Pursuing God's Righteousness | Celina Tan

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

will light a beat the word that I've prepared for all of us this morning.

You know, as I was preparing this word, I was like asking,

God, God, you know, what do you want me to share

with the partners in X. I'm punk and God dropped a word in my

heart and I'm like, God, this is a very difficult topic to write,

you know, it's a very difficult topic to talk about. And God,

are you sure? Can you give me a simple word to share?

All right? So X, we don't show anything yet, okay, So

I'm just gonna give you an introduction, okay to this message. So for

those of you who do not know, I work as a preschool teacher.

Okay, So you know as a teacher, right, especially in preschool,

we always say that there is no secret, you know, between kids and

teachers. Okay, So whatever happened at home, the teachers know everything.

One really why the teachers know everything. Anything that you do at home,

whether you love it the way with your your husband or your wife, or

whether you fuck with your husband or your wife, the teacher knows it.

One, okay, really heard the teacher knows it. Okay. So that

is the perks of being a teacher. Okay. And one of the things

that very often than not, that we will always hear from kids is this

particular statement. So for those of you who were young children, you will

know they will come and they will have some conversation either with you or with

your friends, and they will always end with this lying one. I don't

think you are right. My mammy say, or huh, you know,

my mammy say, oh, my daddy say, is this this? This?

My mammy says, is this this? This? I don't think you

are right. Correct. For those of you who work, we're young ering

before okay, So not many teachers here, never mind parents, you probably

would have heard this from your kids or so. So you're trying to teach

your kids some mathematics problem or not, okay, mathematics quite straightforward, maybe

some English okay. So for example, to pronounce a certain word okay,

okay, so maybe okay. One of the classic example that I have my

kids arguing with their parents okay, the word what okay. Some people will

pronounce it as what, some people will pronounce it as what correct what okay?

Right, So you probably go home. You are the one that's pronouncing

what what do you want? What do you want to eat? But in

school, probably the teacher will pronounce it as what what do you want to

eat? What do you okay, yes, I do have one, all

right? And then you will have your kids telling you that Mommy is not

what, it's what, and you you will say that no, the word

is what, and you have your kids arguing with you like, no,

Mummy, my teacher said is this? Okay? They insist that my teachers

say it is this, and you can never win one, okay. And

then as a parents okay, I don't know parents are okay, but as

a teacher, we will always say no, I don't think all your parents

is right. Okay. Then we will go all I'll find bulls. Finally,

listen to this, listen to that, trying to prove to the kids

that we teacher is right. Okay. So maybe some parents will do the

same as that. You will try to find always to prove that you are

right, that the teacher is wrong. And then you're star calling the teacher,

why are you teaching my kids? Are you know, all the wrong

pronunciation and whatnot? Okay? Right? So it happened. Right, So

all of us as a human being, we always want to be on the

right correct. Nobody wants to be at the wrong right. Everybody wants to

be at the right. Okay. So anything that we do, okay,

anything that we say, whether in our workplace or in our life, be

with our friends or whatnot, we always like to be the one that is

on the right. Okay. So all of us have a standard that we

have established throughout our life. Right, all of us have a standard,

a standard that we dim is more superior than others. Okay. So sometimes

we have conversation, we will try to correct our friends. No, I

don't think it's this, you know this this I think this is the only

way. You know this is not the right way. So we have a

standard, we have a standard that we have said. And usually this superiority

applies to the people home we think is not of the same level. You

know, not same level. I'm higher than you, okay, you are

low low Okay. So we have the superiority whether we like it or not.

I have, I confess I have. Okay. Sometimes I I tends

to look at people like does he even know what he's doing? And you

call yourself a teacher. Okay, Okay, I repent. Okay, Well,

I'm just telling you that all of us are human being. Okay,

we have that sense of superiority, whether we like it or not. So

because we always want to maintain the superiority, we are always on the goal

to look out how we can better ourselves. Okay, because why we want

to always be better than anyone else. Mare, So we always constantly on

the lookout to improve ourselves, to better ourselves, to continue to level up

in our life. Okay. And this is when we say that, you

know, what are we trying to do? We are trying to establish the

self righteousness in ourselfs. Okay. We want to be self righteous. We

want to be superior than others. We want everyone to listen to us.

We want everyone to look highly on us. You know, we want to

be there. Okay, all right, So whether we like it or not,

Okay, I just want to be honest. All of us are always

on the journey to pursue self righteousness. Sometimes it's very obvious for some people.

Sometimes it's not very obvious for certain people. Some people are more you

know, how say you can tell one this person always want to be leveled

absolute. You know, people can worship him, but some people are more

how to say, it's more Yeah, it's that they don't know want to

do them. It's like, okay, I just want to upscale myself.

I only want to upscale myself. But you can see one true how they

converse with people. You can see one. Okay. But what we know

is that self righteousness isn't an attribute or the thing that we need or should

chase after. Inasmuch as it is good that we want to improve ourselves,

but that shouldn't be the priority of our life. Okay. Righteousness of God

should be the one that we should seek after. Because when we talk about

being righteous, are we being in a position trying to glorify ourselves, make

ourselves known, or are we going to reflect you know, the righteousness of

God in our life? Okay? So remember that you all, righteousness is

the key in positioning us for eternal and abundant life, as it places us

in the right standing before God. Okay, So we want to thank God

that you know, it is the righteousness of His son that we have received

true faith in Jesus. So that is the introduction. So what is the

topic that we're going to talk about today. Okay. So the topic that

you know, I wanted to share with us is actually pursuing God's righteousness.

Okay. You know, when we look at our life, there is two

way we can go. Either we want to go the way of you know,

constantly building ourselves or our own sake pursuing the self righteousness. And there

is another way where we constantly, you know, upskilling ourself for God's righteousness

sake. Okay. So what is the definition of righteousness? So before I

go into the definition, let me read to us from Matthew chapter six,

verse Study Tree. It says here but six first, the Kingdom of God

and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. Okay.

So this scripture is really something that all of us have heard. Okay.

If you have gone gone to church long enough, you have heard this

and this scripture before this it talks about, you know, why are you

worrying about the things of the world. Okay, But you know it ends

with this part way say that you know, when we seek the Kingdom of

God and we seek his righteousness, all the things that you are worried about,

it will be added unto you. Okay. But what I wanted us

to focus on is this sick first, the Kingdom of God and his righteousness.

Why is it that when we worried and God is telling us to seek

righteousness because worry comes okay, it's when we realize that, okay, I'm

a nobody, Okay, what I'll be able to earn enough? You know

what, people even recognize me, and so on and so forth. Okay.

And that is the beginning of how we wanted to constantly make ourselves known

so that we will be able to gather the wealth of the world. Okay.

And God knows, God knows, God knows what is in our hearts.

That's why God says that, you know, don't worry about everything.

Don't worry, okay, and you just need to focus on me, all

right. So righteousness the definition okay, if you take from the dictionary dot

com, it basically men that you know is a morally correct behavior or a

feeling that you are behaving in a morally correct way, which is justifiable.

Okay. And this justification is made according to the conformity of behavior with the

regulation or constitution in the context of a nation. Okay. But when we

look into the biblical context, it basically means being right in the eyes of

God or the condition acceptable to God, including the character which is the nature,

the conscient, our attitude, our conduct, our action, and the

command which is the word. Okay. So we know that the Lord is

our ultimate lawgiver. Okay, he has given us law that we need to

follow. And when God gave us a law to follow, it means he

is setting a standard. Okay, he is setting a standard that we need

to follow. But if let's say you look back, why does God give

us law? Okay? Why does God give us law? God gave us

law because he knows that all of us, you know, have have sinful

nature. And when where did the sinful nature came from? Is when Adam

and If broke the rule that God has given to them in the garden of

Eden, and then sin came in. God knows that we will go astray.

That's why he gave us the law to keep us in check. Okay.

So we know that to be God's to be in the in God's eye.

Being righteousness in God's eyes means that we have to be in this situation

where it is acceptable to God. So what now is that we need to

leave a standard that is according to God's measurement. It's not a cording to

our own measurement. Okay. So when we read in the Old Testament,

basically, righteousness is being summed up in this way, working in the way

of righteousness, equivalent to an upright righteous man and being righteous, which God

demands. Okay, all right, So that is in the biblical context.

Okay, you you can read the whole you know, the Bible to to

get this context. Okay. So now we're going going into what is self

righteousness? Okay. So all basically, what is a self righteous person looks

like okay, a self righteous person, it's very inward looking, I mean

myself. Okay. They don't care about other people, okay, because to

them is that they're the only care in the world. To them is that

okay, I am more superior than anyone. Okay. So they have a

sense of moral superiority, and they have a self satisfaction based on personal belief

action okay, to a particular set of standard. So they set they standard

and no one is as great aes them, okay. And a self righteous

person they are very judge bental okay, and they're very divisive. Okay.

So what they will do is that, you know, they will try to

they will try to create division among people. So they were like, oh,

these people can made up to my standards, so they're very good.

These people cannot made up to my standard. They are not good. So

they actually cause division, they break the unity spirit. They you know,

they create politics. Okay. So they will do a lot of things like

that. And usually a very self righteous person. They are prideful, they

are arrogant, okay, because why they deem themselves morally superior. They are

more watchers, they're smutter than anyone else. Okay. So that is what

a self righteous person look like. Okay. So when we when I look

at this list right and I reflect upon myself, right, I was like,

oh God, this will give me because along the way I made some

of this criteria and I asked myself why I became like that? You know

why I became like that? You know, as you look at it,

right, you also can reflect upon yourself. You know, did you fall

into any of this category that you know that you called you? You found

yourself to be very self righteous, and no one you know can be at

the level as you, right, correct, so you know along the way,

right when when I was writing this right and I was reflecting upon myself,

I was like, yeah, God, how did I ended up here?

How? And that is it comes to the second part. You know,

why do people constantly seek or pursue's self righteousness and how they came about

this? Number one is pride, right, pride. I believe that everyone

has pride. Everyone, whether it's a lot or a little bit, everyone

has and self righteousness in a way, it boosts our self esteem. It

boosts our ego. Okay, And that is when when when you are self

righteous right and you are very knowledgeable, that is when you can tell everyone,

hey, I'm better than you. Don't talk to me like that.

Who are you? Don't talk to my hand? You know, I can't

think pry. I'm pretty sure. And sometimes when especially those who are in

working world, you you will find yourself like that one that you know you

will tell the baby a young Kuchi that just newly John company, Who are

you to tell me that I'm doing it wrong? Right? It happens,

It happened to the good of me as well. Number two power When you

are very equipped or you are very smart, right, it gives you the

sense of security and control over people and situation. Okay, and that is

when you you want to show to everyone that I know what I'm doing.

I know I am right. Don't talk to me like that, because why

you already have power? People say, right, knowledge is power, right,

but is that really the power that you want to hold on too,

because your knowledge would deplete well, you know, Okay, with the existence

of rapt suddenly I realize that I'm not so clever anymore. Okay, all

right, No, people say knowledge is power, but I can tell you

knowledge, it's not power. Jesus's power. Amen. All right? And

then why position? Okay, those who are incorporate position. I don't want

to forever be a clerk. I want to be the c oh way you

know, you know. And when I was searching for for a job and

then my friends said, an, you want to call my company and say

what position? My friends position one? I said, I want to see

you, Oh, sure, all the reason and then you go, you

know, all of us one position. Okay, I don't have what it

text to be. I was just joking with my friend, okay, but

position, position is something that we want, Okay, because why the higher

you are in the ranking in working world, in college or what, try

to be a student representative. You will realize that, hell, I have

the power the problem. Come tell me, I will go and talk to

the lecturer. But when you go to the lecturer, as you know,

how my friends say, you know, but with your friends like I can't

want, I can't want. You see the difference. But everyone wants that

position because it gives you more talking power, okay, it gives you the

sense of superiority, and it makes you more upright than other okay. And

that is when when you're more upright than other, right, there is when

you will start to show everyone my way or no way right correct. So

that is why people always want self righteousness, because they know when I am.

When I keep boasting myself, I am at the top of the world

ready right. And we have to realize that when we are so persistent chasing

after self righteousness, it will lead us to be someone that nobody will like.

Really, one we will become someone that nobody will like, because why

that is where we become very self centered, We become very judgmental, we

become very intolerant, we become lack of empathy, and people will realize that,

hey, I don't think to Selena anymore like she always look the mean.

You know, we will become like that. So don't go to the

path of just you know, one thing, everything for yourself, just because

you want to be high and mighty. Okay, but let's look at something

that is more permanent. That is more permanent, that is more you know,

you are still upscaling yourself, but it's somewhere where you would draw people.

Then you reject people. Okay, So remember, self righteousness will hinder

your personal growth, It will destroy your relationship, and it will destroy the

understanding between you and your friends. And finally, this is the danger,

the alert. You will come to the point where you will tell yourself that,

hey, I'm so good, relyward, why do I still need God?

Okay? It will come to a point if you keep pursuing self righteousness,

you will tell yourself that I don't need God because everything is in my

hand. I have the power to control my situation. Why do I need

to pray? Why do I need to You don't read the word? Why

do I need God even intervened in my life? I do need God?

Right? Okay? So that is how the world functioned. That is how

the world function okay, whether we like it or not. But now let's

look at what the Bible say about self righteousness or more of like, what

does the Bible tells us about people who are self righteous? Okay? So

let's look at this scripture. When I read this, right, I'm like,

oh, God is so speak to usla? Okay? So let's read

it says that also he spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves,

that they were righteous and despise others. So two men went up to the

temple to pray. One a pharisee, and the are the tax collector.

Okay, so we all know who are the pharisees. They are the person

who is who knows the law very well okay, and tax collector. Back

then they are known the sinner. Okay. So the pharisees stood and praised

us with himself. God, I thank you that I am not like other

men extortioner and jazz adulterers, or even as the te text collector. I

fast twice a week, I give tides of all that I possess. All

right, that is the pharisee praying. Okay, So now comes to a

text collector. He was standing far off, would not much as raise his

eyes to heaven, and he beat his rest. God be merciful to me

a sinner. Can you see the two difference? Okay, one is high

a mighty one know that he is a sinner. Don't even dare to lift

up his eye to look to heaven. Okay, And this is what Jesus

said. I tell you these men went down to his house justified rather than

the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who

humbles himself will be exalted. Okay. So what does this tells you of

being self righteous? God doesn't look into your self righteousness. God looks into

your humility. God wants us to be humbled. Okay, then let's look

at the second Scripture. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal

for God, but not according to knowledge, for being ignorant of the righteousness

of God and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's

righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law, for righteousness to everyone

who believes. Okay. So this is Paul writing, okay, saying that

you know the Jews they have the zeal for God. Okay. But all

they have was head knowledge. They do not know the heart of God.

Okay. They are ignorant towards the righteousness of God. Okay. So here

what it tells us that people cannot come to Jesus. We doubt the right

information about the gospel. Okay, But information law alone is not enough to

save them. They need to know the Gospel. Who is the righteousness Jesus.

He's the end of the law, and he's the beginning of you know,

of righteousness. And we have to have the radical submission to the righteousness

of God by putting away our own all right, So let's look at Isaiah

chapter sixty four, verse six. Here it says that but we are all

light and uncleanting, and all our righteousness are like filthy recks. We all

fit as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken

us away. Can you see that all our righteousness are like filthy recks.

What we think is good, it's nothing in God's eye. Okay. And

when we look at my two twenty three, verse twenty seven to twenty six,

already there's a type of the Okay, you know what you know,

what's the first word that comes up very alive to me, will to use

Christ san frasies Hypocrates. Hypocrates, for you are like whitewash tombs, which

indeed appear beautiful outwardly. You know, I appear very holy, you know,

I appear very nice, very kind, but inside are full of date

men's bones and all uncleanness. Right. I can come to you like,

you know, so holy, but inside it's dirty. What's the point,

right, what's the point? Okay? That's why it says that Hypocrates,

even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full

of hypocrisy and lawlessness. Okay. So this scripture clearly pointed out to us

to be cautious about seeking self righteousness. Okay, remember that righteousness is a

God centered attribute, okay. And the scripture revealed to us that true righteousness

only come from God, true faith in Jesus. Okay. The true righteousness

come from our faith in Jesus and not our own works and not our own

moral superiority. Okay. And no one can obtain righteousness through our own effort.

Okay. It's not something that you can buy and just say that,

oh I have it. It's not Okay, it is only true. It's

only we get the righteousness true Christ. Okay. So just now I mentioned

that our own righteousness is deemed falty rights, but our best is insufficient in

God's eye. Okay. So this is where we constantly have to remind ourselves.

We as a human being, we always want to do things our own

way. Right. We are selfish, Okay, we want independence, We

want to go our own way, and we don't want to follow God's path

instead. But pursuing righteousness doesn't work that way. When we say we want

to pursue God's righteousness, it's only God's way. It's only God's way.

Okay. So we need to know that when God gave us the law,

right is due to our sin, and the law is actually to keep us

in check. But let me ask all of us here, when you look

at all the law that God has given to us, whether it's in Old

Testament or in New Testament, how many of you can say that you follow

at least fifty percent of it? Yeah, I lower down the barnel.

How many of you can say that you follow at least fifty percent of it?

That was it? Then? Okaya? At least everyone can follow one

percent, right, can right one percent? Can I believe that everyone can

follow one percent? You'll see, God gave us so many laws and we

can only follow one percent. We are really you know, we are really

sinful. We fall short of the glory of God. And God knows it.

God knows it that we can never, never ever be able to follow

his law. And that's why Jesus have to come and fulfill the law for

us. Because to God, to receive his righteousness is we have to follow

exactly of his law. But we cannot. You cannot, not even not

not even anyone, you know. And I like to tell this to everyone.

I know, I am not perfect. If I am perfect, right,

you won't see me here on earth anymore. God will have token me

to heaven. That's why I'm still here, because I'm a work in progress.

Same night you you are in progress. Okay. So that's why Jesus

have to die for us. His death and the resurrection has to fill the

purpose of the law. And as a result, whoever that believe in Jesus

is made right with God. And that is where you receive the righteousness.

Okay. So remember, righteousness is rewarded to us by faith, by believing

in Christ and not by our own work. Okay. Now let's look at

the next one. So we talk about self righteousness. It's not something that

we want to we want to pursue. We want to seek God's righteousness.

But why is it important to seek God's righteousness? Okay, don't show the

un self as la, don't show that as a okay, activity, Okay,

all right, So it is really important, okay to seek god righteousness

because God's righteousness represent the highest and perfect moral standard and it is unexchangable.

Okay, it's unexchangeable. Okay, it's you know, it is perfect.

Okay. God's righteousness is perfect. And seeking God's righteousness means that we need

to align ourself now, okay, not to the way of the world,

but to the way of God. Okay. So we want to say that

we want to align our life now to the will and to the way of

God in which God wants us to follow and obey. And there has to

be radical submission. Okay. What does it mean by radical submission? Okay?

I know, along our life, right we have do a lot of

mistakes here and there, and when we read the Word of God right there,

we realize that. Okay, God, I did exac clearly the opposite.

Oh no, how God, how God? Okay, don't worry.

Okay, you just need to tell yourself that I want to put aside my

selfish desire and I'm just gonna humble myself and come before the Lord and say

that God, I'm sorry, and teach me how I can go according to

your way. Okay. So what we want to do is that we want

to put God at the center of our life, our thoughts, our decisions.

He is the first one that we go through. Okay. Not to

your friend, not to your boss, not to the internet, not to

whatever that you usually ask advice from. No, go to the Lord first,

okay. That is how you align yourself. Okay, God first before

men okay. And then what you need to do is that you need to

shape your life as you put God in the center of your life. That

is where you try to ship your life to be more Christlike. You shape

your life to be more Christlike by depending your relationship with God, because you

cannot say that you you will look like a person without spending time with the

person understanding the heart of that person. So, if we want to be

more Christlike, we need to spend our time okay. We need to make

time to build a relationship with him. Okay, and we need to continue

to sit out God's righteousness and say that it's no longer my way, only

his way, no longer my standard, his standard. So when you compare

the standard that you have right for yourself and you open the Word of God,

you will realize that your standard is nothing, because God's standard is even

higher. Right. So when we follow god standard, okay, that is

where we will realize that, Hey, God, I am working towards being

more like you. Remember what I say, none, none of us are

perfect. All of us are work in progress. So what I'm going to

tell you now is that you and I work. It's a work in progress,

okay, and this will in progress. It will be perfected over time.

Okay. We remember I say we receive the righteousness through our faith.

Does that mean that now I'm a very god righteous person? No? Okay,

I receive, but I still need to work in perfecting it. Okay.

What does this mean? By perfecting it? By perfecting it means you

making yourself more okay, more like Christ. So when people look at you,

right, they won't say that is Satan. Okay, they will say

that, Wow, this person really reflect Christ. You don't love you?

I try asked me. You were going to see some people, right,

you realized that your monster is this? Okay? Who am I working with?

Do you want to be the person where other people will say that,

I'm not going to work with this monster? Man? No, right,

nobody wants that. But have you ever hear people say that, hey,

I think this person is a Christian? Have you ever heard this statement,

I think this person is a Christian? And you will ask how you know?

Because, uh, who has so much patience except Jesus? Right,

go on one along the way. If you have enough friends, you will

hear people say things like that, all right, whether it's in your workplace,

in your school, in church, or what somehow or rather, you

will hear it before. And that is because why people desire to be more

christ Like will trying to work the fruit of the spirit that you have received

when you receive Christ. Okay. And one of the floral spirit is what

long suffering. You suffer along long by being patient? Okay? All right,

So let's let's desire desire to be more Christlike, and you will ask

you know, yeah, I already received the righteousness from God already. Why

do I need to work so hard? Some more can say, ken,

La, I remember, do I still need to work so hard? Maybe

to you it's very hard, lad, okay, but we still need to

work towards perfected it because Okay, imagine that I'm a teacher. I know

that I'm gifted with dealing with children. Okay, I know that I can

handle the children. I can I can handle a class alone, you know,

without any issue. Okay, maybe pull hair by here and that.

Okay, But if let's say I know I'm gifted, and I don't do

anything about my gif and I just go and teach children day, day after

day, week after week, don't you think that my skill will solid right

there is number one? Number two? Do you think that along the way

as I teach, I will still used back the same atter that I have

in my head. But I didn't sharpen my skill. Eventually my skill will

also be useless with dealing the kids. I can tell you in my twenty

years experience of delivery children, what I did with the kids twenty years ago

and what I did with the kids today. It doesn't work, Okay,

Hence I have to constantly up skill myself. It seems goes to our righteousness

that we receive from God. We need to work it. We need to

work it out. So how do we work it out? Okay? So

how do we work it out? Let's look at the first point, relationship.

Okay. We need to foster a deeper and intimate relationship with God.

Whether you like it or not, I can tell you the next four points

I'm gonna gonna share with you. It's really as simple as ABC. Okay.

It is not some very scientific, very you know, very hard to

follow kind of things. It's really very easy. It may sound easy,

but trust me, it is not easy when we really want to practice it.

Okay. So we need to foster a deeper and intimate relationship with God.

Okay. And we will not be able to understand God's heart and his

desire until we come down on our knee and spend time with him. By

what I mean by spend timer, it's not when you drive in the traffic

gym theology Jesus, I pray that you'll bless my day in Jesus name.

Amen. No, it's not that you need don't spend time. I cannot

say that, Oh I'm anti Julie best Ranna by just as a, Hey

Annie, Julie, how are you today? You eat your your large idea?

Yeah, okay, wow, best Ranna every day. It's only that,

really, I don't know where she went. I don't know how many

kids she has. I don't know whether she got grandkids or not. Okay,

even though her social media everything like okay, yeah, but but I

want to know. I want to know what she works as. I don't

know what's her favorite color. I don't know what her favorite fool. I

don't know where she is from. I don't know how many siblings she has.

You know, I cannot say that I have fostered a deep relationship with

Auntie Julie by just as a. It does a world away. We need

to spend time. I need to call her life ay and they Julie,

come, let's go have lunch together and we talk, or maybe like a

can I come over to your house and we go together every fellowship and we

talk and throughout the whole conversation. Only will I get to know her better.

Same things goes to when we want to be a relationship with God,

you need to talk to God every day, not God to God. God,

I pray that today I want to and then you give God one whole

long list, even longer than some. I don't know. I was some

scrolls or some script of your need, because why it's only one way God.

I want God. I want God. I need God. I want

God I need. But have you ever asked God? What is your heart?

What do you want me to? Do you know God? What?

Next? You know and understand him? You know? When when I ask

you, how many of you know? What is God's name? Do you

know all God's name? Is it only Jesus? You know? Just like

how I teach my kids in San Day School. Every time I take out

a puppet, kids, do you know who this is? Jesus? Every

puppet, even though they look different, all of it is Jesus. But

they are kids are So when I ask you don't give me it's just Jesus.

But as simple as that, do you know God's name? If you

don't read the word of God, you will know. And I'm not gonna

tell you. Please go read the word of God? Right? So yes,

understand? Do you know God's real? For you? Do you know

the law? Maybe I won't ask you every single law. Do you know

your ten commments? And do you know how did Jesus summarize the ten comments

into two commments? If you don't read the Word of God, you will

know. I also won't know if I don't read. So all of us

have to read and we have to continue to understand God's heart and his will.

What are the things that he wants us to obey? And we have

to constantly seek him for the wisdom by praying forwardly, by reading the word.

All right, so there is building relationship with God. The next one

repentance. Okay, repentance, And I think this is one of the world

that many of us don't like. We always say that what's there to repent?

I didn't do anything wrong. One, you know what's there to repent?

Let me tell you. Every day we have to repair because we are

imperfect. Every day we will do something wrong one okay, whether you like

it or not. Maybe throughout this week some of you break the red light

car right or not? Ah, Maybe this morning you realize that the way

to turn into you know, inside the arrow, show this way. Then

you saw you were going this way, and you realize that it's nearer that

you zoom this way instead, and then you almost bank a car maybe,

and then maybe people say reserve for staff uni and you will say that,

hiya the staff Hong Kong. Really that you know, every day, every

day we will sure have something that we do. Okay, that it's not

right one, Okay. I'm not asking everyone to be saying nah, okay,

but it's to tell you that we need to acknowledge that we are imperfect.

We have to acknowledge that we are seniors. We have to acknowledge that

we have weaknesses. And that's why we have to come into repentance with God

every day. No, when we pray, we have to tell God that,

no, Lord revealed to me, what is it that you want me

to repent? Because sometimes like breaking red lives, right after you reach home,

ready you forget one. Trust me, you will forget one. Okay,

Drives, I know I'll forget one. But we have to ask God

to reveal. Sometimes when you maybe say some offensive word to your friend or

your college and you've forgotten about it, but it hurt the person because the

person remembers it. So by you asking God to reveal to you your sin,

you repent and that's God will rest. All right. So instead of

hiding our flaws and only show the greatest sight of earth, we need to

always remember to come before God humbly and willingly, confessing our shortcomings and seek

his forgiveness and transformation. And when we talk about repentance, right, it

is not I'm sorry God, and then you forget about it, and then

you repeat your offense again. But you are saying that I want to turn

away from my sinful behavior okay, and attitudes, and I want to seek

God to help me to live our life right and pleasing to him. Okay.

So as we seek God's righteousness, we can be sure that our life

will be transformed from within? Can repent us is actually to help us to

transform our life from readin? Okay? It's not so much of the outward,

but the inward, so that our character can be shipped and be molded

according to God's will. All right. So the next R is read and

meditate. So just now we say that we read right the word of God,

but to know deeper what God wants us to learn, we need to

meditate upon it. Okay. So if we do not spend time reading his

word, okay, and meditate upon it. We will not understand what God

is trying to tell us because reading it's right Easyma, I can read the

whole book of Genesis in one hour. But will I understand the Word what

God is trying to tell me if I don't meditate and ask God, scripture

by scripture, God, what are you telling me? Right? We have

to we have to meditate upon it because ultimately true the word of God.

God will reveal you know, even the shot shot ut worse in the Bible,

God will reveal you know. God will reveal to you his heart.

God will reveal to you what He wants you to understand. And that's why

I meditate on the Word of God is really really important. So reading the

Word will help us to outline God's principles, the comments, the teaching,

and from there we use it to apply. I don't need you to apply

whole time comments in the day, one at a time. I don't need

you to to to even you know, live out the whole knife fruit of

the spirit in a day, one at a time. Remember, all of

us are work in progress, one at the time. Perfect it and you'll

be accountable with someone. Get someone to tell you that, hey, today

you lost your patience. Okay, let's work on it. Let's pray and

ask God to help. And when we meditate on God's word and we lived

out his word, we allow his truth to spread throughout our hearts and shape

our thinking and our action. Try it. That is when people will say

that, hey, I realize that there is a change in you. Change

for the better and not for the worse. Okay, there is a change

in you. What have you done? What have you done? Okay?

So when people notice the change in you, make sure that the change is

more like Christ, not more like yourself. Okay. Last, but not

least, you reflect. Okay. So the top three parts is all on

the word of God, building relationship with God. And the last one you

need to reflect. So seeking God's righteousness requires us to reflect our life daily.

If you don't reflect, right, you will not know how to repent.

Also right, So we need to reflect. Reflect how you have lived

your day? Okay, before you sleep, you pray, right, you

reflect how you have lived your day, Reflect your conduct on that particular day,

Reflect your speech, reflect your thoughts, reflect every area of your life.

Okay. So as we reflect, we need to make a conscious effort

to involve God in every life pursuit. Example, when you reflect, right,

you realize that, oh, I need to make certain decision this coming

week, okay, whether it's a big decision, small decisions. And that

is when you commit it to God. You seek God and you're asking for

wisdom, you're asking for guidance, you're asking for discernment, all right.

And when you actively practice all this, that is when you'll realize that,

hey, applying word of God in your life is not that difficult, okay.

And when you practice all the four points that I've told you just now,

you will even be more sensitive to the prompting of the Holy Spirit,

and you will realize that, oh, whatever I hear, it is not

my own voice, is God's voice. Because when the Holy Spirit prompts us

in our heart, he usually uses the word of God to impress in our

hearts. Right, when you want to make a certain decition, usually you

will hear that, okay, certain words that will come up to your life

and you realize that, hey, I think this is the Holy Spirit telling

me that I should stop pursuing this. And you will realize that, okay,

when you stop pursuing that, and you see something bad happened. Then

you were like, oh, I thank God that you know, God actually

stopped me without making a mistake. Okay, so let's be sensitive and let's

apply the word of God in our life even as we continue to pursue God's

righteousness in our life. Let let's allow the Holy Spirit to guide our choices,

our actions, and our priority. Amen. All right, We hope

you've been blessed by this message. For more information on our church, please

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We're believing that this week is going to be a good week, a hit

for you. God bless