JURONG OUTREACH - OCT 05

DO NOT GIVE UP!
2 Oct 05

Life is filled with ups and downs. If we are going through a patch of rough time, if failure is what we are experiencing right now, do not give up. Many great men of old have been labelled  “Failures”, “Losers”, “Hopeless” etc. If they had believed what others think and said about them, they would really be living up to the expectations of these people. But they became “Great” because they didn’t give up. Look at some of these great men:

When Peter J. Daniel was in the fourth grade, his teacher, Mrs. Phillips, constantly said, “Peter J. Daniel, you’re no good, you’re a bad apple and you’re never going to amount to anything.” Peter was totally illiterate until he was 26. A friend stayed up with him all night and read him a copy of Think and Grow Rich. Now he owns the street corners he used to fight on and just published his latest book: Mrs. Phillips, You Were Wrong.

Beethoven handled the violin awkwardly and preferred playing his own compositions instead of improving his technique. His teacher called him hopeless as a composer.

The parents of the famous opera singer Enrico Caruso wanted him to be an engineer. His teachers said he had no voice at all and could not sing.

Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor for lack of ideas. Walt Disney also went bankrupt several times before he built Disneyland.

Thomas Edison’s teachers said he was too stupid to learn anything.

Albert Einstein did not speak until he was four years old and didn’t read until he was seven. His teacher described him as “mentally slow, unsociable and adrift forever in his foolish dreams.” He was expelled and refused admittance to Zurich Polytechnic School.

Louis Pasteur was only a mediocre pupil in undergraduate studies and ranked 15 out of 22 in chemistry.

Isaac Newton did very poorly in grade school.

Leo Tolstoy, author of War and Peace, flunked out of college. He was described as “both unable and unwilling to learn.

Henry Ford failed and went broke five times before he finally succeeded.

Winston Churchill failed sixth grade. He did not become Prime Minister of England until he was 62, and then only after a lifetime of defeats and setbacks. His greatest contributions came when he was a “senior citizen.”

Eighteen publishers turned down Richard Bach’s Jonathan Livingston Seagull, before Macmillan finally published it in 1970. By 1975 it had sold more than seven million copies in the U.S. alone.

From these numerous examples of “failures” dare we give up on ourselves when we face temporal setbacks? If we do, then we will truly become failures. Did not our Lord promise to go through life with us and help us in time of need?

CHRIST, OUR PASSOVER LAMB
9 Oct 05

In Exodus Chapter twelve we read about the instructions God gave regarding the Passover lamb. There was to be a lamb for each house. The lamb was to be without blemish and a male. In verse six, we read, "And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening."

Notice that there was only one lamb for each household. But God said the whole assembly shall kill it. It was impossible for every person to kill the lamb. Obviously only a few individuals were actually involved in the killing of the lamb. But every person was supportive of the killing of the lamb. No one stepped forward and stopped the killing of the lamb. By their presence and support they were considered as being a part of the killing.

Christ is our Passover Lamb. The lamb of the Old Testament Passover was simply a type of the Christ to come. Every person in the church considers themselves partly responsible for the death of Christ on the cross. He died for our sins. He died for the sins of every person. If we did not sin, he would not have died for our sins. So every time someone sins, they are a partaker in the killing of Jesus.

But, everyone also can partake of the blessings of the Lamb of God. When one is a Christian one can partake of the communion, the Lord's Supper. This is eaten every first day of the week to commemorate our Lord's sacrificial death for our sins.

There was an old story written that Abraham Lincoln went down to the slave block and saw a girl being auctioned off to the highest bidder. Lincoln joined in the bidding. As the slave girl looked at this man bidding on her, she figured he was just another white man, going to buy her and then abuse her.

Lincoln won the bid and as he was walking away with his newly purchased property, he said, "Young lady.... you are FREE!"

She said, "What does that mean?"
"It means you are FREE."

"Does that mean," she asked, "that I can say whatever I want to say?"

Lincoln said, "Yes, my dear, you can say whatever you want to say."

"Does that mean," she asked, "that I can be whatever I want to be?"

Lincoln said, "Yes, you can be whatever you want to be."

"Does that mean I can go wherever I want to go?"

He said, "Yes, you can go wherever you want to go."

Then the girl, with tears streaming down her face, said, "Then I will go with YOU."

Jesus said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits SIN is a SLAVE of SIN" (John 8:34).

I WAS JUST WATCHING
16 Oct 05

There are times that classmates or friends may engage in something that we know is wrong. But because we do not want to be laughed at or because we are afraid we might lose friends, we stay and watch. Then we try to make the excuse that we did not engage in the activity so we are innocent.

The Edomites tried to make such an excuse. When Israel was being invaded and defeated by their enemies, the Edomites looked on. These enemies of Israel were 'so-called' friends of Edom. These other nations had made Edom think they were friends. When they invaded Israel the Edomites watched with joy. The Edomites did not help the invaders in the beginning. They just watched. So, they thought they were innocent of any wrongdoing.

But God told them they were not innocent. In Obadiah 11 and 12, we read, "In the day that thou stoodest on the other side, in the day that the strangers carried away captive his forces, and foreigners entered into his gate, and cast lots upon Jerusalem, even thou wast as one of them. But thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother in the day he became a stranger..."

It is wrong to stand by and watch others do evil. If you enjoy watching others do evil then you are just as evil as those that are engaging in it. If you stay around those who do evil so that you can be their friends, you are just as evil as they are.

We learn later that the Edomites did not just stand and look, they eventually decided to go into Jerusalem and look at the destruction more closely. And they put road blocks in the way of those who were fleeing from the invaders.

When a person continues to think about sin, eventually the person will be tempted to engage in that sin. Simply looking on or watching others engage in sin no longer satisfies. The person must become active in the sin to find satisfaction.

The Edomites thought about their hatred of Israel. Then, they watched with glee as Israel was invaded. Then, they decided to get closer to the destruction by actually going into the city. And they decided to help the invaders by not allowing the Israelites to escape.

James warns us about the progression of sin. In James 1:14-15 we read: “ But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”

The Edomites hated the Israelites. They wanted bad things to happen to Israel. They made covenants with the enemies of Israel. At first, the Edomites thought and spoke of their hatred for Israel. Then, they watched with joy as Israel was invaded. But they did not stop with watching, they proceeded to participate in the destruction of Israel.

Do not be like the Edomites. Do not think evil. Do not watch evil. And do not engage in evil. Study your Bible. Learn what God wants you to do. Obey God.

God wants us to place our faith in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31) And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house,  repent of our sins (Acts 17:30-31) And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10) That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation, and be baptized (immersed) in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 2:38) Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

And, He will CONTINUE to keep us safe as long as we CONTINUE to follow Him (1 John 1:7) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

TOO GREAT A CHASM
23 Oct 05

Children and even some young adults may not know or remember him, but in the 1970s few people held the American public's imagination like Evel Knievel. The motorcycle daredevil saw his name and patriotic colour scheme stamped on everything from lunchboxes to albums to movies to an Evel Knievel action figure that briefly outsold Barbie and G.I. Joe. His jump attempts over cars, buses, fountains, shark tanks and, most memorably, the Snake River Canyon in Idaho , drew millions of viewers to Knievel television specials and sold out venues like the Houston Astrodome and London 's Wembley Stadium.

Consider, for a moment, his jump attempt at Snake River Canyon in Idaho …

On September 8, 1974, after two unsuccessful unmanned test flights, Evel decided to keep his word to his fans and risked his life in an attempt to clear a 1,718-foot chasm of the Snake River Canyon . In place of his signature Harley Davidson, Evel attempted this jump in a specially constructed rocket-powered "Skycycle." Seconds after his sky cycle cleared the edge of the canyon, his parachute ejected prematurely.

As fans, family, crew, and a live television audience watched Evel descend 600 feet into the canyon, it appeared he was heading directly for the river. Landing in the river would have meant certain death. Fortunately, Evel and the sky cycle were saved because they landed on the rocks on the far edge of the river. Due at least in part to malfunctions in his equipment, the chasm at Snake River Canyon proved to be too great for Evel to cross.

This chasm and Evel’s attempt to clear it reminds us of an even GREATER chasm - one which separates us from God!

God is a HOLY God - "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty" (Isaiah 6:3). Because of His holiness, God is totally "set apart" from sin. His eyes are too pure to look upon evil (Habakkuk 1:13).

Man, on the other hand, is a SINFUL being - Isaiah warned others about the effects of SIN: "Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear. But your iniquities have SEPARATED you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear" (Isaiah 59:1-2).

The chasm between sinful man and a holy God is TOO GREAT for man to cross by his own merits! Morality isn’t sufficient! Good works won’t bridge the gap!

Only the CROSS of Jesus can span this great chasm between God and man caused by SIN. Jesus died on the cross so that you and I might be forgiven of our sins and reconciled to a holy God.

Those who place their trust in God (Hebrews 11:6), But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

repent of sin (2 Corinthians 7:9-10), Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.  For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death,

confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

are baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sin (Acts 2:38), Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

and live faithfully to Him (1 John 1:7), But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6). We CROSS by way of the CROSS !

ONLY through your submission to Jesus will you ever be able to reach God who beckons to us from the other side! Won't you CROSS over today?

ACCESS TO HIGH PLACES
30 Oct 05

It has been said that during the Civil War, a man was sitting on a park bench in Washington, D.C. He was crying. His son had deserted his post in battle and was to be shot by a firing squad. So the father went to Washington hoping to talk to the President and tell his story and see if the President would intervene. But he couldn't get passed the front gate to the White House. He would go there and be denied access. So he sat crying, fearful about his son's impending death. Hundreds of people pass him, but no one noticed....

Finally, a small boy noticed him and saw him crying. The boy went up to the man and asked him what was going on. The man was barely able to talk, but told him about his son and what was going to happen. The boy was touched. He said, "Follow me." He walked up to the front gate, looked up at the soldiers guarding it and said, "It's okay. He's with me." The gate opened. The boy and the man marched right up to the front door of the White House, opened it and walked in. He knew exactly where the President was. He knocked on the door, and he was told the President was in a meeting with his cabinet members and generals discussing war strategy.

But the little boy nudged his way through the room full of people, finally reached the President, and jumped up on his lap. The conversation in the room ceased.

The boy said, "Daddy, I want you to meet a man. He needs your help."

The meeting stopped, everyone left the room, and the man was brought into the room so he could tell his story. After hearing the man’s plight, Lincoln took out his pen and signed a document. He handed it to the man. And written in bold letters it said:

“Presidential Pardon. Signed, Abraham Lincoln, President of the U.S.” The man's SON had been pardoned!

His tears of sadness became tears of joy.

As he was leaving he turned to the President and asked, "Why did you do this for me?" Lincoln replied, "I did it because my SON took an interest in your situation!"

Due to our sin, YOU and I are much like the young soldier that deserted his post in battle.

WE have sinned, and the wages of sin is DEATH (Romans 6:23). Yet, both the Son (as well as the Father) "took an interest in OUR situation."

Because of His great love for us, Jesus died on the cross so that WE might receive FULL PARDON for OUR sins (1 Peter 2:24).

And through Jesus, God's only Son, WE too have DIRECT ACCESS to HIGH PLACES because He EVER LIVES to intercede for us at the right hand of God (Romans 8:34-39).

God will grant this "DIVINE PARDON" to those who:

place their trust in Him (Hebrews 11:6), But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

repent of sin (2 Corinthians 7:9-10), Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.  For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death,

confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

and are baptized (immersed) for the forgiveness of sin (Acts 2:38). Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

He will CONTINUE TO PARDON those who CONTINUE TO FOLLOW Jesus for the rest of their lives (1 John 1:7). But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Have YOU accepted God’s pardon?