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00:07 the scripture. Uh we have to thank God that we have all the volunteers for VBS.
00:14 We asked for 10 and God gave us 10 and now we asked for more volunteers for the boys brigade. I'm sure. Yeah. So um I
00:23 want you to know that the boys brigade ministry is a ministry that is difficult
00:30 but yet not tired. Difficult but not tired. Yeah. I I I thank God for boys
00:36 brigade uh ministry. It has a very close it has a a place in my heart uh for
00:44 the church that I served last time in Emanuel Baptist Church. We started boys brigade and it is something that is very
00:50 fun, very energetic, very exciting. There's two ways you know that a person
00:55 is of the boy brigade or not. I've learned number one, do you know
01:02 that boy brigade has a very unique handshake?
01:08 Yeah. a very unique handshake that the little finger the two little fingers have to cross when you shake the the
01:15 hand of a person that is of a BB uh background or somebody that is of an officer or a or member. But there's
01:23 another thing that's not so obvious. If you were to draw blood from the
01:30 people in boy's brigade, it's not red color, it's blue color.
01:38 The boys brigade say that they got blue blood. So when they read this text, the river of Nile turned blue, not red.
01:46 Yeah. They'll argue with you. It turned blue, not red. Yeah. So anyway, uh this is a
01:54 this is a a very serious text. So let us come before the Lord as we as we ponder upon what he wants to tell us this
02:00 morning. God, we commit this time into your hands. We want to look upon your text uh
02:07 in Exodus text that has been read. God ask and I pray you open our hearts
02:12 and our mind and we are able to hear from you. Use me as your servant to deliver your words. In Jesus name we
02:19 pray. Amen. Okay. Um today briefly we will go
02:24 through an Old Testament perspective of uh the text that we have just read. Um
02:30 it it is a long text. it uh it covers from chapter
02:35 7 to chapter 10 and we didn't have time to cover all the plagues. So we are doing it in terms of a parenthetical
02:41 that means it's a parenthesis. We take the first plague and the last plate uh and then the ninth plague the first and
02:47 nine we put it together because the last one the 10 plague we'll cover next week uh it is the pinnacle of uh the 10th
02:54 plague and it is very unusual very different uh compared to to to the first
02:59 nine. So we want to look at we want to look at the the the template in terms of an old
03:05 testament perspective very briefly and then we want to look at it in a Christian perspective. You must be
03:11 wondering is there really a Christian perspective in this? Yes there is. There
03:17 is a Christian perspective of the of of this nine plague that we are talking about. Uh so very quickly I will just go
03:23 through what uh how how to look at it in an old testament perspective which we
03:28 are actually quite familiar and then we want to overlap it in the understanding of uh to look at it through the
03:35 perspective of uh the era of Jesus or after the revealed Messiah the savior of
03:41 the world Jesus and to and to look at it in that perspective. Well, the the the
03:47 template is if you do look at it, it is as if it is from some form of a computer games. It's
03:55 exciting. It has like hail. It has u disease. The river turns to blood and
04:01 they have uh nets and flies and frogs. Um it's like as if you are this this
04:06 hero fighting off all these things. U it is it it seems like very mystical.
04:12 Uh however the 10 the the template is very uniquely selected and today we're
04:19 going to talk about the the nine. They are very uniquely selected and they are very uniquely designed to to tell us a
04:26 message and and to and to tell us the purpose why these 10 plagues and normally the if
04:34 we were to look at these two verses Exodus chapter 6 verse 6 and Numbers
04:40 33:3-4 it will give us the the key to understand the the nine or the 10
04:46 plagues. Exodus 6:6 Therefore says the Israelites, I am the Lord and I will
04:51 bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them and I'll redeem you from
04:58 an outstretched arm and with mighty act of judgment.
05:04 That is what God told Moses. So these are act of judgment against the Egyptians where they oppressed the
05:12 Israelites and they did not heed the word of the Lord. So it's an act of
05:18 judgment. And then numbers 33:3 uh numbers chapter 33:3-4, the Israelites
05:23 sets out from Rammeses from the 15th day of the first month, the day after the
05:28 Passover, they marched out defiantly in full view of all the Egyptians. Verse
05:34 four, who were burying all their firstborns whom the Lord has struck down
05:40 among them, for the Lord had brought judgment on their gods.
05:47 So it gave us another clue. So it has to do with with the gods of the Egyptian and uh scholars, Old Testament scholars
05:54 and Christian scholars has managed to somehow able to put it into a list. Uh I
06:01 I know that the word is very small. Uh don't worry you can you can always download it from our website uh this
06:07 list and this is not the the main idea or the the the main trust of of the sermon. So
06:16 I'm just going to go through briefly. So they were able to somehow match the plague with the so-called the small G
06:25 the the word gods of the Egyptian. For example, the Nile
06:31 it is against happy or apis. The frogs is hecket. Uh nats is set. Uh flies is
06:38 ra uh ra and uh death is hat segment nut uh ra and
06:45 mint and so on and so forth. So they they they say that they they understood that the plagues are specially selected
06:52 so that the Israelite knows that Yahweh God is a greater God.
06:60 the Yahweh God is a greater God.
07:06 So it's something like this. So in this territory in this land of Egypt is ruled
07:12 by um this 12 or 10 gods and these are mighty gods gods that's in
07:19 charge of different uh sectors of of the civilization the fertility wealth
07:26 production so on and so forth. So these are all the the mighty gods of
07:33 Egypt. And then Moses came along and said that release my people. The Lord God, the
07:42 Yahweh God said release my people. And then the natural response of Pharaoh is
07:47 that who is this Lord that you're talking about? I don't know this Lord
07:53 that you that you're talking about. This is in u somewhere in chapter five. I will not let them go. Who are you and
07:60 who is this God? So there is this there's this uh idea that Pharaoh
08:06 despises. Come on, my God is so great. We have such a great civilization and
08:13 you are proclaiming a god of a group of slaves.
08:18 No way I'm going to let go of of your people. And it is somehow it is portrayed like a
08:25 boxing match. So there so imagine that there's this boxing match where all this all these
08:33 great warriors standing I don't know whichever
08:40 what else uh okay so and then suddenly this foreign god this Yahweh God comes
08:46 into the ring and pow pow pow knock down every single one of them and then the
08:53 Israelite real oh this must be the the god of our forefathers and then the
08:58 Egyptians say that wow your God is so great. In fact, one say that this must be the finger of God.
09:06 Well, this is more or less the idea behind the Old Testament perspective.
09:12 It talks about it talks about every single plague is
09:18 match uh is a match of the Yahweh god with a smaller god or a a sub god of of
09:27 the Egyptian. And for this kind of perspective it is
09:32 very true because at the ancient near east is there is hardly any uh everyone at that
09:41 time everyone believes that their nation has has a god and whenever nation and nation fights is like the gods are
09:48 fighting each other. So that whenever there's war happens between the two nations, it is as if two gods are
09:54 playing chess, the game of chess and the pawns or the pieces are the
10:01 people. But over here the plague is like it is a show of power. It's like as if the it is
10:09 it's like as if the the gods of Egypt and Yahweh God is displaying their
10:15 power. And of course the winner is Yahweh God.
10:21 And for them to write this way and how Moses was to write it in the book of
10:26 Exodus as well as in the book of Numbers, it is accurate. It is true because that is the perspective of the
10:34 ancient near east at that time. However, today
10:40 as we come into an era of the revealed Messiah,
10:46 we know who Jesus is. And from that, we we were to look back. Is there actually
10:53 another meaning? Well, first and foremost, we know that
10:59 this nine plagues or these 10 plagues, they are unique
11:05 occurrence. They are unique occurrence. It only happens one time and it never
11:13 happened again. It didn't happen ever again because why do I say that? Number one, the Egypt the the Israelites were
11:20 captured by the Babylonians and the uh and the Persians much later after this.
11:28 But the plagues did not repeat itself. And number two, throughout all written
11:33 history, there is only one occurrence and it doesn't repeat and there's no there
11:40 there's no other records of such uh such things that occurred simultaneously or
11:45 or in sequence. So it is a unique occurrence. So we want to look at it why is it so unique and
11:53 the 10 plagues actually has a purpose and the purpose is to answer this question. Who is the Lord?
12:01 The text that we have just read, it says that Pharaoh, Pharaoh said, "Who is
12:08 this? Who is this? Who is the Lord that I should obey him and let Israel go? I
12:14 do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go." This Exodus 5:2 and the text
12:19 that we read 7:17, Moses said, "This is what the Lord says. By this you will know that I am the
12:27 Lord. with a staff that is in my hand, I will strike the water of the Nile and it will be changed into blood. So the
12:34 plague answers the question, who is this Lord?
12:41 Um quite some time ago in year 2001. I I love this movie uh Night's Tale uh
12:49 is acted by a late uh Heath Leger and his name is William. It was a story about a peasant squire filled fueled by
12:58 his desire for food and glory creates a identity for himself as a knight after
13:04 his master dies. In this adventure he found a friend who acted as his announcer. In one of the tournament,
13:12 William was announced like this when he uh and by the person up there his name is a source saucer that that's
13:20 the name of his character and William who was acted by Heath Leger. He was in
13:28 this josting tournament and he was announced this way.
13:34 For you are all equally blessed. For I have the pride, the privilege, nay the
13:40 pleasure of introducing to you to a knight sired by knights. A knight who
13:46 can trace his linage back beyond Charlemagne. I first met him at top a
13:52 mountain near Jerusalem, praying to God, asking for his forgiveness for the sacraments's blood spilled by his sword.
14:00 Next, he amazed me still further in Italy when he saved a fatherless beauty
14:06 from the would-be ravishing of her deadful dreadful Turkish uncle in
14:12 Greece. He spent a year in silence just to better understanding the sound of a
14:17 whisper. And so without further ado, the lily and with no more, I give to you the
14:25 seeker of serenity, the protector of Italian virginity, the enforcer of our
14:32 Lord God, the one, the only Sir Orange from Lickensstein.
14:38 And then he came out. Everybody clap. That was his proclamation. That was his
14:43 introduction of a royalty of a knight.
14:50 You see God was doing what God did in in this
14:59 nine plagues on this 10 plague is his public introduction.
15:05 Before this, the Lord God is known as a God of an
15:11 individual, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It is known as a God of a family, the
15:18 Israelites. And 400 years later, they do not know who this God is.
15:25 And God chose this stage, the one of the most advanced civilization, the Egyptian at that time.
15:33 and he is announcing to the world that he is the Lord God. So this is an
15:39 introduction of the Yahweh God in the history of men. That is why it is
15:44 unique. That's why it's only one time. You only need to introduce one time.
15:50 And this is what uh what it says in Exodus chapter 9:15-6. For by now I could have stretched out my
15:57 hands and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth, but I have raised you up
16:04 for this very purpose that I might show you my power and that my name might be
16:09 proclaimed in all the earth. So the nine plague is an introduction of
16:15 God. But what I want you all to see or what I want us to learn is that God
16:20 introduces himself by withdrawing his presence.
16:26 I'll show you why. I'll show you how how this works. When we introduce oursel, we exert our
16:34 presence. Just like Sir Uri from Lincolnstein, he
16:39 was exaggerated. When we introduce someone, we want to exaggerate. We want to show off. to let him let everybody
16:46 knows what kind of title he or she has to gain that respect that presence.
16:54 But when God introduced himself this time he actually withdrew his presence.
17:02 He did not exert his presence. He withdrew his presence.
17:10 Um I know we talk about playing a lot these days. Um give chance our Malaysian
17:15 airline must put one time at least.
17:21 Um in a plane uh when it is in constant motion there
17:27 is an appearance of inactivity. When you reach a certain altitude when
17:33 you're cruising you feel as if nothing is happening. It's so boring.
17:39 The plane as if it's like as if the plane doesn't move. because it is traveling at a constant
17:45 velocity. But in this constant velocity,
17:50 fuel is being burnt. Hopefully the PL pilot is awake. Yeah.
17:57 Hopefully. Yeah, I'm sure they are. Yeah. And energy focus is is being is
18:05 expensed. So there is an appearance of inactivity
18:12 but actually there is a force behind it that is moving the plane. All right you
18:18 get the idea. This 10 plagues or this first six
18:24 plagues um we're going to break it down the first six plagues is actually an undoing of nature.
18:31 When nature functions in an equilibrium, it is as if nothing is happening.
18:38 But actually God is God is behind that. God is holding it together. God is
18:44 making it balanced. God is setting his system. God is set God is putting his
18:49 energy in in in in our in our earth to to hold the ecosystem so that it is
18:56 sustainable. But when God withdraw his presence,
19:02 things start to breaks down. Can you see it? From blood to frog to net to flies
19:07 to livestock to balls. It is actually nature undoing. It is actually nature
19:13 decaying. It is actually nature breaking down.
19:19 When the river of now became blood, the fish dies, the frog came out naturally
19:27 because the frog cannot stay in the water or uh with with this stinking water. And then when the frog dies,
19:33 there's net and flies naturally the the
19:38 infestation of net and flies. And then when you have all this stinking fish,
19:44 frogs, flies and net, then you have diseases for for the livestock. And then
19:50 the and then there's a epidemic outbreak. So these are very natural
19:56 occurrences but in an epic proportion.
20:02 Nature is unwinding or nature goes wild.
20:08 A lot of scholars says that the the 10 plagues or or the nine first the first
20:13 nine plagues is the undoing of what Genesis 1 and 2 describes.
20:23 I want you to see that many ways, in many ways when the Egyptian was
20:30 worshiping their gods and seeing the fertility of Nile, the fertility of the
20:35 fertility of their soil, the expansion of their population, they think that it
20:41 is their God, but actually it's not. It is God who holds the ecosystem.
20:50 We can look it, we can look in a perspective that it is the two gods fighting or we can also look at it in
20:56 this perspective where God is withdrawing. He is as if he's as it is
21:01 as if he's tuning down his presence. It is as if he's walking away so that you
21:08 and I can see that without God everything starts to breaks break down.
21:16 the the the text that was selected today is purposely to show you this.
21:22 And then after that we see darkness the the the next text that that was read.
21:27 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your hands towards the sky so that darkness spread over Egypt. Darkness
21:32 that can be felt." So Moses stretched out his hands towards the sky. Total darkness covered Egypt for three days.
21:40 No one could see anyone else or move about for three days. Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where
21:46 they lived. This is definitely very obvious that all the Israelites has
21:54 light. All the Egyptians has no light. Um some suggested some u Matthew Henry and
22:02 Adam Clark suggested that the the darkness actually comes with heavy
22:08 humidity. That means it is very wet. so wet that you cannot light a candle or or
22:15 fire. So the darkness that covers the earth come it also has humidity that is
22:21 so thick that you couldn't light a fire. So therefore it says that they cannot even go out. They couldn't do anything.
22:27 They just have to lie down. They just couldn't see anything.
22:33 While the Israelites maybe their air is less uh has less humidity. Therefore,
22:39 they could they could light the the fire or or there could be a supernatural light that that only shines on that
22:46 place. We do not know. Um Hexenberg suggested that maybe it's a
22:52 sandstorm. It's a very very bad sandstorm that covers the that covers the sun for three
22:59 days. So, it was total darkness and because of the strong wind, you couldn't light anything. So, it could be a storm,
23:06 it could be uh humidity, we do not know. But what we know is that there was darkness
23:12 for the first six plagues when God withdrew himself the undoing of
23:17 nature. And here it intensified and God was so far away that there was no light
23:26 because the Bible tells us that God is light.
23:31 The very body of light is God. So when God withdrew himself, there is
23:38 no light. Could you see that the intensification?
23:44 Could you see that God is withdrawing himself further and further? And isn't it very strange that God introduces
23:52 himself by withdrawal?
23:58 Quite some years ago, uh I was a research assistant
24:04 of green turtles and painted terrapin in Tranganu.
24:11 And uh part of my job is to walk on the beach and to tag uh turtles or terrapins
24:19 that comes up to lay their eggs. And also another part of my job is to be able to reach the egg
24:26 uh uh to be the first person to reach the egg so that I could take the egg and put it into a hatchery because there are
24:32 other poorers that uh that that collects these eggs and sell in the black market or actually not black market. It's an
24:38 open market. Yeah. In Malaysia, you cannot differentiate what's black market and open market. You
24:45 can just buy anything. Yeah. So anyway, my my job is to collect eggs
24:51 and to attack turtles. Yeah. And we have to walk along the beach every night. And
24:58 there are certain nights, there are moonless nights and it is pitch black. I remember I
25:06 stretch out my hands, I couldn't even see my hands. It is that dark.
25:11 And we just walk along the water line. And how do we know? If we walk too near the water then it's wet. If we walk
25:18 further up then or it's dry. So that's how we differentiate the water line. Yeah. And uh our torch light has to be
25:25 tinted with uh we have to be tinted with color paper so that it doesn't scare the animals away. So we have to produce as
25:32 little light as possible to produce an environment so that the turtles will land lay their eggs so that we can save
25:38 them so that we can take the eggs and put it in the hatchery. So that was my job.
25:44 I remember the first few moonless nights my eyes placed a lot of tricks on me.
25:51 All those all those people who watch horror movies ah I tell you during these
25:58 dark nights they all come out in your mind every single thing that moves will bring
26:05 chill into your bones. Oh is that a spirit? Oh, is that a
26:12 ghost? Is that zombie? I don't know. Vampire. I don't know what what horror movies you watch. But
26:19 in darkness, your mind play tricks on you.
26:25 And in pitch black darkness, that that fear is being multiplied many
26:32 many times. Yeah. you start to think of maybe there are robbers or there's all sorts of
26:39 things that that I I just cannot explain to you. So, um it all depends how much
26:45 you are exposed to horror movies or to things that that that scares you. When
26:51 you're in pitch black darkness, then it all plays out. It all pans out. So these
26:56 people could you imagine that they have watched the past eight plagues
27:06 what will come into their door I'm sure their imagination are going wild and crazy
27:13 they have seen the they have seen the now turn to blood they have seen
27:18 numerous frogs they have seen flies nets they have seen the their livestock being
27:25 killed right in front of their eyes and now darkness.
27:31 Could you imagine that fear that is in their heart
27:37 and for three days,
27:42 three days living in darkness and in fear.
27:49 From this text we can learn that God is God of life and light. when he withdraws
27:56 himself ecosystem starts to break down. Here we also learn that equilibrium
28:02 is in nature is God's power. Equilibrium in nature is God's power.
28:12 Contrary to the general beliefs, the balance of nature is a proof of the existence of God. If there is no God,
28:18 there will be chaos. You will see mountain collapsing, volcano erupting, storm ravaging the earth, anything's
28:24 happens. And this actually affirms that Jesus our God holds the world
28:30 together. And he also affirms this verse. For since the creation of the world, God's invisible qualities, his
28:37 eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen being understood from what he has been made. So that people
28:43 are without excuse. We have learned uh the book of Romans earlier part of the year.
28:50 So when we see nature works, it is an evidence that there is a higher
28:56 intelligence because this universe has a design.
29:02 This universe has a precise system. This earth is traveling at a constant
29:10 velocity and is spinning at the the the right the the the right speed or else
29:17 we'll be flying. We or one day one day we will be floating another day we couldn't get out of bed. Gravity would
29:23 be will not be a constant. If there is no God there will be chaos.
29:31 But we don't see chaos happening every day. That is why
29:38 the equilibrium of nature is a sign that there is an intelligent being holding
29:44 this together. In Exodus, he introduces himself by withdrawing his presence.
29:50 I want you to see that many years later that God introduced himself again in
29:57 fullness. In Exodus, God introduces himself by
30:03 withdrawing. But many years later, God introduces himself by being with us in fullness.
30:12 And this what Colossians 1:15 says, "The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. He's
30:19 before all things, and in him all things holds together. For God is pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and
30:26 through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace
30:31 through his blood shed on the cross. And it is by no accident that Jesus
30:37 claimed that I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have light of
30:46 life. Contrary to
30:54 our logic, we will think that the presence of God will create a lot of
30:59 power and a lot of uh miraculous signs and wonders. Yes, Jesus did that.
31:07 But the fullness of God is in the person.
31:13 God introduces himself by withdrawing. But in Jesus, God is with us.
31:24 So how do we understand this? How should we respond? So when I take the queue from the text,
31:32 Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, "Go worship the Lord. Even your women and children may go with you. Only leave
31:38 your flock and herds behind." In the first three plagues,
31:45 Pharaoh didn't pay much attention because his magician could somehow replicate.
31:52 By the fourth plague, he's a bit shaken. By the sixth plague, he confessed that
31:57 oh, I have sinned. And after seeing all this, he said, okay, you may go, but leave the flock
32:05 and herds behind. He is bargaining with Moses.
32:15 The plague has has a has a has a repetitive pattern.
32:22 Some plagues or most plagues has warning and then there is defiance
32:29 and then there is a temporary relief and that temporary relief is actually
32:35 grace. But then over and over and over again,
32:40 Pharaoh didn't change his heart. In fact, the Bible tells us he hardened his heart.
32:50 God is life and is light. Apart from God,
32:58 you will see that your life start to decay or unraveled or break down.
33:06 If you make your career your god,
33:12 you will soon realize that your family will break down. You have stress, maybe your body will break down. Spiritually,
33:17 you might break down. Emotionally, you might make break down. If you make your spouse your god, your
33:24 idol, and when he or she um
33:29 are not around or anything happened to them, your life will start to break down.
33:39 And often time God give us clues and cues along our life. Certain things just
33:45 doesn't work. Certain things just not panning out the way that you and I expect it to be.
33:55 And then there's a pause. There's a time of reflection. There is just like in between of uh almost every every place.
34:04 And normally as Christians we bargain with God.
34:09 That is one way of responding. God if you will help me through this and I'll give you this. God if you do this for me
34:16 then I'll do this. You bargain with God. Yeah. That's one way of responding. I'm not saying that it's a right way of
34:22 responding but from the text is one way of responding. You know that God is life and light. And when things didn't turn
34:29 out the way it is and you talk to God you bargain with God. No, God, I'm I'm willing to give you 80% of my life, but
34:36 20% I want to keep. You know, that 30% is very precious to me. Uh you know, uh
34:41 just like he wants to keep the the flock and the herds, but I'm willing to give you most of my life, but 20 or 30% I
34:48 want to keep. Another another respond is anger. But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart and he
34:54 was not willing to let them go. Pharaoh said to Moses, "Get out of my sight. make sure you do not appear before me
35:01 again. The day you see my face, you will die.
35:06 So he's angry. He feel he's powerless. He's supposed to be a god.
35:13 He has army. He has wealth. He he can move nation. And now he feels so
35:18 powerless. He is angry. And he said, "Leave me because if I were to see you
35:23 here, I will kill you and you will die." He's so angry.
35:30 You work very hard. You wanted something and somehow it didn't happen the way that you wanted it to be. God didn't
35:35 answer your prayer. You are angry with God.
35:44 You are angry. Why? Why things are like this? Why me?
35:51 Why these circumstances? You are angry with God.
35:57 why this woman or why this man that I marry?
36:02 That's one way of responding. But there's actually another way of responding from the text. But Moses
36:09 said, "You must allow us to have sacrifices and burnt offering to present to the Lord our God. Our livestock too
36:15 must go with us. Not a hoof is to be left behind. We have to use some of them in worshiping the Lord our God. And
36:22 until we get there, we will not know what we are to use to worship the Lord.
36:31 Actually, Pharaoh gave a few bargains. Uh I think from first from the fourth plague, he said, "Okay, you may worship
36:37 your men can worship in this land." Then Moses say, "No."
36:44 Then after a while, he said, "Okay, no, your men and your women can go, but not your children."
36:50 Then Moses say, "No. Now he's very generous. It's like as if he's very generous. You may go uh you
36:56 can take your you can take your uh children but you must leave your livestock.
37:02 And Moses say no. Everything or nothing.
37:10 How do you respond to the God of light and life? It is
37:16 everything or nothing. If he is not the Lord of all, he is not
37:22 the Lord at all.
37:30 And true enough, the the the sacrificial system, that means the book of Leviticus
37:35 has not been written yet at this point of time. And guess what? God wants the very best. God wants the uh unblenmished
37:44 bull along your life. God loves you. God give
37:50 you many businesses. And then suddenly God say, "I want your most profitable
37:56 cash cow. All your profit from that cash cow must go to the church." Wow. Good, huh?
38:04 Your most profitable business, everything goes to the church.
38:10 Let's say I mean hypothetically. All right. Of course, the elders say hallelujah.
38:16 Amen. Yes. If God wants that, are you willing to give it? Because at this time, they
38:23 really do not know. Are you willing to give anything that God asks you? And the levitical law has not been
38:29 unraveled yet. And God say, I want all your firstborn.
38:34 All your firstborn belongs to me. The firstborn is a very very important
38:41 all not not just your children not not just your firstborn all your livestock firstborn is also belongs to me which is
38:48 belongs to God are you willing to give your very best to God
38:57 and the boys brigade only asked for a Saturday afternoon for God's sake
39:04 only Saturday afternoon. Yeah. Vincent.
39:09 Not here. Yeah. Yeah.
39:16 Do you know why it is? Do you know why it is difficult and not
39:22 tired in voice brigade? Do you know why? It is because every single officer knows
39:29 that they are contributing to the life of these young ones.
39:34 They know that their life impacts another life. They know that they are
39:39 making a difference to the life of the younger generation. That is why it is tiring.
39:46 Now, it is hard but not tiring. Um
39:52 there are many things that they do behind the uh behind the radar. You wouldn't know like um counseling middle
39:58 of the night talking to the boys. Oh yeah. For your for your information, how come boys brigade got girls? Do you ever
40:05 ask that question? Because if boys brigade only have boys, very difficult,
40:12 not very healthy. So must have girls. So that's one of the reason h
40:23 so no compromise. So you have three way you have three way to respondse to God.
40:30 the God of light and life that he has shown us very clearly that
40:36 when he departs from us when God withdraw himself from us our life starts
40:42 to spiral down but when he is in our life he hold our
40:48 life together no matter how difficult it is do you know that if you to see a couple 20
40:54 years or I know 15 years 20 years couple if they are happy they are holding hands
40:59 they uh still talking and you think that it is very easy you know and they will
41:05 tell you that it cost them an arm and a leg and more.
41:10 It looks very simple. You know a lot of things it looks very simple and when you see a family with young children wah
41:18 play in the play in in the in the park. Wow, so beautiful, so wonderful. I just
41:23 want to have children, but then you know how difficult it is just to save for their education fund, their insurance,
41:29 and then think of uh all the bad influences they have, how to protect them every day and night. You
41:37 got to be on your knees to pray for your children so that they do not they are not exposed to to bad company or to to
41:44 to corrupted things. And God holds. When we have God, it
41:51 holds together. Apart from God, our lives start to fall apart. And you
41:58 have three ways to actually respondse to it to to respond to this.
42:04 You either bargain with God, you either become very angry. Yeah. Or you live a
42:12 life of no compromise. My prayer for you is that you choose the
42:17 last one. Let us pray.
42:22 God, there are many areas of our life that we
42:28 are not willing to give to you. Certain time that we enjoy certain habits that
42:34 uh doesn't sound like big sin but it's okay to do in private.
42:41 Um we have certain uh cash stashed somewhere
42:48 um for rainy days but that has been piling up the Lord and we actually see
42:54 many needs. God you touch our lives God. Uh there are areas that you have not permeated
43:00 deep into our hearts and God I ask and I pray that our faith will be a vibrant faith that it will be a faith that has
43:07 no compromise. God, I ask and I pray that you continue to bless the boys brigade ministry that the young ones
43:13 that uh that you have that you have put into uh this ministry that they'll
43:18 continue to grow in you and they grow strong in their faith in you that they will live to be contributive citizen of
43:25 this country and beyond that Lord you walk all the days of their life knowing that you are their God of life and light
43:32 in Jesus name we pray. Amen.
