Peace and grace in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Revelation 4:6-7
4:6 Before the throne there wasa sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, werefour living creatures full of eyes in front and in back.
4:7 The first living creature waslike a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature waslike a flying eagle.
There were four living creatures in the midst and around the throne. On earth, Jesus is surrounded by four disciples. Thus, the ministry on earth must equal to the one in the Heaven.
Matthew 4:18-19,21-22
4:18 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.
4:19 Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."
4:21 Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the sonof Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them,
4:22 and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.
These four disciples were busy previously, but they could follow Jesus. It means that the authority of God is able to set us free from all bonds (the bond of sins, the bond of family, et cetera) so we can freely follow and serve Him, until we sit together with Him on the throne of Heaven forever.
The conditions of the four living creatures are as follows.
JESUS AS THE KING
Psalm 20:9
20:9 Save, Lord! May the King answer us when we call.
The nature of a king is winning over the enemies, especially winning over the death, that is sin up to its peak. Thus, we can live in righteousness and our prayer is answered by God.
Jesus is the Lion of the tribe of Judah, but there is another lion, that is the devil or Satan that always chases the servants of God.
1 Peter 5:8
5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
No matter how soft the voice of Satan is, it will lead to the death or perdition.
No matter how hard the voice of the Word, it is God's love that will bring us to eternal life.
How is our way to face Satan?
Psalm 5:12
5:12 For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as witha shield.
If we can live in righteousness, have a steadfast faith, and become humble and gentle lives, we will be within the embrace of God's hands. God will surround us with His grace. We live in the ambience of the throne of Heaven, until we are really lifted up there.
JESUS AS THE SERVANT
Philippians 2:7-8
2:7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, andcoming in the likeness of men.
2:8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point ofdeath, even the death of the cross.
Jesus as the Servant is obedient until He dies on the cross.
As the servants of God, we must be obedient until the flesh does not sound anymore.
Frequently, there is obstacle for being obedient. The first one is the logic or fleshly thought.
John 6:7-9
6:7 Philip answered Him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little."
6:8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him,
6:9 "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?"
Logic tends to defend the self will, self desire, and self interest, so it underestimates God's power. The consequence is being disobedient.
Logic also depends on money. It exaggerates money and underestimates God's power. The consequence is also being disobedient.
The servants of God must live from faith, not from logic. Thus, we can be obedient until the flesh does not sound anymore. For being obedient, we must sacrifice the flesh with all its desire and interest. We only do our obligations without asking for our rights. Thus, we can magnify and glorify God.
Isaiah 49:3-4
49:3 "And He said to me, 'You areMy servant, O Israel, In whom I will be glorified.'
49:4 Then I said, 'I have labored in vain,I have spent my strength for nothing and in vain;Yet surely my just reward iswith the Lord,And my work with my God.'"
The result is our right and wage are within the merciful hands of God, for our present and future life, up to the eternal one forever.
JESUS AS THE MAN
Jesus is willing to suffer until He dies on the cross without any sins.
As the servants of God, we must be willing to experience flesh suffering with Him because of righteousness or because of ministering Him, not because of sins.
Philippians 1:29
1:29 For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,
Faith must be together with suffering with Jesus. It is a strong or firm faith.
2 Corinthians 4:16-17
4:16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward manis perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.
4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding andeternal weight of glory,
This suffering is light and only for a while. When facing the suffering of the cross, we must appreciate and raise the sacrifice of Christ. Thus, our suffering will be light and last only for a while. Lasting for a while means it is for a short time compared to the eternal glory. The results are as follows.
JESUS AS THE SON OF GOD
John 15:3
15:3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
We can be cleansed through the Word spoken by Jesus, that is the Word that is revealed through one verse explains the other verses in the Bible. Our attitude is holding fast and being obedient to the true teaching Word. Thus, we will experience sanctification and love.
1 Peter 1:22
1:22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,
We can love the others sincerely. We can love the others as loving ourselves, even we can love the one who hates us. We can also love God more than everything, as John leaning on Jesus' bosom.
John 13:23
13:23 Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved.
We become as a baby within the great merciful hands of God.
The results are as follows.
God blesses us.
Revelation 4:6-7
4:6 Before the throne there wasa sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, werefour living creatures full of eyes in front and in back.
4:7 The first living creature waslike a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature waslike a flying eagle.
There were four living creatures in the midst and around the throne. On earth, Jesus is surrounded by four disciples. Thus, the ministry on earth must equal to the one in the Heaven.
Matthew 4:18-19,21-22
4:18 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.
4:19 Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."
4:21 Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the sonof Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them,
4:22 and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.
These four disciples were busy previously, but they could follow Jesus. It means that the authority of God is able to set us free from all bonds (the bond of sins, the bond of family, et cetera) so we can freely follow and serve Him, until we sit together with Him on the throne of Heaven forever.
The conditions of the four living creatures are as follows.
- Like a lion refers to the character of Jesus as the King. It is represented by Peter.
- Like a calf refers to the character of Jesus as the Servant. It is represented by Andrew.
- Like a man refers to the character of Jesus as the Man who suffered up to His death on the cross. It is represented by James.
- Like a flying eagle refers to the character of Jesus as the glorious Son of God. It is represented by John.
JESUS AS THE KING
Psalm 20:9
20:9 Save, Lord! May the King answer us when we call.
The nature of a king is winning over the enemies, especially winning over the death, that is sin up to its peak. Thus, we can live in righteousness and our prayer is answered by God.
Jesus is the Lion of the tribe of Judah, but there is another lion, that is the devil or Satan that always chases the servants of God.
1 Peter 5:8
5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
No matter how soft the voice of Satan is, it will lead to the death or perdition.
No matter how hard the voice of the Word, it is God's love that will bring us to eternal life.
How is our way to face Satan?
- We must be well and right shepherded. Do not walk around because we will meet Satan that walks about like a roaring lion.
In the shepherding, we receive double protection as follows.- The Great Shepherd always raises intercession prayer for us, so we do not stumble or fall.
- The pastor on earth also always raises intercession prayer.
- The Great Shepherd always raises intercession prayer for us, so we do not stumble or fall.
- With a steadfast faith, that is fully believing Jesus or the true teaching Word.
1 Peter 5:9
5:9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.
We only depend on Jesus in facing everything. We must not be doubtful or double-minded, but be firm in faith. Shepherding is the place to firm our faith.
When one is doubtful, it equals to being weak until falling from faith and leaving Jesus as well as the true teaching Word. - The true shepherding is the place to become a humble and gentle life.
1 Peter 5:6
5:6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,
Being humble is the ability to confess our sins to God (vertically) and the others (horizontally). If we are forgiven, we must not repeat the sins.
Being gentle is the ability to forgive the sin of the others and forget it.
Being humble and gentle means confessing and forgiving one another. Thus, the blood of Jesus covers the sin as we never did it before. We can live in righteousness and hold fast the true teaching Word. We hold fast the strong merciful hands of God that cannot be beaten by Satan.
Psalm 5:12
5:12 For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as witha shield.
If we can live in righteousness, have a steadfast faith, and become humble and gentle lives, we will be within the embrace of God's hands. God will surround us with His grace. We live in the ambience of the throne of Heaven, until we are really lifted up there.
JESUS AS THE SERVANT
Philippians 2:7-8
2:7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, andcoming in the likeness of men.
2:8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point ofdeath, even the death of the cross.
Jesus as the Servant is obedient until He dies on the cross.
As the servants of God, we must be obedient until the flesh does not sound anymore.
Frequently, there is obstacle for being obedient. The first one is the logic or fleshly thought.
John 6:7-9
6:7 Philip answered Him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little."
6:8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him,
6:9 "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?"
Logic tends to defend the self will, self desire, and self interest, so it underestimates God's power. The consequence is being disobedient.
Logic also depends on money. It exaggerates money and underestimates God's power. The consequence is also being disobedient.
The servants of God must live from faith, not from logic. Thus, we can be obedient until the flesh does not sound anymore. For being obedient, we must sacrifice the flesh with all its desire and interest. We only do our obligations without asking for our rights. Thus, we can magnify and glorify God.
Isaiah 49:3-4
49:3 "And He said to me, 'You areMy servant, O Israel, In whom I will be glorified.'
49:4 Then I said, 'I have labored in vain,I have spent my strength for nothing and in vain;Yet surely my just reward iswith the Lord,And my work with my God.'"
The result is our right and wage are within the merciful hands of God, for our present and future life, up to the eternal one forever.
JESUS AS THE MAN
Jesus is willing to suffer until He dies on the cross without any sins.
As the servants of God, we must be willing to experience flesh suffering with Him because of righteousness or because of ministering Him, not because of sins.
Philippians 1:29
1:29 For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,
Faith must be together with suffering with Jesus. It is a strong or firm faith.
2 Corinthians 4:16-17
4:16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward manis perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.
4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding andeternal weight of glory,
This suffering is light and only for a while. When facing the suffering of the cross, we must appreciate and raise the sacrifice of Christ. Thus, our suffering will be light and last only for a while. Lasting for a while means it is for a short time compared to the eternal glory. The results are as follows.
- We do not lose heart or get desperete and disappointed. We keep being faithful and fervent in spirit in ministering God until the end line, until we receive the full right to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
- We experience renewal from the fleshly man to become the spiritual one as Jesus.
James 1:26-27
1:26 If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion isuseless.
1:27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, andto keep oneself unspotted from the world.
The signs are as follows.- Bridling the tongue, meaning limiting our words to only saying right word according to the Word, and good word so it becomes blessing to the others.
- Giving and visiting the others who are in need. We do good and right deed so it becomes blessing to the others.
- Having right company with the others according to the Word.
- Bridling the tongue, meaning limiting our words to only saying right word according to the Word, and good word so it becomes blessing to the others.
JESUS AS THE SON OF GOD
John 15:3
15:3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
We can be cleansed through the Word spoken by Jesus, that is the Word that is revealed through one verse explains the other verses in the Bible. Our attitude is holding fast and being obedient to the true teaching Word. Thus, we will experience sanctification and love.
1 Peter 1:22
1:22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,
We can love the others sincerely. We can love the others as loving ourselves, even we can love the one who hates us. We can also love God more than everything, as John leaning on Jesus' bosom.
John 13:23
13:23 Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved.
We become as a baby within the great merciful hands of God.
The results are as follows.
- The power to raise the dead.
Luke 7:13-15
7:13 When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep."
7:14 Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried himstood still. And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise."
7:15 So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother.
It means as follows.- The great merciful hands of God are able to care our life starting from this world up to the eternal life forever.
- The great merciful hands of God are able to solve all impossible problems.
- The great merciful hands of God are able to recover broken marrige.
- The great merciful hands of God erase our tears and give peace. Everything becomes easy and light.
- The great merciful hands of God are able to care our life starting from this world up to the eternal life forever.
- The great merciful hands of God give us the crown.
Psalm 103:4
103:4 Who redeems your life from destruction,Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
It means that the great merciful hands of God sanctifies and renews us until we are perfect as Him. When He comes a second time, we will receive the crown of glory to welcome His second coming and enter the throne of Heaven forever.
God blesses us.