Hey everyone! Sorry for the super brief post last time, wasn't in much of a mood to post :( sorry!
Attended Arrow yesterday. Had to support a debate competition at VJC earlier so met the DG late. Can you believe it? CJC was matched up against HwaChong for their very first match*sweats*! Thank God we lost only by HALF A POINT. A miracle in itself, that we held our ground against such a formidable opponent! CJC is still in the running because they tally points, not victories.In any case we won our second debate :)
Saw Mindy and Yinlin for the first time in forever. Okay, make that two weeks. But the last time was so fleeting it doesn't count. Good to see Senbonzakura, Komamura, Suchiko and "Are They" again too! Had dinner and talked randomly until late and got into trouble with my Mum D: thank God it was resolved :)
The message shared during Arrow and today's sermon are in my honest opinion mind-blowing giant hugs from God that lets you know how beloved and precious you are in His sight :D Lets start with the Arrow sermon by Pastor Keith(Pastor Ben took a break?).
He shared a few lines which I have restructured into a poem:
Whatever you reject From your life it be ejected Whatever you elect In your life it be effected.
Pretty self explanatory. How is this all possible? See yourself as favoured always and you will have no problems rejecting the darkness in your life and claiming God's blessings as your won!
Read up the final hours of Jesus's life. If possible, watch "The Passion of the Christ" too! There was a cloud of darkness at the cross, making midday seem like midnight. It was there so that there can be a cloud of favour over you today! There should be joy in your heart today because Jesus was devoid of all joy at the cross. Its that logical. Does this seem too simple to be true? Guess what? Simple, yes. True? DEFINITELY!
Pastor also shared about something close to my heart: loneliness. If you have a spirit of loneliness(not merely lonely but under a constant cloud of loneliness), its there because you have entertained lonely thoughts long enough. Kill that spirit with a spirit. Elect the word of God as your guarantee. Say " No, I am not lonely because at the cross, Jesus was utterly alone, even apart from His Father so that now I am never alone! Jesus is my best friend today and He will never leave me!"
You are the head and not the tail because Christ bowed His head as He gave up His Spirit on the cross. What right do you have to bow your head when He did so so that you can walk straight and tall? Enter God's rest. If you have the favour of God, no weapon formed against you shall remain. No man nor demon can harm you when you are aware that God is for you! Read Deuteronomy 28:9 and 1 Corinthians 1:2 and 1:30. What do these verses prove? All who are in Christ Jesus are also HOLY!
Many people think that righteousness and holiness are subjects, or ideals that Christians must strive for by their own effort. Pastor shared that they are wrong. Holiness is not what we did or did not do. Holiness is a person! As you behold yourself as holy in Christ, faith will JUST RISE UP, FAITH WILL JUST SWELL UP INSIDE and you start to take take take it all, all the blessings and favour of God you will grab because you qualify through Christ! If Jesus paid such a price at the cross for your blessings, who are you not to take all of it?
Did you know? God's favour is not for you to stay as you are. It is to elevate you. Grace and truth came to raise me(and you)up! The Bible itself says that we have become slaves to righteousness.
And since you have been freed from sin, you have become slaves of righteousness. (Romans 6:18, International Standard Bible)
Here's a question, if you are a slave do you have any say? NO! You have NO CHOICE BUT TO BE RIGHTEOUS BECAUSE YOU ARE FREE FROM SIN! Not through your own works for you have no choice. Once you are free from sin, you are righteous!
You see, grace does not justify you and leave you in a place of defeat. Grace also gives you a desire to be free of that bad habit, that lazy attitude etc! Lets say you are failing all your subjects due to laziness. Grace will give you a desire to study! God gave you this as a way out of your defeat.
Deuteronomy 28:11 (in Basic English) states that "And the Lord will make you fertile in every good thing, in the fruit of your body, and the fruit of your cattle, and the fruit of your fields, in the land which the Lord, by his oath to your fathers, said he would give you." Did you know that land is a representation of rest? Back then the land referred to the Promised Land of Israel where all would be provided for the children of Israel. The people just had to rest in the Lord and the supply will come. Same here! According to Deuteronomy 28:12, when you have land(rest), His good treasures come! Stay in rest and be conscious of the overwhelming favour that Daddy God has for you. What's the first mention of "favour" in the Bible? Genesis 6:8="Noah found favour in the eyes of the LORD." Now substitute "Noah" with "Rest" because actually, Noah's name means rest! Rest finds favour in the eyes of the LORD!
Sorry guys (and girls), I'm tired and I've got a long day in school tomorrow. I declare it blessed in Jesus's name right now!!! Will complete this sermon tomorrow. God Bless :D
And for you to click these! *UPDATE* Thanks for the help!
And this button!
