Peace and grace in the love of the Lord Jesus Christ.
There are two important things we have to observe in facing 2014 as follows.
God blesses you.
There are two important things we have to observe in facing 2014 as follows.
- The cross or sacrifice of Christ or Jesus’ blood.
Revelation 1:5-6
1:5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood,
1:6 and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
We can practice it tonight through the Holy Communion.
There are two powers of Jesus’ blood taken from the verses above as follows.- To deliver us from sin.
Revelation 1:5
1:5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood,
The process is through confessing our sin to God (vertical line) and others (horizontal line) honestly. After being forgiven by Jesus’ blood, we should not do the sin again although there is opportunity, advantage, threat, punishment, or force. It means that we are delivered from sin. We live in righteousness. Thus, appreciating the cross of Christ means that we live in righteousness anywhere, anytime, and in any condition. - To lift us up as priests and kings.
Revelation 1:6
1:6 and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
The meanings of a priest are as follows.- A holy person.
- One bearing ministry and the gifts of Holy Spirit. If one is holy, God will give him or her ministry and the gifts of Holy Spirit through the laying of the hand of pastor.
Ministry and the gifts of Holy Spirit are our place in the body of Christ or our place in heaven. One will never enter heavenly kingdom when he is outside the body of Christ. - One serving and ministering to God according to the ministry and the gifts of Holy Spirit.
4:14 Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership.
One who has ministered to God should not neglect or leave the service and ministry. It means faithfulness and fervency in spirit.
Thus, appreciating the cross of Christ means we serve and minister to God faithfully, righteously, and fervently in spirit. It means that we have the tunic of many colors and our life becomes beautiful.
Be careful! Antichrist wants to take off the tunic as the brothers of Joseph took off his tunic. Therefore, we have to serve and minister to God by the encouragement of God’s love. It means that we are willing to bear the cross and suffer in our flesh because of service and ministry to God. In such condition, the tunic is dipped in blood.
1 Corinthians 1:23-24
1:23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness,
1:24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
There is wisdom and power of God behind the cross. The result is as follows.- To protect us from the antichrist, so that he cannot take off the tunic of many colors, make us naked, and tear our stomach as Judas Iscariot’s.
Revelation 13:18
13:18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.
We can keep putting on the tunic of many colors. It means that we can keep on ministering to God until the end line, namely we pass away or Jesus comes a second time. Our life is more beautiful until we can become heavenly bride. - To become the two wings of a great eagle that evacuate us to wilderness, far away from the presence of serpent.
Revelation 12:14
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.
It means that we are preserved and protected by God directly from now on until the time when the antichrist reigns over the world for three years and six months.
- A holy person.
- To deliver us from sin.
- The loud voice of trumpet.
Revelation 1:10-12
1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet,
1:11 saying, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last," and, "What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea."
1:12 Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands,
John the apostle experiences suffering in flesh in Patmos island because of God’s Word and the testimony of Christ, so he can hear and see the loud voice of trumpet that has two manifestations as follows.- Seven golden lampstands or seven churches of the gentiles.
Figure seven refers to perfection. Thus, the seven lampstands refer to perfect church. - Jesus in glory as High Priest, Great Shepherd, king of all kings, and Heavenly Bridegroom.
Revelation 1:13
1:13 and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band.
Luke 2:20
2:20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.
The tidings brought by angel can be heard and seen by shepherds and the manifestation is in the baby Jesus.
Thus, the loud voice of trumpet is shepherding Word that contains true teachings that is hard and sharper than any two-edged sword. It is able to sanctify and renew the congregation to be as perfect as Jesus is, so that they become heavenly bride who is ready to welcome Jesus’ second coming in His glory as heavenly bridegroom on glorious clouds.
John must suffer first in Patmos island and then he is able to hear and see the loud voice of trumpet. Thus, if we serve and minister to God with the suffering in flesh, we will be able to hear and see the true shepherding Word. We can be shepherded righteously and well.
Do not hear strange voice. We have to run away from it firmly.
The consequence of not hearing and seeing the voice of trumpet but strange voice is as follows.- To fall because of stumbling-block, especially in the calling and election. The service and ministry as well as the worship become dry.
Jeremiah 6:17-21
6:17 Also, I set watchmen over you, saying, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ But they said, ‘We will not listen.’
6:18 Therefore hear, you nations, And know, O congregation, what is among them.
6:19 Hear, O earth! Behold, I will certainly bring calamity on this people––The fruit of their thoughts, Because they have not heeded My words, Nor My law, but rejected it.
6:20 For what purpose to Me Comes frankincense from Sheba, And sweet cane from a far country? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable, Nor your sacrifices sweet to Me."
6:21 Therefore thus says the LORD: "Behold, I will lay stumbling blocksbefore this people, And the fathers and the sons together shall fall on them. The neighbor and his friend shall perish." - To have the ambience of Sodom.
2 Peter 2:7-8
2:7and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked
2:8 (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds) ––
The voice of trumpet replaces us from the ambience of Sodom to paradise, namely righteousness, holiness, and heavenly joy.
- To arrange the journey of Israel from mount Sinai to the border of Canaan.
Numbers 10:1-3,9-10
10:1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying:
10:2 "Make two silver trumpets for yourself; you shall make them of hammered work; you shall use them for calling the congregation and for directing the movement of the camps.
10:3 "When they blow both of them, all the congregation shall gather before you at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.
10:9 "When you go to war in your land against the enemy who oppresses you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, and you will be remembered before the LORD your God, and you will be saved from your enemies.
10:10 "Also in the day of your gladness, in your appointed feasts, and at the beginning of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; and they shall be a memorial for you before your God: I am the LORD your God."
The voice of trumpet arranges our life to (1)start to go, (2)gather together, (3)make war, (4)celebrate the feast, (5)be in new month, and (6)sacrifice the offerings.
Figure six refers to the flesh. Thus, the voice of trumpet limits our flesh with all its lust and will. As a result, every step of our life is guided by Great Shepherd to go toward these two places.- Shepherding pen(Holy Place), namely perseverance in doing three main services to God as follows.
Ezekiel 20:37
20:37 "I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant;
Golden candlestick means perseverance in doing General Service as if the sheep is drinking.
Table of Showbread or perseverance in doing Bible Study Service with Holy Communion as if the sheep is eating.
Golden Altar of Incense or perseverance in doing Prayer Service as if the sheep is breathing.
We are being counted in the shepherding pen, so that we do not scatter away or lose our way. The weaker and smaller our life is, the bigger Great Shepherd pays attention to us. - We are guided to go outside to visit other shepherding pen.
John 10:3,16
10:3 "To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
10:16 "And other sheepI have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.
It is revival for building the perfect body of Christ.
We are guided, so that we become one flock with one shepherd or one body with one Head.
All things must be offered in the revival for building the perfect body of Christ, but true teaching Word.
The revival for building the perfect body of Christ is as the movement of Israel led by Joshua from the border to go to Canaan. Be alert! There is Rahab as well as Achan.
Rahab is one of the Gentiles. She is unclean harlot, but willing to sacrifice for God, so she is used for building the body of Christ.
On the contrary, Achan steals the possession of God, namely tithes and offerings. He does not want to sacrifice, but steals. Consequently, he enters the valley of difficulties even causes difficulties to the building of the body of Christ. Finally, he perishes with his family.
The last guidance of God is to make us enter the pen of New Jerusalem where there is no more tear.
- Shepherding pen(Holy Place), namely perseverance in doing three main services to God as follows.
- The year of liberty.
Leviticus 25:8-10,23-24,28
25:8 ' And you shall count seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years; and the time of the seven sabbaths of years shall be to you forty-nine years.
25:9 'Then you shall cause the trumpet of the Jubileeto sound on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement you shall make the trumpet to sound throughout all your land.
25:10 'And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a Jubilee for you; and each of you shall return to his possession, and each of you shall return to his family.
25:23 ' The land shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are strangers and sojourners with Me.
25:24 'And in all the land of your possession you shall grant redemption of the land.
25:28 'But if he is not able to have it restored to himself, then what was sold shall remain in the hand of him who bought it until the Year of Jubilee; and in the Jubilee it shall be released, and he shall return to his possession.
All things that have been sold must be set free and what that has gone must be returned. We are set free from all burdens.
Romans 3:23
3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Human has lost the peace because of sinning, so he is naked and ruled over by antichrist.
One will get the year of curse if he keeps wrong things. On the contrary, there will be the year of liberty if he wants to return to righteousness and holiness.
Romans 8:23
8:23Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.
If we want to get the year of liberty, we must be free from flesh. It means that we must have life renewal from fleshy man to spiritual one.
Ephesians 4:24-32, 5:1-2
4:24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
4:25 Therefore, putting away lying, "Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor," for we are members of one another.
4:26 "Be angry, and do not sin": do not let the sun go down on your wrath,
4:27 nor give place to the devil.
4:28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.
4:29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.
4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
4:31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.
4:32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.
5:1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.
5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet–smelling aroma.
We must have life renewal as follows.- In saying, we have righteous and good words.
- We do not get angry without love. We are allowed to get angry in order to help others.
- Do not give any opportunity to devil or sin.
- Do not steal.
- Do not make Holy Spirit grieve.
- We forgive one another.
- We are obedient.
The result is as follows.- We are delivered from curse and condemnation. We live in God’s blessings.
Genesis 8:20-22
8:20 Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
8:21 And the LORD smelled a soothing aroma. Then the LORD said in His heart, "I will never again curse the ground for man's sake, although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.
8:22 "While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease." - We are delivered from the trinity of Satan who is the source of problem, tears, sorrow, suffering, fear, and distress. We can feel peaceful.
Philippians 2:8-11
2:8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
2:9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,
2:10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,
2:11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. - We are delivered from doomsday in the world when Jesus comes a second time. We are lifted up on glorious clouds when Jesus comes a second time.
Revelation 8:4
8:4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand.
- In saying, we have righteous and good words.
- Seven golden lampstands or seven churches of the gentiles.
God blesses you.