Good Friday Service in Malang, April 10, 2020 (Friday Morning)

Peace and grace in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Revelation 11:4
11:4. These are the two olive treesand the two lampstandsstanding before the God of the earth.

The two witnesses or Moses and Elijah are sent by God for strengthening the churches that are left in the world or not evacuated to the wilderness when the Antichrist reigns over the world for three and a half years. It is for making them neither worship the Antichrist, deny, nor betray God, but keep on worshiping Jesus although they must get the great persecution until being beheaded or being martyrs. Being a martyr means keeping strong for being the witness of God or the burning lamp. He will be resurrected in the body of glory when Jesus comes a second time for being worthy to welcome Him on the glorious clouds.

The two witnesses are the same as the two olive trees which have relationship with the anointing oil of Holy Spirit.
The two witnesses are also the same as the two lampstands which have the relationship with the light of testimony.
Thus, Holy Spirit cannot be separated from the light of testimony.

John 15:25-27
15:25. "But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, 'They hated Me without a cause.'
15:26 "But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.
15:27 "And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.

The Comforter refers to Holy Spirit.
If there is Holy Spirit, we can be the witness of God, regardless of anything we are facing.
The power of Holy Spirit is the strength for being the witness of God in the midst of difficulties and shakings in the world which cannot be thought as well as the hatred without a cause, the pre-persecution of the Antichrist for the last sanctification; even we can keep on being the witness of God until the time when the Antichrist reigns over the world.
Holy Spirit is also the anointing oil which makes the golden candlestick keep on burning in the midst of the darkness of the world.

Now, we learn about the golden candlestick.
Exodus 25:31-32,34
25:31. " You shall also make a lampstand of pure gold; the lampstand shall be of hammered work. Its shaft, its branches, its bowls, its ornamental knobs, and flowers shall be of one piece. 25:32 "And six branchesshall come out of its sides: three branches of the lampstand out of one side, and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side.
25:34 "On the lampstand itself four bowls shall be made like almond blossoms, each with its ornamental knob and flower.

There are three parts of the golden candlestick so that it can be burning as follows:

1. The base.
   
2. The shaft.
   
3. The branch.
   

The requirements of being the burning candlestick or the witness of God are as follows:

1. There must be the base.
   
2. There must be the shaft.
   

Ad. 2. There must be the shaft.
The shaft has four sets while the branch has three sets. One set consists of the bowl, knob, and flower.
The shaft refers to a man who is more than ordinary men, namely Jesus, who becomes our example.

One of the examples of Jesus is about the washing of feet. It means the sanctification, especially from the sins of Judas Iskariot who is a betrayer, not a witness.
John 13:10-15
13:10. Jesus said to him, "He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you."
13:11 For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, "You are not all clean."
13:12 So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you?
13:13 "You call me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am.
13:14 "If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.
13:15 "For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.

Thus, we must take the examples of Jesus to be the burning lamp.

Judas became a traitor. It means denying and selling Jesus. The lamp is quenched.
Therefore, we must have Jesus as our example in the sanctification, especially from the sins of Judas Iscariot. Do not ever have the sin of betrayal which causes the lamp to be quenched.

Jesus washed the feet of His disciples.
The feet refer to the lowest place.
Thus, washing the feet means humbling our life as low as possible. This is the death of Jesus. He has humbled Himself and became obedient until He dies on the cross for sanctifying us doubly through the water baptism and the teaching Word.

Ephesians 5:25-26
5:25. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,
5:26 that He might sanctifyand cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,

'gave Himself'= humbling Himself and being obedient until His death.
'cleanse her with the washing of water by the word'= the sanctification through the water baptism and teaching Word or the double purification.
We are sanctified from the sins of Judas Iscariot so that we become the witness of God or the burning lamp.

Now, we are commemorating the death of Jesus or the Good Friday. The theme is THE POWER OF JESUS' DEATH IS ABLE TO SANCTIFY US SO THAT WE BECOME GOD'S WITNESS OR THE BURNING LAMP.
Use the death of Jesus! Do not become a traitor like Judas! If now we become God's witness, someday we will not need the testimony of Moses and Elijah when the Antichrist reigns over the world. Let Jesus Himself physically die on the cross. Now, we must willingly be sanctified to keep on being the witness of God or the burning lamp.

There are at least three times of God's effort to sanctify Judas Iscariot as follows:

1. The sanctification from 'lifting up the heel against Him'.
   John 13:18
   13:18. "I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, 'He who eats breadwith Me has lifted up his heel against Me.'
   
   'has lifted up his heel against Me' is about Judas Iscariot.
   'bread ' refers to the Word.
   
   Lifting up the heel against God means a will to be higher or arrogance, especially towards the Word.
   
   Matthew 15:26-27
   15:26. But He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's breadand throw it to the little dogs."
   15:27 And she said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table."
   
   'children'= the Israelites.
   Actually, God gives the food of his Word ('My bread') only to the original Israelites. Nevertheless, a part of them rejects it. One of them is Judas Iscariot. Then, the chance and mercy of God to the Gentiles are opened through Jesus' death. As a result, the Gentiles can receive the revelation of the Word through a verse that explains other verses in the Bible or the true teaching Word.
   If Jesus had not died on the cross, the Gentiles would not have been able to receive the crumbs.
   
   It depends on our attitudes now:
   
   
   • The wrong attitude is like Judas', namely lifting up the heel against God or being arrogant.
     The facts found in it are as follows:
     
     
     1. Not being serious in hearing the true teaching Word.
        Not appreciating the true teaching Word which is sharper than any two-edged sword is the same as not appreciating the death of Jesus.
        
        
     2. Murmuring and feeling that the preaching of the Word is too long and hard. Actually, the flesh itself is too hard, so one does not have the life renewal although the Word has been so hard.
        John 6:60-61
        6:60. Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, "This is a hard saying; who can understand it?"
        6:61 When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, "Does this offend you?
        
        
        
     3. Adding to and taking away the Word. It means that one wants to be wiser than God. He becomes a liar like the Antichrist.
        Proverbs 30:5-6
        30:5. Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.
        30:6 Do not add to His words, Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.
        
        'Does this offend you?' becomes a warning. Let us be careful because there are many shocks in the world, but the shock in the church is about the teachings. One does not want the hard teaching anymore, but the teaching which is comfortable to the flesh. The Word is added and taken away to be in line with the will of the flesh. The true and hard Word is rejected and the others which are in line with the flesh are rejected.
        
        
     4. Being furious, rejecting the true teaching Word, and hating the servants of God who are used in the true teaching.
        Acts 5: 33
        5:33. When they heard this, they were furious and plotted to kill them.
        
        Rejecting the true teaching Word is the same as rejecting the sanctification and resisting against God.
        
        
     Consequently, Judas Iscariot hung himself and fell headlong.
     It means falling from the calling and election of God or losing the service and ministry and being replaced by Mathias.
     If one does not want to be sanctified, sooner or later he will be lazy in the service and ministry to God until losing his ministry or the beautiful tunic. His life is rotten or not beautiful anymore, but destroyed forever.
     
     
   • The right attitudes are as follows:
     
     
     1. Seriously hearing the true teaching Word. Getting bored of consuming the true teaching Word is the same as getting bored of living or being lukewarm. If we are fervent in spirit, we will grow. Therefore, God says Take heed to the way you hear!
        
        
        
     2. Humbling our life and being obedient to the true teaching Word, regardless of any risks we must take.
        
        
     We can have such right attitudes if we confess that we live by the bread of heaven.
     
     Be careful! Not being serious in hearing the true teaching Word, God will let one face the difficulties and shocks in all aspects to make him humble himself and confess that he lives by the true teaching Word.
     
     Deuteronomy 8:2-3
     8:2. 8:2 "And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble youand test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandmentsor not.
     8:3 "So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.
     
     Enjoy and appreciate the bread from heaven! If there is the bread of heaven, there will be the bread in the world. Do not wait for the rebuke of God! Do not wait for the difficulties!
     
     
   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,
   
   If our attitude towards the Word is right, we will be sanctified and able to love one another. We do neither harm nor hurt others. We do not reply evil for evil, but good for evil.
   
   Ephesians 4:11-12
   4:11. And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
   4:12 for the equipping of the saintsfor the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
   
   If we are holy and able to love one another, we will be given the ministry or appointed as the priests and kings to be used by God in the ministry for the edification of the perfect body of Christ. It starts from the marriage, shepherding, inert-shepherding, until the house of Israel and the Gentiles become one perfect body of Christ and we become God's witness.
   
   John 4:34
   4:34. Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Himwho sent Me, and to finish His work.
   
   'to do the will of Him'= obedience.
   'to finish His work'= faithfulness until the end.
   Thus, after being used by God, we must minister to the edification of the perfect body of Christ obediently and faithfully with responsibility.
   It is the same as feeding Jesus and satisfying His heart. It also means satisfying others and being witness for them. As a result, God will satisfy us. We do not need to look for the satisfaction in the world. He gives the guarantee for our physical food and He makes the beautiful tunic permanent. Our life becomes beautiful and successful.
   Do not lift up the heel against God! Do not follow others who are lifting up the heel against God because they will fall by themselves. One who resists agains the parents and pastor will fall by himself. Be careful!
   
   
2. The sanctification from the will of money or theft.
   John 12:3-8
   12:3. Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.
   12:4 Then one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would betray Him, said,
   12:5 "Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?"
   12:6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.
   12:7 But Jesus said, "Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial.
   12:8 "For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always."
   
   The will of money makes us lose the anointing oil. Judas was not willing that the oil was used for anointing Jesus.
   Without Holy Spirit, ones only become the men of flesh and blood who can neither worship God nor become His witness, so they become the traitors and worship the idol or money.
   The facts found in worshiping the money or the Antichrist is stinginess and greediness because of feeling that the life comes from money, not from God.
   
   Stinginess means not being able to give.
   Greediness means stealing the possession of others, especially God's, namely the tithes and offerings.
   
   Consequently, Judas only bought the potter's field, to bury strangers in. It means as follows:
   
   
   • He got the money or earthly matters, but could not enjoy it like buying the tomb.
     
   • Only fulfilling the self-interest or egoism.
     
   • Being dry and dead spiritually until perishing forever.
     
     
   Matthew 27:7
   27:7. And they consulted together and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in.
   
   Jesus has willingly died on the cross for doing the following things:
   
   
   • Giving Holy Spirit.
     John 16:7
     16:7. "Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.
     
     'I go away'= Jesus has died, risen, and ascended to heaven.
     
     
   • Sanctifying us from the will of money, so we can receive the anointing oil of Holy Spirit and say It is more blessed to give than to receive; better is one day in Your court than one thousand days in other places; it is better to suffer because of God's will than to suffer because of sin.
     It is the same as being the witness of God, namely prioritizing the spiritual things.
     
     Finally, we can give our whole life to God and be used for His burial --'Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial'.
     The burial refers to the last ministry of the body of Christ or the edification of the perfect body of Christ. We are worthy to welcome His second coming on the glorious clouds.
     
     
   If we become God's witness, He will always remember us. He never forgets us and we never forget Him.
   
   
3. The sanctification from lying.
   Matthew 26:20-25
   26:20. When evening had come, He sat down with the twelve.
   26:21 Now as they were eating, He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me."
   26:22 And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, "Lord, is it I?"
   26:23 He answered and said, "He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me.
   26:24 "The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born."
   26:25 Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, "Rabbi, is it I?" He said to him, "You have said it."
   
   Jesus willingly dies on the cross to give His body and blood for sanctifying us from lying.
   The tongue will determine our perfection.
   
   Lying is the same as accusing, slandering, and blaspheming (the true teaching is said false and the false one is said true).
   The sanctification from lying is the last one.
   
   There are two possibilities in the Holy Communion:
   
   
   • The negative one. Judas kept on lying, so he was separated from God forever and demon-possesed.
     John 13:27
     13:27. Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said to him, "What you do, do quickly."
     
     
     
   • The positive one. If we are willingly sanctified and changed from the lie to the honesty and sincerity, we will lean on Jesus' bosom or walk with Him closely. We are in the embrace of His great and unlimited merciful hands.
     John 13:23
     13:23. Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved.
     
     Proverbs 3: 32
     3:32. For the perverse person is an abomination to the LORD, But His secret counsel is with the upright.
     
     
     
   Commemorating the death of the Lord, we can receive the Word and be sanctified. We can get the beautiful tunic. Just serve to God faithfully and obediently!
   We are like a newborn baby. We only cry to God.
   
   Now is the night for watching. We are facing the death. Let us worship and cry to Him much more. We surrender all of our physical and spiritual weaknesses to Him and He will stretch out His hands to us.
   
   The results are as follows:
   
   
   • The merciful hands of God are stretched out to restore the destroyed marriage and children.
     John 4:15-18
     4:15. The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw."
     4:16 Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here."
     4:17 The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You have well said, 'I have no husband,'
     4:18 "for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly."
     
     'I have no husband'= being honest and believing God.
     
     Women often face the problems in marriage and children.
     The sufferings and tears will be replaced with joy by God.
     
     Just be honest! Let us pray for our parents, children, brothers, and sisters. Returning to the true one marriage is the same as returning to the joy.
     
     
   • The merciful hands of God protect and preserve our life from the flood.
     Genesis 6:8-9
     6:8. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
     6:9 This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.
     
     Let us cry much more to God!
     We are protected from sins up to the peak, so we keep on living in righteousness and holiness in our inward and outward man.
     The merciful hands of God finish all impossible problems and God's judgment over the world including the diseases, the Antichrist, and the hell. We are safe and peaceful. All things are easy and light until we get the eternal life.
     
     The merciful hands of God preserve us miraculously in the midst of difficulties in the world until the time when the Antichrist reigns over the world and we get the eternal life.
     
     
   • The merciful hands of God are stretched out to lift us up from failure, so our life becomes successful and beautiful. The fall is restored, so we can live in righteousness. The physical and spiritual deterioration is healed.
     Genesis 5:24
     5:24. And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.
     
     'walked with God'= honesty and sincerity like the Word: 'His secret counsel is with the upright'.
     
     Spiritually, we are sanctified and changed until being as perfect as Jesus is. We do not stumble in words. We are lifted up to the glorious clouds. We shout for joy "Alleluia"for welcoming His coming. We are with Him forever.
     

God blesses you.