Hear

God

 Speaks

Pastor Luokoh Hii

6Jul 2008  How to experience long life

Pastor Phillip Lee                                           6 July 2008

Death is a reality in life and a reasonable normal human life span is 72 to 80 years. What does the bible says about long life and what can we learn from the Word of God. What are the keys and factors that determine the length of our days.

In 1 Kings 3:14-15 God visited Solomon in a dream to direct him  that by obeying  His commandments  and he will have a long life on top of riches and honour.

13 Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both riches and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. 14 And if you walk in my ways and obey my statutes and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life." 15 Then Solomon awoke—and he realized it had been a dream.

The keys to long life as recorded in the bible are :

1. KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS

2.CALL UPON GOD/ PRAY

3.ACQUIRE WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING

4. FEAR OF THE LORD/ GOD

5. HONOUR OUR PARENTS

6. WHOLESOME SPEECH AND CONDUCT

KEEP HIS COMMANDMENT

God has a plan and purpose for our lives. When  is it that God will choose to bring us home  and our time is up – no one has the answer and it is not for us to guess and to question. The best thing we can do for ourselves is to keep His commandments

CALL UPON GOD

Psalms 91:15-16

 15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
       I will be with him in trouble,
       I will deliver him and honor him.

 16 With long life will I satisfy him
       and show him my salvation."

When we face problems- we should pray and seek God and God will answer our prayers In our continual search and problem solving, we come to realize that money can buy friends but not true friendship and relationship. Even a bed but not a good sleep, food but not appetite, books but not knowledge,  or even sex but not love. When we honour  God, He is able to deliver us  when we run into trouble and problems, and as a result we can enjoy not only the saving grace of salvation but also long life.

ACQUIRE WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING

God extend Nehemiah’s life by 15 years.

In Proverbs 3:13 ,16 

13 Blessed is the man who finds wisdom,
       the man who gains understanding,

16 Long life is in her right hand;
       in her left hand are riches and honor.

In Proverbs 9:10 

10 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
       and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

The use of knowledge leads to pure wisdom but when it is combined with spiritual understanding- it leads to longevity. For example, the way we take care of our health and food intake also determine our life. We need to have wisdom to have a balanced diet and cutting down on high cholesterol food, sugar and salt- for they will kill us softly.

FEAR OF THE LORD/ GOD

Proverbs 10:27

27 The fear of the LORD adds length to life,
       but the years of the wicked are cut short.

The way we fear the Lord should be cover over our lives to shield us form unwholesome thoughts, intentions and behaviours  such that we can recognize His presence even when we are all alone.

HONOUR YOUR PARENTS

This is the only commandment with a promise.

Ephesians 6: 1-3

Children and Parents

 1Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2"Honor your father and mother"—which is the first commandment with a promise— 3"that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth."

Exodus 20:12

 12 "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

WHOLESOME SPEECH AND CONDUCT

1^st Peter 3:10.

10For,
   "Whoever would love life
      and see good days
   must keep his tongue from evil
      and his lips from deceitful speech.
 11He must turn from evil and do good;
      he must seek peace and pursue it.

Hebrews 12:14

14Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord

When we controlled our tongue and guard our hearts- wholesome truths come. We do not find faults and thank God that everybody is special – some slow, some fast..etc. Our  task is to follow peace and make peace with all and to ensure it.

13 Jul 2008 Renewal of the covenant

Pastor Luokoh Hii                                           13 July 2008

Introduction

The book of Joshua  is sometimes called the book of success .

In Joshua 1:8

8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

Recorded in Joshua are spectacular miracles  such as :

-the fall of the wall of Jericho; and

-the sun and moon stood still for one day.

Historians has testified to the part of history that the wall do existed and it did collapse from within and a certain section still stands ( probably adjoining to Rehab’s house ?). Scientists have also computed on the “ lost  of one day” in human history  when God commanded the sun and moon to stand still. You can read the controversy surrounding the verification and claims in http://creationontheweb.com/content/view/3712

Our Christian walk is liken to Joshua Chapter 23, we are at the beginning,  accepting Christ , conquering major bondages and experiencing  many victories.

Joshua 23

Joshua's Farewell to the Leaders

 1 After a long time had passed and the LORD had given Israel rest from all their enemies around them, Joshua, by then old and well advanced in years, 2 summoned all Israel—their elders, leaders, judges and officials—and said to them: "I am old and well advanced in years. 3 You yourselves have seen everything the LORD your God has done to all these nations for your sake; it was the LORD your God who fought for you. 4 Remember how I have allotted as an inheritance for your tribes all the land of the nations that remain—the nations I conquered—between the Jordan and the Great Sea ^[a] in the west. 5 The LORD your God himself will drive them out of your way. He will push them out before you, and you will take possession of their land, as the LORD your God promised you.

 6 "Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left. 7 Do not associate with these nations that remain among you; do not invoke the names of their gods or swear by them. You must not serve them or bow down to them. 8 But you are to hold fast to the LORD your God, as you have until now.

 9 "The LORD has driven out before you great and powerful nations; to this day no one has been able to withstand you. 10 One of you routs a thousand, because the LORD your God fights for you, just as he promised. 11 So be very careful to love the LORD your God.

 12 "But if you turn away and ally yourselves with the survivors of these nations that remain among you and if you intermarry with them and associate with them, 13 then you may be sure that the LORD your God will no longer drive out these nations before you. Instead, they will become snares and traps for you, whips on your backs and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land, which the LORD your God has given you.

 14 "Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed. 15 But just as every good promise of the LORD your God has come true, so the LORD will bring on you all the evil he has threatened, until he has destroyed you from this good land he has given you. 16 If you violate the covenant of the LORD your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, the LORD's anger will burn against you, and you will quickly perish from the good land he has given you."

THE KEYS OF COVENANT RENEWAL

In Joshua 24:14-15

14 "Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15 But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."

Now in Chapter 24, these are the parting words and reminder of the keys for our continual walk:

Fear God

Serve God

Be faithful

Remove idol

Choice

*************************************************

Fear God

Fear the Lord and serve Him in faithfulness.  The fear of the Lord can lead to many positive results and effects. It is the beginning of wisdom and  leads to the fountain of life.

Psalms 111:10

10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;

Proverbs 14:27

27 The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life,

When we fear God, it causes us to honour Him. This helps us to  build upon our success. We will also raise our children in the fear of the Lord. Honour God even though the decisions may seem to incur lost or set us back

Matt 6:33

33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Heb 12:28  

28Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,

Serve God

Power of faith and love

As Christians, we have often allowed secularism to grip the church. We try to institutionalize miracles and faith. However, the measure of faith is different in people.  What we need to do is to allow the example to be a positive influence.

Faith may be personal ( Martin Luther) but the practice of faith manifest itself in the body of believers. The sin of 1 man can affect the whole tribe and family. Hence, we should not just take care of ourselves because if one part suffers,  the entire body suffer (just like if the toe is hurt, the body feels the pain,  and also like the our kindergarten story on the mouth refusing to eat, stomach refusing to digest food..etc the body suffers). The parts must work together for total well-being.  The power of love must translate into demonstration of practical care.

For example, in the field of evangelism, the conversion of the chief  of the long house ( in Sarawak..etc)  can have  a multiplier effect on the entire tribe.

Serve Him in faithfulness – very often in the church,  of the congregation, we find only 10% serving and the other 90% busy. We also find excuses, the young still learning, the married i.e children still young and older  has no energy..etc. Some are insistent on the areas that they wish to serve. Others do not agree on the vision and refuse to serve.  We need to recognize that there is no right time, no right areas, no right vision when we are called to serve the Lord. God often called people who are busy. The disciples were busy people who were called to serve. Serving God means to serve whenever there is a need. A life of service is life of obedience not sacrifice. At times, we see the poor having more faith, because of limited means, they have to depend on God for healing and making ends meet. Likewise, for those who are called to serve, have faith and trust Him.

Be faithful

We love Him because He first love us in spite of what we are and who we are or even what we all can be. We need to hold on to the Word of God and God values faithfulness.  God does not look at the numbers – but the quality in  our Christian walk and in serving Him – have we been a better influence, are we touching more lives, have we fulfilled our  purpose,  and serve in official and admin capacities. Remember the accounts are kept in heaven and God judge by the many things you have done for Him.  Remember God’s goodness and be faithful. They may have forgotten but you must not forget. Reflect on it. Where did you come from – a low base.  God took you from nowhere  and bring you to where you are. Pressure ( from home, office politics and business problems ) can  make us bitter or better- choose the latter with God’s grace and follow His ways and keep remembering God’s goodness.

Remove idol

Power of money

Money have a powerful influence on our lives, no wonder the bible clearly spells it out. We need or seek  money for different  reasons – some for status, sense of well being, achievement, financial security..etc. We attach our self-worth to car, job, houses..etc, and our whole life is focused on protecting and keeping our image. So when we are stripped of our positions, jobs, assets,..etc will we still have the identity? 

We need to throw away foreign Gods- which include all things not pleasing to God- avoid all the wrong things that cripped silently into our lives. We need to incline our hearts towards God and be doing things pleasing to God.

Choice

If you truly love God, you will make choices which include Him We love God by loving our family. When we start making choice for Him, God will honour  us. It is a relationship – even when bad things happen and when we fail- we will still experience the grace and goodness of God- we need to be patient, very often, because God is not finished with us.

God’s word is Yes and Amen to us

20 Jul 2008  WHO IS A LIAR 
 

The  vernacular of Satan is the language of lies. This language has affected our lives whether the rich or poor, educated and uneducated, children and adult.  Lies has devastating results to our lives and eternal soul. It causes us to lose our portion to partake of the Lord’s glorious second coming.

To be overcomers, consider the following spiritual truths :

FELLOWSHIP WITH HIM

OBEY HIS COMMANDMENTS

KNOW HIS POSITION

FELLOWSHIP WITH HIM

If we have fellowship with Jesus, it will cause us to walk in the light as children of the light. We start to declare the true counsel of  God- Holiness of God, Righteousness of God and God is light. After fellowship, we can no longer live in sinful ways (as liken to lies)

1st John 1:6

6If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.

I KNOW HIM- OBEY HIS COMMANDMENTS

1 John 2:4

4The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

“I know Him” will lead us to obey His commandments, to praise God, love Him and serve Him. There are many commandments  such as  “ forget not to come together for the end is near – because when the last trumpet is blown- the dead will rise and those who are alive will be caught up  i.e  the rapture”. In the secular world, we respond without excuses to fulfill our appointment.  In  the church of Jesus, we still hear excuses.  If we claim that Jesus is amongst us  and we are children of light, then we must not neglect the house of  the Lord. If we do neglect, we are not fulfilling  God’s commandments. Therefore, if you love Him,  demonstrate with your action and attitude  towards the master.   

JESUS IS THE ANOINTED/ MESSIAH

In our times, there are many false Christ and Anti-Christ. Major religions  teach upright and moral goodness like Taoist ( no salvation), Buddhist ( no saving grace) and Confucian ( no eternal life) and Muslim testifies to the return/ second coming of Jesus. For us, only Jesus is the messiah. Apart from Jesus, there is no hope. The basis of our faith  is anchored on salvation unlike these major religions.

LOVE GOD BY LOVING HIS PEOPLE

The more we love God, the more we love one another. If a person says he love God and hate his brother he is a liar. The language of Satan is the language of lying. 

Consider human love versus divine/ agape love. The latter is without conditions like the way God loves us for who we  are and who we can be-with our successes and failures.

1^st John 4:20

20If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar.

To prevent it from prevailing in our lives- go back to the basics:

Love one another

Forgive one another

Unite one another

John 13:34-35

34"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

Eph 4:25

25Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.

RESULTS OF LYING

Ananias allow Satan to filled his heart. Peter denied Christ 3 times.

Acts 5:3

3Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?

The results of lying:

-        God will not dwell in us;

-        God will not listen to us;

-        God hate liars;

-        Liars suffer second death in the lake of fire; and

-        Liars like dogs and cannot enter city of new Jerusalem.

Psalms 15:1-3

 1 LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary?
       Who may live on your holy hill?

 2 He whose walk is blameless
       and who does what is righteous,
       who speaks the truth from his heart

 3 and has no slander on his tongue,
       who does his neighbor no wrong
       and casts no slur on his fellowman,

Psalms 66:18

 18 If I had cherished sin in my heart,
       the Lord would not have listened;

Proverbs 6:16-17
16 There are six things the LORD hates,
       seven that are detestable to him:

 17 haughty eyes,
       a lying tongue,
       hands that shed innocent blood,

 18 a heart that devises wicked schemes,
       feet that are quick to rush into evil,

 19 a false witness who pours out lies
       and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.

Rev 21:8

8But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."

Rev 22:14-15

 14"Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. 15Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

CONCLUSION- THREE FATHERS

In the bible, we are revealed of the truth concerning the three fathers in our earthly life:

-        Biological father

-        Temporary father- Father of all lies/  Satan

-        Father in heaven.

BIOLOGICAL FATHER

We also noted that 3 individuals do not have the experience of biological father:

-        Adam – created from dust

-        Melchizedek-

-        Jesus Christ

-          Hebrews 7 Melchizedek the Priest

-          1This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, 2and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, his name means "king of righteousness"; then also, "king of Salem" means "king of peace." 3Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest forever.

-          4Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder!

FATHER OF ALL LIES

The vernacular of Satan was revealed in the bible as the temporary father – father of all lies.

John 8:42-44

42Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me. 43Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Psalms 120:2

 2 Save me, O LORD, from lying lips
       and from deceitful tongues.

OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN

Matt 6:9-10

 9"This, then, is how you should pray:
   " 'Our Father in heaven,
   hallowed be your name,
 10your kingdom come,
   your will be done
      on earth as it is in heaven.

27 Jul 2008 FAMILY, FOCUS AND FUTURE                     
Tommy Pacatang

Time is very precious and we cannot hold back time. “Gold is not time but time is gold”. God plan creation and make man on the sixth day, and after Adam fell, God again provide a redemption plan. We need to pray and plan. How do we ensure that the values of our family will be pass on to our children. Our beliefs be passed on to the children. Sometimes like corporation, we can apply  slogans to remind us and leave legacy for our children.

Joshua 24:15

But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.

 2 Timothy 2:2

2And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.

Philippines

 12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.