Staying the Course | Pr Sandra Chin

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

will light up your tea. So as we know got rules, Heaven rules,

and you know through this year. I was just reading the Book of

Revelation. I will not attempt to preach from revelation. I not taking all

the revelation. I'm just catching it. But I was. I wanted to

because we want to know what what God has to say right if if,

if times are when when the time comes, when Jesus returns, So what

can we do to prepare ourselves? So I'm just reading it slowly, slowly

and studying it slowly, slowly and uh and gleaning what is important for us.

It's a it's a difficult book to read because it's got so many,

you know, illustrations and set examples, and it's and then maybe it's there

and I don't want to interpret it for any other reason. I just want

to read it as it is. And but I caught something from that that

I just want to share with you. And I've shared it at different places

because I I believe it's an important message, something you know, and it

be a good good reminder. And I entitled its staying the course, staying

the course. I think the whole world has been through. Whatever we've been

through never happened before, never been through before, all of us, you

know, having to stay home and not being able to work, you know,

every everybody almost almost the whole world almost was sort of stuck, and

and we couldn't We couldn't work, we couldn't go out, we couldn't do

a lot of things you need very little. And you know, just this

is now already, so you know this two will pass. It has happened.

So it felt so long ago anyone today with Tony, we're going to

twenty twenty four, and it's like so long ago, but not so long

ago. And you know, it was important to know whether, you know,

we would stay the course when we couldn't gather in this manner. Amen.

But more than that day days, the days are running and moving forward.

And I believe the coming of the Lord. You know, when I

was young, when I was just a teenager and I became a Christian,

and then they always told us, you know, all remembers Jesus coming back.

And then I say, I'm going to be the generation that will see

Jesus coming back, and when I was still young, didn't happen. Okay,

I'm older now, but he is still coming, all right. He's

just you know, when he send something has to be waited for, and

you wait on it, and you and you say why so longer? Actually

waiting, it's not too bad. Waiting prepares us, gets us ready.

And you know. The only way God is going to come back again is

when the whole world is preached the good news. Until the whole world knows

about Jesus, then he will come. He will only return. You read

that in Matthew twenty four five. You will you will see him. He

will return because he wants everyone have a chance to at least hear about the

good news that he brings to us. Amen, this is why he came

so to stay the course, you know. And how do we even stay

the course? There's so many distractions, so many things that are pulling our

attention to And it's not just because we're too young or we're too old or

whatever. It's just every one of us who calls on the name of the

Lord, who declares that Jesus is a lot of our lives, we will

have to learn to stay the course. It's as if you're running this,

you know, it's not the maritime it's the four by hundred where you've got

to stay on the right track. You take the wrong track. Gone,

okay, out, all right, you do your you're bitten too early gone,

you tan't too late to so gone. So you got to be at

the right time to pass it to the next generation. Right, So I'm

gonna learn to stay the course. So what I discover? What did I

discover as I read the Book of Revelation. I'm still reading it slowly,

slowly and trying to, you know, just understand and and and chew on

some of this stuff. But but this is what I wanted to bring to

us as I read uh Revelation on this one word that I'm going to be

working on and sharing with you. So we have a slight Revelations Chapter three.

He was fourteen. If you can see that, Okay, okay,

look at this. It says these things, says the Amen, the faithful,

the true witness, the beginning of the creation of God. These things

says the Amen. Hey, every time we say Amen, who are we

calling Jesus the Amen? Amen? Amen? His name is the Amen?

Did you know that? So every time when you know someone says amen,

you say you're not excited about the name of Jesus. Please don't be calling

purple ping and pingda, I'm black ping or whatever. But come on,

and when we say amen, you say and you can say amen, all

right, all right. So this is another name that is the name of

Jesus. His name is the Amen. He is also called the Faithful.

He's also called the true Witness. Here is the beginning of the creation of

God. And it's it's such so good to be able to take note that

his name is faithful. His name is faithful. Amen. We move to

Revelations nineteen eleven and thirteen. Now I saw heaven open and behold a white

horse, and he sat on him. And who was it who sat on

him? What was his name? His name is faithful and true, and

his name is called the Word of God. Wow. Amen, So you

know another name of Jesus is faithful. Wow. Come on church, Amen.

We have a faithful God. Oh who is faithful? And he really,

you know, is with us. He is he never, he never

leaves us, now forsake us. His name is faithful. And throughout the

book of Revelation you will see the word faith, faithful. These two words.

Amen. And why because I take hold of his name. This is

the Jesus. This is the Lord that we serve. This is the God

that we worship. And you know, we always say as we walk with

the Lord, we want to be more like Jesus. Now there are songs

they say, I want to be more like you. So come on.

One of those virtues, one of this fruit of that spirit, one of

that identity that we want is to be faithful. Come on, we want

to be faithful. And in this room, many of us want to have

faithful spouses. We want to have faithful friends, loyal friends. We want

to be faithful, you know, and loyal to to what we belong to.

And so Jesus is faithful to you and me. I pray that we

will be faithful to Jesus. Amen, we will be faithful to one another.

We will be faithful, that we will be known for our faithfulness.

Amen. And why do we need to be faithful? Why? Because I'll

just move on to the next verse. Where's the next verse? Okay?

All right, there he goes in Revelation thirteen ten. I just read.

I'm reading script, and I'll give you the background, it says, Yeah,

this means that God's Holy people an LT version and your living translation.

This means that God's Holy people must endure persecution patiently and remain all right.

This means that God's Holy people must end your persecution patiently and remain next verse

Revelation fourteen twelve. This means that God's Holy people must end your persecution patiently,

obeying His commands and maintaining there in Jesus. Amen. Now, when

you read Revelations thirteen and fourteen, you are going to see the introduction of

the false prophet. You're going to also be introduced to the mark of the

beast. All right, Okay, he say six sixty six. I don't

know where this mark is going to be placed, how it is going to

be placed, what it will look like. They may not look anything ugly

at all, because we're already being prepared church into a cashless society, and

so we will become a whole world, one world system where it's cashless,

and sooner or later your credit cards won't work as well. It's going to

be a mark that we need to take and out of this reading. As

you read Revelations thirteen and fourteen, that's when it says, because of this

mark of the beast that everyone will have to will have to take because if

you don't, you cannot buy or sell, you cannot trade, you can't

do anything. So without the mark, that's it. So then this is

where it says, this means that God's Holy people Revelation thirteen ten. This

means that God's Holy people must endure persecution patiently and remain faithful. Revelation fourteen

to um says this means that God's Holy people must well and you're again,

it says, and your persecution patiently and obey God's word so that we can

maintain our faith in Jesus. Amen, I don't have all the answers.

I'm not going to say that you know what I show pass the example.

I don't know. I'm building my faith now and with view together that we

will remain the faith, we will be able to maintain our faith in Jesus.

That when persecution comes. I don't think I've been through a lot of

persecution yet. I've been through some, but not until the point where we

country and can't do this and can do dead. I don't know we can

worship here one day we can't. Maybe we'll have to meet in each other's

homes. You know, a church in every street and every you know school.

I don't know when we come to that, right, So, but

why would we do that unless we have the faith and we have to walk

through this patiently. So when we are in better times like now, a

little bit better times, we want to encourage us to build our faith.

Amen. And what will it take? So I've got these words for us.

It's going to take faith and your faith. You're gonna grow, You're

gonna develop. You gotta walk by faith. But then you've gotta be faithful,

faithful to the Lord, and be faithful to that you're calling in Christ.

But yes, what to go the long haul, it's going to need

faith full In a little bit moment we cannot we needness faith fullness. Amen.

So it's gonna take faith. It's gonna be help and we've gotta be

faithful, walk faithful to the Lord. And you will take faithfulness to really

maintain our faith, to endure patiently, wow, to really stay the course,

To stay the course, imen, and friends, when we have to

stay the course, sometimes there might not be anyone else next to us that

might not be cheer leaders. Now we've got a lot cheer leaders cheering each

at the allway, so blessed. We encourage me, We say, oh

I'm here, I me at church and my home. So I've got you

know, got my I've got our leaders of you know, da dada,

We've got people around it. But there might come a time and we only

be ours by ourselves or just us your family. How are we going to

have the faith? Be faithful and faithfulness? What will it take? Really

we have to anchor our faith. I want to. I don't know if

I you've heard me tell the story or heard Passa tell this story, but

I want to tell it. Anyways, I won't be able to tell it

as well as him, but I've been impressed by this story to tell it,

and I've been impacted by this story many years ago when we first started

our ministry and now we're just living here in ss to just next to where

you live, you know, Jamin Towers, That's where we used to live.

We started our first ministry just down the road from Jamin Towers and then

Pastorwards just we just got married and it was just a year after we started

a ya and he was invited to speak at a church somewhere in s s

two and so he went to that church and nobody knew him. He knew

nobody and he and he went to preach in that church. It was a

small church. And so he preached the word. And then when church was

over, you know, they were all mingling. They were having like our

express or time. And then this. Then there was this, he said,

this is how he described it. There was this grandma and he described

it as like the twitty bird grandma. Okay, if anybody remembers tweety bird,

there was always a grandma who would you know, have twitty bird.

And then there will be the cat. His name was Sylvester, all right.

So there was twety bird and the grandma and the cat. So the

grandma of this grandma that was said to him, you know, come,

fust, come, come say with me, you know, and and talk

to me. You know, she's come, come come. So he said,

there with this petty But grandma said, she looks so pleasant, you

know, and and and so happy and uh and you know, maybe she

was late sixties, late seven. I don't know, seventies. I wasn't

there, so I can't tell the age of he fish. He was like

this Grandmathera and she said, you know, you remind me of somebody.

And he said whoo, and I don't know if you know this person.

He said, you remind me of the great preacher, evangelist John Song.

And we've never heard Johnson preach before because we never lived in that time,

in the back in the fifties or I don't know. He came to Cityauan,

he came to Sibu. The people who are from Cibu or Citiawan,

you would have Johnson would have been preaching there. That's how the Chinese,

the Chinese congregation grew so much. She said, you remind me of John

Song. He said, wow, what a privilege to be called that.

And then she told her story, and I want to tell you this story.

She said, you know, I first heard Johnson preach in kl at

the Wesley Methodist Church. And she comes from a very rich family. And

she was just twelve years old, or about thirteen to twelve years old,

and she said, you know, she followed her friends and they went to

Wesley Methodist Church in k Elm somewhere near Patalling Street. And she went to

here and this Johnson was preaching and you know, as he preached, and

she listened, this young life, this young girl was so touched by the

Holy Spirit. She said yes to Jesus. She believed in the Lord Jesus

Christ, and immediately gave her life to the Lord. And then she she

went home, and she so excited. A twelve thirteen year old girl told

her parents, her mom and her dad, you know, mommy, daddy,

you know, I received Jesus and you know. And the first thing

her mom and dad told her like, what what name is this? This

Jesus? No, you cannot you cannot believe in him. You renounce him

right now, you're faith? No, I believe. I love him so

much. You know, this is one day of receiving Christ. I love

him so much. He's so I feel his love. Da da da.

And then they said, no, you will renounce your faith in Christ now.

And she said, but I can't. Wow a thirteen year old?

Do you have you have a thirteen year old? You have your old in

your house? Will they will? They? Wow? Can talk? No?

No, I can't, Mom, I can't the I can't. And

her father said, you don't renounce it, then you'll not sit at the

table with us we're going to So we put her out to sit with the

with their with them their servants. Yeah, the amas, you know,

the long hair to chunk and the black pants and yeah, so they're lot

of servants. You know, there's big houses, bungalows and kl and she's

you, you will be banish you there and until you renounce, you will

not sit at the family table. So she like so short and no young

girl, and she was banished to the servants quarters. And and they're thinking,

well, in a day, she should, you know, be able

to say, yeah, I'll forget about Jesus and I'll just you know,

come back and be with mommy and daddy. But no, she couldn't.

I don't know what kind of message John Sung spoke, but this young girl

couldn't renounce Jesus. How powerful not John Sung, but the power of the

Holy Spirit that touched this young girl. She was twelve or thirteen, as

I said, she couldn't. And so she said, no, Daddy,

I can't, I can't. And so in the end the father say,

if that's true, you will live forever in the servant's quarters, or cut

you off from our family. And she was cut off, and she was

left to be raised by the servants. They were like probably saying, you

know, like you are like our bossler, priestler, say go back,

go back, And she just couldn't. And so because she wouldn't by that

time made the following year or maybe she was about fourteen years old, fifteen,

I don't know the age. I wasn't there to hear her passer sharing

it. They married her off to the fishmonger, the uncle that sold fish

all right in the market. And so she married. She was married to

the fishmonger and so young, right, and what to do. And the

fishmonger was not a good husband to her at all. He would beat her

up, you know, he would just make her work like a servant.

And then they had children, but she was very young, remember that They

had children, had about three children or so. And then as the time

went on, he then had another relationship with a woman from China, and

so he left this lady and he went to live in China with this woman.

So she was left alone, younger, no education, nothing. This

is kl back in the fifties six maybe fifties or thereabouts, of late forties,

fifties, I know. So she had to wash clothes and tried to

take care of her three children so that she can put them through school.

And still all this time following Jesus, but she was never able to go

back to church, never again to visit the Wesley Methodist Church. No Bible

in hand, nothing, nothing, nothing but one message that she heard preached

at that church. One message. Friends, she continues to know this Jesus

that she met and fell in love with, who loved her so much.

But she went through such a difficult time. And as she sits and shares

with my husband, she says that my children are all now grown up there.

They're either doctors, engineers, you know, whever. And these three

children of fortune, I can't remember how many, and they're all well,

and they're living overseas or whatever, or working whatever, so well they can't

get off. I don't need to wash clothes anymore, she said. And

then, but you know, she said, during that time, in that

period, she still followed Christ and and and then her husband came back one

day, not knock on the door. By this time he had come back

and said, would you take me back? Because I'm dying of cancer and

the lady there won't take care of him, kicked him out of the house.

So he came back and found his wife and she took him back.

What grace forgiveness like, she said, I forgive him and I just you

know, just took care of him and shed God's love like that to love

him. And he died. And before he died, she led him to

the Lord a man on one message church faith. She was faithful. It

would have taken faithfulness to who that she only met one time, like,

I mean that that relationship with Christ was established at one message. And here

she is, at her later age in life, smiling, and all the

time passed the age was sharing. She wasn't angry, she wasn't bitter,

she was smiling. And she said, Now, I've been in this church

for DOT don't know how many years already, she said, I've seen the

church being blunted, grown, split and split again, grow and split again.

But I'm still here. I'm still here. I love Jesus and I

love my church and whatever I can do, I'm so old ready, she

said, But I'm here. You know that message. Really, she just

heard that one message, and so all she wanted to say was, you

know, Canada, Chen, you remind me of John Soon. I want

to say to us church, on one message, a young child can walk

her faith remain that faith through the most difficult times of her life. She

could be a you know, rich girl and been overseas to study. Parents

were rich, but she didn't remain, realize or whatever her faith in Christ.

On one message. Oh, I prayed I will be able to appreciate

that one message that was you know somebody will yes, anchor have faith that

that would be like awesome, right, help me, Holy Spirit that one

message. So I want to say to us it would take faith, faithful,

being faithful, and faithfulness to remain some of us one more than one

message. We're watching message Bouffe online, visiting here and there everywhere, and

still we cannot remain faithful, sometimes complaining hundred times right, yeah serious.

My pastor friend older than uncle pastor, grandpa pastor, he started a church,

you know, a pastor friend or my pastor that walked me through different

things, and he started a church. And one er I called him,

no, pastor, how are you and the boys very said you sound so

down. The passad told me my member just told me, past can you

appreciate Joseph Princedent, like what here's the visit, here's the DVD. Listen.

I didn't the poor pastor who had planted the church, and I think

he just wanted to die. And he was so down and he said,

I said, I'm so sorry to hear that, old dear. I said,

but no, you can't be dead man. Joseph business, he's called,

he needs, he's him, and you cannot be like him. You

have to be you. He said, yeah, but you know in the

end that passor really in the sense to pass on the church or someone,

and he went off to be with his children overseas moved on. It was

just too painful. You know, sometimes we all want many messages and different

types of style. But you know, I've just reminded of this lady one

message of I don't know, we're gonna step on the anoint thing that got

this man seek godd and as he preached that word that one message, remembered

it and followed through and continue to stay on with Jesus. I mean,

this is what we want, that one message that God touched your heart,

that you walk your faith and remain faithful to the Lord. Amen. So

that that inspiment has always inspired me to stay the faith to remain faithful to

the Lord, and it will take faithfulness a church. I just want to

build your faith to that place where, no matter how long you followed Christ

or how short a time, remember that first word, remember that first message,

and remember that you have to choose Jesus always for yourself. Amen.

All the families say, when you have children, you children and a follow

of Christ until they receive Jesus for themselves. That's why we do ex kids,

not to babysit your children, but to lead them to Christ. Amen.

And all the young people in the house, you are not a follow

of Christ until you choose Jesus for yourself. Amen. Do I hear an?

Amen, because that's the name of the Lord. Amen. You choose

Jesus for yourself, then you are a follow of Christ. You can be

born a Christian family. That doesn't make you Christian. Because Jesus was born

and a manger did in the stable. Didn't make him a cow. No

no, So if we're born a Christian family, we don't become automatic.

It is not like any other faith. This faith is a faith of choice.

Just like every woman in this room. You want to be chosen by

the man of your dreams. Not here, no more choice. No,

my ladies went on, do I have any subpart from the women and the

house. You want to be chosen right? Not like no? And her

husband has to say the boyfriend has to say, I choose you, baby.

You don't want on me like secondary, I chose you, be chosen.

God is also for you to choose, because you chose him. And

I tell you what, He already chose you long before you even say yes

to him. He died for you and me at the cross while we were

yet seiners. He died from me even before I knew him. And I

rejected Jesus so many times, like please don't tell me speak to the head,

so proud. Yet God chose me, and then came the time when

I got to choose him. Hallelujah. May you always remember to choose Chris

and choose him for yourself, and not to follow the God of your father,

the God of your mother, the God of your grandfather. Who's the

bishop of the Anglican Church. I don't care. I tell all the children

who are the pastest children our church, our eldest I say, girl,

boy, no pressure on you. You choose Jesus for yourself. You find

your own faith. But I pray we will make a platform, a space,

a community where you can find Jesus for yourself. Don't judge our children,

please, adults, let them find their faith. But may you be

an example to them to want Jesus because they saw how faithful you have been

and how faithful God has been to you. Amen. Faith, It would

take faith, your faith in Christ. Why are you and I still here?

Why are we still in the faith? Why are we in Christ?

Because we believe and we will continue to believe. Because I also tell myself

the days are coming. It's going to be harder. It's already hard now

it's going to be harder. Will I stand my faith? And I want

to encourage one to another. Let us take note of this, Let us

tick you know, take our what you take stock of where we are at

today? What if nobody else stands with me? Will I still stand for

Jesus? Will I still follow Christ and believe and follow through? Amen?

And so that is my encouragement to us as a church. You know,

bringing to you Hebrews chapter twelve, verse one two two, that you know

you're so familiar with. Therefore we also since we are surrounded by so great

a cloud of witnesses. Let us lay aside every weight and the sin which

so easily and snarzes, And let us run again. The word endurance is

here. Run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto

Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that

was set before him. He everybody say, and deord the cross, come

on, and dord say cross, despising the shame. And he sat down

at the right hand of the throne of God. Amen. Hebrews chapter twelve,

Verse one to So so powerful is this verse that is share is you

know, you know, just cheering us on to say Lord? You know

he says, Hey, we're surrounded by so great cloud our witnesses. Let

us lay aside everywhere and the sin which so easily and snarzes. Let us

run with endurance the race that is set before us. But how can we

do it? We've got to look up to Jesus, who is the author

and finisher of our faith. Amen, who himself endured the cross. Had

Jesus not endured the cross, man, he could have just called the whole

legion of the whole legion of angels and said, get me off the cross

because I can't take the pain anymore. And then that's it. We won't

have a resurrection Sunday, we won't have our names written in the Lamb's book

of life. But he endure. Do you know what it is to endure?

Oh, if you're in pain, you end your hear your finger,

gainst you know, staple you and your pain and till you fine help.

And Jesus took more than a staple on his finger. He was nailed to

the cross. He was beaten and humiliates it and blood streaming. No,

his face couldn't be recognized anymore because of the way they whipped him, all

the flesh all broken and torn. He endured that kind of pain. I

don't think you and I can endure a lane that nobody else has to do

this anymore. Already, Okay, I'm so grateful for Jesus. It was

even a little staple in our finger. That's it. Really, we cry

right your so this one hanging on the cross. No one else can do

this for us, But Christ is doney. He endured. And so the

encouragement for us is, hey, there are people cheering you, cheering you

and I on the say run for us, run anybody's name for us here

run run Elvin, run you don't run. Run this race with endurance.

We're running on this track and feel as it were, you know, running

that our generation. When we need to pass the baits and we cannot pass

it too late, and we cannot pass it too soon. You try it,

you lose it. You don't throw it in time, also cannot follow

an really are yo. We gotta pass it the right time and then put

right and then run. So same with us. We two are holding our

faith in our hands. Run and run and don't stop, you know,

to be a lot of restractions are gonna come. But he says, lay

aside all the weight. We gotta lay aside all this weight that will come

around us, and we gotta take stock. So reflection time. The year

is coming to it, and think about twenty twenty four. Eyes gonna think

about it. Hey, how am I gonna keep my faith going? How

will I remain faithful to my God? My mas? How can I be

faithful to my friends, you know, to my spouse, to my family.

So many things that we can learn from life day today. So you

know, simple sol was import My points was simple. You can do this

first thing we got before we can do all that. We got to focus

on Jesus. Amen, keep our eyes on the lot. I don't think

I'm preaching outside of the world of God. This is keep your eyes on

the lot. Are we keeping our eyes on Jesus? Just on him and

not on any other thing or person, but on the lot? Because he

says in John chapter fifteen, abide in me, and let my word abide

in you. John chapter fifteen, verse one, all the way to verse

five. It talks about abiding, staying in the Lord, biding with him,

stuck to the Lord, stay with him, don't go anywhere, because

only when we abide we can bear the fruit of the spirit. We can

bear the fruit that are the marks of Christ. Amen, Church, hallelujah.

Abiding in the Lord. So keep your eyes focused on the lot.

There are a lot of things are going to come and distract us, A

lot, a lot, a lot. I don't know what it will be

in the days to come. It could be money, it could be more

money. It could be you know, more education. It could be a

flashy car. It could be another person in your life. Stay faithful to

your marriage. Come on wives. We have to listen to husbands as when

they tell story, must story eula story ila, because if you don't,

some woman out there in the office will always be ready to hear. Always

want. If you walk out of the umbrella protection, there will always be

someone else listening to any of either of the spouses. So we got to

want to build that. Be loyal, faithful, and be patient man,

be patient, which marriage is easy? Loa, No, loa, I'm

only married for twenty eight years. Patients and patient. He says sorry for

us all the time, all the time. Thank you Jesus woke with us.

He should endure right. Sometimes I don't agree, so then my team

stuf. Don't know why I don't agree, but there something because I want

to be earning the blessing and a lot really flows right. Sometimes I might

do like, yeah, I don't like, but okay, never mind,

godal to you, Okay, I got Brae. I mean, there's so

many things that can rob us off our faith, especially when you're just especially

for those were you're just growing in your favor. I find it when I

was just growing in my faith and I was just aligning myself to God,

and my problem was some relationship will come and hit me and now I will

fall down again and then to pick up again, and always crying for some

guy who you don't want to be crying for boys fool not worth crying for

all these guys. Not because they dropped me. I dropped them, but

you know, ah, But but I mean because it's like the wrong type

of guy. La. Yah, you're always going chy read me chary me

like that, but no me naughty. But I'm just saying sometimes I'm faith,

you know, and we thought this is it and then we're going through

a no enough guidance. Maybe someone's keep my eyes on Jesus. Amen.

So I don't know what your focus or where you're looking at what will come

today in this present time. What would that challenge be for us? I

can't imagine. I mean, I can't imagine. I can't imagine. La.

There's many things. So I don't want to say anything. He'll make

you angry, right, but but just think about those things that distract you.

There's things about the things that you cannot make a stand for, things

that you're compromising. These are the things that we call lay aside. Every

way. First point, focus on Jesus. You and I got ilso want

to keep my eyes focused on Jesus. I have to. Can you imagine

the pain that I go through, the herds that I can go through the

words that people say over our lives. Sometimes it's terrible, but I have

to keep my eyes on Jesus and yeah, weight on the Lord. No

make decisions overnight throwing the towel. This lady on one message, one message,

she endures and keeps the faith, regardless of how horrible you know husband

treats her, or how her father's released her, or you know the fact

that you know she she couldn't do, you know, have anything at all,

but she keeps the faith. Wow, I'm thinking, Grandma, we

got a lot of lessons to learn from you, just on one message.

So Wow, as I shared this word, I pray this message. With

that one message, I hope you will turn your heart to focus on Jesus

always and then lay aside every weight. Can you think of any weight that

has been weighing you down lately? What is that one thing that's drawing you

away from your faith in Christ or your you know your your you know your

commitment to the Lord. What's that weight? It could be a spirit of

compromise. Are we compromising our faith? We can have our feet in two

boats. I can do this and I can. You can't. You have

to choose again. You have to choose. If you want to follow Christ,

you gotta keep your quiet time. You gotta lay aside the way of

sleepiness. Is your hobby? Sleeping? Are you don't chose sleeping as your

hobby. Ler do something else as your hobby, you know, around mountain

climbing or something. But but but choose choose to do your quiet time.

That's one way. Don't compromise on your quiet time. Amen, choose choose

to you know, decide on on on the kind of relationships you're gonna have.

Yo, You're all look at me like I'm talking rabbish. I've been

doing this job for a long time, right. I am having to counsel

marriages now with young couples because they chose without thinking and now got problems,

and my heart it's broken for them. How to restore? Please? Please?

People, These are not things you just jump into. You cannot compromise.

You got to focus your eyes on Jesus and say, Lord, are

you if this is a way, are you let it go? Let it

go. Seriously, that's why to let it go. Let it go,

and all the other relationships couldn't match. That couldn't match, LA right,

because it will weigh me down. I will not have you, We will

not have you. If I never married my husband, I will never have

this because I would have taken a totally different path. We are well all,

no canage in my life. That might not even be an ex churche

man be an a ya who knows? Because we're very happy single no so

single minded? Right, we didn't have to get married. Yeah's like no

need la. But but then God brought us right and then things begin to

at the right time, the right match, rebirth the right things, and

and grow and learn to the hard up and the downs. We learn we

stick together, lay a side every weight. Is there a way? Can

you think of a weight? What is that weight that could lay you down?

Push you down? And say? No need to follow christis no need

to do everything the way God says it. You must think what if you

know? Sometimes say God, what you want me to do? And I

get a little bit, But my child, have you done everything that I

told you do? In your in the world? Especially the red color one

right forgive. I have love, love your neighbor as yourself. Not yet,

or don't do first luck. I hear the little voice in a voice

saying, have you done what Christ ask you to do? No? Then

do it because this is why I'm speaking to you. Okay, okay,

So you know we all want to do to ask God for this said there?

But judge, can I say to us? He is love letters before

us we did and do what he's asking us to do. He will speak

to us. He convicts us, not because he doesn't like this. He

doesn't condemn us. He convicts us. So what is that? Wait?

Anything? It could be a job, It could be a person. It

could be a thing. It could be a thought. It could be a

practice, a habit. What is it that rais us down? The lesser

we hold on, the faster we can run. Focus on that goal Jesus

Christ. Amen. Our finishing line is to see Jesus at the and a

day again. You know this verse, you know it so well. It

says at the end, when we meet Jesus, what is he going to

say to us? Yes, well done, good and faithful servant. Look

the word faithful is there? Faithful? Because it's tough, and you stayed

in the race. Faithful servant, not handsome servant, talented, servent,

creative, serven, faithful, good, and faithful. This is a quality

God is looking for in each of us. Amen. So let's put our

hands into the plow of God's work and say, God help me. I

want to be faithful. But in order to be faithful, you gotta lay

aside every distraction, every weight, everything that can take your eyes off Jesus

serious, I don't know. I'm thinking, what are those distractions that would

distract me? You know something? I love my job. You know,

I really love my work. I love my work so much. I can

don't do quiet time good I love to do you can I just focus on

the work. Cannot because He's the one who gave me the work. I

shouldn't be worshiping the world. I gotta worship the one who gave me the

world. And so that's how I gotta put him first, to put my

quiet time first, and do that, seek Him and enjoy God's presence.

Amen. So lay aside every weight that so easily wants to pull us down

and cause us to turn our back on the Lord. The devil only wants

one thing from your friends. He don't care about you. He has no

future for you and me. He just wants us to turn out back on

the lot and say I ain't following you. I'm gonna go my way.

That's what he wants us to do. And so many of us fall for

that same trick, because all he wants us is to just turn our backs

on the lot. God who created us, loves us. Once us made

away for us. Jesus is that bridge. But the devil will keebo kamla.

He lost already. But because he's lost, and he will lose,

and he will lose forever, he has to keep coming up with some trump

cards who like to us, I can look and then we're all like,

yeah, maybe God is keeping something from us like what he felt. No,

God is a perfect plan for us. I'm following this God for the

last forty years. He only he threw his strength, and I've been able

to come through different things. A man just encourages you. Know, you

and I need to know that we are a chosen generation. You need to

know that we are royal priesthuit. We are a holy nation, God's own

special people. A man First Peter Chapter two, verse nine. We want

to hold on to that God's calling on us. And you know, when

we feel like we cannot be faithful, are your Lord help me? He

is faithful when we are faithless. He is faithful a man. And we

just did that for Bloom secondimoty two and verse thirteen. If we are faithless,

God remains faithful. And so we jump back up on that, this

hold on love of friends. Don't let go because whatever it is that is

high is really pulling us back. You gotta let go, let go running

the race. Any Olympian will tell you anyone in the track and field that's

why they wear so little, little little clothes. Back then, they didn't

even wear clothes because it was hindering them from running. So that's why no

women participated in the Olympics back then when it started in Greece, I think.

And only now we can have little clothes lesser what aerodynamics huh? So

no, nothing will stop us from running a relliant right, just same we

have to let go of things that will hinder us, will stop us from

really making it to the finishing line. Amen, hallelujah, thank you Jesus.

And of course I'm just drawing up straight out from the verse. Run

with endurance. Some things you have to endure. We cannot what to do,

we have to endulla, but you just endure. Just just say Lord,

I will endure to the end. It is tough, this lady.

And you're on one message or I don't know what message Johnson preached. This

is not pastor Johnson Johnson. This is the one from China, the evangelist

Johnson. Okay, why she talking about bus Johnson that one message that would

put her to become so faithful to the faith. What is it that she

just had to endure the persecution, endure all the hate and the meetings from

her husband, and then it's the same faithful faith that she can take him

back in and nurse him, nurse him, you know, and he dare

come back some more and say, wife, please take care of me.

And she still did it. You know. I don't know if I cannot

allow you, but then then you and I can. If it's of God,

God's faith in us a man, God's love run with endurance. Church

run, and we have to cheer one another or we can't do this alone.

That's why we do church. He Brews chapter ten and verse twenty five,

you are here, praise the lot. You are here church. The

Bible tells us, do not forsake the meeting of the believers. The more

we gather, we are to actually encourage one another to go further with the

lot, not to do lesser or go lesser or don't follow. When we

hear each other's testimony, we are encouraged, and we then say, Okay,

I can't endure this tough, tough journey that I'm in, But the

Lord is with me. He's faithful, he will make a way for me.

Maybe it's not yet, but this too will pass. This situation will

pass. And I've been through several circumstances where I felt like I know this

is never going to end. Sometimes you have a sickness, you think it's

never going to end. You're just like, oh my goodness, it's three

months and I'm still suffering from from whatever sinus problem I had. That Like

I think you see a doctor. Finally, I want to see a doctor,

Like I think I can see a doctor. Forgot I can see doctor

and I couldn't breathe for three months or block nors. I'm just thinking maybe

it's a dance maybe it's the d there. I saw a doctor one shot

one time, took the mansone that was it done. Never see doctor.

Go and see doctor, right, okay, but just saying something, you

thought, Oh, this is what I have to live with for the rest

of my life. No, it will pass, but we need to endure

and hold on to Jesus. Amen, hold on to Jesus, focus on

the Lord. Lay aside everywhere I do. Ask us to reflect a little

bit this year as we and the year. What are some things that hindered

you from keeping your quiet time? You cannot. I'm sorry, Church,

there's no other formula do quiet time, spend time with the Lord, take

the handphone and have to put us. I have to take my handphone on

it and put it away and then do my coet time. We don't getting

distracted. So that's why I cannot use the what you call the U version

in the Bible. In the computer we call the messages keeping. So I

have to do quiet time at five thirty in the morning when nobody will send

message you hope, La, But there are some people out just like sending

me messages. But I don't forget I work for the global church, right,

so I get messages all over because they are still in the evening and

I'm already early in the morning. Are you so? Yeah, But you

have to put away all these and just get to the printed Bible version,

not using even this ipat, but use the you know, old school book

Bible and read to no distraction. I don't have another formula. You can

go to another church if you want to, and you hope there will be

a formula. That's the only formula. Come to Jesus. Seek the Lord

in the morning, worship him, enter his gates with you know, just

enter his presence with singing. Answer. You know, I will answer his

gates with thanksgiving and his cords with praise. Come into your quiet time,

set aside, you know, start setting a side time again. Refresh yourself

in the lot. Worship him in the songs. Your broken songs is fine.

I sing broken songs in my quiet time, broken because the voice sounds

bad. I don't know. I write my own songs for Jesus, and

just do that. There's no other formula, friends, only Jesus. One

way to keep focus on him. Lay aside. It is in the quiet

time that the Lord speaks to you. Right about forgiveness, about about doing

something, about not holding back, about going to that place, about taking

a step of faith. It is also in the quiet time that the Lord

says, I'm the Lord who heals you of your broken heart. I'm the

Lord who leads you. Where do you hear all this inner quiet time?

And so if you say you haven't grown, is it the fault of the

church or your home leader, your pastor your mother, your father. No,

it is us taking the choice to speak and seek the Lord. And

sometimes you don't say anything, You just listen, and he speaks to his

written word, the Bible. He speaks to a still small voice to you

because you're focusing your eyes on him. Amen. He speaks to the men

and women, the godly men and women around you. And suddenly you say

I needed that word, and you're saying it. Wow. The Lord speaks

to them. The Lot speaks to you tough nature, remind you that he's

still God, He's still there for you. You cannot compromise. There's no

other way but to keep our time with the Lot. Judge, that's no

other formula. I don't know what other formula. I can't inject your so

to you. If we could are your prison. Lot. There's only one

way seek the Lord. Love him like this Grandma loved him just on one

message, talk to him because that's all she knew, and that's who she

knew, and made the Lot lead us even through the most challenging parts of

your life. Times in your life it could be anything. Friends are you

All of us will have many challenges, could be relationships. It could be

family, matter's marriage, work, ministry, government, country, favor people.

There are always always so many things around us. I guess there's only

I can't say. I guess I know there's only one way, come to

the Lord. And nobody can help do this for you. I can't even

stand in a gap for you. I can stand the gap to pray,

to pray for you, but I can't do it for you. That's why

we have to focus our eyes on Jesus, lay aside everything that's stopping you

from drawing near her, and run with endurance, run even when it's very

hard. Just En, You're like, Lord, it's so difficult this these

things that people are saying about me. How we talk about our Christmas story?

Mary Young, Mary thirteen years old, fourteen years old. The Lord

visited her and said, you will have a child teenager young teenage pregnancy back

then you're going to be gone. Case the talk of the town. People

will probably look at her and go, what what sin did you do?

Joseph, the betrothal of that engaged, was gonna let her go quietly because

he didn't want to go through all the kachachi and you know, like,

why you you made this girl pregnant? No I didn't, but he had

to listen to the angel that spoke and said, no, you will marry

her, don't put her away. And you go through that time, nine

months of just hearing what people might we say, are you pregnant? Really?

News? You know, Jerusalem news? Last time in comming to you.

It's more every time, but everything but will You're enjoyed. Sometimes sometimes

we just stand on that one word that God has given us and just wait.

Don't be afraid to wait. So many of us don't wait. We

move, We move, and so we never make history. We never we

never stay long enough to build the long term relationships. If my first fight

with my husband was so bad and I decided this is it, I would

just walk out. Your mom, your dad, My mom could have walked

out, but he didn't you wait long enough to go through it. I'm

not talking about exceptions, yeah, please talk about the general rule. They

are exceptions. In our jobs. We don't wait long enough for that promotion,

for the salary, rays whatever. We don't wait long enough to build

longer understanding. And I think my team here knows me very well. I

don't really know myself very well. I think because they know me. I

know, I know Pasta likes these. I know I know she's gonna get

agree with it, like, because they live long enough with me and endured

me. I don't think I'm such a bad endurance laugh. They know me

long enough, you know. And I'm like, I really, are you

love us? This pus? You're gonna warm me? Now? You're gonna

warm me? Now? Why do you say I want? You want me

to love us? If you see there? Are you warming? But we

don't live long enough to give each other time. We don't stay long enough

in our faith to know what God is gonna do in that miracle. I

think that counts the most. We wait long enough and stay in there,

abiding him first, then he will show us the miracle. Thank God will

show us that open door. If we stay a little bit longer, and

in the end of a day, it's still the Lord who is for you

and not against you. Amen, and I leave Jude Jude verse twenty twenty

one. It's only one chapter. In Jude twenty twenty one, he says,

but you, and I want to say this as if Jude were saying

to you, but you, beloved, building yourselves up in your hour,

in your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in

the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord, Jesus Christ

unto eternal life. Brother siss Us, the Beloved of the Lord. People

who know me, people who don't know me, Beloved of the Lord.

This is how we want to say it, and how we want to close

to remind each other, to build ourselves up in our most holy faith,

praying in the Holy Spirit. Pray in the Holy Spirit. That's the Holy

Spirit. Baptize you in the Holy Spirit. Pray in the Holy Spirit.

Cannot pray anymore, and understanding, pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves

in the love of God and looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ

unto eternal life, so that we will see Jesus, we will endure the

race. Amen. So many things to look here and there. I don't

want to say look unto Jesus. Amen. And maybe this year, friends,

as we move the new year, this is where I'm closing. As

I open, make room for God, Make room for God to heal the

brokenness, Make room for God to do a miracle for you. Some of

us need a little bit of heaven. It's a little bit of heaven to

get us through our challenges and we stay the course. I just need a

little bit of heaven, Lord, just so that I can stay the cause.

It's been tough. You know, it's been tough. Economy has been

tough, The home economy has been tough. This has been tough. That's

been tough. My study has been tough, My job's been tough, My

relationship has been tough. Man, Love, things are tough. I read

a little bit of heaven. That's where you say, Lord, I make

room for you. I tell you I've never seen God not move. When

you ask, ask and you shall receive. Wait when you haven't got the

answer, seek him knock. But it's as simple as asking, and I

see God running to us. He's done that for me. He's done that

for so many Amen, hallelujah, Thank you Jesus. Make room for the

Lord so that you can stay the course. Focus your eyes on Jesus.

As you make room, God will tell you, hey, let go of

this thing. So you make room lost so that Jesus can come into that

part of pain that you are holding on. To make room, take away

distraction, make room for Jesus so that Jesus will tell you this is what

this is your This is time for you to do this. Now, this

is time to do that. Now make room for God. Don't be afraid.

Also, don't be fearful. Time to study a little bit more of

the word. Time to do quiet time, time to serve the Lord.

Time to preach and share the gospel. Time to say yes to something your

company is doing it. You've been saying no to it. You know you've

been ah. But now you take it and you know God's going to shine

through your life in that place of your marketplace. Wow, it's gonna be

powerful. Amen. Make room for God. Amen, he wants us,

He loves us. Focus your eyes on Jesus, lay uside those weights,

make room for Jesus. And when you're running. Sometimes it's tough and you're

be patient. The worst has yet to happen yet. So let's practice now.

Let's practice now with the tough times we're going to now and you're a

little bit more faithfulness? Are you over faithfulness? Practice now so that when

the time really comes when it can't, it'll be God like. I remember

that lesson. I've been faithful. Now I need that faithful nurse to endure

and keep my focus not to be shaken by what the world system is saying.

Amen, so many things. We hope you've been blessed by this message.

For more information on our church, please visit aschurch dot org. We

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to be a good week. I hit for you. God bless