Tears of Mercy

When was the last time you cried?   
Imagine, almost every one of us, came to this world crying. 
When a baby is born, whether through normal or Caesarian del Valle delivery, the first thing the baby does is crying. By the first cry the baby will take some air into the lungs for the first time in the baby’s life.  
Now that we´re grown-ups, we still need to cry.  Medically, we need tears.  Besides lubricating the eye and flushing away dirt, tears serve the same purpose in the eye that blood does elsewhere in the body, delivering oxygen and nutrients and removing waste products.
In my case, I probably need to cry more because I use this artificial tears to lubricate my eye. Emotionally, we also need to cry sometimes. Otherwise we’ll just explode and probably go crazy.

The title of our message this morning is TEARS OF MERCY
and later on we shall read from the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 19.

There are four kinds of tears:
1. Basal Tears - lubricates and cleans eyes to protect vision. 
2. Reflex Tears -  associated with environmental irritations like onions or pollen. Whenever we volunteer at Fraser Valley Gleaners, the first question is – are we slicing onions?
3. Emotional Tears – comes from the mind; these are the horrible sobbing tears or the merciful happy ones. Some people cry when they’re sad, or when they are happy, or when they are excited or when they are nervous.
4. Crocodile Tears - these fake tears are specific to people with excellent acting skills, of course. The term comes from the ancient Greek anecdote about crocodiles who fake-cry in order to deceive their prospective prey. Crocodiles do appear to produce tears, but this may be due to their third eyelid, which requires a great deal of lubrication.

Studies say that women cried more often than men, about five times.  The reasons for women crying more often than men are not because they are more emotional than men but this is largely biological. Women have 60% more prolactin in their bodies than men. Prolactin is the protein that affects the endocrine system, which may cause women to cry more often than men. 
Women also have smaller tear ducts than men, which means their tears spill over easily and, thus, are more visible than men’s tears.  Studies also say that women in wealthier Western cultures cry more frequently than women in other countries. Simply put, excessive emotional crying is more evident in first-world countries.  Studies say that women poor countries are emotionally stronger and cry less than their counterparts in the Western culture. Ladies do you cry more now here n Canada?

When was the last time you wept over something?
When was the last time you cried?  I mean emotionally, not when you´re slicing onions.  Like what I said earlier, some people cry when their sad or happy or when they´re nervous or excited.  The most common cause of crying is sadness. 

The Bible tells us that “Through Jesus Christ all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.”  Jesus is not only 100% God but He is likewise 100% human and our Scripture today tells us something very personal about Him. He cried, He shed tears, He´s got emotion like you and me… He can understand when you are sad and when you are shedding tears because He had experienced the same.  Isn´t that interesting?  The God that we worship knows how it feels to be sad and knows how to cry?

Please stand and we shall read from Luke 19, Verses 29 to 44:
29   As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 
30  “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 
31  If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”
32 Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. 
33  As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”
34  They replied, “The Lord needs it.”

35 They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. 
36 As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.
37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”
40“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 
42 and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 
43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. 
44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.” 


BACKGROUND:

• Luke 19:41 records the second time Jesus wept.  The first time was during the death of Lazarus (John 11:35) 
Jesus did not cry not because Lazarus died and He just missed him.  Jesus knew that He has the power to bring Lazarus back to life.  
He cried the second time when He was about to return to Jerusalem, not because He knew that He will be crucified and will be killed.  He didn’t cry because of that. 

• On both occasions, Jesus wept because of the Jews´ stubbornness, unbelief and because of their impending destruction
Jesus cried because He knew that the people are perishing because of their hard hearts.  He cried not for Himself but because of His compassion for others.  This is the reason why the title of our message is morning is TEARS of MERCY.  Jesus cried out of His mercy.
• Jesus coming to Jerusalem riding on a donkey was prophesied in Zechariah 9:9

There is a prophetic significance why Jesus came to Jerusalem riding on a donkey.  The Old Testament prophecy in Zechariah 9:9 tells us “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
Jesus is perfectly aware of what’s waiting for Him in Jerusalem.
Obviously this message looks forward to the coming Holy Week which starts on Sunday. We called it Palm Sunday.  The people of Israel welcomed Jesus back to Jerusalem by laying their cloaks and palm branches on the street.  This was a customary gesture in those days to welcome a king.  It´s a day of joy and jubilation for most of them, especially for those who knew the prophecy. 
Most of them think, this is it.  He is the promised Messiah.  He will give them freedom from the oppression of Rome.  What they don’t understand was the kingdom that Jesus will establish was not a physical kingdom, it´s a spiritual kingdom where Jesus must reign in their hearts.

The crowds were shouting "Hosanna! Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!" 
The Pharisees in the crowd on the other hand said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples."  Basically the Pharisees were telling Jesus, “Hey don’t let them call you KING, teacher yes,  but not king, go ahead and rebuke them!” 
Jesus knew that eventually the Pharisees were going to convince the Jews.  He would be rejected, mocked, crucified and and within a generation, this city would be destroyed. This was the reason why Jesus shed His tears.

God sent his Son, Jesus Christ, as a Jew, to Jerusalem.  The Bible says  "he came to his own, and his own received him not" (John 1:11). The people of Israel, in general, did not know that God has visited them, in the flesh, but they did not recognize Him.  The Bible says  “they stumbled over the stumbling stone.”  Jesus saw this sin and this rebellion and this blindness when He was about to enter Jerusalem. 

In verses 41 and 42, it says “As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.”  Jesus wept over the blindness and the impending misery of Jerusalem. 

LESSON POINTS:

Donkey’s were the primary mode of transportation at that time. It´s funny when Jesus commanded His disciples to take the donkey, it’s like carnapping, or maybe to donkey-napping.  
Jesus said “Go to the village and you will find a donkey tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”  

They obeyed Him and as they were untying the donkey, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”  They replied, “The Lord needs it.”

What if I ask some of you to go across the Agnes street and take one of the cars parked in front of the houses there, and when the owner asks, just tell them, Pastor Ramil needs it.   Two things will most likely happen:  
FIRST, you will most likely not obey me, “ano ka sinuswerti?”.  SECOND, if in case you obey me because I´m very charismatic, I am almost 100% sure you´ll get into trouble with the owner of the car.  You´ll probably end up in jail.

But let´s change the scenario a bit. What if a few days ago, I left my car in one of the houses there, let them use my car for a few days and you are aware of it.  Then this morning, I send you to go there to get my car and when they ask, you say, Pastor Ramil needs it.  You´ll probably get the car, right?  Here´s our first point:

God can anytime command us to offer our skills, our resources and even our lives in service to Him (v.33-34)
Why is that?  Does God have the right to do that?  Yes, of course, because He created each one of us. He gave us our skills.  He gave us our resources.  He gave us life.  The Bible says “the earth is the Lords and everything in it.”  So the owner of the donkey cannot say “no” because just like each one of us, he is only a steward or a caretaker of God´s resources.  He knows that, no wonder he did not refuse the disciples.  He didn’t sue them.  He didn’t even argue with them.  

Jesus, being the Creator of everything, has all the right to use His creation in whatever way He chooses.  If we are able to internalize this important principle, then our concept of giving, serving and even sacrificing for the Lord will certainly change. 

Let´s dig deeper on this.  God can anytime command us to offer our skills, our resources and even our lives because He owns them in the first place.  But that´s not the only reason why we should offer our selves back to Him.  REMEMBER, that JESUS offered His own life for us first.  He sacrificed His life for us so we can have eternal life so He expects us to offer our lives back to Him.
The Apostle Paul said…
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God--this is your true and proper worship”. Romans 12:1
 In the Old Testament, sacrifices are made through killing of animals.  These are dead sacrifices.  During the time of Jesus, in the New Covenant, He expects us to offer our bodies, our lives, as a living sacrifice.  It means that we should live our lives in obedience to Christ.  A life that is holy and pleasing to God.  This is the kind of sacrifice that Jesus expects from each one of us.

Sometimes, those who shout the loudest praises are the ones who can quickly turn their backs on God. (v38)
I said sometimes, ok? Hindi naman lagi.  Can you say that to the person beside you?  “Hindi Naman Lagi.”  

You know what I think?  Most people who shouted praises to Jesus, those who cried out “Hosanna, Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” were the same people who shouted “crucified Him” a week later.  
What does this tell us?  It´s not all about emotion.  Jesus tells us to worship Him in SPIRIT and in TRUTH.  It simply means that our life of worship should involve a good balance of emotion and our understanding of the Scripture.

I always tell people, before they come to church on a Sunday, they have to prepare their hearts and ask the Lord beforehand to make them ready to worship.  You don’t come to church with all those baggage inside of you… with all those burdens in your heart… with all those issues… that when we start to worship through singing… when our musician just started with a few notes or minsan nagtotono pa lang, and you are already bursting with emotions.  The worship leader was just about to start to open her mouth…. And here you are “WAAAAHHH!”  wala pa e… hindi pa naguumpisa eh…nangaano ka eh!  Why? 

Because you have all these burdens inside of you.. Jesus said “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”  So even before Sunday, you should have done that.  You don’t need music in order to be convicted of your sins or let go of your burdens.  
Go to JESUS any time during the week! 

Remember that worship is not about YOU, it´s about God.  Don´t make the Sunday Worship about YOU, or about your problems or about your issues or about your worries.  Worship is about the Lord.

In verse 40, When the Pharisees told Jesus to rebuke the people for calling Him as king, he answers, "I tell you, if the people were silent, the very stones would cry out (Luke 19:40). Why? Because he will be praised no matter what!  The whole design of the universe is that Christ be praised. If people won’t do it, God will see to it that rocks will do it. In other words, Jesus is sovereign. He will get the worship He deserves.  If we refuse to praise, we miss the opportunity, and the rocks will get the joy of worshipping God.

I´ve seen people who were so passionate when they worship. When they sing songs, they were the loudest, they jump, they dance, they raise their hands, sometimes they hit the person beside them, they shout, they cry, they kick the chair in front of them…  they´re too emotional.  

When the church encounters a problem… or when the pastor makes a mistake… or when a brother or sister disappoints or offends the person… this hyper emotional person is the first one to leave the church.  They are the ones who can’t easily forgive.  Or worst, sometimes they are the ones who create trouble.  

If you remember the apostle Peter, he kept on telling Jesus that he won´t give up on Him, he won´t disappoint him, he won´t deny him but look what happened.  He denied him three times.

Be careful with superficial, highly emotional worship. Jesus said --
“These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” Matthew 15:8
There must be a good balance of emotion or spirit and knowledge of the truth.  Our worship cannot be all emotion.

According to this very popular group in the 70s (from The Bee Gees)
In the words of a broken heart it's just emotion that's taken me over.
Tied up in sorrow, lost in my soul.
I don’t even know if that is making sense at all. But anyway, here is our third point:

The mercy of God is sovereign and His tears are meant for those who do not believe and are perishing. (v41-42)

We´ve talked about this earlier.  The reason why Jesus wept was not for Himself, it was for the people who do not believe because He knows that they will perish.

In my years in the ministry, I have seen so many stubborn people.  They have been attending the church for years and yet they don’t change their ways.  They already learned the truth about idolatry, that we are saved by grace through faith, that Jesus is the only way the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father except through HIM, they are still stubborn in their own religious beliefs.  

When I was a young boy, during Palm Sunday, we bring the PALM LEAVES which were actually made of coconut leaves to the church.  We had these leaves “blessed” and we believe that if we put these leaves in our windows, we are protected against typhoon or lightning.  This is the problem.  We get so focused on the symbols and forget that the true source of power is GOD and no one else. 
Why can´t some people give up some their old traditions? Their old practices?  You know why?  Because it´s not convenient.  People will laugh at them.  Their relatives will get mad at them.  I have heard people saying, “I was born in this religion, I will die in this religion.”  How short and narrow minded can you be?  
If you were born into a certain kind of religion, don´t you think you have the right to question it and decide for yourself? 

Becoming a Christian is a personal decision that we make.   You don’t become a Christian because your family is a Christian.  You don’t become a Christian by association like when you join a club. 
This is the problem with most people today.  They´ve been used to doing things and they don’t want to change.  Remember that if you are a Christian, the old has gone and the new has come, this is the reason why you are called “born again.”  

Jesus said…
“how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.”Matt.23:37

If the heavens rejoice over one sinner who repents, Jesus weeps and cries over one person who in unbelieving.  Because Jesus knew that for this person who is stubborn and unbelieving, His sacrifice on the cross has no value for this person. He knows where this person will end up to.

When was the last time you wept over something?
If every one of us can just internalize what kind of destruction is waiting for those who will not believe, like Jesus, we´ll probably weep as well.  

Knowing that some of our loved ones can´t get to heaven because of their stubbornness we´ll probably shed tears for them. 

Do you weep over the fate of the lost?
Do you feel the burden to share Jesus to them? What can we do? One practical way is to be equipped in sharing the Gospel so we can share the love of Christ to our friends and loved ones.   

Jesus said ” The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you…because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.” v43-44

This is true even in our time today.  If we do not recognize Jesus in our lives, if we do not believe, the enemy will build an embankment around us… the enemy will prevent us from hearing the truth… he will steal, kill and destroy every opportunity for us to hear the truth about the Lord Jesus Christ.  

And we know what´s gonna happen to those people who will not believe.  Just like the people of Jesus´ time, they´ll be one day doomed in the eternal lake of fire. 

We know that Jesus came to this world at the perfect time and place.  The Bible tells us in Galatians 4:4 “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son.”  That´s God´s plan.  There´s no question in God´s calendar, the perfect time for Jesus to be born was 2,000 years ago… not a century earlier, not a century later. 

But just imagine, what  if the first advent or coming  of Jesus happen during our time today.  
Will you recognize Him when He comes?

Just like those Jews, will you be among those who will shout “Blessed is the King who comes in the Name of the Lord!” or will you be among those who will shout “Crucify Him!” or will be you both?

I would like to end with some good news.  Just like that first Palm Sunday I would like to end in jubilation and praise.  Yes, Jesus weeps for those who are lost.  Yes, Jesus sheds His tears of mercy for them but not only that, a week later He also shed his blood for those who will believe Him.  About seven days later, JESUS conquered death by resurrecting from the grave.  The Bible says
…He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9

God´s tears of mercy extends to anyone who needs a Saviour.

LET US PRAY.

Prayer:

Wherever you are, whatever you situation you may be -- you need the love of Jesus in your life. Please say this prayer sincerely from your heart:  

Father God, I confess all my sins to you today.  Please forgive me.  Today, I open my heart to your Son Jesus Christ.  I accept Him in my life as my Saviour and as my Lord.  May the Holy Spirit come to my life and make me the kind of person you want me to be.  In Jesus Name, I pray.    Amen.

The above article is an excerpt from a sermon delivered at WCCC New Westminster during its Sunday service on  March 25, 2018.

I apologise if there are grammatical and spelling errors. I also apologise if I have missed acknowledging or making proper references to my sources, if any,  as it is purely unintentional.

If you are looking for a church in British Columbia, Canada please visit our website at:  www.wordchristiancommunity.com

The Good Ol’ Days – A New Year´s Perspective

It’s probably a habit for most of us that every time we approach the New Year we look back at the year that has passed by and see how we handled it.  Has 2017 been a good year to us or not?  What were the significant events that happened in 2017 that produced the most impact in our own lives?  Some people look back at the past year positively in terms of blessings and lessons learned but others, they sadly look at the past year in terms of regret, missed opportunities and problems -- that came their way. 

Looking back at the good old days may have positive or negative impact depending on your perspective in life.  To some people, looking back at the past brings back unhappy memories.   And it´s hard not to get caught up with our sad experiences in life.  We heard the saying “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift, that´s why it´s called the present.”

Master Oogway, Kung Fu Panda  

BACKGROUND:

The Bible teaches us that King Solomon is the wisest person who has ever lived.  This is mainly because instead of asking God for riches and long life, he asked God for wisdom so he can rule His people well and God was pleased with him.  You can find this in 1st Kings Chapter 3.

So God did not only give him wisdom but he made him wealthy and powerful.  People from different kingdoms will come to him for advice like the Queen of Sheba.    This is the reason why we have books in the Old Testament like Ecclesiastes and Proverbs that is full of sound advices and wise sayings.  But just like any other person, King Solomon had a weakness.  Do you know what that is?  He was a ladies´ man.  He loves women.    Can you imagine having 700 wives? Can you imagine having 700 mothers-in-law?

King Solomon had it all in life but he had a lot of regrets in life.  In his old age when he wrote Ecclesiastes, he said “everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” 

Being in the ministry for more than fifteen years and as a pastor for almost nine years, I have seen church workers who started really strong and passionate in the ministry.    But over the years, they start to change.  The fire starts to dwindle down and the passion begins to fade. 

Here´s what I observed – sometimes, when their life situation changes, their commitment and attitude towards serving in the Church also changes.    Some people got married, some had babies, some got a new job, a new home, a new pastor, some moved to a different church or some even lost a loved one.  Don’t get me wrong – not everyone changes in a negative way.  There are some people who have greatly improved but I have seen a lot of people who have changed over the years or maybe, to put it bluntly – they have become less and less active in the ministry.  

When I became a pastor of our church, I met some of these people, who used to be active in the ministry and loved to talk a lot about The Good Ol’ Days.  They will always tell you about how different it was during their time, how they were more active, how ministry was more exciting and how people were more involved.  That their children did this and did that.  If we have a fundraising today, they will tell you they have raised more funds.  If we have a Children’s concert in our time, they will tell you that the Children’s concert during the time of their kids were much better.  If you talk to them about joining the Family Camp, they will tell you that camps during their time were more exciting and there´s more adventure.  You ask them to join even a simple parlor game during parties, they will tell you --- oh, we´ve been there, we´ve done that, just ask the newcomers to join.  They never stop looking back at The Good Ol’ Days and it seems like they can never move on.  

One favorite question of mine to these types of people – 

Anyare?  What happened?  How come they are no longer active? How come we don’t see their passion anymore?

Talking too much about the past, especially in a church setting can have some disadvantages.  Dwelling too much on the Good Ol’ Days sometimes produce negative effects. When these old timers get together, they love to talk about the good ol’ days, whether intentional or not, they begin to form small cliques and separate themselves especially from the new comers. Please don’t get me wrong, oftentimes there are no bad intentions,  but they don’t  realize that -- 

Dwelling on the Good Ol’ Days too much…

Either knowingly or unknowingly, dwelling too much on the Good Ol´ Days sometimes give rise to pride. And we know what pride does to a person, right? The Bible says pride goes before destruction. And just like what we learned in the Bible Study of Boanerges last night, in the book of the Prophet Micah “And what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

Let us have some New Year´s Perspectives from the Scripture that we read today:

Solomon said in verse 8:

The end of a matter is better than its beginning

Pastor Ramil.  I like how you end of your sermon and not the beginning.  Church members are happier when the preacher reaches his CONCLUSION rather than the INTRODUCTION.  They want the sermon to finish.  Of course that’s not what we meant here.   We’re not saying here that the end is better than its beginning per se but rather

Lesson 1:  It is very important to finish what you have started.

I say “in most cases”  because obviously there are exceptions to this rule.  If you start “wrong”  and its obvious – you better stop it right away.  This is more applicable to our life goals or even ministry.   

Have you met someone who’s only good at starting something?  They like to initiate, they have lots of ideas, they are very passionate about something but never had the courage and the perseverance to finish it.

  

In the Philippines, we have a term for this.  It´s called “Ningas Cogon.”  “Ningas” in English means a “spark” and Cogon is like a type of dry perennial grass that is used to build houses in the old days.  Cogon can spark fire quite easily but it also easily dies down.   Ningas Cogon is a negative cultural trait of very enthusiastically starting things, but then quickly losing enthusiasm soon after.

This is very true with some of us.  How many of you here made some wonderful and promising resolutions during the new year of 2017?  Initially you were so passionate about it but after a few weeks… you’re back to your old ways.  Some of us are just good in starting.

It is so sad that we come to greet a new year and you will look back  how fast 2017 has come and gone by and all you have is regret over the things that you have fairly started quite well in the year but wasn’t able to finish.  But to be honest with you,  it’s not easy to finish what we started.  We need a strong determination and for God’s children, especially if we are talking about the ministry, we need the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit in order to finish what God called us to do.  We are simply too vulnerable, with all the temptations around us and telling us to quit, telling us that we are not good enough to follow through what we have promised the Lord to do.  

So Don´t be a Ningas Cogon

We should surrender our issues to the Lord and He will help us get through and finish what we started.  Aren´t you glad we have a God of second chances?  This New Year, He is giving us another chance to start anew and be able to do what we failed to accomplish last year. 

Solomon said in verses 8-9 ..

“and patience is better than pride. Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools.” (v.8b-9)

When speaking about patience, James used the analogy of a farmer.  He said be patient brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.

Lesson 2:  Patience, not pride, will help us focus on finishing what we started.

In Filipino – “Pag may tiyaga, may nilagang baka.”  The opposite of this lesson in Filipino – “Ang lumalakad ng matulin, kung matinik ay malalim!”

In the world we live in today, it’s all quick and instant.  Whenever we need information – just Google it.  So technology and even social media train us to be impatient, that waiting is not good and it’s not worth our time. If we want anything, we get it now.  We want to buy something, we order online.  We have visitors, we just order Chinese food for delivery.  We want to research on something, we research in the internet.  We want to tell another person that we are angry with him… just text the poor guy and show him all kinds of special angry characters on your cell phone .

One of the most common reasons why we cannot finish what we started is PATIENCE.  We don’t have it.  Or we have very little of it.  On the other hand, some people are full of pride.  They are ashamed that they move on with their goals and if they fail, they will be the laughing stock so they will just quit early in the game.  In most cases, we need to experience struggle.

There was once a man watching a wiggling cocoon.  After an hour, he noticed a split on bottom of cocoon.  Another hour, a butterfly appeared and was able to only free half of its body.  Another hour has passed, only half was free, the butterfly kept on struggling but half of its body was still stuck in the cocoon.  So the butterfly kept on wiggling and struggling and wiggling and struggling to get out.  The man became impatient, he took a pair of scissors and freed the butterfly from the torture that was happening right before his eyes.   The butterfly got freed but never took flight, it died a few days later. Butterflies need the struggle, they need to stimulate wings and make him strong - in order to fly away, the butterfly needs to patiently struggle.

I usually here this from older people… and of course I am now one of them.  “Mabuti pa nung araw… blah blah blah”  In the good ol’ days life is much better.  Is that even true?  IN the good ol´days, 25 cents lang ang Pop Cola.  But your salary was probably 300 pesos a month.  Actually, if we can just be objective about it… life is much difficult in the olden days. What kind of toys and games do we play when we were young?  

We play makeshift and home-made toys. Tumbang Preso. Trumpo. Teks. Syato.  Luksong Baka.  Luksong Tinik.  Gagamba.

Our piggy bank is made of coconut shell.    We clean the house using coconut husk.  We make toy guns out of papaya branches.  We go to school wearing slippers.  No money.  Of course we are proud of being able to do those things.  But let me ask you something – those who are in my generation.  When we were young … do you think if there is XBOX or Ipad or Wii or Nintendo Switch during our time… do you think we would still choose to play Siyato or Trumpo?  Probably not.  We just didn’t have much choice!  Life was hard.  Not too many options for us but we need to survive and make the most of our childhood, right?

So don’t say “old days are better.”  Of course there are better things in the olden days but in general, be objective, life was much harder then.

Nowadays we have Boxing Day, we go to Tommy or Guess or Forever 21.  We buy gadgets at Best Buy and furniture at The Brick.  We´re mad because of traffic.  Ano ba to? Traffic? Well, because we have a car.  In the Old Days, not everyone has a car!

In verse 10, Solomon wrote:

Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?”  For it is not wise to ask such questions.

Solomon is telling us… don’t dwell too much in the past.  Move on.  He knows that dwelling too much in the past is like carrying too much baggage.

Lesson 3:  Not dwelling too much about the past helps us accomplish more in the future.

Some people, even in the way they dress --- they can’t let go of the past.  They still wear clothes that probably looked good on them when they were 20 and they had a 20-inch waistline.  But now they are already 50.  Their waistline is also 50.  So give it up.  Leave the 80s.

It is not wise to dwell on the past. Think about it:

a.  Would you really want to repeat your first few months in Canada?

b.  Do you want to go through all your exams in college again?

c.  If you were sick before, do you want to go through your surgery again?

d.  If you’re a mother, do you want to give birth to five babies again?

FINAL THOUGHTS

I like how the Apostle Paul puts it in his letter to the Philippians 3:8-14.  I think these verses summarize what we have talked about.

But one thing I do:   Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,  I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.  (Philippians 3:13b-14 NIV)

Paul used the analogy of a runner.  He knows that as a runner, looking back all the time will definitely slow him down.  He compares himself with a runner whose only goal is to win the prize set before him.

He knows that the past is like a shadow, a dark looming figure before him.  He was a persecutor of Christians.  He had participated in a lot of murders against Christians.  If he looks at his past, he will definitely be frustrated and feel that he is worth nothing.  First, he tried forgetting what is behind, he strained toward what is ahead (that’s forward looking) Then he press on (that is what he does at present).  He press on. And press on.  And press on.  He was patient. 

He wrote to Timothy --  In have fought the good fight, I have kept the faith, and I have finished the race.

We have learned last year that life is not all there is.  There is more to come.   This Earth is not our final destiny.   

Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega.  He is the beginning and the end.  He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion!

This New Year, a lot of people would like to be forward looking and make some resolutions.  I have a suggested list for WCCC Maple Ridge.

Practical Resolutions for the New Year:

Read the Bible every day and finish it in one year

Early and not be late during Sunday service

Always have a daily prayer time  

Participate and be active in a ministry this coming year 

R.E.A.P.

If we say that the Bible is God’s word, if we profess that the Bible in inerrant, if we claim that the Bible is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness --- then it will definitely be for our benefit and advantage if we READ it, right?   If we say that PRAYER is like our hotline to God, then why not do it on a more regular basis. ALWAYS have a prayer time. 

Please do you best not to be late for our Sunday Service.  It is very important. If you are a parent, you are setting a good example to your children.  If you are late, your children will think that it is ok for them to be late. I also dream that all members of WCCC Maple Ridge will become participants and not just spectators every Sunday.  I want you to be involved.  To serve and to help out in whatever way you can in this church. 

LET US PRAY.

Prayer:

Wherever you are, whatever you situation you may be -- you need the love of Jesus in your life. Please say this prayer sincerely from your heart:  

Father God, I confess all my sins to you today.  Please forgive me.  Today, I open my heart to your Son Jesus Christ.  I accept Him in my life as my Saviour and as my Lord.  May the Holy Spirit come to my life and make me the kind of person you want me to be.  In Jesus Name, I pray.    Amen.

The above article is an excerpt from a sermon delivered at WCCC Maple Ridge during its Sunday service on  January 7, 2018.

I apologise if there are grammatical and spelling errors. I also apologise if I have missed acknowledging or making proper references to my sources, if any,  as it is purely unintentional.

If you are looking for a church in British Columbia, Canada please visit our website at:  www.wordchristiancommunity.com

Out of Egypt

We are all familiar with the Christmas story -- from the angels appearing to Mary, and to the shepherds in the field, the difficulty of finding a place for baby Jesus, the manger scene, the Magi following the star, and their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. For most of us, since we were young, we have grown very familiar with all the details about the story of Christmas even if some of them were not necessarily found in the Scripture – we have embraced them out of our tradition as some of these stories stirred our minds with a sense of jubilance and excitement about the real meaning of Christmas. 

Christmas has always been a message of good tidings which were to be shared with all people: that Christ, our Messiah, our Savior, was born on earth and walked with us. 
 A lot of times the story that we hear, the musical play that we watch or the church sermon that we listen to – leads us .. up and until the birth of Christ or the visit of the Magi where gift giving was clearly emphasized and for a lot of people, this is our favorite part. For some people this is where our minds are tangled upon.  What kind of gift shall I give to my family, or to my friends or what kind of gift shall I give to myself?  There is another part of Christmas that we are oftentimes very excited upon, parties and food!    

The Gospel of Matthew has always been regarded as the Gospel to the Jews.  Matthew wrote the gospel to convince his fellow Jews that Jesus was the Messiah as foretold in the Old Testament. His gospel was written from a Jewish viewpoint for a Jewish audience and one of his goals is to prove  that the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah points  to no other than Jesus Christ. 

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 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.”  When King Herod heard this, he was disturbed. He called together all the chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born.  “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet Micah 5:2 has written “But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.”  Matthew is telling his readers that hey, Jesus is fulfilling these prophecies.

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” Did you notice that last line?  There was a bit of a deception there, right? Do you really think Herod was going to worship Jesus? Of course not, in fact, the following events tell us the opposite.

The Magi went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.  
On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Based on what the Bible tells us, we debunk some of the myths associated with the Magi.  
First, they are not Kings.  
Second, there´s not three of them although the Bible mentioned three gifts but it doesn’t mean there´s three of them.  
Third, they did not visit Jesus on the night of his birth.  They came much later probably a few months after Jesus was born and if you read your Bible, Joseph´s family was already living in a house at this time.  

Now we are going to read our Scripture for today.  This is what happened after the visit of the Magi.

13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 
15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

BACKGROUND:
We know that the calendar we use today is divided into two eras and  amazingly it's based on the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.  B.C. means Before Christ and A.D. means Anno Domini which is Latin for “in the year of our Lord.”  Please take note though that Jesus wasn´t born in Year Zero.  In fact, there was no Year Zero because after 1 BC comes 1 AD.    
The Bible does not provide the exact year in which Jesus was born in Bethlehem. But if we closely examine the chronological details of history, it narrows the possibilities to a reasonable window of time.

Matthew 2:1 tells us that Jesus was born during the days of King Herod. He is also known as Herod the Great or Herod I.  History tells us that Herod the Great died in 4 B.C.
After Joseph and Mary fled from Bethlehem with Jesus, Herod ordered to kill all the boys 2 years old and younger because he wanted to kill Jesus. This indicates that Jesus could have been as old as 2 before Herod’s death. 
Christ must have been born sometime between 6 and 4 B.C.
In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI  of the Catholic Church finally admitted the miscalculation made by a European Monk Dionysius Exiguus, or Dennis the Small, in the 6th century. He is best known as the inventor of the Anno Domini (AD) era, which is used to number the years of both the Gregorian and Julian calendars.

Nazareth is the hometown of Mary and Joseph located in Northern Israel. In 5 B.C., just before the birth of Christ, Luke 2:1 tells us that   Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken so they had to go to Joseph´s ancestral town.
Joseph and Mary traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem for about 120 kms.

Because of the census which required a lot of people to go back to their hometown to register, it was difficult for Joseph and Mary to find an inn.  So it was not the typical scene that we see during Christmas nativity scenes where the neighbours were mean to Joseph and Mary that they shut their doors to them.  It was just a busy time.

We are told from the Scripture that we read that after the wise men had left, Joseph is told in a dream to flee to Egypt.  He was informed of this because Herod the Great will soon issue a command that all male children two years old and younger, in and around Bethlehem, are to be put to death.  Herod's cruel actions fulfilled an Old Testament prophecy by the prophet Jeremiah regarding the slaughter of innocent children in Israel.  Why Egypt and not just in other towns or other parts of Israel?   Well they had to be outside the jurisdiction of Herod and later on we´ll learn some important lessons about it. 

The family traveled from Bethlehem to Egypt for about 70 kms.

Soon after Herod died in early 4 B.C., Joseph had another dream where an angel tells him it is safe to return to Israel.  They soon began their travel back to Judea and Bethlehem.   However, as they approach Judea, Joseph learned that Herod Archelaus, the eldest son of Herod the Great, is the new ruler of the area.  Unfortunately, like his father Herod the Great, Archelaus rules with tyranny and cruelty. 
Joseph's fear was confirmed when God sent him a another warning in a dream. So instead of going back to Bethlehem, the family continued their travels northward to their hometown of Nazareth.

After Herod´s death, they traveled to Nazareth which was about 170 kms.
 Nazareth was a city in Galilee.  But guess what? It was ruled by another son of Herod the Great named Herod Antipas, although this son was slightly less violent than his older brother Herod Archelaus.  

Jesus was called “out of Egypt” up to Nazareth fulfilling the prophecy in the Old Testament.  In a few verses in Chapter 2, Matthew was able to prove to his readers that the birth of Christ and the circumstances surrounding His birth confirmed that He is the Messiah as prophesied in the Old Testament.  
Jesus spent his childhood and young adult years living in Nazareth, which fulfilled the prophecy stated in Matthew 2:23. It was implied that Jesus´ step-father Joseph may have died sometime between his 12th and 30th birthday.  Jesus continued to live in Nazareth until he journeyed to Capernaum to begin his public ministry.

The prophecies fulfilled according to Matthew are the following: 
Prophecies Fulfilled:
• Messiah will be born in Bethlehem (Matt. 2:5, Micah 5:2,4)
• Israel will weep for her children (Matt. 2:18, Jer. 31:15)
• He will be called out of Egypt (Matt. 2:15, Hosea 11:1)
• He will be called a Nazarene (Matt. 2:23)

In Matthew 2:15, he quoted an Old Testament passage in Hosea 11:1 which says:

“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.”
Most Bible Scholars agree that this prophecy was more of a pictorial prophecy.  It is more of a type of Christ and Matthew used it as an analogy comparing the relationship of God as Father to the nation of Israel.  Because of His love for His children, He called them out of Egypt which represented slavery and bondage bringing them to the Promised Land.  
When I was studying these passage, I also noticed an element of contrast.  God called His Son out of Egypt, which for a period of time, served as His place of refuge and safety.   God called Jesus out of Egypt also to send Him to the Promised Land but not necessarily for His own safety and protection.  Jesus was called out of Egypt primarily for the safety and protection of EVERYONE of us.  He was called out of Egypt in order to fulfill the will of the Father.

LESSONS:
I believe we can draw a few lessons from our story this morning. 
The redemption plan of God is something unimaginable, it´s definitely unthinkable.  Can you imagine God sending His only begotten Son to walk on Earth and eventually be crucified?  And with all the Old Testament prophecies about the coming of the Messiah and how He will crush God´s enemy, Satan must have been long planning a counter-attack.  In our story, we can say that King Herod´s actions of killing all those innocent children were definitely an evil scheme to prevent Jesus from fulfilling His mission. 

1.  Whenever God does something good for His children, rest assured that the enemy will try to do the opposite.

God devised His redemption plan, sent His son Jesus Christ with complete humility and meekness of a baby in a manger. Satan on the other hand came up with a counter attack by obviously influencing King Herod to murder innocent children.  The enemy wanted to prevent Jesus from growing up and being able to fulfill His calling because Satan knew that this prophecy will put an end to his control of this fallen world.

I don´t know about you but have you experienced receiving a wonderful blessing from the Lord.  You were so happy. Everything seems to be working fine.  You were so excited.  You just joined WCCC as an official member. You became part of a very productive ministry.  Then all of a sudden, for apparently no reason at all, something “bad” happens.   I believe sometimes, the enemy is involved.  He tries to spoil our joy of experiencing the blessing provided by God and he tries to counter-attack God.  This is the reason why some people don’t want to be very happy anymore.  They say that if they are very happy one day, they expect that tragedy awaits the following day.
Every time we appoint a key church leader, for example somebody responded to become a pastor or to become a church leader like President of the Board or like an Elder or Ministry Head.  We always tell the person, watch your guard.  Don´t bring down your guard.  The enemy is watching for an opportunity. He is out there to steal, kill and destroy.  

It reminds me of the 4th fight of Pacquiao and Marquez on December 8, 2012.   Pacquiao was doing very well on that sixth round with left and right jabs pushing Marquez to the ropes. With a split second of Pacquiao trying to set up a left jab,   for a split second he took down his defense and Marquez took this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity giving Manny a right hook straight to his mouth bringing Manny down flat into the canvass with his face down.   

Sometimes our Christian life is like that.  We´re too quick to put our guards down.  Sometimes we get so high and we bask in our accomplishments and cherish those moments but we end up putting our guards down.  

The Apostle Peter said “Be on your guard. Your enemy the devil is like a roaring lion. He prowls around looking for someone to chew up and swallow.”

The Apostle Paul said in Ephesians 6:10 “be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” Paul was very clear.  Be strong in the Lord, not relying on your own strength.  

2.  God allows “bad” things to happen for the time being to accomplish His bigger purpose.

God could have stopped King Herod from slaughtering those little children but He did not.  Not because He could not, but He did not.  
Remember in the past I preached to you one of the most difficult and relevant arguments we face today, especially by our children.  You can find this also in Norman Geisler´s books.
IF GOD IS ALL-POWERFUL, HE COULD DEFEAT EVIL.  
IF GOD IS ALL-LOVING, HE WOULD DEFEAT EVIL.
BUT EVIL IS NOT DEFEATED.  EVIL IS HAPPENING EVERYWHERE. 
SO EITHER GOD IS NOT ALL-POWERFUL OR NOT ALL-LOVING BUT HE CANNOT BE BOTH.  OR THERE IS NO GOD!
Did you hear that argument? You share Christ to someone this Christmas he brings up this argument. Isn't it difficult?

I am thankful because prior to hearing this argument we have spent two months talking about END TIMES and we learned that YES, God allows some “bad” things to happen for the time being.  He allowed the serpent to trick Eve.  He allowed Satan to do bad things to Job.  He allowed King Herod to kill the innocent children.  He allowed the Jews and the Romans to crucify Christ.  He allowed the 911 bombings. He allowed the Las Vegas shooting.  And in the future, He will allow the GREAT TRIBULATION to happen here on Earth.  But in the end of days, we know that GOD will finally put an end to evil.   WHY? Because the God we worship is all-powerful and an all-loving God!
He has a plan.  A plan bigger than all of us.  Beyond our understanding. And we caught a glimpse of that plan in the book of Revelation.  
It says there that “One day!” Say it to the person beside you “One day!” God will wipe every tear from your eyes and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain.  All these things are gone forever.”

3. We need to patiently wait for God´s perfect timing in order to fully respond to His calling.
Just like the family of Joseph, God may just be protecting us from danger during this period of wait.  He may just be preparing us or equipping us for our calling. The Bible did not say how long did Jesus stay in Egypt but again we can make some calculated guess that He lasted there for several months. It took thirty years for Jesus to start His ministry.   That´s a long wait.  If Jesus waited that long and even His first public appearance at age thirty was an act of humility being baptized by John the Baptist, why can´t we be the same. 
Sometimes we are too over-eager to join the ministry.  We want to serve.  We want to feel good. We want people to see us.  Sometimes we join the ministry for the wrong reasons.  But a lot of times, God wants us to wait.   So if I ask someone here to join the ministry, and you told me you are waiting for God´s timing, I will respect that.  Just make sure you are indeed trying to listen from God.  

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS.

God called Israel “out of Egypt” which represents bondage.
He called Jesus “out of Egypt” in order to fulfill His calling.
For the nation of Israel, Egypt represents bondage.  It represents slavery. Egypt was the centre of the world at that time.  Anything worldly, you can find in that place.  Egypt at the time represents anything the world has to offer.  God took His children away from that place. He allowed them to cross the Red Sea and brought them to the Promised Land.  
In the same way, He called JESUS out of Egypt in order to start fulfilling His calling.  

Is God calling you out of your own “Egypt?” He wants you out of your bondage.  He wants you to go out and fulfill your calling.
What´s your response? Are you prepared to take the call even if it means the enemy may have to put a mark on you and start pestering you head on?  Israel responded to God´s love by worshiping a Golden Calf and it disappointed God.  What about you? Will you disappoint Him?

Are you ready to get out of bondage and fulfill your calling?
Christmas is a good time to ponder upon these things.  God did not come to this Earth so that we can have a party each year, have lots of food and sing Karaoke.  Christmas is more than just giving of gifts, or going on shopping, or having fancy dinners and even holding family reunions.  God has a better plan in mind.  It´s called his Redemption Plan and He wants us to be part of that plan. 

I admire our passion and excitement when its Christmas season.  
I hope and pray that this passion and excitement will not only be present during Christmas time but will continue throughout the year.  That our concern in fulfilling the Great Commission in reaching for the lost  will have the same passion and excitement – not only during Christmas time but consistently throughout the whole year.

Prayer:

Wherever you are, whatever you situation you may be -- you need the love of Jesus in your life. Please say this prayer sincerely from your heart:  

Father God, I confess all my sins to you today.  Please forgive me.  Today, I open my heart to your Son Jesus Christ.  I accept Him in my life as my Saviour and as my Lord.  May the Holy Spirit come to my life and make me the kind of person you want me to be.  In Jesus Name, I pray.    Amen.

The above article is an excerpt from a sermon delivered at WCCC Maple Ridge during its Sunday service on  December 17, 2017

I apologise if there are grammatical and spelling errors. I also apologise if I have missed acknowledging or making proper references to my sources, if any,  as it is purely unintentional.

If you are looking for a church in British Columbia, Canada please visit our website at:  www.wordchristiancommunity.com