Live Ready ! Be Faithful to God | Ricky Sarthou | November 8, 2026

0:00 Let me ask you a very important question. Are you ready to meet Jesus face to face? It is always good to be ready for very important occasions in life. For example, the day you get married, isn't it important to be ready, that you're sure that you are prepared to enter into such a major change in your life stage? Well, the biggest change that will happen in anybody and everybody's life on this earth is the day Jesus comes back and we face him. Everything that's happening around the world, economy, global events, they all point to the fact that Jesus is coming soon. And so the question is, are you ready?

0:45 Today's message will reveal four areas of life in which we need to be ready to meet Jesus. If we follow what God's word says, it will guarantee that we can be ready to meet Jesus not in fear, but with confidence. If you want to know how to be ready, watch this video. [music] Good afternoon, everybody. How are you today? Okay fantastic. Alive, awake, and enthusiastic. Welcome to the second installment of our new series on the book of Malachi. The theme of the series is be ready for his coming. You know, we have many important

1:33 events in life. For example, your wedding day. Do you need to be ready for that? Oh, absolutely. Whether it actually happened to you or if it's still in your imagination, you know you have to be ready not only for your wedding day, but more so for your married life. But that is not the most important event in human history that has yet to happen. That event is the coming of his second coming to earth. Are you excited to meet him? >> Yes. >> Okay. So, if you're excited, we can close in prayer. No, but we still have a number of minutes together. So, just by way of review, this is the chart of the book of Malachi. We've themed it be ready for

2:20 his coming. Uh it took place during what we call the post-exilic period, meaning to say the Jews had already been set free from their previous exile by Babylon because the Persians had taken over and King Cyrus said, whoever wants to go back and rebuild the wall, the temple, your life, your faith, go ahead. And yet, when the Jews had come back, of course, number of years and decades and so forth had passed and part of their life was waiting for the Messiah to come. And since in their mind the Messiah was taking so long, this liberator that they've been yearning for, they kind of not just slackened off in their spiritual life, but they've actually become become corrupt.

3:06 And it would be right to say they had actually turned their backs on God. And you and I saw that uh last Sunday when Pastor Peter took us through the first chapter. Uh going back to the chart, uh how can we be ready for his coming? So, all of the messages that we uh will have heard or will still hear are all about how you and I can be ready. For example, last Sunday, we can be ready for his coming by believing God really loves us and by worshipping him appropriately as a response to that love. Now, next Sunday, we'll be talking about how to be ready by making sure our family relationships are in order. We'll be ready by acknowledging, believing, and trusting in God's justice. That will be the following

3:52 week. We will be ready for his coming when we make sure we do not rob God, whether it's about material things or his glory or anything that belongs to him because everything belongs him in the first place. We're ready for his coming when we check our heart, our attitude, our perspective, and finally a wrap up at the end. But for today, we'll talk about how we can be ready for his coming by living a life that is faithful to God. Let me begin by showing you what A. W. Tozer, one of my favorite authors said. He said when Jesus returns is not as important as the fact that we are ready for him when he does return. And [snorts] that's why we're having this

4:37 series in the book of Malachi so that we can all be sure we know how to be ready. Of course, it's up to us to apply what we learn and thereby actually be repaired. Before we go on to today's message, let me tell you a a true story about a very loving, generous, giving father and his several children who did not obey nor respect him. And this is a sample of a conversation between that father, the the loving, giving father and his children who do not obey nor respect him. This is a typical dialogue. Father, I love you kids so much.

5:26 Children, oh really? Oh, have you actually shown that you love us? Father, look at your cousins. I didn't bless them the same way I bless you. I gave you a home and a future, but you treat me like dirt. Where is my respect? You guys treat my name like it's a joke. Children, wait, when did we ever treat your name like a joke? Father, every time you bring garbage into this house, try begin giving that junk to your boss or your teacher and see how they react. And And you have the nerve to ask me for favors? Well, I'm not listening. Does this sound familiar to you? This is what Pastor Peter shared from

6:13 chapter one last Sunday. It's just translated into contemporary language. But that's exactly what was happening between the Jews and God. And that's why the message last Sunday was, you know, God loves you and let's respond to him through proper worship. The message today again is about being ready. It's live ready, be faithful to God. Everybody say live ready. >> Live ready. >> Tell the person next to you, be faithful to God. There's an amazing principle in life that as you and I are faithful in what is expected of us, as the opportunity draws near,

7:01 when faithfulness and opportunity meet together, the result is blessing. You and I need to be faithful every day of our lives as we wait for the return of Jesus. The opportunity to see him face to face is drawing near. And for as long as we are faithful, we know that when faithfulness meets that opportunity, it will be a time of great blessing. Let me share a true story with you about how faithfulness when it meets opportunity results in blessing. This is an amazing, very uplifting, inspiring story about Jose Hernandez.

7:47 [snorts] Jose Hernandez grew up as a migrant farm worker. He was picking crops in Mexico and in California. When he was 10 years old and going about his job, you know, child labor, as he was picking crops at the age of 10, he had heard on the radio about the Apollo missions to [snorts] outer space. And he said to himself, I dream I will one day become an astronaut. That's not uncommon for children to dream that. Maybe I dreamt that when I was 10, but he he was really serious about his dream. But you see, José Hernandez didn't even speak a word of English when he was 10. So he said, if there's one thing I need to do if I'm going to be an astronaut in

8:32 America, I need to learn English. So he began learning English at the age of 12. Fast forward many years later, through his hard work, dedication, and faithfulness to the dream, [clears throat] José Hernandez graduated with a college and a master's degree in engineering. But you see, his dream was not just to become an engineer. It was to become what? >> Astronaut. >> An astronaut. And so where do you apply to become an astronaut? In NASA, exactly. He applied in NASA one time. They rejected him. He applied a second time. They rejected him again. In total, he applied with NASA 11 times and was rejected 11 times.

9:18 Now, if you were José Hernandez, would you say, maybe this is not for me? But you know, he had a dream. [clears throat] He believed that there would be an opportunity in the future to become an astronaut. So he remained faithful. In his mind, as an engineer, okay, I will do my part. He became a contributory to the invention of a a digital device that would help detect breast cancer. So in the meantime, not yet an astronaut, he was already a major contributor to the betterment of society. But his dream was astronaut. So he said, most astronauts are pilots. So while waiting for the opportunity to

10:04 arrive in his faithfulness, José Hernandez learned how to fly a plane. And he got a pilot's license. And then he said, Astronauts when they train for weightlessness, they train in a huge pool of water, swimming pool, very deep. He said, I will get I will become a certified scuba diver, which he did. And then in his mind, imagining himself to be part of the International Space Station, he said, most likely I will Now that I speak English, I think I need to learn Russian because most likely astronauts will meet with cosmonauts. And so he learned to speak

10:50 Russian. He applied for NASA the 12th time. Faithfulness met opportunity and resulted in blessing. Because in 2009, Jose Hernandez finally achieved his dream serving as a flight engineer on the Space Shuttle Discovery mission to the International Space Station. Is that amazing or is that amazing? Faithfulness meets opportunity, results in blessing. But folks, you and I we're not looking forward to outer space. You and I are looking forward to eternity when we will meet Jesus

11:35 and bow at his feet and live with him forever. Are you excited? Are you excited for that day? Give him the praise, people of God. The message today, Live ready, be faithful to God because one day, ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, faithfulness will meet opportunity and it will be a blessing. We will not regret following Jesus. But first, we have to stick to the text today, which means we have to look at the warnings that God gave the people in through the book of Malachi. So let's go

12:22 back to verse one of chapter two. He says, And now this commandment is for you, oh priests. So this is now God talking directly to the priests. And so some of us watching online or here in the audience today in the in the worship hall might be saying, Oh, priests, therefore, that is for the pastors. That is for the missionaries. That is for the Bible teachers. That is for the heads of ministries. That is for the D group leaders. Yes, but not only. You know why? I want to tell all of us up front, the words that we read earlier through Hakeem, and we will read again now, it

13:09 is for every believer, follower of Jesus. How do we know? How come? It says it's to you priests. Ah, maybe we forgot who we are in Christ. The apostle Peter wrote to all the believers scattered all over the place a long time ago. He said, but you are a chosen race, what? A royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. So in the Bible, saints believers are called saints, right? They're also called priests.

13:55 Look at the person next to you and say, It's good to see you today, reverend. Yeah, man or woman, we are priests, the priesthood of all believers. We are New Testament priests. Now, what was the job of the priests at the time? Many things, but to summarize, priests represent God to the people and the people to God. So, if we are now priests, how does that apply to you and to me? Just to show you, show all of us we are really priests according to the word of God. Here.

14:40 Represent God to the people. How are you and I supposed to do that? Well, we share the gospel. We tell them about the love of God. We make disciples. We help them grow in the relationship with God, and we model a Christ-like life. Not perfect, faithful. And then, how do we represent the people to God? Oh, we pray for people. We pray with people. And by the way, if you need prayer, you can stay behind after the service. There will be people with these yellow IDs, and [snorts] I I again I encourage if you're a D group leader, you're here today, no matter where you're seated, please consider making time, just a few minutes, to pray for people. Who knows? Maybe the one beside you needs prayer

15:27 today. Okay, and of course, we model true worship. Now, in verse two, God said, if you do not listen, he said, now this command is for you, oh priests, which we now know applies to all of us. He said, if you do not listen, if you do not take it to heart to give honor to my name, says the Lord of hosts, then I will send the curse upon you. Now, this word listen is not just like, you know, compliant listening. The the word here is Shema. If that sounds familiar to you, it's because it means to hear attentively and diligently. It is the same word in that verse in Deuteronomy where it says, hear, oh Israel, the Lord is our God,

16:14 the Lord is one. Pay attention. This is important. It's life changing. That's what it means to listen. It says, if you do not listen, if you don't take it to heart, I will send the curse. Now notice he didn't say a curse. He didn't say curses. He said the curse. It's very specific. And it refers to a list of curses in Deuteronomy chapter 28 which we will look at in just a moment. But just to paint a an accurate figure of God's heart. If you look at Deuteronomy 28, it's not all about curses. As a matter of fact, the first thing that the Lord goes through in

16:59 Deuteronomy 28 is a list of blessings. Because that is the heart of God. It is not his perfect will for us to experience curses in our lives. His desire for you and me is to experience him and the fullness of his blessing. But he loves us so much that he will allow whatever it takes to turn our hearts toward him. And so what are these curses that he said I will send you? Well, you know, if you were a priest during Malachi's time, you should have memorized this. He said in Deuteronomy 28, but it shall come about if you do not obey the Lord your God to observe to do all his

17:46 commandments, his statutes with which I charge you today that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you. Cursed shall be shall you be in the city, cursed shall you be in the country, cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Cursed shall be the offspring of your body and the produce of your ground, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock. Cursed shall you be when you come in, cursed shall you be when you go out. And you notice all of these things are a contextually appropriate to an agricultural economy. You can imagine what this translates to if were in today's terms. The Lord will send upon you curses, confusion and rebuke in all you undertake to do until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly on account

18:32 of the evil of your deeds because you have what did he say? Forsaken. Forsaken means abandoned. You have turned your back on me. That's what the Lord said. And you know what? I looked up the word forsaken and I'm I'm not claiming to be some kind of language expert, but this really caught my attention. The Hebrew word forsaken is And I said that sounds familiar. And true enough, it sounds and is related to the Aramaic word which is forsaken. When Jesus told God, his father, My God, my God, why have you

19:20 forsaken me? Why have you hidden your face from me? Why [clears throat] have you turned your back on me? But this time, the ones who did the turning their back, turning their face away was not God. It was the priest. And again, it's a warning to you and to me today that it's possible to be a priest and yet turn our backs on God someday. And then he said further in chapter 2 verse 2, And I will curse your blessings and indeed I have cursed them already because you are not taking it to heart. In other words, God is saying you are already reaping the the painful consequences of your sin.

20:07 But you know what? To bring the point home, he says you have many blessings as priests, but even those blessings I will turn them into a curse. How does that happen? What blessings did priests have during the Old Testament times? How do they apply to you and me? And what do they look like when they become curses? Okay. So, just to make sure we understand some of the blessings of priests, provision. God said, I will not give you a parcel of land when I divide the land among the tribes. I will take care of you. He says, I am your inheritance. My provi- your provision comes from me. And then, there's joy in service, the

20:52 privilege of entering into the presence of God, the joy of of even handling the the the articles in the tabernacle of worship. There's joy. There's tremendous privilege. And then, there's fruitfulness in ministry. You know, as they saw people come and worship and and do their sacrifices and give their hearts to God. And of course, there's the favor of God and of people who who treated them with a lot of respect. Now, how do these blessings become curses? Well, instead of God's provision, there can be deprivation and constant lack. And this can happen today if we turn our backs on God. Instead of joy in serving, there's emptiness. It becomes a drudgery. Instead of fruitfulness in ministry,

21:37 there's dissatisfaction, failure. It becomes meaningless and pointless. And instead of uh experiencing the favor of God in people, there's rejection and there is no impact. Our life is worth zero in terms of uh eternal eternally valuable things. So folks it doesn't get better yet because in verse three, God says, Behold, I am going to rebuke your offspring and I will spread refuse on your faces, the refuse of your feast, and you will be taken away with it. What does that mean? Rebuke your offspring and spread refuse

22:25 on your face. I'm I'm taking these phrases and purposely translating them into what they could mean to you and me today. Because that is I mean the word of God is relevant. It's eternal. And what he said to the priests [snorts] so many many years ago, he may as well be telling us today. But remember, the whole point is how to be ready for Jesus coming. So let's look at rebuke your offspring and spread refuse on your face. When God told the priests, I will rebuke your offspring, what he meant was I will discontinue the privilege of priesthood from your descendants.

23:11 You see, supposedly their descendants should also be priests after them. But he said, if you're going to make a mockery of the priesthood, why why should I continue? Forget it. I will rebuke your offspring and then spread refuse on your face. Now this is like really gross, okay? But when the when the priests would prepare the the the animal sacrifices, obviously they'd have to remove the insides. And when they remove the insides, there is still unejected poop inside. And so they have to take all of that and they bring it outside the camp and throw it or burn it. Outside the camp is a place of spiritual and physical contamination. It's a place

23:58 of shame. And he said, you know what? You guys are not even removing the refuse. So what I'm going to do, God says, I'm going to take it and I'm going to spread it on your face. Wow. Very strong words. But folks, okay, first of all, what does that mean today? Rebuke offspring. What it could would today is the collateral damage that takes place when we disobey God, when we leave a when we live a hypocritical life. So example, family members reject our faith due to our bad example. Okay? What about spread refuse on your face?

24:44 Well, that's shame, humiliation, failure, ostracism. You can add to the words, but you kind of get the idea. But you see, folks, this again is not the perfect will of God. But he loves you and me so much that he will not hold back saying what needs to be said so that we will wake up and do our best in the power of his spirit to be ready for the coming of Jesus. Let me put it this way. If you were doing something with your life consciously unconsciously semi-consciously, and people did not even talk to you about it because they're afraid of you

25:31 or because maybe you won't listen, but somebody, a real friend comes up to you and he says, brother, I noticed your life is going this way. I love you so much. I need to tell you, if you keep moving in that direction, you are headed for disaster. Tell me, will you appreciate that person? >> Yeah. >> Okay, one person appreciates that person. You and I should be grateful for people like that. And that's why you and I need to be in a small group. And when we are in a small group, we should love each other, we should encourage one another, but we should also be willing to call out the other

26:18 person for his or for her own good. And that is the heart of God. That's why he went to such extent extents to express himself the way he did to the priests and the way he's doing to you and me today. But let me now show you the real the heart of God to represent him properly. In verse 4, remember he said, I will rebuke your offspring. In other words, I will discontinue the priesthood of your descendants. But he said in verse 4, then you will know that I have sent this commandment. Remember verse 1, this commandment is now to you, oh priests. You will know that I have sent [snorts] this commandment to you that my covenant

27:06 may continue with Levi. Who is Levi? He is one of the sons of Jacob, the origin of the tribe of Levi. Levi here is not just a specific person. The reference to Levi here is figurative. So figuratively and collectively refers to the tribe or the descendants of Levi because all priests were Levites although not all Levites were priests. Now he's talking to priests. He's talking to the priests in this room. He's talking to the priests online. He's talking to you and to me. But his desire

27:52 is that my covenant may continue with Levi. It is a covenant of blessing. It is a life of purpose, a life of redemption, a life of assurance, a life of hope, a life of peace. We'll talk about that more about that in a while. In the meantime, the message is live ready, be faithful to God. There are four areas of life that we see in this brief text of Malachi chapter 2, four very specific areas of life where we need to display faithfulness to God. They are our worship, our words, our walk, meaning how we live, and our

28:38 work, meaning our mission on earth. So, let's begin with our worship. He said in verse 5, my covenant with him, Levi, again it's the collective reference to all priests. My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him as an object of reverence. So, he revered me and stood in awe of my name. A covenant of life and peace. Folks, this is what you and I want. We want a life not just physically existing, but like Jesus said, the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly. A life of purpose and meaning and direction. A life that knows that, you know, throughout this life we will be living a purpose given by God, but thereafter we will live with God forever. And a life of peace, not

29:25 the absence of problems, but the presence of the peace of God that surpasses understanding. Is that the life you want? >> Yeah. >> That's the life I want. There's no better life than that, and that is God's desire for you and me. And he said, I gave that to Levi. But what did he say about Levi? He said, he revered me and stood in awe of my name. We sang that song a while ago. I stand in awe of you. I pray for myself as well as for all of us that we will learn to stand in awe of Jesus. In Isaiah 66, God said, but to this one I will look. The phrase I will look means I will turn my face towards him means I look in at

30:13 him with favor. I want to bless him. I esteem him. Now, who is the one to whom God will look? To him who is humble and contrite. Okay? So, willing to confess, admit sin, and who trembles at my word. Trembles at my word not because lightning is going to strike, but he because he's so overwhelmed by the glorious presence of God. In Hebrews 12, it says, therefore since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude by which we may offer to God an acceptable service. According to this verse, what is acceptable worship to God? It says one that is done with reverence and awe because God is a consuming fire, meaning he is overwhelmingly holy. Nothing

31:01 contaminated by sin can stand in his presence apart from the forgiveness we have in his son Jesus Christ. Now, talk about reverence and awe. I said we sang a song called I stand in awe of you. But you know what? If we really experience, see, deeply sense the presence of God, number one, we won't be seated down. Number two, we won't even be standing up. Let's look at some verses from both the Old and the New Testament about reverence and awe. Genesis 17, Abraham fell on his face and God talked with him. Numbers 20, Moses and Aaron fell on their faces and the glory of the Lord appeared. 1 Kings 18, when all the

31:47 people saw it, they fell on their faces. They said the Lord, he is God, the Lord, he is God. From the New Testament, Matthew 17, at the transfiguration, when the disciples heard this, they fell face down and were terrified. Luke 17, and he, the leper, fell on his face at the feet of Jesus giving thanks to him. And finally, in the book of Revelation, and all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God. And I guarantee you, my brothers and sisters, if the glorious presence of God were to made completely manifest in this place, we would all fall on our face. I am certain of it. Our worship is the first area of life

32:34 that we need to be faithful to God. The second is our words. Verses 3-7. Through instruction was in his mouth. Again, looking to Levi as a model. Through instruction was in his mouth. Unrighteousness was not found on his lips. For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge and men should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. How do these apply to us today? Through instruction, what does that mean? Preserve knowledge, what does that mean? Messenger of the Lord of hosts, what does that mean? Okay. What do these mean today? Through instruction found in his mouth. The application to you and me is our advice, our priorities, our decisions

33:22 are all based on God's word. Not emotion, not I M H O in my humble opinion. Opinion is okay, but God's word is the best. Lips preserve knowledge. This is a very interesting word, the word preserve. The word preserve in the original language is it's as if you have a a very precious plant in your garden. Very expensive plant. And to protect that plant from, you know, cats and dogs or whatever it is, you hedge or you hedge it around with a hedge of thorns for its protection.

34:08 That is the picture of the word preserve. What is the application? Lips preserve knowledge, meaning to say um our words we are so careful with our words so that when we say something, again, goes back to advice and so on, opinion uh our words help people know who God is. Our objective in using our speech ultimately is to point people to God. Messenger of the Lord means we communicate God through our words and our actions as well Because people listen with their eyes more than they listen with their ears. Ephesians 4:29, the apostle Paul wrote, let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is

34:54 good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. The word unwholesome means rotten, corrupt, worthless, useless. How many of you are sick and tired of the corruption in this country? I think there are more. How many of you are sick and tired of the corruption in this country? So you and I better pray that God will expose these corrupt people. Consequence consequences will happen so that people may see and fear and put their trust in the Lord. However, should we not be just as sick and tired of corrupt words coming out of our mouth? I think so.

35:40 Even more so. Let no unwholesome word. And then instead, it should be a word good for edification. Very interesting word. This this is where we get the word edifice or building. So the simple meaning is our words instead of being corrupt, tearing people down should be edifying, building people up. But it says more than that. It means more than that. So it talks about uh words you know could be constructive criticism, instruction that builds a person up to be the suitable dwelling place of God. What an amazing uh you know inner meaning to the word edification.

36:27 You and I should speak to one another in such a way that our lives will keep on improving and such that our lives will be a suitable place dwelling place for God. When people say that person is a Christian, Yeah. Now it makes sense. There's something different about him. There's something different about her. Not perfect. But faithful. The message today is live [snorts] ready, be faithful to God. In Colossians chapter four, the apostle Paul also writes, let your speech always be with grace as though seasoned with salt so that you will know how you should respond to each person.

37:12 The phrase seasoned with salt is very interesting. It means to prepare and spice food with stimulating condiments. You know, you and I probably have seen these people on YouTube and they travel all over the world and they eat all kinds of food and they never gain weight, you know? How awesome is that, right? And so they they they put this this food in their mouth and then they make a commentary. They're the only ones allowed to talk while their mouth is full. And so they say, this is exploding with flavor. Have you heard people say that? Well, folks, it's something like that. Our words should be appetizing. Shall we call it that? And I'll say this

37:58 in Tagalog. People should be wanting to speak to us because they hear the Lord speaking through us even in the simplest things. So our worship, our words, and now our walk. Back to verse six, he walked with me in peace and uprightness. This is the walk, the life we should desire. To walk with God means to live in his presence. Peace, the word Shalom, is not just peace as in no problems because we know in this world Jesus said you will always

38:43 have you will have tribulation, but it, Shalom means a wholeness. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. And then uprightness means level ground. Uh, things will not trip us up. We will not be hurled headlong because God holds on to us and we hold on to him. He walked with me in peace and uprightness. And you know, when it comes to walking with God, I have a favorite character in the Bible in the Old Testament. Some of you may think, ah, Abraham. It says in Genesis, Abraham walked with God. Correct. But there is another guy. We may not remember him. His name is Enoch. Okay, let let let me show you why he's my favorite. In Genesis chapter 5

39:31 you see this pattern over and over and over again. For example, this is just one example. Jared lived 162 years and became the father of Enoch. Then Jared lived 800 years after he became the father of Enoch and he had other sons and daughters. So all the days of Jared were 962 years and he died. Now first, I don't have time to get into it, but this is not figurative. These are really their years. You can research why people lived so long back then, but that's not the topic today. The topic is look at the pattern. So and so lived so many years, became the father of somebody somebody, lived so many more years, had more children and died. You look at the other genealogies. It's the same thing. The name of the person

40:19 became the father of somebody, lived more years, had other sons and daughters, lived so many years and died. But Enoch was different. It says Enoch lived 65 years, became the father of Methuselah, then Enoch walked with God. Only Enoch was described that way. And the walk of a follower of Jesus is meant to be counter to the ways of the world. Completely different. Enoch walked with God 300 years after he became the father of Methuselah. He had other sons and daughters. Okay, fine. So he did like others. He had other children. No problem. All the days of Enoch were 365 years, but look at instead of saying and then he died, what did it say? Enoch walked with God again.

41:07 And he was not meaning he disappeared because God took him. Differences very [snorts] clear. Enoch walked with God. That was not the description given to anybody else. Second thing, he lived a short life. Only 365 years. When people were living 8 900 years, he lived only 365 years, meaning it's not the length of our life, but how we live it, how we live it faithful to God. And finally, it doesn't say he died. It says he was not because God took him. And you know, no wonder in the New Testament the Apostle Paul says when Christians die, they only they only fall asleep. We only fall asleep. One day we will close our eyes

41:52 because another day we will wake up and Jesus will say time to go home. Let's all be together forever. Are you looking forward to that day? [applause] Galatians 5:16. How do we walk with God? We walk by the Spirit. We cannot do this on our own strength. We have to always be dependent, filled, and controlled by the Holy Spirit. Our worship, our words, and our walk, and finally now our work. In Malachi 2:6 again, it says he turned many back from iniquity. And you know, that is our mission in life. God used somebody to tell you, to tell

42:40 me about Jesus, and God used that person to help turn us back from a life of willful sin. And now we need to pay it forward and do it for somebody else. How many of you have seen this movie, a great awakening? It is on Netflix, my friends. God bless Netflix for putting this movie, making this available. This is the story of George Whitefield, one of the greatest preachers of all time and his relationship with Benjamin Franklin. But you know, this is such an amazing story because George Whitefield has portrayed in the movie when he was still a young student,

43:25 not yet a Christian. He was approached by young John and Charles Wesley, who were already followers of Jesus. And you know, at that time George Whitefield was being abused by fellow students. Like today bullying is a problem, it was also a problem back then. But then John and Charles Wesley told George Whitefield, we want to bless you, we want to serve you. And so they took off his shoes and they washed his feet. And George Whitefield was like, what is going on with these people? And they invited George Whitefield to their small group. And so they had a D group project together. They invited George Whitefield to join their D group project. By the

44:11 way, speaking of D group project, do you have this with you? Were you given this when you came in? Okay, those of you who are going like this, I know you have it, so that's great. Please make sure you read through this and discuss this with your small group. If you're the leader, discuss with your group. If you're not the leader, discuss with your leader and the rest of your group. This is dynamite super simple um ways of reaching people for Jesus. Anyway, going back to the story. So they brought George Whitefield with them to visit a prison. And you know, there were like a hundred or something prisoners there. So they were just doing simple acts of service. But while in the prison, remember George Whitefield was not yet really a born again Christian. He was being exposed to the gospel, but God was

44:58 working in his heart. And in the middle of the prison, George Whitefield was moved to read cuz he had this fantastic oratorical voice. Voice. Anyway, you can watch the movie. I cannot copy. He was moved to read John chapter 3 about the encounter of Nicodemus with Jesus, where of course the key idea is you must be born again. And when he read that, his eyes were open that indeed salvation is not by good works, but by grace through faith in Jesus alone. And so he was so moved. He said, I want to serve these prisoners. He said to John and Charles and the rest of the team, I want to wash all of their feet. But George, there are hundreds of Never

45:44 mind. If I have to do this alone, I will wash all of their feet. But more than that, he wanted them to know Jesus. And in one very moving scene, he was speaking to one prisoner and he asked him, do you believe what I just read that you must be born again? And the prisoner said yes. And John Whitefield said, do you want to know this Jesus? And the prisoner said yes. And that day, that prisoner, although still in chains, was set free forever to be with Jesus. Folks, that is our work to turn people back from iniquity. And I just love this quote from George Whitefield. Lord Jesus, I am weary in thy work, but I am not weary of it.

46:32 And he said, if I have not yet finished my course, let me go and speak for the once more in the field, seal thy truth, and come home to die. George Whitefield also said, although quoting his friend, that until God calls us home, until our work for him is finished, we are immortal. Folks, what does living faithful look like today? I want to call our sister Annie Bernabe. Annie, will you come forward? Let's receive her and encourage her as she shares in only a few minutes the Lord's work in her life and her work for the Lord. >> My name is Annie Bernabe. As you can

47:17 see, I'm small and once upon a time terrible and would have remind remained that way apart from God's transforming grace. I was born and raised in Sampaloc, Manila by hard-working parents who tried their best to provide for the family. My father was a company driver while my mother sold food stuff like polvoron, ice candy, halo-halo to augment the family income. We lived by a creek and I remember mornings when the family would wake up to flood water inside our home. I remember thinking

48:03 how long we live in this place. My heart was full of bitterness, resentment, worries, emptiness, and loneliness. I tried to fill the emptiness with religion. However, there was still a void in my heart. I made a decision that I would work hard to get my family out of our desperate situation. After earning a degree in industrial engineering, I set out to work. My first job was as a contractual employee with a research company. This was where a colleague shared the gospel with me and invited me to a Bible study.

48:51 My colleague eventually left the company but soon after she called me and recruited me to a fledgling biscuit company where I could potentially be regularized. It was in that job where my colleague invited me to join CCF worship then held at PICC. There I came to understand the truth that changed my life. I am a sinner and no amount of religious activity or good works could save me. Jesus Christ loved me, died for my sins and rose again so that through faith in him I could receive forgiveness, eternal salvation,

49:39 and experience new life. Sunday after Sunday I attended worship often by myself, excited to worship God and hear his word. Then God brought someone who invited me to her small group. There I experienced women caring for and praying for one another. My discipler modeled discipleship. She accompanied us to Bible studies, training, and retreats. She also encouraged us to serve. Eventually I volunteered to teach in Sunday school. Later I began meeting up with teenage girls

50:25 who would sit beside me at worship. They would become my first small group members. As they grew older we continued meeting, studying God's word and serving together. Through the years God also gave me opportunities to serve in the prayer ministry, youth missions, and gospel outreaches. It is indeed it is in this youth missions and ministries that I met some of the young men who are now serving as our leaders in CCF. The workplace also became my mission field. One time, the owner of the biscuit and noodle company,

51:12 which has since grown and expanded by leaps and bounds as about our sales report, he said I will ask Annie because she will tell me the truth. In this workplace, I started a small group which continues up to now despite my having retired a few months ago. By God's grace, I now work as a consultant for a digital banking company where I have also started another small group. While I have served God in various capacities at different seasons in my life, my priority is my family.

51:58 When I was first born again, my parents were not in favor of my new found faith. However, by God's grace, I was able to invite them to a couple's retreat. Before my mother passed away, I was able to spend time with her reading the Bible and praying with her during the last six months of her life. My father, on the other hand, had a second family, but by God's grace, we were able to share the gospel, visit him, and pray for him before he passed away. Today, I make sure that my priority for praying, caring, and sharing

52:44 is still my siblings and their respective families. As a single woman, I am able to invest my life in my nephews and nieces so that they too may experience God's transforming grace in their lives. By God's grace, I have been faithful to the Lord at work, in ministry, in my family. But as we are often reminded, we can never outgive God. From being a telemarketer, I was promoted to IT digital master data manager. From a flooded house in San Pablo,

53:32 I now live in one bedroom condo here in Ortigas. When I retired early this year, my nieces and nephews honored me with surprise birthday and retirement celebration with family and friends. Truly the Lord has blessed me exceedingly, abundantly beyond all that I can ever ask or imagine. It is only by God's grace that I have walked faithfully with my God. But above all, I most look forward to seeing my Lord and Savior face to face one day. All honor and glory be to our awesome and wonderful God. >> We need to read verses 8 and 9 because

54:19 those are the last two verses in our text today. And it says, or they say, But as for you, again addressing the priests, you have turned aside from the way. You have caused many to stumble by the instruction. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi, says the Lord of hosts. So I also have made you despised and abased before all the people, just as you are not keeping my ways but are showing partiality in the instructions. In other words, these guys have corrupted, perverted what it means to live a life pleasing to God. They have misused, mishandled his word.

55:04 They have been cherry picking when it comes to what they will obey and what they will not obey. But I don't want us to end on a negative because we're talking about being ready for the coming of Jesus and we want that ending to be grand and glorious. And so I was praying and asking myself, how would God how differently would God speak to these priests if they had repented instead and followed him? And how would God speak to us today differently from what we just read in verses 8 and 9 if indeed we are faithful in our lives towards God?

55:51 So I took the liberty, if you don't mind, of rewriting verses 8 and 9. Now I do not claim to be a Bible translator. This is just in my sanctified imagination. So let me show you what verses 8 and 9 might look like if people did indeed follow God and how that ending will sound. So here we go. Malachi 2 8 and 9 revised. But as for you, I am pleased that you continue to walk according to my word. You cause many to see what it means to live an obedient life and in so doing you are fulfilling your role as present day priests, says the

56:39 Lord of hosts. So I will honor you before all the people because you are keeping my ways and are consistent in following my instructions. Is that better? Absolutely. You know, if you were to summarize in one sentence, it's well done, good and faithful servant. That's what you and I want to hear because one of these days you and I will face Jesus. One of these days, he will come again. And remember, when faithfulness meets that glorious opportunity, it will be a time of great blessing. Let's pray.

57:25 Father, we thank you that you do not hold back your word even when it's painful and cutting, as [clears throat] some of the words we read earlier in that first portion of Malachi chapter two. But we know, Lord, that all of these things that you said, they are done in accordance with your character. You are a God of love and grace, but you're also a God of justice and a God of holiness, and you are merely being consistent with who you are. Lord, we take this moment to confess and repent for the times that we have turned our backs on you, that we have slackened off in our spiritual life, that we have taken you and your word for granted, that we have preferred our own

58:10 ways versus yours. Forgive us, Lord. Help us to be the New Testament priests that you have called us to be. And if you happen to be here today, this afternoon, my friend, whoever you are, watching online or here in person, and you have never given your life to this wonderful Lord and Savior named Jesus, who someday will return, I pray you will give him your life today. I pray you will open your heart. I pray out of the desperate cry from within, you will say, Lord Jesus, I need you in my life. I need you to come into my heart. I need you to change me from the inside out. I need you to give me a new trajectory in my life, one that is

58:55 of life and peace and purpose and fulfillment, not for my own sake, but for yours. Father, we thank you again in Jesus' name, and everyone said amen and amen. >> Good day, CCF family. Welcome to Sunday Fast Track where you ask real life questions and we give you biblical truths. I am Bianca Calderon from the Elevate Exalt Ministry and we're here today with Pastor Ricky Sarthou to answer some of your questions. Good day, Pastor Ricky. >> Hi, how are you? >> I'm great. >> Fantastic. Praise God. Let's get on with it. >> All right. For our first question, since no one knows when Jesus will return,

59:42 what happens if he comes while we are still struggling with sin and have not yet had the chance to confess or to repent? What does the Bible say about our salvation? >> Okay, first of all, we will always struggle with sin while we are in this body. But the question has to do with what does the Bible say about our salvation? Now, based on the word of God, if we are truly born again, genuine regenerated followers of Jesus, our eternal salvation is secure. >> Amen. >> But a couple of things we can say is we need therefore, so that we don't face Jesus in shame, but instead with joy and confidence, we do our best in the power of the Holy Spirit not to be entangled in sin. >> Amen. >> And the other thing is if we are living

1:00:28 in willful sin, habitual sin, despite being so-called professing Christians, then we need to look under the hood because Paul said, examine yourselves and see if you are truly in the faith. >> All right. Thank you for that insightful response. For our second question, with constant troubling headlines, global conflicts, and uncertainty about the future, why should we still stand in awe of God and choose to worship him even when the world seems increasingly bleak? >> That's a very good question, very relevant. I And I can see where that's coming from. Um I guess one thing we can say is if we study the Old Testament especially, we can see the sovereignty of God, his

1:01:13 sovereign unseen hand even in the worst of times. We also learned from the Old Testament especially that the worst times in the world were not necessarily God's doing. He allowed the consequences of sin to take place and that's what we're seeing nowadays. And if he is indeed, not if, since he is that sovereign God who is absolutely in control even when things seem out of control, should he not be therefore the object of our reverence and awe and our worship? >> That's so beautiful. Praise God. For our last question, Pastor Ricky, how can someone who does not believe in Jesus find lasting hope and peace? Why should they consider turning to Christ amid everything happening today?

1:02:01 >> Well, I guess the simple answer to that is where else do you want to find hope and peace? You give me your answer. My answer is in Jesus. >> Amen. >> Because he gives a peace the Bible says that surpasses human understanding. He gives a hope that is beyond this life and lasts into eternity. So your choice, Jesus or something else, I pray the choice is Jesus. >> Amen. Jesus is our hope and peace. Thank you so much, Pastor Ricky, for answering our questions and that's it for CCF Sunday Fast Track. God bless. >> bless. >> [music]

1:02:50 [music]