Advent - The Coming | Pr Phua Seng Tiong

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

will light up your tea. So it's so good that as we enter into

the month of December, I want to say shalom to all of you,

because the shalom is what we all need. Not shalom uh, just just

peace, you know. But when a when a Jew says to one another,

shallom, it means that I'm at peace with you, if you are

at peace with me, all right, So that's that's there's more, there's

more meaning to all that. So I pray that as we we look around,

there's a lot of unrest, a lot of confusion, but we need

the peace of the Lord. And so that's why it was for freedom.

Christ has set us free, okay, and so when He has justified us,

there is peace. We have peace with God. And I pray that

when you have peace with God, then you will be at peace with yourself,

and you'll also have peace with one another. I think that's so important

now. So even as we look into the Word and as we think through

this whole month, sometimes people say this is the advent, the coming.

The advent means the coming, but the meaning, but the coming of what

the coming of who? And why is he coming? Anyway? So you

and I need to think through. Normally, the Advent is four weeks just

before Christmas, and so it is referred to as the coming of the Messiah,

the coming of the one that they've been waiting for. For some people

they are still waiting. For some people they still don't know that it is

the coming of the Lord. All right, But we know that the Advent

has taken place. The second coming hasn't done, hasn't come the Advent the

second time, And so we all long to for red. That's why the

advent becomes Maranatha. The Lord comes, Okay, So I pray that all

of us who look forward to him coming when you really know him. Okay.

So this is what I'm going to share even this morning. You know,

when when you talk about it, and when the scriptures tells us that

even in the early days, this was already to seven hundred years before Jesus

came, all right, And so the Isaion chapter nine, verse six days,

there will be a child that we're blond, and that child there is

a son. They will be given and the government will be upon his shoulders,

and he will call four different things, wonderful counselor mighty God, ever

lasting Father, Prince of peace, and so as all these are being reviewed

to us. Really, when Isaime took the took the call and so on,

when he said all these things, actually he really didn't know what's what's

gonna happen and so on. But we are so privileged we know that that's

happened. We are so privileged to know that whatever God has said he will

do, he will do. Whatever God prophesy will happen, it will happen.

And so take note. All right, But you know the thing is

people have somehow misunderstood this coming, and so the word Christmas comes in,

and so we seem to be so pre occupied with the word Christmas. So

my question to you this morning is, you know we need to give the

right message. All right, it's Christmas, Christmas tree. Now, I

don't want to put a damper on some of you are, okay, is

it present? Is it jingle bells, et cetera. I think all these

are just a periphery all round it. But what is the real thing.

What is the main thing that is the more important thing that we're going to

talk about, because finally, it's all told and you take the way the

mean thing there is actually just jinger bells all around. Okay, So that's

why there's a big debate in Sarahah over the ginger bells thing, whether it's

a holy night or where there's jinger bells. I'm sure you're read about it.

But whatever it is, that's not that's not the issue. The issue

is like this, Uh, when we give the right message, I'm so

glad we celebrate birthdays and sauna. So I want to say something. I

want to put a temper on some of you who are already preparing, desperately

trying to think what present should I buy for Jail? What present should I

buy for Andrew? And he is thinking what present should I buy for this

person? For that person? Really, Christmas is not exchange of prisons presents.

Come on, I want to say to you, Ed, huh,

because it's whose birthday? Come on, it's whose birthday? Jesus birthday?

So why are you giving present to one another? I ever thought about it,

and you are cracking your head. You know, sometimes we all recycle

the present. Also, yeah, I mean is it? That? Is

it? That? So? I remember? And so for many years now

even together with our grandchildren. I said, it is Jesus' birthday, so

we should give our selves to Jesus. If you want to give, give

to those who cannot give back to you. Are you hearing me give to

those who cannot give back to you. Yeah, because you see if not,

And we need to teach our children also to know how to give to

those who cannot give back to them. Right, So that's important for us.

We need to give the right passage because Jesus came to give himself for

you and for me. When we cannot give ourselves to him, we have

no choice. We are insin. We need him to give himself to us

so that we can. So I pray that I'm not putting a temper this

on Christmas for you, but I want to say to you, come on,

it's Jesus birthday, but it is if it is your birthday, I'm

going to give you a present. So all our children and our grandchildren,

we give them only presents during birthday, their birthday, but not on Christmas.

I said, on Christmas, you start giving to people who cannot give

back to you, all right, So I hope you're getting correct now.

So let's get it correct. That's what I mean by the right message.

Because every time you come together, Oh, where's a present, or where's

the present? Where's the present? Hello? Your present? Good enough?

Noned presents are okay. So I want to say to you, that's how

it should be, right And so I pray that you when we give the

right message, it is because in the early days, that's what it is.

The focus is on Jesus, Jesus the center of it all. Without

Jesus, you take Jesus out of Christmas, there is nothing to talk about,

nothing to celebrate, and so on. So I pray that when we

give the right message, people would know, because it believers don't give the

right message, how would none believers know the right message? All right?

And and so we are influenced, unfortunately in the commerce by a lot of

Western culture about Christmas, all right, But actually Jesus is from the Eastern

culture, all right, Eastern culture, right, So we all need to

understand that. So a lot of things we don't want to glamorize. It

is not about uh, what what is that white Christmas and things like that,

and so all these have been all transferred to us. And I pray

that it is not just about what we want to say. That's the reason

why a lot of people say, oh, your religion, your your faith

is this is uh from the from the West and so on. No,

Jesus is not from the West. He is from Middle East. Come on,

he he is as as eastern as any one of us here, those

of us who are from the East, and so on. So I want

to say to you, let's focus right, huh wow. Where our focus

is on Christmas is on Jesus himself. And he is the good news,

all right, He's a good news. So on the on the day when

Jesus Uh, they announced about Jesus coming. They announce that Jesus has come.

It is good news. It is great joy. If there is good

news, there is great joy. It is great joy. It is because

you have received good news. And so those who are going to graduate,

this is good news, all right. Why because you have already succeeded and

so on. But as we have has been, they've been waiting for so

long for the Savior to come, so long for this Prince of peace to

come, so long for this wonderful counselor to come. When the angels declared

that this is today, this is in Bethlehem, this this bond a sun

for you, and so on. So right now as we talk about it,

the great news is that Emmanuel God can be visibly visiting us. Wow,

that's that's the reason why we celebrate Christmas, because God came visibly and

tangibly to us. Yeah, we never understood the earlier early people never understood

this. But when at the right time, in the fullness of time,

a virgin shall conceive us. And so this is where when when there's a

kind of a declaration about Joseph, Joseph was so troubled by it. How

can I'm, I'm we're not even married yet, and she's she has a

child, I better divorce her and tell her and the angel can. Don't

be afraid because why this is what is going to happen. The happening thing

is that she will give birth to a son. The happening is that you

are to give him the name Jesus. So number one is Immanuel God visibly

and tangibly with us. Number two, his name is Jesus. Why because

he will be your savior. Your sins can be got rid of, because

he is going to be the sin breaker he's going to be the one who

is going to enable her, enable you to be broken off from your change

of sin, you know, and so on. So as you begin to

understand that Joseph, as you look at the Holy Shoe really is really being

on is really confusing why because how number one, how can Mary have a

child? Number two? How can he be a savior when he says a

small baby? And so on? So we need to know that this is

the good news of great joy. So the next thing is that in Luke

chapter two was tend to and all the different verses and so on. Number

one is that the good news is meant to be declared. Okay, for

you and for me, we need to declare. So the Christmas story is

the right message that you declare that Jesus has come, all right, and

when he has come, he has come to be immanual to be with us.

When he has come, he has come to be the Savior with us.

And I pray the Lord you will catch this, and we catch this.

Then whatever the angels do, declare glory to God in the highest and

on earth peace, good will toward men and on the earth. For the

first time men can come so close to understand who God is emmanual men can

come to understand that, because why he is Jesus who will saved them from

their sin? Are you getting it? If you are getting it, this

is what it is. That's the first good news, all right, the

good news of Declaration number two. Who else was told about this? Suddenly

they know the angels when they declare the shepherds. Who are the shepherds?

They're the loss of the people during the time, and yet they were given

this special, amazing message. Sometimes I always think they are all ordinary people,

but spoken to by an extraordinary God who told them an extraordinary news.

I want to tell you, Glory to God in hires on earth, peace

grul to a man. And so when the angels left them, they all

was done. A lot of times when we are shocked, we don't do

anything. But no, when they were shocked, they said, let us

go to bed. You know today Bethlehem is not going to celebrate Christmas because

of the war. But you know, but let us go to Bethlehem.

Oh, that's happening there. Something is happening there. Let's go and see.

If that's what the angels say it is, then wow, there is

hope there is peace and so on, and so they went as the Lord

had told them. So they hurried off and found merry angels and true all

that has been said to them was really true, and so on. And

so what happened when they seen Number one, they sin, what do you

do? They didn't just see your need? They spread the word around.

Okay, the angels declare, they spoke, who Jesus? And he's coming?

Number two the shepherds, and they are told they have seen it.

They also spread the word around. Question is during this Christmas? What is

the right message you're giving? What is the message that they're saying to people?

Is not about the tinsels, is not about Christmas tree, is not

about all the whatever merriment you're having. It's about who the like when Basa,

he said, Nadi, the center of it is Jesus. And so

when the shepherd saw it, wow, it is amazing. But they're not

only amazing. They said, let us bring this amazement to others because we've

seen it, we've heard it, so now we spread it. And when

he spread it, and he says, all who heard it were amazed at

what the shepherd said to them, because they must have seen the amazing face

of the shepherds. All right, So the shepherds also responded. Then there

was a group of people who probably are the remnants of people like Daniel and

his whole group of people over in Persia and all this world. They also

have been talking about the coming of the Messiah. And there were a whole

group A lot of people say there's only tree, but you know, I

think there's more and that. Okay. The whole team all going all the

way across Iraq and so on right through until they came. And then they

said, come on, tell us, where is the one who has been

born King of the Jews. We saw his star when it rose and have

come to worship him. Come on, Yeah, here they have come.

We have seen the star. We know God is leading us, and so

we're coming. They went to Jerusalem, and of course nobody knew about it,

except that when they begin to check back the scriptures said, yeah,

it would be in Bethlehem, and so that's why when they went there.

And when they went there, what did they do when they went there?

On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary,

and they bowed down and worship him. It is Jesus' birthday. So they

opened the gifts of gold, which is a kingly kingly present, gifts of

Frankins's which is a gift of worship, and also of mirror, which is

of embalment. Can you imagine that you're going first moon with the Chinese,

You're going to bring something like this, You're probably very pantangl an, because

mirror has to do with death, marr has to do with embalment, all

right, And so it is really talking about Jesus, who is the king,

Jesus who is going to be worshiped. But Jesus also has to die

to enable us to recognize that he is king and is of worship approach for

us. Even as we look at that, So as we begin to understand

this, that's the good news. The good news about what the angels have

said, the good news about what the shepherd has said and declared, and

be amazed. The good news is about a wise man who has come down

to Bow. And this is the posture. Every one of us, every

niche, all Bow, and every towne confessed that Jesus Christ is Lord.

In Philippines, Chapter two, verse ninety eleven. And so I begin to

understand this as e Manual becomes visible, as the Savior has already well accomplishes

whatever that has come. For it is for us to worship him at Christmas

Worship of the King of Kings. We saying this now of the Lord of

Lords, because that's who he is, and who will will he be to

all of us? And so on. So also it's true when Jesus began

his ministry, here is only one one consuming thing about the goodness, about

the good news and the great joy that will be brought to people. And

so when people will rushing here on, he said, come stay here,

stay here, know, and this is what he said, Oh no,

I must preach the good news of the Kingdom of God to other towns.

Also, that's why I was saying, I'm so glad you have mission teams

all over to other towns and so on. You know, Jesus went about

in Methew chapter nine, verse thudy, at the thirty four thirty five,

he says that he went everywhere he went around what preaching, healing, teaching?

All right, So somebody's and the next verse is also in the earlier

verses, said he went about us setting people, casting out demons, ands

on right deliverance ands on. So some people say Jesus did his pH there,

why preaching healing deliverance. Ah, So if you are doing that,

you are doing on your on the right track. It's on. At the

same time. One day, when Jesus is about to begin his ministry,

somebody told him, come on, read this passage. And this is what

he read in Isaiahs of the four sorry Ezacts of sixty one. But he's

recorded for us in Luke chapter four, verse eighteen to nineteen, and this

is what he says. The spirit of the Lord is upon me. Why

because I'm anointed to number one to preach good news, the reliance on the

Holy Spirit to lead him. He's a son of man. He needs the

Holy Spirit to lead him, and so on. Not that he doesn't know

where he's going, all right. But we also know that because he's anointed

to preach the good news to the poor, anyone without the good news is

poor, all right, whether shepherd or the wise man. You can be

a PhD. You don't have the good news, you are poor, all

right. So he's not about poor people, it's about poor in spirit,

not knowing that a man who has come poor, not knowing that Jesus is

a savior, poor, not knowing that you can worship him when we actually

don't deserve to worship him, all right, And so it is a year

to proclaim that freedom has come. It was for freedom Christs has set as

regulations at the five verse one. And so it is a proclamation. Jesus

coming is a proclamation. Jesus coming is Christmas is to proclaim who the Savior

is, who Emmanual is, and how we need to worship him. All

right, So we say this now or come let us adore him? Why?

Because he is worthy to be worshiped. Amen, praise the Lord.

And also Jesus all said that when I do all this, it is well

so that those people who are broken in this world, and many broken people.

I mean, in the last one month with my wife and I are

dealing with people a broken relationship. You know, I'm so glad we can

celebrate wedding anniversary. But you know, a lot of times, like the

older folks always say that it is in those days not easy to get married,

or once you get married is for life. These days so easy to

get married, But it seems like it's all instant and after that it was.

But I'm so I prayed it would not be. So there's a lot

of brokenness. I'm dealing with young people. Students still connecting me to tell

how broken they are in the relationship with their parents, with the with the

spousers and so on. Somebody just in the church itself just recently told us,

oh, I already signed to the divorce papers. See what happened.

Cannot cannot number or cannot number those of you don't know local language, missed

incompatible. But when you fell in love, was it incompatible? When you

fell in love with your eyes all all google googie, And he said,

come on, you know you I'm glad you said said that just now.

It is. Marriage is hard work. You know you work at it.

When you work at it, then you realize you have achieved something. All

right, My wife and I is married. By the eleventh of December,

we will be married fifty two years. Okay, some of you are not

even so. But I want to say that this is what Jesus I come.

He has come to be the savior for broken people, be the savior

to the manual to be with them, you know, to restore them,

and so on. All right, no need that he came. Also no

need to restore them, but also to send to proclaim freedom for prisoners them.

A lot of people, you know, I visit the death row people

in Kajang and sing below, and so every time I look at them,

they look so a lot of them so pathetic. But because they've come to

know the Lord. They said, you know, Passer, you know what's

my favorite verse? I said, yeah, you're trying to test me.

And now I said, no, no, no, no, no,

My favorite verse is Philippians one, verse twenty one. For me to live

is Christ, to die is gain. So I'm on death row anyway,

I deserve to die. And he look and me say, but pastor,

you also deserve to die. You also on death row. I said,

hey, I'm not inside here. He said, yeah, you go out.

You don't know when do you live? You go out? Pamp,

already there's a pastor in Singapore, Joseph. Ah, yeah, he went

to Turkey to do mission trip. And then Pam, he's dead, fifty

seven years old, not even reaching fifty seven? By what the pastors?

Why did they went over to collect the body? And she she said,

I want to meet the guy and the taxi driver who knocked into my husband

and so I want to see. They thought that maybe she wants revenge or

you know, and she told to the interpreter, I want to say to

you, you have made a mistake. But even though you made a mistake,

don't do this mistake again. I want to say to you, I

love you and I forgive you. And if my husband is alive today,

he will also say the same thing to you, you know, those in

the pre station and so on, all oh, amazed, what is this?

Where is this coming from IMMANUELA? Where is this coming from Savior?

Hello? Can you understand? Prisoners can be set free because of all this?

Okay? Then because of that those who are pressed so can be set

free in deep depression. And like what one one prisoner told me, I

said, what is one thing that you want to tell me when you're in

prison? He said, it's like this, a passer when when it is

when we all go off of the rockers, you know, of cause and

so on in the in the in the prison, they said, already water

a maso ota a a yep, So all right, so already gone into

the That's why I cannot think. Probably so he said. This guy said,

it's like this, you know the English language. I said, yeah,

you want to teach me English? No problem, okay, he said

depressed. Depressed means like this. You know, you ress until nothing depressed.

I thought that was so good. Yeah, so you get released from

that depression is on? Amen. Okay. Then finally he says, to

also to bring recovery of side to the blind. Yeah, it's not just

only fiscal blindness. Huh. Even though now I can see a lot of

you clearly. I used to waste wear glasses because I have a cat trick

done. So I was teazing the congregation one day. I say, you

say, you know, wearing inspection. I say, yeah, today I

can see your pimples and your watch. Yeah, because the cat try all

taken away. Recovery of blind blindness? What the what? What the pulse

is in Two Corinthians? For for he says, the God of this world

has blinded their minds. That's why they cannot see the light of the Gospel.

This Christmas. Let the light of Christmas come forth, this Christmas,

like the Manual come forth, this Christmas, that's the Savior come forth,

and so on. Because why we need recovery, recovery from the blindness in

darkness, and so on, and so when Jesus was in the ministry,

there were people like this. There are law either in change or sickness.

They are either either they are they are depressed, or they had their own

issues of morality. There was this lady that came to see Jesus, or

rather she didn't come to see Jesus. Jesus sitting by the well and she

came to draw water, remember in joint of the four. He said,

Jesus asked, can I have a drink? He said, who are you?

You are a Jew, I'm a Samaritan, I'm a movement. How

can you ask? That's not the norm, that's not the norm. But

long story shot, when Jesus told her about her whole immoral history and so

on, and then what what did the Bible tells us? You know,

that's good news because why many Samaritans from that town believe in him, believe

in Jesus because of the woman's testimony. Do you have that testimony to just

share? Do you have that God's story to just share? Don't just look

at herself all the time, don't try to just all the time they do

me, me, me, me, Sorry, It is not me,

me me. It is about others who need Jesus. And are you sharing

it? The angels declare it, the shepherds declare it, the wise men

declare it. And you and I as followers of Jesus, who declared this

good news because he is the good news, and so as he is the

good news, you and I need to understand that too. So he says,

the people in the town believe because of the women's testimony. He told

me all that I ever did. Then what about this guy who had problem?

You know, he he was demonized. Nobody could handle him. He

was chained, you know, and he can break the changes on He live

the tombs and he was just shouting every day. It seems like possessed completely.

And yet when he made Jesus, he suddenly was delivered. And when

he was delivered, he said, I want to follow you, Jesus.

What did Jesus tell him? Jesus said to him, go home to your

friends this Christmas. He didn't say this Christmas and tell them how much the

Lord has done for you. Come on, come on, this is what

the right message is. You're going to give to this Christmas, come on

to tell and you know where he went. He went to decap all his

dead. Come is ten all right, all different places. Who knew about

this guy who is all the time shouting in the tombs? Now he's coming

out to shout the name of Jesus, hallelujah. And then he says,

everyone marvel how much Jesus has done for him? Okay? And then there

was this other guy thirty eight years lying down, nobody helping him to get

into the pool. And so every time when there's a stirring on the water,

there's nobody. And here comes Jesus and said, you want to be

here, but there's nobody to help me. He was still in the old

mindset. But Jesus said, come on, get up and walk, and

he started walking and so on. And this is recorded for us in John

chapter five. And he tells us like this that when this thing happened,

the man went away. What did he do when he was here? He

told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus. It was Jesus who had made

him. Well, do you have a story to tell about Jesus? Come

on. And so it's just like also the same the disciples when they started

going around and so on. They all ran away when Jesus was arrested.

But when the men when Pentecosts, they had an encounter with the Holy Spirit,

everything changed and they went about sharing about Jesus and so on. But

you know, the Bible tells us they were told don't speak about Jesus.

In many places now cannot speak about Jesus. The name of Jesus is actually

a bad word, and so on. And yet after they were persecuted,

flocked in extra the fibers forty two we read day after day, despite being

told they cannot in the temple courts, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the

good news that Jesus has come. He's a messiah. And then suddenly everybody

began to be so caught up with the news. And but there was persecution.

You read in the Acts of the Eight there was persecution. They always

sketted everywhere. But you know, he says, but the believers who were

scattered all over the place, they never stopped preaching the good news about Jesus

wherever they went. I want to say it to you, is that good

news? So part of you is that good news? So part of you

that you will share. But he said, no, I'm very shy.

You know, I'm introvert. You can give all the excuses, you know,

did Jesus give excuses about dying for you? You say, your two

batmn, your two distinct men, your two below standard. Now nobody Jesus

look at a short man climbing up the tree there, and then he would

have laughed like everybody like we would laugh and so on. But no,

Jesus said, come down, I'm coming to your place. Come on.

Jesus canceled the spirit of the rejection. Jesus canceled the spirit of low self

esteem. And if that's what is happening in your life, let Jesus cancel

it so that you have a story to tell. And every time when you

tell this story, people will know that it is Jesus who has done it

for you. And so following Jesus is like that you and you follow.

It is because he went about sharing the good news. And I pray that

as you share the good news, it's not by word only, it's by

life, it's by deed. Right, So this Christmas, if you can

even touch somebody who is so down and out, you know, in just

this last three days and received three h sad news. I wouldn't say bad

news, sad news of loved ones passing away suddenly. It's not just only

that. So pastor, Pastor uh Sandra said about this pastor, Yeah,

the mother just suddenly. Yeah. And we had a church member the mother

suddenly. Then I just got a text yesterday from a good friend of mine.

You know, he's up being Cameron. He said, I'm processing this.

My wife just died suddenly. Wow. You know, But then you

see, what is it following Jesus? Right, So that's why from that

we can turn, because Jesus will turned whatever that is said into good news,

all right, So and you and I are all part of it.

So question is This question is asked twice on in the Bible, once in

Deuteronomy chapter ten, verse twelve. Another time is Micah chapter six, verse

eight. What does the Lord require of you? And I want to add

this this Christmas? What does the Lord require of you this Christmas? What

are you saying to the Lord? I want to celebrate Christmas, praise the

Lord, But what is the right message that you're sharing? Are you giving

the wrong message at all? Following Jesus all the way is by sharing the

good news, because why he is the good news. Amen. And so

Jesus told the disciples look in. Actually, in May two, chapter nine,

verse thirty five, he says he went everywhere he preached, thought and

so on. Verse thirty six is like this. Then Jesus saw a very

big crowd following him. And then the Bible tells us he had great compassion

for them this Christmas, where is your compassion for whom? For those who

are he saw what they see harass, those who are helpless, and those

who are sheep without a shepherd. In other words, they all under the

cano. Number two, they all don't know what to do helpless. And

number three, of course you are helpless. You don't know which direction to

go. And Jesus had compassion for them. And this is what he said.

I want to tell you people this Christmas, look beyond. The harvest

is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray earnestly to the

Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into this havevest. So there is

unfinished tasks, you know. I notice a quiet number of away from different

countries and so on. I'm so glad. I always tell peoples, because

some people are tell me one thing about Malaysia that you can be proud of.

I said, there are many things. I'm not proud of Malaysia because

whenever I go over you say, they say it's wrong with your country.

Yeah, what's wrong with your country? I said, but what's wrong with

your country? Yeah? I said, you know why not? Because your

country? People must come to my country. Do you know that except for

Eskimos, I think every every people group are found in Malaysia, legal or

illegal. When I see them in prison, is an international prison? Yeah,

like cyber international. I'm not saying you're in prison, Okay, So

I mean all kinds of you. I met a Russian there, I met

a Lebanese there, I met recently a person there recently, also one Palestinian.

I said, Palestinian, what are you doing insidey you are your Muslim?

He said, no, I've given up. I want to change.

I said, wow, you want to change? What's your Name's easy?

I said, was so easy? Changer? So we were laughing away and

so on there and so. But there is an unfinished tansk. You know

you don't need to go overseas to do the unfinished task. I'm saying,

do you all around you are people in your in your orbit, in your

oi costs. Let still do not know the Lord? Are they getting the

right message? Are they getting the right message from you about Christmas? Wow?

What an opportunity this Christmas? Come on. That's the unfinished task.

And so the Great Commission is what Jesus would give to you before he left.

He says, go go, go share, I'm sending you. I'm

sending you you go everywhere, and so on. In other words, it's

the Great Commission is really not an option, all right, it is a

mandate all of us. Don't say it's for the pastors. Don't say so

the leaders. Don't say for your cellf group leaders. So sorry, it

is not like that Jesus is talking to you because your salvation is from human

Okay, so don't just say oh for him? But no, no,

no, then how did you get a salvation? Thank God? Somebody spoke

to me about Jesus. You know, when I meet Jesus, I want

to find out who is the one who went all the way to China to

a place called food Chain Province to a girl people who speak ancient Hockin and

learn the language so that it makes sense to my grandmother's family to come to

know Jesus. I want to know that person. Come on, thank God

for someone who shared with you. Come on, it's not about just anything.

No good news, great joy. The Angel said it, good news,

great joy. The Shepherd said it good news, great joy. The

wise man said it good news because Jesus is a good news. He shed

it about the good news. It's on. I'm the way the truth in

alife. Right, there's a girl people, you know what I'm talking about,

who will pray every day, five times a day, seventeen times,

asking God please show us the straight way when Jesus has already come. Wow.

Can you imagine that? So it is a mandate for every one of

us. So that's the that's a focus I want to give to you.

The unfinished task has to do with your obedience. And so you say,

but how can I say the whole world? Jesus never asked you to say

the whole world? All right, He died for the whole word. Yes,

but he is a good news for individuals and so on. And if

you are an individul who needs Jesus this morning, I want to say to

you. This is a good day for you to come to know Jesus,

all right, because this Christmas is the question is where is Emmanuel for you?

Where is Jesus for you? Where's the good news for you? Will

you share the right message? Okay? If this is unfinished, then as

I share this with you, I'm saying to you, Jesus is telling you

I will empower you. I will be present with you, but you shall

be my witnesses. You that mis a. What all you need to say

is yes, I know Jesus. How do you know Jesus? This is

what happened? You have a god story, man? Okay. The Samaritan

woman said the same thing. How do you know is a missia? Oh

he told me everything about me. Yeah, so it will be the same.

The demonian also the same. Yeah. So you have a story to

tell. Okay. I hope you are. You are good witnesses for the

Lord. Like what Paul the terrorists? I call Paul the terrorists. You

know why he terrorized a Christian. He put them in prison, He called

God them to be killed. Stephen was the first matyr. Yeah, so

he's a terrorist by any right. In today's language, he can join the

isis very clearly no problem. All right, So I want to say to

you, but when God turned him around, he became a terrorist for Jesus.

So I'm not ashamed to be a terrorist for Jesus because the Gospel exploded

in me. Yeah, that's what he is, says, The power of

God is that Dunamis. It is the Dunamis that has exploded. And so

that's why he went to so much when the prison go web, I mean

got in prison, got whip, et cetera, tortured, et cetera.

And yet finally he says, really for me to leave his Christ to die

is again and so actually for him, he says, yeah, I may

be I may be hard pressed, but I'm not crushed. Yeah. I

may be, I may be confused, but I'm I know that I'm so

sure about who he is. Right many times he said, well even he

even I should be struck down, I will rise up again. Right,

And then he says this in my weakness, I see your stranging me.

When he had this problem, he told God, ah, I want to

serve you, but so hard God never answered him. In two currents of

the twelve, God says to him, my grace is sufficient for you,

and my power is made perfect in your weakness. Every time you sense weakness,

let God's strength be done in you. Hallelujah. So a lot of

us need to step out of our can I say, Christmas zone? Okay,

all right, let's step out comfort zone? Christmas zone? Come on,

hey, Christmas is not so easy, just like that. So yesterday

when I went to visit home, I say, this guy, he's from

East Malaysia. I know he won't have a home to go to for this

Christmas. I say, you willing to come to my house just nearby?

Here? He sees he's born without limbs, I mean shot limbs and so

on. Are you so good? Now? I do? And Iman?

Are you interested to come? He said, you should? You don't invite

me here? I said, why is there a problem? She said?

Look at who I am? I said, who you are? I don't

know who you? And look at inside you? And I know him?

I said, God wants to use you. Know you Come I have a

message to share with you. So he texts me He said, yes,

I will come. So I'm expecting you on the twenty second. All right,

So he's now only the person there many others, So I would tell

you some storage liturns on. So the crucihow questions that you and I need

to ask like Paul would ask. All right, the crucial question is like

this, he says in Romans, verse nine ten says that you need to

confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and you need to believe in

your heart that God has raised him from the day. It is with the

mouth you confess, it is with the heart you believe. Then in verse

thirteen of Romans, he says, I did everyone who calls on the name

of the Lord will be saved. Okay. But then he says, but

then I have these questions to ask you for questions, how can they call,

how can they believe? How can they hear? And how can they

preach unless they are sent? Unless you will be the good news better?

All right? So when you read scriptures, you can baliate and then help

you understand a bit more. If you are sent, then they will be

preaching. They'll be sharing by word by life. Okay. If they're preaching,

people will hear. And if they hear, then what they were chance

to believe when they believe they were chances to call on the name of the

Lord. Come on, okay, tell Jesus, yes, I will do

that this Christmas. I want to be used by you so that Lord,

I want to step out this my comfort zone. I want to be used

by you in such a way. So that's how, that's the reason why

in verse fifteen is how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news?

Are you bringing good news? Huh? Good Christian men? Huh,

bring good news, good tidings of great joy? Are you doing that?

And so on? And even as I encourage you. So we have talked

about the unfinished task, but we also talk about the urgency of the task.

It is urgent timing shot all right. I remember this guy. He

his son fell in love with one of our one of our girls in the

church, and so on, and so as I was doing the rehearsal,

I look at him. I say, your son, your daughter in law,

or believe in Jesus? What about you? You know what he did?

He put his hand like this. He said, no, no,

this for them, not for me. He's a very very self made wealthy

man. All right. So I say, okay, yeah, if you

if you don't want to believe, I cannot. I'm just trying to tell

you about this good news. Two years down the line, after this couple

got married, the daughter in law called me. He said, Pastor,

please speak to my father in law. I said, you did this to

me? Why do you I want to speak to him about He said,

no, let him tell you. So I wished him in the hospital.

I opened, Wow, he's a huge, huge room now because rich Mainland.

Ah, it's single room. Opened and hello at me, pastor,

you remember me. You know what I did? Yes, that's what I

did. And then he said, do you think I have the time?

I have? I have enough time, I said, all they're talking about

the doctors told me I have two more months to live. I got terminal

cancer. I said, two months. There's a long time, you know.

Uh, there's one guy's crucified besides Jesus. Not many hours. You

know. He came to know the Lord. Come on, you can so

long story God, I share with him, long story shot. He came

to know the Lord. Long story shot. Ah, and all his all

his all the rich people that he mixed with, they already know. So

he was given one moment. Three months I had the home going I was

sharing, and those whole people already rich people, and not that I have

profit prophetic eyes. I could see. I say, I know, I

can see all of you. This person's friend, there is a question mark

on your head. Question mark on your head. They all look, how

come this guy? I know? I said, yeah, I know,

what's the question. When did this Willow become a Christian? Wow? So

I had a chance to tell the good news proclaim and so on, and

I teased them. I said, you want to play gold with him,

then you better come to know Jesus the urgency of the task. That's what

Jesus said. You know, this gospel of the Kingdom will be proclaimed,

you know, throughout the whole world as a testimony today you can get anything

and everything. You are in cyber Jaya all the time, moving cyber year.

Yeah, you see, you can get anywhere anytime, all right.

So I'm saying to you a day will come when anything that can happen will

be known. And when it's known, then the end will come. And

so he's actually very close, very close. Some of you, maybe you

go back and read Psalm nineteen, verse one to four. You go back

and read and read it in the NIV version, never in correct version.

Huh. And so when you read that, when you read that, you

just read actually when David wrote it, you're so poetic and so beautiful.

But today's prophetic because day and night, oh damn night, come on,

that's what they do. Be when the Gospel preach, you know why.

And at the same time, the devil is doing all his level best.

In Revelation the twelve verse twelve, he says, you know why, the

devil is full of fury because he knows his time is shot. And so

that's why we're seeing in greater measure criminal u crime being committed in such terrible

atrocities and so on, you know, because it come to still kill and

destroy. But the good news about it is that the Manual has come.

The good news about it is that the Savior has died and reason and so

he can give us life in all his abandonce. So there are many people

under lockdown, still lockdown in every way. And if you are on the

lockdown today, I want to say, you can be set free. But

if you are not on lockdown, then why don't you have somebody to be

free? Because Jesus has come to set me free, set you free,

and so on, come on, and so I want to tell you about

this guy. This this is in the report is in Basa. Three people,

including two Taiwanese. They were captured. You know why the guy is

standing tallers there. It's called moving. I saw him in the death row

and in three years before twenty eighteen he was arrested. The interpols after him.

He smuggled four hundred and twenty kilograms of aramine five. It's a container.

So I told him you should be hung four hundred and twenty times because

that's how bad you are. And so when I met him, he came

for our meeting in the in the prison and I was just talking to him.

He looked very sad and so on. But one day I saw you,

he was very happy. I said, what happened to you? Oh?

I said? He said, oh I, I something has happened to

me. I said, what happened to do? You? Come on and

tell me? He said, you you believe now? I said, if

I don't believe, how why do I visit the prison for? If I

don't believe that York can come to note, why do I visit you for?

He said, Oh, then look at me. Someone gave me a

Bible, because I asked for the Bible. You know, in prison twenty

four hours, one hour only given to walk around at the courtyard, and

then the twenty twenty three hours you're inside yourself because you're on death road.

They cannot go anywhere. It's on. And so he said, I read

and read the Bible. I say how many times? So many times?

I say, you understand that, don't understand? I said, then,

how come you say you have found Jesus. He said, oh, because

one day I saw these words, he says, sick and you are fine.

And I found I found who Jesus is. And then I started writing

on my cell today I found Jesus, My sins are forgiven. And on.

Then every time he reads the Bible, something stands out. You write

down trust in the law with all your heart right down, and so on.

I said, why do you write now, Because when I'm hanged,

at least the next person go inside can read the Bible. What a change,

you know, what a change. But and then he told his friends,

you know, and he wrote down there today I'm free. They all

laugh at him already as Damaso. He said, where you're free, you're

still in prison, like us and so on. But you know, wow,

in two twenty one, at the Court of Peer, three judges and

as he said, there asked the deputy public prosecutor, and he he has

admitted his guilty. You know, so what's the case? We dropped all

charges. The lawyer, who is a pro bono lawyer, asked him,

what what God you believe in her? He said, I believe only in

Jesus because he set me free. He said today you're free now and he

and he stood there. He said, how to be free? He's already

six, you know, eight years, eight years already in prisonerly and he

wants to come out. He doesn't know where to go. I'm free,

I don't know where to go. Long story shot, we got I got

up to him and then did some mentoring, helping, discipling him. You

know, he has been disconnected with his family for thirty five years. One

day he received news he said, this is my mother passed away obituary.

So he called me. He said, do I go? I said,

this is the best opportunity for you to go. Said, but I don't

know whether he's all you know, what kind of funeral? I said,

you just go if you don't know. Go So he went, and this

is what happened. He found out the mother has come to know the Lord.

And for the first time he met the rest of his other families,

siblings and so on, and he said, I was a reconcile side a

lot the damn mine condegan Marica. Wow. And he was reconciled. And

when you was reconciled, you know what happened. He says, this is

the best thing. Now God has asked me to look after all this.

This Christmas, he's bringing the whole family to church. And he said this,

some of them know Jesus, some of them don't know. I want

to pray that the good news will reach out to them and so on.

And so I want to say to you, look, this guy would tell

you right off the cause and tell you I'm a useless person. I did

this, I did this, I did this, I did this. But

I want to say to you, Jesus did this for me. And so

that's how it happened. So he attended tumbling Bible school. All right,

So today he's prepared to save the Lord. It's on. So I want

to tell you that nothing is impossible when God does something amazing and so on,

and so I when I told him, I said, hey, I'm

going to tell you a story. He said, go ahead, a pastor,

because you can tell it better than I do. Yeah. Okay,

So but whatever it is, I said, look at him. I said,

Wow, it's not about morving. It's about the good news of Jesus

that has changed his life completely. That he has become a new creation.

The old life of existence has become less and less, not disappeared, less

and less, and now the new way of living has come on. And

so this is a Christmas good news that you want to talk about, and

not anything else and so on. Okay, so that's why God is not

He's still very patient with us. He says that he doesn't want anyone to

perish, but everyone to come to repentance. So we have talked about the

underfinished tasks. We talk about the urgency of the tasks. Now we're going

to talk about your undivided commitment this Christmas. Whay is your undivided commitment if

Jesus is completely committed to die for you and rise again from the dead,

If Jesus did everything so that you will never perish, Come on, he

expects the undivided commitment from us, and I pray that this will be so

for you even as you look. When you know when when Peter was writing

to the church in persecution, he told them like this, Hey, I

want to tell you, actually I was preparing basically, I was trying to

see. Yeah. Actually, Peter, he did so many things against Jesus,

denying Jesus. And yet Jesus said, come come, I still have

worked for you to do. I still have you still have a good news

to share, because if you really love me, there's good news to share,

and so on, and so he he's got undivided commitment to the Lord

to write Verdy to the end and so on, and so he told the

church in perscusion, I want to tell you you have only one story to

tell. Once you were in darkness, now you're in the light. And

every time you say so, I thought, merriin, I said, Merrian,

everywhere you tell people, Once I was in darkness, now I'm in

the light. That's the only story. That's why you are a chosen generation.

That's why you are a royal pursuit. That's why you're a holy nation.

That's why you're a people belonging to God. You know why, because

you have only one story to tell. If you don't have that story,

you're not a chosen generation. If you don't have that story, you're not

a holy nation, you're not a people with identity. All right, So

this is a story you tell everywhere. This is my story. This is

my song praising my Savior all the day long. You know that song isn't

enough. Blessed assurance? Come on, This Christmas is a blessed assurance that

you share any he thought the Christians in persecution, you are under suffering.

You suffer for Jesus. Yes, I know you suffer for Jesus. I'm

gonna tell you in suffering share come on. So that's why you told them.

So you always be prepared to give an answer to those who persecute you.

Who asks you to give you for the reason of the hope that you

have, What is the reason of the hope that you have? Right?

The reason for our hope? What is the reason for our hope? For

today? God is saying to you, your hope is in me. Hope

in the Bible is not fifty to fifty. Hope in the Bible is certainty,

sure okay, So I hope you you catch it and so on.

And because God is you very patient and still wanting people to come. So

that's the reason for the So if God is doing that, and God is

still at work, he said what in you? He said, what in

me? All right? So let's be used by him as you work.

So be the good news. Be on the good news track, okay,

and follow him, all right, follow Jesus, be on the good news

track. And so in your undivided commitment to the Lord, you see that

everything that he will put before you is an urgent task. It's on I

like the way Martin Luther said about his own life, you know, but

before that, you know we we Therefore we're always twenty four seven, okay,

twenty four seven, not on call twenty four seven life that is about

living with Jesus, on mission with him, all right. We're always on

mission with him. And I pray that this would be so for you and

for me all the time. And let Christmas be also the beginning of many

soul even in your own life. It's all so, Martin, du does

it? I live every day? When he was asked, how do you

live every day? As if Christ died yesterday, rose this morning, and

it's coming back tomorrow. Come on, you better live urgently. Okay,

time is shot. So when my friend texts me last night, I said,

I know happened at eight thirty. My wife just collapsed and died.

And this is so sudden. Come on, every minute comes. And I

think was Jeu said, you know, this day that God is given to

us is a gift. This is the day that the Lord has made.

We will rejoice and be glad it did. Why because the day, the

day given, is a gift, but a life given is also a gift.

And so you you need the life to enjoy the time, but you

need a time to make sure that that life can also understand what it is

the urgency and day by day John sleep when he was told, you know,

come on, how come you're so passionate about Jesus? And he says,

it's like this catch on fire with enthusiasm and people will come for miles

to watch you burn. It's not a very nice sight about it, huh.

But I want to say to you that's what they do. Be for

you and for me when we are on fire this Christmas for the Lord.

I pray that it's not only just this Christmas, but ongoing. Jesus said.

Whatever it is. In the old authorized version, he says, occupy

till I come. In other words, don't waste the time. In other

words, don't waste the grace that Paul said. Into two Corridians of the

sixth verst one, he says, Therefore, I appeal to you, my

fellow workers, God's my God's fellow workers. Do not receive God's grace in

vain. In other words, don't take it and be selfish. Don't take

it and stop sharing. Don't take it and just enjoy for yourself. This

Christmas is a good news. The shepherds told everybody of what they've seen,

and people amazed. Mervin told everybody of what hasppened to him, and people

are amazed, and so on. How can you be free? It's impossible,

right and anyone looking at it. I still visit the prison and I

asked some of the guys you came in, you're on death row. How

how much of the drugs you you smuggle? My one kilo, my half

kilo, one kilo, half kilo, this one of four and twenty kilo.

He can be free? You go hold la ah, occupy till I

come. Come on, and if you occupy to you come, then we

have a process of peace that we can bring. What did Jesus said?

Blessed are the peace makers not peace lovers? We all love PIECEA Blessed are

the proactive peace maker us? You make peace? A Hello? This guy

told me, he said, I pray for my father so long I see

you won't come to know Jesus. I said, the problem is you say,

what do you mean? Yeah, okay, let me ask you.

When you do what you did for your father, is it out of love?

What do you mean sure I love you? I said, no.

Look at every time I see you with your father. The father has got

a very set face. I said, I think there's something in you that

needs to be dealt with. And so like what Ju said, there's sounds

something if you have an unforgiveness issue. So I say, ask God to

forgive you and seek forgiveness. I said. The day that I asked the

Lord for forgiveness, and God completed the cycle of forgiveness when I asked my

father for forgiveness. And two weeks later he said, my father has accepted

the Lord. Look, I mean that's what it is in the passage here

it says, we already reconcile. Are you? If you reconcile, you

can share with people and so that you also have the ministry of reconcilation.

If you are the ministry of recognition, you also have the message of reconcilation.

And if you have the message of reconislation, you are also christ ambassadors

of reconcilation. Are you catching it? If you are catching it, I'm

saying to you, whatever the circumstance, it may be difficult circumstances like what

I'm going to share finally about this person. You know, it's based on

this whole understanding the policies like this. If I live, I live for

Jesus, I live for God. If I die, I die for him.

Whether I live or I die, I still belong to the Lord that

was. I'm so sure about it. So whatever the circumstance may be.

When I first met this young man in a refugee camp, and when I

saw his wounds, Johanness, I look at him, I said, wow,

you you what what happened to you? His shoulders were slash with machetes,

his head was split open almost and he was and the extremist attempted to

behave his head. Behead him with a machette, and the wounds were all

crawling over him. He was left to die. His whole entire village was

exterminated. When I saw him, I said, what happened? I told

me. He could smile a bit, but he looked quite sad. All

the wounds have healed. I touched it. Wow, it's quite something.

And then I said, can I ask you a few questions? Yeah,

I said, the first thing that you became, well, what was your

one thing? He said? I want to look for all the weapons in

the world and look for all these people and kill every one of them because

I didn't do anything to them. We didn't do anything to them. They

came to our village, no need rape our women, kill our children,

and actually everyone, including me, I should be dead. Then I said,

then, so how he said? But you know I couldn't carry the

unforgiveness every day. It was heavior and heavior until one day I call on

Jesus, take it away. I repented and it was taken away. And

so that's why when I saw him at the refugee camp, he was already

trained as a paramedic, and I look at him. I said, yo,

honey, so how say? Yeah, I have already released my aunt

forgiveness. But that's not all this chapter one, Chapter two, two zero

zero four, twenty sixth December. You all know what that is. Tsunami

hit Achi. Two hundred and fifty thousand people died. And there was this

group of paramedics flown from another part of Indonesia all the way to Bandaachi,

and Johannes was one of them. This chapter two, I didn't see it.

This chapter two was related to me by some of our people who went

also to help out. And when they arrived, everywhere is dead bodies and

it's the smell of death everywhere. And as he sat there that night,

he was just wondering, why am I here with this team. The next

morning, his team members all went out. He refused to go out.

He said, no, these are the people who came to my village to

kill all of us. Why should I help them? Suddenly there was that

resentment that came out, and then as he as he began to ponder,

he didn't know what to do. His friends all went out. You know,

they worked so hard the whole day came back. Hey, we need

every pair of hands. And so they pray for him. I said,

lay their hands on him and pray for him, pray for him. Suddenly

he felt the finest part of whatever that is holding him back was taken away.

The next day he went out. As he went out in Badhach,

I've been there, because I've been to see people who have served there.

They only two kinds of weather, hot and very hot. If it is

very hot, he take off his shirt. And so he took off his

shirt, and then the local people started coming around him. Man, what

happened to you? He said, no accident, accident, Nah, this

all slash max. He said, no, no, no, no,

no, I said, And the Lord prompted him, said tell them,

tell them, And so as he stood there, he started telling them with

tears in his eyes. He started looking at them and said, you know,

my whole village was killed, massacred. I should be dead. I'm

here. These are wounds of slash marks, the people who don't like our

people. And as I look at them, I said, I was telling

them. I said, I missed my mother, I missed my father,

I missed my siblings. And he cried and he cried, and so one

of the guys. By then, there's a huge group gathering there. Man,

if that's what our people did to you, why do you still come

here? And as he looked at them, prompted him. I'm here because

Jesus loves you as much as he loves me. And when we look at

them, they all rush to him, They hark him. Reconcilation took place

this Christmas. Is that what happened? And I want to say to you,

this is why Jesus came. We hope you've been blessed by this message.

For more information on our church, please visit as Church Org. We

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