Can You Recognize Jesus? | Pr Sandra Chin

You're listening to a message to go from Acts Church.

We hope this message will light up your day.

I have a topic for us.

It's a familiar passage of Scripture and you know this

Scripture well. But the Lord just placed this reminder to

me and I wanted to share it with you. And

I hope you catch something for yourself. Amen.

So, well, the question is, can you recognize.

Jesus in the midst of whenever you have you know,

a storm in your life? Can you see him when

things aren't going your way? And some of us, you know,

go through challenges of not like one day, you know.

Sometimes it can be one month. Sometimes it can be

two years. Sometimes four years. And it's difficult. Some things

are difficult in life. So I don't want to water

down or think less of your challenge if you are

going through a challenge. that we do have some prolonged

waiting periods as you're praying and different things in life, okay?

So not watering down, but the question back to us

when we are in a difficult time, can we recognize Jesus?

Do we know that He's with us and that He's

in our boat? Amen. I would like to say that

when Christ is in our boat, that storm isn't, will happen.

But we will go through it with the grace of God.

Amen. Amen.

Hallelujah.

So the scripture, of course, is from Mark chapter 6.

Mark 6 · chapter mention

And verse 45 to 52, Mark chapter 6. And you

Mark 6 · chapter mention

read the same account of this in Matthew chapter 14.

Matthew 14 · chapter mention

You'll see it in John chapter 6 as well.

John 6 · chapter mention

And so you know that there's this similarity throughout the Gospels.

But I'm liking Mark 6. So I'm taking Mark 6.

Although Matthew is the only brave one, only one to

record Jesus walking on the water. But I'm not talking

about walking on water today. I just want us to

recognize Jesus. Amen. All right.

We've never seen Him, but we know Him in our hearts.

And that's what I want to encourage us.

Amen. So Mark 6, 45 to 52.

And this is the account. Are you okay?

Can you read with your eyes with me? If you

have your Bibles, turn with me to Mark chapter 6.

Mark 6 · chapter mention

Verse 45 to 52. And the passage before verse 45

was about how 5,000 and more people were fed with

five loaves and two fish.

A miracle just took place. Amen.

Nobody feeds anybody with five roti canai and two sardines,

you know.

And that happened. And these guys are like, what?

5,000 were men. But you know, when they are men,

they're going to be women. And when they're women, they're

going to be children. And the disciples took a child's meal.

All right? You know, it took a child's, you know,

five roti canai and two sardines that his mom so

thoughtfully packed for him. And he shared it, not knowing

how many people he was going to feed. The miracle

just took place. Some could be in awe. But remember,

when there are many people, some people don't even.

Know what happened. They just ate. And then, oh yeah,

I got food.

They didn't know what was going on in the front,

you know, in the crowd. And that happens in the crowd.

So we like small so that you all can see

what's happening and then grow, right, and share. And so

they've just been through a miracle. The bread was passed

through their hands. Here you go, some, and you're feeding others.

Here you go, some, and you're feeding. And you're actually

feeding people through your own hands. And then Jesus says.

You go ahead, guys. You go ahead.

Cross over to Capernaum on the Sea of Galilee.

It's really not a sea.

It's a lake. But it's a very big lake. And

they call it sea. It's by tradition because the word

lake is the word yam. And the yam in Hebrew

means lake.

Sea or ocean.

So they call it Sea of Galilee. Otherwise, it's the

Sea of Tiberias, the Lake of Tiberias. Many names.

But we're going to call it the Sea of Galilee.

So he says, you know what? The work's done to

the day.

Why don't you all hop into the boat and cross

over to Capernaum? Normally, it takes only about two hours,

three hours, four at the max, depending.

You'll get over.

And so this is the account. Immediately, he made, remember,

he made his disciples. This was a Jesus direction. He

made his disciples get into the boat and go before

him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he sent

the multitude away.

So he sent them.

On the boat.

Bye, see you guys later.

And then he tells the crowd, okay, bye, you get

your food. Ready, Phil? Food, food. Got it. Enough sardine.

Okay, God bless you.

Goodbye.

Hope the word was good today.

Amen.

Church closing.

Yes, amen. Bye.

See you next week.

And then he hops up over to the mountain. But

he sends his disciples away. Sends the multitude away. And

he departed to the mountain to pray. Verse 46. Verse 47. Now,

when evening came. So now it's like evening. I have

no clue what the evening is. Is it 7 p.m.?

Is it 8 p.m.? So when evening came, the boat

was in the middle of the sea and he was

alone on the land. Then he saw them straining at

rowing for the wind was against them. Now about the

fourth watch of the night, he came to them walking

on the sea. And he would have passed them by

and say, and walk off. But he didn't, walking off

on the water. For when they saw him walking on

the sea, they supposed it was a ghost.

Oh no. And they cried out, Ah!

And for all they, for they all saw him and

they were troubled.

Who's this walking on the water? Is it a Mr.

Whale?

Or is it, you know, a mermaid or merman? They couldn't,

they couldn't tell. So, but immediately he talked with them.

Must have been close enough because the winds were blowing,

the waves were billowing against the boat. But immediately he

talked with them and said, be of good cheer. It

is I. Do not be afraid. Verse 51. Then he

went up into the boat to them and the wind

ceased and they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure

and they marveled.

Oh my, what was this?

Walking on the water. But they had not understood about

the loaves because their heart was hardened. It's only in

Mark that says their heart was hardened. Not in Matthew,

not in John. Yeah, because their heart was hardened. Amen.

to the reading of God's Word. Amen. Alright, what an account.

As I read this, this was the word that came

to me.

Can you recognise Jesus in the time of our storm

or our trouble or when we are going through a

lot of pain?

It's very hard to see Jesus when.

Your body is in pain or you're having a terrible

migraine or you're in a real....

Bad news comes to you. You might not. You can

either see Him or you might not see Him. All depends.

on where we're at in our journey with Him.

Amen. So I've got some thoughts for us. Amen. When

we're going through challenging times, will we be able to

really the Lord in our midst or we forgot, we

get distracted by the problem, alright? And although you have

seen God work through your miracles or your breakthroughs before,

like yesterday, the bread, I mean, the five roti canai

and two sardines were fed to the 5,000 people. Now

they're in the midst of, in the middle of the sea.

And they've been rowing for many hours. And it was

just tiring.

It was crazy.

These two of, no, more than two of them were fishermen.

So at least four were fishermen. They have experience with

the sea. But even they couldn't row very well, couldn't

beat the wind, couldn't beat the waves that were below,

just coming against them right there, struggling to get across.

And it probably, if I wrote here from research, And

instead of two to four hours, it felt like.

All night long.

Uh-huh.

All night long. Oh, my goodness.

It was all night long because they must have left

at seven or six. Now, it's already coming. It's already

in the evening. So if they left seven, I don't

know what that evening is.

It could be eight.

It doesn't matter. Eight, nine, still rowing and struggling.

They're in trouble.

And remember, out of the 12, four were fishermen or more.

I don't know.

At least four I know are fishermen. I don't know

who else was a fisherman. The rest were tax collectors,

this and that. So, wow, they're rowing. So in the

middle of the storm, can we remember or do we

get distracted? So five thoughts for us and we'll go

through these thoughts. Firstly, the first sea. I've got all

of them in seas.

Trying to get all of them in seas. Okay, the challenge.

All right, the disciples' boat was in the middle of

the sea. Wind against them, rowing very hard. Have you

ever had bad news? Have you ever gone through something

where you're really trying to find a way and it's

not happening? You don't know where to turn to because

you're in the middle of the sea. You're in the

middle of your circumstance. You're in the middle of your problem.

And what happens? What do you do? How many of

us Straight away can flip up 999, 555, 333.

I don't know what number. Do we call on the Lord?

Or do we call on another human person for, well,

maybe comfort at least first, to get comforted and then

maybe ask for help. I don't know what that circumstance

could be for you. When the doctor released the, when

we did the last check on my dad, this is

about three years ago, and said, oh, your dad's in

fourth stage cancer of the bones. I think I just,

but maybe it's my personality because you can tell me

bad news and I'll look at you and go like,

say again. Alright, like, speak English, you know. And this

old man, whatever, doctor, he's like, looking at me, he

was really irritated. I thought he had very bad, bad

side manners because you shouldn't break news like that. People

would think, you know, the patient there, my dad is

so blood, you know, like what, you know.

So I said, can you just break it down?

Yeah.

Fourth stage cancer.

You know, you know, you know, you see the hospitals

in SJMC, there's a word there, some radiotherapy, don't know

what lah.

I still don't know what he's talking about and he

was really rude.

And then I looked at the younger doctor and he

was really ashamed at what was going on.

Can you make it simpler?

What is it? This big word. And then, you know,

they say to you like that. Like, every day, everybody's

having cancer.

Yeah, I know.

But not every day. Everyone is like that, right? And so,

that news came. I really didn't know how my dad

took it. Because dad being dad, sometimes he's blur. Go

to hospital, he switches off. Like, I don't want to

be in hospital.

Maybe that's good.

And so, I had to explain to him what was

going on. That your four-stage cancer, you know, the whole...

Don't know L, whatever's eaten up already. That's why you're

in such pain. That's why you can't walk. So we're

going to get help for you. When you're alone in this,

when you're at that time, I'm alone wheeling my dad out. No,

I didn't go to pieces because it's just my personality.

Okay, so what's next? What should we do?

Jesus, you know, who I wheel him out, met my

husband and my spiritual parents there and just said, this

is what's happening. And they told me I need $ 20, 000.

to get this done, like tomorrow. No way, I don't

have $ 20, 000. You know, and it felt really difficult. I

don't know what was going through my dad's mind. But

you know, when you get news like that, or you,

I had so many bad news, like we lost our home,

with my dad, I don't know what he did, we

lost our home.

That's it, no house, you know, no house, what are

you going to do? No, mother has to, you know, just.

student, mother has to think what to do.

It's bad news. You're in the.

This boat is in the middle of the sea and

who's going to help you?

I tell you, you run to and fro.

And if you run to and fro, you will get

into stress and high blood pressure.

Already blood pressure going up. Worse, right? All kinds of things.

I don't know what news... I wouldn't belittle the news

that you might have. Whether your exam results come out

not great. You're hoping for scholarship for the next thing.

I don't know.

This is different things.

I don't even want to name them because I've not

lived that long. I've lived long. But I don't know

what kind of things you've gone through. So our boat

is in trouble. My house, my me, I'm in trouble.

How do we get out of it, right? So there's

a challenge. The wind is howling and blowing at you.

You're wondering what is going on. What should have taken

four hours? Like, hey, just deal with it. No, it's

going on more and many more hours. But I want

to say to us, the other C is that Christ

sees us.

Christ sees us. No matter how.

You feel God is not with you, He sees you.

I got to remind all of us, He sees us.

I know you might be going through very difficult times,

but you know.

He sees you.

And I tell you, how do you know He sees

you when you couldn't recognize that He sees you? He

says He sends the right people towards you. Whether you

like them, you want to tell them, it's another story.

But God sends us people that will come to be

the one who will lift us up or the one

who would help us divide what that problem is, open

up the situation so we can find a way out.

Christ does see us because in this account, the Lord

was up in the mountain. The people were in the

middle of the sea and.

He saw them struggling.

He didn't fly down immediately to go and save them.

I wish He would.

Sometimes we just.

Say, just now, Jesus, please. Just do it now, please. Right,

don't need to test me anymore. But it's not that

He's testing. I guess life has a path when we

need to walk in it. And it builds us up

either to fully trust in the Lord. So we start

off as we hear, we worship this morning and being

reminded by our chairman, you know, God has done everything

for us so we can come. But not only us

coming to the Lord, the Lord comes to us first.

He came first to us. And so Christ saw them

at that point of their need. And I want to

remind you again, they were already struggling the whole night. Rowing,

trying to row with winds and waves. Bad news coming

to you left, right and centre. And you're straining in

the midst of your storm.

Praise God if you've never had to go through a storm. Hallelujah. Amen.

But at some point of our lives, small little storms

can cook up in a small.

Sea of Galilee of our lives.

Alright. Sea of Galilee is not the ocean. It's the

lake for crying out loud. And still there was a,

I don't know whether it was a spiritual attack or whatever.

Then the storm is blowing and this is nothing, this picture.

The reality is there was just blowing at us. All

kinds of things going on. I You know, I can't

tell you so many other things of what others have

gone through, but I have to say, sometimes left, right, centre,

everything is crumbling. And I just have to say, when

it feels like there's an attack on your life, our

Lord sees us. Be patient not to pick up from

your situation and run on the other direction. getting away

from what you've, because you don't know what to do, right?

Stay in the boat. Don't jump off the boat, you'll sink.

You ain't gonna walk on water, okay?

Because it's tough.

So Christ does see us. It's recorded here that He

saw them straining and it was in the evening time.

I really, looking at the 8 p.m.

Kind of situation, maybe it was a, If there's a

fourth watch, there may have been a third watch. But

it says, about the fourth watch of the night, he

came to them walking on the sea.

Friends, you know what?

And what time is the fourth watch? Not number four watch,

but the fourth watch. It's about, in the next slide,

it says around 3 a.m.

To 6 a.m. in the morning.

I tell you, when you wake up at that time,

you really get angry, right? When you wake up at

3 a.m., you're like, why am I... Because this is

when you go to deep sleep. But it's also at

these hours that Jesus was praying all night long. He

had an all-night prayer. Whoa! From when He left them

by to now about the fourth watch, which is already

coming up to dawn, 6 a.m. This kind of hour,

3 a.m. to 6 a.m., gives you a picture that.

The answer does come in the morning. You know you sing.

That song, I'm trading my sorrows. There's something that says,

but joy comes in the morning.

It has a verse to that, I'll get there.

But that turn in your life usually looks like a

3 to 6 a.m. where we say your last push

on that one more push of prayer, of intercession or

just praise or praising. or giving thanks to the Lord

even in the midst of your storm. Amen. I'm serious. 20,000,

where was I going to get 20,000 overnight? I don't

have that kind of money. I don't even know what

treatment it is. He said radiation, radiotherapy, whatever. I also

have to try to read up or ask different ones.

You know how I said Christ sees us? Do you

know a complete stranger called me the next day? I've

never met the person before. Don't know who.

Calls me and say, hello, your father's supposed to do radiotherapy.

I said, yes.

He said, do you know what it's all about?

No.

Do you know that there's two types of radiotherapy?

No. And he said, come, come, come, I tell you.

I said, I know that I need 20,000 to do this.

And he says, you don't need 20,000. There is a $ 20, 000,

but looking how old is your dad, he's 83.

Not many years.

To live, right? Yes. Maybe you can do a cheaper

one because even if you pay $ 20, 000, there's no guarantee

he will overcome that because it's already eaten up. And

this person just explains the whole journey to me.

It costs less than.

$ 20, 000. And he said, you go and ask for that

when you get to the hospital again. And I went

for that. But I have to say, the miracle of

the $ 20, 000 came. Someone banked in the money. God provides.

Because I have a lot of bills to pay, but.

20,000 immediately cough out like that? I don't have lah.

So I told the surgeon, I don't have 20. Now

cough out.

When I told this person, I don't know who this person, Samu,

you don't have 20. Samu, you have to borrow lah.

Aiyo, please lah.

I don't know who this person is. No hospital.

I tell you, government hospital, nobody call you one, no?

You call them lah. They call me. Don't you think

our crisis, that I'm lost, that I don't have 20,000 yet?

And some stranger by the name of don't know what today,

I don't know his name, Chinese chap, bloke, calls me

and explains the whole thing. I think Jesus saw my

lostness and opened the door so that I knew what

steps I could take. He sees us. And in that watch,

Christ comes, my next C is the comes. He came

for me.

He comes, but.

it's the 3am to 6am. These are the unearthly hours

that some, you know, don't know lah, maybe some of

our older people here will know, those days our churches will.

Say, early morning prayer.

What prayer you call that? I don't know what prayer

you call that. Do some prayer, you know. And we

used to wake up early morning and go to church

to pray, you know. Not at 3 lah, but maybe

left house at 5 to get there by 5.30 to

morning prayer. Morning watch, they call it. So this watch,

this prayer time, Jesus, used to wake up every morning

very early before the break of day. He stood up

and he prays. And he came at that watch to

the people. Somebody, if no one's praying for you, Jesus

is because He makes intercession for us every day before

the Father. So I don't know if you're praying for me,

but if you are, thank you. But if you felt

no one is praying for you, don't you dare say that.

The human flesh.

Maybe we all forgot you, but Jesus never forgets you.

He sees you.

And I know it's taking a long time. Where, where

is my breakthrough? But He makes intercession.

Intercession before the Father for us. Just that His ways

are higher. God's ways are higher. His thoughts are higher.

Trust and lean on the Lord. He comes. So when

you're in your 3am and 6am, you're about to just

give up. I want to say don't throw in the towel.

Please don't. A turn of the corner is going to

happen at some point and the morning will come where

you're Peers will be turned into joy. But we go through.

What happens when we come through that? I tell you,

you will have joy. Your testimony is powerful. That's why

you get to share those testimonies. Because you experience His supernatural,

whatever that need may be, but not necessarily the answer

that you wanted. But He gives you an answer. Not,

I don't know how to explain God. I'm still far

from knowing everything about Him. But I can see him

opening small doors. My dad didn't make it. My dad

went home to the Lord after the whole radiotherapy. But

he had a relief for a few days. In that

same week, he went home to Jesus. But I have

to say, God's ways are not our ways. God's thoughts

are not our thoughts. He provides and He leads us.

And I know. I know what God does for us.

I want to say to us, church, There is a challenge.

But our Christ sees us and He comes to us.

He did not ask you to come because He already came.

We just come. Some things are very let down, you know.

Sometimes we feel very let, like someone let us down

so badly. If God loved me, He wouldn't have done

it this way. I know so many times, if God

loved me, if God knew, why did He Can't explain it.

God love me. Why did I lose my home? I

couldn't get my further education. Just had to go out

to work and still got a further education by working

and studying. Right? Do I get angry with the Lord?

You can do all that. But sometimes you feel let down.

I want to just speak into your let down. You

feel let down by somebody. Maybe even by God himself.

I want to say, don't get angry with God forever.

He knows you felt let down. He knows the pain.

But He's also near to you to lift you up.

Not in the way that you want that thing to

happen this way. Because He always has a better way. Always.

And I'm so grateful for every time that He never

answered the way I wanted it. I'm here today. I

would have been a different route, you know that. all

the wrong roads I could have taken and given up,

but he kept me even though I didn't want and

didn't understand.

I'm here today, here with this.

Family and wider family in the globe because he knew

one day there will be a two-day. I couldn't see it.

The pain was terrible. The choices was... Crazy what I made,

choices that were bad, but yet God provided the way

out for me. Amen. So He comes at the fourth watch.

And so this fourth watch is a thing for us

as well. I have another message. It's called the waiting.

It is a waiting time. So believers and the beloved

of the Lord, there is a season in our lives

we have to wait. please don't give up and say,

I already ate so long, give up. No, just one

more lah, one more lah.

Take a deep breath.

And just wait because you still don't know what to

do and you're going to either run to and fro

with like a headless chicken thinking what to do and

asking every Tom, Dick and Harry what to do.

But they also don't have answers.

Remember, only the Lord has answers for us and the

Lord is compassionate to you, to you. we just wait

a little while more, can or not? Just, yeah, the

storm lah, yo, this is not happening. But could you

just wait and keep your praise up and make your,

that's why I say, our walk in Christ as followers

is not a click of a hand that, ta-da, this

is over.

Why do we sing?

We do these songs and it's, sometimes you sing it

10 times over the whole month and then.

You scold the worship leader, same song every time.

But it's when the night comes that you ring out

that song that you suddenly remembered. Oh yeah, I remember

that song. I have decided. I sang it a hundred

times there. Your past is even forever leading that song.

But then suddenly you dig out from the inside. You

just have to pull out what's inside. And you sing,

I have decided.

To follow Jesus. No turning back.

It just comes. A song in the night has to come.

That's why we sing the songs that we do and

I tell them, repeat it a hundred times.

I don't care.

I cannot remember all the words now. You know, the

words are very long. Very long, the songs.

Now is the days.

Now is the days. And so I end up singing

the same old songs that I sang when I was

a kid. Not a kid, like a teenager, still singing.

Because it drummed in over and over. As a worship leader,

I sing same. Now we look back and go like,

my boring worship leader singing the same songs. But it

became a bank of songs, a bank that now I can,

deposited now, I can take out. And then that song

comes in my darkness, in my boat that was in

the willowing, billowing sea and ayo, you know. Sometimes it's

just some song will have to come. It could be

one verse. It could be one line. But that's the

song that carries you through. A song in the night.

The Lord, the Holy Spirit is so alive in us.

And if you feed and you deposit spiritual songs, those

songs will come out again. That's how we work.

Why do people write songs? I know they fall in love,

they write songs, right? They lose a lover, they write songs.

I don't know what songs.

We have so many cultural songs, fall in love songs,

fall out of love songs. I can buy myself flowers,

don't buy me. Why did it hit, don't know where,

so high? Because, you know, I'll buy you flowers. Because

somebody must have been let down, so fed up with

some guy who let her down, right? Miley Cyrus, whatever name.

I can buy me some flowers. You don't need to,

but I can talk to myself, yeah. That's how fed

up some people must be, that you come out with

a song that I can buy myself flowers.

Don't you dare buy me some flowers. We write songs

out of what we went through.

How about spiritual songs?

Church! Do not look at those songs and go like,

what song is this?

Try to find the good in it and deposit those

songs so that one day it's going to come out.

And so I'm asking the worship group to please don't

give us long grandfather story songs.

Give us songs we can sing and remember.

I need it. But you, 10,000 lines, I cannot remember.

Then I think, I think, and then nothing comes out.

Then I might as well sing Rasa Sayang. Eh, Rasa Sayang. Okay. Yeah,

you just need those songs. And I say, the Lord

comes to us in a song. He comes to us

in a word. It could be a card. It could

be a devotional. It could be the word of God itself.

It could be a text message from a brother or sister.

I mean, suddenly, you know, you write to someone, and

you say, eh, how come you write to me, eh?

You know me.

The Lord quickens that verse for you. That's why I say,

can you recognize the Lord? It might not be Him. No,

but it comes. I think we seldom recognize when God

is showing us all the signs. I think there was

a movie called Bruce Almighty or something. And all they said, God,

show me a sign.

All the signs were showing him, don't go there, don't

go there.

And then he went there. Then he fell.

Don't go there, I can't see you.

We're always expecting a loud thunderstorm voice. I tell you,

when the loud thunderstorm voice comes in, you get scared.

But he gently speaks to you. He whispers to you,

shows you signs first. Maybe it's just like, jalan sehala,

you know, then why show me jalan sehala?

Because only one way to Jesus.

Amen. Bukan banyak jalan, one way only.

Then you, I don't know what God's talking to me.

One way.

Don't go there. I cannot read. Maybe the Lord is

speaking to us. Not everything, but at the time of

our storm. So don't despise your 3am, 6am. Some of

you wake up this kind of hour, pray. Essentially, you

don't always wake up this hour, pray in the Spirit,

pray in tongues. Holy Spirit is going to lead you

to pray. Maybe not for yourself, but could be somebody.

Who's in trouble.

And as you pray, you're just sending out these prayer

missiles to that situation. cover that so-and-so that you don't

know yet until you get the news.

So this hour, the Lord prays. He woke up very

early to pray.

And then the breakthrough is just around the corner. Amen.

And He sees us.

He comes to us at the fourth watch. Don't give up.

Don't turn around and walk away because if you don't

know what to.

Do when you're in a situation, don't step out of

your boat yet. Wait. Wait.

I say on the Lord, wait and be strengthened.

Because if you don't know what to do, you are

going to go into a wrong direction. And we've gone

through this. So many people have gone through that. We've

been through that. But every time we waited for a

little while more, then the joy comes in the morning.

Something turns for us. Amen. Amen.

Christ comes fourthly.

When the Lord comes, one of His encouragement is to

take courage. I am here.

What did the Lord say to the disciples? Do not

be afraid. Take courage.

I am here. Oh, you cannot see it. Even though

you cannot see it, the Lord is still working. Right?

Way maker, miracle worker, the Lord. I can't see. He's

still working. He's still working. But you cannot see.

So not because He's working in secret.

It's just that because we can't see. That's it. We

choose not to see. We're blinded by our situation. But

take courage.

And again, I say, I know people who have waited

a long time for their breakthrough. And they waited. And

they waited. And they wait upon the Lord. And they

just trust the God. They have no... Okay lah, what else?

I try everything also cannot one. So just trust God lah, right?

Try lah. Okay, trust God. You have to make a

way for me. I spoke to someone yesterday. I can't

give you the details. I wish I could but she

was stuck in a situation because of the choice she

made She was locked up. You make a decision or

we will keep you here for the next five years.

She just came to know the Lord and she said, Lord,

give me three signs, get me out of here. I

can't believe it. She said, let it rain, let the

lights go out and the door open.

It's chained up.

The Lord did it. It rained, the lights went off

and the chains broke off. She walked out. Miracles still happen.

Miracles still happen. Just, which is our storm lah. Some

people storm more, bigger miracle ke, I tak tau lah.

I said, you cannot be serious. I walked out.

Just like, Book of Acts.

Peter, eh, walking out. Door open. lights went off, rain came,

walked out. We need to hear this to encourage ourselves

because we are not locked up somewhere, you know, being

told whatever, we have freedom, but we are locked in

our different problems. Could we say, Lord, I'm your child.

You've got to deliver me. Amen.

You got to show me the way out, Lord. You

got to open that door.

Amen. Amen.

We must want that miracle. You know He's watching.

You know He never leaves you.

And He comes. Then, Lord, you got to show up

for me. I'm in the deep. Just like I don't

know how to help my dad. This is for stage cancer.

What do I do? We don't have nothing. Show up, Lord.

Show up.

Show up, Lord. He shows up. Amen. I have to

keep reminding us all We never ask daringly for bigger miracles.

Pastor Lazarus, I shared in another message. Pastor Lazarus travels

from Pretoria to Haberoni, Botswana.

Pretoria is South Africa. Botswana is country.

You know, the state, country, city, Haberoni, Pretoria, South Africa,

driving up and down to preach in London, in Botswana

church service.

He started, he planted ex-London.

So then he goes back, now he plants, you know,

he wants to plant something Whatever, he's always blunting something.

All right. He travels up and down to preach in

Haberoni and goes back to work in Pretoria. And one time,

he's crossing borders. One time he was driving the car

and then he's tired, he's late. And then the border

says you can't cross. For some reason, they're not going

to let him cross. And then he's like, man, it's

so late. I got to work tomorrow morning. And they're

waiting and they're waiting four, five hours. And then he

just suddenly thought, you know what, waiting lah. Then he

just said, okay, I had enough. I had enough of this.

Then he got angry and said, Lord, I'm your child.

If I'm your child, you're going to.

Make a way for me and you're going to get

me back to Pretoria.

I ain't going to sit here all night long to

wait for the border control to decide. And he just

courageously drove like through, I don't know. I just remember

him driving and then somehow they let him go.

Nobody else could go. They let him go.

I don't know.

But he got angry. Like, hey, I'm your child. I'm

doing your work, Lord.

Come on, Lord. You cannot do this to me. Help

me out. Somebody help me out. So he waits and

then he drives and he said, just like that, they

dropped and he went off. 3 a.m.

To 6 a.m., bros. Come on.

You have to say something to the Lord. Not rudely angry,

but just, Lord, I'm your child. I can't. I can't

be waiting here. I've got to work tomorrow morning and

I went there to serve you, Lord.

He comes.

He sees us.

He comes.

Take courage, brothers and sisters. Take courage for He is

here with us. Take courage. If you really want to

walk on water, then you ask the Lord. Call me, Lord,

and I'll walk.

Are you there?

Then you keep your eyes on Jesus. Don't look at

the boisterous wind. You just look at Jesus all the way.

But take courage.

I'm here.

Take courage.

We are going through tough times. Take courage. Wait upon

the Lord.

Amen. And just... Hold on, hold on to Jesus and

let Him walk with you. That's what we do. Every

day we hold on to Jesus. I don't know what

your circumstances are. Even if you got yourself into trouble,

you made the wrong move. Even those days and those times,

you ask the Lord, please help me. I made a mistake.

It's my fault.

There will be consequences, but you need that miracle.

Ask the Lord to help us.

Amen.

And fifthly, when you take that.

Courage to trust Him and you wait, Jesus comes into

your boat, into your situation and that wind will have

to cease. That is the power of the name of Jesus.

That is the power of Him being with us in

that boat. Amen. The wind of your situation will have

to cease and it has to be still. And also,

if you recognize who you are in Christ, there is

an authority over your life. You also speak into your circumstances.

Sometimes we are begging, please, you know who you are,

God's child, If situations coming at you, then in the

name of Jesus, I declare.

Just stop.

That sickness, that wind, that.

Accusation, just stop.

Especially when you've repented, you've checked your heart, clean hands,

pure heart, done it. You've walked right before the Lord

and things happen. Even if you found, I made that

mistake and you repented and the storm still comes, I

think you need to stand up and say, Lord, I'm

your child. I've repented. I'm walking on that straight road.

I'm going to speak to that mountain or that storm.

It has to go. Because Jesus, you're.

In my boat.

The wind has to cease. Those voices have to cease.

Those distractions have to cease. I just want to see

me walking with the Lord into my breakthrough. A lot

of things in our lives are very spiritual because where

there is natural things going on, there's also spiritual parallels.

Don't just accept everything that's natural. Oh, yeah. Yeah, no,

oh dear, oh dear, yeah, just come to me. No,

you stand on the other side as the authority of

Christ and say, Lord, your promises to me is that

by your stripes I'm made whole. Amen, amen, I'm made whole. Lord,

it says that you will make a way even in

the desert. You will cause streams to flow in the desert.

I'm in the desert, Lord. Lord, you better help me

come out with that stream. Lord, cause the streams to

come in that desert. Lord, the door's closed. I'm waiting

for so long. Father, I declare that door be opened

in the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus.

He did not give us like nothing to battle through.

He gave us the Word of God. He gave us the.

Sword of the Spirit. He gave us faith. Faith in

our hearts to trust Him.

Many of us daily, I know not every day is

going to be, you know, like, yay, miracle immediately.

The miracle will come.

But many days, we also need to walk by faith,

not by sight. To see that healing or to see

a promotion or to see, you know, relationships being healed

or how to deal with this person or that person.

How to humble ourselves also. Church, we also need our

part to humble ourselves, to deal with different people. We

could be the people of the same faith. It could

be people in your church. It could be your office,

your bosses. You also must walk in that humility and

then knowing your authority in Christ and knowing who is

in your boat, Christ, then walk in the Lord and

stand your ground depending on what that circumstances is. But

when Jesus is in the boat, That wind or that situation,

that busyness and distraction needs to come. Calm down. Give

you a breather and see a light in that pathway. Amen. Amen.

Jesus came into the boat and the wind ceased. And

do you know what? It's so strange because in John

John 6 · chapter mention

chapter 6, He says when Jesus got into the boat,

because they were struggling so long, and then he says

immediately they crossed over. Like without too much time, they

reached to the other side. Not another four hours, you know.

I don't know.

I don't know what to make out of it. When

you read the Bible, you have to have.

Some imagination and some taking it literally. Got into a

boat and immediately they reached the other side. While they

were straining the whole night in the middle of the sea.

Got in the boat, immediately they reached there. That can

also happen for you. Struggling for so long and then

he just picks you up and you're there already. You

can expect your breakthrough in that manner. You don't think like,

even if Jesus is in my boat, I still have

to row, row, row.

Your boat is very long.

But maybe you push a nice wind, you reach there already.

So I pray that the different struggles and the different

challenges or if something is in your way, that the

Lord will also be with you and the Holy Spirit

will stir up that faith in your heart to trust

Him and to move forward. in the way of the Lord,

in His direction. Amen. Hallelujah. God is for us, not

against us. Never feel that God is against us. Someone

said to me, I think God is just against me

because everything left, right, centre, all negative. I cannot say

lah because I don't know what happened to that person.

I don't know what they did. I'm like, I cannot

see left, right. I couldn't answer. I just say, oops.

But I just know God is good at all times.

Even though left, right, centre, things are dropping down, But

I still have life. I still have a choice I

can make to make it right by my trust and

by my faith. And I'll declare, Lord, left, right, center,

everything negative, all the doors closed. But Jesus, you are

my open door. You said you are the door. Remember

that Jesus says, I am the door? You just have

to say, Jesus.

You are the door.

You're the only door I'm going to walk in and

through to my eternity. When I say eternity, it's not

about tomorrow when you go to heaven. I'm talking about

the eternity, the thing that you need now. Your breakthrough now.

You're the door. I'm walking through, Lord. You got to

do something for me. The door. I've been waiting and

I'll continue to stay in the... Because I don't know

left or right, but I'm waiting. But you are the door, Lord.

Bring me through that door. Seize the busyness, you know.

The noise everywhere. And then I'll wait on you. We

need that assurance. Every time we come, we gather church,

wherever you're seated this morning. You might not be in

the storm, but if ever a storm comes, you will

know what to do. Because the Lord will bring that

song to you.

The Lord will bring that word.

And reminder to you. And you don't have to feel

down for too long. Sure, we all go down for

a little while. And then we come up and knowing that, no,

God has not let me down.

He's in my boat.

Amen. And those winds will have to cease because he's

the authority over my life. Unless Jesus is not the

authority in your life, you better make him the authority

in your life. Who's really the king of your life?

Who's sitting at the seat of your, the throne of

your heart? Is it really Jesus? As far as I

can see, every time he's the Lord, he makes a way.

He has to because he's my Lord. He's my master,

my creator. He cannot, he cannot take me anywhere less

but the best.

His best.

Amen?

Hallelujah.

And this is the verse that comes to us, Psalm

Psalms 30:5

30 verse 5. Weeping may endure for a night, remember,

in the middle of the sea, but joy comes in

the morning. Amen.

So you're trading your sorrows. Don't just sing it.

Sam sings it a lot of times. I'm trading my sorrows.

Trade lah. Come on, just trade it, man. Here, take it.

I'm giving my sorrows. I'm asking for joy.

Yeah, a closed door.

Take the closed door and give me that open door.

Take my sickness.

I'm taking back my health. Take that brokenness in me,

my broken heart. I'm asking for a healed heart. I'm

asking for second chances because I failed once.

Trade it. Stop keeping it. Trade it. Trade it because

it's not meant for you. Trade it. I don't want

to sing a song and not mean it. I'm trading

my brokenness.

I'm trading my cancer.

I'm trading my inability.

I'm trading my stubbornness. I'm trading my pride for obedience.

I'm trading my pride, whatever. I just want a breakthrough

in Jesus, not any other way. eternal it's forever amen

so if if there has been some weeping brothers and

sisters I would encourage you there will be joy that

comes in the morning don't give up Holy Spirit who

abides in you He never leaves you He never forsakes

you He is your helper hey you and I cannot

afford helper you know from wherever but we have a

helper Holy Spirit He helps us at all times. Amen.

So you have a helper.

Don't ever say, no, I don't have a helper. You

have a helper. It's the Holy Spirit. He helps you.

Did you ask Him the last time when to help you?

He helps you. He really does.

Amen. Stop saying, I don't have a helper. Yes, you do.

You have a helper.

It's not from the Philippines.

Or from Indonesia.

You have a helper. I can't afford it. You do

have one.

You have one. You have one.

You have one. You all have a helper of the

Holy Spirit living in you. Help. Ask Him to help you. Amen.

And He really does help us. I want to encourage us, church.

I don't know when there will be a storm, not

a storm.

If you're in a storm or a closed door or

you're waiting for a promotion or you're waiting for a

new job or you're waiting for, you know, just good

news from the Lord, something Because He doesn't want to

see you suffer all the time. In this situation, we're

all in different circumstances. Because I also know there are

people who are living in persecution every day of their lives.

But even in that, they found joy. And their miracles

are beyond us. You want to get the big, you

want to get the miracle, you have to live like

that lah. Like, they're going to lose their life and

suddenly God swoops them out then translates them somewhere else.

Or this friend, this new friend I met that just says,

I don't know, the door opened, I walked out. Walked

out and they can't find her. I want to experience

that lah. But if I want to experience that, I

have to pay the price lah. Go through really tough time. So, amen. Amen.

Number one, there's a challenge. There will always be a challenge.

Somehow lah.

Something might like to challenge us one. Again, Lord. But

be assured that our Christ sees us. He sees us.

He's not like, I'm not going to help you. No.

He sees us and He comes in.

The fourth watch of our lives. He comes. Amen. He comes.

Always comes.

If not, you go lah. I'm coming, Lord. But the

Lord says, I'm here.

Amen.

Take courage. Take courage. I'm here with you. And then

he steps into your boat.

Make space.

Make room for Jesus.

Amen. Come on, don't just sing, I will make room

for you. Are you sure you want to do whatever

he wants to? Because when he does whatever he wants to, oops,

renovation change. The bathroom not there.

There.

I will make room for you to do whatever you

want to.

Are you ready? Are you ready for Him to do

whatever He wants to? But it's a better way. And

it's a higher way that always gives you just such

a great sense of hope, assurance, and anchor of your faith. Amen.

I want you to learn, Church. I want you to

learn as I am learning as well. I don't just

sing songs. Make it real for me. Trade my sorrows

for God's joy. I trade my brokenness sometimes. Very hard

to be a pastor sometimes also. A lot of pain.

I need to trade it. Come on. Eternity is so big.

I'll trade it. It's okay. Just trade it for joy

in God. I don't have a lot of treasures on earth. Lord,

I'm trading my lack and that you'll make me full always.

I don't have a perfect family. I'll trade it for

your peace and your joy. Let God perfect that which

He began in you. Amen. Amen. Let Him come into

the boat and you ride the waves with Him.

Those waves will have to calm.

Down and the wind will have to stop. Nice wind,

okay lah. You know, the crazy wind, stop. Your weeping

will turn.

Your joy comes in the morning.

Amen.

We must learn to walk by faith. We must learn

to exercise our muscles.

Amen. Every day you turn on your hygiene, they're telling

you how much protein to eat. 25 grams, everybody. You

eat three eggs.

Now, one egg, Greek yogurt and whatever.

I don't know. Hey, take this and weights in and

all that. Do the weight thing, right? Every day you

turn on. People are teaching you what to do. I'm

telling you, this is eternal word of God. This is

the kingdom of God principles. No yogurt, no protein is

going to help you. Now, how many times at the

gym or walking you want, I know those are healthy stuff,

go lah, I also have to do lah. But spiritual muscles,

same like natural muscles. How spiritual muscles, spiritual muscles is

not by carrying the weights, you know. Spiritual muscles is

taking that storm.

And pray lah.

Your prayer will build your spiritual muscles. Your, in Jesus' name,

will build your spiritual muscles. Your obedience, your bending, your bowing, your,

yes Lord, I will humble my heart and my pride.

Those are spiritual muscles.

I go and say sorry. You know, I don't like

your face about, okay lah, sorry.

I apologise. That's building spiritual muscles.

Aiyo, You hurt me real bad.

But I forgive you. Why do I want to forgive

someone who hurt me? I forgive you. I forgive you.

Those are spiritual muscles that you and I are building.

Don't like your face, sorry.

I know because there are times when you and I,

we won't do it because I don't like your face.

But that's spiritual muscles to just put your pride down.

Bend.

Take a deep breath.

And accept people as they are. They're not going to

look like you and me. That's your spiritual muscles. You're

already building your muscles.

One more.

Come on.

One more lift. One more.

I don't know what.

Your push-ups.

I don't know. People have very big muscles here and there.

Got you on your flat tummy.

Fat belly.

All those menopause women got flat belly.

Fat belly.

Now what?

Flat belly.

Okay.

I don't know. You know what?

It will take forever to lose the belly.

But come on.

Let's have a belly full of the Holy Spirit. The

rivers of living water will flow.

Spring up, oh well.

Oh, I'd rather have a springing well of joy and

hope than.

Just a flat belly. For who? For your own self only.

I look great.

But does anyone feel you? Has anyone received a kindness

from you? Has anyone felt your forgiveness? Has anyone felt

your love? Because all I'm busy about is having a

flat belly. Eat my proteins. I tell you what, you

and I need spiritual muscles. We need spiritual protein.

Come on, church.

We got principles in the kingdom. Don't just do your

natural out there. And I know a lot of you

here are giving up carbs and all that.

I just want to be thin. I don't know why

you want to be thin.

But anyway, come on, build spiritual muscles. The kingdom of

God has principles. I just shared with you a few principles.

Jesus is in your boat, you're trusting Him. Trust is

a spiritual muscle. Waiting in the boat is a spiritual,

is a spiritual muscle you're learning. Amen. Learning to praise

Him in the midst of your storm is another spiritual muscle.

That song in the night, pulling out a song, God

gives you a song, you begin to sing.

That's a spiritual muscle that you're building.

Or forgiveness.

Or kindness.

Or saying sorry to somebody. You'll see, They were saying,

you know, oh, Tai Chi walking, all my pain went.

I want to tell you, maybe some of us have unforgiveness. Forgive.

And your pain, your physical pain will literally go. Because

spiritual unforgiveness will bind your health. Come on.

Forgive your mom, your dad, your best friend. Forgive yourself.

Those are spiritual muscles to build. That's the protein you need.

Aside from whatever else. Amen. Come on, church. God is good. Hallelujah.

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

information on our church, please visit xchurch.org. We are also

active on Facebook and Instagram. We're believing that this week

is going to be a good week ahead for you.

God bless.