CHILD SUBMISSION SERVICE
Luke2:10-14
2:10 Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
2:11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
2:12 And this will bethe signto you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger."
2:13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
2:14 " Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"
The birth of Jesus happened in a very modest place. He was wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger, but there was the glory of God.
Likewise, we submit the child with two signs, i.e. the swaddling cloths and the manger, so that the child can also receive the glory of God.
Revelation19:9
19:9 Then he said to me, "Write: 'Blessed arethose who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!'" And he said to me, "These are the true sayings of God."
The marriage supper of the Lamb is:
Why does God invite all of us to enter the marriage supper of the Lamb?
Because if we are left in Jesus' second coming = do not enter the marriage supper of the Lamb, we will enter the perdition of the world, until the everlasting perdition in the hell.
God has struggled very hard, how is our attitude?
We must value God's effort/invitation, i.e. we must also struggle to be able to enter the marriage supper of the Lamb.
2Corinthians11:1-4
11:1.Oh, that you would bear with me in a little folly—and indeed you do bear with me.
11:2 For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present youasa chaste virginto Christ.
11:3 But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicitythat is in Christ.
11:4 For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or ifyou receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!
At this moment, we are on the era of spiritual betrothal, that is the last times to enter the marriage supper of the Lamb = the end of the ages.
During these last times, we must be solemnly struggling not to fail entering the marriage supper of the Lamb.
Do not relax!
If we fail entering the marriage supper of the Lamb, whatever we get in this world (diploma, richness, etc) will be in vain. It will be just a total failure.
There are two things we must pay attention within our individual life or within marriage, so that we may enter the marriage supper of the Lamb:
Luke2:10-14
2:10 Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
2:11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
2:12 And this will bethe signto you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger."
2:13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
2:14 " Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"
The birth of Jesus happened in a very modest place. He was wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger, but there was the glory of God.
Likewise, we submit the child with two signs, i.e. the swaddling cloths and the manger, so that the child can also receive the glory of God.
- The swaddling cloths.
The swaddling cloths = the cloths to bear the burden.
Jesus was born to bear human's sins, or to save the sinful people.
Thus, the swaddling cloths = the sign of salvation.
The process are as follows:- Believing/having faith in Jesus.
- Repenting.
- Water and Holy Spirit baptism.
After receiving water and Holy Spirit baptism, we become God's children, whose sign is living in the righteousness.
Living in the righteousness = salvation.
The result iswe are saved/protected from the physical death (all sorts of dangers), spiritual death (sins), up to the everlasting death (the hell).
Salvation starts from hearing the Word of God. A child has not been able to go to the church by him/herself. It is the responsibility of the parents to bring their children to the church to hear the Word to be saved. - Believing/having faith in Jesus.
- The manger = shepherding.
We must bring ourselves with the children to persevere in the shepherding penand become obedient, such that someday we can be the same as Jesus (it is more precious than become the same as any human in this world).
The results are as follows:
Psalm23:1
23:1. The LORD ismy shepherd; I shall not want.
There is a certainty guarantee for:- Care in the middle of the world which is like the wilderness.
- We can become as perfect as Jesus and will be lifted in the glorious clouds in eternal glory.
- Care in the middle of the world which is like the wilderness.
Revelation19:9
19:9 Then he said to me, "Write: 'Blessed arethose who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!'" And he said to me, "These are the true sayings of God."
The marriage supper of the Lamb is:
- The spiritual/perfect marriage between Jesus as the Heavenly Bridegroom with the perfect congregation as the Bride, or
- The meeting between Jesus as the Heavenly Bridegroom with His church as the Bride on the glorious clouds in Jesus' second coming.
Why does God invite all of us to enter the marriage supper of the Lamb?
Because if we are left in Jesus' second coming = do not enter the marriage supper of the Lamb, we will enter the perdition of the world, until the everlasting perdition in the hell.
God has struggled very hard, how is our attitude?
We must value God's effort/invitation, i.e. we must also struggle to be able to enter the marriage supper of the Lamb.
2Corinthians11:1-4
11:1.Oh, that you would bear with me in a little folly—and indeed you do bear with me.
11:2 For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present youasa chaste virginto Christ.
11:3 But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicitythat is in Christ.
11:4 For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or ifyou receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!
At this moment, we are on the era of spiritual betrothal, that is the last times to enter the marriage supper of the Lamb = the end of the ages.
During these last times, we must be solemnly struggling not to fail entering the marriage supper of the Lamb.
Do not relax!
If we fail entering the marriage supper of the Lamb, whatever we get in this world (diploma, richness, etc) will be in vain. It will be just a total failure.
There are two things we must pay attention within our individual life or within marriage, so that we may enter the marriage supper of the Lamb:
- Holiness and faithfulness.
How can we be purified?
John15:3
15:3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
We must become as branch which holds on the righteous vine = being shepherded on the true teaching Word,such that we may be purified intensively by the work of true teaching Word (Jesus' word Himself).
The sign of the true teaching Word is Jesus' word Himself. It is revealed by God, one verse is explained by another verse = the Word which is sharper than any double-edged sword.
What must be purified?
Mark 7:21-23
7:21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
7:22 thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.
7:23 All these evil things come from within and defile a man."
The work of the Word sharper than any double-edged sword is purifying us from within our heart, which is the store of the sins.
Our heart must be purified from:- Evil desire = the desire of money.
There should be no stinginess and greed.
Do not steal God's belonging or the others' belonging! - Unclean desire = eating-drinking sins and sexuality sins.
If heart (inside) is purified, deeds and words (outside) will also be purified.
James3:2
3:2 For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he isa perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.
The last purification is until there is no more stumble in word.It means he is a perfect man, and ready to enter the marriage supper of the Lamb.
Holiness = there is Word.
Faithfulness = there is Holy Spirit.
One of the fruit of the Holy Spirit is faithfulness. If we are faithful, it is equal to living in the anointing of Holy Spirit.
2 Corinthians11:3-4
11:3 But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicitythat is in Christ.
11:4 For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or ifyou receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!
The beginning of true faithfulness to Christ is faithfulness to the true teaching Word which has become experience in our life.
Eve had held on the true teaching Word for a long time, and she enjoyed the Paradise's ambience. But, only onceshe heard Satan (the serpent) who reversed the Word, she suddenly switched to the otherand losing the Paradise's ambience.
If we have experienced God's care and the Paradise's joy, why must we change and hear gossips or the other teaching?
Eve added and reduced the Word = losing the faithfulness = changing Paradise's ambience to curse ambience.
If we have been faithful to the true teaching Word, we will be able to become faithful in the ministry to God.
Furthermore, we will have faithfulness within marriage.
Keep the faithfulness!
Losing faithfulness = losing the Paradise's ambience and moving to the curse ambience.
We must be solemn.
If we live in holiness by the true teaching Wordand in faithfulness by Holy Spirit, someday the Word and Holy Spirit will become two wings of a great eagle, greater than anything in this world.
The function of two wings of a great eagle is as follows:
Revelation12:14
12:14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.
Two wings of a great eagle will fly us to the wilderness far from the presence of antichrist.
It is equal to receiving God's care and protectionstarting for the present life in the world, during the antichrist time in the world for 3.5 years, up to the eternal life.
The diploma, work, bank account, etc, will not be useful until really useless when antichrist reigns in the world.
Through holiness and faithfulness, let us more and more rely on two wings of a great eagle.
All things in this world will not survive and will be destroyed, only two wings of a great eagle will survive until God's second coming.
We may work hard in the world, but we should not reduce the holiness and faithfulness. Holiness and faithfulness must be increased. - Evil desire = the desire of money.
- Genuineness and unity.
Exodus2:1-2
2:1. And a man of the house of Levi went and took as wifea daughter of Levi.
2:2 So the woman conceived and bore a son. And when she saw that he wasa beautiful child,she hid him three months.
A beautiful son means as follows:- Carnally: beautiful future.
- Spiritually: the heir of the kingdom of Heaven, God's bride.
If we want to become God's bride, we must pay attention on our marriage.
'A man of the house of Levi went and took as wife a daughter of Levi' means as follows:- Unity in the true teaching Word.
II Samuel 22:31
22:31 As forGod, His way isperfect;The word of the LORD isproven; He isa shield to all who trust in Him.
If there are unity and genuineness in the true teaching Word within our marriage or our individual life, God will give a shield.
Ephesians6:16
6:16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
The shield of faithmeans we receive God's protection from the fiery darts of the wicked one;- Temptation fire in every field.
If there is a shield of faith, we will be strong facing any temptation. - Sins fire (lies, etc, up to the peak of sin).
If there is a shield of faith, we will be protected from sins, we may live in righteousness and holiness. - God's judgment fire from the world until in the hell.
With the shield of faith, we will be escaped from the demolition of the world and the judgment of the hell.
- Temptation fire in every field.
- Unity in ministry and trueshepherding.
- Unity in true worship.
I Samuel 1:3, 19
1:3 This man went up from his city yearly to worship and sacrifice to the LORDof hosts in Shiloh. Also the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, werethere.
1:19 Then they rose early in the morning and worshiped before the LORD,and returned and came to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered her.
Elkanah and Hannah (husband and wife) worshiped God together.
Worshiping God = looking Jesus' face which shines God's love.
John10:22
10:22. Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter.
Be watchful! The time of finishing the house of God was in winter. It means that approaching the forming of the perfect body of Christ, many God's churches in the condition of cold love (godless).
We must worship God moresuch that our love will not grow cold and not become godless.
In the other hand, God remembers every life who worships Him.
In worship, we experience God's love;- God's love able to give way out from every problem.
- God's love able to give Heavenly joy which cannot be affected by any condition of the world.
- God's love changes our life, as Hannah's face changed from sad to shining ? the renewal of five senses.
This morning, we start with renewal of three out of five senses.
John10:27
10:27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
Earsonly listen and obey the true teaching Word.
John10:32
10:32 Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?"
Eyesonly look on God's field = prioritizing ministry in God's field.
John10:36
10:36 do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?
Lipsays right words and brings blessings to the others.
The more our senses are renewed, the more shining our face is.
The result is as follows:
Proverbs20:12
20:12. The hearing ear and the seeing eye, The LORD has made them both.
If ear and eye are good, God will always remember us and give the power of creation.
God is able to create from nothing to become something. We should not worry about our life and future.
Mark 7:37
7:37 And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."
If lip and ear are good, God will make everything good;until the best/the most beautiful, we will become God's bride as perfect as Him.
- God's love able to give way out from every problem.
- Carnally: beautiful future.