by Pastor Calvin Lee
Matthew 2:1-3
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi[a] from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.
King Herod was disturbed (troubled, pertubed). Why?
- Herod was a man really good at power game, cos it's all about himself, very imposing, cruel, very insecure and jealous person
- He is conceited, cunning and calculative
Conceited
- I, Me, Myself
- Huge Ego (Edging God Out)
Cunning
- told Magi to find Jesus and said he wanted to worship Him
- It was a big fat lie
- All a show due to his crafiness, cunningness
Calculative
- he would do anything to keep his position and power
- fear because he felt his throne to be threatened
Angel told Magi don't go back. Herod was furious when he knew. Therefore, he gave orders to kill all children before age of 2 to eliminate any threat. He also killed his father in law, several of his wives and 2 sons.
3 words to describe Jesus
- Sacrificial
- Selfless
- Sympathetic
Sacrificial
- He sacrifice His life for you and me
- Jesus shed His own blood while Herod shed the blood of others
Selfless
- Thy will be done and not my will
- came to serve, not to be served
Sympathetic
- He understands our pain
- that's why He is our High Priest
# When your greatness comes first, your greatness will not last.
- While it is naturally for us to focus on own needs and wants, but excessive selfishness can be harmful to ourselves and others. Can be damaging, destructive. Focus on me and me only
1. King Saul (pride brought downfall)
2. King Usaiah (something shifted and he began focus on himself, he walk into temple and wanted to burn incense only reserve for priest, not king. 81 priests warned him not to do it. He was upset and angry with them and went on to burn incense. Thus, he was strucked with leprosy)
3. King Herod (remembered as evil and brutal man, his greatness did not last)
4. Jesus lives impacted millions and countless lives (so many found joy and meaning, His legacy and greatness lives on)
The pitfalls of selfish living
The power of selfless living
# The way up is down
Matthew 20:20-28
Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.
21 “What is it you want?” he asked.
She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”
22 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”
“We can,” they answered.
23 Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.”
24 When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. 25 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
- To become great, first to serve
Jesus says : Be humble, Give yourself
DL Moody : The beginning of greatness is to be little. The increase of greatness is to be less. The perfection of greatness is to be nothing.
Why should I? I did nothing wrong. Why should I be the first to say sorry, enemy would whisper and say don't do it. Learn to take the downward escalator so that we may lift up the name of the lord in our lives
Don't ever allow your achievements and your accumulations, fame and fortune, position and powers, prestige and privileges, titles to go to your head. All the blessing you have is all because the grace of God. Let it go to your hearts and be thankful, humble and give glory to God.
It's all about Him and not about us.
Ask for a more grateful heart, take the downward escalator if need to. Admit our mistakes and shortcomings.
Learn to embrace differences. It's about what you think not always what I think.
1. Do it for our Master (He set the example for us, if the lord can do it, we can also)
2. It is missional (touch and impact someone)
3. It gives meaning to our lives (instead of harbouring emotions, take it to God and allow God instead of weighing down with all negative emotions)
James 5:6
Who, being in very nature[a] God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
# To live greatly is to live largely
- Herod lived for himself whereas Jesus live for others
- Jesus came with a mission and to give life to others
Of course we have a choice in this life.
We can choose to live,
Selfishly or Sacrificially?
Pointlessly or Purposefully?
Saturday, March 18, 2023
Saturday, March 4, 2023
Expect God's Miracles
by Pastor Wilson Teo
Big Idea:
God can do impossible things.
God did not promise us that He will give us a miracle when we pray
Bible verses were misused by believers. We need to understand God's word in the proper context. When God promises, He will fulfill. Did God promised specificially in our situations?
Joshua 3, 6, 10
First Event (Crossing Jordan)
Joshua 3:13
And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men stand up in a heap.”
Joshua 3:17
The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.
God allows Israel to cross over Jordan on complete dry ground.
Second Event (Jericho)
Joshua 6:2
Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men.
Joshua 6:13-20
The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets went forward, marching before the ark of the Lord and blowing the trumpets. The armed men went ahead of them and the rear guard followed the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets kept sounding. 14 So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days. 15 On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times. 16 The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city! 17 The city and all that is in it are to be devoted[a] to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent. 18 But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. 19 All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury.” 20 When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city.
God kept His promise and delivered Jericho into Israel's hands.
Third Event (Defeat of 5 Amorite kings)
Joshua 10:1-2
Now Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had taken Ai and totally destroyed[a] it, doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and its king, and that the people of Gibeon had made a treaty of peace with Israel and had become their allies. 2 He and his people were very much alarmed at this, because Gibeon was an important city, like one of the royal cities; it was larger than Ai, and all its men were good fighters.
The 5 Amorite kings came together to destroy Gibeonites for betray
Joshua 10:5-6
Then the five kings of the Amorites—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon—joined forces. They moved up with all their troops and took up positions against Gibeon and attacked it. 6 The Gibeonites then sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: “Do not abandon your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us! Help us, because all the Amorite kings from the hill country have joined forces against us.”
The Gibeonites reached out to Joshua for help
Joshua 10:7-8
So Joshua marched up from Gilgal with his entire army, including all the best fighting men. 8 The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you.”
God reminded Joshua not to fix his eyes on the 5 kings but on what God had promised him.
Joshua 10:9
After an all-night march from Gilgal, Joshua took them by surprise.
This is a supernatural act, to be able to fight after a long walk of 30+ km all night march.
Joshua 10:10-11
The Lord threw them into confusion before Israel, so Joshua and the Israelites defeated them completely at Gibeon. Israel pursued them along the road going up to Beth Horon and cut them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah. 11 As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon to Azekah, the Lord hurled large hailstones down on them, and more of them died from the hail than were killed by the swords of the Israelites.
God was fighting for Israel.
There was absolutely no ways to fight this heavenly missiles sent from the heavenly.
God promised and fulfilled all He said He will do!
We will never fully understand the finer details of how others go through... It is more than just the end outcome of a miracle. The entire process include seeing the finer details of God's hands in the whole process.
It includes God's promised, human emotions of uncertainty and eventually the breakthrough.
Crossing of River Jordan:
- God command Joshua to wait
Joshua 3:14-16
So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. 15 Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, 16 the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.
The waiting process for the entire 25km of water to pass through was unnverving for Joshua and Israel. The priests could have been afraid because the water was very strong, Joshua could have change his mind. The situation tested their faith upon Yahweh to wait.
Joshua and the priests stood firm and waited for God's word to be fulfilled.
Joshua 6:1
Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.
City of Jericho was shut tightly. Israel is not used to city fighting because they were used to desert war.
Was it easy time for Israel to march around the city? They look more silly to the enemy than strategy.
God did not give Joshua a military strategy to follow, instead it was a ceremonial ritual to follow. To march around the city perimeters, to demonstrate Israel complete trust in Yahweh, 7 show that God was in control. All Israel need to do is to let God's Word come to pass. The victory of Jericho was solely an act of God, it was never about Israel but all about the God of Israel.
God's timing!
Joshua 10:12-14
On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.” 13 So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on[a] its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. 14 There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a human being. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel!
Joshua asked the lord to stop the sun. The 5 nations were too numerous for Israel. Joshua named a bold request to the Lord, in the eyes of men. No human had ever delay the sun or the moon.
Yahweh fought on Israel's behalf.
There were tensions, struggles, delay waiting time before God's powers come, despite God did give His promises.
The issue is not how impossible the situation, is about how the God of heaven has given His promises? If God has promised, or given you His word, He will fulfill His word in your life.
Joshua did not waiver because God promised His power and presence to be with him.
Sometimes the miracle is on it's way but you must wait for the 25km of water current to pass you by first.
Sometimes you must routinely and obey to march around the city before the wall collapse.
It's not about how deep the water or strong the current, how strong or tall the inpenetrable walls are stacked against you, not about how many people are teamed up against you, it's about God's unchanging Word, it's about Who is in charge.
Big Idea:
God can do impossible things.
God did not promise us that He will give us a miracle when we pray
Bible verses were misused by believers. We need to understand God's word in the proper context. When God promises, He will fulfill. Did God promised specificially in our situations?
Joshua 3, 6, 10
First Event (Crossing Jordan)
Joshua 3:13
And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men stand up in a heap.”
Joshua 3:17
The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.
God allows Israel to cross over Jordan on complete dry ground.
Second Event (Jericho)
Joshua 6:2
Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men.
Joshua 6:13-20
The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets went forward, marching before the ark of the Lord and blowing the trumpets. The armed men went ahead of them and the rear guard followed the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets kept sounding. 14 So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days. 15 On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times. 16 The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city! 17 The city and all that is in it are to be devoted[a] to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent. 18 But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. 19 All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury.” 20 When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city.
God kept His promise and delivered Jericho into Israel's hands.
Third Event (Defeat of 5 Amorite kings)
Joshua 10:1-2
Now Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had taken Ai and totally destroyed[a] it, doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and its king, and that the people of Gibeon had made a treaty of peace with Israel and had become their allies. 2 He and his people were very much alarmed at this, because Gibeon was an important city, like one of the royal cities; it was larger than Ai, and all its men were good fighters.
The 5 Amorite kings came together to destroy Gibeonites for betray
Joshua 10:5-6
Then the five kings of the Amorites—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon—joined forces. They moved up with all their troops and took up positions against Gibeon and attacked it. 6 The Gibeonites then sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: “Do not abandon your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us! Help us, because all the Amorite kings from the hill country have joined forces against us.”
The Gibeonites reached out to Joshua for help
Joshua 10:7-8
So Joshua marched up from Gilgal with his entire army, including all the best fighting men. 8 The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you.”
God reminded Joshua not to fix his eyes on the 5 kings but on what God had promised him.
Joshua 10:9
After an all-night march from Gilgal, Joshua took them by surprise.
This is a supernatural act, to be able to fight after a long walk of 30+ km all night march.
Joshua 10:10-11
The Lord threw them into confusion before Israel, so Joshua and the Israelites defeated them completely at Gibeon. Israel pursued them along the road going up to Beth Horon and cut them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah. 11 As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon to Azekah, the Lord hurled large hailstones down on them, and more of them died from the hail than were killed by the swords of the Israelites.
God was fighting for Israel.
There was absolutely no ways to fight this heavenly missiles sent from the heavenly.
God promised and fulfilled all He said He will do!
We will never fully understand the finer details of how others go through... It is more than just the end outcome of a miracle. The entire process include seeing the finer details of God's hands in the whole process.
It includes God's promised, human emotions of uncertainty and eventually the breakthrough.
Crossing of River Jordan:
- God command Joshua to wait
Joshua 3:14-16
So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. 15 Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, 16 the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.
The waiting process for the entire 25km of water to pass through was unnverving for Joshua and Israel. The priests could have been afraid because the water was very strong, Joshua could have change his mind. The situation tested their faith upon Yahweh to wait.
Joshua and the priests stood firm and waited for God's word to be fulfilled.
Joshua 6:1
Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.
City of Jericho was shut tightly. Israel is not used to city fighting because they were used to desert war.
Was it easy time for Israel to march around the city? They look more silly to the enemy than strategy.
God did not give Joshua a military strategy to follow, instead it was a ceremonial ritual to follow. To march around the city perimeters, to demonstrate Israel complete trust in Yahweh, 7 show that God was in control. All Israel need to do is to let God's Word come to pass. The victory of Jericho was solely an act of God, it was never about Israel but all about the God of Israel.
God's timing!
Joshua 10:12-14
On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.” 13 So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on[a] its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. 14 There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a human being. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel!
Joshua asked the lord to stop the sun. The 5 nations were too numerous for Israel. Joshua named a bold request to the Lord, in the eyes of men. No human had ever delay the sun or the moon.
Yahweh fought on Israel's behalf.
There were tensions, struggles, delay waiting time before God's powers come, despite God did give His promises.
The issue is not how impossible the situation, is about how the God of heaven has given His promises? If God has promised, or given you His word, He will fulfill His word in your life.
Joshua did not waiver because God promised His power and presence to be with him.
Sometimes the miracle is on it's way but you must wait for the 25km of water current to pass you by first.
Sometimes you must routinely and obey to march around the city before the wall collapse.
It's not about how deep the water or strong the current, how strong or tall the inpenetrable walls are stacked against you, not about how many people are teamed up against you, it's about God's unchanging Word, it's about Who is in charge.
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