Matthew26:26-29
26:26. And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it,and gave itto the disciples and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."
26:27 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave itto them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you.
26:28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
26:29 But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom."
Matthew 26:17-25 is about eating the Passover.
Matthew 26:26-29 is about eating Holy Communion.
In Old Testaments, eating the Passover is eating unleavened bread and roasted flesh of lamb.
In New Testaments, eating Holy Communion is eating the body of Christ and blood of Christ.
Thus, there is transition from Passover to Holy Communion.
There are regulations for eating the Passover. If these regulations are violated, there will be judgments.
The regulations of eating the Passover or Holy Communion.
Exodus12:11
12:11 And thus you shall eat it: witha belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste.It isthe LORD's Passover.
The fourth regulation is 'you shall eat it in haste'. It means as follows:
26:26. And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it,and gave itto the disciples and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."
26:27 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave itto them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you.
26:28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
26:29 But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom."
Matthew 26:17-25 is about eating the Passover.
Matthew 26:26-29 is about eating Holy Communion.
In Old Testaments, eating the Passover is eating unleavened bread and roasted flesh of lamb.
In New Testaments, eating Holy Communion is eating the body of Christ and blood of Christ.
Thus, there is transition from Passover to Holy Communion.
There are regulations for eating the Passover. If these regulations are violated, there will be judgments.
The regulations of eating the Passover or Holy Communion.
Exodus12:11
12:11 And thus you shall eat it: witha belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste.It isthe LORD's Passover.
The fourth regulation is 'you shall eat it in haste'. It means as follows:
- Do not linger to do spiritual things, including ministry.
Eating Holy Communion encourages us to do spiritual things fast.
Genesis19:15-16
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.
Lingering means there is bond, even the bond of Sodom-Gomorrah. Lot's family lingered such that there was victim, that is Lot's wife looked back and became a pillar of salt. Now, if we linger in spiritual things, we will be left on Jesus' second coming which is as fast as lightning, and it means perdition forever. - Looking for and hastening Jesus' second coming.
2 Peter3:10-12
3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.
3:11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of personsought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,
3:12 looking for and hasteningthe coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?
The manner is we must live in holy conduct and godliness. In Indonesian old translation, godliness is related with ministry [2 Peter 3:11].
We can live in holy conduct and minister God in the Holy Place. Holy Place equals to the shepherding pen. Here, there are three equipments which denote perseverance in three main services as follows:- Golden Candlestick, that is perseverance in General Service ? fellowship with God the Holy Spirit in the gifts of Holy Spirit.
- Table of Showbread, that is perseverance in Bible Study Service and Holy Communion ? fellowship with the Son of God in His Word.
- The Golden Altar of Incense, that is perseverance in Prayer Service ? fellowship with God the Father in His love.
Within shepherding, we are looking for and hastening Jesus' second coming.
In shepherding, a pastor must provide true shepherding Word which can grow the spirituality of the congregation. The sheep must also eat the shepherding Word.
If a pastor can provide true teaching Word, we will be shepherded by the true teaching Word as branches abide to the true vine. Thus, we will be purified continually from sins which bond and make us be left on Jesus' second coming.
Revelation21:8
21:8 But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."
Eating Holy Communion encourage us to be fast shepherded to the true teaching Word, to enter the shepherding pen.
John15:2
15:2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branchthat bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
If we are shepherded in the true teaching Word and purified continually, sooner or later we will bear more fruit.
Job29:1-6
29:1. Job further continued his discourse, and said:
29:2 "Oh, that I were as inmonths past, As inthe days whenGod watched over me;
29:3 When His lamp shone upon my head, And whenby His light I walked throughdarkness;
29:4 Just as I was in the days of my prime, When the friendly counsel of God wasover my tent;
29:5 When the Almighty wasyet with me, Whenmy children werearound me;
29:6 When my steps were bathed with cream, And the rock poured out rivers of oil for me!
Job is the example of shepherded life since he was young (in spiritual meaning, tent denotes shepherding pen).
The result was Job born more fruit, that is God's protection, God's blessings, etc.
Being the friendly counsel of God means being purified continually, such that we will bear more fruit.
Job1:1-3
1:1. There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name wasJob; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil.
1:2 And seven sons and three daughters were born to him.
1:3 Also, his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East.
Jacob was being silent inside the tent and although he had no potential, at the end he got everything.
Esau had great potential, but he walked about and left the shepherding pen, such that he lost everything.
Job was blameless and upright, one who feared God and shunned evil. These are the spiritual fruits.
Physically, Job was blessed until he became the richest man, and his household was also blessed.
Life who has born more fruit is already good, but in order to look for Jesus' second coming, we need the mature grape fruits, which will result sweet wine to enter the Marriage Supper of the Lamb of God.
James1:2-4
1:2. My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,
1:3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
1:4 But let patience have itsperfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
To get the mature grape fruits, we must experience test or sprinkling of blood. From the Holy Place, we must go to the Most Holy Place.
Job experienced three kinds of test as follows:- Physical test, that is he lost all his wealth.
Job1:9-11
1:9 So Satan answered the LORD and said, "Does Job fear God for nothing?
1:10 Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.
1:11 But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!" - Perilous disease test, test concerning his soul.
Ayub 2:2-5,7
2:2 And the LORD said to Satan, "From where do you come?"Satan answered the LORD and said, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it."
2:3 Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job, that there isnone like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? And still he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to destroy him without cause."
2:4 So Satan answered the LORD and said, "Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life.
2:5 But stretch out Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will surely curse You to Your face!"
2:7 So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, and struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. - Test concerning his spirit.
Job2:9-10
2:9 Then his wife said to him, "Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!"
2:10 But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips.
The spirit test is the most terrible test. Now, dead children denote children who make deep sorrow, children who die spiritually, children who live in sins up to the peak of sins. Do not follow sins! Job's wife here denotes the false teaching. Do not follow false teaching!
Job's faith was tested and it did not fall in three kinds of test. He kept being patient and persevering, such that he experienced the last sanctification from unrealized sin,that is self-truth sin.
Job32:1-2
32:1. So these three men ceased answering Job, because he wasrighteous in his own eyes.
32:2 Then the wrath of Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, was aroused against Job; his wrath was aroused because he justified himself rather than God.
Job was righteous in his own eyes, although he did sins. He also felt more righteous than God.
Job42:5-6
42:5 "I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear,But now my eye sees You.
42:6 Therefore I abhor myself,And repent in dust and ashes."
But Job kept being patient and persevering, such that he could sit in dust and ashes, confessed that he was not worthy and had no power, only depended on God's mercy and felt that he was nobody such that he was worthy to be trampled down.
Isaiah64:8
64:8 But now, O LORD, You areour Father; We arethe clay, and You our potter; And all we arethe work of Your hand.
Although we are only clay, but the clay is inside the hand of the Creator. The results are as follows:- The hands of the Creator create the things which we do not have before, to care our life in the middle of difficulties in this world. The hands of the Creator are also able to make possible the impossible things, to help our life.
- The hands of the Creator form our life to become the vessel of glory, to use us in the revival of building body of Christ in the last rain.
- The hands of the Creator create us back as new human the same as the first creation, to be ready to welcome Jesus' second coming in glorious clouds.
- Golden Candlestick, that is perseverance in General Service ? fellowship with God the Holy Spirit in the gifts of Holy Spirit.