The 7 Churches | Pr Matthew Chang

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

We hope this message will light up your day.

And uh, maybe what I will do I will go

from Revelations chapter three, and then we will begin from

verse seven all the way until verse twenty two. By

the way, did you get my slights? No? Okay, no worries? Sorry,

it's in Uh. I send to XTV if you guys,

got no worries. If not, it's fine, don't worry. I

can preach it off most likely from there, turn with

me to Revelations chapter three from verse seven, okay, and

it goes there and you'll see called the Faithful Church. Okay.

Now I need to give a bit of introduction here

because if you read the Book of Revelations, I mean,

if you have gone through the Book of Revelations completely, okay,

I see one, two, three, four, y Okay. If you

like the Book of Revelations, like it? No, I love it.

I love it. I love it. There's so many a

lot of things to read and study, but there's a

lot of things to to uncover. Some people my findly

very daunting, but it's a very powerful message and it's

actually one of the I don't want to say, the

only one a very relevant book for our lifetime as well.

So I'm gonna read through it. I'm gonna share with you, guys,

how you go through it so that you won't feel

so overwhelmed. Okay. So the first three chapters of the

Book of Revelations has a different theme compared to the

rest of the chapters. The first tree chapters are specifically

addressed to seven churches. Okay, seven churches, And it's written

by this apostle called John okay, and he was in

an island okay. The reason why he was in an

island because he was being exiled Okay, he was in

it actually mark to be executed, you know. And his

method of execution are the many children here because I'm

gonna shake maybe a big graphic okay, Okay, no children, Okay.

So he was so i'll share you the executor. So

what he was marked with to be executed, He was

marked to be executed by boiling, by being boiled to death, Okay,

basically quite quite gruesome and boiler. But the interesting thing

is he survived. He actually survived being boiled, you know.

So people don't know what to do with him and

not because they were supposed to kill him because not

of what he of his faith, because he will not

surrendered to us the worship. Okay. The Romans at that

time have two kinds of religion. The first religion is

the normal religion, okay. The worship they are pagan gods.

They have Zeus, Diana, Jupiter, Mass okay, and you have

Greek gods as well. All when you go to Rome,

right now, you go to you will see all the gods.

So there is one worship. But there's another worship. You know.

It's that. It's called the imperial cult worship. He can

write it down if you want to, Okay, you can,

you can check you later. But this imperial cut worship,

why is it called Why is it called imperial cut worship?

It's actually the worship of the emperor himself as God. Okay.

So no longer you call him king or call him emperor,

you actually call him God. Okay. So there's another level already.

So it's not just paying him honor, you actually worship him, okay.

And so, but this imperial worship doesn't start in every city.

They start in the young cities. What is a young city?

Let me ask you a question is Malacca a young city. No,

it's been then a young city. It's Cyberjaya a young city. Okay,

so you get it correct everything you say, I'm saying.

So they start with the young cities. Why do they

start with the young cities? Is it the penetrate? Young

cities mostly planned. That's why when you go to Cyberjaya,

the roads are different Malacakpanga. It's only one day or

two lane only. Then the shops are there. You don't

see that in put cyber Jaya because they are planned

from the very very beginning, or most of the young

cities are planned by the government, more intentional. The older cities,

they just happened, started from a village, from a Fusian memberage.

They grew from there. It was very natural, so things

were a bit more organic, more chaotic, okay. But young cities,

because they were planned by the government, they were more intentional.

They have a lot of planning. But they were also

because of the planning, the government have a lot of

influenced over them as well, and so they controlled a

lot of their worship. Okay, they will allow certain religions,

but they also were intentional to institute certain worship as well, okay.

And one of the worship that instituted was called the

Imperial worship. So you will have the normal worship, okay,

all the Greeks, the Romans, you have the Jews, and

then you have the Christians, and then you have the

Imperial worship. And then all the Romans and the Greeks

and all the other religions can do their own worship.

But in some cities they were also called to ask

to worship the emperor as well. All the other major

racers were called to do that. But the Jews can't

do it, okay, because they only worship one, only worship

on God. But they get exemption. How they get exemption

because they have a special arrangement with the Hebrews, sorry,

with the Emperor as well. And some people say the

arrangement is that they allow them to collect texts. Okay,

they allow the Romans to collect texts from the temple

in Jerusalem in exchange for this exemption. And this worship

is very very powerful, you know. You know why because

nowadays where do you go and shop your groceries from?

Where do you shave groceries? From? Supermarket, village grocer, jaia

grocer sometimes you're lazy. You call grab right and then deliver.

Try to your drawn story. You're too lazy to even

bring the plastic bag already. Okay, But at that time

there is no village grocer and gia grocer, there is

no grab. Where do you go to buy your daily food?

You go to the market and most of the time

they have one major market on it. And most of

the time, because the insurument in Greece, their city, they're

built around the market and the temple, the temple at

the market are actually one. So if you want to

enter into the market to buy, you have to pass

through the gods, and the gods there will be sold

just battalion there, and if they require you to worship

the emperor, they will check who you are. Are you

a Roman citizen, are you a Greek? Are you a Jew?

Or are you a Christian? Okay, since the Jews are exempted,

they can pass through the other people. What they have

to do is basically, you will see two balls, okay,

like imagine this is a ball here, okay, and then

here's Korean barbecue. I mean when I said Korean barbicue,

miss chuckle. Okay, there's a lot fire so what they

will be before they go in there will take a

pinch of the incense and then they will drop it

and they will then there's a smell, and then you

will say Caesar is God before them, and then the

soldiers will acknowledge that you mean, well, you acknowledge, and

then you can go in. You can go into the

marketplace to buy your food, to buy your meat, to

get your license for your house, to get food for

your cattles. Don't to be able to get put me

to sell, to do everything you need in your life

to go through them. So there's one main place. Now

this was their daily life. But there's a problem for

the Christians because they initially started off as a Jew.

They get exemptions in it. But now even the Jews

and they actually reject them. They say, you got to

call Christians. We don't recognize you because you worship Jesus.

We don't worship Jesus. So they ostracize themselves. So the

Christians are neither Greek nor Roman, and neither are they Jews.

But they cannot do what the Romans and the Greeks do,

and they cannot get an exemption, so they can't go

in and out you know, they can't trade, they can't

do whatever it is as well, So what happens to

them They are cut off from society, cut off from society.

So that was basically the challenge. Okay, So John along

with other a lot of saints and martyrs, they stood

for their belief. But you can don't go into the

marketplace is one thing. But there are many things they challenge.

There were there were there were challenges as well because

they can't do and pro worship. They don't sacrifice to gods.

Most of the meat they eat in the marketplace. Before

they before the food come down here, they actually are

sacrificed to the al turfirst. It's like your meat before

arriving in Jia grocer. They need to be processed first.

Reason it in the factory. The factory is where they

offered the sacrifice to the gods first. Up in the

mountains there they will bring it up sacrifice the cui

it up. They will offer it up in all some

of some of it fresh, some a bit burned, and

then they bring it down from the mountain and sell

it in the marketplace. So there is why Paul was

teaching them. If you eat offer to them as long

as you don't partake in the worship, it's fine, it's clean.

You get me saying that's why it was. Paul was

trying to tell them, you, calan, you don't have to

worry so much about it unless you partake in their worship.

Can your conscience is clear because all the food most

of the time, nine nine percent of the foot will

already offered to the idol already? Am I boring you? Guys? No,

you didn't know a lot of these things, isn't there? Okay?

So I give you a bit of context from there. Okay.

So John was one of the people who were telling

the people the Christians don't participate in so don't worry.

God will provide and showing I'm God provided for them.

But then the people started to get angry. You know

why because sometimes they go through very poor harvests. Sometimes

there was flood, sometimes there was earthquake. And who do

they blame Christians? Why they blame Christians? They will say,

because you do not follow after the air gods. You

don't offer sacrifices, you don't do this and do their

get mean right? You remember COVID time as well. You

don't follow the crowd. You get ostracized, isn't it. The

world can shift very fast. One day they will be

very accepting of you, and sometimes something happened they can

shift very very against you. They will blame you for

every problem in their life. And there will come a

day when the whole world will blame Christians for every

problem in the world. My words true or not. They

will say that we are the ones they are unlerving

and caring and everything else. But that is why it

was hard to be a Christian at the time, very

very very difficult. I'm only giving you, like just a

bit of the persecution they actually went through o King.

So there were many Christians who persecuted Martin and John

was one of them. But because he refused to acknowledge

the Emperor as God, so he was supposedly put onto

a boiling pot to be to be killed as an

example to the entire city. But he survived. And when

he survive and execution by the Emperor, you become more glorified.

I want you know what cannot kill him? In all?

He must believe in the real God and all. And

so what did they do? They took him and decided

to instead killing him and make him into a hero,

into a martyr. They exiled him. Okay, they realized that

they can't do that. Kill him on point. They kill him.

The Christians even grow even more, you get me, right,

So they exiled him into the island of Patmos, and

there when he spent his life there, he received a

revelation from God to write this book of revelation as well.

It's called Revelations. And so in the first part is

about the seven churches that he saw. Okay, no, And

in the seven churches there it's like a letter. Okay, well,

actually I'm giving you a like a hardcore Bible study

in the letter. How many of you like to still

write letters? Now? This anybody who still write letters? No,

you even know what his letter is. I know people

now they don't even write emails, you know, they only

do WhatsApp? You know? Is that truer? Some people don't

even write emails anymore, you know, I know the new

generation don't even write emails. We only one chat on me,

you know. Okay, yeah, sorry, what I don't know. I

still believe in email from matting. But when you write

a letter, the first part, what you do you have

to introduce who you are. You have to address as well,

introduce yourself, who are you sending to internet? And then

introduction the main objective salutations, and then ending as well.

It's name the letters in a similar format as well. Okay,

let me go through verse seven and I'll read and

i will share a bit. So it's called the Faithful Church.

There's the title, and it says, and to the Angel

of the church in Philadelphia, right, so you see to

who ready? Okay, the who is it addressed to? To

the person? Okay, to the Angel. Okay. Then the second

thing we write, we see here these things says he

who is holy, he who is true, he who has

the key of daving, he who opens and no one

shots and shuts and no one opens posted for a while. Oh,

you're like, what in the world is this man? Some

you know, confusing thing? You know, why why is this about?

Most of the time when we read, we will just

pass it through, you know, but it's very important to

know what it means in every letter. You will see

in the seven Churches here, Okay, the author is Jesus,

but Jesus never clearly identifies himself as I'm Jesus. I'm

writing to you, No, Jesus introduces himself specifically and uniquely

differently for every particular church. Oh do you know that

every church that he wrote so he discovered, he introduces

himself differently. Like say, for example, I know Nick. He's

my housemaid. Okay, let's say here's my housemaid. I know him.

You know, we do life together, you know, so casual,

you know, cheer people coming, Hey needs my good my houseman,

my friend, you know h thing. But he's also a doctor. Say,

for example, okay, this is a doctor. It's like for doctor.

Maybe he has a secret desire, you know, I want

to be a doctor. Maybe he can come true. You

know what. She's a doctor. So one day I have

a sickness. I got injured, and I go to the

hospital and I said, I'm looking for doctor Nick. And

I look at the corridor, said, at the corridor, and

I see Nick. But it's not Nick. I look at

it looks different because he's wearing a long rope. But

I know, now this doctor don't wear that. But he's

really diferent. He's got the statuscope, he's got a clipboard,

he's got nurses surrounding him. Looks like Nick sounds like Nick,

walks and talks like Nick. But is it Nick? It

is Nick. Then Nick comes to me. I said, man,

how are you say? I'm not well? Yeah? And he

looks at my report and he said, man, I know

you're my housemaid, but now I'm not speaking to you

as a housemaid, speaking to you as a doctor. And

I'm telling you you need to change your lifestyle. And

see you see what I'm telling you. Right now, He's

still my housemaid, you know. But because of how he

is portrayed, how he carries himself, he wears a different head.

He's not just Nick. He's a doctor. You say what

I'm saying. You know, it's very different, you know. And

this is how Jesus comes before our lives as well.

A lot of times we come and say, oh Jesus,

and then we only know one version of Jesus. One

version of Jesus, lover of my soul. Jesus loves me forever.

There's only one version, only one version. But if you

read the Bible carefully, you will realize that Jesus discloses

himself differently for every church. And why does he do that?

Because every church has different meeds and challenges. Everyone is different.

He's still the same. You get me right, Nick. When

he at home, he can talk to me as a housemaid.

But in the hospital and in that situation when I

have a health problem, he talks to me, not as

a housemad essir doctor. You see what I'm saying. Now,

I can be friends with my children. There are times

like hey, catcha but there are times I need to

talk to my children as a father. You're saying what

I'm saying. I'm very unique. Okay, So how did Jesus

reveal himself to this particular church in Philadelphia? As he

didn't say I am Jesus. Hey, you remember the guy

who feed the five thousand who work on water? No,

he said what I am? He who is holy, he

who is true, he who who has the key of David,

and he who opens and no one shuts and shuts

and no one opens. Oh what does that mean? How

is Jesus revealing himself that that is the key? And

the answer is actually in the rest of the scripture

in the verses here, And I'm going to show you

how actually what it means. Okay, now, before I go

into that, how many of you have know what's meaning

of the word Philadelphia. Yeah, maybe can help me with that.

For how many of you know the word Philadelphia? What

does Philadelphia mean? You know, I got one funny answer.

You know, I didn't thought of it. I went to

one church and preacher of Philadelphia. You know what they say,

Philadelphia is cream cheese all some of you are like, yeah, yeah, yes,

that's sorry, pastor, I know it's cream cheese. It's not

cream cheese. Okay, it's not cream cheese. Okay. Some of

you have been to if you have heard before, there

is a city in US called Philadelphia. What is the

other name for Philadelphia? Brotherly love. Philadelphia comes from the

word philo. Phileo means brotherly love. There is agape love,

which is God's love, unconditional love. There is Ero's love,

which is the central eroticular you know, okay, and there

is a phileal love as well, brotherly love. So if

you go to a city that calls himself brotherly love,

what do you expect speak brotherly love? You know, brotherly wise,

brotherly love. Look like, hey, you are not just a stranger.

You are my brother from another mother. You know brothers, Hey,

you know you de everybody you know you you you.

You're cool. You're cool. You know every sisters, Hey, sister,

long time no see. You know, everybody is a brother,

is a sister. You go anywhere, they will open their house.

It's a see and literally is it's like that, and

you know it's it's you expect to have that. Everybody

opened their house, everybody opened that door, you know, especially

you know, especially among the Jews. You know, they have

a temple called so they cannot remember the name. Basically

the Israel's the Jews when every city if they have

more than temples, and they will build a temple, okay,

and they will open up for other Jews as well

to come and see. If you're from a farkay, brother,

you know we're from Israel, come join open the temple

and they will have a register they can write their

names and stuff as well. So there is what brotherly

love is meant to be. Okay. But then what do

we read here? Sorry, yeah, okay. In verse eight, it

says here I know your works. See I have said

before you and open door, and no one can shut it,

for you have a little strength, have kept my word

and have not denied my name. Indeed, I will make

those of the Synagogue of Satan, who say they are

Jews and are not but lie. Indeed, I will make

them come and worship before your feet. And to know

that I have loved you. Continue on, because you have

kept my command to persevere. I will also keep you

from the hour of trial, which shall come upon the

whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. Behore,

I am quickly. Hold fast what you have there, no

one may take your crown. He who overcomes, I will

make him appeal in the Temple of my God, and

he shall go out no more. I will write on

him the name of my God and the name of

the city of my God, the New Jerusalem, which comes

down out of Heaven from my God. And I will

write on our and I will write on him my

new name. He who has an ear, let him hear

what the Spirit says to the churches. Okay, now, let

me come back. So Jesus is speaking to the church

in Philadelphia, the city of brotherly Love. So why did

Jesus have? What did Jesus have? What did Jesus have

to say to this particular church. And to know that,

we have to understand that the Christians at that time

experience a unique challenge. Okay, Now I told you before

that the Jews don't like the Christians. They don't like

the Christians. Okay, and so in the city of brotherly Love,

maybe maybe do back, let me, let me step back, bait.

How many of you join clubs before? Okay, I'm not

just talking about school clubs. I'm talking about like clubs

in society. You know, like some you know, if you're Chinese,

you know sometimes we know like Foil Canon hockey, and

you know a Cantonese club. How you know, from the

from the olden eras, you know, the seventies, eighties, and nineties.

How many of you if you are you know you're

you're older than me. Really, but before that way before

our time, we don't have Facebook, okay, we don't have

Instagram and nothing. We don't have even internet as well.

So when you are what's right, when you start off

in a in a place and you want to find job,

sometimes you won't even want to find a partner. You know,

how did the society come together for a certain to

help one another? They use clubs. That's why some of you,

if you go to clan, you will see like how

kin society a very big one and all people put

in a lot of money and one you know, some

of the schools are started by them. Did you know

that I started by societies? Want a very powerful one.

Some of the clubs are got swimming poola got Carol, Kayla.

You know I'm not talking about the party club, and

I'm talking way before that. Even know what I'm talking about.

You know, I used to join one before because my dad,

my parents, well, we used to go there because we

go there, we eat together sometimes out the weekend. We'll

eat and we will meet different families and stuff like

that as well. And sometimes you know the commerce club

as well. So now just and then eventually someone then

become political parties as well. Okay, But these clubs are

very powerful. One hundreds and then could be thousands as well. Okay.

And you go there sometimes to find jobs. Hey, you know,

someone maybe can introduce to you. You need a business,

someone can introduce to you, you need a bad property,

someone introduced to you. Okay. But to go into that club,

you need to be a member, okay. Member makes sense.

And sometimes before you go into the club, there is

a book outside. That's why we call it secretary as well.

What does the secretary do. They maintain a register of

members as well, So if you're not a member your

register join us. We will qualify you and you can

you can join for a certain time as well. And

every time you come and visit with your family, then

the guys say, oh, are you a member, and they

will go and check to that least. Yes, mister and

missus Chung and your children, yes, come, come, you can

go here. You're a visitor, you go there if it's

true and there's the only place there for members only,

or you're going right, it's for members only. Okay. Some

of you like you don't under some of you look

at me like taught to your parents. Okay, you know

what I'm talking about. Ready, Yeah, you tell your parents,

you know. But it used to be like there one

so you look for your names to be on that book.

But for the Christians, they were coming to the Temple,

the synagogue, okay, the Jewish, the worship to belong. Their

life was doing there. Even their study education was in

the temple. You know schools at that time, so everything

was done in the temple. Their children's education, their lively

for everything was from the temple. It was so important

that their names are written in that book. If you're not,

you're basically cut off your on your own and not

only on your own. You go out to the world,

you can't even enter it in the marketplace because they

will know that you are a Jew. But you are

abandoned by your fellow members. Give me you are nowhere, okay.

So they were hoping that their own brothers and sisters

will accept them, okay. But eventually the Christians were blamed

for so many things, and they were ostracized that even

their own brothers began to remove their names, start removing

their names. And then when they come on a Sunday

or so today to the club okay, or to the temple,

we can't find their names. And when the school begins,

or the party begins, or the meal sometimes they only

had one meal, the main meal happening inside. The doors

were shut before them, and they can't go in in

the city of brotherly love. Quite amazing, okay. That is

why when you see this and they says they are

in verse seven, it says, yeah, this thing says he

who is holy, he who is true, he who has

the key of David, he who opens and no one

should and shuts and no one opens. Why is Jesus

trying to tell them? See the world They claim themselves

to love you, people who by blood is supposed to

help you, to include you, to help you whether this

difficult phase of your life, to help you, to give

you a hope in the future, for your children, for

your family. These people shuts their door in your face,

and they will even rub off your name. But then

Jesus comes and says, what in verse eight, I know

your words. These people who shuts again rejects you. They

say they know you. They are that's why we shut

your door. When we justify to all our club members

or our temple members that we know you. You are heretic,

you believe in Jesus. You practice evil. They even say that.

They even say Christians are cannibal. You know that, they

were accusing Christians as cannibals. You know why, because there's

a Christians practice communion. We drink of the blood of

Jesus and we partake of the body of Christ. So

they were saying, hey, these Christians are they meet secretly

at people's house, okay, and they practice all this funny

things called you know, communion, drink blood and eat bodies.

Oh my goodness, you know, no wonder they want to

offer sacrifice. So they were coming out with all these

things you know about Christians. You know, you know what

I'm saying. You know, they were saying that, so we

need to get rid of this evil from our city

before it more curses forul upon us. You know. So

they were technically saying that about Christians. But Jesus says,

I know your works. I know in front of you.

The door is shut. But Jesus says, what see I

have said before you and open door. You can't see it.

You only see the doors that people shut before you.

But look, look with your spiritual eyes. Look, I've set

you an open door, and no one can shut it.

No one can shut it. He says that, for you

have a little strength and have kept my word and

not denied my name. I know that there are many,

but you are few. And because of that, you can't

open doors. You can't open opportunities in your life. You

have things shut off your small you're no numbers. But

I am with you, Jesus says, I am with you

because you have kept my word and you're not denied

my name. You don't care what people say about you.

You don't care so much about how it offends them

so much. You're not trying to be politic correct. You

adhere to the truth. You're not trying to be arrogant

and proud. But you know, but you feel also at

the same time, you know, you're confused. Like God, if

I'm following you and I'm staying faithfully to you, why

are doors shut in my face? And then Jesus says

that in verse nine, indeed, I will make those of

the Synagogue of Satan. Oh, you see here, the people

in the synagogue will say that we are Jews. We

are sons and daughters of Abraham, children of Abraham. God

himself gave us manna from heaven and fit these children.

We are the most proud of nations, of nations. God

gave us the law to be the soul and love

of the world. We are the children of Abraham. Okay,

And this temple and this synagogue, it's a synagogue of God.

And they tell everybody, but Jesus comes and say and

calls them a synagogue of Satan. You know, in nowadays

we call that, you know, immediately censored. You know, you

know what I mean? Right. Jesus says it as it

eas You know, you see here the people who who

who does that? They really think they are righteous? You know,

he't think they are righteous because they are so blind.

They are really blind. They really think they're doing the

right thing. They really think they are serving God. And

there's a scary thing, isn't it If we just rely

on our feelings to think that we do right, we

can be so wrong, true or not. If you just

rely on your feelings to think that you're doing right,

you can be so wrong. You can feel that you're

doing so right for your family, could be so wrong.

You can be doing that you're doing so right for

a business. You could be so wrong. You can put

all your hundreds and energies and motivation and put into it. Yeah,

you're still so wrong. So how can a man learn

to live by God? If we cannot trust even our

own feelings and our thoughts? True, isn't it so scary? God?

And what can I do if I think that every

thought that I have, I don't even know it's from

you or not. It sounds like every thought that I've had,

every plan that I have, sounds can be so deceptive,

you know, God have mercy upon us, isn't it. That's

why I don't rush into decisions. You know how many

of you in your life are you wish I sometimes

you could have waited a bit longer instead of jumping

to conclusion. I think this is from God if you're

honest enough of you your now. Sometimes we want something

so much and we say, I think this is from God.

True or not. You tell your spouse that I think

this is from God. Your spouse cannot say anything now

because you use the name of God. You know that

is actually what it means. Do not use the name

of God in vain in all you don't mean right. No,

you say, do not take God's name in vain doesn't

mean you go and curse him. I mean there's one

you cannot or do not take God's name in vain

means I don't watch movies with these these these. Yes,

that's one, but that's not just it. You know, that's

only the superficial. What it means is in your life.

Just because you feel right and you think right doesn't

means from God. You put every every thought and every

plan under the subjection of the Lord and under his examination,

and unless it is truly from God. You will refrain

from saying he's from the Lord. Yeah, I'm saying, you know,

I want this guy, I want this girl. It's from

the Lord. That's why they appear in my life. How

many times we said that before? Yeah? Mean right, you

come before the pastor, come before your parents say it's

from the Lord. What can they say? Because you hijack? Okay,

God's name. You you ransom this, No, God's name into

your situation. You know, you know what I'm saying. You

know you're holding God. You're holding your your your your,

your parents, your pastor and everyone. I'm ransom now God?

Is that you hijack? You know, really really hijacking. You

know you don't say what I'm saying. You know he

said this is God's w But when we look at it,

we can see that. No, you're deceiving yourself. But not

only deceiving yourself. You're sinning against God as well, but

you seeing his name to take God's chop and chop

it in what you like to lend credibility in your argument.

You know what I'm saying here, am I what I'm saying?

You argue you are this? Is it based on my

argument people will not. I might not believe, But if

I take God's chomp and chop it, my argument has

more weight. You know. It means like I really can't

hear from God. I prayed about it. I faster about it.

My heart is built, and God speak to me. Maybe

I'm the chosen one and you are not. Oh, but

it's true. We do it all the time, isn't it

we do all the time. I learned that as well,

isn't it? Sometimes you pray for people. I really believe

this is God's work for you. Oh my goodness, Be

very careful, very very very careful. Let your yes be yes,

let your nose be known. That's what the Bible says.

You know what I'm saying now, don't say I want to.

I just want to release a word personal encouragement. Let's it.

Keep it like that. Keep it like that. Let your

fear be of God, not of man. You know, fear God,

not for your man, you're not. Let your yes be yes,

let your nose be not. Be very careful. I mean

I learned through my own life as well. Yeah, I mean,

be very very, very very careful. Everybody. Okay, so you're

super quieter, you Okay, I want to say what I'm saying. Ah,

so we are okay, from today on what we don't

take God's name in vain kenna you know, huh. Don't

use it against your parents. Parents, don't use it against

your children. Also, don't use it against your brothers, your

friends as well. Okay, it's very very important, you know, yes, yes,

but no, but no, you don't have to win everything one.

You know, you don't have to have the final say

in everything one and all. If you want something out

of your own heart, at least have the cuts and

the courage. At me. It is on your own heart

you want it. Don't bring God into this and then

justify your reasons. That's the short cut. Okay, that's the

short cut. Eye people, that's the short cut. Okay, Oh

I recall it very very very quiet. Okay, later we

can repair together, okay, little yeah, we can repair together.

Prepare the song radio. Okay, that's kidding, let me finish. Okay,

So you say, indeed, I will make those of the

Syenagogue of Satan who say they are Jews and are

not but liar. You are not a Jew because by

blood you are a Jew by heart, you know, I'm saying,

you know, not you you are sons and childrens of Abraham,

not by blood, bye, by your heart. Okay, indeed I

will make them come and worship before your feet and

to know that I have loved you. So they is

saying that, don't worry about these people. I know that

this lifetime may not get you what you imagine. You

might feel like you're short changed by them. But you see,

we Christians are We hold on so much, We pray

so much. You know why, because this is not the

end game. People, This life is not the end game.

If this is the like, if this life is the

end game, we are fools. We are fools. You know

what I'm saying. What I'm saying, we are all fools

if this is the end game. But this life is

not the end game. Yeah, I mean right. If our

prayers are not answer we are fools. If this is

the only lifetime you I mean right. If our cancers

not get healed, if our financials don't get breakthrough and

don't get answered, we are all fools. Or you can say,

like you know a hush of word, we can say

we are all you know the world, say we are losers.

You get I mean right, but we are not. You

know why, because this is not the end game. We

firmly believe that there is another life. That is why

Christianity cannot exist without the resurrection of Christ. That's the

only thing you all. Yes, Jesus loves us, It's true,

Jesus forgave us. But if Jesus did not die and

rose from the dead, nothing matters. Nothing matters, people, nothing matters.

Do not care how good you are, nothing matters. You

know what I'm saying there is That's why the hope

of resurrection is everything you can tell the world behave

this school. This is the right thing to do. Not

The only thing they are so blinded to they cannot see,

they cannot hope on is the resurrection of life, because

that is the game changer. You said, now that changes everything,

you know, there's the resurrection is the game changer in life. No,

we don't put everything into here because we know that

our inheritance in the next life and saying or not.

That's why when even our love once passed away, we

don't despair, you know, because there's another life. There is

another life. If I live, the only be forty and

fifty or you know not like seventy the average, so

called ideal average, seventy eighty. My life is not short change,

It's not the end game, and says that I will

make them come and worship before your fit and to

know that I have loved you, and they will know

one day, they will know who is the who are

the ones that are beloved by God. A lot of

us are wanted to feel we are special. You know,

everybody wants to feel special in it. When you argue, so,

oh God loves me, That's why I get this and

get that everybody wants to feel special. Maybe you feel

special by looking at your job promotion. Maybe you feel

special because you got the guy, you got the girl,

you got the product, you got this, and that I

am special. You tell the whole world that you are special.

You sing a song that you are special. You're special,

not just in front of people, you are special before

God as well. I'm not denying that. You know you

are special, not by anything you achieve, not nothing you did,

Nothing you do can ever make you special. You are

special because God's craziness in your life. That's all. You

did nothing to deserve it, nothing nothing. You are not

smarter You're not holier. Nothing. You are here only by

the grace of God or glory belongs to Him. And therefore,

if you feel love, you should not boats. You should

humble yourself. You know what I'm saying. No, no boastinger

nothing you ever did, nothing, zero. The Bible says, unless

God draws them, no one can come to the Father.

Unless God draws them, no one can come to the Father.

You are here in church not because you are smarter,

You're holy, You're a nicer person. You know you give

your thighs offering. No, nothing has to do with that.

You are here only and only by the grace of God,

only by the grace of God, from the very beginning

until the very end. You woke up this morning, you

have breath. It's by the grace of God you are here.

You think that even if you drag your feet, it

is by the grace of God as well. Every thing

is by the grace of God. Okay, that I have

loved you, so we can have nothing. We can lose

all the specialness the world has to offer, all the

specialness that the world feels. And yet God will review

at the end of the day whom he really loves ah, sure,

not so. Christians, don't look for signs that you are loved.

God will review. God review. You'd be surprised at the

end of the day. Sometimes some of you you'd be Hey,

you're in heaven. Now you'd be surprised. Wh this guy

gives so much sacrifice, so much you have no idea.

Some people you think they are like that are not

there as well. All will be reviewed one day, okay,

one day all will be revealed and it says there

because you have kept my command to persevere. So what

are we all this to summarize them? People? Shut your

doors the way? Now you understand that true this word

what God looks for in our lives, isn't it? So

now we see how the world responds to us. But

we also now here we see how God looks upon us.

Now for us as Christians, you and I, how do

we respond? How do we respond to the world, to

God and to move into life? How do we respond?

We must keep God's command to persevere. You can mean right,

perseverance moves us forward. Sometimes there are things in life

you don't have to change, but to persevere. See what

I'm saying, No, you have to persevere, but perseverance only

comes through the knowledge of truth. You cannot persevere without truth. Ah,

thank you. You don't know what you for You're on You

must possibly because you know the truth. God has washed

you and cleansed you with his truth. You have the truth,

you can persevere. And Jesus says, I will also keep

you from the hour of trial, which I'll come upon

the whole earth to test those who dwell on the earth. Okay,

this is a very loaded thing. Okay, how much time

do I have life? Another? Fifteen minutes? Can half an hour's? Can?

Now?

Are you sure? Half an hour? I can go to

another chapter? Okay, so far? Still it can catch up

my Can I scare you guys for only fifteen minutes? Okay?

Then I will cover some stuff okay, because I don't

get a lot of time with you guys as Okay,

now there's a few things we can learn from here.

I will also keep you from the hour of our

WHI shall come upon the whole to test those who

do on the earth. So we know there are two

things here. There is an hour trial. It can be general,

it can be a specific hour, okay, can refer to

do things. General hour means that every one of us

will go through seasons, difficult times. Maybe it's unique for

a different one of us. Okay, different situations. And we

go through our trial, and it's not just going through it,

but what do we learn from God? What do we

understand or more about God from this trial? What does

God want us to do? What does God desire to

draw from us when we go through that? God wants

to test us. God test us every you know in

our lives, we will get tested by God. God intentionally

wants to test us. You know what I'm saying. God

tests us. You know why God tests us? It's because

you are precious. How many of you buy a property

online and you never go and check it one? How

many of you? How mam your bad property? Before you

got shopping? I just look picture nice on me? I

tell you, because it is such an expensive purchase. Some

of you take up ten twenty to thirty years of

your loan before you go you go and check. Hey,

can you make appointment to me to check you open?

Every time you on every line? You check, every door,

you complain this? How come like that one? This one?

You lie? You check every single thing true? Now you

check every single thing isn't it Why because you spend

so much money on it. There's not so much money

on it. You know why? Because in every room and

everything that you open, what are you looking for? Just

the product? No? I tell you, what are you looking for?

If you're staying there, you're looking at your future. This

is where you're built your future. You're looking at this. Oh,

this is where maybe my children. You know. I want

a card and I want the hot water to be

nearby there. Oh, this is our kitchen. I want the

space we can dry and all our hosts people. Oh

and if it's not small, maybe you can hack out

the door. Why you do that? Because you are projecting

a future. It's amazing, isn't it powerful?

See?

This's what we humans are builty or not just to

live in the past, but we want a future. And

future is what pushes us to invest to putting so

much things. It's the future is the hope, you know.

And when you are so keen in the future, do

you naturally do you test makes sense or not? And

anything in your life that is available you will test

because it's worth it, true or not. So why does

God test us? Of course we are worth it. God's

dream and plan for our future. It's in us. How

many or you like to open the toilet you know

and say, hey, when the when the when the water

comes up from the shower, it doesn't go into the sincorn.

Did you know that the water the floor has to

actually a bit diagonoma? You test one not if you

know some of your buy house and measure you open

the water. You're seeing everything and test everything and make

sure it goes down there. If the water doesn't go

down and build zaba, go and ask the developer or

the owner. Already you know what I'm saying. You know everything.

You test you on every ecurance, whether it leaks or not.

You know everything you know. So that's why God tests us.

Because there is a future and embedded and embodied within us.

You know that God has invested. You know, God tests us,

and so don't say no. The other way we can

think about from the devil will say God tests you

because he doesn't trust you. Oh, then you put on

the victim mentality. You know you know what I'm saying. No,

devil will always rob your future. You got me right.

God test you because you're not trustworthy because of your past.

But God there's no why I test you. I test

you because I placed the future in you. I test

you to pass you. You I'm saying not, that's what

the enemy always does to ask one and all. Yes,

I know you go trange, you will, some of you

will experience laws. Yes, but I tell you there's a

greater future that's waiting ahead. God is waiting to rip

his investment in you. You know how many of you

believe that? How many if you believe that? Really seriously? Come,

I raise your hands, raise it to the Lord. Turn

your neighborhood and say that I will accept and pass

God's testing. Okay, Turn your neighbors said, I will accept

and I will pass God's testing. Make sure you pass.

Turn your other neighbors said, make sure you pass your test.

Make sure you study hard. Hey, may you're not so so.

You see, a change of mindset can give us hope.

You know, see his name change our mindset towards how

the Father things of us changes our mindset and gives

us hope. God wants us to have hope. God wants

us to endure. Okay, now upon which to test those

who dwell on the earth, But to those who do

not have his truth. The testings will come like a

suffering because they don't have a future. They live for

the president. You can mean right, God's testing may feel

like fair, very difficult. I feels like a torture. It

feels like God doesn't care. But those of us we know. Okay.

But then it says that hold fast what you have,

that no one may take your crown. Wow, that means

one as you are tested. There is also the exposure

that God allows. There will be things in your life

that will come to steal, kill and destroy. Make no mistake,

the enemy sees like that. He will come but steal,

kill and destroy. Now, some people will say that, hey,

is this our trial referring to you know, the seven

year of tribulation, the rapture. How many of you know

this about the end time? How many we study this before?

At least you watch the Bible or the YouTube you know,

you know. Some people will say, I see this happening

in the next seven years. God told me this. God

told me that, you mean right, Make sure you read

your Bible before you listen to them. Okay, how many

if you heard about the rapture before, you're more My

theory about the rapture why I hear my theory or not? Okay,

why this is my theory? I won't to say this revelation,

it is my theory. What is the rapture? If you

see this line here as time. We are here and

this is the future, and the Bible says there will

come a seven year time, say from here to here,

a seven years in the future where there will be

a tribulation in the middle of the tree and a

half years the enemy will reveal himself and break the

peace with Israel. And there years exists the tree in

a half years of great tribulation. And after that Jesus

will come in between these seven years, okay, Jesus. You know,

the Bible has talked about the concept of a rapture.

The rapture is the you know, basically, you know, Jesus

will raise the death and the living as well from

the grave to and to be caught up in the

air m like in the start trek like that, and

then to be with him some people. You know, this

is the rapture. Even the dead would raise up from

their bodies as well, raise up some people. The one

day is being debated is when will the rapture happen?

Within this seven year period. Is it before, is it during,

or is it after as well? So the pre meat

and trip I'm not going to argue into them. For me,

it's not that important to know when. But the key

about a rapture. For me, it's not about when, but why.

You see, you know what I'm saying. No, Jesus never,

if it's that important, Jesus will tell us when. You

know what I'm saying. No, if it's that important, Jesus,

I believe Jesus will tell us when that important. But

Jesus most of the time tell the people always be prepared,

be vigilant, so that you are wise. Don't be like

the ten foolish virgins. It's not that you're not godly,

you know, it's that you are not wise. But there

are operation another time. It's about not just being godly,

but being wise. You can be godly but yet be

foolish at the same time foolish and so to be

to be what they're going to live in prospect, not

a bandedly in God's wild, you need to be wise.

But there's another time. Why does God allow one directure

to happen? And I go back another time? Why does

God perform miracles. Why does God perform miracles? If you

ever taught before, and why why is it now this?

We don't see that many obvious miracles anymore. Why does

God perform miracles? What is the purpose of miracle? Why

did Jesus fit the five thousand raise the dead? Why

did he do it? Miracles serve one thing and one

thing only. Okay, if you read the Bible, one thing

and one thing only. Main thing is not to heal

us from cancer, because we will all die again. People,

You get me right, We will all die again. And

I told you this is not the endgame. Healing is great,

I'm not I will want to pray for healing, but

it's not the end game. Miracles happen for one major reason,

and one major reason you cannot mistake. It is to

point people to God. Okay, miracle is only one probac

to point people to God. Whether you say, oh Jesus, Jesus,

the missiles prophesied, or maybe something a miracle happened in

your life. Maybe you go into a car accident and

you're supposed to die, but then you got spared and

use a miracle. You think that, oh, thank you Lord,

you save me. What do you think what people will

feel immediately? Gratefulness, yes, but do you know what will feel?

What they feel? The fear of God? If I right

now give a word of God and can tell you

about something that happened in your past exactly to speak

in your life right now. Or if a holy manner

so very holy man comes you're like this guy can

predict and see my secret scenes? You know my, Oh

you'd be well, how would you feel? Don't pray for me.

I'm a simple man that don't touch me. You know

my own that these secrets? You know? You know why?

Because when the miracle happens, there is a fear of

God that falls upon the people. God is real, not

just God is real. God is serious, o. Just God

is serious. God is watching. Yeah, man, there is a

fear of God. The reality of God just hits you like,

oh my goodness, God, this means business on me. You

know what I mean? Right, So there's a fear of God.

It's a fear of God that realized that I'm not

on my own. I need to turn to God. I

can't run to it anywhere. I can only run to God.

Some people who run away, but those who I say,

if I said, God, I got nowhere to run, I

have to run to you. Yet me right, I run?

So miracles do main one reason to want to point

people to God. If God gives you a miracle, it's

not just to save the situatd God wants to increase

your faith so that you turn to him. Makes sense,

you know, God save you, not just because you have

a better business. God save you so that you and

those who dependent can turn to Him. I'm saying, you know,

give you a second chance, serve him, serve him, don't

waste it, and all you miss the point of the

miracle in all. So then it backs the question why

didn't Jesus do any miracles at that time? Some miracles

you do? You know that certain places Jesus could not

perform miracle all? Is it because he got no power?

No Jesus could perform all the miracle. He can give

people all the pointers. But because of certain people's stubbornness,

no matter where you point, they will look the other way.

Ah true or not, Tod. That's why Jesus said no

miracle should be given. To accept the sign of Jonah.

Because I say look here, You say look there, I

say look here, you say, look there. The people were stubborn,

and they say, give us a miracle, give us a miracle.

They were mocking God because they were asking for entertainment,

for direction. God is not a circus. Okay, yeah, man, No,

so you ask for a miracle, don't mock God, seriously,

don't mock God at all, that's what you said. No, No,

so certain places he couldn't. But some places there that

people say, hey, you know, these people are dirty. Jesus

marveled at their faith, and great miracles were done because

why because they were hungry for a sign. And when

Jesus pointed, they looked, you got mean, right, So the

sign was always pointing there. So there was always the

point of a miracle. So now you understand the purpose

of miracle. Right. Come back to a rapture. Let me

ask you again. It always to be consistent one and

a never Why do you think God wanted in my opinion,

why do you think God orchestrated a future rapture? Yeah? Okay,

yep said there's a great restrainer. But I asked again.

I mean, that's why I asked. Is it for the

Christians to escape the horrible time? Or is it the

final sign to the unbelievers? You know what I mean? Right?

We have the Holy Spirit, Like you say, we shouldn't

fear any persecution because this is not the end game.

But God, God so loved the world that he gave

his only son, the world is going on his own

and all going to the church. What would you feel

one day you wake up by and see, hey, where

your friend's gone? Disappear? Disappear, disappear here all the church

people disappear. How will the world react? Let me ask you. Yeah,

we are in you know, caught up in the air.

You know, how will the world react? My question? Is

there a feeling of fear? You see her this world

and you and I. You don't realize it, but every

day we operate under a covering of peace. You know

that you sit down right now with a covering of

peace and faith. Don't mean that the chair will hold you.

You know, but if you saw a news sister day

that all the chairs fell down, and you'd be scared.

You get me right. The war was changed, and when

COVID happened and on suddenly peace was removed from them.

You're even scared to be inside the same leaf of

a person. You know, try not that breath you draw?

Are you drawing anything? You know? People are put covering

the whole self. If with prusty bagging on feel buying

every bread and every toilet paper that can be seen

in the marketplace, you all people out in survival of

fear because they realized that the covering peace has been

taken away from them. There's something greater than COVID is coming.

I'm not saying particular, but what if suddenly everybody, you know,

all the Christians? How does the world reconcile those who

have some you know, some conscience in them? I said,

maybe there is a God. Maybe there is a god.

You get me right, Maybe there is a god like

those people who saw Jesus when they're not on the cross.

He was innocent, last sign, he was innocent, and they believed.

But those who don't, who still, how would they operate?

They will? Really they cannot sleep one and all about me?

What I'm going? And what does God think about me?

You get me right? They cannot sleep. And there's a

peace that will not come. And then there's where the

enemy will come and swooping they will offer a fake

piece and they will start to I believe, I don't

come confirm. I believe the enemy knows when the knows

the raptures happen. He doesn't know when, but he's prepared

for the rapture, and the enemy deception will continue even

when the rapture happens, so evil and so powerful that

people will buy it, you know what I mean? A

lot of us are nowadays, are no matter what, if

there's anything, and we will rush to the vaccine, you know,

true or not, it's true or not. I don't will

rush to the vaccine because there is the only alternative.

Isn't it the only thing that gives you your comfort?

And now years after day we're finding out a lot

of different things coming out, interesting, isn't it. But I'm

not here hypothizing, hypothesize hypothesizing. But we have a short

memory of things. We always want to have a certain

piece over our lives. Want and know when all the

Christians have come out, and then people will say, what happened?

Why are the deep Christians disappearing? Why these things happening?

Are Christian's right and we are wrong? All this while

we ridly killed them, we prosecuted them, and do all

these things. They are right and we are wrong. Can

people really humble themselves to this part and submit to

the Lord almighty? Or will they rebel to the very

end and they will buy everything else that the world offers.

What if the world suddenly say, hey, the reason they

this Christian disappear is because they are evil. They are

saying that God judge them. They will say that their dispute,

they are wrong, we are right. That's where we are here,

and they will continue even more evil maybe or they

will say it's not because of that, and then started

to say the uf als have taken them. And then

I tell you something so unbelievable will actually seem very

possible true or not. Something's like, hey, ten years ago,

we will never believe in youf for suddenly we will believe.

That's why you see it. So suddenly things are building

up ready, so incredible. But I tell you people will

read it by that and then by God, believe me

or not, because people one peace. Like I said rapture. Yes,

it's part from the church, but I really believe in

my heart all these signs. It's never for just for us,

it's for the world. One last chance, one last chance,

turn to Jesus one last chance. Amen, let me finish

this part. I didn't plan to share this. But it's true,

isn't it. Jesus is always giving us a sign, another sign,

and another sign, another sign. Again, turn, turn, turn, so

but we reject everything. We reject his son, We reject

the sign and everything. What else can God do, isn't it?

What else? What else do you want God to do?

And then God has relented for so much, for so long,

And God, Man will realize that even with your great leader,

even with great technology, humanity cannot save themselves. Humanity can

all say we are the riches of all time, you know.

But yet I will be go in all the nations,

go into so much depth, so much evil, with so

much technology, would have succeeded and thrived as civilization, you know.

But yet we have so much problems. You know. Men

cannot save themselves. It cannot save ourselves. Last part, verse twelve.

He who overcomes, I will make him appello in the

temple of my God, and normal I will write on

him the name of my God and the name of

the city of my God, the New Jerusalem, who comes

down out of heaven from my God. And I will

write on him my new name. See the whole entire

society that rejects you will remove your name. But God

himself will put your name inside his book. Isn't it?

Sometimes a name very powerful if you belong you know.

And sometimes but it's a reminder that we are in

this world, but we're not of this world. Sometimes the

world will some of you will probably experience it before.

Feel like the world chew you up and then speed

you out. Isn't it chew you up and speed you out?

I felt that before the right half time in my life.

You spirit rejection, They did that, don't remember. Don't forget

they did that with Jesus. They receive him for a moment,

crown him, but within seven days they crssify him on

the crossing. Just seven days, I can change a lot

of things, you know, cheer him up and then spit

him out. They rejected him, But God says that he

will write our name of our God, and then all

the cities. So I mean, don't the town I reject you,

But don't worry. My father's house will receive you. And

he who has an ear, let him hear what the

spirit says to the churches. Okay, let me just close

this part, so you go back to the early part.

Right I told you about how did Jesus introduce himself?

Jesus always introduced himself as the solution to the problem

of the church. So we go back to the first pound.

When Jesus sees all your challenges, all the problems of

the city. How does Jesus review himself? He says these things.

Verse seven says he who is holy. People say nonsense

about me, saying that I lie, I cheat, I'm the

false Messiah. And Jesus says, I am holy, I am blameless.

Remember that he who is true. They think they are true,

But I am true. I am the Way, the Truth,

and the life. Why how did Jesus not just say,

but prove that he is true? That's very important. Everybody

can claim to be truth, you know, you can claim

to have truth. But there's another way. You say you

are the truth. You say, if I tell you are

the best hockeyn me is in Sarahwa, you will say, like,

what kind of blasphemous thing is that you know? The

best Baku is in Kujin, you know, or in Meri.

You were like, what kind of nonsense to claim? People

like what in the nonsense? You know? If I say

that I said that is the truth, you will say

you claim that's the truth, Like that's your truth, liwer.

But if I've been there, I ate it and I

eaten everything else, I can say that I've tried it before,

I've been there and I've come back. I'm saying, you know,

if I tell you, I say that I know this

is the way to London, you take this flight, you

take this flight, you take this flight, you buy this

by that you get to London. And I've been there before.

Another person said this is the way to London, but

you've never been there before. You heard about it, you

plan about it, but you've never been there. Who would

you buy your ticket from? The one who's been there

or the one who talks about it, the one who

has been there. Jesus says, I am the Way, the

Truth and the life. He is the truth because he

knows the way. He knows the way, because he is

the one who died and was raised from life. You

can mean, right, we know that Jesus speaks the truth

because he was raised from death. He doesn't just say

he is proof ah amazing, not just he's the way.

He is proof, He's alive, and now two thousand years

Jesus is still speaking in all the hearts of the

millions and billions of people. That's proof. Jesus is the Way,

the truth, and the life. You can't say no. You

don't just aim to be truth. You are truth. You

are the proof. I am live, I am alive. What

more do you need? You got a man. Amazing, isn't it?

Our God? Hariyah? Come, let's stand together.

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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this week is going to be a good week, a

hit for you. God bless