Good Friday Weekend

We did not have too many services except for one Good Friday service and today's two services on Resurrection Sunday. The weather was no good last night and I did not get to witness the blood moon, 3rd lunar eclipse in the series of 4 eclipses falling on Passover and Tabernacles last year and repeated this year. I preached from Revelation 5-6 and when I announced the text of two chapters I reckon there must be a few in the congregation that prayed the sermon would not be too long. We are used to 30min sermons here in church but last Friday I preached a 50 min sermon and today it went for 45mins to my surprise. On Friday I preached from Mark 15,1-39 and I had about 12 points to elaborate, about 4 mins on each point. Today I entitled my sermon, "The Lamb that was Slain, the One who determines the End-Times." It sounds better in Malay, "Anak Domba yang tersembelih, Penentu Akhir Zaman."
I spoke about John's vision of Rev 4-5 and how the Lamb took the book from the hand of the One who was seated on the throne. The book was written on the outside and the inside and I told the church that the writings on outside are for the nations, unbelievers who can see certain outward signs of the Lord's Day but only the believers are privy to the secrets written within the books with 7 seals. I spoke about a Lamb becoming a Lion and how only by dying to ourselves and to the world we truly live and conquer with the life of Jesus living in us. But alas how many would choose a crucified life. Many are given to the pleasures of the world, loving the world rather the things of God. I chose the example where I rebuked the playing of soccer on Good Friday and not a few were sleepy as I preached because they stayed up late to watch EPL. How can we say we love God when we are totally caught with sports and fun and spend little time in prayers. Rev 5,8 speaks of incense ascending to the throne which are the prayers of the saints.

I spent the last 20 mins going through the six seals and said that we are on the cusp of fulfillment. There are many more conflicts around the world in the past 6 months with terrorism hitting Nigeria and Kenya. A pandemic can happen anytime with air travel a conduit for the spread of germs. Wars and rumours of wars are getting more notice and affecting more people on earth and the first four horsemen affect a quarter of the world. I touched briefly on GST that came into force on 1st April and told them not to get downcast or heavy-hearted because of the rising cost of living because God can bless us multifold like He blessed Isaac 100 fold in the book of Genesis. With God nothing is impossible if only His people call on Him and trust in Him for all things.