Peter Tan-Chi - Entrust
Greetings! In the name of our wonderful Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. What a joy to be with you today to continue the MOTIVATE series. How we impact the lives of our loved ones, families, children, and students. How can we influence their hearts for permanent and long term life changes. Let's review briefly.
M: Role Modeling. You need to set an example of what we want them to become.
O: is Open Communication. We need to listen to know what's in their hearts.
T: Time. Without spending time, how can we know?
I: Intimacy. Develop intimacy because relationships are very important.
V: is Vision. It's important that we give them a vision of who God wants them to become.
A: is Affirmation. This world is full of disappointments, we need to give affirmations to our loved ones, our students.
T: is Teach and Train.
Last week, we discussed the importance of teaching intentionally, adapt your approach but do it intentionally. Today, even though this is the last session, this is the most important principle: the name of this principle is Entrust. Entrust them to God. What is the principle of Trust? To entrust is to keep something safe, to keep, to hand over something. But most importantly, you entrust someone to look after what you entrust. It is very important that our children know God. Because only God can change our children's hearts and only God can empower them and most importantly, only God can change their lives continuously. Because without God, how can we, only by our own strength, by their own strength, be strong against trials? We need supernatural intervention.
For example the Apostle Paul: "For this reason I suffer these things", note Paul's willingness to undergo hardship, "but I am not ashamed;". Paul didn't care what people said. "For I know," notice, from experience, from reality, "for I know in whom I have trusted and I am sure that He is able to keep what He has entrusted to me until the day of the Lord". The word entrust comes from the Greek word "Paratheke". What does it mean? To keep, to hand over. Paul is saying "I truly entrust my life, I reserve all my future, all my future prosperity, to the LORD alone, until 'the Day of the Lord'".
To entrust your life, your children and your students implies that only through the Spirit of God, the Power of God, can you be all that God wants you to be, all that you want in your children, all that you want in your students You. Everything is through God's power and God's work. And only through the power of God, through the presence of Christ, can you do what God wants you to do. Not just what God wants you to do but what He wants you to achieve. That is the essence of true success. You see, the principle of Trust means realizing that only God can change our hearts. We can't change people.
That is why it is said in Ezekiel 36:26: "I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit within you and I will remove from your body the hard heart and I will give you an obedient heart". Once upon a time my heart was like a stone. But when I came to Jesus, when Jesus came into my life, He changed a hard heart, hard as a rock, into an obedient heart and only Jesus can do this. So when you say entrust, it means you want to connect them to God. The word Trust also means to ask. You pray. Remember this great saying; "When we work, we work. When we pray, God works".
So to entrust our loved ones, our children to God involves prayer. Most secular parenting does not involve God but uses human wisdom to influence children's lives. The only problem with that is this, you can teach your child to be honest, you can teach your child to be respectful, but what is happening today, there are many politicians, there are many businessmen,...Read the main scandals on Wall Street, even in politics. These people are highly educated but they live lives that do not adhere to true values. Why? Secular parenting has its limits. Many people do traditional parenting. What does traditional Christian parenting mean? Parents are influenced by God and then parents want to influence their children.
The only problem is this, with this approach, something like this could become a religion. You know why? Because parents are the ones who teach children about God but if your children are not connected directly to God, what happens is religion. A list of do's and don'ts. This won't last long. In fact, our children can become legalistic, they become judgmental. What is the best approach? I call it biblical parenting, biblical discipleship. Is discipleship biblical? You let God change your life and when your life changes, you influence your children too. Teach them what you know about God. But more than that, you allow God to directly impact your children's lives.
You allow your children to have a direct relationship with God. You are not a hindrance. Many parents become a stumbling block. Instead of allowing their children to have a direct relationship with God, they instead become the biggest problem why children reject God. It 's all about relationships. What do I mean? Take a look at this chart. Often we only focus on what children should believe. But let me ask, what will affect our belief system? The answer is relationship. If parents and children don't have a good relationship, if you and your Bible teacher don't have a good relationship, you will reject what they teach you.
So relationships are important because they influence trust. Beliefs will influence your choices and your choices will influence your behavior and what will your behavior ultimately be? Habit. And your habits will become character. And your character will determine your fate. But often we only focus on behavior. Behavior is not the root. You want to help them make choices, but choices are a byproduct of trust. But the belief system has something deeper, it has to do with relationships. You may ask "What should I teach my children so that I can truly entrust them to God". My suggestion: let's look at what Jesus said to His disciples.
In Matthew 7, Jesus said to them, I read: "Everyone who hears these words of Mine and puts them into practice, he is like a wise man, who built his house on the rock. Then the rain fell and the flood came, and the wind hit the house, but the house did not fall because it was built on a rock. But whoever hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a fool who built his house on the sand. Then the rain fell and the flood came, then the wind hit the house, so the house collapsed and the damage was great". Jesus told us to build our life, your life, your family on the Rock. This Rock is Jesus.
My question is this: Is your life founded on Jesus? If you answer that it is true your life is founded on Jesus, Then He tells us: do you obey Him? Do you listen to His words? "but obeying God's Word is another thing". Is your family founded and built on Jesus? Your disciples, are you connecting them to Jesus? When the storms of life will come, the truth is there will be storms. My prayer is for your own life, your children, your family, your students will be able to stand firm. Why? Because God does not promise a life "without storms" but He promises a life that can withstand storms.
That's why it's so important that you share with your children and students why we believe what we believe, why the Bible is true and why you can have confidence in the Bible. Today I will give you one of the biggest, if not the most important, reasons why I believe the Bible. The answer is none other than the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Why? Because the Bible prophesied the coming of Jesus. The Bible has prophesied about His death and resurrection. Therefore, the center, focal point and most important truth, whether you believe the Bible or not, whether you believe Christianity or not, is actually the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Let's look at 1 Corinthians 15. Look at the foundation of Christianity. Chapter 15, verses 3-4: "For a very important reason I have told you", the concept here is the highest priority, the most important thing. "...that is, what I have accepted for myself is that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures". So Paul now says that the entire basis of Christianity and Christianity is the fact that "Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures". The Bible prophesied that the Messiah would die for our sins. Second, "that He was buried, and that and that He was raised, on the third day, according to the Scriptures;" Note the emphasis.
Why was Jesus buried? To prove that He was dead. But that's not all, it also says "...that He was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures;" Note the emphasis: Jesus' resurrection, "according to the Scriptures". That's why, who is Jesus? His death and resurrection will help us confirm our faith in the accuracy of God's Word. In reality the most important thing is: "Who is Jesus"? Notice the next verse: "That He appeared". Here's the proof. He appeared physically. "...He appeared to Cephas", this is Peter, "...and then to His twelve disciples. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once".
Take note. What the Bible says is that there are many witnesses, not just many witnesses, but living witnesses: "...most of them are still alive today, but some of them have died". The Bible says that these witnesses are still alive. You can confirm for yourself. This is why the validity of Christ's death and resurrection is so important. There are still living witnesses. There is still witness testimony. Pay attention to the next verse. Paul continues to mention names. "Next he appeared to James," this was Jesus' brother. "...then to all the apostles. And last of all He appeared also to me, as to a child born before his time". Paul said "I am also a witness of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Why? You can confirm with other witnesses, you can confirm with me. Jesus appeared to me".
Friends, this is the basics. That's why if you keep reading 1 Corinthians 15, you will read the following, it says, if Jesus did not rise from the dead, our faith is in vain and we are still in our sins. The entire foundation of Christianity is the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Once one of the leading lawyers in the world, his name was Sir Lionel Luckhoo. The most successful lawyer according to the Guinness Book of World Records. Until now, he is still number one, the most successful lawyer with 245 consecutive murders for which he was acquitted. This means this person knows the laws of evidence. And he was asked "Do you believe in the Resurrection of Jesus? Can you prove that Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead"?
Do you know what he did? He's honest. He studied it. Would you like to hear the conclusion? This is the conclusion of the most prominent lawyer according to the Guinness Book of Records. This he said: 'I say emphatically that the evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is so overwhelming, that it forces us to accept the existing evidence, so that there is no room for doubt.' In other words, for this lawyer, the Resurrection of Christ is so certain, the Resurrection of Christ is a certainty, that's why he became a follower of Jesus.
Dr. Simon Greenleaf is the author of "A Treatise On The Law of Evidence." was the man who made Harvard Law School famous. But he was not a Christian. Someone challenged him. "Professor, can you prove to us that the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is not real, it is a myth"? He studied it. Would you like to know his conclusion? This famous lawyer, a Harvard Law School professor who wrote about the rules of evidence, this is what he said: "The resurrection of Jesus is one of the most well-documented events in human history", our faith is not blind. The evidence is overwhelming. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is very important.
As Tim Keller once said: "If Jesus rose from the dead, you have to accept everything He said. If He didn't rise from the dead, why worry about what He said? The crux of the matter is not whether we like or dislike His teachings but whether He rose from the dead or not". And I have good news for you: Jesus Christ died for our sins and He returned from the dead. That's why you can trust your child to the Lord Jesus Christ. You can trust your life to Jesus. "What do you think about God? What do you believe about God? What you think and believe about God is the most important thing about you".
You see, theology is important. What do I mean? Why is it so important to have the right view of who God is? For example: when you are having financial difficulties or someone a loved one is sick or someone has died in the family or you are experiencing relationship problems. But your theology, your view of God, is not correct. How will you react? For most people, they become discouraged. They turned away from God. Let me share with you Five important Truths your children need to learn about God, you need to learn about God, And your friends need to learn about God.
Number one: God is sovereign. What does it mean for God to be sovereign? The Bible says in Psalm 135:6 "The LORD does whatever He pleases, in heaven and on earth, in the sea and in all the deep;" Psalm 115:3 "Our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases"! God is not subject to anything, not accountable to anyone. God does what He wills at the time He determines. God is completely independent. He is Almighty, He is Mighty. Free to do as He wishes. This is what people don't like: they don't mind having a God who is the Creator, they don't mind having a God who is loving, but what they don't like is, a God who sits on a throne and that God can do whatever He Wills. They don't want God on the throne and doing His will. That's why we rebel against God.
The Bible tells us in Isaiah, God says: "...my judgment will come, and all my will I will carry out". Why is God's sovereignty so important? When you and I begin to realize that there are no such things as accidents, that everything happens because of God's approval, this will give you peace. One of the great and leading theological thinkers was Charles Spurgeon, And this is what he said: "There is no quality more comforting to His children than the Sovereignty of God". This means that God is in control, God is Almighty. "In the worst circumstances, in the most severe trials, they believed that God's Sovereignty overruled them and that God's Sovereignty would sanctify them all". In short, God is in control. Whatever has happened is with His permission. Nothing happens without God's knowledge and without God's permission.
God is good. What does it mean? The Bible tells us in Psalm 119: "You are good and do good;" Extraordinary! The Bible states that God is good. "Taste and see how good the LORD is"! How do you know that God is good? "Blessed are those who take refuge in Him"! If you don't have a relationship with God, if you don't follow Him, how can you know that He is good? This is the meaning of "taste and see, how good the LORD is"! God is really good. God's goodness is depicted in the following description of Him.
In 1 Peter 1:16, the Bible says: "For it is written, Be holy, for I am holy". God says He is holy. What does holy mean? I will share. Holy means without blemish, without sin. In 1 John 1:5: "God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all". So when the Bible says that God is good, it implies that God is truly trustworthy, He is truly good. He is not only the greatest creature but also the best. In other words, you can completely trust God because He is truly good. Nahum 1:7: "The LORD is good; He is a refuge in time of trouble; He knows those who take refuge in Him".
God's goodness was seen on the cross, when Jesus died on the cross for us. Why? Because He loves you. Because God is good, He wants to save us. God is love. This is important when you encounter problems. Why? Jeremiah 31:3 says: "From afar the LORD appeared to him: I have loved thee with everlasting love;" Note the words "everlasting love". The word means eternal, unconditional, everlasting love. "...therefore I continue My faithful love towards you". God is telling us that He loves us. I hope you can rest easy with this reality. God is love and He loves you. In 1 John 4: 8,16: "Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love...we have known and have believed in God's love for us. God is love".
Pay attention to the nature of God, He not only loves but God is love. Love is not God, but God is love. The essence of God is love. What does it mean? I am reminded of my love for my family, for my children. If God loves us, loves you, this means He wants the best for you. If someone loves you, they won't want to hurt you. And God is saying "I love you". If you doubt God's love, I want you to look at the cross. The Bible says in Romans 5:8: "But God shows His love toward us, because Christ died for us, while we were still sinners". On the cross you will see not only God's goodness but also His love. He sacrificed His life? Why? To pay for our sins.
Here's something you need to learn about God: Not only that God is completely in control and Almighty but also that God is good. Not only is he good but he loves you so much that He sacrificed His life for you. That's why Jesus died on the cross for you. You should also share with family members that God is omniscient. What does it mean that God is omniscient? Pay attention to the words of the Bible in Psalm 139: "You know whether I sit or stand, You understand my thoughts from afar... For before my tongue utters a word, you already know everything, O LORD... This knowledge is too wonderful for me, too high, I can't achieve it".
In other words, the Bible tells us that God knows everything. Even in Psalm 147, the Bible describes that God's wisdom and knowledge are without limits. His understanding is limitless. Wow. What does it mean? It means this. When we say that God is omniscient, God knows everything. Everything that is possible, everything that exists now, God knows all events. Nothing can be hidden from Him, Nothing can surprise Him, His knowledge is perfect. There is nothing that He does not pay attention to. Nothing escapes Him. He knows the past, present, and future. His knowledge is complete. And because His knowledge is complete and perfect, He will never make a mistake.
There are many things you can teach your children, your students, about God. Many. It's a trip of a lifetime. But to me these are the things that matter. You have to tell them that Jesus is coming again. The Bible is very clear. In Mark 14, Jesus tells us: "...you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Almighty and coming in the midst of the clouds of heaven". Then the Bible says in 2 Timothy that "He will judge the living and the dead". Why is this important? Because you and I must know, ultimately we are all responsible to God. In the end God will judge. Therefore you can be calm, you can realize that the truth will eventually be revealed. That's why I want you to realize something. Jesus said "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away".
You can trust Him completely Why are these Five Truths so important? How do we process disappointment? Many years ago, when my daughter was 15 years old, she was still a virgin and had never kissed a man, she was raped by 7 people while being pointed at by a gun. It was the worst tragedy I have ever experienced. My wife and I cried. We can't understand "why"? And these are the thoughts that come to our minds. Is it still worth serving God? If God is good, why did He allow this to happen? I realize that many of us will go through these temptations. Will I continue to serve God? Would I still serve God if He couldn't even protect my child?
May I share with you how we process this? By God's grace, my wife and I processed this at the same time and came to the same conclusions. God is sovereign, He is in control. Why did He let this happen? He could have prevented it but didn't. So why. Second: God is good. If God is good, why does He allow these things to happen? Third: God loves us. So if God loves me, if God is good and He allowed all this to happen then there must be a reason we don't understand. How do we react? Trust Him. Why? Remember the fourth principle. What is the fourth truth? God is Most Wise. If God knows everything and He did not prevent this incident, surely He has a reason and the reason must be good.
Don't judge God based on your circumstances and also be careful, don't judge God based on your feelings. You may feel that God has abandoned you or is not in control of everything, but come back to the truth that God is love. He loves you. Assess circumstances based on who God is as revealed in His Word.
We learn not to judge God based on circumstances, but to judge circumstances based on who God is. So we were honest with God and said "Lord, I don't know why you let this happen". Praise God, my daughter, my wife, and I read Romans 8:28: "We know now that God works all things together for good to those who love Him, namely to those who are called according to God's purpose". Do you pay attention to what the Bible says? "God works in all things for good". That He allowed it to happen, He could make a bad thing into a good thing. But we were very honest, I said to God "I don't know what good will come out of this". Every time I am tempted to be bitter, I process this and say "Lord, by faith, I thank you".
This is the hardest part, for me and my wife to thank God. Why? Because we thank God in advance. We say "Lord, we thank you in advance for what you are about to do. I can't see it, I don't understand it, but I want to trust You and I will continue to hold on to Your goodness, I will continue to hold on to Your promises". Regarding those evil people, God reminded me that He is The Coming King, He is the Supreme Judge so we don't need to think about those evil people.
My wife and I, my daughter do not live in bitterness or anger. We can forgive because our focus is on God have a high and true view of who God is. If you feel that God has no control, If you feel that God doesn't know what's going on, brother, you have every reason to be worried and angry knowing God loves my daughter, why would He allow this to happen to my daughter? I can only claim His promise that one day He will explain it Because God promises that He will "work all things together for good". You know, recently, my wife had an accident. I'll ask her to share quickly.
Deonna Tan-Chi: Last Sunday evening after a wonderful family retreat with son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren, Peter and I went for a walk in our area. Peter told me not to walk around looking at my phone. But as we both walk, Peter wants to see how many steps he's taken on his phone. When he checked his steps, I thought, I want to check mine too. Peter was smart because he stopped walking while I continued walking while looking at my phone, I disobeyed my authority. When I looked up I realized that I was directly in front of a large hole. The width is 2 x 2 m, the depth is 6 m, and this hole will become a manhole.
I thought I was going to die because I tripped and when I tripped there was plywood around this hole that was going to be cemented the next day. I fell hard onto my face and by God's grace, I didn't fall into the hole even though my cell phone fell. But if I fell in, I could break my neck, possibly become paralyzed or die. When I fell I had difficulty breathing, it also felt very painful. That night, my blood pressure rose. I said to Peter "Peter, I think I'm having a heart attack. The pain is shooting".
So my dear husband at 11pm, he was sleeping but he woke up and took me to the hospital. I had all the tests and ultrasounds to check my bones. No broken bones but my blood pressure was 219/110 But by God's grace, no heart attack. My blood pressure was successfully lowered to 150, then I went home. But the next day when I drank or ate, it felt really painful in my stomach. Long story short, I went back to the hospital and had a CT Scan and it showed that my liver and pancreas were injured when I fell. I have pancreatitis. So in the hospital, in pain, God spoke to me He said "Deonna, you are here for a greater purpose and you will be a light wherever you are". The Bible says "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel".
By God's grace, I was given good painkillers, the pain went away. For 48 hours I didn't eat, but to all who came to my room in the hospital, I really had this overflowing love of Jesus for them. I know that they are there because God ordained them. I say to them "I am here but I will maximize my time and this is God's decree for you". I shared the Gospel with 12 or 15 cleaners, doctors, nurses and they were thankful because they understood that they could be assured of eternal life, especially in this time of COVID. By God's grace, I am here today because I got out on Thursday. I want to thank all of you who have prayed for me. Keep praying because now my left side still hurts a little. But my life is in God's hands and I am not afraid because He is the greatest Physician of all. God bless you all. I love you guys.
I thought I was going to die because I tripped and when I tripped there was plywood around this hole that was going to be cemented the next day. I fell hard onto my face and by God's grace, I didn't fall into the hole even though my cell phone fell. But if I fell in, I could break my neck, possibly become paralyzed or die. When I fell I had difficulty breathing, it also felt very painful. That night, my blood pressure rose. I said to Peter "Peter, I think I'm having a heart attack. The pain is shooting".
So my dear husband at 11pm, he was sleeping but he woke up and took me to the hospital. I had all the tests and ultrasounds to check my bones. No broken bones but my blood pressure was 219/110 But by God's grace, no heart attack. My blood pressure was successfully lowered to 150, then I went home. But the next day when I drank or ate, it felt really painful in my stomach. Long story short, I went back to the hospital and had a CT Scan and it showed that my liver and pancreas were injured when I fell. I have pancreatitis. So in the hospital, in pain, God spoke to me He said "Deonna, you are here for a greater purpose and you will be a light wherever you are". The Bible says "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel".
By God's grace, I was given good painkillers, the pain went away. For 48 hours I didn't eat, but to all who came to my room in the hospital, I really had this overflowing love of Jesus for them. I know that they are there because God ordained them. I say to them "I am here but I will maximize my time and this is God's decree for you". I shared the Gospel with 12 or 15 cleaners, doctors, nurses and they were thankful because they understood that they could be assured of eternal life, especially in this time of COVID. By God's grace, I am here today because I got out on Thursday. I want to thank all of you who have prayed for me. Keep praying because now my left side still hurts a little. But my life is in God's hands and I am not afraid because He is the greatest Physician of all. God bless you all. I love you guys.
Praise God for His wonderful protection and your prayers. And I want to thank my wife for her attitude. Despite his accidents and pain due to his knowledge of who God is, his attitude was very positive, very calm. And most amazingly, he used this opportunity to share the Gospel. I really felt like crying when I saw his love for others. This is what God taught me. Number one: life is fragile, life is short. God reminded me that we must love each other, we must be kind to each other. Most importantly, "Live your life as if it would be your last day". A life full of joy, a life full of gratitude. Second: I realized the importance of analyzing what causes pain. We have to go to the root of the pain problem.
We couldn't help my wife because we didn't know what was causing her pain. Thank God, we discovered his pancreas was affected. So when he ate anything, it would cause severe inflammation, severe pain in his system. I realized that spiritually it was the same way. Many of us have felt pain in our lives. If someone is unhappy, you are angry, you are bitter, what is the usual solution? Usually the solution is to blame others until you understand the root of the problem, you will never solve your emotional problems. Why? Because you're only breaking it down on the surface. There are some who want to change their husbands, there are some who want to leave the current work environment.
There are also those who want to join other churches. For others, it is their past, they blame their parents, blame other people. Friends, you will never solve your emotional problems. Why? You don't solve the root of the problem. What is the root of the problem? I'll tell you. The root of the problem is that we are filled with ourselves. It's always about "me". That's what sin means: self-will. But try to pay attention. This "I" can only be resolved when you go to the root of the solution: a high view of Jesus and who God is. Because without living a Christ-centered life, where Christ controls everything and you surrender everything, your "me" will remain.
Your ego will always be there. But when you realize who God is, that He is love, then you can surrender yourself. And when you surrender yourself to God, everything changes, the way you see things. That's today's message. Trust. Entrust your children to God. Entrust your loved ones to God. Entrust your own future to God by knowing Him. It is very important that we become connected to God and most importantly, develop an intimate relationship with God. What is our role?
2 Timothy 2:14 says: "Guard the beautiful treasure He has entrusted to us, through the Holy Spirit who lives in us". Do you know that treasure? This treasure is none other than Jesus Christ, none other than the Holy Spirit. The Bible teaches us to guard the Truth. The most precious thing in the universe is Jesus Christ himself. "Guard the beautiful treasure, which He has entrusted to us, through the Holy Spirit who lives in us". What is this treasure? Gospel. Jesus Christ. Which He has "entrusted" to you.
We must care for what has been entrusted to us and we must learn to entrust this to others. Life is like a relay. You pass the baton. What is a stick? In a relay race, the baton is the most important thing. This stick determines whether you will be successful or not. You have to stick to the stick. What is our stick? If you ask me what is the most important thing, the answer is Jesus Christ. Greatest Treasure. We must pass on Jesus Christ to future generations.
In John 17:3, the Bible says: "This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent". Do you know the most valuable treasure we have? "This is eternal life, that they know You". It's important that we know Jesus, love Jesus, and that's how you pass Jesus on to future generations. I want to give us all the opportunity to truly come to know Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Have you truly trusted Him to forgive your sins, to give you eternal life? If not, pray with me.
Lord Jesus, I realize that you love me. You died on the cross for my sins and You want to give us eternal life. Today I humble myself and come to You. I accept You, Jesus, as my personal Lord and Savior. Come into my life. I receive the gift of forgiveness from You and the gift of eternal life from You. Help me to know You and love Me better. Help me to share this with others to pass on this incredible truth, this incredible treasure that we have to others. Jesus help me to be a blessing to others. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.