From Delayed Broadcast of Fellowship in Pekanbaru
Peace and grace in the love of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Matthew 1:21-23
1:21 "And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins."
1:22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:
1:23 "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us."
Jesus was born means that God is born as human with these two names.
Thus, the name of Jesus is Immanuel to perfect us.
We have been saved now and we are going to the perfection. We must heed three things so that we will not fail on our journey to get the perfection as follows.
ad. 3. Remember Lot’s wife.
It is a hard warning to women or girls and wives as well as the Church of God or the saved people.
Genesis 19:15-17
19:15 When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, "Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city."
19:16 And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife's hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city.
19:17 So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, "Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed."
In the Old Testament, Lot and his family have been saved to go out of Sodom and Gomorrah. God commands them to run away to the mountain. On their journey, Lot’s wife looks back and becomes the pillar of salt.
In the New Testament, the sinful people have been saved by the sacrifice of Christ. They still need to reach the spiritual mountain, namely New Jerusalem or perfection.
Revelation 21:9-10
21:9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, "Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife."
21:10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
We must be alert that we, who have been saved and want to reach the perfection, must not look back as Lot’s wife. Turning back, we will fail as Lot’s wife. The meaning of turning back is as follows.
God blesses you.
Peace and grace in the love of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Matthew 1:21-23
1:21 "And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins."
1:22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:
1:23 "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us."
Jesus was born means that God is born as human with these two names.
- Jesus [verse 21], to save us from our sins.
Jesus must die on the cross to save the sinful men. - Immanuel [verse 23]. It means that God is with us.
There are two meanings as follows.- For present time, our sins have been forgiven by God and we are not separated from Him as well as He answers our prayer and solves our problem.
Sin is the heaviest burden of men from now on in the world up to hell. If the sin can be finished, all problems will also be finished by God. - For future time, God is with us forever. We will not be separated from Him. It happens when Jesus comes a second time on glorious clouds in His glory as King of all kings or Heavenly Bridegroom to sanctify and perfect us as His Bride and we can enter the marriage supper of the Lamb of God, the kingdom of peace a thousand years or the future paradise and New Jerusalem.
- For present time, our sins have been forgiven by God and we are not separated from Him as well as He answers our prayer and solves our problem.
Thus, the name of Jesus is Immanuel to perfect us.
We have been saved now and we are going to the perfection. We must heed three things so that we will not fail on our journey to get the perfection as follows.
- [Luke 17:20-24] Lightning or the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ or Bride Tidings.
- [Luke 17:26-30] The condition of the world in the last days that returns to the days of Noah and Lot, namely the condition of Sodom and Gomorrah. We must pursue or get the sun, moon, and stars.
- Remember Lot’s wife.
Luke 17:32
17:32 "Remember Lot’s wife.
ad. 3. Remember Lot’s wife.
It is a hard warning to women or girls and wives as well as the Church of God or the saved people.
Genesis 19:15-17
19:15 When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, "Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city."
19:16 And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife's hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city.
19:17 So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, "Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed."
In the Old Testament, Lot and his family have been saved to go out of Sodom and Gomorrah. God commands them to run away to the mountain. On their journey, Lot’s wife looks back and becomes the pillar of salt.
In the New Testament, the sinful people have been saved by the sacrifice of Christ. They still need to reach the spiritual mountain, namely New Jerusalem or perfection.
Revelation 21:9-10
21:9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, "Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife."
21:10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
We must be alert that we, who have been saved and want to reach the perfection, must not look back as Lot’s wife. Turning back, we will fail as Lot’s wife. The meaning of turning back is as follows.
- Being bound to Sodom and Gomorrah. It means as follows.
- Being bound to the world.
James 4:4
4:4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
It means unfaithfulness in doing service and ministry to God even leaving them. Do not look behind means that we must be faithful doing our service and ministry to God. Fleshly human cannot be faithful. Only human anointed by Holy Spirit can be faithful. Therefore, we need the anointing of Holy Spirit in order to be faithful. - Being bound to sins up to the peak, namely sins concerning eating-drinking such as smoking, getting drunk, and drugs abuse as well as marrying-being given in marriage sins such as sexuality sins with all its kinds, sexual deviation, and wrong marriage.
Do not look back means that we must be delivered from the bond of sin up to the peak of sin, so that we can live in righteousness. Fleshly human tends to sin. Only human anointed by Holy Spirit can live in righteousness.
Isaiah 11:5
11:5Righteousnessshall be the belt of His loins, And faithfulnessthe belt of His waist.
Ministering to God faithfully and righteously means that we minister with girding ourselves with belt.
Luke 17:8
17:8 "But will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink’?
It also means that we give food and drink to Jesus to satisfy His heart. Afterwards, He will also give us food and drink. Our concern is only to minister to Him faithfully and righteously or gird ourselves with belt to satisfy Him and our food and drink become the concern of God. He guarantees the preservation for our daily life up to the beautiful future. He will never fool us.
He also guarantees the preservation for our spiritual life, namely heavenly satisfaction and joy nothing may influence.- We do not murmur. Murmuring means not appreciating the kindness of God. In such condition, the stars become as animal.
Numbers 14:29
14:29 'The carcassesof you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above. - We do not seek for worldly satisfaction until fall in the sins concerning eating-drinking and marrying-being given in marriage as dogs and swine.
- Being bound to the world.
- The eyes are set on Sodom and Gomorrah, not on God.
It is the sight of flesh, only on physical things.
Do not look back means that we have to set our eyes only on Jesus, High Priest who sits on the right hand of the throne of God.
Only the servants of God anointed by Holy Spirit can see Him.
Hebrews 12:2-3
12:2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
12:3 For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.
Our eyes see Jesus, High Priest, through being strong and of good courage, not being hopeless or weak as follows.- Holding fast to the true teaching Word whatever risk may come. We are not tossed to and fro by false teaching.
- Keeping on living in righteousness whatever risk may come. We do not want to sin.
- Keeping faithful and fervent in spirit doing our service and ministry according to the priests’ offices and gifts God has trusted us until the end.
- Keeping on worshiping God, believing and hoping in Him.
19:13 "Be of good courage, and let us be strongfor our people and for the cities of our God. And may the LORD do what is good in His sight."
In battle and struggling, we must be strong and of good courage and God will make all things good in time of need. - Holding fast to the true teaching Word whatever risk may come. We are not tossed to and fro by false teaching.
- Not being obedient to the true teaching Word.
Flesh men tend to be evil, unclean, and disobedient to resist God. If we are anointed by Holy Spirit, we will be able to cry “Abba, Father” to be obedient.
Obedience is the measure of success in ministry.
Matthew 7:21-23
7:21 "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
7:22 "Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’
7:23 "And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
The ministry that is not according to the true teaching Word will be same as practicing lawlessness.
If we are obedient, God will open the doors in the world, even the door of heaven.
Thus, we need Holy Spirit, so that we will never look back. Miracle happens when Holy Spirit is poured out, especially the spiritual one, namely life renewal. Physical miracle will also happen that Holy Spirit is able to make mountains plain.
God blesses you.