So, my text is going to be from Genesis, chapter 5, verse 24.
! Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.
I am sure most of you might be familiar with Bob Dylan's song, You Are Gonna Serve Somebody.
But it continues, it may be the devil or the Lord, but you are gonna serve somebody.
And I think that the order is important.
Why is that? Because it's always easier to serve the devil, but to serve the Lord, it takes an effort.
Let's take an effort to understand what really means to be called to serve, and to understand whom we are serving.
I'm a foolish ignorant. I still don't know whether my ministry, my serving of the Lord is really good, or done in a proper way.
All what I know, I'm praying that it should be done for the glory of God, and should be done properly.
And I'm still praying, as a foolish ignorant of all, that I might understand whom I am serving.
Now, that's an important point, because just recently I just realized that, I think most of Paul's letters would go like this.
He would praise the congregation, how great you are in love and in faith, and then he goes on.
So I am praying that the eyes of your heart might be open to understand the greatness or the depths of this love.
So he's praising them, that they are exercising love, and then he says, but whoa, I'm desperate for you, because love without wisdom, without the wisdom of the spirit, can go blind, can go astray.
And that's what we take from our everyday experience, don't we?
You have the best intentions, you want to visit somebody who is sick, and you want to say the right words, and it turns out that you say the wrong words.
And you think you are showing love, and after that you even realize, I might have humiliated him instead of comforting him.
That happens, well, maybe not with you, but with me, for sure.
So, what is the difference between what we believe to be prayer, well, what is prayer?
Walking with God, no?
Enoch walked with God.
So, between what we believe to be prayer, and what God believes to be prayer.
People think, when they want to adjust God to their own rhythms, that is prayer.
Come with me, Lord.
Fulfill me with your love.
Fulfill my desires.
They are holy desires, of course.
Come with me.
Bless my service, Lord.
Well, even if we say, I'm doing it for you, I'm doing it for the sake of the kingdom,
but this thinking, may I tell you, has nothing to do with prayer.
I feel judged many, many times.
I think my prayer were not really done well.
Why I'm saying this.
Because when you try to influence and manipulate the being that is much greater and much powerful
than you, that's not prayer.
And in a very nice Christian hypocrisy, we still think that it is.
Prayer is different.
Real prayer is the opposite of what we tend to believe.
God believes that real prayer means to adjust myself to God's rhythm.
God's rhythm.
Enoch walked with God, and he was not.
For God took him.
Which means, you cannot be in hurry with God.
You cannot speed him up.
If you try, you will be left hurrying alone.
God won't follow you.
We don't read that God walked with Enoch.
We read quite the opposite.
That Enoch walked with God.
Right?
I think that's crucial.
That Enoch was in tune with God's rhythm.
He could catch God's beat.
Moreover, the beat of God's heart.
He moved according to God's drumbeat.
That is why he could be in tune with God.
He could be called a man after God's heart.
He did not want to adjust God to his own drumbeat anymore,
but he adjusted himself to God's.
Do you hear the beat of God's heart?
That is a call to serve.
Do you hear the beat of God's heart?
Called to serve whom you are serving.
If I answered that question in a simple way,
the usual cliche type of answer would be,
yeah, of course,
of course I'm trying to serve him.
Who would doubt that?
But that's a cliche.
The Lord Jesus Christ, of course,
that's my heart is all about.
But the banality of that answer can trick me.
I tend to think I am not serving anybody else save the Lord.
But someone can perhaps deceive themselves by declaring,
I serve the Lord,
yet he or she might not be in step with the drumbeat of God's heart.
Well, there is only two ways here.
Either I adjust myself to his heartbeat,
or I will serve according to my own rhythm
and according to my own melody.
The ego of a Christian,
if it is not crucified,
will dictate his own heart's beat and melody.
The tune of egocentrism.
And we can do a great job
in pretending that we serve the Lord by that.
I hope I am tough enough
with me and with you.
Are you with me?
Or I should be more smooth on this issue?
Well, I'm cluel to myself.
Why should I spare you?
You see, the word of God doesn't matter me.
So,
we read that Enoch,
by walking with God
and not forcing God to walk with him,
disappeared.
Simply disappeared.
Enoch walked with God,
and I like the SIV,
it says that,
and he was not,
for God took him.
He was not.
The drumbeat of the big ego,
the fat ego,
disappeared.
disappeared completely.
For God took him.
Where did God take him?
Come on.
Where did God take him?
Well, there is only one place
between heaven and earth
where our ego can disappear,
and that is the cross of Jesus.
Right?
God took him,
and God takes us to the cross.
There you can vanish.
happily.
Have you,
have you been happy
that your ego vanished?
Vanished completely.
Oh, what a conqueror.
When,
by his cross,
he could
make me to disappear.
And the people
forgot about me.
They were just
marveling
the grace
of Jesus,
and forgot about me.
Right?
Now,
we always,
we tend to say,
Jesus said,
your light
so shine
to the world
that the people
seeing your good deeds
might
praise you.
Am I quoting it right?
No,
they might glorify God.
We try
to make our deeds,
good deeds,
to be seen,
and we,
we are craving
some,
reaction.
I'm very smooth.
But,
it goes to me,
or it goes to him.
God takes us
to the cross.
There,
we can vanish.
As Paul
writes
in Galatians
chapter 2,
I'm sure you know
that,
verse 20 and 21,
he says,
I have been
crucified
with Christ.
It is no longer
I who live,
but Christ
who lives
in me.
And the life
I now live
in the flesh,
I live by faith
in the Son of God
who loved me
and gave himself
for me.
I do not
nullify
the grace
of God,
concludes Paul.
If he does not
nullify
the grace
of God,
then the grace
of God
will nullify him.
That's
the joy
of the Apostle.
And that is
at stake
with our
proud
ego.
I cannot
nullify
my ego,
I need
God's grace
for that.
And I
nullify
God's grace
if I don't
accept
that I am
dead.
I am
dead
with Jesus
and I am
alive
to God.
This happened
on the cross
and was
sealed
when I was
baptized.
I can't
remember
when I was
baptized,
I was just
a baby.
It doesn't
matter
because God
sent his
son to
accomplish
my
salvation
on the
cross
and
Jesus
forgot to
counsel
me whether
I like
it or not,
whether I
want it or
not.
He did it
without my
consent
and he
did it
gloriously.
baptism
is a
seal of
death.
That it
happened
as in
Romans 6
we read
that we
are dead
with Christ
and we
are resurrected
with him.
So,
Enoch
walked with
God
but God
would not
walk with
anybody.
He has
his own
rhythm
but Enoch
did not
mind
walking
with God
and God
in return
took him
and he
was not.
So simple.
We are
making so
complicated
because we
don't want
to surrender,
we don't
want to
accept that
we are
dead and
dead forever
in Christ.
when it
was the
last time
you were
celebrating
your
dead?
Well,
you can.
If you
are not
rejoicing
that you
are dead
then you
are very
much still
alive.
I mean
your pride,
what you
call yourself.
It's a
false
self-identification.
We are
not our
grown pride.
We are
sons and
daughters
of
God.
And
he takes
me on
the only
place
between,
as I
said,
between
heaven and
earth,
on the
only place
which is
not glorious
at all.
I'm sorry,
the cross
is a dirty
place.
It's not
glorious.
It's full
of blood
and agony.
And
people were
mocking the
one.
who was
crucified
there.
It's not
a comfort
zone.
It goes
against your
comfort zone,
against your
pride,
against your
egocentrism.
And I
call you
there.
I call you,
come with me
there.
For you
have died,
we live in
Colossians,
and your
life is
hidden with
Christ in
God.
That's
possible because
of the
cross.
If I
am
evil,
I go
unnoticed,
and yet
I don't
mind.
You can
test yourself.
I did.
And there
were times
when I
could not
say I
don't
mind.
in fact,
it hurts
me.
I felt
offended.
I didn't
feel
glorious.
well,
if God
calls,
if Jesus
calls somebody
as a
disciple,
he tells
him,
come and
follow me
and die.
I'm
quoting
Bonhoeffer.
I'm not
sure whether
I'm right.
I'm
translating
in my
brain into
English.
So anyway,
but that's
it.
But
there are
too many
visible
servants
and too
many services
to God
which are
in the
spotlight.
That is
not what
we are
called to.
We are
called to
serve
and go
unnoticed.
Your left
hand should
not know
what the
right is
doing.
However,
this service
cannot be
blatant.
It has
to be
hidden.
It has
to be
invisible
rather,
and
let's
look to
Matthew 6
where we
read,
when you
give to
the
needy,
do not
let your
left hand
know what
your right
hand is
doing,
so that
your giving
may be
in secret
and your
father who
sees in
secret
will reward
you.
The
secrecy
and modesty
of our
service
is the
test
whether
I
serve
the
Lord
because
I
am
really
cold
or
I
am
serving
the
Lord
by
self
appointment.
That's
the issue
at stake.
And
we are
taking
the
Lord's
Supper.
So it's
time to
seek
our
hearts.
How
am I
going to
serve
him?
Is it
self
appointment?
If it
is so,
I am
ashamed
by
Hebrews
5
verse
4
and
5.
No
one
takes
dishonor
for
himself,
but only
when called
by God
just
Aaron
was.
So
also
Christ
did not
exhort
himself
to
be
a
high
priest,
but
was
appointed
by
him
who
said
to
him,
you
are
my
son,
today
I
have
begotten
you.
Real
and
genuine
service,
my dear
brothers
and
sisters,
is
begotten
by
the
father
and
that
makes
us
sons
and
daughters.
Now
I am
in the
west
right
now
and
western
thinking
is
that
I
have
to
build
up
my
identity
by
acting.
And
once
I
acted
well
I
became
somebody.
So
acting
first
and then
being
next.
But
in my
Bible
we see
the other
way
around.
At
least
being
comes
before
doing.
Being
comes
before
acting.
And
you
have
to
become
first
a
son
or
a
daughter
to
God
and
not
a
servant
to
God.
Right?
There
is only
two
types
of
Christians.
I
don't
know
if I
am
allowed
to
call
Christians
the
second
type.
But
the
first
type
is
that
you
first
you
are
born
from
above
as
a
son.
You
have
got
the
spirit
of
sonship
and
then
you
act.
The
false
Christianity
is
that I
try to
act
and work
and do
something
in order
to be
accepted
by God
that God
might
favor me
and might
forgive me
and then
I
become
somebody.
False.
Completely
false.
And
somehow
the
tendency
in this
age
post
modern
age
can
penetrate
even
into
the
church
into
the
mindset
of
a
Christian
today.
We
are
so
much
self
made
men
that
we
want
to
act
in
order
to
become
somebody
whereas
Enoch
just
simply
walked
with
God.
Well
we
need
to be
put to
death
with
Christ
and
to
be
resurrected
with
him
as I
said
before.
What
can
produce
this
life
giving
death?
The
question
occurs
how
that
change
can
be
taken
place.
Right?
How
that
change
can
be
produced
in
our
lives?
Well
if you
ask me
that
question
my
answer
would
be
that
it
is
with
the
love
of
Christ.
The
passionate
love
of
Christ
which
alone
is
compared
to
death
in
your
scripture.
The
Song
of
Solomon
right?
Oh
what a
romantic
love.
Oh
we are
very
sentimental
about
this
but
all
the
sentimentality
disappears
when you
hear that
it's
tough
like
death.
Right?
Because
it says
love
is
strong
as
death.
Against
whom
does
death
show
its
power?
Against
the
one
whom
death
carries
off.
can
you
help
yourself
against
that?
No.
It
will
carry
you
off.
Right?
Now
if I
want to
see my
lover's
love
proved
strong
I need
to feel
I am
carried
off
by that
love.
to be
taken
away
to be
swept
away
without
being
able
to
resist
is
both
the
metaphor
of
passionate
love
and
of
death.
So
love
is
there
is
united
in the
mindset
of
God.
So
he
kills
your
ego
and
your
egocentrism
in order
that this
passionate
love
might
work
in you
and
through
you.
Well
somewhere
somebody
said
no one
is
indispensable
everyone
is
irreplaceable.
God's
call
to you
is a
particular
ministry
whether
former
or
informal
in
whatever
area
of
life
or
work
be
you
an
accountant
or
an
elder
in
a
church
or
even
a
parent
or
a
pastor
doesn't
really
matter
this
makes
you
irreplaceable
until
you have
fulfilled
that
call.
You
see
the
whole
world
is
longing
to
be
unique.
Every
human
being
wants
to
be
unique.
But
real
uniqueness
consists
on the
fact
that
you
cannot
be
replaced.
And
that's
your
calling.
The
nose
cannot
tell
the
ear
I
don't
need
you.
So
the
ear
is
irreplaceable.
The
nose
is
irreplaceable.
Right?
Along
the line
of the
Paulian
understanding
of the
body
of Christ.
Christ.
Now
even
when you
are
irreplaceable
you can
have
the
role
of
always
replacing
Jesus.
That's
amazing.
Right?
The
call to
serve
means you
can be
a
Jesus
to
others.
In
order to
protect
the
dignity
of
every
single
Christian
how
can
you
replace
Jesus?
First
of all
look at
Jesus.
He could
replace
the
Christians
with
himself.
Right?
That
was
all
redemption
that was
redemption
all about.
He's
dead
he stood
in
your
place.
He
suffered
in your
place.
That
makes
you
irreplaceable
that he
replaced
himself
with
you.
So
that's
funny.
That's
funny.
Either
mistaken
grammar
or love.
Because
a
chap
called
Paul
was
running
on
well
he was
riding
a horse
of course
on the
road
to
Damascus
and
all of
a sudden
Jesus
appeared
to him.
Now
they
never
met
before.
And
who
you
are
and
then
Jesus
introduces
himself
why
are
you
persecuting
me?
Now
that was
a
mistaken
grammar.
He
should
have
said
mine
my
flock.
But
he
said
me.
Paul
could
have
answered
I
never
persecuted
you
we
never
met.
But
Jesus
replaced
so much
himself
with
his
own
flock
that
he
said
I
identify
myself
with
my
own
flock.
So
if you
persecute
a lamb
you are
persecuting
me.
Identification
in love
or
mistaken
grammar
you
decide
now.
But
look at
the letter
of Paul
to Philemon.
That's a
wonderful letter.
I
used to
read a
lot.
I can't
I'm
still
full of
joy
when I
read it.
Because
Paul
told
Philemon
here is
Onesimus
his name
means
a useful
guy
right?
And he
became
useless
to you
but
I
talked
to him
he
came
to
Christ
and
now
I
send
you
back
because
he
is
Onesimus
again
he is
useful
again.
But
Paul
would say
that
the
once
wandering
away
thief
slave
who robbed
you
should be
received
and treated
as he
would be
me
as he
would be
the
apostle
Paul
because
in verse
10
he says
I
appeal
for
my
son
Onesimus
in verse
12
I am
sending
him
who
is
my
very
heart
back
to
you.
What
kind
of heart
this
Paul
had?
A
useless
slave.
And
then he
goes on
in verse
17
so if
you
consider
me
a
partner
welcome
him
as
you
would
welcome
me.
Right?
So
is that
not the
same
what
Jesus
said?
Whoever
will
listen
to
your
words
or
will
receive
you
will
not
receive
you
but
will
receive
the
one
who
sent
you.
Will
receive
the
son
but
those
who
receive
the
son
will
not
receive
the
son
but
the
father
who
sent
the
son.
Now
love
has to
tackle
with
this
kind
of
approach.
Onesimus
is a
Paul
to
Philemon
and
nothing
less.
See
the
dignity
of
Onesimus
the
restored
dignity
of
Onesimus
he
is
an
apostle
to
Philemon
and
Onesimus
should
be
a
Philemon
to
Paul
too.
It
works
both
ways.
So
I
I'm
a
wretched
sinner
and
I
am
of
no
use
and
only
God
and
my
wife
knows
who
I
am
how
bad
I
am
and
yes
you
received
me
and
you
received
us
as
we
would
be
the
apostle
Paul
no
just
some
poor
guys
from
Romania
but
still
with
a lot
of
love
and
respect
you
treated
us
but
that's
why
I'm
here
for
I
want
to
convey
the
greetings
of
the
Christians
from
my
country
who
are
praying
for
the
ministry
among
the
Levites
and
I
want
you
to
be
in
touch
with
them
and
them
to
be
in
touch
with
you
because
they
are
an
apostle
to
you
and
you
are
an
apostle
to
them
see
the
point
your
value
is
equal
with
the
value
of
the
Son
of
God
that
is
redemption
is
full
restoration
that
is
sun
shape
that
is
a
holy
replaceability
of
Jesus
for
an
irreplaceable
human
being
which
really
makes
that
person
irreplaceable
although
not
indispensable
and
that's
the
human
in
it
right
because
you
cannot
think
too
high
of
yourself
you
are
not
indispensable
but
until
you
are
following
the
call
in
a
particular
service
and
before
you
don't
fulfill
that
you
are
irreplaceable
in
that
so
everybody
is
important
in
God's
service
oh
I
have
to
conclude
now
yeah
I
have
to
be
only
30
minutes
so
I
give
you
a
story
at
the
end
of
my
message
a
traveler
once
entered
an
inn
the
innkeeper
came to
his
table
and
sat
while
his
guest
was
taking
his
dinner
the
host
somehow
felt
safe
during
the
discussion
so
he
started
to
open
up
himself
to
the
innkeeper
and
he
started
to
pour
out
his
burden
he
told
his
guest
how
wretched
he
was
he
felt
compelled
to
confess
his
sins
he
was
not
too
much
repentant
but
he
still
talked
about
what
he
did
after
a
long
evening
!
guest
is
crying
to
God
and
he
is
telling
God
all
the
sins
what
he
heard
from
the
innkeeper
but
telling
God
that
these
are
his
sins
and
begging
for
forgiveness
the
innkeeper
amazed
by
this
replacement
marveling
at
such
an
amazing
love
was
touched
deeply
and
he
repented
see
how
can
we
serve
serving
God
means
following
Jesus
as we
read
about
these
apostles
wherever
he
goes
right
wherever
he
goes
love
means
that
I
replace
myself
with
those
whom
I
love
on
any
coast
I
leave
behind
anything
and
anybody
and
that's
how
I
paradoxically
become
irreplaceable
and
this
is
how
Ruth
followed
now
my
when
she
said
where
you
die
I
will
die
well
a
disciple
of
Christ
is
called
to
die
where
his
master
died
on
the
same
cross
now
you
are
more
fortunate
as
!
for
you
which
is
irreplaceable
you
are
an
irreplaceable
replacement
of
Jesus
do you
hear
the call?
I
read
I
read
once
that
the
musicians
in
Japan
when
they
are
playing
the
national
anthem
!
there
is no
conductor
during
the
play
there
is no
conductor
however
they still
can achieve
harmony
because
they
practice
breathing
along
the
same
rhythm
it
is
like
being
one
organism
one
body
for
sure
Jesus
breathed
the
Holy
Spirit
on
his
apostles
and
once
they
learned
to
breath
with
him
they
were
sent
in
mission
they
were
sent
to
serve
him
alongside
the
same
rhythm
with
the
same
keeping
in
pace
in
listening
to
the
word
of
God
that
is
how
they
became
one
body
the
body
of
Christ
let
us
listen
to
the
heartbeat
of
God
get
in
tune
be
in
tune
with
God
listen
to
the
drum
beat
of
his
service
and
walk
with
him
and
you
may
disappear
Amen