The Legacy of Faith | Pr Steven Soon

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

will light up your day. I'm gonna start off with a little story,

uh to to solve like illustrate this the message today. You know, in

my family, in the Soon clan, all right, I considered considered that

the past tense. I'm okay now, but I considered myself a black sheep

because in the Soon clan, everyone their accountants, businessmen, engineers, or

in the sciences, or at least of social sciences. And then you have

this guy who say I want to study film. So in my family,

I'm the only person that will that has when to go for the hard arts.

I would say, you know, all the way do arts h And

I always felt very alone. Now I'm like in my family, I always

see a Chinese New Year. The conversation is always like, how many deals

in your business? If you've done, how's your company doing? How is

you know, you know, engineering house, your job doing? What con

clients are you getting? And of course at the time I was studying.

Then when it comes to me, they don't know what to ask because I

cannot relate what movies you like to watch? They asked me that question what

movies you like to watch? So I've always felt like, oh, man,

so so alone. Now in my family, I'm the only person doing

this. But then like at the very okay, my dad, my dad

can actually draw very well, but he just doesn't do it anymore. And

he used to take pictures here and their family pictures when we go traveling.

But there's basically it. So I thought I was pretty much alone. But

then in twenty eighteen, these was five years ago, we were spring cleaning,

you know, my parents' place, and while doing that, suddenly my

dad came into my room and brought a box and put in front of me.

And then I say, I think you would like what's in there?

So I opened the box a little bit and behold, in the box are

all vintage film cameras. Some are from my dad. They are like SLRs

before the SLR it was SLR, you know SLRs a shot on film.

So those my dad there was maybe, yeah, one one of it is

my dad, but the one that caught my attention were actually the older film

cameras from my grandfather. Now I've never met my grandfather. He passed on

very early when my parents were dating. Yes, I've never met him.

I just know of him being the very stoic and strict father to my father

and the siblings. He was also involved in politics back then MCA in Pinang,

so he was the kind of man. He was also a businessman.

He has his own company. Very strict, Uh doesn't My dad doesn't really

talk much with my grandfather. His that type of Asian parent, right.

And then but in front of me there there were cameras. So I'm like,

wait, so grandpa took photos. So the one that caught my attention

is the one I brought today is this one. This is a nineteen fifty

seven Yashika med medium format film camera, very technical issues one hundred and twenty

AMM film And this was like, this blew my mind because it's not cheap.

Back in those days. It is not a cheap camera. If you

talk about the small compact ones film cameras and all that, they also had

those back then, those were the cheaper ones. This back then weren't cheap

all right. So that means my grandfather would have done it enough to be

willing to invest in such an expensive camera. And here's the crazy bit,

right, the mysterious bit is I asked my dad, Dad, have you

ever seen rampartic photos? Never? Have you ever seen any photos? Never

that? I went to ask, of course the wife, Grandma. Okay,

Grandma is still alive and well, praise God, she's eighty four this

year. So five years ago, seventy nine, I went to as a

papa, come coom right, do you know he got camera on? Got

camera? I never show you photos he took he two photos. Oh,

my grandma doesn't even know that. My granddad actually has cameras and two photos.

So is this mysterious thing? I don't know. It's such a film

guy, right, it's such a cinematic moment of like, whoa my grandfather

is this on the outside stoic Asian parent, But he has a soft spot

for photography. That I felt very comforted because I am not alone. It

did not start with me. My grandfather loved taking photos, and of course

I took this camera and at that time it's all mechanical, so it can

be fixed. So I brought it to a shop to get it refurbished,

and I started taking photos. I learned how to use this. I got

some photos to show you guys. Uh so, yeah, this is Binang

coconut coconut sella. And then the next one I just stumbled upon a couple

vegan runner. But anyways, just like, can I take a picture of

you guys? And then this one is one time me sella. But the

special bid was actually when I decided to take portraits of my family with this

camera. That is my that was my grandfather's camera. So this is my

dad, took a photo of him, and then there's my mom, and

then the most special one my grandma. I used my grandfather's camera to take

a picture of his wife. It meant a lot to me. Uh.

And and this is to me still one of Uh. This is actually what

I have of my grandfather. I have nothing else actually it's this uh.

And this just reminded me of one simple word, legacy. This is what

my grandfather, though he never knew me in heaven, He's like, I

know you but now, but but he never knew me when he passed on.

But he wouldn't have imagined that his grandson, eldest grandson would hold his

camera, you know. Uh. And and but the thing that I realize

is this in my family, the biggest legacy that my grandfather, my dad

passed down to me. Wasn't the legacy of this, It was actually the

legacy of faith. I am a fourth generation Christian, actually very rare actually

in Malaysia, and actually today very rare. You see a third general,

fourth gen still serving in church. Actually if you study the demographics. So

the best thing, actually I consider the best legacy that they left me is

the legacy of faith. And we're going to explore that a little bit today.

Okay. So in Joshua chapter four, verse one, it says this,

And it came to pass, when all the people had completely crossed over

the Jordan, that the Lord spoke to Josha, saying, take for yourselves

twalve men from the people, one man from every tribe, and command them,

saying, take for yourself twelve stones from here out of the midst of

the Jordan, from the place where the priests fit stood firm. You shall

carry them over with you and leave them in the lodging place where you lost

it tonight. Why then, Joshua, okay, why later WI will find

out. Then Joshua called the taft man, whom he had appointed from the

children of Israel, one man from every tribe, and Joshua said to them,

cross over before the Ark of the Lord, your God, into the

midst of the Jordan, and each of you take up a stone on his

shoulder, according to the numbers a number of the tribes of the children of

Israel, that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask

in time to come saying what do these stones mean to you? This is

the why, then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan will

cut off before the Akh of the Governant of the Lord, when it crossed

over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off, and the

stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever moving on.

And the children of Israel did so just as Joshua commanded, and took up

twelve stones from the midst of the Jordan, as the Lord had spoken to

Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel,

and carried them over with them to the place where they lodged, and laid

them down there. Now I'm going to pass here by now right. This

has been repeated three times read in scripture. There is no coincidence when something

is repeated. Just ill up that all right, okay? Next verse,

Then Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the

place where the feet of the priests who bought the art of the governance stood,

and they are there today's day. So the priests who bought the ark

student in the midst of the Jordan. And then everything was finished, that

the Lord had commanded Joshua to speak to the people according to all that Moses

has commanded Joshua, and the people hurried and crossed over. Then it came

to pass when all the people had completely crossed over to the art of the

Lord, and the priest cross over in the presence of the people, and

the men of Reuben, the man of God, and half the tribe of

Manasse cross over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses has spoken to

them, about forty thousand prepared for war, crossover before the Lord for battle

to the plains of Jericho. Now this is not one hundred people, are

forty thousand armed men. This is not everyone. Okay, just think not

of the skill. This is the whole of Israel crossing the river. Okay.

Moving on, On that day, the Lord exalted Joshua in the side

of all Israel, and they feared him as they feared Moses all the days

of his life. Then the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying, command the

priest, Command the priests who bear the art of the testimony to come up

from the Jordan. Joshua therefore commanded the priest, saying, come up from

the Jordan. And it came to pass when the priests who bought out of

the covenant of the Lord had come from the midst of the Jordan, and

the souls of the priests feet touched the dry land, that the waters of

the Jordan returned to their place and overflowed all its banks as before. Now

the people came up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month,

and they camped in Gigale on the east border of Jericho. And those

tosstones which they took out the Jordan, Josha set it up in Gigle.

Then he spoke to the children of Israel, saying, when your children ask

their fathers in time to come, saying, while are these stones, then

you shall let your children know, saying, Israel cross over this Jordan on

dry land. For the Loryer God dried up the waters of the Jordan before

you, until you had crossed over, as the Lord your God did to

the sea, which he dried up before us, until we had crossed over,

that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the Lord,

that it is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.

Is that the last verse in the chapter? Yes, right. Notice

that this is the second time Jesu was mentioned. Chong heir, right.

You may think it's very tanty, it's very long winded. But again,

in scripture, there is never a coincidence for something to pop up toys or

three times. If it pops up toys or three times, it deserves our

full attention. It is important enough that the Lord repeated, now a bit

of context. Right before this in the Hobook of Joshua, Moses had just

passed on. He died, all right, And of course the authority was

then passed on to Joshua. Moses has been mentoring, had been mentoring Joshua

for many years, all right. And the Lord also in the same way,

the Lord commanded Moses to go and take the promised land in the same

way God also commanded Joshua. If you look at the scripture you will see

that parallel, all right, And of course you can see that in chapter

three in this right before Joshua. Chapter four is of course josh chapter three.

But in Joshua Chapter three is where you see Joshua and the Israelites beginning

their move into the Promised land. Context. This is after forty years of

being in the wilderness. Can you imagine the excitement Finally we can step into

the promised land? All right? So in chapter chapter three you see them

preparing to cross over, and crossing the Jordan was very significant as it was

Israel's first step, not into the first step on the Promised Land. So

crossing the Jordan is like crossing the threshold into God's promise, all right.

So that is the context, and we're gonna explore a little bit more on

what God wants to share with us this morning based on this scripture. Now,

the first point I want to tell us is this God precedes. Okay,

why preceeds. We're gonna look at scripture again. If we can look

at Joshua chapter three, verse eleven, Behold, the hour of the Covenant

of the Lord of all the Earth is crossing over before you, before you

enter into the Jordan before you into the Jordan. Basically, it's telling us

that God is going first. The Hour of the Covenant represents God's presence,

that is the Old Testament. Thank God, today he's everywhere because now the

veil has been torn in the Temple and true Jesus God is with us.

Amen. But back then, the Art of the Covenant words the dwelling place

of dwelling place of God. And the people cannot be close to the art

run. If you read the scripture, you realize they have to stand a

certain distance away because of their sin. If they go close, they die.

That's how serious it is. Only the Levites, who are the chosen

priests, which is one the tribes in Israel, are allowed to take care

of the Art of the Covenant. They are chosen set apart to do such

a thing as this. That's right after that, you see when the temples

are built by when the Temple was built up by King Solomon, it was

the Levites that were taking care of the temple. Everyone else, you go

in, you die. Not because God want to kill the people. No,

it's just purely because of sin. God and sin cannot mix. Okay,

So this fundamental Christian faith. We all know this, right, So

now we're gonna look at verse fourteen and fifteen what it says. So it

was when the people set up from their camp to cross over the Jordan,

with the priest bearing the art of the Covenant before the people. And as

those who bordered up came to the Jordan, and the feet of the priest

who bordered up dipped in the age of the water. For the Jordan overflows

all its banks during the whole time of harvest, all right. So you

also really notice, right the repetition of the priests who bore the ark.

I think God is trying to tell us that only these people are allowed to

carry the ark. Everyone else are to be behind. And you see the

as they go over, and actually after this you will say, you will

see that actually when their feet touched the edge of the water, the water

stopped upstream and it dried up. Familiar what Moses did, right, So

the arc actually went first and again context her Jordan overflows all its banks during

the whole time of harvest. This is during the flooding season. It was

a raging river, and you've got hundreds of thousands of Israelite trying to cross

that river. All right. So the first point is this, God preceeds.

He went first. He went first to stop the flood. Right.

It is believed at that time the whole river Jordan and that and that Junjula,

that the place where they were crossing over, it was believed to be

thirte meters white, not that not that white actually, but it was more

than three meters deep. So nobody could just swim across, imagine at that

time because of also it being a raging river. Uh, you know.

And I want to encourage us this when we say God proceeds. The first

point is this, in every season, as we obey God, know that

the Lord will go before us. He went before us, The ark went

before us. The Ark went before the Israelites to stop the river. And

the second thing I want to say is this, in every season, as

we obey God, know that the Lord will bring us through the deep waters,

because that was what Lord did for the Israelites. You know, I'm

going to look at chapter four, verse eighteen. I know I'm jumping here

and there, but you'll you'll be cohesive, I promise, all right,

you will see the full picture after this Chapter four verse for verse eighteen sixties.

And it came to pass when the priests who bought the Art of the

Governor of the Lord had come from the midst of the Jordan, and the

souls of the priest feed touched the dry land, that the waters of the

Jordan returned to their place and overflowed all its banks. As before. The

priests and the art were the last to cross, and as soon as they

stepped out and onto dry ground, the waters return to their place. And

I want to say this in every season, as we ohbay God, know

that the Lord will be behind us to cover us. In verse twenty three,

for the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you

until you had crossed over, as the Lord your God did to the raid

Sea, which he dried up before us until we had crossed over. It's

reminding us about what God did for Moses. This is parallel to when Moses,

who is Joshua's mentor, split the rad Sea. Now Joshua listened from

the Lord, but he also probably learned from Moses. He probably has seen

Moses in action split the rad See and then so when God asked him to

do the same thing to bring the art of the Covenant. He probably has

a reference point. Okay, all right, I think can be done.

Because God did it for Moses, I can't imagine, all right, So

I wanted to bring our attention to this. Moses actually passed down a legacy

of faith to Joshua. Moses did not keep it to himself. I am

the one with the staff that will split the raid. See, but he

probably meant though Joshua and taught him the ways of the Lord. And you

know, another point that you see from here is this, God did it

for the raid. See forty years ago, now forty years later. God

did it at River Jordan. God is reminding that israelies that he is the

same yesterday, today and tomorrow. If he has done it before, he

can do it again. Annoying thing of the past is for the past.

Annoying thing of Moses is for Moses. God wants to give a fresh annoying

thing, and he gave it to Joshua that day and he was able to

split the Jordan. So again God proceeds. That's the first point. Remember

that God goes before us. God brings us true the deep waters, and

God is always behind us, covering us. This is the God that we

serve, he looks after us, all right. So that's the first thing

I want to establish. Is this The second one I want to talk about

is God's heart, right shot fall four to seven. Let's look at the

scriptures again. Okay, he's gonna sound like repetition, right, but bet

with me. Then Jasha called the twlft men whom he had appointed from the

children of Israel, one man from every tribe, and just just say to

them, cross over before the Art of the Lord, your God, into

the midst of the Jordan, and each one of you take up a stone

on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the children of

Israel, that these may be a sign among you. When your children asking

time to come saying what do these stones mean to you, then you should

answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the Art of

the Covenant of the Lord. When they crossed over the Jordan, the waters

of the Jordan were cut off, and these stones shall be for a memorial

to the children of Israel forever. Now, when I thought about the twelft

stones are growing up in Sunday School, I always imagine it's like something that

you can hold in your palm of your hands. There's always the picture they

show you. But they are actually carrying boulders from the riverbed. Okay,

context, Okay, why boulders and not small stones. Boulders are big enough

that you can see from Afar. As they were about to claim the promised

land, move into the Promised land. The first thing that God wanted them

to do is for them to do something to help their children remember what he

did. First thing. You know, He knows that if we don't do

that, we will forget what he did, we will forget who he is,

and our children will neverland of faith. This will result in death and

destruction. So serious are Okay? Later I show you a scripture, Deuteronomy,

the t Now Deuteronomy is before the Book of Joshua. All right,

This is where they documented basically what happened to the Israelites and also what happened

to Moses. Okay, let's look at this scripture. See, I have

said before you today life and good, death and death and evil. In

that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in

his ways, and to keep his commandments, his statutes, and his judgments.

That you may live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless

you in the land which you go to possess. But if your heart turns

away so that you do not hear, or are drawn away and worship by

the gods and serve them, I announce to you today that you shall surely

perish. You shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over

the Jordan to go in and possess. I call Heaven and Earth as witnesses

today against you that have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing.

Therefore, choose life, that both you and your descendants may live,

that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey his voice,

and that you may cling to him, for he is your life and

the length of your days. And that you may dwell in the land which

the Lord swore to your father's to Isaac and Jacob to give them. Now

this happened right before they were about to cross the Jordan. There must be

a reason why God is asking him to set up the stones of remembrance,

because he understands Israelize their nature. They are easy to grumble, easy to

forget. Therefore, he says, I'm telling you. Now, you better

remember what I'm teaching you. You better obey my voice and love my commands.

And God is saying that, not to say, haha, I am

your God. You shall listen to me. No, I believe. And

you know many times when we read the New Testament and Old Testaments, sometimes,

especially if you're early on your faith, you may see as if there

are two different gods. New Testament, Ah, Old Testament, Oh,

strike down my lightning and kill someone. But if we know that God is

the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, we must acknowledge that this is

the same God. And when we put on that perspective, we will see

in the Old Testament, we will see through the lands of love. When

God say this, you better obey me. It's not saying that you obey

me because I need you to obey me. He's saying obey me because if

you don't, you will perish not by my hands but by your ways when

you follow the world. I love you enough to tell you you need to

obey me. Please listen to me. Parents here, I believe you're saying

that you're children before. Please listen to me. Your child listening to you.

Want a new money on your own right. Maybe when when you have

your child grow up and work for you, la in your company. But

growing up as a kid, when you tell your kid to listen to you,

it's really for your benefit, right, It's not really for your benefit.

Maybe Asian parents would be for my face, but ja literally it's for

their benefit. Father God is the same way. And this was his tone

of voice to the Israelites. Look now listen to me, obey me.

Because human nature, they're excited. They're gonna enter the promised land, the

land flowing with milk and honey. And the Lot promised them this lender.

And at the time that land was conquered, as in it was it belonged.

I wouldn't say it belonged, but it was inhabited by other nations.

But the Lord promise them, you know, you go in, I give

you. So they you imagine, they are excited. They are at the

Treashold. You know they're getting ready. Oh man, we're gonna have our

own country, our own place. We can settle down after forty years of

suffering in a wilderness. But the Lord did not cheer, cheer with they

say, yeah, you gotta go in. Lord actually took a step Bay

said, hold on, before you go and have fun, remember me.

Don't forget about me. And he went to the extent of even telling them,

don't just not just your generation remember about me, make sure your children

remember me. That's why he went to tell Joshua to command the Israelites twelve

tribes to bring up one stone each to set it up there, not just

at the river. After they dwelt in the river for a while by the

river, they went to Gilga. They carried the stones there, you know,

to Gelga and set it up there. Why such hassel. Don't they

have better things to do. They have to get up for a war,

you know, why waste their energy carry stones like that? It must have

been important enough. God wanted the generations to remember what he did the River

Jordan. The stones of remembrance are meant to remind the children of Israel their

inheritance and legacy. Jehovah is their inheritance and their legacy. Now moving on

to my third point, we talk about how God precedes. Not the funny

thing. I was looking for antonyms of preced so that it will sound good

in the points, so that you can remember it's actually the word succeeds.

Succeeds is actually the antonym for preceed. Now. God was telling that israelized

that it wasn't the mnd of their army that brought them victory through this whole

crossing of Jordan. It wasn't their amazing ability to swim that could bring them

across the river Jordan. It was God, God succeeds. That was what

God wanted them to remember. When you grow into a mighty nation, when

you have a grand army, know that it is not your army that wins

the wars, it is Me. And you recognize in chapters and books to

come in the Old Testament that God was the one that won their battles with

minimal soldiers. God won the battles for them against great armies. God wanted

them to remember that it is He who brings success. It is not no

present time. It is not how skillful, smart, or talented we are.

It is not even how financially secure we are. It is God.

God is the one that helps us succeed. Things of the earth are fleeting.

We can't control. Really, as much as we try to control,

we can't. Personal story. When I was born, my family was rich,

My dad drove a sportscar. I still remember that sportscar all right,

Rich, Like really every year we'll we'll travel travel. When I was a

little boiler at that time, I can't really remember much, But do you

know that all it took was an Asian financial crisis overnight to rip it all

away from rich my dad Inhrem again, my grandfather passed on young right from

my grandfather's business to the eldest son and my dad elder son overnight from rich

to bankruptcy. My dad at that time probably thought he had it all out.

If you'll talk to him, you'll probably tell you yeah, yeah,

I got spotscar, I got house, I got family. Uh you know

you saw my mam right, very pretty, I got a beautiful wife,

got a son. All right. He probably thought I have everything under control.

All it took was one night and it was all God. Really,

it is God who is in control. I pray that we will never come

to a point where we are comfortable to think that it is by our own

mind and ability that we are able to sustain our life. No, now,

I'm dowenty eight this year. You probably think these young men know what

all the rise I eat it is more than the saltlar that heat. But

I think God has given me enough stories to show me that I am not

in control. I'm gonna share a deestimony about what happened in a bit.

So. I grew up in a family also that did many right things and

also many wrong things. Okay, there are a lot of stories. Okay,

uh, my family, so you know when they fight her, Yeah,

it's lower. It came from a loud family, okay background, even

though we were Christian. Okay, So they did many things right and they

did many things wrong. Again, I'm the eldest son. They experimented a

lot of things and a lot of things didn't work. So but really it

is by God God's grace. Really, you see where you're at today,

it's really God's grace. I don't know if I have time. We'll see

later if I have time to share more stories. But one thing they did

right, they did very right. They introduced Jesus to me. They did

very right until today. Right. If you talk to my parents, they

will say, right, how I turned out, it's really by the grace

of God. Again, if I have time, I'll share with you some

some funny stories. But they gave me a legacy of faith. See,

money can be depleted, stocks can go down. Have you heard actually parents

actually have stocks and they passed it down today to your children. Now,

money can be depleted, stocks can go down. But no, this Christ

is constant and eternal. And if he's the same yesterday, today and tomorrow,

Wow, there's such a great guarantee, right, this stock will never

drop me. I told my parents last year in December. We were I

still remember, we were having coffee. My family was there, my sister

was there, parents, we were back. I was back for Christmas and

we were sitting. Now we're having a very good heart to talk, and

I remember it was then that my dad broke this. I shed this deesseminy

before. Remember I mentioned about bankruptcy. So for most of my life twenty

how many years, twenty six years of my life, I've only known bankruptcy

the eight this year and seven it was the Asian financial crisis. Yeah,

so there was there was a concept. But for some reason I remembered the

sports carlor we like Castla's two years old. Most of my life I only

knew about bankruptcy in my family. A lot of things other people I see,

they do I cannot do. I always thought that, Wow, why

my friends can travel overseas, I cannot. I didn't know that my dad

cannot because black LISTMA, when your bankrupty cannot leave the country. And you

know the amazing thing that happened last December when I went back, my dad

actually together my mom say this, uh, kids, you know right every

man, your dad have to pay a certain amount because of bankruptcy. I'm

like yes, And then he's like, so this week, just two days

ago, your dad tried to pay and he didn't go through. So I

skept for a bit, we but are we okay? And then this so

that called called them and asked what happened and the person said, oh,

your bankruptcy is status has been lifted. You don't have to pay anymore.

My dad was shocked when I heard it. I was shocked. I don't

know how to process because all my life I've only known bankruptcy in my family.

Basically, long story short. Throughout the years of struggle, one thing

that our family did right was to continue to stay faithful to God. We

have never left church. We have always served. Was it easy, no

difficult. A lot of things happened in this whole journey, even while we

were serving God. At any point if we didn't have favor, we were

fallen out, because what's the point. But we stay true. My personal

desire was to bring my dad overseas one day to travel. He loves visiting

con But for me, I'm like, I'm in full time industry. I'm

probably going to pay it for I don't know how many more years. Two

years by Dad, you don't want to travel, right, But I say,

God, that's my dream. Ler, Hey, that's my desire.

But as I honor God, even in my own faith, God did it

for me. He lifted the bankruptcy they will have. Even if I were

to not go full time, I disobey God and I go into the industry,

work in the film industry, it will probably have taken me at least

a decade to pay off. But today, because I obey God and the

legacy of faith, my family has left behind and I have received. I

didn't even have to pay a single cent. God did it for me.

And there's a bit of context, but basically the conversation that we had after

that is this, I said, I told my parents this. I said

that Mom and they were talking to me about will and all that. Regular

They say, were aware of the age, We need to talk to you

about it. Okay, okay, okay, But I tell them one thing.

I say that, Mom, I just want you to know you don't

need to leave behind anything for me. You have seen in my life how

God has taken care of me. They cannot deny that. They've seen too

many miracles. And I told them this, you don't need to leave behind

any inheritance because you already gave me the greatest inheritance faith, Because long after

you're gone, God will still be there for me. That is your greatest

insurance that you've given me. My sister was there. I did it as

her first that I spoke on our behalf. She probably like, oh,

you don't want your one night know that? No, no, no,

My sister was in agreement. My sister that time was only seventeen. Yeah,

she's eighteen this year. So how many parents here you will love to

hear that from your kids. I'm not saying that I'm a great felale son,

but I've come to a place to recognize that it is God that provides

for me. I tell you, if I leave according to my parents' planner.

I'm not here, you know, I'll be an engineer. Oh engineer.

I'm not saying engineer, no good, I'm saying for me, for

me, for me, yeah yeah, yeah. But I didn't go according

to my parents' plan, but because of the legacy of faith they left me.

I follow God's planner even though they didn't like it. But today they

recognized that, Oh, God is the one that is providing for you.

Yeah. So I share all this just to tell you this again. I

am not very seasoned in life to share a lot of wisdom, but all

I get is really from the Lord, and I hope that our hearts will

be ready to receive. And this is something that that that God revealed to

me, is that many of us make the mistake thinking that by storing up

our warehouses with wealth at status, we will have our future under control.

I hope my story is good enough to tell you that, No, all

it takes is one night to sweep everything away. We say one we have

wealth to control over the next five ten years. We can't even control the

weather. We're gonna go out have a nice picnic next day. Rain.

We can't even control something as small as that oh, we're going to control

our future. Only God can control our future. We know of Luke chapter

twelve, in verse sixteen twenty one. Because of time, probably I won't

read the scripture, but it talks about the parable of the rich fool who

spends his whole life storing up wealth. Wow, you know, And then

he was saying, man, I'm excited, you know when I saw up,

I'm gonna do great things. There is money. There's my interpretation.

And then God says, you, fool, how will you know today?

I will not take your life away? And true enough taking await that night.

We spent our life trying to store up physical warehouses, but in fact

we forget that our greatest guarantee is actually God, the guarante, the greatest

guarantet that we will be doing well in life is actually only God. I

have a saying, and this why I got it from a book. It

says this, The safest place to be is to be in the will of

God. So are you in the will of God today? I'm always convicted.

Right if God were to send me, I actually have a hard formissions,

so I don't know if God sends me somewhere, I always have the

conviction. If God were to send me the most to the most hostile places

to share with the gospel, I will go and feel okay because I'm in

the will of God. That is the safest place to be. Do you

know that you can't seal? And I know some of you may sayula,

but you can be at Homer and something can happen to you. You can

control and in all these things only God can. So the question is are

you in the will of God? I think the scarier thought is that you

are outside the will of God? Oh Man, then who is taking care

of you? So? Are you in the will of God? Today?

Another courte I want to give you is this. The greatest insurance you can

invest into yourself is faith. The greatest insurance you can invest into your children

is faith. Parents, we can do our best to create safety measures and

secure a future for our children, but only God can truly ensure the child's

wellbeing. I'm not saying from a perspective of a father, because I'm not.

I'm saying it from a perspective and experience of a son. My dad

knows fool well that God is the one taking care of me. Ask him

anytime, anytime, and he'll tell you that again. Just that. I

also alluded to this that God, even after as parents, even after we

are gone, our children will be there. Right. We can't be there

taking care of our kids forever. Who can be there to take care of

the kids forever? Cola, So what are we investing in today? Are

you investing in the right things? I think two months ago I had a

conversation with a colleague, also a very very good friend. He's a father

of two, and he was sharing with me. He's like, bro,

I tell you, every week, it's so busy the church I bring my

kids. I told him, my kids will grow up hating me or hating

the church, and that time it just sends the Holy Spirit speaking to me

to tell him. And I told him this. Know that when you give

God your best and you obey God, God is taking care of the kids.

It is not you. Don't worry. We can be the greatest parent,

having the best parenting tools in the world, but we cannot still guarantee

that our kids wire not okay on you look at how messed up our words

today. All it takes is one bad friend to say something, and the

years of teaching that you given can crumble. So really it is God that

is our greatest insurance. My parents will again tell you, if you have

the chance to speak to them, that it wasn't great parenting skills or financial

security. I didn't have that in my family. I'm here today because of

the legacy of faith. Because they listen to God. I listen to God.

They passed me the wisdom of how follow God. And because I did

that today I am if you look, if you know my childhood, this

guy can become buster. I'm saying it's God. I grew up, messed

up, really really messed up by different things. But again, one thing

that my parents did right was investing faith. They probably don't know what they

were doing how to parent me, but they knew they had to bring me

to church. They knew they had to get me serving. They knew they

had to get me reading the Bible. They knew they had to get me

memorize the Lord's prayer because in terms of need, there's something. The first

thing that would come up. So what choices are we making for our children

today? Is to the parents, what are we investing into them today?

What we perceive as good may not be God, but his the encouragement.

God is always best. Who better to trust your children with and to trust

into the hands of God. And you know we do baby dedication here right

the parents. When you dedicate your baby, remember that you're dedicating it unto

the Lord. You're telling God use my children as you please. My parents

did that with me. I think I've shocked them enough and they give up

really like the things that God has asked me to do. At the age

of twenty, God told me and go Africa. I tell you, my

parents are Africa. I followed the GOP. Some of you may know the

ship and then I say yeah, yeah, yeah. And when they say

they thought it's gonna be years next month parents, yere, your heart will

pleatly drop into your stomach when you hear that Africa next month. How through

a ship ship you can't even sweem. It's true. I can't swim.

Hit me. Oh yeah, I can't sweep. But I did that.

That freaked them out. I tell you, it freaked them out. But

I at first they say no, But I say, you pray, why

not? You pray with me? And God actually convicted their hearts. They

still scarer, They're still scarer. And then I still remember my dad said

this, okay, life, God wants you to go, you go,

and you know the testimony came forth. Because I went on the ship,

I delayed my studies. My original plan of studying again, finances are I

planned to study in a cheaper campus. When I went to local soap when

I actually missed my graduation or so from my diploma. Uh and but it

was all good, long story. But basically the point in this story,

that one point you two, is that God knew exactly what he wanted me

to do, and he also knew my desires. And when I obeyed God

and I went, we found out some way university started a film program.

I wanted to do film, but to study in some way we know money,

how, need to find scholarship. And then my dad found said,

hey, on the website, I found a scholarship, full scholarship. I'm

like, great, but you're not applicable. You tell me even what but

you say this, but huh you just right right into the CEO. I'm

like you mad, yeah, just right in and then he said this,

what do you have to lose? You have a point? I wrote it,

I prayed. CEO responded and say I'll personally look in your application.

Long story show I got the full scholarship. Why I'm trying to say here

is this. I had the faith to just trust God to provide for my

tertiary education and provided what I want. I want to study film. My

dad had to have the faith to release me to Africa, not knowing what

would happened to me, and because of his faith, it was all provided.

Get to study in And this legacy of faith, I just want to

share it has continued because my sister has received that legacy of faith at the

age of sixteen. Two years ago, she's from a smkre. At sixteen,

she got a scholarship to study foundation in Sanay. How she got it

is I tell you a funny story. She shaid this with me, Coca,

my friend want to join this competitioner. I don't go a lazier,

but she need she need a team now, so I Gola. So she

went boom champion the price, but fullber story to study foundation in Sunway.

And if you ask her, you'll tell you the full story. She wants

to do psychology and Sunway actually has a really good psychology program. We didn't

even know how she will provide for her. But then God just gave her

that scholarship to study in Monet's Foundation, which is one of the best foundations

to go into the psychology program in Sunway. Everything taking care, and I

am confident God will continue to provide for her, not because I've reached.

I'm not because my parents are reach. We are not because God is with

her. I'm going to conclude now the choices you make today will determine the

legacy you will leave behind tomorrow as a parent and also as a child.

So what choices are you making today? Sometimes we can think about the temporary

and we make choices based on that because it's urgent, it's big, there

are problems. But I want to encourag just to take a step back,

look down twenty years and think for yourself what legacy you want to leave behind,

and make choices based on that, not based on next year or the

next two years. Look down ten years, think about that, and I

think it'll be a very sobering in my thought and imagination. What do I

want to do? And let that guide your decisions. If you want your

children to grow up loving God twenty years from now, still in church,

oh man, you gotta start now the way I did. They're a teenager

too late. Really not saying that God can't do it, but why want

to test God like that when you can do something about it? Okay?

And I also want to encourage in a group of people, if you didn't

inherit the legacy of faith, because your parents didn't pass it down to you,

all your first generation Christian, I want to also encourage you this.

You can start with your life now, you can start building up your legacy.

So what is God asking you to do today? So faith? You

can so into a lot of things, but please sew into faith because that

is the greatest insurance you can invest in. And actually last night, so

I prepared this message on Friday, I sends a lot one thing to minister

to one growl of people. All right, you're talking about faith and all

that is great, and then it reminds you about you know, legacy.

You think, you think about relationships, you think about family, you think

about your children, or sometimes even as children, you think about your parents.

I want to tell you that God can turn your family around. If

you have not inherited a legacy of faith, you can start and it doesn't

just go down, it can go up. Reconciliation can start from you.

Share if you one last story, I told you I grew up, messed

up, right. I actually didn't have a good relationship my parents throughound my

teenage years. Every commentsation with my dad ends up with either one of us

slamming the door. Every conversation. You know what. He always asked me

about my result, and my result was always bad, So you can imagine

the outcome of the conversation bad. We argue every time when I was seventeen,

but I always had the desire to want to draw it. I believe

every child will have the desire to draw you to the father, just sometimes

in the Asian upbringing we don't know how to do it. Always had that

desire. So I, even though I, quote unquote was angry and bittered,

was my dad. I wanted a relationship with him. When I was

seventeen, God answered my prayer. I remember I was going to a church

camp and then my dad was dropping me off. He stopped the car outside

the at the side of the road. I was ready to get down.

My dad said, wait right, wait what he said, let me reverse

the car so that you can bring your luggage down easier, normal, right,

But I don't know for some reason why I keep thinking about it all

oh four days of CAM. I keep thinking, my dad reverse the car

back into the church so I can bring my luggage down ease you. And

then after it just keep she was in on my mind. I don't know

why it's such a normal thing, right. And then it was a It

was a It was a camera. On the last night, the third night,

the parents that you come with your parents' night and at the end of

the night, the chap person you say okay to the camp participants here,

feel free to share what you receive in CAM so your parents can hear.

So I went up and then I started sharing. I said that I don't

know why I don't over me. I said that, do you know that

day when you drop me off, you did that? And I started crying

on. I never cried bubbling on. I started bawling like that. I

just say, thank you for doing that, thank you for loving me.

I've never said love in my days. Yes, I say that. It

was I tell you today now in hindsight, it was the Holy Spirit.

Thank you for doing that. The leaders in the we want you to talk

about Gamela when you talk about what happened before game. But then after that,

I just said that, thank you, thank you for loving me.

After that, I just put the mic down and ran to her. Rehar

I haven't experienced. He's embraced for as long as and that was the day

that our reconsolation started. If we look at my dad and I today,

we look like brothers the way we talk sometimes, my friends, you talk

like that. You know our our love for each other. How God recons

oult so much with both of us. And to this day now, my

dad asked me for five Imagine that my dad asked me for advice. He

a boy, a boy boy got time to And this is also my friends,

just say your your parents will ask your permission to talk to you because

they'll text me and because they know my schedule, say you're free to talk

tonight. My friends thought you mad, but that's how we are. But

my dad would call me and and you asked me, hey, I'm going

through this. How I pray for that from not talking, which I believe

many of you may have experienced this for your parents Asian family, to this,

I can tell you it was gone. I know it's it may somewhat

or not really relate to a message, or but I just felt God just

telling me. Please talk about this to your congregation. I want to tell

you this. You can start from you. My family has no culture of

hugging each other and saying I love you. But God tell me, hey,

you need to love your family. I love how you need to have

them Halla, you need to say I love you. My parents don't even

do that to me. And God said, you starta who Hello, le

I say your faith. All right, I'm starta first time half my dad

okay, okay, okay, second time today he engaged that when I go

back to pay next to each other, we say I love you to each

other, pray for each other. My sister today sends a benefit from that.

La. You get to experience the love of my parents this way.

And I want to tell you this that you can study. You can reconcile

with your family. I've seen how God. It's not me, it's God.

That's why faith is important, because it was the Lord that led me.

If I don't have faith, the Lord wouldn't have led me to reconsolation

with my parents. I just want to tell you, if it is starting

from you, it's Okay, do it. Obey God asks you to call

your mom today and not do it. You may not be able to imagine

how reconsolation looks like. I trust God, just do it. If anything

at all, If you do it, and whoever your family member is,

they don't respond the way you want to do, It's okay. Do it

for yourself. You feel a bit happier. You release the anger with you.

Don't go through life better have faith. Plus, we're close. I

just want to release that. I just felt this very heavy on my heart

again. Legacy, it's gonna be harder and harder to raise your children.

I saw that ready. I see how the world is today. I actually

freak out a bit where I think about in the future of my kids.

The educate system is being changed to cater to the world's thinking. Now look

at New Zealand, you look at Australia. They're educating about same sex marriage

and order. UK Lizia have legalized. The Church of England have legalized same

sex marriage. It's going to be very hard to raise your children in godly

values in the day's account. So the best security you have is called so

parents invested faith, children invest in faith and I'm sure your family will be

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

our church, please visit as church 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