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00:00 Good morning. How many of you really think it's a good morning today?
00:06 Wow. Your work on the right side of the bed. I woke on the wrong side of the bed. It was a I was trying to discipline
00:12 my son until 2:00 a.m. And then I we we had 1 hour sleep. Then my daughter woke up and then we had to feed her milk.
00:18 Then we slept again. Then I woke up with a fever. And then I was trying to calm it down. Then by the time I I I slept
00:25 again, woke up, it was already 7:00. I was like, "Oh no." And uh usually I'm
00:30 here by 7 o'clock to to be with the worship team. Um thank you worship team for leading us to leading me to you know
00:37 I so I came very disoriented very uh tired and then I think the whole worship
00:43 service just led me into the presence of God to know that he is here to speak to you today. Um um and I believe that
00:50 because I've been preparing this message for a while now and I've been going over and over through over again recrafting
00:56 and crafting because um uh partially uh um I'm not sure. I I felt a great sense
01:04 that God is trying to say something to the church, but I'm not sure what it is. And and and uh now I'm so clear in my
01:10 head or in my heart. I hope I'll I'll be able to make it clear to you uh what God really wants to speak. And and it was
01:16 very clear to me also this that me many may not get it but there are some that of you uh very specifically some of you
01:24 that he wants to speak to very specifically today. Uh this message may not be for everyone. Some of you will
01:30 think oh I've heard a Christmas message so many times before. I know all these things before. Guess what? That same
01:35 story is important to some people today. Uh so we're going to talk about Christmas again. All right. Can we? Of
01:43 course. All right. I'm I'm very excited. You know, the first thing that struck me today when I came in was I was saw two
01:49 candles lit up today. Uh for you, I don't know whether it's meaningful to you. To me, it's really meaningful
01:54 because there's four weeks of Advent and each candle is being lighted and then the there's the fifth candle that's
02:00 lighted on Christmas and it always reminds me uh that hope is coming. You
02:06 know, uh sometimes, you know, during Christmas season for pastors especially, it gets really really tiring and then
02:12 you look at the four candles. Oh, it's going to be over soon. No, no, no. That's not what I see. But
02:18 it's more like, h that special day is coming soon. I'm looking forward to it. All right. And so Christmas is around
02:26 the corner. If you don't realize how many of you have finished buying your gifts. Wow. Yeah. I've been struggling to buy
02:32 the gifts, man. I've been I've been struggling struggling struggling. Cuz for me, I want to buy a gift that's
02:39 meaningful for someone, right? And every gift that I give is personalized in some way. I I really toil through it. And so
02:46 me and my wife every night, uh, should we buy this? Uh, should we buy that? You know, that's our our Christmas story.
02:52 Um, but one of my favorite things during Christmas to do is to watch a Christmas movie. How many of you like Christmas
02:59 movies? Oh, so few people like Christmas movies. Christmas movies are awesome.
03:07 Yeah. Uh, because they always make you feel good. No. Yes. Yeah. Have you seen a Christmas movie that is makes you feel
03:13 bad? Um anyway, um um um my my sermon is
03:21 uh really talking about God is near. He is near. And it's based on the scriptures that you've heard from the
03:26 beginning of the service until today. Uh from Isaiah to Matthew to Romans. Um and
03:33 uh I can't remember where I put a pointer, but let's talk about my Christmas favorite Christmas movie of
03:38 all time. How about that? Want to take a guess? What's my favorite Christmas movie of all time?
03:46 How you know? How you know?
03:58 If you have don't know this movie, you're probably too young. Too too young.
04:04 I consider myself okay I don't consider myself young but anyway when in my
04:10 childhood days until now I see this movie it never grows old on me I always still laugh at the same things I I don't
04:17 know why it never grows old why
04:22 why does this movie mean so much to me now it might mean so much uh differently for you but means so much to me because
04:29 uh how many of you don't never watch this movie first then I need to know I have to tell the Sorry. Oh, no. How
04:36 many? How many? Really? Seriously? Okay. Okay. Then I'll give a short synopsis. Not so much of a spoiler, but
04:42 basically this movie is about a naughty boy.
04:50 I'm a very naughty boy when I was younger. Uh, and anyway, he was left at
04:55 home during Christmas and the parents went away and there was these two robbers trying to rob the home. And this
05:03 naughty boy thought of all ways uh to trick them. And uh finally of course the
05:10 the end of the story is that the family came home and there it was a great reunion and oh that's the meaningful part you know oh they were so sorry they
05:17 left him behind you know and anyway that this this story always gave me hope because I felt like that naughty boy and
05:25 then you know that Christmas will turn out all right anyway you know you know this the the song goes you know you
05:31 about Santa Claus right you you if you're naughty you don't get presents you're nice you get presents right So
05:38 this show always tells you that a naughty boy gets presents. That is me.
05:45 Now that's what I thought hope was. I I had lots of hope in in good things. What
05:50 do you hope for this Christmas? You know I peace. W you see a lot of
05:57 holy people in this church. I I I I asked the same thing, you know,
06:03 in the in the off church office. Hey, what do you hope for this Christmas? Oh, I hope for Jesus. I hope for his coming
06:08 again. What I I was like thinking for me I really hope for a new headphone.
06:17 Why? Why? Why is it that people hope for but but the question is do we really hope for Jesus? Do we really hope for
06:25 peace? Do we really hope for these things? Um um
06:31 Christian hope is something that um I think is grossly misunderstood
06:36 uh in today's context and I want to talk to you about Christian hope for the first part of my sermon. All right can
06:43 can I do that? Um he is near. His presence brings hope. And the first thing is that um um
06:52 most of us put hopes in something. Um even in this past few weeks, if you've
06:58 read newspapers, uh to hear that three K-pop stars, all right, have given up
07:03 their lives. My brother's friend, he just went to a funeral a few days ago, uh gave up his life. That means he's
07:09 only 35. Uh gave up his life. And and
07:15 psychologically the uh psychology says that when a person is depressed they it means that they don't see hope right and
07:22 so the world has a definition of hope of something you hope for or that you see a future that you see you can um there is
07:31 a tomorrow for example right uh one of the famous phrase that we hear about is what the sun will always
07:39 shine tomorrow or rise tomorrow Right. Right. And therefore we have hope. But
07:45 you see hope in human terms is always what?
07:51 Something or someone right or something that we
07:57 can't grasp. And the moments those those idols I would call them fall that's when
08:03 we lose hope isn't it? Yeah. I hope for a headphone this Christmas. And then
08:10 when I open all my presents, one by one. Aya book.
08:22 Aya picture of myself. Aya chocolate. Don't give me chocolate.
08:27 I'm allergic to chocolate. Let me warn you first. Every church I go to a pastor, they like to give pastors
08:33 chocolate because they don't know what to buy for the pastors, right? And I get a lot of chocolates, but I'm allergic to it. But well, anyway, it's okay to give
08:40 me chocolate because my wife is happy. But I'm allergic to chocolate. Ah, yeah.
08:45 Chocolate again. Then open open. Start start to lose hope.
08:51 Then my face start to turn black, you know. And then I open. Yeah. No
08:56 handphone this season. Didn't I hint it big enough to my family? Did I hint it big enough to the church?
09:09 I think some that story is somewhat like Israel's hope for the Messiah,
09:14 right? See, they had a version of the Messiah they wanted him to be. They had
09:19 this idea that he's going to be this white knight in shining armor, coming
09:25 down with this sword, slaying all the Greeks and the Romans
09:31 and then making them like kings and queens and princesses and then bring Israel into this glorious reign, you
09:39 know, and all of them are going to be kings and queens and then we all the Gentiles will be their subjects, the
09:44 Samaritans will be their dogs. I I'm exaggerating a little bit. No, but
09:53 it's kind of that that that view. And the moment Jesus came into the picture,
09:60 he did not fit. It was like me opening the the presents and I got chocolate
10:07 picture book. Can you imagine this? You you know you go and you open presents and you
10:13 know the best present to buy your children is what? School textbooks.
10:20 How many of them will be happy? You see the problem is we we hope for
10:26 certain things and Christmas movies actually do that. You know they force they they form this kind of false hope
10:33 for us actually. See all these times all these years that I see Christmas movies they've always always tried to form that
10:41 Christmas is about something good. Now if you read the passage just now in
10:46 Matthew Christmas and you read in Isaiah Christmas is about righteousness. It's
10:52 about repentance. Yes, it's about joy and peace at the same time but not the joy and peace we
10:58 think it is talking about. So let's get into this a little bit. Let me tell you
11:05 a story first. Me and my brother uh now this is the naughty story confession time. Okay. Me and my brother um uh when
11:13 my parents say they're going to go out, right? We were happy, right? Because that means freedom.
11:21 So uh we always ask the famous question your children don't ask but we I'm sure
11:26 your children ask what time you coming home cuz we want to know exactly how much
11:32 freedom we have right so that's our hope you know and
11:40 and so when they're gone we do all the things that we're not supposed to do
11:45 right TV oh don't worry I don't do that kind of naughty naughty things until you
11:51 imagine. Yeah. Yeah. We do start fire um try to cook for ourselves. We do all
11:57 kinds of funny things. And then by the time that our parents are going to come home somehow during my time, no
12:03 handphone, no find me, you know, uh can track your parents whether they're
12:08 coming home or not. Um somehow just before this clock strikes at the time
12:13 they were going to come home, the house is all evidence is gone,
12:19 right? And sometimes we take the Christmas hope and Christmas coming like that. See Christmas advent, the
12:25 Christmas coming and the remembering of Christmas is not just remembering his first coming but his second advent. Uh
12:31 and we all are Christians like that. You know I I hear so many times you know at the last moment before I die or I hear
12:37 the trumpet sound I will repent and then after that God will accept me. God has no choice like to accept us like
12:44 that. But Christmas hope is not like that. All right. Anyway, let's go to Isaiah. Um,
12:52 see, in Isaiah, it pro is prophesied that our hope will rest in Jesus Christ.
12:59 And in Jesus Christ, these are the things that will give us hope. So, let me summarize it in a chart. Biblical
13:04 hope talks about what? Wisdom, understanding, counsel, and knowledge
13:09 and fear of the Lord. Righteousness and faithfulness, peace beyond our understanding where a child will lead a
13:15 lion. That's like crazy. And then what? Glorious signs. But in reality, what we
13:22 see today on earth or what around us is what we see what foolishness and
13:28 stupidity, dictatorship and power, falsehood and anarchy, wickedness and
13:34 treacherousness, indescribable cruelty and wars and pathetic symbols.
13:40 Right? Nothing we can hold on to. That's why this church, this world is really without hope.
13:47 See hope. But then instead of being
13:54 seeing um what do you call it? The devil is so smart that instead of uh uh uh telling
14:01 us that we have no hope, he gives and place false hope into our lives.
14:09 And that's why people commit suicide. It's not because they're without hope in some sense because if they look at the
14:15 reality of the world and they say, "Oh, I'm looking for something better, right?
14:20 But they put false hope into people's lives." He makes us and I think in many
14:27 ways this list of false hope, if you see it in the line of of of the biblical hope is so true even in Christians
14:34 today, we put our hope in what? Our intelligence and reason.
14:40 No, none of you do. I your childrens don't get their grades.
14:46 They feel like they at war end. No, no. Ah, in in in Singapore, one of the
14:54 highest suicides is rates is among students. I just every year I read news
14:59 of 12 year old after PSLE committing suicide. It's crazy.
15:06 It's like they don't have any home. Some people have have so much hope in reason
15:12 that that the moment you shatter their their their world view they feel there's
15:19 no hope anymore. What other false hopes do we have? We have false hopes in
15:24 democracy. Is democracy something we supposed to hope for? Uh a lot of us the moment the
15:32 elections happen what do you go yes now Hong Kongers democracy
15:38 guess what you can put hope in democracy but that's not the way God actually leads us and in
15:48 merit for example I we are such a meritocracy country right that of course
15:54 those that have good grades are going to get those that have ss are going to get jobs and those people that don't have
16:00 are deemed worthless. Now, let's be real about it. It is true.
16:06 It is true. Um, but that's the same thing. What else do we put our what? Oh,
16:12 my numbers are all wrong there. So, sorry about that. I didn't notice that. You see, I have no intellect. I'm so
16:18 sorry about that.
16:26 Yeah. Ah, so my hope is has just been shattered. I think I need to go and cry
16:32 now. We put our hopes in things like our intellect, in law, in morality,
16:39 right? In the human uh you know a lot of movies try to uh alleviate uh uh raise
16:46 up raise up um human nature that they say in the human nature is innately
16:53 good, you know. Uh and then after that but then we see the reality is that people is a dog eat dog world. What
17:01 else? We put our hope in world peace. In fact the illusion that the world is at
17:07 peace right is ridiculous. Uh the amount of lives that are taken every day because of war it's if you
17:15 think over the time period since World War II until now it's just as bad. It's
17:21 just as bad. We're not in a time of peace. But this is the illusion that we are in this world peace. And so that's
17:28 why when Malaysia is threatened of its peace a bit. Oh, migrate go somewhere else.
17:35 You know, uh guess what? Malaysia, do you know on the peace index we are one we are we we are actually more peaceful
17:42 than the USA. We are very blessed, you know, as a
17:48 nation. We're one of the most peaceful. I think we are we're in the top 30 and
17:53 US is top is top 50. We are in but anyway that whole index to
18:00 me is still giving us an illusion that there is peace in the world.
18:06 And last we put false hopes in many other symbols but primarily I think we
18:11 put a lot of false hope in human symbols. one of the biggest human symbol that that failed us uh nowadays of in in
18:18 in the world that we put we put our hope in mahate
18:24 how many of you did honestly come on I did
18:29 wow you're all very holy people like looks like I'm preaching to the wrong crowd here but here I am um and I think
18:36 that's one of the reasons we are very upset actually right and that's the problem.
18:45 When we put our hope in anything else except Jesus Christ,
18:53 it will fail us. And I'm going to share with you a story. I promise you when I'm going to preach in Christmas, I'm going
18:58 to tell you the story about my son. Correct? And I didn't know my daughter would come.
19:04 So my daughter's six weeks old now. And uh uh um um it's it's been a joy and a
19:12 whirlwind at the same time. Um but let me tell you the story. Um I wanted to be
19:18 a father at 21. I was very certain.
19:23 Yes. Uh so I had a relationship and I was ready to get married. uh I was
19:28 earning enough to get married then I was ready but uh somehow
19:34 that that relation turned out uh I knew that I wasn't uh it was not right before
19:40 God and I had to uh say that we have to break it off and so after the 21 I kept
19:47 chasing relationships because my hope was that I have 12 children
19:54 now you're all saying fat hopes like No, I still have that hope. Okay.
20:02 Um, anyway, really, I really, really want 12
20:07 children. I told that to my wife before we got married. She still says F hopes, but we'll see.
20:16 Um, we got married and I told you the story that we found out that she couldn't conceive. Um, we went through
20:22 all the things, IVF, did all the things and we put our hope in medical science, we all the things we moved back to
20:29 Malaysia because they say you you're too stressed in Singapore, it's going to help, you know, that if you are not so stressed. We did all the kind of things
20:36 and and and I would tell you that the moment that happened that I realized that I might not be able to have kids,
20:43 uh, it shattered me. I lost hope to live because I was like if I have Okay, one
20:51 of the reasons is this. Um I'm going to share a very you know you always say I'm
20:56 too emotional. I'm so sorry but I am
21:02 that's just how God made me. Okay. Um um I have a niece and she was born on
21:11 Christmas. Uh I met her once on Christmas. after that I never met her again until this
21:17 year. Uh so when uh she's now 9 years old and
21:24 uh so I I didn't know who she was. Um the the long story short it was a very
21:31 nasty marriage um my brother had and uh um so my parents uh actually is a kind
21:39 of lost hope they they love children and my mom is a children's minister national children's director in the assemblies of
21:45 God. So she leads hundreds of childrens. So of course her lifelong dream is to have grandchildren and her first
21:51 grandchild she never got to meet. So I've kind of felt like that hope was placed on me as the older son and this
21:58 older son take so long to get married. Finally got married cannot have children. Tried for so many years still
22:05 didn't have children and I thought I failed my parents.
22:17 So anyway, cut the story short, long again. And long story short again,
22:23 [Laughter] my intellect is really not working today.
22:30 I put my hope in all these kind of things and it devastated me. See, I
22:36 didn't realize that all this time the longing in my heart. Thank you very much.
22:41 Thank you very much. I got hope.
22:48 I didn't realize all this time uh during that that season that I had put my hope not in Christ's promise that that that
22:55 this he put this longing for me to have children uh this desire this innate
23:01 desire and he he I know because he has prophesied on us that we will have children but I put my hope in all these
23:07 things and it was just blown and it it challenged us so bad that I was thinking
23:12 divorce is an option as well because I just couldn't couldn't grasp life
23:19 anymore. Cut the story short, we came back, we just continue to faithfully to endure
23:26 and uh do what God has called us to do. Um we came back to Malaysia uh from
23:33 Singapore and guess what? Uh everybody told us it was the most foolish thing. I I'm paid uh about five times less than
23:40 what I used to earn in in Singapore. Con converted, of course.
23:46 Uh and uh uh and then I came back, I took a loan, a huge loan to do my my my
23:52 doctoral studies and my master studies. And people say, "You're crazy and you're not going to have a job. You're going to
23:57 do this." I I did that anyway because I know God asked me to study. I I I focused on what God asked me to do. And
24:04 then my wife uh so graciously because I was studying uh decided to take a job
24:09 with a church to be a church administrator. And uh in that church um they wanted to
24:16 start a ministry for children uh for uh you know that teenage pregnancies is a
24:21 problem in Sububanga right? Yeah. Uh so she she did started and they wanted to
24:27 start this ministry. So we quickly we signed up with a lot of adoption agencies but it was kind of hard so
24:32 because she's Singaporean I'm Malaysian not all the local ones want to give us and then on the same time there's a rule
24:38 in Malaysia that are only five years of not having children you can start to apply. So we just met the five-year
24:44 deadline and we were applying everywhere and we were trying very hard to uh uh
24:49 adopt and at the same time still trying as parents to have our own children. Um
24:55 but after a while I was also giving hope giving up hope in adopting. It was like just so difficult so difficult. So one
25:03 day I was going through the drudgery of the norms of everyday life and uh I pick
25:11 up a phone call that says, "Are you pastor Leon?" Then I say, "Yes, it's me.
25:16 Uh we've been trying to call for your wife for months, but she we've not been able to get her. Somehow we've not been
25:21 able to get her. We uh actually have a child that we uh we think would we'd like you to adopt. Would you would you
25:28 still want to be adopt?" because tomorrow is the uh the interview and we have not been getting your wife. Of
25:34 course, I straight away jumped and said, "Yes, Lord." Right? So, suddenly my eyes sparkled again. Hopefilled me again.
25:40 Right? And so I I but the moment I put the the the the phone call down, right,
25:46 God whispered to me in a very strange way. He said, "I'm giving you a son."
25:52 I was like, "Ah, I didn't ask anything of that." Anyway, so we talking as a family. I was sharing the good news with
25:58 my wife. But of course, we still have to interview. Don't know whether pass or not. But in my heart, I already knew that that I would have a son, you know,
26:06 and I was like, it's strange. So, I was very confident, you know, we were doing all the things. And and anyway, we
26:13 decided we're not going to ask about the the the what whether he's a boy or a girl. We're
26:19 not going to ask about the status of the mom or whether he has disabilities or anything. we're not the child has all
26:26 this kind. We're just going to adopt the child the way God provides and gives for us. And so we went for the interview. We
26:33 didn't ask any of these questions. They asked us all the things and then we answered all the questions. We went back
26:38 uh and they said, "Yes, we're going to give you the child." So, wow,
26:43 that was so anyway, we we quickly called my mother-in-law and said, "Hey, we got a we got a child coming." And we
26:50 actually the child was going to come in a month. So, we had one month to be parents. And it was kind of exciting but
26:55 a hair, you know, because we had to transform everything in one month. And
27:00 uh we called my mother-in-law and my mother-in-law being a typical Singaporean was very pragmatic. Is it a
27:06 boy or girl? Cuz I only want to buy presents that are correct.
27:11 Then we were like, but we don't care. No. She said, I want to know. Oh, your mother-in-law say, what do you do?
27:18 Listen. There's a lesson you must learn. Not in the Bible, but you must listen. Okay. when your mother-in-law tells you
27:24 to do something, you do it. So anyway, we but then then I didn't
27:30 share with my wife at that time, but I I I shared my wife when I put down the phone call the first time they called
27:35 me, I remember God say he's giving me a son. So I knew it's going to be a son, but we got a call anyway, right? So
27:42 called and confirmed it was going to be a boy. And I was wondering, God, why a
27:47 boy? What are you trying to say? you know, why did you so clearly tell me
27:52 it's a son? Then you say, "Oh, because Jesus is a boy." No, no, no, no, none of that.
27:58 So, I I we the first day um I got my son
28:04 uh we picked him up on the day he was born. Um um of course it was a very
28:09 special day and I don't have the time to tell you all the emotions that filled our lives in that moment, but we had to
28:16 register his name, right? So we're calling all our relatives and then we like uh do you know some Chinese oh must
28:23 follow one my family right and all this kind of things. So we call if none of the families follow but what we realized
28:29 actually right was that in my entire limb clan right limb clan there was no
28:35 boys or in his batch. He was the first one.
28:41 He was the first one that was going to inherit the entire limb clan
28:48 just and he was adopted. See, God had a story to tell me that
28:53 when we adopted to Christ, right, we inherit everything, you know, as a child of God. And this boy was going to
29:01 inherit everything. I know it's no big deal in non-Chinese families, but in the Chinese family,
29:06 it's a big deal. And it's God chose an outsider to come in. Of course, we don't
29:12 treat him like outsider. He's ours. He's our son. But he gave everything. And that's why
29:19 it's a son because if it's a girl cannot sadly this culture has to be broken
29:25 someday. But I believe that that story reminded me that adoption was always God's hope.
29:34 Adoption was always God's plan. I put my hope in my own intelligence.
29:40 Instead of the wisdom and understanding of God instead of the counsel and might of God,
29:47 instead of the knowledge and fear of the Lord, instead of who Jesus is, I thought
29:54 that children is something I want. And I think a lot
30:02 of us Christian hope is like that. We put our hope in so many other things
30:07 than Jesus Christ, you know. And I tell you this story because I want to tell you, no matter how hopeless your
30:13 situation is, there is always hope in Jesus Christ.
30:20 Some of you may not believe in Jesus Christ. Let me tell you today, if you're going through any situation in your life
30:25 and if you think there's no hope, there is. If you look at your marriages and you say, "I have no hope to stay
30:32 together." Guess what? There is hope. I remember the day my son came. Um my
30:38 father uh was was going through we hate to admit it but he was going through
30:43 some sort of depression. Uh his ministry was failing. Uh his health is was
30:49 failing. Uh uh he was he was going to give up on living. And when my son came
30:59 uh he it changed you know we can see the drastic change in him because of hope
31:06 and hope is a powerful thing. Hope is something we need. Without this wisdom and understanding, counsel and mind,
31:11 knowledge and fear, righteousness and faithfulness, we cannot live. Actually, you know, you realize without peace, we
31:17 can't live. And guess what? The promise is that all this can be found in our
31:22 savior Jesus Christ. That is the hope we have. Our hope is
31:29 not in something, is not in just someone, but it is really someone who is
31:35 greater than any other. the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, and he's Jesus
31:41 Christ. So I I have a question. Can Christians get depressed? Then
31:49 yes, because we put our hope in something other than Christ. But if you
31:54 put your hope in Christ, you will never get depressed. Let me tell you that. I learned that lesson very hard. So then
32:01 the same thing happened. I want 12 kids. Ma, three years already. We've been
32:07 applying again. Then I start to lose hope again. And then my girl came just six weeks
32:15 ago. To God be the glory. So I'm going to tell the testimony in this church until
32:21 maybe in 12 years time I have 12.
32:27 I don't know. I don't know what God has, but my hope is in him, not in my 12 children now. The more he gives me, the
32:34 more I know that he's a good God. If he takes away, he's still a good God. And I
32:41 hope that Christian hope will anchor this church. That this Christmas, when you see Jesus Christ, you will know that
32:48 my hope is built on nothing less. Yes, Jesus blood and righteousness. I
32:55 dare not trust the sweetest name frame, but holy trust in Jesus.
33:01 Yeah, I love that song. I love all the songs we sang today. Somehow it spoke to me. Anyway, the second thing I need to
33:07 talk about. I'm on the second point. I got 16 more minutes. Oh no. He is near. His presence calls for
33:13 repentance. This is something that most people don't talk. Without repentance,
33:19 there's no hope. Without repentance, there's no hope. And
33:24 most people only understand repentance as confession. Actually, yes, sin causes
33:30 us, it destroys our relationship with God, but it also destroys our relationship with each other. And that's
33:36 why we're asked to confess to God and each other because confession, right? Is good to heal that horizontal
33:44 and know the vertical and horizontal relationship. It's very vital. But repentance is not just about confession.
33:53 What is repentance? I think you're all very good Bible scholars here, right? But I got to repeat this story all over
33:58 again because I think we often think repentance is about saying I'm sorry.
34:08 Let me tell you saying I I I say that to my son. Uh is my son here? He should be
34:13 somewhere here. Anyway, I better anyway I'll tell this. What does sorry means? And he will answer me. Do not do again.
34:23 Right. The problem is our Christian repentance now today are in most places
34:30 it's not real repentance and let me tell you why because statistics show right the divorce rates in church and outside
34:36 of the church is same how can that be if that's true repentance
34:43 I don't understand don't don't don't don't don't that's just one statistic I
34:48 can tell you about the other statistics of like pornography in church and outside of church guess what the statistics show is no
34:57 Pornography addiction in church is equal to outside if not even worse because you
35:02 know what Christians lie you know uh we had this joke in Bible
35:10 school every boy that says he doesn't masturbate is a liar
35:17 right and what happened to repentance then if God's way does not ask us to do
35:23 see repent Repentance is very simple. Repentance talks about what I'm walking one way and that this is the way to
35:30 destruction. I turn around and I walk to Christ and then I don't turn back. See,
35:36 most of us describe the Christian walk as taking one step back, maybe two steps back. Ah, you know, we keep going that.
35:42 But I don't believe in that. You know, I believe Christian hopes keeps us moving
35:48 forward. And the important thing is as we're going through this season of remembrance, right? uh this whole season
35:55 uh globally in all the churches they're going through the same passages we're going through. Um we're highlighting the
36:01 the story of John the Baptist. John the Baptist is my favorite Bible character.
36:08 Favorite favorite favorite of all time because there's if I have to look at any
36:14 hero of faith, there's only one I want to be like John the Baptist.
36:19 And anyway, uh, you know, uh, John the Baptist wasn't perfect either, you know.
36:25 You know, uh, that's why it makes me feel better. So, but his response to God was always to
36:31 put his hope in God and not himself. But anyway, the story goes that
36:37 John is supposed to prepare the way for Jesus, right? Right. The kingdom of God is going to come and then he say the axe
36:43 is almost at the tree going to what? What of all things, right? uh that you
36:49 can preach before Jesus Christ, right? Most people will preach what? Oh, we got hope coming. Our Messiah is coming. He
36:55 is going to save us. He's going to take the rulership. He's going to heal many people. That's what John could have
37:01 preached on. Isn't it? What did the spirit ask him to preach on?
37:07 Repentance. Most of the time we think about Christmas, we think about this loveydovey feeling. Everybody love each
37:14 other. It's great to give. is more blessed to give than to receive. I heard all these cliches and I've never heard a
37:20 sermon preached during Christmas that is a call of repentance.
37:26 Christmas is about repenting and getting ready for our savior to come.
37:33 Christmas is acknowledging that we have put in our hope in things that are not supposed to be our hope and coming back
37:40 to say Christ you are our only hope. Are you doing that this season?
37:47 Are you focusing on him or are you still looking back and then say, "Wow, quite nice are behind there." Hey, it's very
37:54 easy to look back when sometimes I look at pretty girl then I look at my wife and you're
38:02 reading too much. Don't think so much. Your intellect too good already become
38:09 No, I really thank God um for who my wife is. God blessed me with a wonderful
38:14 wife. Although we we we have our struggles,
38:19 but she has really stood by me and all my stupid decisions and all my faith
38:25 decisions to follow God. Even though we would lack uh we've never lacked anything, but it would seem like we're
38:31 going to make silly decisions. She left her comfort of Singapore to come here.
38:37 uh uh she she I don't think she wanted kids but anyway now she has and now she
38:43 has to be a mom and now all the sleeplessness nights she never complained once she's never complained
38:50 once about be my wife I'm bless her huh
38:58 see repentance is not just about inward when I look backwards I need to repent
39:06 and keep my eyes on God and there needs to be an outward manifestation of it. Um
39:11 this story of L Johnson, have you heard of this story of L Johnson um
39:17 uh this L Johnson father confessed bank robbery from Baptist poopit. Anyway, the
39:24 story goes that at 19 he joined two men in robbing a bank and the case was
39:29 closed after two other convicts were clipped uh killed in a auto crash. So
39:35 that means there was a car that crashed and there were two convicts, ex-convicts inside. So they suspected them to be the
39:40 robbers, right? So he got away scot-free. So it
39:46 mystically identified as the what. So El fell sure that he was never going to be caught again. He married a Christian
39:52 girl and pretended to be a Christian before her. She knew nothing of his past crime. Then someone sent him a track in
39:59 an email and says, "God's plan for salvation." Reading it he noticed that one of the Bible verses said, "Whoever
40:05 shall call on the name shall be saved." The realization struck that salvation was for him. He could be forgiven and
40:12 his conscience set free. He knelt down and prayed and accepted Jesus Christ. His life changed. He stopped the
40:19 lifelong habit of lying. And after much thought and prayer, he decided he was going to confess his crime.
40:27 Now I don't know about you but to make a public confession of a crime over
40:32 Pubitik's guts and he did it his confession became such
40:38 news that in all the television newscasters and newspaper put it as the
40:43 headlines even in Canada. On Sunday morning in the Seawwood Avenue Baptist
40:49 Church, L. Johnson stepped up to the pit and revealed to the congregation that the day before he had gone to this
40:55 district attorney, he that the day before he made this public confession, he had went to the district attorney and
41:00 confessed his role in the crime. I thought about the bank man bank robbery many times. He said Johnson who was a
41:08 teenager when the crime occurred. I prayed about it and asked the Lord to give me an answer. It seemed that he
41:13 will give me only one answer. to the Lord that I should give myself up. John
41:18 also revealed that he had borrowed money to repay the bank his share of the stolen funds
41:26 the statute. Anyway, the good news is in under the Kansas statute of limitations,
41:32 in the end he was set free. Although he chose and he he chose to repay the
41:37 stolen funds and all those kind of things. I think what is really remarkable is that today L. Johnson is a
41:44 manager of a service station and a father of three admiring children and outstanding Christian layman in his
41:50 church. See if you put out See, this is what when I read this
41:56 story, this is a picture of true repentance. He didn't have to confess it.
42:02 And that confession didn't just say, "Oh, I'm sorry for the bank robbery, but
42:07 guess what? I wish I escaped all the consequences of it." Not only that, he
42:13 said what he if he had went to jail, he'd be leaving the children behind. He
42:18 knew that, but his hope was in what? Not in what he can do, but who is God
42:26 is. And God set him free. God set him free.
42:31 I think we as the church needs to repent like never before in this Christmas.
42:39 If you have put our hope in something else, this is the season to
42:45 put our hope in Christ. Again, I don't know. I know I know all of you are very good Christians, not like me.
42:52 You're the one handful, one peace, one Jesus Christ.
42:58 But for me, this message is for me as well. Is my hope this Christmas in Jesus
43:06 Christ? And I'm going to end with this. His He's
43:12 near. His presence brings joy and peace. Last week you learned all about peace. So I'm not going to talk too much about
43:18 that. I'm going to talk about this. Um it's is
43:23 in Romans 15 verse what uh Romans 15 verse 13. It says, "May the God of hope
43:31 fill you with joy and peace in believing so that you may abound in hope.
43:37 by the power of the Holy Spirit. See, Christian hope is like this.
43:45 The Holy Spirit is the source. Too small for some of you. I can see you're squinting. I'm so sorry.
43:53 How does it start with joy and peace that comes by from the Holy Spirit? Then what do we have then?
44:00 Hope. We have abundance in hope. Then in Romans it talks about what?
44:06 Then you can endure. If you hear the the the the uh the the the scripture that
44:13 was read earlier in the service and then what it says encourage one another. Then
44:19 encourage one another. Then you get joy and peace again. And then it's like this
44:27 circle that should not end. Now the problem with Christian peace is this. We have joy and peace. We are bound in
44:33 hope. And then it stops there.
44:38 Some of us endure, some of us don't. Now endure, that's one thing why we have testimony time is church is because it's
44:45 supposed to be encouragement. Yesterday I was very blessed by our sister sharing her testimony inside the newcomers
44:51 sharing because it reminds me I must endure that I should be joyful about what God is doing in our lives and that
44:58 I have peace that he's taking care of everything. And then then I have hope again. And when I share to you about my
45:04 situation, it encourages you to know that if you cannot have children, you have hope.
45:10 See, that's how Christian hope supposed to work. But it always falls short on one of these areas
45:18 because this cycle is not complete most of the time. And I want to encourage you this season.
45:24 Let this cycle flow in your families, in your situations, in your offices, in wherever you go.
45:30 Don't just get the joy. If you ask God, I want hope this season. I want that he gives you the joy and peace. What you
45:36 supposed to do? Endure law. Your boss not so nice. What you supposed to do? Smile. Law.
45:44 Turn the other cheek. Law. Right. And then how? Encourage other
45:51 Christians. Oh, your boss treat you not so nice. Never mind. It's okay. You can do it. Right.
45:58 Because this is a season of hope. This is a season of loves. This is the joy or peace. It is not. So the joy and peace
46:04 are is not for you to take it and oh I feel good
46:10 and then after that Christmas over no more good. It's not meant to do that.
46:17 So when you read Romans 15 then says endure, encourage each other. It's not saying endure and encourage each other
46:24 right and and pat each other the back. Oh, you suffer so much. Oh, wait. Actually, we Christians can go on. It's
46:31 because in every situation, in every situation, Paul says we can rejoice and be glad in it. Why?
46:39 Because not because I have this positive mindset. You know that I can think well
46:45 for myself, you know. Why? Because my hope is that Jesus Christ has died, has
46:52 paid it all. And no matter how bleak the situation looks like, I have hope. So
46:58 the Holy Spirit gives me joy to know that. And my two children will always
47:04 remind me that I should never put my hope in anything else. And I hope for
47:09 you too when you see my two children as they grow up in this church, it will remind you to put your hope in Jesus
47:16 Christ. Don't worry if they're going astray.
47:21 Don't worry if if if people make the wrong choices, God will
47:28 never let them go. Put your hope in Christ. Pray for them. Get on your knees. I've seen stories after stories.
47:34 I pray, my children, that wonderful. But we never know. But we know that our God
47:41 is hope. I have two more minutes.
47:51 In closing, let me go back to the story um back to back us to a story. A young
47:57 man who was returning home and to be married uh came and uh he he was in the
48:06 army, you know, but he was sent home earlier than expected. So he was to
48:11 return home and be married. He did not notifies his bride to be because he wanted to surprise her, right?
48:18 Uh, who likes surprises here? Are you
48:24 next time I don't surprise you? I like surprises. Pleasant surprises.
48:30 Actually, I I kind of think it's quite fun. So, the naughty surprises too cuz I'm a naughty boy.
48:37 But anyway, so
48:42 yeah, it's fun. Anyway, this he came back and usually in
48:48 marriages you know all the proposal and this kind of thing surprises are quite nice.
48:53 How many of you your husbands surprised you? Oh,
49:01 I think we need to teach some romance here. Just joking.
49:07 So sorry sideline. So anyway, he didn't notify his bride the exact time, right? And he desired to please her with a
49:13 surprise. He loved her devotedly and had worked very hard to save up and to
49:18 purchase a home for her. It was about midnight when he arrived.
49:24 But with a hu then when he came near the house that he bought for her, he saw it
49:29 all lighted up and he came he heard music still nearer. He saw dancing.
49:35 Finally looking through the window he saw his bride to be dancing in embrace with another man. His heart
49:43 sang within him and it went away never to return. If Jesus came today,
49:50 where would his professed bride be? Dancing with false hope
49:58 or waiting in hope for him to return.
50:04 You know, go back to the story about me and my brother. We always knew exactly when mom and dad would come back. My
50:10 friends, we don't know when Christ is coming back. He may come back very moment. Tomorrow, day after tomorrow.
50:19 Are we dancing with Christ
50:25 in hope this Christmas? Or are we putting our hope like me in a
50:33 heaven or something else, you know? Or my holiday, I'm looking
50:39 forward to I know so many of you are going to disappear and not going to come for the Christmas service. I encourage you to bring people
50:45 over the Christmas service. We're going to I know you seen it all and heard it all. Uh trust me, I've been to every
50:52 Christmas service in my life and I think Christmas is every time never the same because God speaks and there's hope. So
50:59 anyway, let me just end with asking this um question. Where is your hope? And I I'm
51:08 I'm I'm just going to end um with this. Um can I invite the worship team, please?
51:15 Um um I always love this song because this
51:20 song always reminds me about why Jesus came. Uh why God loved the world and why he
51:27 gave us the Holy Spirit. Everything was done so you come. He is near.
51:32 You know most people feel like this in I don't know about you actually when I was preparing this sermon actually I'm when
51:38 I talk about hope we have hope because Jesus is near us but somehow along our
51:43 Christian walk or somehow along your life or your situation of what you're going through you may feel that God is
51:49 actually not as near as you thought he is or you may feel that he's very distant. You know there's this famous song that some of us older folks know
51:57 right God is watching us. God is watching us. God is watching us from a
52:04 distance. That's how we feel. Our relationship with God is not biblical.
52:11 God is near. And I know some of you are struggling. I've been hearing the struggles that you have been going
52:16 through. And sometimes in that struggle, just like when I was losing hope, you feel God is so far,
52:23 so distant. And today, God wants to say he's here.
52:29 He has come. and he wants you to come to him. Everything was done so you can come
52:37 freely. I know I give this altter call all the time. It's not because I want to
52:42 see the results of my whippid ministry. You know, it's because there is a power
52:49 in us coming and running to the father. If you have a need, I know most of you
52:56 know that Christmas is he is near. But I know some of you are really feeling very distant from God in your marriage, in
53:02 your situation, in your in your in your life right now. You put your hope in
53:07 something else and it's shattered and now you want that hope that is found
53:12 in Christ. We'll sing this song first. And if you feel that need and God tugging in your
53:19 heart, asking you to come, please come forward. Let the elders pray with you. Let the leaders pray with you. Let me pray with you. Not for you. Pray with
53:26 you to let you know that God is near. He's not far away. He's there.
