Preacher: Deacon Youpri Ardiantoro
Peace and grace in the love of our Lord Jesus christ. Good evening, let us hear the Word of God. Let the peace, grace, and joy of God be in the midst of us abundantly.
This evening, we will study
Mark 10:36
10:36 And He said to them, "What do you want Me to do for you?"
This is Jesus' question to James and John; and to us as well.
What is the requirementso that this verse also applies to us?
Mark 10:35
10:35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, "Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask."
There is a term 'Teacher', which means that James and John put themselves as disciples of Jesus. It shows a relationship of a teacher and a disciple, which is about a teaching; a relationship of teaching.
So, we HAVE to accept the Word of teachingso that Jesus will be willing to do whatever we ask.
There are 2 kinds of Word, as follows.
There are 2 responsesto the question 'What do you want Me to do for you?', as follows.
What should we prepareto be able to sit on the throne of GOD? We need to learn from Esther.
The conclusionis we need to be a virgin to be able to sit on the throne of Heaven, which means that we need to hold firmly to the true teachingwhich will produce the fragrance for God, to be in the righteous and true shepherding, and to be obedient.
Obedience is the key for us to sit on the throne of Heaven. Obedience is the one thing that distinguishes Esther from other women.
Esther 1:17
1:17 For the queen's behavior will become known to all women, so that they will despise their husbands in their eyes, when they report, 'King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought in before him, but she did not come.'
Queen Vashti was commanded to be brought in before the King, but she did not come. Because of this reason, she was thrown away although she was a queen.
This evening, we need to pay attention to the obedience.
God's commands usually seem small so that we ignore them. If it is God's word, never ignore it, no matter how big or small it is. We need to obey it whatever the risks are.
This obedience also covers about marriage, especially a wife should obey his husband whatever the risks are.
The conditionof God's Bride is in the threat of death. It refers to the suffering without sins.
Esther 4:16
4:16 "Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!"
What do we needto face the sprinkle of blood?
Esther 5:2
5:2 So it was, when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, that she found favor in his sight, and the king held outto Esther the golden scepterthat was in his hand. Then Esther went near and touched the top of the scepter.
We need the golden scepter, which refers to God's grace.
The usagesof God's grace are as follows.
We need God's grace these days.
God blesses us.
Peace and grace in the love of our Lord Jesus christ. Good evening, let us hear the Word of God. Let the peace, grace, and joy of God be in the midst of us abundantly.
This evening, we will study
Mark 10:36
10:36 And He said to them, "What do you want Me to do for you?"
This is Jesus' question to James and John; and to us as well.
What is the requirementso that this verse also applies to us?
Mark 10:35
10:35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, "Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask."
There is a term 'Teacher', which means that James and John put themselves as disciples of Jesus. It shows a relationship of a teacher and a disciple, which is about a teaching; a relationship of teaching.
So, we HAVE to accept the Word of teachingso that Jesus will be willing to do whatever we ask.
There are 2 kinds of Word, as follows.
- The gospel, which preaches about Jesus' first coming to the world - Christmas -, to save us, the sinful people.
The signs of being saved are believing in Jesus, repenting, entering the water baptism, and having a new life: a life in righteousness. - The teaching, the light of the gospel of the glory of the Lord, which is Jesus' own words. It shows us what is wrong, rebukes us, and advises us about our lives.
If we listen, understand, believe, and do the Word, It will stay in our lives.
John 15:7
15:7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
The result is what we desire shall be done for us.
This is why we need to pay attention to the Word when we are listening to It. We have to listen to the Word earnestly so that we can understand, believe, and do It.
There are 2 responsesto the question 'What do you want Me to do for you?', as follows.
- Our daily needs, such as financial needs, health, jobs.
However, if we only ask for these things, we will be like the church of Laodiceans who was lukewarm, and we will be vomited by God and be separated forever and ever. - This is why our response should be upgraded to our spiritual needs. We need to ask to God that when Jesus is coming for the second time, we can sit next to Him in the throne of Heaven- this is the highest demand.
Mark 10:37
10:37 They said to Him, "Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory."
Jesus' first coming to the earth was as a baby.
On Jesus' second coming to the earth, He will be the King of kings and the Groom of Heaven. The one who can sit on the throne of Heaven is the Groom of Heaven.
Revelation 19:6-7
19:6 And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, "Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!
19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready."
What should we prepareto be able to sit on the throne of GOD? We need to learn from Esther.
- Esther 2:2
2:2 Then the king's servants who attended him said: "Let beautiful young virginsbe sought for the king;
'beautiful' is the quality of a virgin.
The first thing we need is that we have to be like a virginin a spiritual meaning.
2 Corinthians 11:2-4
11:2 For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a 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 simplicity that is in Christ.
11:4 For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you 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!
A 'virgin' means someone faithfulto a man, which means we hold firmly to a true teaching, which is written in the Bible, one verse explaining other verses.
Our preparation is to hold firmly to a one true teaching.
Revelation 14:4-5
14:4 These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.
14:5 And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God.
Those who hold firmly to the Word cannot be defiled by 2 women, as follows.- The first woman is the woman of Babylon, who refers to the teaching of Babylon which teaches about the physical glory and entertainment, without the sanctification from sins, so that God's children will always stay in sins until the peak of sins, and they will not even feel guilty of doing them.
Revelation 22:11
22:11 He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous[a] still; he who is holy, let him be holy still."
As Jesus' second coming is coming near, the sins that we keep will grow until the peak of sins, which are the sins concerning eating-drinking and the sins of marrying and giving in marriage.
These days, we should never ignore and keep a sin, no matter how small it is, but we need to use our time to repent from our sins so that we can welcome Jesus in His second coming. - The second woman is Jezebel, who taught that women may teach and have authority over a man; either in the family or in the services and ministry.
Revelation 2:20
2:20 Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teachand seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.
The consequence is like the church of Thyatira, although their ministry was great, they had a defect in His eyes, so they could not be perfect.
1 Timothy 2:11-12
2:11 Let a woman learn in silencewith all submission.
2:12 And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence.
Women should not teach and have authority over a man in marriage and in the ministry where there is a man; women may teach whenever there is no man, for example in the Woman Service.
Women should 'learn in silence', which means being obedient.
This verse is related to the fall of Eve. Adam and Eve received one command from God: 'Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat, but one'. However, this one is the one that is targeted.
The same thing also applies for us now. Women may minister in anything, except teaching and having authority over a man.
- The first woman is the woman of Babylon, who refers to the teaching of Babylon which teaches about the physical glory and entertainment, without the sanctification from sins, so that God's children will always stay in sins until the peak of sins, and they will not even feel guilty of doing them.
- Esther 2:3
2:3 and let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather all the beautiful young virgins to Shushan the citadel, into the women's quarters, under the custody of Hegai the king's eunuch, custodian of the women. And let beauty preparations be given them.
The second preparation is to be placed in the women's quarters. It refers to the shepherding.
If we are already spiritually beautiful (we have already held firmly to the true Word), we need to be in the true shepherding, which is the diligence in 3 kinds of service; we need to enter the Holy Room.
The resultsare as follows.- During the time in the women's quarters, they are beautified by the perfumes. The first result is to produce a fragrancein God's presence.
The proofsthat we have produced a fragrance are as follows.
Songs of Solomon 4:11
4:11 Your lips, O my spouse, Drip as the honeycomb; Honey and milk are under your tongue; And the fragrance of your garmentsIs like the fragrance of Lebanon.- 'garments' refer to our righteous and good daily attitude.
- 'Lips that drip as the honeycomb' refer to nice speech, which is righteous and good speech until we do not speak wrongly.
- 'garments' refer to our righteous and good daily attitude.
- 2 Corinthians 2:12-14
2:12 Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ's gospel, and a door was opened to me by the Lord,
2:13 I had no rest in my spirit, because I did not find Titus my brother; but taking my leave of them, I departed for Macedonia.
2:14 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragranceof His knowledge in every place.
Second result is we are used to be a witnessabout the gospel and the teaching.
We need to diffuse the fragrance to let other people knows God too. If we do not diffuse the fragrance but we become the stumbling stone for others, we will have to pay for it.
- During the time in the women's quarters, they are beautified by the perfumes. The first result is to produce a fragrancein God's presence.
- Esther 2:15-16
2:15 Now when the turn came for Esther the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his daughter, to go in to the king, she requested nothing but what Hegai the king's eunuch, the custodian of the women, advised. And Esther obtained favorin the sight of all who saw her.
2:16 So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, into his royal palace, in the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.
The third preparation is to be obedientto the Word whatever the risks are.
It may not be nice for the flesh to be obedient, but it is a positive point for us.
The conclusionis we need to be a virgin to be able to sit on the throne of Heaven, which means that we need to hold firmly to the true teachingwhich will produce the fragrance for God, to be in the righteous and true shepherding, and to be obedient.
Obedience is the key for us to sit on the throne of Heaven. Obedience is the one thing that distinguishes Esther from other women.
Esther 1:17
1:17 For the queen's behavior will become known to all women, so that they will despise their husbands in their eyes, when they report, 'King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought in before him, but she did not come.'
Queen Vashti was commanded to be brought in before the King, but she did not come. Because of this reason, she was thrown away although she was a queen.
This evening, we need to pay attention to the obedience.
God's commands usually seem small so that we ignore them. If it is God's word, never ignore it, no matter how big or small it is. We need to obey it whatever the risks are.
This obedience also covers about marriage, especially a wife should obey his husband whatever the risks are.
The conditionof God's Bride is in the threat of death. It refers to the suffering without sins.
Esther 4:16
4:16 "Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!"
What do we needto face the sprinkle of blood?
Esther 5:2
5:2 So it was, when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, that she found favor in his sight, and the king held outto Esther the golden scepterthat was in his hand. Then Esther went near and touched the top of the scepter.
We need the golden scepter, which refers to God's grace.
The usagesof God's grace are as follows.
- Hebrews 4:16
4:16 Let us therefore comeboldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to helpin time of need.
The first usage is to help us right on its time.
God's time will not be too late nor too early.
God's help is not limited to the size of the problem. It was not only Esther who were saved, but the whole Israelites. The same thing can happen for us. If we have God's grace, it is not impossible that all of our family members are helped. - The second usage is that the grace gives us happiness and strengthso that we will not be disappointed whatever we are facing, and we can be strong and of good courage.
- The third usage is the grace saves and makes us perfect, and we can welcome Jesus on His second coming in glory, we will be eligible to sit on the throne of Heaven with Him.
Jesus will come as the Groom of Heaven, and we will welcome Him as the Bride of Heaven. The Groom and the Bride will be united forever and ever, and we will sit on the throne of glory.
We need God's grace these days.
God blesses us.