Peace and grace in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Matthew 28 refers to Shekinah glory or the light of glory.
There is the light of glory behind death or cross experience with Jesus.
While spreading the light of glory, there is infiltration of the spread of the darkness.
Matthew 28:11-13
28:11 Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened.
28:12 When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers,
28:13 saying, “Tell them, ‘His disciples came at night and stole Him awaywhile we slept.’
The spread of the darkness is the spread of false testimony and teaching that rejects the resurrection of Jesus, so one keeps preserving the flesh characters and loses salvation. The spread of the darkness is encouraged by the power of money or mammon, or the spirit of selling-buying.
Matthew 21:12-14
21:12 Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.
21:13 And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’”
21:14 Then theblind and thelame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.
The false teaching encouraged by the spirit of selling-buying causes the church of God becomes blind and lame spiritually. One keeps being imperfect so he will be left on Jesus’ second coming.
Being blind and lame spiritually is the disease of hard heart.
Exodus 32:7-9
32:7 And the Lord said to Moses, “Go, get down! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves.
32:8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘This isyour god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!’”
32:9 And the Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and indeed it isa stiff-necked people!
The Israelites are hardening their heart so they are blind spiritually and cannot distinguish the true and false teaching.
The consequence is falling in idolatry, and making the house of God as the den of thieves.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4
4:3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,
4:4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.
In the last days, the church of God is hardening their heart so they reject the true teaching Word. It happens because of preserving sins.
Without the true teaching Word, a marriage or ministry or fellowship just equals to fellowship of blind people.
Exodus 32:15-16,19-20
32:15 And Moses turned and went down from the mountain, and the two tablets of the Testimony werein his hand. The tablets werewritten on both sides; on the one sideand on the other they were written.
32:16 Now the tablets werethe work of God, and the writing wasthe writing of God engraved on the tablets.
32:19 So it was, as soon as he came near the camp, that he saw the calf andthe dancing. So Moses’ anger became hot, and he cast the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain.
32:20 Then he took the calf which they had made, burned itin the fire, and ground itto powder; and he scattered iton the water and made the children of Israel drink it.
The attitude of the servant of God in facing spiritual blind is being firm, meaning as follows.
If the servant of God holds fast the true teaching Word and the redemption by the blood of Jesus, the golden calf will be ground to powder. It means hard heart will be renewed to become meek.
The church of God in the last days must have meek heart as the fig tree that has been tender, so we can bear fruits up to perfection.
We can have the meek heart through two things as follows.
The practices of having the meek heart are as follows.
It is the same as reconciling our sin by the blood of Jesus on the cross. The sin is the heaviest problem that burdens man, starting from this world to the hell. If the sin is reconciled by the blood of Jesus, all our problems will be solved by Him. Reconciling sin means solving problems and erasing tears.
The meaning of the calf is as follows.
The work of the true teaching Word and the redemption by the blood of Jesus want to set us free from the sins up to the curse of sins.
Galatians 3:13-14
3:13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed iseveryone who hangs on a tree”),
3:14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
All sins and the curse of sins have been reconciled by the blood of Jesus, so we may receive the blessing of Abraham, that is carnal and spiritual blessings (the Holy Spirit) up to our descendants.
This morning, we need the meek heart. We must not preserve our sin, and not debate about it. All we need is reconciling our sin, confessing and forgiving each other.
The usefulness of Holy Spirit is as follows.
God blesses us.
Matthew 28 refers to Shekinah glory or the light of glory.
There is the light of glory behind death or cross experience with Jesus.
While spreading the light of glory, there is infiltration of the spread of the darkness.
Matthew 28:11-13
28:11 Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened.
28:12 When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers,
28:13 saying, “Tell them, ‘His disciples came at night and stole Him awaywhile we slept.’
The spread of the darkness is the spread of false testimony and teaching that rejects the resurrection of Jesus, so one keeps preserving the flesh characters and loses salvation. The spread of the darkness is encouraged by the power of money or mammon, or the spirit of selling-buying.
Matthew 21:12-14
21:12 Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.
21:13 And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’”
21:14 Then theblind and thelame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.
The false teaching encouraged by the spirit of selling-buying causes the church of God becomes blind and lame spiritually. One keeps being imperfect so he will be left on Jesus’ second coming.
Being blind and lame spiritually is the disease of hard heart.
Exodus 32:7-9
32:7 And the Lord said to Moses, “Go, get down! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves.
32:8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘This isyour god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!’”
32:9 And the Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and indeed it isa stiff-necked people!
The Israelites are hardening their heart so they are blind spiritually and cannot distinguish the true and false teaching.
The consequence is falling in idolatry, and making the house of God as the den of thieves.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4
4:3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,
4:4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.
In the last days, the church of God is hardening their heart so they reject the true teaching Word. It happens because of preserving sins.
Without the true teaching Word, a marriage or ministry or fellowship just equals to fellowship of blind people.
Exodus 32:15-16,19-20
32:15 And Moses turned and went down from the mountain, and the two tablets of the Testimony werein his hand. The tablets werewritten on both sides; on the one sideand on the other they were written.
32:16 Now the tablets werethe work of God, and the writing wasthe writing of God engraved on the tablets.
32:19 So it was, as soon as he came near the camp, that he saw the calf andthe dancing. So Moses’ anger became hot, and he cast the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain.
32:20 Then he took the calf which they had made, burned itin the fire, and ground itto powder; and he scattered iton the water and made the children of Israel drink it.
The attitude of the servant of God in facing spiritual blind is being firm, meaning as follows.
- Holding the two tablets of stone tightly.
It means holding fast and being obedient to the true teaching Word. - Breaking the two tablets of stone.
The two tablets of stone represent the love of God. Breaking the two tablets of stone means holding fast the redemption by the blood of Jesus on the cross as the manifestation of God’s love to man.
If the servant of God holds fast the true teaching Word and the redemption by the blood of Jesus, the golden calf will be ground to powder. It means hard heart will be renewed to become meek.
The church of God in the last days must have meek heart as the fig tree that has been tender, so we can bear fruits up to perfection.
We can have the meek heart through two things as follows.
- The strength of the true teaching Word and the redemption by the blood of Jesus.
They refer to perseverance in Bible Study Service with Holy Communion. - The true water baptism.
Romans 6:2,4
6:2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?
6:4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
1 Peter 3:20-21
3:20 who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while theark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.
3:21 There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
Through the true water baptism, one who has died from sins must be buried in water with Jesus, to be raised with Him in newness of life. Walking in newness of life means having good conscience or meek heart.
Afterwards, we must keep persevering in the Bible Study Service (in Holy Place) to be processed continually to have the meek heart. The more we have the meek heart, the more we bear fruit up to the fruit of perfection.
The practices of having the meek heart are as follows.
- We can confess our sins honestly to God and the others. If we are forgiven, we must not do sins anymore.
- We can forgive and forget the others’ sins.
It is the same as reconciling our sin by the blood of Jesus on the cross. The sin is the heaviest problem that burdens man, starting from this world to the hell. If the sin is reconciled by the blood of Jesus, all our problems will be solved by Him. Reconciling sin means solving problems and erasing tears.
The meaning of the calf is as follows.
- Sins up to the peak of sins, that is sin concerning eating-drinking and marrying-being given in marriage.
1 Corinthians 5:7-8,11
5:7 Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.
5:8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened breadof sincerity and truth.
5:11 But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person.
It is represented by six sins that become flesh and blood. The close is being a liar.
The blood of Jesus is able to set us free from sins, so we may live in righteousness and holiness. - Small sins that is usually unrealized (the calf is ground to powder). It means as follows.
- Sin of not ministering God, which has become a habitual sin, even intentionally not ministering God.
Hebrews 10:25-27
10:25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as isthe manner of some, but exhorting one another,and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
10:26 For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
10:27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. - Getting angry emotionally and without love, which causes haughtiness.
Proverbs 22:24-25
22:24 Make no friendship with an angry man, And with a furious man do not go,
22:25 Lest you learn his ways And set a snare for your soul.
We can get angry, but it must be with love and with aim to help and lift up the one who makes mistakes. - Self-truth sin, meaning covering sin by blaming the others.
- Sin of not ministering God, which has become a habitual sin, even intentionally not ministering God.
- The curse of sins (drinking the water that contains the gold), meaning bitterness, pain, labor, and bearing heavy burden.
The work of the true teaching Word and the redemption by the blood of Jesus want to set us free from the sins up to the curse of sins.
Galatians 3:13-14
3:13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed iseveryone who hangs on a tree”),
3:14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
All sins and the curse of sins have been reconciled by the blood of Jesus, so we may receive the blessing of Abraham, that is carnal and spiritual blessings (the Holy Spirit) up to our descendants.
This morning, we need the meek heart. We must not preserve our sin, and not debate about it. All we need is reconciling our sin, confessing and forgiving each other.
The usefulness of Holy Spirit is as follows.
- Holy Spirit helps us to understand the true teaching Word, believe and have faith on it, also remember and practice it, so we may live in righteousness and holiness. Thus, we will live in calm and peace.
John 14:26-27
14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
14:27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
If we are in calm and peace, we will get victory with God over all problems. - Holy Spirit helps us to be faithful and fervent in spirit in ministering God until the end of our life or until Jesus comes a second time.
Romans 12:11
12:11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
If one is not fervent in spirit in ministering God, he will flare up in evil and uncleanness. - Holy Spirit helps us to worship God in a right way.
Romans 8:26-28
8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
8:27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is,because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will ofGod.
8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to Hispurpose.
The result of true worship is we can see God (we are not blind anymore). We can stretch out both our hands to God and He will also stretch out His hands to us to make everything good and beautiful, even perfect.
God blesses us.