Sunday Message

14/01/07
<Eph 1: 3-23>
JOINED AND HELD TOGETHER WITH GOD
• When we come together and be joined up, all our problems will disappear.
• We have to be joined with God.
• We have to be joined with Israel (The strengths of past believers should be our
strengths).
• We have to be joined with our body parts today (i.e. our family members, church,
fellow Christians).
• We have to be joined with our past (We will be a testimony based on the grace
and blessings given to us and leave our stories to our disciples and future
generation).
• Our church message talks about the difference in gospel and religion, the 36
lessons, 4 gospelizations, 5 mysteries and our prayer topics.
• To join up and grow, we have to format all our messages.
• We must really know what it means by format (restructure and be systematic)
• The main point and message that God has given me over the past 6 years must
be joined up.
• God and His people’s lives must follow an order.
• In 2007, we must be a person who follows God’s desire.
• In the Bible, such people are Moses, David, Paul etc.
• No matter what conditions they grew up in, how they passed their lives, they
became the main character in their era because they followed God’s desire.
• We should only be afraid of losing God’s heart.
• Once we restore God’s heart, angels will begin to work and our family will
change.
• God used the flood to destroy a generation because He wants to save us.
• Are the problems and sufferings we face worse than those mentioned in the
Bible?
• God is on the frequent lookout for people who follow His heart. He does not look
at our conditions.
• When we are right with God, this is the best solution to our problem.
• Our attitude must be right as we usher in the New Year.
• No father would hate or beat his child right from the start.
• We must live this year with strength, authority and hope.
• Although we know that we have to be right with God, our starting point must allow
us to join with Him.
• What is being right with God, being joined up with God? We are connected to
God by our purpose and conditions. No matter what critical illness or problems
we have, we can see God’s blessed will. This is the meaning of being joined with
God.
• We can submit to God by restoring God’s blessed will.
• Therefore, we are not always be looking for the solution to our problem.
• We must now restore God’s blessed will and submit to God. Such people will
have hope in God and this is the result of being joined with God.
• God never promised us that our lives would be filled with fear and worries.
• Therefore, our starting point must be right.
• Moving on, what is the content to get joined with God?
• God’s words, our church and messages have already given us the answers we
need.
• If a person cannot join up with God, it is because he did not get the right
information source.
• We are fearful because we are walking in different direction from the road God
wants us to walk.
• Our previous opinions, perspective must be totally changed. Our previous
perspective tells us, “We fail because we have not done anything right”.
• We are often tempted because we have our own motives.
• God has given us our family, so whatever condition our family is in, we just have
to praise God and serve Him.
• God has given us our career. Hence we should walk with God with our present
career.
• Our hopes should not run outside God’s plan.
• God wants us to be the main character of this era.

Read <Eph 1: 3-23>

• After we have read this passage, are we able to believe and understand? All our
answers are found in God.
• v4 Since God has chosen us since the creation of this world, how is it that He will
not love us and will leave us in a lurch?
• v11 We have already obtained God’s inheritance.
• v13 “You have already heard the word of truth”
• God is a compassionate God, He does not like to punish us.
• Because God loves us, He is willing to sacrifice His life for us.
• v15 “For this reason” is very important → When we are able to see the extent of
God’s love for us, we will be able to think well of ourselves.
• v18-19 “his glorious inheritance, his incomparably great power, mighty
strength”! Hope → Promise; Inheritance → Purpose; Strength
• We just have to base on what God said to believe, to do.
• God wants us to love ourselves, so we just need to love ourselves. God says that
the conditions we have are prepared by Him. Therefore, we just accept them
willingly and not struggle and worry.
• We have to adjust our lives according to God’s words. This is “format”.
• There are various points in our lives where we cannot meet God, isn’t it? This is
because we often look at our present conditions.
• We must use God’s words to know ourselves and our family etc.

1. Spiritual problem: We often do not see the Truth.

• We all have spiritual problems. Therefore, we often do not see the Truth
1) This is our fundamental problem
• If we can see our fundamental problem and understand it, we will be
willing to tear ourselves down and rebuild a new life
(a) <Eph 2:1-3> For a split second, we often cannot see God.
• The fundamental problem talks about: We cannot see the reason
behind our problems. We do not know how our illness can be used by
God.
• Blessed people will give birth to blessed children. The problem is there
are many times we do not believe.
(b) Sin
• We all know that we have sinned. Therefore, we are fearful and this
fear will bring about bad consequences.
• Jesus Christ tells us that our sins have been redeemed.
• God’s assurance to us is from the sin offering that we do three times a
day
• When we continue to be fearful of certain things, our fear will really
bring about bad consequences.
(c) There is a spiritual world.
• In the spiritual world, there are evil spirits. Therefore, non-believers
will worship idols and believers will worship the world.
• If believers do not love God, do not follow God’s purpose, they will
meet with bad consequences one day, just like Job.
• The moment Lot fell in love with Sodom and Gomorrah, evil forces will
bind him and cause him to not be able to love God.
• Our identity, purpose and direction must be corrected.

2) We need Jesus Christ

• We are already saved and will not lose our salvation. However, if we do
not follow Jesus Christ, we will be tormented by evil spirits.
• We must be able to see Jesus Christ.
• We must know where we belong.
• We are already victorious. Therefore, we only need to submit to the King.

3) A heart of God’s child

• We must begin everything with a heart of God’s child. Therefore, we must
ask, “Why does my God who loves me allow me to experience this?”
• We must see and understand everything with a heart of God’s child.

4) Living: Religion
• If we can see that the situations in our lives are so unpredictable, we will
not lead a religious life.

5) A Revived Spirit
 • At that time, our spirit will be revived.
• Paul knows that our flesh is weak. When people beat us, we will feel pain.
Therefore, Paul knows that our spirit and flesh are at war everyday.
• Paul’s life is filled with uncertainties, he thus has to fight a battle. This is
because his spirit must overcome his carnal motives.
• He is victorious as he has the solution of never failing to pray.
• Believers do not pray because they are not clear of their fundamental
problem.
• People who have come out from darkness will not want to go back to
darkness again. No one who has just escape death through drowning
would want to go to the seas immediately.

2. We must “tear ourselves down and rebuild a new life in Christ” <Ephesians 2:4-
6, 1:3-23>
1) We must tear ourselves down and rebuild a new life in Christ.
• Who is Jesus Christ?
(a) Jesus Christ is the Great Prophet whose Word became flesh, to let us know
how His words can help us in our daily living.
• The Word became flesh through us. Therefore, we will use God’s
words to see everything.
(b) Jesus Christ is the Great Priest who died and resurrected so that we do not
receive accusation.
• We should not belittle God’s gift of salvation.
(c) Jesus Christ is the Great King.
• Therefore, we have to submit to Him because as a king, He has the
authority.

2) Therefore, after we have known Jesus Christ, we will definitely tear ourselves
down and rebuild our lives before Him.
• Who is willing to tear themselves down?
• Only those who see that their spiritual problem is very serious will be
willing to tear themselves down.
• The content to rebuilding a new life is:
1) Know God accurately through Jesus Christ → He is our
compassionate father.
2) Know myself accurately through Jesus Christ → We are being called
and are blessed children of God.
3) In Jesus Christ, confirm that our sins will not be judged, there is no
judgment, curse and death, etc
4) In Jesus Christ, firm up our life’s purpose (4 Gospelizations, glorify
God, benefit people and build His Kingdom).
5) In Jesus Christ, use the perspective of a blessed Christian and our
life’s goal to analyze our conditions.
6) In Jesus Christ, enjoy learning God’s word and want to build an
accurate system of thinking. In all things, seek God’s blessed will.
7) In Jesus Christ, firm up our living routine; value the church’s altar;
 enjoy being together with the congregation.

• When we tear ourselves down and rebuild a new life, our historical view,
life’s view, world’s view and values will change.
• For example, we often go for regular check-ups as we are afraid of getting
some illness. This fear / thinking come about because we have not torn
ourselves down and rebuild our lives.
• If we are really ill, our bodies must be freed.
• But we must be clear to know the reason why our bodies should be
freed. We should not scold or beat others after our bodies have
recovered.
• If the illness in our body is God’s blessed will, we will not be afraid as
we already know His blessed will.
• After God’s blessed will is complete, our illness will not remain in our
bodies. However if God’s blessed will is not complete and we want to
recover from our illness, we are going against God.
• We have to definitely format our lives and live according to God’s
desire. Then we will not be afraid of illnesses.
• We often walk our own roads. Therefore, fear comes to us.
• Take the example of having to save for retirement
• We must know the purpose of using money and the way to spend
money.
• What is the purpose why we have money?
• When Man does not know God’s will, they will frequently worry over
money issues, save more money or earn more money for retirement.
• This is a life that is not formatted.
• Take another example, How do we find our life-time partner?
• We must know, God will definitely bless Abraham with Sarah. What is
the purpose of getting a partner? Purpose is: Glorify God, benefit
people and build His kingdom
• We must know how blessed we are, then we will meet a partner that
equals the blessing.
• God is the perfect match-maker.
• Those whose lives have not been formatted will be led by their own
desires and will definitely be accused continually.
• By formatting, we are filling our lives with contents and hope/ confidence.

3. Live like Christ

1) We must learn God’s blessed will.
• We have to be together for at least 3 years to learn God’s blessed will.
• Only those who are willing to live out God’s blessed will stay in our
church.
• Although there is friction when we are together, we know that there is
God’s blessed will for us to stay together.
• No matter what we do, we must do so by understanding God’s blessed
 will.
• Only those who understand God’s blessed will be strengthened spiritually.

2) Be strengthen, spiritually
• Those who understand God’s blessed will, will know the Truth and hence
will not be deceived. Otherwise, we are unable to tackle our problems,
etc.
• We are unable to tackle our problems, worries and fear, etc because we
are not strengthened spiritually.
• When we are in a situation where we have no content and no strength;
once we are tired, we will lose our temper and when people scold us, we
will be angry.
• When we are strengthened spiritually, we will know that God will be happy
with us even though we serve Him with our tired bodies.

3) Be different from the rest

• When we have the content, we will be strengthened and hence be
different from the rest.
• We have to be different from the rest and shine in our 7 fields. People will
then be influenced by us and our family and region will be transformed.

4) Distinguish between people; grasp the time-table and prophesize

• One who is different from the rest can distinguish between people. They
can tell who are the people who belong to God and those who belong to
the world.
• They are able to grasp the time-table of those around them. They will
know who are those who are born again, and those who have made a
covenant with God.
• Those who grasp God’s time-table can prophesize. Those who
prophesize are not telling fortunes. They know how God works and will
merely speak the Truth.
• If we don’t join with God’s words, we will continue to waste money, time and
emotions.
• We should not walk in circles. When we reach the edge that God brings us to,
the road we walk will be easy.
• Our lives should not be centred on using Man’s purpose/ method in building
ourselves up.
• We should not fight with God.
• Within this year, forget our past but work on the future.
• We should now start by not continuing to remain weak. Our past weaknesses,
failures are to remind us to really understand our fundamental problem.

Discussion Prayer Topics

1) What is the extent to which I understand the fundamental problem? Am I
able to diagnose that all the problems that people face are due to this
fundamental problem and hence be able to give them the correct answer? How
am I able to totally eradiate the harms brought about by the fundamental
 problem?
2) Have I discovered the definite reason to “totally tear myself down and
rebuild in Christ”? Have I grasped the mystery of relying on God to totally
restore a relationship that is “Joined and Held Together with God”? What is the
blessed will that God has revealed to me in my life through Christ?
3) It is observable as one goes through the process of sanctification. Reflect
on the sanctification of my own life. Do I like to communicate with God and
often discover God’s blessed will? Am I able to frequently see His great love,
help, guidance, omnipotence? Are people around me blessed due to my life? Am
I able to differentiate, and develop people according to their time-table as well as
encourage and bless them according to God’s will?