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The Sermon on the Mount’ standard gets higher and higher. When we have achieved a certain standard, the Lord will give us a higher standard, and the purpose is so that our spiritual lives will improve more and more. In Matthew 7:1-12, the Lord Jesus raised the standard even higher. Today, let us reflect on kingdom righteousness living. Matthew 7:1-6 reminds us we must not judge others; in Matthew 7:7-12 the Lord prompts us to pray without giving up.

I. Do Not Judge 7:1-6

In commanding us not to judge, the Bible is not telling us to cease from using our ability to discern, on the contrary, Christians must exercise discernment. We must know what is right and wrong. In Matthew 7:15, Jesus wants us to distinguish true from false prophets. 1John 4 tells us `do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God’. We must distinguish between various spirits. There are times we see something wrong and we point it out, but others would caution us: `Do not judge.’ Actually, that is wrong. The word judge has a negative meaning, it means to intentionally malign someone, to backbite or condemn someone. But when we point out a wrong, we are not judging, we are simply giving warning or suggestions.

In saying do not judge, Jesus was cautioning us from maligning, backbiting or condemning others. He was not forbidding us from making correct assessments or constructive criticisms. Let me remind you that when we are tempted to judge others, we must learn to stand in their position and apply those words of judgment on ourselves first. We must ask ourselves: `If others say that of me, will I be able to accept it?’ If you say you cannot accept it, then please cease from judging the same of others.

Rev. Morley Lee said every one of us has weak spots and blind spots, but we must be careful not to have dirt spots. Weak spots are areas where we are weak, blind spots are aspects we fail to see, dirt spots however are sin. We have blind spots, that‘s why it is easy for us to judge others. May the Lord help us because we do fail to see what others can see. When others do things differently than we do, we must not judge too quickly. In vv.3-5, the illustration about the plank and speck aims precisely to instruct us regarding having proper perspectives.

This parable teaches us that all of us have blind spots, aspects of our lives that we fail to see. When David committed adultery and murder, he seemingly did not realize his sin at all. When the prophet Nathan rebuked him, the prophet narrated a parable: “There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him. Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.”

David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this must die! He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.” Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man!” David was dumbfounded. He rebuked others but couldn’t see his own sin. Isn’t this our very problem, even of our nation? We accuse others of corruption, but we ourselves are greedy for money. We condemn corruption but we ourselves engage in corrupt practices.

When I was preparing this message, I asked for the Lord’s mercy upon me. Often, I stand on this pulpit teaching others, but many times, I am rebuked by my own messages. When we demand justice of others, we must examine ourselves, too! We must remember that we are more similar than different to our fellowmen, meaning, the problems we have are more or less similar to that of others. Your problems are also other people’s problems, your struggles are also the struggles of others. When we see the weaknesses of other people, do not be quick to judge, because before long, you too will be judged.

Verse 6 tells us that though we are not to judge others hastily, we must exercise discernment. The truths in the Bible are comprehensive. The Lord said do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs, because not only will they fail to show gratitude, they may even turn and bite you. The dogs referred to here are not the domesticated ones, but wild savage dogs, and the pigs refer to wild pigs. They embody wicked people who not only refuse to listen to the truth, but even oppose the truth and persecute those who preach the truth. The Chinese say, “People of different inclinations cannot work together.” Of course, people with dissimilar aspirations will take differing paths. They cannot work together. We must have discernment. On one hand, we must not judge hastily, on the other hand, we must not easily compromise; instead, we must establish clear positions of our own.

II. Persevere in Prayer , Do Not Give Up 7:7-12

This passage is about prayer. The main thought running through these six verses is `persevere in prayer, do not give up’. Let us first explain the composition of this passage: Verse 7 is an invitation. The Lord said, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Verse 8 seems like a repetition, but it actually is not; it is a promise. Verse 7 is an invitation, verse 8 is a promise and here lies the power of prayer. We pray because the Lord had promised us that if we ask, he will give to us; that if we seek, we will find, and if we knock, the door will be opened. The Lord for fear that we will not believe, gave us verses 9 -11. He explains this truth through an illustration about children asking for bread. Verse 9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Verse 10 “Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?” 11 “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”

Earthly fathers are not perfect, yet they do their best to grant their children’s requests; how much more our Father in Heaven who is perfect and all-powerful, won’t He help his children? When we study this passage in parts, we begin to understand its structure. Verse 7 is an invitation (to pray); verse 8 is a promise (the power of prayer); v.9-11 is a guarantee (assurance in prayer). The Lord will certainly answer our prayers, but the way he answers may be different from our expectations. How does the Lord answer our prayers?

1. In His Time

God is God, He is in absolute sovereign control of everything. He has his own time frame. When we pray, the Lord answers us according to his own good time; even if it may seem like bad timing in the eyes of men. The story of Lazarus is a story that portrays this truth clearly. Lazarus fell ill and was about to die. Martha and Mary asked Jesus to come but not only did Jesus fail to go to him immediately, he in fact arrived two days late. When he arrived, Lazarus had already been dead for four days. However, Jesus said that it was so that God’s Son may be glorified through it. God’s glory was powerfully manifested in the resurrection of this four-day old, dead and decomposing man.

Do you believe that God’s timing is the best? In Genesis, when Joseph interpreted the cupbearer’s dream, he asked the cupbearer to remember him and help him get out of prison, but the man totally forgot. As a result, he remained for two more years in prison. Such injustice! However, after two years, he was summoned to meet Pharaoh, and ended up becoming the prime minister of Egypt. If he had left prison two years earlier, would it have been easy to find him then? Thousands of years ago, there were no TV’s, no telephones, no internet, it would have been extremely difficult to find a person. The Lord let him linger in jail for two more years and in the end, the Lord demonstrated His glory.

2. In His Way

We may pray, but the Lord alone is the God who does marvelous things. He answers our prayers according to his ways. Sometimes, his ways may be totally different from our expectations, because the Lord’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts, the Lord’s ways are higher than our ways. Paul prayed that he might travel safely and smoothly to Rome, but he went there in chains. Sometimes we want to have a son, but we give birth to a daughter instead. Sometimes we want a daughter, but then we get a son. Let us simply believe that the Lord’s ways are best, accept it by faith!

Joseph was sold to Egypt by his brothers, but after 13 years, he became the prime minister of Egypt; not only did he save the whole of Egypt, he even saved his whole family. When his brothers sought his forgiveness, he said, “Do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.” The way God works is totally different from our way. He doesn’t work according to our ways, He answers our prayers according to His way.

3. God Uses the Method of “No but Yes”

Sometimes God uses the method of ‘No but Yes’ to answer our prayers. What does ‘no but yes’ mean? Paul said there was a thorn in his flesh. What was this? There are many interpretations, but this thorn brought Paul much suffering. Paul prayed and prayed. He prayed three times that the Lord may take it away, but the Lord seemed not to answer. In the end, God told him, `No’, but added, “My grace is sufficient for you.” The Lord meant that He was not going to take away the thorn but He would give Paul enough strength to cope with it. And so, the thorn no longer became a problem for Paul, because the Lord’s grace helped him overcome the difficulty. This is the meaning of `no but yes’. Sometimes, it may seem as though the Lord does not answer our prayers, but in its place He grants us grace to be able to face our problems.

4. God Makes Use of Your Obedience

Some people say: `Prayer will not change God’s will, it will only change the person who is praying.’ Let me modify it this way: `Prayer will not change God’s eternal, predestined will, but it can influence the time frame for God’s fulfillment of his will.’ In the Bible, we see that because of men’s prayer, God delayed the execution of his plans. Jonah’s story is the clearest example of this. The Lord wanted Jonah to go to Nineveh and announce that after 40 days the Lord was going to destroy the city. But Jonah was not willing to go and seemingly it was because he hated the Ninevites since these people were Israel’s enemies. However the fact is Jonah wanted to see Nineveh destroyed. Then, why wasn’t he willing to go? Jonah knew the Lord all too well, he knew that the Lord was a God full of mercy and compassion; he knew that the Ninevites had only to repent, and the Lord would postpone his judgment. That is why Jonah headed for Tarshish instead.

And Jonah was right, for after the Ninevites repented, the Lord heard their prayers and put off the destruction of Nineveh. Prayer will not change God’s eternal, predestined will, but it can influence the time frame for the fulfillment of his will. However, it is vital that the man who seeks the Lord in prayer be obedient to His authority, acknowledge His sovereignty, and seek His grace and mercy, just like the people of Nineveh did. Simply put: `God answers the prayer of a man who is obedient to Him.’ Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane can be called the best example of a prayer of obedience: `Not my will, but yours be done.’ What great obedience this showed! The Lord Jesus was Almighty God, did he have to obey? He was equal with God, did he have to obey? But the Lord said: `Not my will but yours be done.’ Can there be any prayer more submissive than this one?

May the Lord help us. Let us not be quick to judge. Let us persevere in prayer, and not give up.

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Today, let us study Matthew 6:19-34. These 15 verses instruct us regarding two issues: 1. how to solve the problem of money and 2. how to solve the problem of worry. Money and worry are two of life greatest problems. Here, Jesus teaches God’s children on how to handle the problems of money and worry:

I. How to Solve the Problem of Money v. 19-24

Jesus gives us a “do not…but instead” principle regarding how to handle money. What is the `do not’ here? He says do not store up for ourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. And according to Jesus, what should we do instead? He says instead we must store up for ourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. Jesus counsels us to store up treasures in heaven rather than on earth; for treasures on earth are but temporary, they depreciate in value and cannot be brought along with us when we die.

In contrast, treasures in heaven are eternal. Jesus wants us to reorder our values, in such a way that we do not allow ourselves to become slaves of money, but instead be masters in control of our money. We must not attach too much importance on the present life, rather we must live for the next life. The Bible is not against our possessing wealth, but it warns us against putting our trust in money. 1Tim 6:17 “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” This is the value we must have of money. Sometimes, we see people wearing branded clothes or driving expensive cars, and immediately we would judge them as people who love the world. Actually, a person’s love for the world cannot be gauged from his material possessions. Greediness and materialism is a question of the heart. I hope you understand that everyone’s values are different. Branded clothes and expensive cars are not the main issue, what is important is where your heart is; for where your treasure is, there your heart will also be. We all agree that money is good. Money has at least three kinds of drawing power:

1. Money itself has drawing power – “The rich has more voice.” Is this true? We do not have to go far, just look at Philippine society. Many organizations are led not only by the talented but also by the rich. The more money you have, the more powerful your voice will be. People would listen to you more. Although the Church isn’t a social organization, but the rich ones among us undeniably do receive more attention, this is the drawing power of money. However, I hope rich believers will not only draw people through their money but also through an exemplary life.

2. Money has purchasing power – Money is good because it increases our buying power. If you have money, you can buy whatever you want. Many years ago, people said: “Money is not all-powerful, but without money, it is difficult to do anything.” As long as you have money, on the material aspect, you can have anything. Money is good!

3. Money gives people power – What kind of tickets do you buy when you take a plane? Economy. When Cebu Pacific gives special promos, we become so pitiable – we wait by our computers from morning till evening. But if you have money, you can just book first class. First class customers enjoy special privileges. They are allowed higher weight limit for their luggage, they ride in luxurious first class cabins and are given superior service. As a first class ticket-holder, you simply walk in when you board the plane while everyone has to cue up in economy class. Money can avail us many privileges.

Because money brings a lot of privileges, it blinds people to its true value. Money must be viewed with spiritual perception. This is what verses 22-23 teach. When our spiritual eyes are unhealthy, our whole body will be full of darkness, we will not be able to see the true value of many things. Money has value only on this earth. When we leave this life, money loses all of its value, unless we know how to invest it in heaven. Money is not evil. Investing is not wrong either, but we must not allow money to enslave our hearts. Our hearts can certainly become bound by money.

Verse 24 warns us of this. Who is the master of our hearts – is it God or mammon (wealth)? “The Old Man and the Sea” is a famous novel. In the story, the old man caught a big fish from the sea; it was so big that the boat couldn’t contain it. This was the old man’s greatest accomplishment in life, but how could he bring it home? The old man tied the fish to the boat’s tail-end and started for home. However, a shark appeared and started to bite the big fish. The old man took his oars and fought the shark. After a whole day’s battle with the shark, the old man lost all his strength. In the end, he decided to let go and the shark ate the fish up. By the time he arrived home, only a skeleton was left of the fish. The old man hung up the skeleton and let it sway in the wind. Then he went home and slept. The fish was too big it wouldn’t fit into his boat, and so it was devoured by the shark. Isn’t it the same with money? We have so much money that it seems inexhaustible, but still it gets spent away and nothing’s left in the end. Let us ask the Lord to give us only enough to keep our hearts from becoming greedy. Use money wisely, invest it in eternity.

II. The Problem of Worry 25-34

Worry is the disease of the modern age. We are a generation of worriers. We don’t know how to trust the Lord. Jesus tells us, “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.” Two kinds of worry are indicated here: 1st, there is the worry about life – what to eat, what to drink. We worry about our basic needs. Then, there is worry about living – what to wear. We worry over the things we need for daily living. Life comes from God. Since the Lord gave us life, won’t he give us what we need for life?

When I was young I often heard my mother say: “Heaven created man, Heaven will take care of man.” In the past, mothers had more than 6 or 7 children. In those days, they didn’t have house-help and they didn’t have much economically, yet their children grew up fine nonetheless. Nowadays, with the first child, a woman already complains: `So difficult.’ With a second child, she’d say: `Life is difficult.’ If the husband wants another child, she’d say: `Go have one yourself.’ Why? Our worries have increased. We worry about what to eat, what to drink, what to wear, about the children’s education, and so on and so forth. The more we think the more afraid we become. But the Lord said, “Who of you can add a single hour to his life by worrying?” Of what use is worry? The Lord said, “See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.” The Lord is reminding us that if that is how He takes care of the birds of the air and the flowers of the field, which neither labor nor spin, and do not have eternal life, how much more he will take care of us, his children. Don’t you think he will take care of our life and our needs?

Jesus concluded, “You of little faith!” This is an issue of faith. Verses 31-32 tell us that our heavenly Father knows our needs. If we review the 300 years of Church history, we will feel ashamed because after doing so, we will realize there hasn’t been a single Christian who had to beg for his food. Christians were very diligent, not only did they not experience lack, they helped others, including the Romans. O Church! We must leave good examples and be debt-free people. Brothers and sisters, many times we worry about our material needs because we want too much, we would even borrow money to buy things we desire, and so we end up deeply in debt. If that is the case, who wouldn’t be worried?

In Matthew 6:33, Jesus tells us a secret: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” To seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness is the secret to overcoming worry. What is the kingdom of God? The kingdom of God is wherever God’s power is clearly manifested. When a man trusts in the Lord, he will naturally submit the lordship of his life over to God; when that happens, God’s power will be manifested in his life. What is God’s righteousness? This is God’s will, God’s justice. When a man is willing to obey God’s will, he will not lack; the Lord will supply his needs. The Lord supplies the needs of men for three reasons: 1. They are God’s children 2. They really have a need 3. They are willing to use God’s given resources to help those who are in need. Verse 34 concludes “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” It is indeed not easy to overcome worry, let me share three principles:

1. Learn to live simply – Do not desire to have everything and life will be simplified, our worries will also decrease. Have you ever thought about your retirement? When you reach 65, you may still be able to live for another 20 years. How much money do you think would be needed for your daily subsistence in those twenty years? Singaporean researchers said one would need at least 1million Singaporean dollars, which would be about 30 million pesos. And so, people work extremely hard in order to set aside money for their retirement years. Actually, the experts are wrong. A person won’t need that much money in his retirement years. When a person reaches 65 and beyond, do you think he would still maintain his present lifestyle? At 65, would you still be able to eat abalone, roast pig, prawns…; sometimes, we are misled by all the advertisements. We think that if we don’t buy a certain thing, taste the latest delicacy, then we are missing out on something. We have been deceived. Young people love to drink coffee, and it has to be Star-bucks or UCC. Why? Not because the coffee is specially good, but because it is specially expensive. These young people, taken in by advertisements, feel like it lessens their status if it is not Starbucks. Actually, we have a choice, we may or may not choose to patronize the products or certain brands, but if you feel like you cannot do without them, you have already been deceived.

2. Have the attitude of a steward – Actually everything is not mine, including my money, my clothes, my car, my children…everything has only been entrusted to me by God. He is the true master, not me. If you have this attitude, would you still worry? Let me share a testimony. The Lord knows my heart, I am not boasting. The Church use to lacked a lot of things, and back then, when I saw that I had what it needed, I would bring out the item and let the church use it – my camera, my video cam, my computer, etc.; because I know everything is from the Lord. If we have such a perspective, we will not worry too much.

3. Have a correct concept of the Last Days – Do you believe that the Lord will return? Do you believe that the Lord will return anytime? If you truly believe that, then your lifestyle will be transformed. Many believers live as if there is only this life and no future life. What do I mean? They say they believe there is a God, but they do not live as if they believe there is a God. Let me ask you a simple question which you must answer sincerely from your heart: “Are you working hard for your retirement years or for your home-going (to heaven)? Many people work hard for their retirement years, but retirement is not the Christian’s last goal in life. Our last goal is going home to heaven. Some people save a lot for their retirement. How about us, what have we done for the kingdom of heaven? This life is but a journey, do not spend too much time worrying about this life’s gains and losses. Do not forget we are a people with a promise of eternity.

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Today as we study Matthew 6:1-18, let us reflect on three things: 1. Giving 2. Prayer 3. Fasting. Why do we need to study these three matters together? These three things are covered by the same principle.

Matthew 6:1 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.”

This principle is very evident, one that Christians must live out. Then verse 2 says “So when you give to the needy…”; verse 5 “And when you pray…”; verse 16 “When you fast…” Clearly, Jesus used three illustrations in verses 12-18 to teach us that we must be careful in whatever we do; especially our good deeds, that we must not do them for show, to earn praises from men, or we will lose our reward in heaven. When we give, we must give generously; when we pray, we must pray fervently; and when we fast, we must fast properly.

I. Give Generously (2 – 4)

Giving is a very important teaching in the Bible. From the Old Testament to the New Testament, we can find many scripture passages regarding giving. God’s will is that we help people who are in need.

Deuteronomy 5:11 “There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.” There will always be poor people in the land. If the Lord has blessed us abundantly, we must help those with less in life, especially if they are our brothers in the Lord. Psalm 41:1 “Blessed are those who have regard for the weak; the LORD delivers them in times of trouble.” When you give to the poor, the Lord will repay you when you find yourself in need, too. Proverbs 19:17 “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done.” To lend to the poor is to lend to the Lord, the poor may not be able to pay you, but the Lord himself will repay you and he will even add on interest. The Bible by no means opposes believers from giving. After we become Christians, we must use our money to help those who are truly in need. However, the Bible, is opposed to hypocritical giving.

1. Do not announce it with trumpets. What does announcing with trumpets mean? It may refer to an actual blowing of trumpets. The Jews blow a trumpet to summon the people to an assembly. The hypocrites blow their trumpets, and before a crowd, they announce: `We must help those who are in need.’ For example, after a flood disaster, they will blow the trumpet and call for an assembly, saying: `We must donate and help those poor people.’ They would even make the first contribution, but the Bible tells us these people are intentionally seeking honour from men. We must understand there is nothing wrong with blowing of trumpets, with giving to charity, nor calling out loudly for men to do good, but what is important is the motive behind it. Are our hearts pure? When we give, we must give generously; when we give, is there any other motive behind our giving? If so, we are being hypocritical.

2. Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. This is an impossible thing, how can the left hand not know what the right hand is doing. We all know that whatever we do, it is not our left or right hand commanding itself to do things, our brain is the one giving the command. This is but a metaphor to caution us about our giving. When we give, we must not seek to broadcast it , but do it quietly and privately. We must give with a pure heart. But we ask, should all giving be done anonymously? How about in cases when some people wish to give in memory of their parents or to be a precedent for others to give?

Brothers and sisters, we must not become legalistic. What is important is the motive of our hearts. If we become well-known for the Lord’s sake or famous for encouraging others, then, that can be pleasing to the Lord. Some people give anonymously and that is very good. But some anonymous-givers maybe the most arrogant people around. Some anonymous-givers look down on those who do not give anonymously. They feel they are more righteous by being anonymous-givers. We must understand it is not giving anonymously or not that is the issue, the motive of our hearts is the issue here. When we read the bible, we will discover that it mentions names of some people, while some names aren’t mentioned at all. The widow who gave two mites and the little boy with 5 loaves and 2 fish were not named. Mary, who poured perfume on Jesus, was mentioned. We see therefore that being anonymous or not isn’t the point, the point is why we want our names mentioned? Why do we want to be anonymous? Are our hearts pure?

II. Pray Fervently (5-14)

There is nothing wrong with giving, and neither with praying. We may pray in the church, but when we pray, we must truly pray. Prayer is not a competition. Prayer is not letting others see that we know how to pray. Jesus said that when we pray, we must not love standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to pray. Devoted Jews pray at specific hours three times a day. But for some reason, certain people happen to always be by the street corners when the time for prayer arrives. Street corners are where many people pass by, thus, everyone can see them and hear their prayers.

Jesus said these people intentionally want others to see them because they want the praises of men. They want men to commend them as godly men. Jesus advises us against such conduct, instead, to pray sincerely when we pray. When we pray, especially before a group, Jesus alerts us against two temptations we may fall into:

1. Pray with fine-sounding, spiritual-sounding words. Prayer laden with fine-sounding adjectives and terms may project a depth we want to show, but it is not prayer. Sometimes, pastors can be tempted in this manner, too. We tend to add on many bible verses and spiritual-sounding terms to make our members feel that their pastor can really pray well; but this is not praying at all, it is but an act. Jesus said when you pray, we must pray fervently. Do not turn prayer into a public show.

2. Prayers cannot be too short. We think short prayers sound deficient, so we try to put in many different terminologies to make our prayers longer, in fact we add theological terms thinking it is a good way to make the listeners feel that our prayer is full of substance. But we forget, we are praying to God, and the Lord will not be moved by our high-sounding phrases nor will He be shaken by our imposing theological terms. If a public prayer lasts for more than five minutes that is already too long. A three-minute long prayer is more ideal.

In verses 6-7, Jesus teaches us two principles on prayer:

Be sincere– pray in your room: Jesus said we must go into our room, close the door and pray to our Father who is unseen. Does this mean prayer can only be done inside our room? Of course not, prayer in your room means private prayer. It means out of men’s sight. Praying outside refers to public prayer. Jesus tells us that our private and public prayers are to be similar. We shouldn’t lengthen our prayers just because we are praying before men. The first principle in prayer is sincerity. Both our private and public prayers must be sincere.

Have substance – avoid repetitive prayers: Are repetitions really forbidden with prayers? Didn’t Jesus teach his disciples to pray often and not give up? When Jesus prayed thrice in Gethsamane, did he repeat his prayer? We can repeat our prayers, but the point here is that we must not deliberately repeat a prayer over and over, thinking that by repetition it will garner not only men’s but God’s attention. Unnecessary repetitions in prayer do not help one bit. However, it is alright to pray lengthy prayers; in the Gospel of John chapter 17 , Jesus uttered a long prayer, but He did not repeat any statement in his prayer. Lengthy prayers are alright but it must have substance.

Found in Matthew 6:9-13 is what we call `The Lord’s Prayer’. Actually this is not the Lord’s prayer, it is a prayer pattern which the Lord gave us. An actual prayer of the Lord is found in John 17. In `The Lord’s Prayer’, there are three vows and three petitions.

We had studied this before. If you weren’t able to hear the message on the topic, you may purchase a CD or VCD from the church office. Today, let us study only one phrase from the Lord’s Prayer: `Our Father in Heaven’. For the Jews, this was a new concept. The Jews call God, Almighty God. They do not call God the Heavenly Father. But we call God our Father. He is our Father, He loves us, He takes care of us, He disciplines us, because He is our Father. When we ask from our fathers, as long as it is reasonable, fathers as fathers will do their best to give us what we ask for. Sometimes, even when our requests are unreasonable, out of love our fathers may still grant us our requests. When we ask from our Father in Heaven, He will surely grant our prayers as long as it is in accordance with His will. However, sometimes we may have to wait. When we pray we must not forget He is our Father in Heaven!

III. Fast Properly (16 – 18)

And then Jesus said, “When you fast…” Giving, praying, and fasting are all spiritual disciplines. Jesus is not against our giving or praying, but Jesus opposes false godliness. The Jews observe regular fasting days within each year, such as the Day of Atonement, or national fasting and prayer day; sometimes when the nation encounters calamity or crisis, they will call for nationwide fasting. Fasting is a spiritual exercise. Fasting is observed for the purpose of giving oneself to prayer, not to lose weight. Fasting means to abstain from food and give oneself fully to prayer, to seek God’s guidance and blessing regarding a specific matter or problem. During Jesus’ time, this spiritual discipline became a form of self-exaltation. While before, it was a sign of humility, it gradually turned into a means for self-glorification.

Today, we do the same thing! There was a time we have what we call Sunday Dress Code. We dress up in our finest attires and try to look our best as a way of showing reverence for God. However, gradually, it became difficult to tell whether we are doing so in true reverence for God or to join a fashion contest. What is our motive? On the other hand, what also is our motive when we dress casually to attend worship services? If our motive is so that men will notice us, then it is hypocrisy.

Jesus told those who fast, “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done n secret, will reward you.” Jesus tells us not to show off, not to look somber, not to disfigure our faces in order to attract attention to our fasting, with the desire to be praised for a godly deed. Jesus wants us to understand clearly what our motive for fasting is. Who are we fasting for – for God, for ourselves? If we are truly fasting for the Lord, we must conduct ourselves as in ordinary days, do not look somber, carry on as we normally do. All spiritual exercises can become an opportunity to show off, but such exercises would be in vain.

The main thrust of Matthew 6:1-18 is: do not confuse true godliness and godliness-for-show. We must ask ourselves a practical question: `Who am I trying to please with all my spiritual exercises (Bible-reading, prayer, giving, fasting…etc.)?’ When we examine ourselves honestly, we may find our hearts disturbed, however, it is then that we begin to truly face ourselves. These whole passage contains the following verses:

`v.4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.’

`v.6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.’

`v. 18 so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.’

Jesus reminds us again and again that our Father sees what we do in secret. He sees and knows everything, so if all that you are doing is for the Lord, then you are blessed, because the Father will reward you. Are you seeking men’s reward or the Lord’s pleasure?

The post Sermon on the Mount (7) – Give Generously, Pray Fervently, Fast Properly (Matt 6:1-18) appeared first on Christian Bible Church of the Philippines.

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In the first of this series on David, we studied whether David was qualified to be chosen by God or not, and we concluded that he was indeed qualified. For:

1. David was someone whose inner being matched his outer appearance. Not only was David physically good-looking, he had a heart that loved the Lord deeply.

2. David was a charming person. David had five admirable characteristics: a. He played the harp well. b. He was a brave warrior c. He could speak well. d. He was a fine-looking man. e. The Lord was with him.

In the second message, we reflected on David’s victory against Goliath. It was David’s first victorious battle. We described his accomplishment as a brilliant feat that amazed whole world.

Today, let us examine the toughening that David’s life underwent.

After David won the battle against Goliath, he officially entered life’s arena. From a lowly shepherd, he turned into the nation’s hero. However, this lasted for only a short period of time. Before long, he became Saul’s greatest enemy. For at least ten years Saul pursued and tried to kill David. Yet this period became a time of great training for David. Chinese philosopher Mencius said that whenever heaven wants to give a man some great assignment, it will first refine the man’s willpower, allow him to experience fatigue, hunger and suffering, turning everything against him. It does this to test his will, firm up his disposition and develop his skills.

This statement is truly applicable to David. The Lord dealt with David in this manner, allowing him through a period of refinement in order to equip him for the great task of ruling God’s people. From chapters 18 to 21, we discover that the Lord used four kinds of human relationships to refine David, for interpersonal relationship is the best method for refining a man.

In the seminary I used to attend in Hong Kong, the dormitory rooms had 2 or 3 beds in them. These beds were either double or triple-decked. So, there would be 6 to 9 people living together in one room. I tell you, just the daily routine of using the bathroom is a great learning experience. If you do not exercise patience, love, and humility, you will surely get into fights over the use of the bathroom. Some people would be in the bathroom more than half an hour. It was truly a time of mutual learning as Proverbs says: As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. That is also the way between friends. Human relationship is one of life’s greatest way of toughening us.

After David defeated Goliath, the Lord placed four kinds of relationships into his life:

I. David Served Under King Saul: Allowing David to Learn Submission

After David defeated Goliath, Saul kept David with him and did not let him return to his father’s house. This is recorded in 1 Samuel 18:2. According to 1Samuel 18:5, “Whatever Saul sent him to do, David did it so successfully that Saul gave him a high rank in the army. This pleased all the people, and Saul’s officers as well.” Obviously, David was very faithful and submissive to King Saul. He was willing to serve under Saul. But we must not forget that a few years back, Samuel had already anointed David as king before his whole family. There is a saying: “One mountain cannot hide two tigers. One nation cannot have two kings.”

It was not easy for David to submit to Saul, in fact, David knew the Lord wanted to remove Saul from the throne. If you were David, would you submit to Saul?

Let us bring this nearer to home. The Lord commands wives to submit to husbands. Wives, do you submit to your husband? If spiritually, and in terms of abilities and skills, you are more gifted than your husband, do you submit to him? It is very difficult, isn’t it? The more capable a woman is, the harder it is for her to submit. Sisters, my advice is marry someone who is compatible with you. This will help make submission easier for you. Brothers, please remember two things as you look for a wife – first, her personality; second, her ability. If she has a good personality, then married life would be blessed for you both. If she possesses exceptional abilities, then, the family will prosper in every aspect because a gifted woman will help you establish your family. But a very able wife will find it hard to submit to her husband, this you must understand. If you marry a woman with great personality and abilities and knows how to submit, you must truly give thanks.

David was a man of good character. David was also a talented person, yet David submitted himself and served under Saul. The Lord taught David submission and humility through the situation. Before David, there was a great prophet, priest, and judge, called Samuel. As a young child, Samuel was left in the temple to learn how to minister before the Lord. 1Samuel 3:1 “The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli.”

This sounds simple, but it wasn’t at all simple for Samuel to submit to Eli. For Eli was already an old and careless priest; besides, the Lord had already told Samuel that at the right time, He will destroy Eli’s family and put Samuel in his place. If you were Samuel, knowing that the Lord will remove Eli and make you the new priest, will you still submit to his leadership? Will you obey him? I believe you will not for in your heart you will think, “From now on I will no longer listen to you, you will listen to me.” But Samuel continued to submit to the old priest, Eli. This is true submission! We must learn from Samuel’s submission to Eli, and David’s submission to Saul. Let us not use man’s methods to promote ourselves, await the Lord’s timing and opportunities; as James 4:10 says “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”

II. David and Jonathan’s Friendship: Allowing David to Learn True Love

1 Samuel 18:1 “After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself.” 3 “And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself.” 4 “Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt.”

From his youth, David had not been valued by his family. Do you still remember how when Samuel came to Jesse’s House, David was absent because his father did not think it necessary to call him? His father seemed to have forgotten that he had one more son. David’s brother also treated him harshly. That is the circumstances in which David grew up in. But after David stepped into life’s arena, the Lord gave him a dear friend, King Saul’s son, Jonathan. From the above passage, we can see how Jonathan took the initiative to show David real love. David, who had been deprived of love as a child, found love in this dear friend. David learned what true love is because Jonathan showed him true love.

1. Sacrifice: We must not love only with words, but with action. Jonathan was in a much higher position than David. He was the prince, he was nobility, but he made the first move to extend friendship to David, he became one in spirit with David, and even gave him his robe, tunic, sword, bow and belt. These were his weapons but Jonathan gave them to David. This was true love. One day, my wife and I were discussing about how a church member was kind to me; my wife added, “It seems like he has given you everything he has.” True love is sacrificial.

2. Defends: When Saul started to be envious of David and sought to kill him, Jonathan was the first to come to David’s defense. 1Samuel 19:4 “Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, `Let not the king do wrong to his servant David; he has not wronged you, and what he has done has benefited you greatly.’” 5 “He took his life in his hands when he killed the Philistine. The LORD won a great victory for all Israel, and you saw it and were glad. Why then would you do wrong to an innocent man like David by killing him for no reason?” A true friend is willing to stand up and defend his friend. Jonathan spoke up for David. Later, when Saul decided to kill David, Jonathan stood up and defended him once more, earning Saul’s ire and having a spear hurled at him. Saul made it clear to everyone including his own son that anyone who dares to defend David will be killed. Jonathan risked death for his friend. Let us understand that a true friend is not double-faced, but a courageous one who stands up to defend a friend. We have lived many years in this world, but how many friends do we have who would stand and speak up in our defense?

3. Encourage: 1Samuel 23:16 “And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God. 17 “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “My father Saul will not lay a hand on you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this.” This was the last time Jonathan and David met. Jonathan told David, “Don’t be afraid…you will be king over Israel and I will be second to you.” If Jonathan had said don’t be afraid, after my father dies, I will become king and I will make you second to me; it would had already been admirable. However what Jonathan said was, “Don’t be afraid…you will be king over Israel and I will be second to you.” What a friend, what an encouragement! How uplifting!

Jonathan’ love melted David’s heart. 1Samuel 20:41 “David got up from the south side of the stone and bowed down before Jonathan three times, with his face to the ground. Then they kissed each other and wept together�”but David wept the most.” Before, we see the great love of Jonathan, but now, we find David wept the most. We can say that whereas earlier Jonathan loved David more; now, David loved Jonathan more. When a person feels loved, he will reciprocate. If you feel your spouse does not love you enough, is it because he/she has not felt your love for him/her?

III. David and the Israelites: Allowing David to Learn to Earn the People’s Respect

After David killed Goliath, he became the people’s hero. He became the star of the Israelites. V.5 “Whatever Saul sent him to do, David did it so successfully that Saul gave him a high rank in the army. This pleased all the people and Saul’s officers as well.” V.30 “The Philistine commanders continued to go out to battle, and as often as they did, David met with more success than the rest of Saul’s officers, and his name became well known.” V. 7 “As the women danced, they sang: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.”

David was loved and respected by the people. How did David gain such respect? Killing Goliath was a start, but sustaining the people’s respect and admiration was not that easy.

When pastors and ministers initially arrive in a church, there is a honeymoon period during the first 3 years, especially when the church has gone without a pastor or pastors for a long time. When you first arrive, everyone will love you. But after 3 years, the honeymoon is over. A Christian survey reports that on the average, American pastors stay an average of 5 years in a church, while Chinese pastors stay an average of 6 years. Meaning, every 5 years, American churches change pastors, while Chinese churches change pastors every 6 years. After the honeymoon is over, it no longer becomes easy. After killing Goliath, David earned the love and respect of the Israelites. Let us study the Bible’s explanation:

Verse 5 “Whatever Saul sent him to do, David did it so successfully that Saul gave him a high rank in the army. This pleased all the people, and Saul’s officers as well.” Verse 14 “In everything he did he had great success, because the Lord was with him.” Verse 15 “When Saul saw how successful he was, he was afraid of him.” Verse 30 “The Philistine commanders continued to go out to battle, and as often as they did, David met with more success than the rest of Saul’s officers, and his name became well known.” Note that the word “success” was used to describe David four times. In Hebrew this word meant wisdom which brings success.

After David defeated Goliath, he became the nation’s hero. David was very clever and perceptive. Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” There is no true wisdom apart from the Lord. Verse 14 “In everything he did he had great success, because the Lord was with him.” Proverbs 15:6 “The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.”

The Lord is not with the proud. Do not become proud just because of a little achievement. The Lord set David before all the people, and the people loved him. The women sang and praised him: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.” Proverbs 27:21 “The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but man is tested by the praise he receives.” This was a test for David.

Brothers, when God exalts you, you must be careful. It is a test from the Lord. Do not become proud. Remain humble before men, earn their respect. Once you become proud, then you will fall.

IV. David and Saul’s Envy: Allowing David to Learn How to Face Persecution and Opposition

Saul was pleased with David (v.5) but this was only for a while. After Saul and David had defeated Goliath and returned home, the Israelites welcomed them with singing and dancing, they sang: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.” From that day on, Saul kept a jealous eye on David and became his greatest enemy.

When the Lord called Samuel to Jesse’s house to anoint one of his sons as king, Samuel said: “How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me.” While a nation has a king and another one rises up to become king, this is called rebellion. Not only would Saul not have spared Samuel, he would have killed the whole household of Jesse. Didn’t the Lord know this simple principle? Of course, He knew. The Lord knew that once David was promoted, Saul would persecute and oppose him. But this was to be David’s training before he ascended the throne – how to face persecution, criticisms, and oppositions; because there isn’t a leader who doesn’t encounter opposition. Even the best president in the world gets criticized. Even the Miss Universe winner gets criticized.

Recently, a most unfortunate event occurred in the Philippines. The senior pastor of GCF, Luis Pantoja, passed away because of heart attack. This is really a sad thing. But what is most saddening is that before this happened, he was mistreated by elders and deacons of GCF. They spoke ill of him and accused him of financial misconduct, causing the late pastor much distress and anguish. Consequently, while attending a conference in Malaysia, he suffered a heart attack and passed away. The church later on confirmed that Rev. Luis Pantoja was innocent of the accusations. They wanted to apologize to him, but it was too late. On September 12, Sunday, the elders and deacons apologized before the congregation and resigned. This should not have happened at all! I hope such a thing will never happen in our church.

Leaders will certainly encounter persecution or opposition. As a leader, we must learn from David. We must maintain a positive attitude as we face opposition. While Saul was alive, David never fought him back. Twice, David had the opportunity to get rid of this terrible enemy, but he didn’t lift a hand against him at all. Although our enemies can sometimes be very frightening, but they can many times be blessings in disguise. For, our enemies can see our weaknesses clearly; before them, can we afford to be unguarded?

I had once shared this story with you: Japanese love to eat Taiwanese eel, so they import them into Japan. But they discovered that the eels die in transport. Lifeless eels do not command as high a price as live eels. Thus, they had to think of a way to keep the eels alive. They tried placing a few pieces of crabs into the tanks with the eels. Crabs are eels’ enemies. If the eels would be unguarded for even just one moment, they would be caught by the crabs. It turned out, with the presence of crabs, the eels remained alive. All the eels arrived in Japan alive.

In our life, there will always be one or two crabs out to grab us; but without them, we may not survive. Do not be afraid of persecution or opposition, but remember, we are the eels, we should not be the crabs.

The post Life of David (3): Toughening a Great Life (1 Samuel 18-21) appeared first on Christian Bible Church of the Philippines.

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If today, I tell you, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest”, and after the worship service, many come to me and tell me their heavy burdens – financial problems, marriage problems, problems regarding their children, problems in their work, etc.; I tell you, they will be disappointed, because I cannot solve any of their problems. They will surely say, “You are a liar, you could not even solve my problem.”

But 2000 years ago, before a big crowd, Jesus said: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” In these 2000 years, many with heavy burdens have come to Jesus, laid their burdens before him, and found rest in Jesus.

For Jesus is not a liar, he is the Son of God. Jesus can solve all our problems. This is what the whole world should know: “Jesus is the answer.” This is a statement we often hear, but if Jesus is the answer, what is the problem? Men are so pitiful, so ignorant that they do not even know what their problem is.

It is similar to being sick yet not knowing that one is sick. We are all afraid to hear the word cancer. Actually, many cancers can be cured if they are discovered earlier. Ninety-percent of cancers are curable; but too bad, many times people find out too late. When people don’t know that they are sick, they will not go see a doctor. Jesus is the answer, Jesus is the physician. But where are the patients? Where are the problems?

I. Weary and Burdened

Jesus said: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Weariness and burdened – these are mankind’s problem. Why do humans always sigh? It is because there is unspoken sorrow inside. There is no one in this world who does not sigh. The young have their problems, middle aged have their problems, old people have their own problems, so all men sigh. Life is weariness and trouble. But if you ask, “Why is life so hard?” Many do not know why. They simply accept that life is so. But actually it was not meant to be so. When God created man, the Lord placed man in the Garden of Eden. Eden means happiness. The Lord had meant for man to enjoy a life of happiness, life was not meant for trouble and toil. Life was originally meant to be easy and happy, but because man sinned and disobeyed God, he received God’s punishment. Toil and trouble were the consequence of his sin.

Genesis 3 records that after the fall of man, both man and woman were punished by God. The man had to toil for his food. Man indeed has to work like an ox to feed his family. Life became hard. For the woman, it is worse. The woman has to go through pain to give birth to children, and she has to be ruled by her husband. Nowadays, because of financial needs, even women have to go out and work. Life is hard for men, and life is harder for women. Life is full of trouble and toil! Moses wrote Psalm 90. This 120 year old man described the years of our life as “but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away”. In other words, life is trouble, sorrow and meaninglessness.

Life is full of trouble and sorrow. At the beginning of the 21st century, the United Nation reported that suicide has become the third in the world. More and more people are committing suicide. When we open the newspapers, we often see news of suicide. People use suicide as a means to end their life. Marriage has its troubles. Singlehood has its troubles. Wealth brings its trouble. Poverty also has its troubles. Life is but trouble and sorrow. Moses said life is not only full of trouble, not only full of sorrow, but also meaningless. He meant we labor and toil all our life, yet it all comes to nothing. Such a waste of time and energy!

A fox passed by a vineyard and saw that the grapes were just ripening. Clusters and clusters of grapes tempted him, but the vineyard was protected by a bamboo fence. Nevertheless, he discovered there was a small hole through which he could go in. However, his stomach was too big to fit into the hole, so he decided to fast for three days. After three days, he went in and ate away happily. He ate the whole day through. But when he decided to leave, his stomach had expanded so much he couldn’t fit through the hole. Realizing that he would be in big trouble if the owner finds him, he decided to fast another three days. But this time it was harder to fast than the first time because he could see all the juicy grapes but couldn’t eat them! Isn’t life just like that? In the end, it is but empty and meaningless.

Dear friends, I do not know what heavy burden you are carrying right now – maybe you have financial problems, marriage problems, emotional problems, problems regarding your children, or maybe, you are carrying a heavy load of sin. Someone said: “There is only one kind of person in this world who does not have burdens and does not feel pressure, it is those who are lying in the caskets.” It is stressful to hear such a statement, isn’t it? Actually, pressure or stress isn’t all bad. Without pressure, man would have little motivation to grow. However, too much pressure is harmful. On bridges, there are signs on bridges that indicate how much load they can bear; if there is overloading, then it is dangerous. Every ship has its load limit. If it becomes overloaded, then there will be danger. Life is the same, some pressure is good but too much pressure is harmful. Nowadays, people are under too much pressure. We are all overloaded. We find no rest. So Jesus announced to the crowd: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

II. Jesus is the answer to man’s need for rest

Jesus said: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Jesus tells us that we can find rest in him. Jesus did not say: “Come to church, all you who are weary and burdened, and the church will give you rest.” There is no religion in this world that can offer us rest (including Christianity). Many people think that to believe in Jesus is to believe in Christianity. To believe in Jesus is not the same as believing in Christianity. Believing in Jesus is accepting him as one’s personal savior.

When we share the gospel we are not sharing a religion. There are too many religions already (Buddhism, Taoism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Shintoism), we do not need another religion. We are not sharing a religion, but the Gospel, the Good News. The Good News is Jesus Christ. We must tell the world to accept the Lord Jesus as our personal savior, then they will find rest for their souls. Someone used three words to define life: hurry, weary, bury. Ironically, we busy ourselves endlessly but we do not know what we are busy about. We weary ourselves but we do not know what we weary ourselves about. We are afraid of death yet we all have to face death. There is no peace in our hearts. Jesus is the answer to our need for rest, because only through Jesus can we face life’s hurry, weary and bury.

1. Hurry

Busyness has become the norm in the 21st century. When we meet a friend, we often ask: “Are you busy?” Your friend will then reply by telling you what he has been busy with lately. We tend to feel that busyness is normal. We feel a sense of accomplishment in being busy, so we feel `the busier the better.’ If your friend says: “I have not been that busy lately.” You will tend to find it a little strange. We think busyness is good, the busier the better. We have fallen for the devil’s lies and yet we are not aware of it! I ask you – is working hard important or knowing the reason you are working hard more important?

Of course, it is more important to know why you work hard. Some people work very hard. They work, work, work. But in the end, what have they gained? Some men work very hard to earn money. If you ask them why they are working so hard, they will say: for the family, for the wife. However, many, once they get rich find that they have already lost their family, their children can no longer be found in their homes, their wife have already left them. We must seek a balance.

Some people do not want to work at all, these are the lazy people. Some are forever waiting, and as a result, they lose opportunity after opportunity. We are not saying that we must not work, but we must know our priorities in life. Jesus said: “Come and I will give you rest.” When we come to the Lord, the Lord will make us understand what our priorities should be. We will not lose our direction even though we are busy. Although we are busy, we will not lose our purpose. When Jesus becomes our Lord, with His guidance, our life will not lose its direction and purpose. Is Jesus your Lord?

2. Weary

Weariness has become the disease of this generation. We are a weary people, because we do not know how to trust God. Jesus said in the Gospel of Matthew: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.” We humans worry about two things: First, we worry about life. Second, we worry about our daily living. We worry over our daily living- what we shall eat, what we shall drink, what clothes we shall wear. Life is a gift from God. If God gave us life, won’t he give us what we need for life and living?

The older we become, the more we worry. That is why it is difficult for old people to smile and laugh, because they have a lot of worries. On the contrary, we hear more laughter from the young, since they are more carefree and do not worry much. Young people have parents they can rely on. Whatever problems they have, they can take it to their parents, and the parents will find ways to solve them. As long as they trust their parents, they no longer need to worry.

Jesus said: The Heavenly Father knows your needs. Notice that Jesus did not say your wants, he said your needs. Wants and needs are completely different. Actually, we only have a handful of basic needs, but we have a lot of `wants’. Parents would understand this well. Our children have many `wants’ and these are not very necessary. One day, my children suddenly told me: “I want to learn to drive.” I replied: “You are too young.” Do you know what they really wanted? They wanted a car. But a car isn’t a need at their age. Someday, when there is truly a need, they don’t have to worry, I will do my best to provide for them.

If our earthly fathers comprehend this, how much more our Heavenly Father? Do we worry because we do not have a Heavenly Father to trust in? Jesus said: “Come to me and I will give you rest.” The Bible says: “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” When God becomes your Heavenly Father, what do you still have to worry about?

3. Bury

When Bill Clinton was president, he invited Billy Graham (world-renowned evangelist) to speak at a breakfast gathering in the White House. Dr. Graham mentioned a very important statement: “There are two problems in this life that man, including the most powerful men in the world, including the President of the United States, cannot solve; and that is the problem of sin. The consequence of sin is death. We cannot solve the problem of sin and death.”

Jesus said: “Come unto me and I will give you rest.” The Gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes. Jesus Christ is the Gospel. Jesus Christ overcame sin and death, so Jesus declares: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” This was a declaration and also an invitation. In Chinese, the character for come is written in such a way that there is a character for cross and three characters denoting man. On the cross, there is a man, with two other men on each side of him. What does this portray?

Two thousand years ago, Jesus was crucified for our sin on the cross at Calvary. On Calvary, there were three crosses. Jesus was in the middle, and two thieves were on crosses on both sides of him. One of them was the last man Jesus saved while he was on earth, because the man was willing to come to Jesus. When he saw Jesus on the cross, he acknowledged that He was a righteous man, that He was the Son of God. The man confessed his sins to Jesus- he admitted that it was but just for himself to be crucified, that Jesus was being crucified for the sins of the world, so he told Jesus: “When you enter your heaven, please remember me.” Jesus immediately answered him: “Today, you shall be with me in paradise.”

Jesus died for us, but on the third day he rose again. His tomb is empty to this day, because he is no longer there. Today the Lord Jesus is inviting us, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Your life needn’t be `hurry, weary, bury’. Life can be full of meaning, confidence and hope. Come, and you will find rest. Will you come?

The post Let the Whole World Know (Matthew 11:28-29) appeared first on Christian Bible Church of the Philippines.

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The key point of Matthew 5:17-20 is: Our righteousness must surpass that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law. Jesus said that he came to fulfill the Law, meaning Jesus came to demonstrate the true meaning of the Law. The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law added traditions to the Law. The Law + Traditions is the righteousness of the Pharisees and teachers of the Law, as a result, God’s Law lost its intended meaning. Jesus gave five examples to explain the point: (1.) about murder v.21-26 (2.) about adultery and divorce v.27-32. Today, we would like to study the other three examples: about taking oaths in verses 33-37; about an eye for an eye in verses 38-42, and about loving one’s enemies in verses 43-47.

I. On Taking Oaths v.33-37

This passage of Scripture seeks to teach us one main point: honesty in everything we do. This is not just about taking oaths. Some people explain this passage literally and say: Christians should not make any oaths at all. They cannot swear even in courts of law. However, these people forget that even the Lord swore and made oaths.

Psalm 89:35 “Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness – and I will not lie to David.” The Bible also allowed oaths, Deuteronomy 10:20 “Fear the LORD your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name.” The main issue is not taking oaths or not, but honesty. In Jesus’ time, the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law loved to play with words. They said: If you swear by Jerusalem, then you are bound by your oath. But Jesus said, “Do not swear at all if you cannot keep your promises. For you cannot make even one hair white or black. Your oaths will simply ensnare you. Your oaths will entrap you and turn you into a dishonest person.

Married couples in our midst, when you got married, did you sign a contract? A contract is a form of oath. You say: Whatever happens, in riches or in poverty, in health or sickness, I will always stay by your side. Did you think you could carelessly say that? Of course not. This is an oath.

But people nowadays are too careless, they seek divorce or separate for the flimsiest reason. Someday, these people will have to face the Lord’s judgment, because what they have uttered have become their own traps. Jesus told us a secret: verse 37 “Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” It is very simple, let a yes be a yes and let a no be a no. This is the distinction between a truth and a lie. The truth is very narrow, if it is a yes it is a yes, if it is a no it is a no. However, a lie can be very broad, a yes can become a no, and a no can become a yes.

The truth is the truth, you cannot add to it nor take from it. No matter where you are in the world, there is only one version of it. That is why truth is very narrow as oppose to a lie. A lie is broad, a lie can have different versions. With the truth, there is only one edition, no matter where you are, no contradiction can come out. However, because a lie has many different editions, many contradictions will come up; in the end, no one would believe it. We must speak truth but do not make oaths.

There is another meaning to oaths, that is, we invoke a higher authority to prove the truth of our words. When you speak to someone and he refuses to believe you, you will say: I swear this is true. If you often need to do this, you are pitiable. It means no one believes you unless you swear. Just like some parents, if they do not raise their voices, their children will not listen to them. That is so pitiful! We must establish our integrity. May the Lord forgive us our lies in the past; from this day on, let us learn to be truthful people.

II. An Eye for an Eye V.38-42

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth comes from the teaching in Exodus 21:24. But we must understand that the purpose of this teaching was to prevent a bad situation from turning worse. Our hearts are evil, especially when we seek revenge. If someone injured one of your eyes, you would want to avenge yourself by taking his hand; if he hurts your hand, you want to take his head. Consequently, the cycle to settle scores gets worse and worse, so the Lord had to lay down a regulation -an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

But we understand that this rule is to not to be executed by any individual, but by the nation. This is the first thing we must understand. No one can seek revenge on his own. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth must be observed under the rules of the nation. Yet, Jesus teaches a new standard, “But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” What is Jesus saying here?

Non-Christians often use this verse to taunt Christians: If I hit your right cheek, you should give me your left cheek, too. If I hit you with a stone, then you must give me bread. If I want something from you, you must give it to me. I tell you, if you do this, people will take you for a fool. The central thought of this passage is: willingness to give up our rights. For Christ’s sake, we must be willing to give up our rights to our money, our time, our material possessions. Originally, we have a right to all these, but for the Lord, we become willing to lay them down. This is the way of the cross. Jesus teaches us that we must learn to give up our own rights for the sake of the Lord.

When we see others in need, oftentimes, we would do our best to help, whether it’s money, material things or our time. Most of us are very willing to help. But many times, it angers us when people take advantage of our kindness and compassion. This is what we cannot stand, isn’t it? When we see so-called Christians take advantage of Christian love, we become so angry. Some people would come to church and ask for help. They would narrate a sad story, making us unable to bear not helping them. But when we are willing to help, may the Lord also give us discernment and wisdom.

One time a man came into the church. He said he had nothing to eat and asked us for some money to buy food. One of my coworkers said, “Good, I will buy you food but you have to work. Please wash the church vans first.” Later on, I asked this coworker, “What happened?” She said, “He left.” I believe my coworker was right. He who does not work must not eat. We had all been deceived before, but may the Lord help us, may we not lose our hearts of compassion and willingness to help just because we had been tricked before. I’d rather be duped than lose my love and compassion for my fellowmen. Jesus said: Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

III. On Love for Enemies V.43-47

V.43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ To hate your enemy is not the Bible’s teaching. No such verse can be found in the whole Old Testament. This is something that the Pharisees had added to God’s Law. Love your neighbor – for them, not only did neighbor meant only the Jews, it was narrowed down to only the people they love. Towards un-loveable people, such us the tax collectors, they showed no love. All of us would agree that loveable people are easy to love, because they are loveable; but it is a real challenge to love un-loveable people.

Jesus said love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? During Jesus’ time, the tax collectors represented sinners, they were traitors of their nation, they were most hated by the Jews. Jesus said even the tax collectors had their own friends, people they love. If I love only those who love me, what is the difference between me and the tax collectors?

Jesus’ words truly hit the nail on the head. You may think that he is but using high sounding words, for how can we pray for those who persecute us, how can we love our enemies? But no, Jesus truly lived this out in his life. He became our example. When he was nailed to the cross, when he suffered great injustice, he said in a loud voice: Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do.

It is so easy for us to persecute a person, to criticize, to find fault with a man, but how difficult to forgive, to find the good in a man. Yet, this is not impossible. The secret is employing the right kind of perspective. There is a kind of lens called a binocular. You can see far-off things with it, but have you ever realized that binoculars have two sides? From one end, you can bring near and see clearly things that are far. But with the other end, you can make the view nearby look far, making it unclear. If you want to magnify others’ faults, you can surely see them clearly. But if you minimize others’ faults, you will realize these people are not all that bad.

Jesus talks of two different standards in this passage: One is the standard of today’s society – if you treat me well, I will love you. If you are loveable, I will love you. The other is the Heavenly Father’s standard – if you mistreat me, I will nevertheless love you. You are un-loveable, I will still love you. O Church! Our faith can only influence the world when people see its reality in our lives. Jesus said: You are the light of the world; you are the salt of the earth. We must fulfill our roles as light and salt. Do not allow the world’s standards to influence us. For the Lord, we must live a tall standard because we are children of the Heavenly Father. We must seek to be perfect as our Father in Heaven is perfect. This must be our lifelong pursuit.

In April 19, 2009, the Miss America Pageant was held in Las Vegas. There were 50 candidates from the whole United States. Miss California, Carrie Prejean, was a frontrunner in the pageant. On the night of the pageant, judge Perez Hilton, who is gay, asked her the question: “Do you agree that gay marriage should be legalized, yes or no, why?” Carrie was a Christian. She knew that if she said no, Hilton will surely oppose her, if she said yes, then she would be untrue to her beliefs.

In the end, she said: “We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage. And you know what, I think in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that’s how I was raised.” When she gave this answer, Hilton showed disappointment, and right there, many in the audience booed her although there were also those who applauded and supported her answer. Hilton gave her no points and as a result Carrie came in only second. After the event, when she was interviewed, Carrie said: “By having to answer that question in front of a national audience, God was testing my character and faith. I’m glad I stayed true to myself.” She said, “When I heard the question from Hilton, I knew if I told the truth, I would lose the Miss USA title. I had spoken from my heart, from my beliefs, and for my God. It was more important to me to be biblically correct than politically correct.”

We must be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect. May the Lord help us to live out our faith concretely! It is indeed difficult to love our enemies. It is impossible for us, but let us allow God’s love to fill us that we may be able to love others with his love. Let us pray!

The post Sermon on the Mount (6) – Righteousness Beyond That of the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law (2) (Matthew 5:33-48) appeared first on Christian Bible Church of the Philippines.

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When foreigners meet, they greet each other: How are you? This is because foreigners value the enjoyment of life. They don’t save much. During long weekends, even the church attendance drops, for whole families would go out on vacations.

Jews greet each other “Peace!” when they meet. For 2000 years, the Jews had never had peace. Israel continues to be at war. Peace is what they long for. When Chinese see each other, we say: Have you eaten? We are a people who love to eat.

Eating is a form of culture. There are particulars about being a guest and a host. Foreigners can never understand the ways of Chinese. For example, when you arrive at a foreigner’s house while they are having their meals, they will courteously ask if you had eaten and invite you to eat with them. We as Chinese would politely decline and say `I have already eaten’, but actually, you haven’t. Then, the foreigners will take our word for it and leave us alone, perhaps ask you to sit and wait till they are finished. Then, you become displeased because for you it was impolite of them to not have insisted. That is how Chinese are. We will say: ‘No, I have already eaten.’ The host will say, `It’s alright, come and eat some more.’ Then, you will reply, `No…truly no.’ The host will say, `There isn’t much to offer you, just a few simple dishes.’ (But actually there are four courses!) And the exchange would continue: `No, that would be embarrassing.’ `No problem, we’ll just add another pair of chopsticks?’ Then, we will finally say `Okay.’

In the Bible, Jesus teaches us how to be a host and a guest. We must understand the expected roles of a host and a guest.

I. On Being a Guest V. 7-11

Jesus knew how to teach and how to tell a story well. Jesus made good use of teachable moments. This, we need to learn. Sometimes, in seeking to teach our children, we would order them to put off the TV or the computer while they are on it, then we’d give them a sermon. Yet, it turned out ineffective. It is because we did the right thing but not at the right time.

If we seize teachable moments and instruct them then it would be so much more effective. Sometimes, when I am driving my children to school and I would see something, I will immediately take the opportunity to teach them some things, just like when someone races a red light, or disobey traffic rules, these are teachable moments.

Jesus did the same. He took the opportunity to teach his disciples when he saw how the guests were picking the places of honour at the table. He said:

8″When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. 9If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this man your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 10But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests.”

Do you remember the story of `King Arthur and His Knights’? King Arthur’s round table could seat 250 people and it was highly valued because people in the olden days had long tables not round ones. With long tables, no one could just sit anywhere he liked, for each seat has an attached title or rank; but at a round table, everyone was on equal footing. In the church, there are no ranking, you can sit anywhere but I believe out in the secular society, there are status distinctions. Do not turn the church into a social organization. The church is God’s family, in a family, everyone is equal.

“Jesus taught them, saying: v.10 But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then, you will be honoured in the presence of all your fellow guests.” How do you feel about that? I feel it is very hypocritical if you take this passage literally. For example, you invite me to your son’s wedding party. As I arrive, I intentionally sit on the table nearest the rest room and farthest from the host’s table. When you see me, you will say: “Oh, Rev. Cheung, why are you seated here? Come.” And you lead me to a table in front. Moving from the least to the most honoured seat, how glorious I’d feel as I make my way to that table and with the host leading me by the hand even. Everyone would ask who is he, he must be such a big shot. How glorious it would be for me!

Is this what Jesus is teaching us here? Of course not! We cannot interpret the Bible literally. Jesus’ true intention was to teach humility, v.11 “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” This is about the attitude of one’s heart. When we are invited, we must go in humility, in our heart we ought to feel our unworthiness – `who am I that I should be invited, it already means a lot to be given a seat, how can I seek for an honoured seat.’ But some people do not know themselves, they feel they are the most important guest, and as a result, they are asked to step down from the high positions. How humiliating!

But was this Jesus’ reason for speaking the parable? If so, this is but a teaching on human relationships, teaching us to be humble. Jesus meant something more. Verses 15-24 speak of the heavenly banquet. We find out that He is referring to this event.

Verse 15 “When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed be the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.” And Jesus went on to speak another parable about a different banquet wherein the guests were the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame. These people were unqualified to join the banquet, but they got invited. We are the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame. None of us are qualified to be in heaven’s banquet, yet by the grace of God, we enter in.

Some people were applying to be church members, so I asked some pastors to interview them. The first qualification for becoming a CBCP member is that you must know clearly for yourself that you are saved. If you die today, are you 100% sure that you will go to heaven? 50%,70%,80% is not enough. We must be 100% certain of our salvation, even 99% is not enough. For our salvation is 100% the work of the Lord. We are poor, crippled, blind and lame, we are not qualified at all to enter heaven. It is only by the grace of God that we are able to enter. Thus, it cannot be 99%, it has to be 100%, it is not dependent on how good you are, but on the grace of God. May we have a humble heart before both men and God.

II. On Being a Host v.12-14

All of us had the experience of being guests and also that of being hosts. Jesus teaches us something interesting in verse 12, “Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbours; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

I have never seen such a banquet in all my 40 years. Can you imagine, not inviting your CBCP friends because they are not poor (we all have our own houses, money to buy our own food), crippled, lame or blind. You will also not invite the pastor, because I am healthy, I have money, I am handsome. Instead you invite all the poor, crippled, lame or blind to your wedding party. Was this what Jesus meant? If so, the church had not obeyed his teaching. I have not seen the poor, the crippled, the lame or blind in our feasts. Again, we cannot interpret the bible literally. What did Jesus mean?

Verse 12 “… if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

Now, you would say you realize that this passage is about repayment. However that conclusion is only half-right. For if this parable is only about repayment, then that would mean it would not be good for you if your son shows you filial piety. . Imagine, you show your child love and he honors you back, that would mean you got repaid and lose your heavenly reward. On the other hand, if your son grows up rebellious, a prodigal, a black sheep despite your raising him up well and loving him, does that mean God will repay you then because you didn’t get repaid by your son? Of course not! This parable is not only about repayment. Then, what did Jesus really mean?

A. Those who are Able to be Hosts must be Grateful

We must not be proud for being able to be hosts. On the contrary, we must be grateful, because we have more that is why we can invite the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind.

B. We must Understand that Repayment May Not Happen in This Life

Verse 14 “Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” The resurrection of the righteous will not of course happen in this life. It is when the Lord returns. The Lord Jesus tells us that all that we do in this life, good or evil will have its just recompense, but do not seek repayment in this life, because many will not happen in this life. We must live by faith, good will be repaid with good, and evil with evil.

III. Invitation to Heaven’s Banquet v.15-24

After Jesus finished speaking the parable, He told those who were there not to miss the heavenly banquet and not to presume that everyone wants to attend the heavenly banquet. In fact, no one was willing to attend.

Do you think that everyone wants to come to church? No. No one likes coming to church, why? Because no one considers himself poor, crippled, lame or blind. We all think that we are rich, healthy and that we can see. And yet, verse 21 tells us that it is those who are poor, crippled, lame and blind who will be able to enjoy the banquet. When we compare this passage with today’s situation, we realize Jesus spoke so accurately. Today, what reasons do people who refuse to believe in Jesus give?

We are rich, we are healthy, we have can see, we are wise, we do not need Jesus. There aren’t many believers in Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong, why? Because they are rich. It is not easy for the rich to come to Jesus. That is why Jesus said: “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Because they will not admit that they are poor, they consider themselves healthy, wise and that they can see, they do not think they need Jesus.

Just like this parable, those who didn’t want to come to the banquet all had their reasons: Someone said: `I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’ Another one said: `I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’ Still another said: `I just got married, so I can’t come.’ Everyone had his reasons.

There is nothing wrong with going to see a field one has just bought, but who doesn’t check out a field before buying it? Who checks out a field after he has already bought it? In today’s language, five yoke of oxen would be five cars. Of course, one would want to check out newly bought cars, but who doesn’t go see the cars before buying them?

“I just got married so I can’t come.” Why can’t he bring his wife along? What problem is there with that? I tell you, people will have excuses as long as they do not want to come. Just like when you invite someone to church, he will always have excuses for not coming. Some excuses are in fact very reasonable, but these very valid reasons keep them from heaven’s banquet, from having a part in heaven.

People are all the same, which ones are easier to invite to church? The new immigrants, those who are sick, those with family problems, they would gladly come to church, because they recognize that they are poor, crippled, blind and lame. They want to ask the church to help them. But once they get better financially, recovers physically, they will gradually drift away because they feel they no longer have a need.

In conclusion, I want to share two statements: The first is for friends who have not yet come to believe in Jesus: Heaven’s banquet is waiting for you. If you do not want to enter just yet, I am afraid you may truly miss out on heaven’s banquet and it would be too great a lost. Simply acknowledge that you are poor, crippled, blind or lame and you are qualified, because no one is qualified, it is all by grace.

The second statement I say to the Church what the Lord told the Laodicean church: “You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor , blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.”

O Church! Do not be deceived by external looks, we must continue to seek spiritual blessings, admit our lack that we may continue to enjoy heaven’s banquet!

The post Will You Share in Heaven’s Banquet? (Luke 14:7-24) appeared first on Christian Bible Church of the Philippines.

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At a very young age, David had already been chosen by the Lord to be king. In Part 1 of this series, we talked about whether or not David was qualified to be chosen by the Lord or not; and our conclusion was he was qualified because:
1. David was someone whose inner being matched his outer appearance
2. David was a charming man.

We also learned that David had five qualities:
1. He played the harp well
2. He was a brave warrior
3. He spoke well
4. He was a fine-looking man
5. The Lord was with him.

Today, let us learn how David defeated the giant Goliath. This was David’s first victorious battle and a brilliant feat that stunned the whole world. No one could believe it for David used only one stone to kill Goliath that day. A young man in his teens defeated a 9-foot, 300 pound giant? Aside from the Lord’s help, what were the reasons for David’s victory?

I. Resolve Problems According to God’s Time

1 Samuel 15:6 records how David was anointed to be king in the sight of his whole family by Samuel. After David was anointed, what did he do? He continued to be a shepherd of his father’s flocks. 1Sam17:15 says “but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.” What does “went back and forth” mean? It means he was like an office boy or a messenger. If you were David, you had already been anointed as king, and everyone in your family knows it, when they send you as an office boy, a messenger, would you go? You would probably say: `How can I have the time? I am preparing to be king. I need to prepare my speech. I need to learn the many duties of a king. I don’t have time to tend sheep.’

David didn’t do so. He went back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s sheep. He continued to be a messenger, for at least two or three years long. Until one day when his father told him, “Take some food to your brothers. They are in the Valley of Elah fighting against the Philistines.”

This was an opportunity the Lord gave him. God’s time has arrived. The Lord never uses a lazy person. God always calls a man who is busy and diligently at work. When the Lord called the first batch of disciples, Peter and Andrew, they were casting their nets into the lake. James and John were preparing their nets. When Jesus called the tax collector Matthew, he was collecting taxes. Are you waiting for God’s call?

Let me ask you: What are you doing? If you are not doing anything, don’t think that the Lord will suddenly make a phone call and ask you to preach! Although David had already been anointed king, he continued to keep busy. When he arrived at the battlefield and heard the Philistine insulting the army of the Living God, he couldn’t stand it. He couldn’t bear hearing the God he loves being insulted. The Spirit of the Lord moved him and he went out to face Goliath. He used a piece of stone and finished off the fearsome enemy. According to God’s timing, David accomplished what the Lord wanted him to do and resolved the Israelites’ problem.

I have been serving the Lord for 22 years, next year will be my 20th year in CBCP, time really flies. In these 22 years, I have seen many people succeed in their ministries, and I have also seen many people fail. I discovered that the failure of many people isn’t related to their giftedness. Many people fail in the area of waiting upon the Lord. They couldn’t wait. Like a premature child coming out before its time from its mother’s womb, they set themselves in dangerous situations. Brothers and sisters, may the Lord guard our hearts, may we learn to wait for God’s perfect time in doing his work, then we can overcome any difficulty because the Lord is with us.

II. Make 200% Preparation

All success comes with much preparation. Although adequate preparation does not guarantee success, but no preparations equals certain failure. Would you believe me if I say that Susan Boyle joined `British Got Talent’ and sang “I Dreamt a Dream” without any preparation? David used one piece of stone to kill Goliath. This was the first piece of stone he ever threw, and he only hit him by coincidence, would you believe it? But if we say, that David had practiced with his sling for more ten years. When a lion or bear or wolf came, he took his sling and struck those animals with the stones from it, and so he became a sharp-shooter. Which one of these would you believe?

If you still believe that it was a great coincidence, then, please listen to the experts: In studying 50 successful people, like Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, etc., two experts say:

A. There is no substitute for hard work

There’s no evidence of high-level performance without experience or practice. The most accomplished people need around ten years of hard work before becoming world-class, a pattern so well established researchers call it the ten-year rule. So greatness isn’t handed to anyone; it requires a lot of hard work.

B. Practice Makes Perfect

The best people in any field are those who devote the most hours to what the researchers call “deliberate practice.” In a study of 20-year-old violinists by Ericsson and colleagues, the best group averaged 10,000 hours of deliberate practice over their lives; the next-best averaged 7,500 hours; and the next, 5,000. More deliberate practice equals better performance.

David did not only prepare 100%, he prepared 200%. What does this mean? The first 100% refers to David doing his utmost, and the other 100% is his reliance on the Lord’s strength.

1. David’s 100% Preparation

When Saul heard that David wanted to fight Goliath, he immediately said no. Verse 33, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth.” V.34-36 David told Saul, ““Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God.”

After hearing this, Saul bade him go. Then, Saul dressed David in his own armor, but David couldn’t even walk around in it. David knew this wasn’t right because he wasn’t used to the armor. David refused to use Saul’s armor and weapons because he wasn’t used to them. He went to the stream and picked five smooth stones and faced Goliath. David knew that the enemy was fiercer than a lion or a bear, he personally went and looked for stones he would use and as a result, he defeated the enemy with only one stone. In his pouch were still four pieces of stones. This was truly 100% preparation.

2. David’s additional 100% preparation

A 100% preparation is already the best preparation one can do. But sons and daughters of God, we are more blessed than people of the world, not only can we make 100% preparation, we can even have 200% preparation, that is, add another 100% by trusting the Lord. When Goliath saw David, v.42-43 “He looked David over and saw that he was only a boy, ruddy and handsome, and he despised him. He said to David, “Am I a dog that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

David then replied, in v.45-47, “David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s and he will give all of you into our hands.” We see that David did not face Goliath on his own, he relied on the Lord’s strength to face the enemy. David said “the battle is the Lord’s”. This was not man’s battle, but the Lord’s. No matter how frightening the enemy is, if God is with us, who can be against us?

III. Press Forward in the Face of Difficulties

David told Goliath, “All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s and he will give all of you into our hands.” This was very agitating for the enemy, but was it enough? V.48 “As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him.” David run toward the enemy and this was the key to his victory. This tells us two things:

1. David faced the difficulty courageously

Goliath was 9 feet tall and weighed more than 300 pounds, a really formidable mountain. With such a formidable mountain advancing towards you, one can only do two things: 1. Retreat, or 2. Advance.

To retreat means to move backwards, to flee the difficulty, just like the Israelites, just like Saul. Goliath taunted them for 40 days, every day he would insult them twice. He insulted them for a total of 80 times and not one Israelite dared to face him. They only knew to retreat, they did not dare to face the enemy. Do you think our problems would just disappear if we do not face them? Not only will the problems not disappear, they will become worse day by day. Day by day Goliath’s insult grew worse.

To advance means to face the problem courageously. This is the right way to resolve our problems. David chose this method. He bravely faced the enemy and ran towards him. In recent years, because of financial crisis, we see two kinds of people: one would retreat and refuse to face the problem. They flee and as a result, leave behind a bad name. David pressed forward and faced the enemy in battle. In the end, David won.

2. David was a man of action

David ran towards the enemy. David not only faced the difficulty courageously, he was also a man of action, a man who never gave up. David’s life was not all smooth-sailing. Sometimes, he was defeated by difficulties, but David never gave up.

A certain university was holding its graduation rites, and had invited an old professor to deliver a speech. When the old professor stood up to speak, for some reason he stumbled and fell on the stage. The students were merciless and laughed very hard. The old professor was unperturbed, when he stood back up, he took the microphone and said, “Life is like that. When you fall, you must stand back up. Today, you are graduating, when you step out into the world, you will meet difficulties, and you will even fall; but you must remember this day and what you saw, after you fall you must stand back up.” In the end, the students greeted the old professor’s speech with resounding applause. Bring out your courage, stand back up! Bring out your action, work!

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