Lord, we do desire to commit our hearts
to you afresh.
It is your presence that we long for.
We just pray that you give us that
yearning just to be with you.
Thank you for this privilege that we have
found right in your presence.
We thank you for such privilege, such joy
to be together.
We thank you when we have you with
assurance you are with us.
We know all is well.
All is good.
All is pleasant.
And to you we give all the praise
and all the glory.
In the name of Lord Jesus we pray.
Amen.
First, I would like to tell you and
to let you know what a joy it
is to be with you brothers and sisters
in Richmond.
And my wife and I would like to
thank you personally for your prayer while we
are away for about 11 weeks, almost 3
months.
Before I share what's in my heart, I
feel I need to share a little bit
of one incident that took place in the
Philippines just before we left the country.
You have received email on few occasions from
us while we were in the Philippines and
also to report to you about the youth
meeting in Hong Kong.
But what I'm about to share was toward
the end of our journey.
And so we're not able to email you
what took place those few days while we
were in the Philippines.
But I think it will be very encouraging
to you.
But to us, those few days were memorable
days.
Particularly one evening, it was a very memorable
event for at least my wife and myself
and to most of the saints in the
Philippines.
As you know, the saints in the Philippines,
annually they have their Holy Week retreat.
People there are very busy.
The only time they can take off from
work or school is during Christmas holidays in
the Holy Week.
Because Philippines, being a Catholic country, is a
very religious country.
They take their Holy Week very seriously.
And so, since the school is out and
then the workplace is all closed, so the
saints in the capital city always take advantage
of those few days and they will go
out of the city to a small place
and they will have a few days of
retreat or mini-conference.
And they had that conference for quite a
few years.
And they've been wanting us to join them
on many occasions but we were not able
to do so.
But last year was the first time that
we were with them.
And this year when we went to the
Philippines, they were not sure whether they were
going to have one or not.
Because they've been thinking if the Philippines is
to host an international conference in their province,
then they will forego their local conference.
But when Brother Kong and us were there,
we were not certain just the Philippines is
a suitable place for an international conference.
So they were, even to the last minute,
they were not sure whether they should go
ahead and have one or not to have
one.
But since we were not certain as to
the Philippines will be the site for the
next conference, so they planned to go ahead
and have that week in retreat.
And of course they wanted to include us.
And as you recall, we emailed to you
the burden of Brother Kong in the Philippines.
He shared three messages on consecration.
First message was the call to consecration.
The second was a vision of consecration.
And then the third message is a life
of consecration.
And those three messages really touched the hearts
of the saints very deeply.
Because Brother Kong strongly emphasized without consecration we
have not even begun our Christian life.
We have not even begun.
Our real Christian life and living begins with
consecration.
So that really hit the young people particularly
very hard.
Because traditionally we always think consecration is just
consecrate our talent to do God's work.
And so what our brother shared was quite
revolutionary.
It's for God to do a work in
us, not for us to do any work
for him.
And so particularly the second message, without consecration
we have no vision of the church.
We have no way of living that corporate
life together.
And so that really spoke very deeply to
the saints in Quezon City.
So during this retreat, I felt to continue
on this another consecration and to help them
to enter into this corporate life more experimentally.
In many place you discover we are still
living very much like an individual.
There's a law in me.
We still don't know how to relate to
each other.
And because of that in many places there's
weakness.
Because individually we cannot walk alone.
Individually we are limited.
No matter how much we search, we pursue,
we only get that little bit because we
are a small vessel.
But the church is the vessel of which
God wants to express his fullness.
So thank the Lord because of what I
shared, the young brother and sister in particular
and the respondent brothers, they have a yearning
not just to know about church life and
to have some experience of it.
And an amazing thing is that during this
retreat in this outskirt place in the Philippines,
we have saints from Iloilo.
Remember Brother Kong and I, we visited Iloilo
and also Cebu.
So there were saints who came from this
retreat from these two islands.
And the other thing which they had never
done was that at the end of their
retreat they never break bread together.
They just conclude the time and they go
home.
So before going to the retreat, the brother
came to me.
He said, do you think it would be
appropriate that we break bread at the end
of the conference?
And I said, that's what we often practice
in the U.S. and in the Far
East when we have a special conference.
We always break bread together and we always
feel that is really the height, the high
point of the conference.
Just bring the Lord to the focus.
Everything is centered around the Lord himself.
So the respondent brothers feel quite eager to
give it a try because they've never done
it before.
They do not know how it will work.
So anyway, by faith they said we will
break bread Friday evening during our last meeting.
So before we know we're going to have
the Lord's Table on Friday.
So Thursday or Friday morning, I share a
little bit.
On the corporate side of worship, we don't
come as individuals.
We come as God's people.
We come as the body of Christ to
exalt the head.
And I think that register something into the
hearts of the brothers and sisters.
And so when that evening came, when we
started to break bread, we sang some songs.
I was really surprised because many of those
young Chinese brothers and sisters as a whole,
they are very shy.
They are not ready to open up as
we Westerners.
We are freer.
And so I was surprised there was such
liberty.
One right after the other just opened up
the Lord in worship and praise.
I was really surprised.
But I felt even though wonderful praises and
worship were offering up, I was still very
much on the individual line.
Doesn't seem to enter into the fullness of
it.
It's still very individual.
And then something terrible happened.
There was a sister from Cebu, 13 years
old.
We were told that she never openly at
the break of the break really worshiped openly,
verbally.
So that evening, she was really pumped by
the Holy Spirit.
She just opened up in praise and worship.
And immediately when she finished up her praise,
she was struck with a very severe epileptic
seizure.
The aunt who took care of her, she
said she never experienced such a severe attack.
She almost completely passed out.
So when I went over to look at
her, her earlobe, all these were already turning
blue, eyes frozen.
And apparently there was a nurse who was
assisted at the meeting and called another nurse
to assist her.
And they have to do mouth-to-mouth
participation.
Finally, they get her heart going again.
But she was completely frozen.
Of course, many of the younger brothers and
sisters had never witnessed anything like that.
They were very fearful.
They were greatly afraid.
It was really a touching goal from what
the nurse told us because the blood pressure
was dropping quite rapidly.
So the response of God came to me.
He said, now, what can we do in
a situation like this?
We worship the Lord and here we go.
Satan is attacking us.
What can we do?
And I said, well, we have to declare
the Lordship.
We have to declare this.
It's not a time for prayer, but it's
a time for declaring His victory.
And so it changed the whole atmosphere.
So we come to declare our victory.
The victory is ours in Christ Jesus.
And then the brothers and sisters, who never
learned how to pray corporately, began to have
an experience of what it means to pray
corporately.
So I said, now, we just have to
let go of everything and just pray for
this sister.
The Lord will raise her up by His
mighty power.
And so all those sisters and younger brothers
who never prayed corporately before, they all learned
to pray corporately because they only had this
one sister in mind to pray for.
And so they would pray.
And then immediately you witness two or three
that are just gathered together praying.
Very beautiful.
And then those who never held hands together,
they were holding hands together praying for this
sister.
And it was praying through because of the
prayer.
I think it took about 25 minutes for
them to revive this sister to get her
heart going again.
So when we were sure that she's now
okay and then they carried her out, then
we turned that prayer, that praying for, into
a time of praise.
It was all focused on the Lord.
The brothers and sisters, for the first time,
they experienced spiritual battle.
In the face of death, threat of death,
they experienced His mighty power of life.
Life swallows death.
They experienced spiritual battle.
And they also experienced the power of corporate
prayer.
And I was so thankful.
You know, sometimes we share about corporate prayer,
our spiritual battle, but somehow the Lord's people
just don't know what we're talking about.
But how the Lord engineered that evening for
the young brother and sister in the Philippines
and what it means to enter into something
of the reality of spiritual battle and the
victory of the salvation of Christ Jesus and
what it means to pray corporately and to
worship corporately.
So that is the most memorable time on
this trip.
Of course, by the time we went to
the Philippines, he was in Taiwan.
So we went to Quezon City, and the
brothers and sisters were just reflecting that event.
One brother said, he's just like Satan.
You know, the story of Job.
Satan thought he was very wise.
He wanted to ruin Job.
And God is wiser than Satan.
He gave him permission.
At the end, Job triumphed and Satan was
defeated.
So we are very thankful for that.
And I want to thank you for your
prayer.
I have to say this.
On the many trips we took to the
Far East, this past few months as we
were away from home, we felt very keenly
the prayer of the saints.
And we really thank the Lord for the
modern technology because when we email you what
is taking place, we have assurance that you
are standing with us.
So we are very thankful.
So we are thankful for you, Richmond, standing
with us for that trip we were together
in the Far East.
And also the South Jersey praying for us,
Toronto also praying for us, and many other
places praying for us.
Now I want to just share one thing.
You probably can't remind.
He shared with you, when he left he
was not too well physically because of his
skin infection.
And when he returned, he felt he had
a touch of flu.
You remember that?
He shared with you, okay.
But while he was in the Far East,
he was perfectly okay.
So Brother A.D. Lim said, that means
you have to stay longer in the Far
East.
But anyway, so when Brother Kong came to
West Coast, I think it was on the
20th of January, that's right.
21st.
21st, that's right.
The next day we went to the Philippines.
But before he arrived, we already got the
news that his skin infection is quite serious.
But he thought nothing of it.
He thought very lightly of it.
So when he came, we looked at it,
I was horrified.
It was very, very terrible looking.
And of course we talked to a sister
who's a doctor.
So I described his condition in English in
a very poor way.
I cannot do it as good as you
natives do.
Then another brother tried to do it in
Cantonese to describe his condition.
And then someone tried to do it in
Mandarin.
So we tried all languages to describe his
condition.
And then the more we described it, that
doctor got quite scared.
She said, send him to the emergency.
Then Brother A.D. Lim said, no way,
because that week was the Martin Luther King's
week.
And you could not find any doctor in
California.
They all took off to their mountains and
seashore to have a good time.
So we couldn't.
So finally, through Brother A.D. Lim, he
had some influence with Stanton Medical Foundation.
So finally we were arranged to be able
to see the doctor there.
Now, I never experienced such high blood pressure
in my life.
Because usually my blood pressure is on the
low.
But when I went to the doctor's office
with Brother Kong, my blood pressure was so
high.
I couldn't even believe it.
I was 160 something overnight.
Now, I have to confess why I was
so worried.
Because we scheduled, when we arrived in the
Philippines, Wednesday, we only had one day of
rest.
Because Brother Kong began Friday evening, Saturday evening,
and Sunday he would share with us all
the way schedule.
And my fear was that if anything happened
to our brother, what would happen to those
scheduled meetings?
But kind of luck, luck came through.
And our brother regained his health very quickly
as we arrived in the Philippines.
And so we are very thankful.
I tell you, when the Lord is after
something for himself, there's always a battle.
And how we need to learn to rest
in Him.
If we know we are in His will,
we should learn to rest in Him.
If we are in His will.
Well, this morning, I just want to share
a little bit, something that will encourage your
heart, is the persistent love of God.
How God determines in His heart to gain
us for Himself.
And you know, we're singing about grace.
Grace speaks of what is done.
It's grace.
Law speaks of work.
What we need to do and the work
which we can never do.
That is law.
Law condemns us.
By grace saves us and delivers us.
And grace ultimately brings us to God Himself
and His purpose.
So let's look at a few verses of
scripture.
Would you turn with me to the book
of Titus?
Titus chapter 1.
You know, Genesis 1 begins with God.
In the beginning, God.
And God begins everything.
He is the beginning of everything.
And He begins what He begins from what
He had purpose even before there was time.
And Paul called that the good pleasure of
His will.
The mystery of His will.
What He has purpose in His heart even
before there was time, before you and I
ever existed.
God already had a purpose in Himself.
And He works everything out according to that
purpose which He has purpose in Himself.
The good pleasure of His will.
And that is forever a mystery to us.
And thank God He begins.
And when He begins, He will see to
it that it is fulfilled in the end.
And how wonderful that we were reminded again
this morning it's all grace.
We begin with grace.
We continue in grace.
And we end in grace.
Okay, so would you read Titus 1 verse
1 and 2.
First three verses.
Paul, a bondman of God and a pastor
of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of
God's elect and acknowledgement of the truth which
accords with godliness in hope of eternal life
which God who cannot lie promised before time
began.
But as in due time manifested His word
through preaching which was committed to me according
to the commandment of God our Savior.
Just pay attention to verse 2.
This eternal life which God who cannot lie
promised to us even before time began.
Now, one brother said that was what God
determined to do even before there was time.
To give life to man.
To give life.
This turned to 2 Timothy chapter 1.
And here we find that this life that
God promised is in Christ Jesus.
Timothy 2 Timothy chapter 1 verse 1.
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the
will of God according to the promise of
life which is in Christ Jesus.
God determined to give His life to us
and this life is in His Son the
Lord Jesus Christ our Lord.
Let's read verse 9.
Who has saved us and called us with
a holy calling not according to our works
but according to His own purpose and grace
which was given to us in Christ Jesus
before time began.
And let's turn to one in the Gospel
of the Lord's Prayer chapter 17.
Gospel of John chapter 17.
Just one verse.
Now in Titus, Paul had a glimpse of
what was in God's heart even before there
was time.
He desired, he determined to give life even
we before we were created.
God already had this in mind.
Therefore when we are created the option of
God's work is to impart His life to
us.
Once we possess His life then He can
bring us into His purpose.
And so here we have the Lord's Prayer.
Now this is the Lord's High Priestly Prayer
before He went to the cross.
If there's anyone who knows how to pray
according to God's will there's none other than
the Lord Jesus Christ.
When we pray we can miss God's will
but not the Lord Jesus because He and
the Father are always one.
And that's why the key word of the
Son of God is my time has not
yet come because His life is governed not
by what is out there not by what
He feels about the situation but governed by
His Father who is in heaven.
And the Lord's Prayer is always in agreement
of the heart of the Father because He
came to do the will of Him who
sent Him.
He said I have no will of my
own.
So if the Lord said I want, I
desire you can be sure what He wants
is what the Father wants.
You can be sure what He desires is
what the Father desires because He came to
do the will of Him who sent Him.
And here we have a very interesting verse.
Verse 24.
That was toward the end of His prayer.
He said Father I desire this desire in
some version you say I want.
There are some versions I will.
Okay.
Father I desire that they also whom you
gave me may be with me where I
am.
Those who Father had given to Him be
with Him.
So in this passage we seem to notice
there's a difference between those given to Him
and there are those who truly are with
Him.
There's a fine distinction.
There's a fine line there.
Why would He pray this prayer?
He knew the disciples.
Those who were with Him they were given
by the Father to Him.
And yet He prayed this prayer.
Those who were given to Him be with
Him so they may see the glory.
Behold my glory which you have given me
for you love me before the foundation of
the world.
Now brothers and sisters when I was meditating
this verse the Lord really spoke to me.
You know on a human level for parents
sometimes we go through this agony for many
many years.
We know our children they are our children.
They are our blood, our flesh.
They are ours.
They belong to us.
But sometimes in their heart they are miles
and miles away from us.
They can live in the same house but
there's no oneness of heart and purpose in
home.
And how long the day will come that
somehow the children will grow up and sense
something of the love of the Father's heart
and for their children.
The best they hope for.
And how parents agonize children when they are
not one with Him in heart and purpose.
It speaks of the Lord Jesus who knows
the Father's heart.
At the same time knows our own condition.
We are given to Him.
We know we are His.
But brothers and sisters how many of us
who can say that we are with Him.
We are for Him.
Not for ourselves.
Not for anything else but utterly for Him.
And the Lord's prayer is that those who
are given to Him will be with Him.
Where He is, He will be found with
Him.
Now brothers and sisters this is a very
challenging issue.
And because of this I just want to
encourage in spite of our condition how wayward
we are.
We are so inconsistent in our falling with
the Lord.
Many of us we fall on an occasional
basis.
So last year when we were here for
the year-end retreat God said we don't
want to live from conferences to conferences.
It shows our spiritual inconsistency.
So when there is a conference, when there
is growth, when there is rich fellowship somehow
we revive.
And when we grow up with no conference
then we went down.
Then we had to wait for another conference
to revive again.
To be with the Lord.
To be with the Lord's people.
To fellowship.
Otherwise we drifted away again.
The inconsistency of our walk.
And even locally some Lord's people they live
from the Lord's here and the Lord's there.
And that's why the local prayer is a
drain.
Because everybody comes to get something.
No one is prepared to give something.
So we are His but we are not
all for Him.
Because we are not with Him.
Now if you look in the dictionary this
is with.
If you are not with me you are
not for me.
You know what I mean?
It's for.
You are utterly committed to be with.
To be with.
Just to be with.
Our brothers and sisters thank God this desire
to be with did not begin with us.
It began with God.
And what comfort.
What comfort.
So I want to share this morning briefly
on the mention of this word walk as
we find in Genesis.
Okay.
So we turn to Genesis 3.
The first mention of the word walk.
It was not our walk with Him.
It was God's walk.
He was walking toward us.
Now brothers and sisters without His walking toward
us there is no our walk with Him.
God initiated this walk.
We have to see that.
Now you remember in chapter 3 our first
parents already sinned.
They already partook that forbidden food.
And you know and God who knows all
things He would just forget about everything.
Now you already sinned.
Why bother to come to you and to
seek fellowship with you?
Why God?
You already there is already separation.
Sin already came in.
But God walked into the garden.
God was seeking for man.
And the Lord Jesus the Son of Man
came by to seek and to save that
which is His own.
That persistency of God to pursue man until
He get that man for Himself.
Brothers and sisters thank God for His determination.
Divine determination He will not give up.
And He came and saw.
Now even though Adam and Eve they had
to hide themselves but at least Adam and
Eve they get the hint.
God will not give them up.
In spite of their condition God will be
seeking for them.
And God one day will restore them back
to Himself.
And brothers and sisters what a grace.
What an assurance.
And thank God this desire for us to
do with Him is of God.
Even though we desire to do it our
desire is not compared with His desire.
Our desire to do it is so unreliable.
Unreliable.
When we feel like it we do it.
When we don't feel like it we let
go.
But thank God it was God who initiated
that walk for us.
Now you remember that's what you find in
Gospel of John.
The first chapter is very touching.
It's very touching.
You will realize it's very touching.
He came to His own creation they did
not recognize Him.
And before He came He knew they would
not recognize Him.
But He came anyway.
He knew He would succeed in the end.
Grace and triumph in the end.
A stick of God's love.
God's grace.
And He determined to get what He desired.
You know?
And then further it says He came to
His own people and His own people would
not receive Him.
He knew all about this but He came
anyway.
And just like in the garden our first
parent sinned He came.
He came.
And let them know that I've been in
business with you.
In spite of your condition you have no
way to come to me but I have
a way to come to you.
And He came.
God walked.
Without His walking to us we have no
way of walking with Him.
We'll never find the way.
We'll never know the way.
We'll never discover that Jesus Christ is the
only way.
No way.
It's by revelation.
By His walking to us.
And of course we know the way He
came to us is by the way of
the cross.
And we see that in type in Abel's
sacrifice.
It's when that land was offered blood was
shed our way back to God was restored.
Then we can be be united with God
once more.
That sacrifice is so precious to God because
He can now what?
Bring man back to Himself.
And that's what God was pleased.
That's what God was pleased.
God accepted it.
God was pleased.
Why?
Because now God can bring man back to
Himself.
We have to look at everything from God's
point of view.
Not from our point of view.
Then we'll see how great the love He
has for us.
To bring us back to Himself.
And now the next walk is Enoch.
Walk with God.
Now in Enoch's walk we often times dwell
too much on Enoch.
We dwell a little too little on God's
part.
It's not scripture Enoch walk with God.
But we always dwell so much on Enoch.
What he had to adjust.
He suffered too.
He was only one.
How lonely he was.
We always think about Enoch.
But we never think of how difficult it
was for God to walk with Enoch.
For 300 years.
After he gave birth to Methuselah he walked
for 30 years.
To me it speaks of a mighty determination
of God.
Not to give up.
Persistence.
For instance, you walk with somebody for a
month.
And that person refuses to change.
What would you do?
You say, I'll wash my hands.
I'll give it up.
I'll get somebody else.
How intentional we are.
We don't have that divine determination to see
through to the end.
And God works everything from the end.
He sees the end.
That's why He's the God of hope.
Because He knows He will get what He'll
get at the end.
He knows in the end He will prepare
Enoch fit to be with him eternally.
They'll be together.
It's beautiful.
300 years.
God's determination to get that man for Enoch.
For He's good.
God is good.
And love is precious.
300 years.
Our parents refused.
That's divine love.
We don't have it.
How easily we give each other up.
But God never gives Enoch up.
I'm sure there have been occasions when God
said, maybe I should give him up.
But being who God is, there's that persistence,
that determination.
And He knows we are about to.
So with Enoch, very patient, very patient, 300
years.
He speaks of His determination to get us
for Himself.
Because when we see that, give us greater
encouragement.
He will do it.
Graciously do it.
His love will do it.
His patience will do it.
And He's a God of hope.
He's a God of hope.
What is impossible with man is possible with
God.
Because God has faith in Himself to do
the work.
That's why He did what He did.
Because He has absolute confidence in Himself.
He's a God of faith.
He's full of faith in Himself.
Therefore He will not walk away with Enoch.
Because He knows in the end, Enoch will
be changed.
Now, of course, it's not true of us.
It's not true of us.
In spite of all that, thank God He
doesn't do like that.
And He's productive.
Because He has something glory in Him.
In the end, He will get us what
He wants us to be.
I speak of hope.
God is a God of hope.
What is sin is not hope.
What is our sin is hope.
So, when he was dealing with Enoch, walking
with him, God came to him, in the
end, he was raised again.
God had the power to preserve him, and
God was able to endure impatiently, and in
the end, Enoch was transfigured.
And God took initiative to take him for
himself, because they were so alike.
You know, 200 years now, living together for
20 years, they're just so alike.
Of course, Enoch has to do a lot
of adjustments, because it's always about our fault,
he's always, you know, and Enoch had to
keep adjusting, but it took 300 years to
adjust, but it was worth it, in the
end, God triumphed, and he was so like
God, and God took him, as though God
did not live around him.
You know, and we often say now, we
have to prepare for the Lord's return.
It's very dangerous, because we never know that
we will be there, you know, because when
he knew God, he was ready, God took
him.
Enoch did not know he was prepared, he
was ready, he got in, and God took
initiative.
Enoch did not say, okay, I'm ready now,
take me.
No, God knew he was ready, God took
him.
And you know, it says that he was
not found.
If you read some of these other accounts,
actually, they really searched thoroughly for him.
He was not found.
Actually, they really searched for him, and he
was not found, he was taken.
He was taken, and what glory, in the
end, God took him, because he was so
precious to God.
And walking with God is a way of
life.
It's a way to find more life.
So walking with God, Enoch realised that death
could not, death was impossible, because those in
Christ Jesus, death is possible, because we don't
wait to die.
We wait to be consoled.
We have this breath, and this hope in
Christ.
In front of you.
Now, of course, then comes the next person
who walked with God was Noah.
Scripture said he found grace, and he walked
with God.
And that generation was terrible.
You know how it's described in the book
of Jephthah?
Everything was evil, thought, there's nothing good about
it.
But Noah found grace, because he walked with
God.
Now, of course, just walking with God is
not just for all good.
If God can gain us for himself, if
God can secure us to be with him,
that gives the Lord Jesus God ground to
gain others for himself.
And it was, if God can get me
for himself, he can get all the others.
And Paul was there, did you see?
On a display of God's grace, if God
can save me, this sinner, chief of sinners,
no one else is not, now there's no
one that is impossible to find grace.
Paul used himself as an example.
If God can get me, he can get
anybody, because I was a rebel.
I persecuted church.
There's no one more evil than I.
I'm the chief of sinners, and I must
obtain mercy.
If God can do something in me, he
can get the others.
And that's the same principle.
Because if you want to be a blessing
to your brother and sister, to your husband,
to your wife, you stay with God, blessing
will come.
Because God blessed us everything else, or everything
in Christ Jesus.
Anything.
So when you're blessed, you will bless others.
Now there are three, two things that mention
about Noah.
He said, you built an ark.
Now make sure there's plenty of room.
Right?
For his whole family, his three sons, and
his three sons' wives, and all the animals.
And the second thing is, you've prepared enough
provision for yourself and for those who will
be with you.
Now I find it very significant.
You built the ark, and make sure there's
plenty of room.
For instance, when we walk with the Lord,
gloriously in love with Jesus, there's no way
we can be spiritual in love unless we
walk with him.
Because when we walk with him, we have
to make all the adjustments.
We know we have to decrease.
We have to give more him, more room.
There's no other way.
Because he's unchanging.
He demands more room.
So he said, make room.
Make room.
Enough.
And there will be more Christ.
It's when we walk with him, there's an
increase of Christ.
If there's no walk with him, there's no
increase.
It's for his increase.
And out of his increase, the others will
be blessed.
There will be provision.
The provision is Christ.
And we'll be all kept alive spiritually in
the day of darkness, in the day of
judgment, the threat of death, life or death.
So, brothers and sisters, walking and being with
God is a way we can be blessed.
But it's God's way of blessing us, you
know?
If I ask you to share some testimony
about what the Lord's been doing in your
lives, all of us and myself, more than
anyone else, because I am where I am
because there are brothers and sisters who walk
with God.
And because they walk with God, I will
receive the overflowing of the blessing of God.
Yeah, for those who walk with God.
Brothers and sisters, none of us will be
in this room as we look back through
the church history.
There are those who walk with God.
They have found that way for us.
And we are in the pathway of that
blessing.
Brothers and sisters, stand with God.
And if we ourselves used to be blessed
brothers, we likewise, we need to walk with
God and be with God.
You know, in this country, we've got a
great deal of our family problems and we
seek quick solutions.
Now, this problem is not strictly American.
It's worldwide, it's worldwide.
And we resort to many, many, many human
devices.
But God's way is spiritual way.
Parents, if they really walk with the Lord,
if the Lord can secure the parents for
himself, the Lord will secure their astronomy.
That is the principle.
If the Lord can get me, he can
get others.
That's what we should be as parents, is
spiritual, not psychological.
And we need to pray for our parents.
But before we pray for them, we better
make sure we have abiding light in the
world.
Our light is real before our parents.
They look at us, they know whether we
are real or we are not real.
Because kids, youngsters, they're always thinking that we
are not real.
So what is it we need to really
be those, really be with them?
And because when we are with them, then
we can be all that he wants to
be with us.
That's what it's for.
It's when we are with him, then he
can be all that he wants to be
to all of us.
And that is really a wonderful experience.
And now, just come to another walk.
It was in 13th chapter of Genesis 8.
You remember when Lot and Abraham were separated,
okay?
And then God took Abraham and said, now
arise and walk through, we look at it,
13th.
Yeah, 13th of Genesis, verse 17.
Now Lot is separate from Abraham now.
And Lot went the wrong way.
And then now the Lord said to Abraham,
said now arise, walk in the land through
its length, its width, for I give it
to you.
Now what about, you know?
The first walk was God walked to a
man.
And because God walked to a man, then
Elah can walk with God, then Noah can
walk with God.
And now Abraham, later on he was called
the son of God.
And Abraham was called to be a blessing,
to be blessed and to be a blessing
to others.
And now he and Lot are separated now.
And now he had all this blessing in
front of him.
He said, just look anywhere.
As far as you can look, they're all
yours.
And I tease the brothers and sisters, the
young people in Hong Kong.
He said, if I were Lot, or Abraham,
I'm living in front of our high helicopter.
I'll just fly up there and really have
a good look of all this huge land,
palace that is all mine.
But interesting thing, God told Abraham to walk.
Abraham said, it is no indication that he
walked.
God said, you walked, but there was no
walk.
But in the 18th century, Abraham moved his
tent and went and dwelt in the paradise,
the tree in Mali.
That is Hebron, and he built an altar
there.
He did not walk.
He refused to walk, but he moved to
Hebron.
That's what he's doing.
Because he wants God above everything.
We can have everything.
If he's not with us, we're not with
him, all is vanity.
But if we have nothing, but we're with
him, we have everything.
Abraham discovered that.
What a vision of God Himself.
And God was the one who told him,
you walk, all yours.
But he refused.
He moved to Hebron.
He wanted to be with God.
Now, brothers and sisters, you know, in the
New Testament, there are many challenging stories and
true stories.
You remember in John 1, maybe we can
turn to just quickly, about the chapter 1,
the Gospel of John, verse 35.
You know, the next day, John stood with
two of his disciples, looking at Jesus as
He walked.
Now, here we have Him go walk.
And He said, behold, the Lamb of God.
And you know, they followed Jesus.
And Jesus turned around and said, now, what
city?
You follow me, what city?
You know, and they said, now, where are
you staying?
Where is your residence?
Where is your pen?
Where are you living?
And the Lord said, come and see.
Where?
What are you looking for?
He said, now, where do you stay?
Where is your pen?
Now, please, don't let them follow you.
You know, occasionally they said, you'll never know
the person.
You go and live with that person for
a month or two, or a year or
so, then you come to know a person
a little bit better.
All these weird habits you discover a little
bit later.
They said, come and see.
And the interesting thing is that they went
and there were three men with them that
day.
It was St. Paul.
And there's no record in the Gospel what
was taught by the Lord Jesus.
Nothing.
What was said, nothing.
There was no record of what the Lord
said to them, or what they find in
that house where the Lord lived.
There was not even an address.
Nothing.
But it says they remained with him that
day.
Now, what transformation?
What transformation?
Just being with the Lord.
There was no account of what he had
said to them.
There was no account of what they saw.
There was no detailed account.
But what transformation?
Just those few hours with the Lord Jesus.
It revolutionized their whole outlook, their whole way
of looking at things.
And they discovered he was the Messiah.
The one who was promised.
Come and see.
And Peter, Simon's name was changed to Peter
because of that encounter.
To be with him, it changes you.
You know, sometimes being with a person is
better than hearing what that person is saying.
Sometimes silence speaks louder than words.
Sometimes our impressions remain the deepest, lasting.
Not about what that person says, but how
that person is.
And that day, they left such a deep
impression.
And they will never be the same again.
Those people will never be the same again
because they are with him.
Now, you remember John and Peter that day
in Acts 4, they went to the temple
and they saw this lame man lying there,
and he was healed.
And they were brought into the front room
and questioned by the religious leaders.
What power you give us?
Why you do this?
You know?
And then the boldness of John and Peter.
And those high-arched religious leaders, then they
realized that these people, they were the ones
who did the testimony.
They were the ones who did the testimony.
Not hearing, but within, in person.
And as we grow in the Lord, at
least in my own experience, sometimes just being
lame, hovering around in our silent behavior, in
communion with the Spirit, is so strange.
We have to cultivate that kind of life.
I think our life is so busy.
We just cannot be settled.
And just enjoy this person.
No wonder we are weak spiritually.
No wonder we are not able to really
share much of this life.
No wonder we still feel that, you know,
we are not with all that going on.
Because we have to cultivate an abiding life.
And once it is, to know the person,
is to be with the person.
To know the Lord, is to spend time
with Him.
Of course, I mean, you know what I
mean.
We need to pray, we need to do
the work.
But inwardly, spiritually, we have to learn to
commune with Him.
Now this communion, this with Him, is not
about what we long for, but about what
is what we long for.
The Lord's Prayer says, I want Father, I
want those who have given me, I want
them to be with me.
It's the Lord's longing.
And His longing for us to be with
Him is far more intense than our longing
to be with Him.
Therefore, He is always seeking us, waiting for
us.
Because such time is very precious to Him.
Of course, indeed, it is very precious to
us.
And as we allow the Holy Spirit to
work, because it is not true, all our
ministry, our conferences, our prayer, our fellowship, the
work of the Holy Spirit, is really to
prepare us so that we will be prepared
to be with Him in the ages to
come.
It is not what the Lord is doing.
It is preparing us that we will be
able to be with Him in time of
need.
And it is such a wonderful gain of
life.
It is all preparation for life.
And so we find, at the end of
the Book of Revelation, I am so thankful
that we sang that song, All the Grace,
and this few words is very, very, should
we tend to 22nd chapter of Revelation, just
conclude with those few verses, 20 and 20.
This is the last prayer.
In some Bibles, it is the last prayer.
The last provision, the last prayer.
The last promise.
Now, in my Bible, surely I am coming
quickly, or before I come quickly.
Now, these are in great letters.
As Lord explores, speaking with His Holy Spirit.
Look, I am coming quickly.
He speaks of the longing of His heart.
And with people's holy words.
He wants us all for Himself.
People's holy words.
You are waiting.
How shall I tell you?
Some are waiting, agonizing.
But if there is love, determination.
Love waits.
Your love is patient.
Even though the intention, longing is there.
But it is willing to wait.
Because of the sure hope.
And the Lord can afford to wait.
Because He knows what you will get.
We are very impatient, because we are not
sure what we will get.
But He can afford to wait.
So He says, surely I am coming quickly.
There is urgency.
I am coming quickly, because He wants us
all for Himself.
The quicker the better.
Because our commitment is willing to wait.
And then the response begins, Amen.
Even so, come Lord Jesus.
That should be our natural response.
In light of what is going to happen,
we should learn to respond.
Even so, come Lord Jesus.
And the reason why we delay His coming
is because we know we are not ready.
I thank God for His person in life.
And His patience.
His hope, His patience.
In the end, He will give us His
answer.
And He will give us His answer.
But, we are required to wait.
If we can let Him do it quicker,
earlier, it will be so much better.
So oftentimes, delays are not necessary.
But we have to pray that prayer.
Even so, come Lord.
Even our condition.
Even what we are, we still desire to
come quickly.
So do it quickly.
So you can come quickly.
And to bring us to Yourself.
So brothers and sisters, John 17, the Lord
prayed that prayer.
And G.
Campbell Morgan said, I will, those who have
given me, be with me.
That will, he said, is a determination in
His heart.
He said, Father, You want the people for
Yourself, and my determination is to see to
it that we get them in the end.
And He is giving that.
Praise God.
It's all by grace.
And He walked to us first.
He knows we cannot find a way.
And He is pleasantly working with us.
And thank God, in the end, He will
get us what He wants us to be.
With Him, eternally in glory.
Let's have a word of prayer.
Father, we thank You for Your love.
Your purpose.
Your determination to give life to us.
So that we may be one with You
in life.
One with You in purpose.
We thank You for the faithful work of
the Holy Spirit.
We thank You for the ever-necessary prayer
of the Lord Jesus.
We thank You.
Give us who You are.
We know the end is approaching.
We thank You in this last day.
You are accelerating Your work.
We thank You.
For grace.
For mercy.
We thank You.
We have a joy to witness throughout this
whole earth.
You are getting a people for Yourself.
You are preparing a people to be with
You in the ages to come.
We thank You for the work of grace.
And we do pray that we will be
those who are found.
Lord, that we can live such a life
with You.
That we can hasten Your return.
Thank You.
Praise You.
For revealing something of Your heart to us.
That how You long to quickly come and
take us to Your home.
Lord, we pray as a church that we
all act together.
Amen.
Even so, come Lord Jesus.
Thank You.
In Your precious name.
Amen.