On Sunday, Abigail, Geenu, and I attended the City Harvest Church at the Suntec Convention Center. The service started at 10 am with beautiful praise and worship. Abigail enjoys the CHC Praise and Worship, she loves to jump and raise her hands during the Praise and Worship.
Pastor Kong preached about the second part of the sermon on Faith, Rest, and Trust.
I enjoyed listening to Pastor Kong. He seems to be unscathed by the fiery trial, like Daniel and his friends, maintaining his composure and cracking jokes in between. It’s a miracle in itself.
He started the sermon with Jeremiah 17:7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.
2 Chronicles 16:12 And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to theLord, but to the physicians.
Asa believed God but he didn’t trust Him.
2 Chronicles 16:7-9 And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the Lord thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand. 8 Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge host, with very many chariots and horsemen? yet, because thou didst rely on the Lord, he delivered them into thine hand. 9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars
Instead of relying on God, he sought the horses and chariots of other nations. Asa failed the loyalty test.
The Trust will give us empowerment and release the blessing said Pastor Kong.
Jeremiah 17:7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.
To be blessed means to be empowered to succeed.
Pslam 34:8 O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him
Matthew 6:25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Only when we trust, can we enter into rest and position ourselves for the blessing. Trust in Lord releases blessing.
Asa died of sickness because he didn’t trust in the Lord.
Jeremiah 17:5 Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord.
If blessing means empowered to succeed, curse means empowered to fail.
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
In the time of trouble, who we rely on determines what is released on our life. Trusting God is the only highway and sureway to victory and triumph.
2 Corinthians 2:14 Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.
Don’t allow anyone to put doubt about your future. There is a clear distinction between trust and faith. Trust is a higher virtue. Many have faith but have not learned to trust. Many believe but, few trust. Faith is confidence but trust is commitment.
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
When you have faith, you have boldness, confidence. More we grow in faith, the more we grow in confidence. Is it true faith can fail?
Luke 22:31-32 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: 32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
Hebrews 10:35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.
Mark 11:22-24 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. 23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. 24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them
Psalms 125:1 They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever.
Faith and Trust are different. Faith believes God can do it but Trust says even if He doesn’t, it’s ok.
Faith has confidence that God will supply but Trust says even if You don’t do it, my commitment is unshakeable. I will rely on You, depend on You.
Job 13:15 Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.
God wants us to bring us to the level of Trust.
Faith is Daniel 3:17, 18 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
But Trust says Daniel 3: 18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
Daniel 3: 19 Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated. 20 And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. 21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 22 Therefore because the king’s commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flames of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. 25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.
Romans 8:35-39 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Faith is elementary level. Trust is advanced level. When we trust God, we enter into Rest.
Exodus 14:14 The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.
Mark 4:26-27 And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; 27 And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.
Finally Pastor Kong prayed for healing, deliverance from bondages, and restoration of marriages.
We recited Psalms 20 together.
1 The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee;
2 Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion;
3 Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice; Selah.
4 Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel.
5 We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the Lord fulfil all thy petitions.
6 Now know I that the Lord saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.
8 They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright.
9 Save, Lord: let the king hear us when we call.
The service ended with beautiful praise. Praise God for the wonderful time 🙂
