need only to be still.

Okay, I'll come back a little while. As I mentioned to you earlier,

I purposely showed that particular clip over there just to not someone's talking about

the accuracies of the historical event, but more just to show you some emotions.

Ah, but I'm gonna come back again to another short clip to see

what transpired before what we saw earlier. Okay, this is when they discovered

that the sea is in front of them. So this, moses, what

is it the carriage? H h, it's strong. M You need to

cross here. You need to cross now. You cross here, We cross

here, Ready yourself, we cross here. Go tell them no, your

orders are like the lash of the Egyptian whip. We are no longer slaves,

and you are not free. You've lost sight otainer land of your fullbs.

You have honored me with your trust. Now I honor you with my

faith. Follow me and you will be free. Say and you will parents

You're up here fresh, God is with us, Go within yourself, Go

God is with us. Oh Lord, wait cross here. I wait.

The guy got your things that fall in books way by Coper, He was

hard hard. I think it stopped there, all right. So let's just

fix some inaccuracies in the in the in the movie first, just in case,

if you notice earlier there was a sword that was being picked up in

the movie, they threw a sword, and the sword sort of did what

the staff did. Let me just go to scripture first to fix that.

Exodus fourteen twenty one, it says then Moses stretched out his hand over the

sea, and then all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a

strong east wind and turned it into dry land. Okay, keyword is dry

land as well. Okay. The waters were then divided left and right.

Then the Israelites went through their sea on dry ground Okay, not much ground,

as we've seen earlier, and the wall of water on their right and

on their left. Okay. So this is the one that sometimes you see

illustrations, you see the two curtain walls. Uh, it's probably a lot

wider than just a small curtain, because, like I said, a few,

maybe a million at least, people walking past. I don't think God

will have a bottleneck kind of a design where everybody goes to a very small,

narrow thing. But needless to say, I mean there's some inaccuracies there,

especially with the stuff and all that. Okay now, but on one

thing that I wanted to illustrate from the Hollywood does that very well because it's

not only not focused on the accuracies of the actual event, but more if

you think about it, right, what they do very well. Right,

It captured the emotions of Moses and the people. You know, they were

like people were distraught. You know, armis coming. You know, how

can you tell us if you've actually watched the movie. They Moses went away

and and seek the Lord and like, you know, how can It's just

even he had doubted. And sometimes when you read the Bible right, when

you read a particular passage, you really, very quickly you think that all

these people Bible grades usually no issue. They all faith level. It is

like past the Kenne times one hundred. You know, they do this easily.

But actually, you know, even the greatest, the greats, I'm

quite sure they will go through struggles. They'll go through their own uh,

you know, they're definitely concerned, just like how in the Hollywood captured version

of it they had worry on their face and question that also happened to to

Moses as well. And sometimes we are like that, we think that these

can only happen to It can happen to anybody. And it's okay to feel

insecure, it's okay to feel that are usual? Lord, is this really

for me? Is this really where I'm supposed to be going? You brought

me thus far? But having a bit of doubt, so again, just

trying to humanize the stories that we are sometimes reach through Bible very quickly thinking

these guys are not human? Are usual? God? Scenarially put it,

God, you brought me this far? Are you sure I'm supposed to go

across? Am I leading your people incorrectly? Am I looking at my ways

wrongly? You know? And things like that? Uh and and but as

I mentioned two sundays ago, you know, sometimes God gives you a higher

perspective, even though it may not be clearly charted out. At least you

have a larger perspective and larger vision. So align that. And as you

can see, they needed to take a step forward after all, that murmuring,

they still carry it or trudged forward supposedly dry land. It's mash there,

but it's okay. They still move forward because they understood that God was

with them. God has carried them thrue. So despite uncertainties, despite any

doubt, they still moved forward. But sometimes for us, yes we be

you know, we want to be all God tell me, show me all

the way certain then they move forward. Now you think about it, right,

even as they were crossing right, and this is a very long journey.

As I mentioned, the curtain wall on your left and right right.

If you look, if you can imagine, just envision me, if you're

a little bit of imagination. If you walk past right, you think walking

one step is done there every the whole. It's not electric train that just

brings you across the side. You still have the continued journey for days,

weeks, and months. Okay, So there will still be this is going

to followed me anytime, this is going to collapse of me and times.

So, like I said, it's not exactly the easiest thing to do.

And sometimes when you read the Bible, they cross the sea. It's like

a five minute board, right kind of a thing. No, it takes

a long time. So their faith, their trust is still continually being tested

as they take that step. But every step they take gets a little easier.

But it doesn't mean there is quote unquote certainty at all. Right,

they know from experience that's it, and they go by experience and that's about

it. Okay, But importantly, of course they're running away. But the

question also is to you, what is your rate c What is the thing

if God opens for you? What is preventing from crossing as well? And

that could be anything you can think of. It could be fear, It

could be uncertainty, as I mentioned earlier. Uh, and these can be

very real needs. Uncertainty to be able to pay your your your next rent

because you know the company is going to restructuring. Uncertainty where the you know

you have a job tomorrow. Uncertainty where the you know, like where God

has let you is correct because he's does far. But how come suddenly,

uh, you know my resail was rejected, et cetera. So but or

if you're a business owner, you know they can't be uncertainty because you don't

even know how you're gonna pay you your staff, galaries et cetera. But

what are you hearing? What are you listening to? And again I marry

mind, you please have a higher perspective, always take a step higher because

you want to hear from the Lord God. Just that how Moses did.

And even hearing the ends, visually seeing the impossibilities and the and the reds

here in front of him, he still took the step to lead his people.

And I'm talking about one person. You can see the coordination there.

Everybody going and tell their their cell groups. They're gonna go this direction,

You're gonna go I don't know in orderly fashion, et cetera. Uh.

And that's something that you need to understand. Okay, So as the enemies

are chasing you, sometimes you must understand the devil, the ultimate enemy.

Sometimes they use the pharaoh as a as a descriptor to equivalent of a devil

in the context. You know for a fact that you come through this kind

of challenges right or it hits you the hardest when you're on the verge of

a certain breakthrough and these people are on the verge of what were they on

the wordge of freedom? That's the breakthrough. But if they resisted and they

stood, can I take me now, go back to slavery. They would

have missed that breakthrough. Now, you notice a lot of people sometimes missed

the breakthrough simply because they just didn't take that final step or that first step

forward. And then you sometimes wonder how come that breakthrough never came? Okay,

So this is something that I just wanted to talk about. So the

voices that you hear, the people, the Egyptians, that cautious, very

noisy, you know, the whatever sound. It's from you again, Hollywood,

this guy that sound last time. So you understand what I'm saying.

It's not dramatized, but I'm quite sure if an army like that coming,

you will hear something. Right, what are you hearing? And not only

that I mentioned earlier that God wanted to bring them out slavery? Right,

these people didn't mind going back to slavery. You know what on earth?

Man you think about it? Imagine this right? Sometimes my parents tell me

this something. Last time, they worked, weorry hard to get me abroad.

We stayed abroad. We planted a broad and said why are you coming

back? Then they're like smoke come up from their brain, you know,

because they work so hard and God somebody's like this, it works so hard

to give you that opportunity for freedom, and then they're like, okay,

I don't mind going back to slavery. Were white flag kind of a thing

very quickly, okay. But you must understand God has always promised us that

he will always show up. But sometimes we give up a little too easily,

or maybe just on the verge of, you know, some deliverance,

we sort of give up. Okay, So now let me just come back

to some one or six vers and then I'll come back in a while.

So the story, I think you know roughly the story. But let's go

back to the Psalms, which talks about what they talk about necessors. Okay,

so you see in verse seven that we're now ancestors way in Egypt,

So this is moving forward already. The miracles happened, they crossed the rad

see everybody who ray, and then they've got worship songs that talks about what

happened many many years ago. Okay, but the worship songs talk about you

know, and it's just this way in Egypt, they gave no thought to

your miracles. They did not remember your many kindness. So this worship song

is good too, king the people at that point in time about some things

that you forget in the future, okay, and simply saying they did not

recall them miracles anymore. Sometimes you're also like that, right, we forget

what God has done for us against raizy judge people now. But you know

we forget and then we say, can we trust him? Right? And

we are fearful. But one thing that when I when I caught from this,

when I read this, right, you look at it, right?

They and they rebelled by the sea, and they used to read seed.

They miss they're referencing that they rebel. Not a very strong word, rebel

the means by you forgetting what God has done for you, your rebels,

you know, in the English word English context, you rebels. How can

you forget very strong words you know being used here? Okay, but you

know, more importantly, when you face challenges, I think very easily we

will say that sometimes fear of insertinity is the one that hindus is from moving

forward. Right, So I'll talk a little bit about fear and how we

ought to Actually we talked about it before. They had to have a higher

perspective to see more clearly and therefore, even if there's a little bit of

fear, you can still have the assurance that there's a bigger picture in front

of you, and there's something that you it's easy for you to take a

step forward in that sense. But of course even the Israelites, now they

were terrified, as we've read, they were terrified, and but even as

they were terrified and they were uncertain, what they needed to do is to

take that one step forward. And as I mentioned earlier, every step you

take gets a little easier, but the first step is always the hardest,

right, I can tell you, when we're on the boat, right,

because of the uneven way and all that, it's actually very and even remember

Charles L. Gate gave it was actually just on the second boat because there

was so much stuff that we're in the second second boat, it was very

uncertain. And then sometimes people don't there to step off, even though they

need to step off for security's sake, but they don't step off because they

they are They they rather stay here because it's something that they are familiar with.

It's the lesson of the two evils in that sense, I know understand

that. And then somethings it's like this, we do this even in our

own that's right. Let's just keep the current whatever administration as they were,

because at least they don't catch out me. I do business. Everything's hunky

dory, you know that kind of thing. But no, you need to

step off, step forward. You need to accept that progression so that you

can see more breakthroughs come. So even coming back to you know, if

you're talking about going to putra dryer, you know, to to to to

to to celebrate or twenty four and like, oh, I know, why

go so far? You know, if you can't even go there to celebrate

twenty fourth aniversary, you know, it's it's not step forward. There's also

some past approach here about this. But there is some significance about going to

our administration. Is it called a suburb? I don't know, the capitol.

There's some significance in it, and that's his own thing. He will

share a bit more about it. But let us just like how they followed

Moses to see the promised land. Maybe putragerize that promised land. Who knows?

Okay, so again, let me come back. I'm a bit or

the place today. But yeah, stepping forward and some counterintuitive is what I'm

trying to say, because it feels like, why step into something unknown?

Why stepping because it's I'm already here. I'm sure I may be terrified,

Lord, but I'm surely sure footed here. I don't want to step forward

now. The Egyptians here, of course, we know, represents different things.

It represents I don't know. Fear is one, right, represents things

that are of the past. Sometimes we also accept this or I've always been

like this, My father's like this, my forefathers like this. So therefore

I'm in this generational curse. And this is also exactly what the his flers

are doing. I'm born in slavery, not just them, but many,

many, many generations after that, the fathers, their their fathers and their

fathers above them. So freedom is something don't know. But freedom is something

that they'll promise, but they're not willing to take that step forward initially because

they were afraid. I'd rather just accept slavery, right, But you and

I know that God not just He didn't die just to give us just life,

but life for us to live to the full. So if you really

believe in that right, don't just accept the mediocrel right. We talked about,

like I said two weeks ago, talk about stepping up, progressing where

it is, you know, in the spiritual sense or in the physical sense.

You need to progress, you need to improve yourself, need to grow.

So let's do that, okay, all right? So we talked about

you know, why bring us out of Egypt? You know, leave us

alone. Those kind of things are moved to the past. But more importantly,

we must understand God's plan is for us to move forward. It's always

been his plan. So if you come to twenty twenty four ready and ill

fired up, you know, new year, knew me yay. And after

that on the twenty twenty what was it today, twenty twenty eight, you

already like he lung steam moddy, you know, like no, no,

no more, wom can do it? It's the new year? Owe me

again? And that becomes a problem because why you are not seeing things from

a higher perspective, and therefore it's harder for me to walk forward. So

it goes hand in hand, right, seeing things but not actually on It

is also kind of pointless, Like I said, you just be last year

again, just a bit older, a bit more wrinkly for me. Ah,

But you're not progressing, and that's not good as well. Again as

a reminder, God's plan is to get the glory. It's in his word.

You have to be willing to put your foot forward, like is the

another way to put it? Right? God, I put up the next

slide. Okay, God wants to take you to the promised land, but

you have to walk there, our friend, otherwise, right, I mean

you can lie, He can probably give you a tesla to get there or

whatever, but it's not the design. You have to walk there. What's

worse, right, if you do not walk take a step forward in this

context, you will die. I mean you say, diary, it's not

physically physical death, not Sometimes it can be spiritual death as well. Sometimes

it can be like I said, same old, same, same fresh perspective,

but same behavior. You don't progress, you don't grow, and that

becomes a problem. Okay, figuratively, you do not live life to how

God has intended it to be. His will is not fully done in your

life, all right, So that the call here, the chart here is

for us to really take that step forward, take that step forward? Why?

Because God has promised you newness. Okay, you've got to believe in

that. Otherwise again, same more, same car, same situation, same

apartments, same people. Say whatever, there is no newness, but God

promised you newness. God, I'm not asking it's just material things. Boyut

just using that as example. All right, you need to have that personal

desire to move forward. The Moses moment. Moses had obstacles, but he

still took that step forward. Like I said, he doesn't get any easier.

But the first step is always the hardest. Okay, the Moses moment.

All right, so let's move on verse ten. Okay, Moses to

the people, do not be afraid. Stand firm, because like I said,

to sit, then that right to do, to just move forward.

Stand stand firm, and you will see the delirience of the Lord that will

bring you what today. Okay, it just says you see today you will

never see again. That means if I can add another word to it tomorrow,

you'll not see the difference anymore. But key thing here is that you

have to do it today. Anybody are progressing this here, don't put your

hands. I'm one. I'm a major progressing I ask my wife. She

can't test to that. I will always do things today eleven hour. I

don't know why. It's just how I operate. I've operated my entire life

like that, you know, I don't know why. It's just like that.

I feel I need the adrenaline, I need the rush. I actually

have another message repaired about procrastination, but another day. But you know what

I'm trying to say, he don't be like me. You know, you

do it today even the uh you know Pharaoh, you know when when when

given a chance to know the plagues that happened before this right given a chance,

they were saying that you can stop it right now, if you just

acknowledge I can stop it. Then then Pharaoh said, now, myn not

tomorrow. Paraphrasing here, but he said, it's okay. Why because there's

a bit of arrogance there because he feels that he is greater than the living

God. But it needs to happen today. You can't just defer, deter,

h and not. You gotta face that challenge, gotta take that step

forward because the tomorrow, like I said, it's very typical for us too.

It's not it's not raining yet. I don't go again, umbrella,

that kind of thing. But why do that always be prepared right now.

A few things I put into perspective, to put some perspective. One slide

sorry once light before I think sorry, g yep. So often we look

at things like this, right, what's behind you? In this case the

Egyptians are coming behind you? Right? But what you do now is quite

important. And sometimes the indecisives or indecision to just step forward is the thing

that is the negative. Don't talk about what you can do. Small steps

you don't take, you except to run, and sometimes you go. You

know, I pray for you will be to be done today when God tells

you, you'll be like maybe not lie, not today tomorrow yeah, And

then, like I said, what's in front of you? Sometimes we are

focused to the front as well, because the obstacles, the barriers, the

curtain walls on your left and right. Is it going to fall on me?

But the more important thing is that, of course, do not be

afraid, stand firm, and like we've read earlier in verse fourteen a game

fourteen ten, sorry fourteen fourteen, the Lord will fight for you. You

need only to be still. What is be still? A lot of people

think that it's just pacific. I know this chill wait now, this term

be still, right, do you know where else it has appeared in the

Bible before? Very famous verse, Yeah, be still and no I'm God

therey Psalms forty six. If you want to look it up, you can

look it up. I don't have I don't know they have it there,

be still and know that I'm God. Twice in the Bible they use this

word be still. And many people think that b still means you sit down

there. I don't know, do the Buddha post or the the cross legged

thing and this wait for God to show up and all that. No,

it's not. It's active. What I mean by active is that it's actually

an active surrender to God to say that God, I've done it everything my

way, I run out ideas, I'm desperate. I just be still.

Let you work. Okay. By the same time, you see you do

a small step, you need to take that. I need to take a

step for it. But you need to take that staff and part your rid

c as well to the next time. Okay. Otherwise, if you're just

doing it your way, when you'll get exhausted and then two you you be

very disappointed. But it's not part of God's design because if you be still,

be still and know that's actually part of surrender. Like what we said

in the two weeks ago is actually recognizing where your help or your source of

health actually comes from. Okay, so you are not alone in this is

another way to put it. He will never leave you hanging, even though

it felt like kid like there is like there, you know, how come

you brought us here thus far and then you leave me here? No,

he will deliver you. Look at verse fifteen. Then the law says,

why are you crying out to me? Then they strits to say, then

tell this strights to move on, raise your staff. Isn't it normal people

would say, hey, you know what? Why? Why? What's the

what's the word here? Move on, jahly, step forward. You have

to move on, otherwise you'd be still for too long. So no,

no, no user. But the next slide, which is the one who

says step forward, and all the hero glyphs at the back remember the worst

that we read earlier, The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.

I put the extra word there tomorrow because that's well again means not to

dayla. Okay, this is promise new things wait for you in twenty twenty

four. As you established earlier, you need to come out of this because

your breakthrough is near, even though you do not. Sometimes remember that He's

promised you breakthroughs. But if you do not address the Egyptians today, you

will never You'll still see them tomorrow. Lize another way to put it all

right, You'll not see that miracle you may have been wrestling for, if

an addiction for quite some time, or unbelief. Even you prayed for your

loved ones for many, many years, and you still see the person not

come to receive Christ, and you say, God, maybe not, why

am I here? Maybe there's an ailment. You're going through something medically for

quite some time, and you've been praying it year after year. Hey,

that breakthrough. May this may be the year of breakthrough. I mean,

God promises you break through. You stop a step shy of that break through.

It may never come to fruition, and that's a scary thing. So

we need to step forward. Why because God promises you can and a land

flowing with milk and honey. It's not gonna be easy. Still, they

still at the wall. I say a lot of distances. They still doubt

as they trude along, but you have to move forward. You need to

step off that book. I once slide after this I've written here true miracles

is tied to movement. I mean you say you have to take that step

forward. It's not tied to feelings. Sometimes we say that I need to

be ready, I need to understand. I need to feel it first emotionally

before I obey, before I step forward. And that's very dangerous. Why

because you get wiped out. You need to understand who is in control,

the authority. And I'm gonna end one more slide here. We have to

get across, because if you don't step for, you step for. Eventually

you get across. But one thing we also understand, we can do this

collectively. I mentioned about how a church community can help you do that two

sundays ago, and I promised you I'll come back to the fishing example.

I told you right two three hours that I can't zero sit. All of

us were deflated, thought that we've been to the wrong river. They promises

fish, but there was a fish, and we were on the verge of

actually we gave up, Laura. We already started to do but it only

took one fish gave cut the first one small one, and then the second

became bigger and Laura, Laura got a bigger one. I think Gabriel caught

the first small fish. Then Laura up the game and after that just came

became big fish off the big fish offus. And this is what it is

all about, the testimonies that you have. And that's why sometimes we're big

on testimonies. It helps people move to it helps move forward because if if

they move forward and get safe, I got to move forward too. And

this one a church for us as well. We are all collectively trying to

get across. But you need to do this firstly yourself. You step forward.

You can't get inspired otherwise to get a job. That is a loss

to get a job done. But why not be involved. We don't call

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

our church, please visit aschurch dot org. We are also active on Facebook

and Instagram. We're believing that this week is going to be a good week.

I hit for you, God bless