Good morning, everyone.
My name is Chez, and we are going to be reading Psalm 90 together,
if you'd like to get your Bibles out.
Psalm 90.
A prayer of Moses, the man of God.
Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.
You return man to dust, and say,
Return, O children of man.
For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday,
when it's past, or as a watch in the night.
You sweep them away as with a flood.
They're like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning.
In the morning it flourishes and is renewed.
In the evening it fades and withers.
For we are brought to an end by your anger,
by your wrath we are dismayed.
You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins,
in the light of your presence.
For all our days pass away under your wrath.
We bring our years to an end like a sigh.
The years of life are 70,
or even by reason of strength, 80.
Yet their span is but toil and trouble.
They are soon gone,
and we fly away.
Who considers the power of your anger
and your wrath according to the fear of you?
So, teach us to number our days,
that we may get a heart of wisdom.
Return, O Lord, how long?
Have pity on your servants.
Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
and for as many years as we have seen evil.
Let your work be shown to your servants,
and your glorious power to their children.
Let the favour of the Lord, our God,
to be upon us,
and establish the work of our hands upon us.
Yes, establish the work of our hands.
This is the Lord's word.
Amen.
Good morning.
Hi.
My name is Bo,
one of the elders in the church.
Yes, this is the holiday time,
so we would have a different series,
and today is the first of the series on prayer.
There will be four of them.
Sam Gorek would do the second one next week,
and after that Adam Collison,
the third one,
and then Don McMarie would do the fourth one
in the four weeks.
Hopefully, through this talk on prayer,
the talks on prayers,
that we would learn how to pray,
what to pray during the new year.
Okay, let's pray first then.
Father God,
we thank you that we could gather today
as we consider your word.
May it help us to focus on you,
on your kingdom,
and to yearn for the coming of your kingdom.
May it help me to speak your word,
and for each of us to learn
and to rejoice in the Lord Jesus Christ,
for in his name we pray.
Amen.
I'm not sure what sort of years,
or what sort of year you all have.
I suppose there will be highlights
and challenges,
and some of us may have more challenges
than others.
Today, the message is more for people
who have experienced challenges
during the year,
and how we could cope with that.
As a church, though,
we do have highlights.
I mean, for this year,
we have had the church camp.
I think many people enjoy that together,
and also we have witnessed
a number of baptisms as well.
And for challenges,
I would think the biggest one
will be people leaving us,
going away for various reasons.
And today, we will be interviewing
Tom and Tianan,
because they will be moving away after this.
But today, in Psalm 90,
we hope to see how,
what Moses prays about
towards the end of his life,
because Moses' life was full of challenges,
a lot more than many of us do.
Actually, today,
we have a visitor with us,
Catherine Gibbons' good friend,
Carleen.
Welcome, Carleen.
Why I mention her?
Because I'm sure her life
was full of challenges,
because she fell from a horse,
15 years old,
had broken her spinal cord,
or injured her spinal cord.
The doctor said that
she would not walk again,
and for sure,
she won't walk again.
But she worked very, very hard.
And we are seeing in Mariko
that she's walking and doing things.
I mean, her life has not been easy.
There's lots and lots of
medical problems, challenges.
But somehow,
through the difficulty
that she's gone through,
the Lord has just renewed her,
not only the body,
but more so as a person,
a new person in Christ.
And we are seeing the same,
I think,
from the psalm in Moses.
Before we even talk about the psalm,
we have been hearing about Moses
the last few months.
Let's consider what sort of life
Moses has had.
In terms of highlights,
I suppose the highlights
that he mentioned
will be in Exodus 15,
when he wrote the song
of rejoicing
because of the deliverance
and the drowning
of the Egyptian soldiers.
That was about it.
You can imagine
he was born
during a time when
all the Israelite boys,
baby boys,
were to be drowned.
And the family
was under a lot of stress
for that.
And eventually,
he was rescued in the river
by the princess of Egypt.
But then,
she'd been separated
from his own family,
from birth,
from three months old.
And growing up
in the palace,
we can imagine
he would be
the odd one out.
Not only the odd one out,
he was the son of the slave.
What sort of life
would he have?
Even though
his adopted mother
would have protected him
and loved him
so that he could grow up there.
But I could imagine
he would have no friends.
He would have gone
through a lot of
bullying by other children,
I suppose.
And then,
when he grew up,
I suppose that's why
he didn't become an Egyptian.
His heart was still
with the Israelites.
And when he grew up,
40 years old,
he wanted to do something.
Maybe he wants to,
because he learned
all the skills,
ways of organizing things,
he might want to organize
these people
to be united.
and to,
not to suffer
so much
under the Egyptians.
But he didn't
anticipate that
his own people
actually rejected him
after he tried
to do something.
I mean,
how do you feel
when you,
when you stick your leg out
and want to
do something for,
for them,
not appreciated,
except,
instead,
they said,
who selected you,
elected you as our leader.
So he ran away,
and in median,
at least he found
the family that adopted him,
and so he settled down
as a shepherd,
just caring for the
father-in-law's animals
for 40 years.
he's,
at 80 years old,
he was still doing
his father-in-law's business.
I could,
for most people,
I suppose you will have
your own business by then,
your own flocks.
But I suppose he could be just,
he's given up,
whatever,
he just go on.
I suppose he was looking
for retirement,
maybe thinking of
buying caravan
to travel around
with the wife.
But then,
God appeared again
and,
and told him
to go back to Egypt.
That's the last thing
that he wanted to do.
I mean,
he,
at this age,
he just didn't want to have
any more challenges,
any adventures,
or whatever.
He just have,
he just want to have
a retirement life.
So he told,
asked God to send
somebody else.
But then God said,
you are the somebody else.
He,
somehow,
he got no choice.
God did send Aaron,
gave him some comfort,
at least he got a family member
to go back with.
And when he went back
and talked to Pharaoh,
he was kicked out of Paris.
and his people
also rebuked him
for making their life harder.
How would you feel?
How would Moses feel?
I told you,
God,
I told you that this
would not work.
Why do you still
do this
to me?
So,
but,
somehow,
Moses just
went on
from there.
from,
he becomes stronger
in his faith
instead of weaker.
So he
let the people
out of Egypt.
Then,
I thought he
might be thinking,
oh,
my life would be
simpler now
or easier now
after leading
the people
out of Egypt.
But you can imagine,
it actually becomes
harder
because the Israelites
were,
in some way,
maybe worse
than the Egyptians
in terms of
their demands
or things
and
complaints.
And so,
his life
wasn't
easier.
And then,
eventually,
they reached
the promised land
and at the border,
Moses could be thinking,
now,
we've gone in there,
I can
complete my task
and
finally retire.
But what happened?
They refused
to go in
and then Moses
found that he
had got
another 40 years
of work
around the wilderness.
And during that time,
many of his people
died.
All the people
that he knew
as adults,
including his
sister Miriam,
brother Aaron,
as you get older,
we will get
lonelier and lonelier
if you are the only one
left behind.
If you calculate,
if there are
600,000
people
out
going out
and for them
all die
in the 40 years,
you need to
have a funeral
every
half an hour
for all these
people to die out.
What sort of life
there is?
So,
you can imagine
how bad
it is.
But,
it's not the worst thing.
The worst thing
was that
Moses found that
he could get into
the promise
than himself.
It's not even,
I mean,
sort of his fault,
but it was
because he
become too
angry with
the people's
rebellion.
And Moses,
yeah,
really felt that.
So,
what sort of
prayer would you
pray
with a life
like this?
He might have
prayed like
Jeremiah did.
What did
Jeremiah pray
in Jeremiah 27?
He said,
Oh Lord,
you have
deceived me
and I am
deceived.
You are
stronger than I
and you have
prevailed.
I have become
a laughingstock
all the day.
Everyone
mocks me.
You can feel
for Jeremiah
as a prophet.
He wanted
to serve God,
but his life
turned out to be
very,
very bad
in that sense.
so he
prayed like
that.
Or Psalm 73
asks us
in verse 13,
14,
he said,
In when
I have
kept my
heart clean
and washed
my hands
in innocence,
for all
the day
long,
I have
been stricken
and rebuke
every morning.
Sometimes
when we
try to
serve God,
things
become
worse
rather than
better
or things
didn't
come as
expected.
But when
we look at
Psalm 90,
Moses didn't
pray like
this.
He's
much closer
to God
even than
Jeremiah
and
Esther
by his
older age.
What he
said,
he said,
Lord,
you have
been our
dwelling place
for all
generations.
Before
the mountains
were brought
forth,
or ever
you have
formed the
earth and
the world,
from everlasting
to everlasting,
you are God.
What is he
praying?
He's saying
that,
first of all,
in relation to
God,
God is a
source of
his being,
or everybody's
being.
He's the
dwelling place.
Without God,
there's no
other things.
Or even
if there's
other
existence,
it wouldn't
have any
meaning in
it without
God,
because God
is the
source,
he's the
dwelling place.
Dwelling
place also
can mean a
refuge,
and so it
is also a
place of
protection,
of help.
And so
when our
life is
difficult,
if we
blame God
and run
away from
God,
it is,
I think,
the worst
thing that
we can do,
because he
is our
dwelling place,
our refuge,
and if we
don't run
to him,
we are
cutting
ourselves
off from
the only
help that
we will
have.
And we
notice that
when he
adored God,
he didn't
actually,
like most
of us
would do,
which is
right to
do,
praise God
for his
being God
of love,
or God
of righteousness,
or something
else.
But there's
one thing
that's enough,
is that from
everlasting to
everlasting,
you are
God.
To him,
God is
so,
so big
that
that is
enough for
him to
say that
you are
God,
you are
my God,
regardless of
how my
life turned
out.
That could
be because
when God
first appeared
to Moses,
God said,
I am
who I
am.
I have
no beginning,
I have
no end.
I am
the origin
of everything
else.
And that
Moses grew
through his
experience to
know God
as that
God that
is,
even in a
sense,
even if God
is not a
God of love,
or a God
of righteousness,
I mean,
that is not
possible,
but even if
that is the
case,
Moses will
still submit
himself to
this God
because he
is the
origin of
everything.
And in
comparison to
man,
which is so
frail,
what did he
say about
man?
He said,
you return
man to
dust and
said,
return,
O
children of
man,
for a
thousand years
in your
sight,
about like
as yesterday
when this
passed,
like watching
the night,
and you
sweep them
away as
a flood.
They are
like a
dream,
like grass
that is
renewed in
the morning,
in the
morning it
folishes and
renews,
in the
evening it
fades and
wetters.
And that's
how he
understands
about life.
First of
all,
it is
very
transient,
like a
grass,
a plant
that lives
only for
one day.
But even
he said,
even if
you live
for a
thousand
years,
it is
still very
short.
It's like
one day
in God's
eye,
to
eternity.
And
man are
made from
dust.
All the
matters in
this world
will not
last.
Anything
that is
only
make of
matters,
matters like
dust.
We don't
last on
its own
without
God's
help.
We know
that since
Adam and
Eve rebelled
against God
and kicked
out of the
Garden of
Eden,
then we
lost that
communication
with God.
We lost
that part of
life that
we supposed
have in
God.
But without
that relationship
with God,
we lose
that life.
So we
are left
with only
the material
thing that
will deteriorate
and that
will last.
And
obviously,
it is
worse than
that because
we rebelled
since Adam
and Eve.
If we
rebelled
against God,
we also
re-inherit
the same
nature.
And so
it is
God who
said return.
So it's
not only
a natural
decay,
but also
God has
view that
we shouldn't
live
forever.
You can
imagine why
because
if we
all want
to be God
ourselves
and we
all live
forever,
it wouldn't
be a
world
paradise.
you'll
be held
because
everybody
just
try to
do
their
own
things
and
fight
against
God.
And it's
actually
God's
mercy
that
people
don't
live
forever
in their
natural
state.
love.
So he
goes on
and
talks about
sin and
the wrath
of God
from
verse
7.
For
we are
brought to
an end
by your
anger,
by your
wrath we
are
dismayed.
You have
set our
iniquities
before you,
our secret
sins in the
life of
your
presence.
for all
our days
pass away
under your
wrath.
We bring
our days
to an
end like
a sigh.
The years
of our
life are
seventy,
or even
by reason
of strength
eighty,
yet they're
spent
but toil
and trouble.
They are
soon gone
and we
fly away.
Who
considers
the power
of your
anger
and your
wrath
according to
the fear
of you?
when we
look at
people in
the world
or even
look at
our life
before we
come to
Christ,
it's hard
to imagine
that people
understand
a sense
that they
live under
the wrath
of God.
It's
everybody
or people
just
try to
get the
maximum
enjoyment
from life
and have
no
consideration
about
anything
about
God
or about
their life
at the
end.
However,
for most
people,
I think
as we
get older,
at least
for me,
after sixty
years old,
if we
do look
back
to
our
life,
many
of us
would
sigh,
wouldn't
it?
because
there's
many
things
that we
wanted
to do
or plan
to do,
we
couldn't
do
or
didn't
do
or
didn't
do
a good
work
of it.
Or even
if we
succeeded
in our
plan,
it wasn't
satisfactory.
Many
things
when I
was younger
I thought
it's
important,
I must
have,
but now
looking
back,
there
were
nothing
much.
You
start
wondering
why
you
put so
much
time
and
effort
onto
those
things.
And
your
life,
our
life
seemed
to
come
into
an
end
where
you
can
just
sigh,
that's
life,
couldn't
do
anything
more
than
that,
is there
any
meaning
in it?
not
many
people
would
realize
that
life
like
this
is
because
of
God's
anger
and
because
we
have
lost
our
relationship
with
God.
And
God
said
you
have
set
iniquities
before
you,
our
secret
sins
and
lies
of
your
presence.
Imagine
how
annoying
it is,
if you
were
God,
to
be
knowing
and
seeing
all the
sins
that have
been
committed
second
by
second.
Millions
of
things
are
happening.
It's
like
if
you
have
many
flies
inside
your
house
that
keep
troubling
you.
even
though
we
feel
that
God
is
like
a
big
brother
watching
us,
but
do
you
think
that
God
enjoys
doing
that?
In
the
sense
that
even
our
secret
sins
that
we
think
what
is
in
our
heart
is
before
him
and
he's
aware
of
that.
But
instead
we
ourselves
the
people
are
not
aware
of
that
fact
that
God
knows
all
these
things
and
our
days
are
passing
away
under
his
wrath.
The
years
of
our
life
are
70
even
by
reason
of
strength
80.
So
it
is
a
very
short
life
in
the
light
of
eternity.
But
Moses
said
even
so
their
span
is
but
toil
and
trouble.
And
that
is
still
God's
mercy,
isn't
it?
If
our
lives
are
not
toil
and
trouble
like
the
Israelites,
if
they
were
not
slaves
in
Egypt,
then
they
would
not
have
hope
for
a
better
place
to
go
or
better
life.
If
our
life
on
earth
is
very
comfortable,
then
we
would
never
think
about
eternity
or
think
about
God.
And
so
Moses
said,
who
will
conceal
the
power
of
your
anger
and
your
wrath
according
to
the
fear
of
you?
And
then
so he
prayed.
Then
after
saying
that,
he
prayed
for at
least
four
things
in
here.
first
of
all,
he
asked
that
God
would
teach
them
to
number
the
days.
Secondly,
he
asked
God
to
restore
the
love
that's
between
him
and
man.
Fourth
is
to
be
able
to
see
the
work
of
God,
what
God
was
working
on.
And
fourth
is
to
not
to
live
in
vain,
to
just
about
his
own
work
that
is
counted.
He
didn't
want to
live
in
vain.
So
he
started
with
12.
So
teachers
to
number
our
days
that
we
might
get
the
heart
of
wisdom.
So
numbering
our
days
is
not
only
to
count
how
much
time
we
have
to
live.
But
also
to
know
that
there
is
judgment
after
we
die.
It
is
appointed
for
men
to
die
once
and
after
that
comes
judgment.
And
so
numbering
of
days
we
live
wisely
with
the
time
that
we
have.
the
Lord
also
told
us
a
parable
in
Luke
12
18
about
a
rich
farmer
who
said
I've
got
so
much
products
that
I need
to
build
bigger
barns
and
store
up
things.
But
the
Lord
said
fool
your
life
will
be
taken
from
you
tonight.
who
will
inherit
your
or
your
goods
then.
And
that
is
what
Moses
praying
that he
would
not
be
a
fool
in
terms
of
how
he
lives
and
to
know
that
his
days
are
limited.
And
that's
the
start,
isn't it?
If
we
don't
know
that,
we
would
live
on
just
like
everybody
else
enjoying
the
things
of
the
world
and
seeking
for
nothing.
So
this
is
a
starting
point
to
know
that
we
are
limited
in
our
life
on
this
earth
and
also
limited
in
terms
of
what
we
can
do
and
without
God
it
all
makes
not
much
sense.
So
he
continued
to
say
that
return
oh
Lord
how
long
have
pity
on
your
servant
satisfied
us
in
the
morning
with
your
steadfast
love
that
we
might
rejoice
and
be
glad
all
our
days
make
us
glad
for
as
many
days
as
you
have
afflicted
us
and
for
as
many
years
as
you
have
seen
evil.
So
that
prayer
is that
his
life
his
people's
life
will
be
satisfied.
That
means
he's
not
he was
not
satisfied
with
his
life
then
and
he knew
that
there's
something
far
better
God
had
planned
and
he's
asking
for it
and
it's
not
wrong
to ask
God
to
satisfy
us
because
only
him
is
the
one
who
can
satisfy
us
if
we
don't
ask
from
God
then
nothing
else
would
and
it
is
pleasing
to
God
for us
to ask
God
for
their
satisfaction
because
that's
where we
derive
the real
satisfaction
from
he
said
that
make
us
glad
for
as
many
days
as
you
afflicted
us
so
it's
not
I
think
he's
thinking
about
slavery
in
Egypt
and
the
suffering
they have
had
but
in
the
bigger
picture
is
the
suffering
of the
world
since
the
fall
of
mankind
and
even
a
bigger
picture
is
asking
for
the
restoration
that
God
intended
us
to
be
he
did
not
create
people
to
suffer
he
created
people
to
enjoy
him
and
that's
what
Moses
is
saying
and
we
can
only
enjoy
God
when
we
love
God
but
we
can
only
love
God
when
we
know
that
God
loves
us
and
so
here
is
he
asked
satisfy
us
in
the
morning
with
your
steadfast
love
in
the
morning
again
is
a
hope
the
darkness
is
over
the
morning
has
come
and
he
asked
God
to
satisfy
us
with
his
love
and
16
let
your
work
be
shown
to
your
servants
and
your
glorious
power
to
their
children
this
request
is
not only
that
God
will
work
something
more
to
convince
people
but
it's
more
that
people
can
see
God's
work
can
see
the
difference
you
see
the
Israelites
they
saw
God
doing
the
miracles
in
Egypt
and
the
parting
of
the
Red
Sea
the
drowning
of
the
soldiers
turning
bitter
water
into
sweet
water
manna
coming
down
from
heaven
water
coming
out
from
the
rock
but
did
they
see
it
I
mean
they
saw
it
but
did
they
understand
it
no
they
didn't
they
were
seeing
all
these
things
instead
of
worshipping
God
what
did
they
do
they
make
a
golden
calf
and
worship
the
golden
calf
what's
going
on
it's
so
easy
for us
to
miss
things
that's
happening
even
in our
life
our
family
friends
church
whatever
and
did
not
appreciate
what
God
has
been
doing
and
miss
so
many
things
that
God
has
done
and
still
we
complain
and
did
not
have
the
joy
and
that's
why
Moses
is
asking
that
your
work
to be
shown
to
your
servants
and
the
last
year
in
17th
and
establish
the
work
of our
hands
upon us
establish
the
works
of our
hands
so
that
is
the
God
did not
just
create
us
to be
like
animals
or
pets
that's
got no
significance
whether
we are
here
or not
whether
we live
or not
Moses
is asking
that
God
would
help
them
to see
that
how
they
live
and
whatever
they
do
for
God
has
got
eternal
value
has
got
some
meaning
in it
just
not
something
whether
it
happens
or not
and so
he's
like
whether
we come
to church
or not
whether
we pray
or not
whether
we do
something
or not
I think
God
can help
us to
see that
it is
all
work
together
for
our own
good
and for
the good
of his
kingdom
and that's
what
Moses
pray
so far
for these
four things
we know
that by
the time
Moses
died
most of
these were
not
answered
people
were still
as rebellious
as ever
even the
new
generation
and
Moses
himself
couldn't
get into
the promised
land
and
God's
word
seemed
to
have
no
conclusion
in that
Moses
wasn't
sure
what's
going
on
I
suppose
why
all
this
trouble
rescuing
the people
from
Egypt
in
the
wilderness
for
40
years
and
now
Moses
is
going
to
die
and
he
couldn't
see
what
else
is
going
to
happen
not
until
when
Moses
saw
Jesus
on the
Mount
of
Transfiguration
I
think
there's
a
time
when
Moses
could
see
the
bigger
picture
okay
what
did
he
see
he
said
return
oh
return
to
return
oh
lord
how
long
how
long
would
God
be
waiting
to
actually
do
something
and
he
know
that
between
his
death
and
on
the
Mount
Transfiguration
there's
about
1,500
years
in our
time
but
Moses
knew
that
in
God's
time
it's
only
one
and
a
half
days
or
something
like
that
and
he
could
see
that
God
has
returned
in
the
person
of
the
Lord
Jesus
Christ
and
God
is
going
to
do
something
and
Moses
can
see
that
his
work
was
not
in
vain
because
he
has
laid
the
groundwork
for
the
coming
of
the
Lord
Jesus
Christ
and
Moses
knew
that
all
the
trouble
more
than
worthwhile
and
Moses
also
knew
that
in
advance
maybe
in
talking
to
the
Lord
Jesus
that
God
is
going
to
show
his
love
to
God's
people
God
revealed
or
show
his
love
to
us
in
that
while
we
were
still
sinners
Christ
died
for
us
and
what
more
can
God
do
for
that
and
that's
God's
word
throughout
history
and
the
plan
and
God
revealed
that
and
I
hope
that
we
can
see
it
and
rejoice
as
well
and
Moses
also
knew
that
through
Christ
God
is
going
to
restore
to
us
the
affliction
that
he
has
put
upon
the
world
for
as
many
years
we
have
seen
evil
he
has
made
more
than
that
he
is
going
to
make
us
glad
forever
in
Christ
just
like
the
thief
on
the
cross
when
the
Lord
told
him
today
you
will
be
with
me
in
paradise
and
that
he
restored
the
paradise
to
that
thief
and
he
restored
to
us
as
well
when
we
are
in
Christ
even
though
we
still
suffer
in
this
world
but
we
have
the
hope
that
he
is
going
to
return
again
he
won't
be
long
and
then
he
will
make
all
things
right
we
thank
God
for
this
hope
so
for
if
you
have
had
a
tough
year
challenging
year
I
encourage
you
to
go
on
even
though
sometimes
the
challenges
comes
in
because
you
try
to
serve
the
Lord
I
would
still
encourage
you
to
go
on
as
1
Corinthians
5
58
says
therefore
my
beloved
brothers
be
steadfast
immovable
always
abounding
in the
word of
the
Lord
knowing
that
in the
Lord
your
labor
is
not
in
vain
let
us
pray
almighty
god
you
are
a
big
god
so
big
that
we
cannot
comprehend
but
we
thank you
like you
have
done
to
Moses
to
our
walk
with
you
that
you
gradually
helped
us
to
appreciate
who
you
are
father
we
thank you
for
having
such
a
big
god
and a
god
who
would
show
us
your
love
will
reveal
to
us
what
you
are
working
at
and
you
are
making
us
more
like
Christ
day
by
day
may
help
us
to
be
steadfast
and
immovable
through
this
new
year
thank you
Lord
we pray
in Jesus
name
amen