Exodus 12:1-14
Sunday Sermon – 11 Nov 2018 10:48:57 am – Pastor James Yang
For the Jews, the feast of the Passover is one of the most important. After 430 years of captivity in Egypt, they could go out and so it was a huge celebration. However, as they travelled, it felt more convenient for them to stay in Egypt. There is disparity in the land of Egypt and Canaan. It is must easier to farm in Egypt. But in Canaan, the only water source was from heaven and so they only had to look up to heaven. If you were the Israelite, which land would you look toward to farm? Egypt or Canaan?
In our spiritual life journey, some people have the heart to dwell in Canaan while others in Egypt. People want security and stability in their lives.
People want their children to study hard so that they can grow and become richer than they themselves. However, there is no guarantee that this may be so. One day I read this passage in Psalms and it really moved my heart.
““ LORD, make me to know my end, And what is the measure of my days, That I may know how frail I am.”
Psalms 39:4 NKJV
Is there anyone who knows the end of your days?
Through the eyes of faith, you can see what the end is for you. Without it, you cannot see it.
I used to work for Hyundai Motors. I had the first class licence to be a car mechanic. Some car centres asked me to be a person in charge of their car centres. My parents had so much hope and expectations on me. They asked me to open my own car mechanic centre, make a lot of money and support the family. For me as well, I thought it was such a great idea. I didn’t think of it as a bad idea. One day, I was listening to the Word and a change came about in my heart. The Word in 1 Kings 17, showed me the end in my life. I no longer wanted to live a life I wanted to live. I entrusted my life to the pastor. Then the pastor began to guide me. Still now, I have such hopeful and joyful life. I keep on suggesting my children to live the life I live. I can feel the happiness in this life.
Last week, I went to Melbourne. On the last day, a lady came. She has been to many different churches. Apparently, she saw the ad on our Facebook page and she came to our bible seminar. She heard the Word and her heart brightened up a lot. I didn’t know anything about her. But afterwards, when I spoke to her, what she said really touched my heart. She told me that she had been to many churches but she really wants to meet the truth. She said that she had not met the truth as yet. And then she said, “Today, God heard my prayer”. I was so thankful in my heart. I could feel that God loved her soul so deeply so He allowed the Melbourne bible seminar.
Many people do not know where happiness comes from. Some think it comes from careers, or children or business prosperity, but this is not so.
God’s will was not for Israel to dwell in Egypt. Canaan was where God’s will was. Likewise, for Christians who are born again, the will of God is for us to dwell in Heaven and not in hell.
The Passover ceremony marks the beginning of the Exodus to Canaan.
““ LORD, make me to know my end, And what is the measure of my days, That I may know how frail I am. Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, And my age is as nothing before You; Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor. Selah”
Psalms 39:4-5 NKJV
Let’s say you are looking for a daughter in law for your son. Do you looks for someone who is intelligent, beautiful, educated, etc? Why is that the answer is yes to all of this. Because you want to be stable. This is the flow of the heart of humans. They do not care about the soul.
In General, people do not understand the world of the heart. They only want to pursue what seems right in their heart. They do not want to think about the soul at all. This is being very foolish.
The bible is the only thing in the world that can lead your heart to the right thing.
One day, a brother asked me this: “Pastor, I want to change my job. Tiling is so hard but painting is so easy. They make a lot of money. The hardest thing of painting is just carrying that paint bucket. So I want to become a painter instead of a tiler”. So I advised the brother not to take up painting because this is following the flesh and not focused on the spirit, where the brother could look towards God.
At the time I had to get married, I was introduced to my wife. However, I was not interested in the meeting because all I would be able to do was just see the outward appearance but not the inward heart. But one brother told me to go to at least know how she looks like in case I do not know who was my bride on the day. 🙂
So this was how I was able to go to the meeting and I got married. Marriage is about the world of the heart and this is what is important. So I have this faith that God gave me the greatest helper in my life.
One day I was traveling to a bible seminar but a tree feel and crushed our car. The tree was crushing the car down and I had to put the car to gear 1 and step on the pedal. Thankfully, we escaped. But I wondered why this accident happened to me, since I was a gospel preacher.
“Is it not from the mouth of the Most High That woe and well-being proceed?”
Lamentations 3:38 NKJV
As I read this Word, I felt so thankful before God. It means this problem came from God. I am in a safe zone. If the problem came from humans, then I cannot do anything about it. However, problems also come from God and so I am safe. Thus, with hope, it does not matter what the situation is. However, those who have no faith, have distrustful heart towards people and God. People who do not have faith can only become distrustful.
But based on this Word, all things come from God. So I could rest my heart.
Today, it does not matter what problems you have. If you heart is connected to God, then you will gain hope in Him and the problems cannot trouble you.
About my car that got crushed, I could not get any insurance. They did not cover me. So I was told to complain to the city council. However, the city council could not cover my loss either. They blamed it on the water company as their excavator had hit the root of the tree. But the company said that the time period under which I could be covered had expired. So I was rejected on both ends. I was stuck.
At that time, one day I was reading the book of Daniel. King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream which no one could interpret. He called Daniel to interpret and Daniel helped him. So I could see I was the king and Daniel was Jesus. With this faith that if I connect to Jesus then all would be solved.
So I took my letter to the vice mayor at the city council. He read it and in the end, he actually covered the payout. I was so thankful.
It does not matter what problem you have, but when you get connected to God, you can be filled with hope.
In Melbourne this time, I had fellowship with one brother who was struggling with a lot of problems in his life. So I told him to not look for answers by himself, for the problems do not end just there. So I told him to look at the book of Esther. There was a decree made by Haman which was to kill on 13th of the 12th month all the Jews. All the Jews thus feared for their lives. The decree was sealed by the king’s signet and no one could revoke it.
In this situation, they could not revoke the decree but they had another decree of Mordecai that overruled the decree of Haman.
Likewise, many people try to manipulate their own situations. Establishing the Word of God right at your situation – this is spiritual life.
“Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.”
Exodus 12:13 NKJV
In your life journey, do you have the blood on the lintels of your heart? I.e. do you have the Word of God in your heart. Spiritual life is simple – it is not about manipulating your circumstances but about establishing the Word of God in your heart. This is why spiritual life ought to be very easy.
Recently this word touches my heart:
““I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.”
Revelation 3:8 NKJV
God has set an open door in front of us. There is a reason why God complimented the church of Philadelphia. It is because they had little strength and have kept the Word. The least strength you have, the more you can keep the Word. Conversely, the more strength you have, the further you will be from the Word of God.
If you establish the Word of God in your heart, then the problems in your life cannot bother you.
After the traffic accident, I discovered a great mystery of God – “well-being and woe all comes from God.”
When my son was young, I had to smack him many times because he was very mischievous and had a different heart from me. One day I asked him if he knew why I had to smack him and he said “Because you HATE ME!” So I had to fellowship with him for an hour to explain to him my heart. When he understood and finally knew my heart, he came back to me and he hugged me. I may have smacked him for a minute at the maximum, but I ended up having fellowship for an hour.
Folks, if I hate any one of you, then I cannot be a pastor here. Please understand my heart. There is the world of the heart where hearts need to flow from one to another. But many of you are confined in your thoughts that since you are not spiritual you cannot go to heaven. This is not so.
“For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.”
Hebrews 10:14 KJV
This one offering is Jesus.
In fact, Spiritual life is easy. It is only difficult if our thoughts are mingled together with the Words.
One time in Hyundai Motors, a customer came and reported problems with his car. There were four computers in the car and he took them apart. He asked us to put them back again. We did this in three hours but he told us that his own mechanics could not fix it after three days. So I realised that since Hyundai made the car, they were the best fixers.
In you spiritual life, only Jesus alone should work. But you are trying to work as well.
You should not be involved. Only Jesus alone should be at work.
In Genesis, there were the chief butler and the baker. They were supposed to die. Both had a dream. The butler saw the vine only which represents Jesus Christ. The chief baker had three white baskets on the head but the top basket had all kings of baked goods. The butler was saved but the baker was not.
Folks, are you satisfied with Jesus alone? For your future, find your answers in the Word only.
In fact, we have no worries anymore. This is because Jesus is everything to us. However, foolish people are worried. As they worry, they do not establish the Word.
The blood of the lamb represents Jesus – i.e. the Words of God. This is why on households that have it, cannot die.
I had experienced my wife having cancer, traffic accidents, and problems with brethren. As I look back, I am so thankful. If I did not have the church, words and servant of God, how could I have overcome these problems? I would have no way but just end up in misery. But the Word of God always gave me answers to the problems.
A few months ago, we had this tax problem. One single Word from the bible solved it for us. A week ago, the tax office had closed our problem. I was so thankful.
No matter who you are, if you establish the Word, then even problems of death, you can be totally resolved in the heart.