The Lifter of My Head
(Ps 3:1-3)
God is the Head(1Co 11:3).
He is the Head of all authorities(Rm 13:1), and
To Him returns all glory.
Faith is bowing one's head before Him, and
The life of this faith is lifting one's head because of Him.
Different from other parts of the human body,
The head wears the crown and receives glory, and
It can receive an anointing and be set apart as holy.
But it can also receive the execution of beheading.
The sinner, the poor, the weak and the lowly cannot lift up their heads since
Their ancestor Adam was defeated by the devil(2Pe 2:19) and
As the result of his sin bequeathed fear and shame to his descendants(Ge 4:14).
Nevertheless, God declared that the offspring of the woman would come and
Crush the stiff head of the devil, the serpent(Ge 3:15), and that
He would lift the heads of those who come before Him(Ps 3:3).
The Law, also called the law of sin and death(Rm 8:2),
Led sinners to fear shame and the price of sin.
As such, David, though as the head of his kingdom had no one to condemn him,
Learned of fear and terrible shame from
The prophet's rebuking(2Sa 12:9-13) and
His son Absalom's rebellion and insult(2Sa 15:1-6).
Thus, he confessed that he sinned to no other but God(Ps 51:4), and
Pleaded to God, the only one who can lift up his head.
The sanctuary where the high priest laid his hand on the burnt offering and
Made atonement for the Israelites was their shield(Lev 1:4).
Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it in three days(Jn 2:19), because
Through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body,
He would become the shield for all souls for
He is the incarnate Word(Jn 1:1, Jn 1:14),
The Lamb of God anointed to be taken to death(Jn 1:29; 1Pe 1:19).
As He died, Jesus said, "It is finished(Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
1. Lowered Himself and laid down His life according to the Father's command, acknowledging Him to be the only Head(Jn 10:18;Php 2:6-8);
2. Condemned the devil who denied the Head and challenged to become the head himself(Jn 12:31; 1Jn 3:8); and
3. Through His torn flesh cancelled the written code and lifted up the heads of those who were under it(Col 2:14).
The Father raised Him and
Jesus sat on the heavenly throne as the Head of all.
The Holy Spirit came to those who received the name Yeshua and
Lets them know that His name is a shield around them.
The Christian is he who was
Brought bound by the Law to Yeshua and
In such hopelessness heard His voice to lift up his head(Jn 8:2-11).
Therefore, he lifts up his head confidently and proudly
Before the wise, the strong, the rich, and the successful in the world(1Co 1:26-31).
Because he longs to stand tall before the great white throne in heaven(He 10:19),
He becomes a shield to the sinful, the lowly, the weak, etc.
O Lord,
My Shield, my Glory, the Lifter of my head!
I am grateful that rather than lifting up my head in the world and going to hell,
I am a sinner, a fool, lowly, weak and in shame.
Lord, I can never leave You! Amen.
The Witness of Life
(1Jn 1:1-4)
God is the God of life(Ac 3:15).
In Him is life, and
Through life He reveals Himself(1Jn 1:2).
Faith is believing Him(He 1:1), and
The life of this faith is being delighted to deliver this truth(1Jn 1:4).
People like to be spectators of fights, fire, accidents etc. and
Give great authority to the fact that they witnessed such, and
Automatically deliver the news to others.
Furthermore, while no one wants to die,
It is human nature to want to see death because
That is what is shared in all men as
They inherited the price of sin, death
Since Adam their ancestor sinned(Rm 5:12).
God banished Adam out of the Garden of Eden after he sinned(Ge 3:22-24) so that
He could not eat of the tree of life for
Sin is far from life.
Nevertheless, God's schedule of giving life to men began with the Israelites when
The written code of their slavery of 430 years in Egypt was torn and they left(Ex 12:1-14), for
They witnessed the death of countless animals and their shedding of blood and
They were spared of the death of their firstborns.
To them, God gave the Law and commandments:
1. The ordinances about shedding the blood of animals in the sanctuary(Lev 4:5; He 9:1); and
2. Witnessing the punishment of evildoers(Dt 4:3; Ps 54:7, Ps 91:8).
This was reminded by
The sanctuary where the tablets were placed inside the Testimony and
The shedding of blood took place.
Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it in three days(Jn 2:19), because
Through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body,
He would give life to all souls for
He is the incarnate Word of life(Jn 1:1, Jn 1:4, Jn 1:14; 1Jn 1:2).
As He died, Jesus said, "It is finished(Jn 19:30), declaring that:
1. The Word of life died according to the Father's will and revealed His life(Jn 10:18, Jn 11:25);
2. Condemned the ruler of death(He 2:14-15); and
3. Shed His blood and spilled out His life for sinners(Lev 17:11; Mt 26:28; Jn 6:54).
He rose and ascended to the heavenly throne, and
He is the Lord of life(Ac 3:15).
Those who witnessed His resurrection
Touched and saw that eternal life(Jn 20:27; 1Jn 1:2),
The most shocking event in the history of mankind.
The Holy Spirit came so that such shock does not wear off
To those who received the blood of Jesus and
Testifies that His blood is eternal life(1Jn 5:7).
Those who gather in His name and partake in communion(1Co 11:23-25)
Experience that they have that eternal life in them and
Joyfully proclaim about Him when they scatter.
The saint is he who would smile even as he is martyred
For the fact that he witnessed such life.
O Lord,
Though many shocking events in my life have already faded away from my memory,
The event that occurred 2000 years ago at a place where I have never been
Becomes more shocking as time goes by!
Lord,
Fill my soul with this life and
Let me never forget it! Amen.
The Yoke of Christ
(Mt 11:28-30)
God is the Lord of rest(Mk 2:28).
Rest is in Him, and
He leads to rest those who are with Him.
The kingdom of heaven is where eternal rest is,
While hell is where eternal suffering from brimstone fire is and where there is no rest day or night(Rev 14:10-11).
Faith is longing for rest, and
The life of this faith is taking upon the yoke of Christ and following Him to enter that rest.
Though rest and yoke are opposite concepts,
They are one in Jesus Christ who came as the Son of Man.
Because men love to rest, they put effort to improve their conditions.
Yet even though their bodies are rested, they can still face anxiety, nervousness for
That is the result of sin from Adam(Ge 4:14).
Nevertheless, God's schedule of leading to rest
Men who were yoked with the devil began(2Pe 2:19), when
Moses brought out the Israelites from the yoke of Egypt into the desert, and
Joshua led them into the land of Canaan to give them rest(He 3:8).
However, rest was not given to them because
God struck them through gentile kings, "an iron yoke(Dt 28:48; Jer 28:8; Ac 15:10), for
They broke the Law, "a wooden yoke(Jer 28:13).
The sanctuary where the stone tablets were
Reminded them the promised rest and that they were yoked with God.
On the other hand, there was a prophecy of a child born of a virgin
Coming with the government on his shoulders(Is 9:4-6) and
Shattering the yoke of men.
Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days(Jn 2:19), because
Through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body,
He would give souls rest for
He is the Lord of rest(Mk 2:28), the very nature God(Php 2:6)
Coming in the flesh, His yoke(Mt 11:29-30).
As He hung on a tree and His flesh tore and died,
Jesus said, "It is finished(Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
1. Laid down His life and shattered the yoke that He took upon(Is 9:4; Jn 10:18);
2. Condemned the origin of sin(1Jn 3:8); and
3. With His blood redeemed the sins of men, and broke their yoke with the devil and freed them(He 2:14-15).
He rose and
Entered the Father's house, the eternal rest.
The Holy Spirit comes to those who received the blood of Jesus and
Reminds them His words, and
Lets the weary and the burdened come before Him and find rest.
The man of the Spirit is he who
Longs to enter rest with Christ.
Thus, he takes upon the yoke of Christ and follows Him,
Living with Him and dying with Him.
O Lord,
My one wish is to find rest in body and mind.
Until that day of rest,
Let me not seek rest in flesh
But rather choose to be weary with You.
Lord, I really want to rest! Amen.
Gift and Reward
(Eph 2:1-10; He 11:6)
God is love(1Jn 4:8).
For He loves He shows mercy(Eph 2:4), and
Because He loves He rewards(Eph 2:6).
Religion is the act of approaching the divine, if not seeking his attention,
Through one's works, asceticism and self-sacrifice.
Our faith, however, is receiving His grace, His gift, and
The life of this faith is looking forward to the reward in heaven and putting effort to receive it.
Though Adam was in the Garden of Eden where he could live without work(Ge 2:16),
Because he was deceived by the devil,
He became an object of wrath, losing everything(Ge 3:23; Eph 2:3).
Noah found favor in the eyes of God(Ge 6:8).
Once warned of the flood, he began building the ark for decades(Ge 5:32, Ge 6:6, Ge 6:13),
Because of which he and his family were saved from being wiped away and
His work was not in vain(Ge 7:23).
To the Israelites who showed the blood of lamb
Following God's revelation and were saved from the death of firstborns(Ex 12:13-14),
God gave the Law, which had regulations for service, to be kept for generations(He 9:1).
First, they had to shed the blood of the animal and
Enter the sanctuary(Ex 25:1-30; He 9:2, He 9:12),
Giving sacrifices to God with all their hearts, which was
According to God's promise of meeting with them from the mercy-seat(Ex 30:6).
Thus, the sanctuary was where
The Israelites served God and where He showed mercy to them.
Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days(Jn 2:19), because
Through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body,
He would fulfill all sacrifices(He 10:14), for
He is the incarnate Word, who was in the bosom of the Father,
The Son of God, grace above grace(Jn 1:14-18).
As He died, Jesus said, "It is finished(Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
1. Gave an eternal sacrifice and entered by His own works to the throne of grace which the Father had prepared for him(He 4:16, He 9:24-26, He 10:12, He 12:2);
2. Condemned the archangel who attempted to steal the throne(Is 14:12-15); and
3. With His blood redeemed the sins of all men and by His works showed mercy to them, making a way for whosoever to gain the confidence through His blood and serve God for reward(Mt 20:28; He 9:11-14, He 10:19).
He rose and ascended to the heavenly throne, the throne of grace(He 4:16).
The Holy Spirit comes in the name Yeshua to
Those who welcome and receive God's gift of the Son(Eph 2:14), that is,
His grace, the forgiveness of sin, the salvation of soul and
Being made alive - all by faith(Eph 2:8-10).
And He lets them work for the reward.
The man of the Spirit is he who
Received this gift and is moved by the love of the Father.
Therefore, he puts every effort to receive the reward that
The Father prepared from the beginning(Rev 21:24).
O Lord,
Thank You for Your mercy.
Thank You for this gift of life.
Thank You for the promise of the reward!
Let us never complain or be irritated with the work of giving to You!
Amen.
The Shepherd of My Soul
(1Pe 2:25)
God is good(Ps 119:68).
His character, His mind and His plan are all good, and
He leads to the good path(Ps 23:1-6).
Faith is knowing the Shepherd of my soul and being satisfied by Him, and
The life of this faith is being watched, overseen and supervised by Him, and following Him until the end(Ac 20:28).
The sheep and the shepherd have a vital relationship for
To the sheep the shepherd is its life itself.
For the sheep is herbivorous and has a poor sense of direction,
It needs to follow the voice of its shepherd and follow him
To find pasture and protection.
All men became lost sheep because
Their ancestor, Adam, was deceived by the devil and
Followed him(Ge 3:4-6, Ge 3:24; 2Pe 2:19).
God called Moses
Not when he was in the palace
But when he was tending sheep for 40 years(Ex 3:1-4) so that
He would become the shepherd of the people of God, Israel, and
Lead them through the sea, the desert and the valleys(Is 63:11).
On the other hand, God prophesied that
He would punish the evil deeds of
The false shepherds who would destroy and scatter the flock(Jer 23:1-2).
Nevertheless, the temple was the reminder of
God, the Shepherd of Israel, and
How He delivered them from destruction and extinction, and
Led them with His rod and His staff(Ps 23:1-6).
Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days(Jn 2:19-20),
Because through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body,
Through His torn flesh, He would become
The gate for the sheep and
The good shepherd who leads His sheep to the path of eternal life(Jn 10:7-16).
Though when He died, all His followers were scattered(Mt 26:32),
Jesus said, "It is finished(Jn 19:30), declaring that:
1. The Father alone is good for He alone can pull Him out of the darkest valley(Ps 23:4);
2. Judged the devil, the thief(Jn 10:10; 1Jn 3:8); and
3. With His blood redeemed souls and made them His possession(Rev 5:9).
He rose and ascended to heaven and entered the Father's house.
He is the great Shepherd of the sheep(He 13:20).
The Holy Spirit came in the name Yeshua
To call the lost sheep and
Made little shepherds overseers to
Tend the church which God purchased with His own blood(Ac 20:28).
The souls who once were lost but
Now have returned to the shepherd and the overseer of their souls(1Pe 2:25),
Obey the voice of his little shepherd and submit to him(He 13:17-21) so that
He would not worry but rather rejoice for
He longs to be led, even if it is a thorny path,
To the river of life
When the Chief Shepherd appears(1Pe 5:4; Rev 7:17).
O Lord,
Let us follow until the end
Our little shepherd who leads us
To the path of righteousness, the path of the truth,
Even if we are struck with bitter words.
Lord, finally, lead us out of this darkest valley, Hades!
Amen.
Faith Overcomes the World
(1Jn 5:4-5)
God is everlasting(Ps 102:26; He 1:8).
His kingdom is forever, and
His dwelling place is forever.
Faith is believing Him and
The life of this faith is about overcoming the world because of Him.
The longer one lives in the world,
The more one becomes attached to it.
As time goes by, the world becomes more advanced and a better place to live.
Thus, people want to live longer, have more, and become more successful than ever before.
Nevertheless, everyone must leave the world at some point and
Once he leaves, he cannot come back.
More importantly, however,
The Bible says that the world has an end:
When by His word God burns it up with fire,
The day the prince of the world, the devil, is sent to hell(2Pe 2:4, 2Pe 2:7; Jude 1:6; Mt 13:39-40, Mt 25:41)
Deceived by the devil,
Adam sinned and because of which
He was banished from his world, the Garden of Eden,
To the world of men(Ge 3:23-24), and
All men became destined to go to hell with the devil(Mt 25:41).
Since the wickedness in the world became great(Ge 6:5; 2Pe 3:6),
God destroyed it by a deluge
But Noah and his family lived because
They believed in God's word and built an ark.
Only a day after the angels arrived in Sodom,
The entire city was destroyed by brimstone fire
But Lot and his family escaped because they believed in God's word.
According to the prophecy,
The Israelites were delivered from Egypt after 430 years of slavery(Ge 15:13; Ex 12:41).
Gradually, however, they became unruly against God(Hos 11:12), and
Because punishment was slow in coming, they became even bolder(Ecc 8:11).
The prophets warned them of
The coming punishment for their detestable practices(Eze 7:8; Hab 2:3; Mal 4:5).
Yet the temple where the name of God was
Provided hope for the Israelites.
Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days(Jn 2:19), because
Through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body,
He would put an end to the world that He made by His word(Jn 1:3; 2Pe 3:7; He 1:2), for
He is the incarnate Word who was with the Father in the beginning(Jn 1:1, Jn 1:14).
As He died, Jesus said, "It is finished(Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
1. Believed the Father and laid down His life according to the Father's will(Jn 10:17-18);
2. Judged the prince of the world(Jn 12:31); and
3. With His torn flesh made a way for men to escape this burning universe, and with His blood redeemed men(Mt 20:28; Jn 3:16,Jn 12:47).
Though He engaged with the devil and died,
Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to the heavenly throne,
Subjecting the world under His feet(He 2:5).
The Holy Spirit comes in the name Yeshua
To those who received Him as the Savior and
By faith received salvation(Jn 4:42), and
Lets them believe in His name, His word.
The Christian did not receive the spirit of the world
But the Spirit who came from the Father(1Co 2:12), and
Longs to receive everlasting life when the Lord returns.
Therefore, he overcomes the world by faith for
He knows the weapon of the prince of the world.
The weapon of the prince of the world is the world.
It is sensual, emotional and extremely humanistic.
He puts every effort to tempt one more believer to
Chase after the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life(1Jn 2:16), and
To make him become earthly, unspiritual, demonic, and enemies of God(Jas 3:15, Jas 4:4).
He also leads him to follow the ways of the world, that is, morals and ethics(Eph 2:2-3), and
Focus on the interest and the good of the family,
Seek fame and waste his life so that
He would become unworthy of the kingdom of God(Mt 10:34-37).
O Lord,
Even if I am told to be anti-social, anti-humanist, and anti-moral,
Let me, my family and all those You have given me
Cut off our ties to the world by faith
So that in that day when we leave the world
We can subject the world to come! Amen.
Use Worldly Wealth to Gain Friends
(Lk 16:1-13)
God is the Owner.
He made all things by His word and is their Owner(He 11:2), and
He purchases souls with His blood and is the Lord of life(Ac 3:15; 1Pe 1:18), and
To those who fear Him He inherits all His possession(He 1:2).
Faith is acknowledging and welcoming Him, and
The life of this faith is managing His possessions, as His steward, according to His will.
If one has no possession, his concerns would be simple.
But as one has great wealth, he has many concerns, such as where to keep it, where to invest it, and etc.
In the world, the most ideal way of managing wealth is
To return to the society where one gained it.
Similarly, the Bible says that we must return to God what is His(Mt 22:21), for
The heavens, the earth, the gold, the silver and all things are His(Hag 2:8).
Deceived by the devil,
Adam sinned and all men became slaves of the devil(2Pe 2:19).
Abraham met the priest of God Melchizedek and
Gave him a tenth of everything and was blessed, for
The victory and the plunder from the battle came from God(Ge 14:17-20).
God gave the Law to his descendants for them to keep for generations.
But first, He had them in slavery, having no possession, for 430 years(Ge 15:13-14).
Then, He had them live in the desert where there was nothing(Dt 8:17).
Finally, He gave them the Law that commanded them to
Give tithe and offerings(Lev 27:30; Dt 14:22; Mal 3:8).
After they entered the land of Canaan, however,
The people and even the priests did not keep this regulation.
Thus, God rebuked them for robbing what belongs to God: tithes and offerings(Mal 3:12).
Nevertheless, the sanctuary where
The offerings were given to God
Reminded them that God was their Owner and they were His people.
Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days(Jn 2:19), because
Through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body,
He would give the perfect, eternal offering to the Father for
He is the incarnate Word(Jn 1:1, Jn 1:14), who came as the High Priest(He 8:1).
As He died, Jesus said, "It is finished(Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
1. Gave His body once for all as an eternal, perfect offering(He 10:10, He 10:12; 1Pe 1:18-19);
2. Condemned the thief who stole men from God(Ge 3:4-5; Jn 10:10); and
3. With His blood redeemed and purchased souls, becoming their Owner(Ac 20:28; Rev 5:9-10).
He rose from the grave and became the Lord of life(Ac 32:15), and
Sat at the right-hand of God(He 10:10),
Bringing all things under His feet(Eph 1:22).
The Holy Spirit comes in the name Yeshua
To those who welcomed Him as their Lord, and
Lets them know that they became His servants.
The man of the Spirit is he who
Willingly become the Lord's servant and
Confesses that everything he has belongs to the Lord.
Therefore, he uses worldly wealth to gain friends for himself like the shrewd manager(Lk 16:1-9), and
Brutally treats wealth like the early church believers(Ac 4:37) for
He longs to be welcomed to eternal dwellings in that day.
O Lord,
Since one day this world will push me out and
This uncertain wealth(1Ti 6:17) will leave me,
Let me not hoard it and be burn up with the world(Jas 5:2-3; 2Pe 3:10),
But instead let me send it ahead to the Father's house where
I long to be welcomed! Amen.
To The Praise of His Glorious Grace
(Eph 1:3-14)
God is the God of glory.
He is worthy to receive glory(Rev 4:11), and
He is enthroned on praises(Ps 22:3).
Faith is knowing His glory and grace, and
The life of this faith is praising His glorious grace, whether one is happy or sad, as long as he has breath.
Praise refers to lifting up
God's name, His attributes, His works and one's relationship with Him,
Throughout one's life, standing, mostly in the sanctuary
With psalms, lips, all instruments, clapping and dancing, for
God does not yield His glory, His praise to any other(Is 42:8).
God contained Lucifer, once an archangel in heaven, (Is 14:12-15) in
Hades, the universe, until the great day of judgment because
In spite of the fact that he was created to praise God(Eze 28:13),
He challenged the throne to receive praises from other angels.
Deceived by the devil, Adam sinned(Ge 3:4-6) and
All men became slaves of the devil, destined to go to hell(Mt 25:41).
Furthermore, they became heavily influenced by music(Ge 4:21)
Because of the spirits of music(Is 14:17).
God chose the people of Israel for the glory of God(Is 43:7) and
Had them praise Him for
They were delivered from Egypt and saved from the Red Sea(Ex 15:6, Ex 15:11).
The clouds that covered the sanctuary that God had them build(Ex 40:34),
The incense that filled up the Most Holy Place(Lev 16:13), and
The Ark of the Lord, the mercyseat(1Sa 4:22)
All reminded them of the glory of God.
As such, David gave the sacrifice of praise for about 40 years(1Ch 6:31).
In the tent that he pitched for the Ark(2Sa 6:16-22).
Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days(Jn 2:19), Because through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body,
He would praise, not the name Jehovah, but the name Yeshua for He who is equal with God would
Die on the cross in the nature of a servant(Php 2:6-11).
As He died, Jesus said, "It is finished(Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
1. Lowered Himself to the lowest point and became the praise of the Father's glorious grace(Php 2:11; He 1:2);
2. Judged the devil who left his proper position and attempted to lift himself up(Jude 1:6); and
3. With His blood redeemed all men(Eph 1:6) and brought together the angels in heaven and the created on earth who received grace to praise the name Yeshua(Eph 1:10).
He rose and sat on the glorious throne,
Receiving the praise of countless angels for
He is the Lamb who was slain(Rev 5:11-14).
The Holy Spirit came to
Those who, by the grace of Jesus Christ, have been saved from hell, and
Lets them give the praise that is
Different from the praise of angels or the Israelites.
The man of the Spirit praises
The glorious grace of Jesus Christ for
His sinless-ness, redemption and resurrection, and
Also about His being their King, their Father and their God, and
Thus, he is released from chains on earth(2Ch 20:3-23; Ac 16:25).
In the last day, he hopes to be taken up and
To praise Him before the throne forever(Eph 1:12).
O Lord,
Let me and all those You have given me
Never run dry of tears.
Let us be like the sinful woman who washed Your feet with her tears(Lk 7:36-48).
Let us cover the wounds of the Lamb with the incense of praise.
Amen.
The Greatest Masterpiece
(Mt 16:18-19)
God is the first and the last(Rev 22:13).
His will is the same from the beginning and the end, and
Whatever He begins, He certainly finishes.
Faith is knowing and loving Him, and
The life of this faith is, with the Lord, putting effort to leave behind the greatest masterpiece on earth.
It is human nature to want to leave something behind in the world.
As such, most people want to leave smarter descendants; while
Writers, artists, architects, scientists etc. all
Pour their hearts out to leave behind their greatest works.
In the beginning, God made the heavens and the earth and
Said that it was good(Ge 1:1) for
All things were the masterpiece of God made by His word.
Noah and his family survived the judgment by deluge which
Killed all living things in the world(Ge 6:14-22) for They built for 70 years the ark, their masterpiece, according to God's design(Ge 5:32-7:10).
The Tabernacle was the masterpiece built
In the desert after the exodus of Israel(Ex 25:8)
According to God's design, under the direction of Moses.
Solomon was permitted to build the Temple in Jerusalem for 7 years(1Ki 5:1-1Ki 6:38)
With the best material that his father, King David, prepared and
With the support of the neighboring kingdoms,
As well as 70, 000 carriers, 80, 000 stonecutters in the hills, and
3, 300 foremen who supervised the project and directed the workers.
Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days(Jn 2:19), because
Through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body,
He would build the temple of God designed before the creation(He 3:2-3),
Not with perishable things like gold or silver(1Pe 1:19-20)
But with the precious blood that was before the creation, the incarnate Word(Jn 1:14).
As He died, Jesus said, "It is finished(Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
- Laid down His life and fulfilled the Father's will(Jn 10:17-18);
- Condemned the archangel who defiled the heavenly sanctuary when he sinned(Eze 28:18; 1Jn 3:8); and
Sprinkled His blood and redeemed the sins of men, preparing them to become God's temple(1Co 3:16).
He rose and
Entered the heavenly sanctuary that is not made by human hands(He 9:11, He 9:24).
The Holy Spirit came in the name Yeshua and
The church was built on earth(Ac 2:1-4).
The church is:
- The greatest masterpiece of Jesus who left behind His blood(Mt 16:18);
- The greatest masterpiece that ought to be left behind by those saved by His blood because:
It is according to God's design and the Holy Spirit who oversees it(Ac 20:28);
It was built with the most precious material, the blood of the Only Begotten Son;
The gates of Hades will not prevail it - thus, overcoming tribulation, persecution, poverty or even death(Mt 16:18); and
The world cannot seep into it and thus it does not change(1Ti 3:15).
O Lord,
What an honor it is that
You allow such a worthless life to leave behind such a great masterpiece!
Thank You!
I will build the greatest church on earth. I will support it.
I will leave behind a masterpiece that the church will remember.
O Lord, help us all. Amen.
Our Father Who Sees in Secret
(Mt 6:5-13)
God is living.
He is in the secret place (Mt 6:6) and
He sees in secret.
Faith is acknowledging Him who transcends all understanding (Php 4:7), and
The life of this faith is living before His sight.
Deceived by the devil,
Adam sinned because he forgot God's existence in the Garden (Ge 3:6-8).
Furthermore, he misunderstood thinking that
He could hide from God's sight by hiding (Jer 23:24).
Even after being banished from the Garden,
His offspring Cain and others lived
Without being aware of God's existence and His sight (Ge 4:8-10).
While Moses was alone on Mount Horeb (Ex 3:1-6),
He heard the voice of God calling him and was afraid.
After the exodus, God was on the mountain
Filled with fire, smoke and cloud (Ex 19:3-25) and
Called only Moses, forbidding others from approaching.
God gave Moses the Law and
Commanded the Israelites to build a sanctuary (Ex 20:1-18, Ex 25:8) for
It was a secret place where God would dwell among them and meet with them.
As the people watched,
Moses alone entered the tabernacle as the pillar of cloud came down, and
Spoke with God, as a man speaks with his friend (Ex 33:9-11).
After that, the high priest alone went there once a year (He 9:7),
With the appointed sacrifice, the blood of animal.
Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days (Jn 2:19),
- Because through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body,
- He would reveal that He is the living God for
- He is the incarnate Word who was with the Father in the beginning (Jn 1:1, Jn 1:14, Jn 1:18).
As He died, Jesus said, "It is finished (Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
Died according to the Father's will established before the creation (Jn 10:17-18; Eph 1:4);
Condemned the devil; and
Tore His flesh, opening the gates of heaven, and prepared a secret place for the Father in heaven and His children born of His blood to meet (Jn 10:9; He 9:24, He 10:19-20).
He rose and entered the secret place in heaven,
The Father's house.
The Holy Spirit comes in the name Yeshua to
Those who received His blood.
For He is the Spirit who sees in secret the deep things of the spirit (1Co 2:11),
He lets them become conscious of God who is unseen.
The Christian is he who is
Watched over by the Spirit and the church (Ac 20:28).
Therefore, by the blood of Jesus
He goes before the Father who is in the secret place (Mt 6:6-13) and
Pours out everything by repenting for every sin (Ps 51:4) and
Entrusts Him with his problems (Php 4:6).
He serves joyfully even if no one sees him for
He believes in the Father's reward (Mt 6:4) and
Longs to finally enter that secret place
When the Lord returns.
O Lord,
Please pour out to us spiritual inspiration and
Let us feel Your eyes on us at all times.
When we pray, let us speak with You as a man speaks with his friend.
Let us long for the secret place where we can meet with You!
Amen.
The Priority of Your Life
(Mt 6:33; Col 1:15-18)
God is the First.
He is before all things and
He treats those who know Him as the First as first.
Faith is knowing Him and
The life of this faith is making Jesus the top priority of one's life.
Every man has a priority of his life:
While some prioritize their family over their work,
Others prioritize the public gain over the private gain.
Deceived by the devil,
The archangel who attempted to become the first in heaven (Is 14:12-15),
Adam became confused about his priority and sinned (Ge 3:4-6) and
All men became slaves of the devil (2Pe 2:19).
The Bible records men who made God their top priority:
As soon as Noah came out of the ark after the great flood and
Set his foot on the new land,
He first sacrificed burnt offerings to God (Ge 8:20);
When Abram finally entered the land where God instructed him to go to,
He first built an altar for God (Ge 12:5-6).
The catalyst of the exodus of Israel
After 430 years of their slavery in Egypt was
The death of the firstborn of both people and animals.
However, the spirit of death passed over
Those who put the blood of lamb according to God's instructions (Ex 12:21-24, Ex 12:29).
The regulation regarding the Passover commanded them
To sacrifice every firstborn of animals to God and
To redeem every firstborn of people (Ex 13:14-15).
Accordingly, the Levites served God in place of the firstborn of Israel for
All firstborns belonged to God (Nu 3:12-13).
The sanctuary where
The Levites gave sacrifices and
The first fruit of the harvest was given (Ex 23:19, Ex 34:19) reminded them this.
Yet there were those who served other gods, and they were put to death (Dt 13:6-10).
Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days (Jn 2:19),
Because through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body,
He would prioritize the work of the Father and serve Him (Jn 4:31-34) for
He is the incarnate Word, equal to God, (Jn 1:1-2, Jn 1:14) who is
Before the prophets and even Abraham (Jn 1:15, Jn 8:56).
He rebuked the Pharisees (Mt 23:26), and
Said that the tax collectors and the prostitutes will go to heaven ahead of them (Mt 21:31).
As He died, Jesus said, "It is finished (Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
- Kept the Father's command and made the Father His top priority (Jn 10:17-18; Php 2:11);
- Judged the devil who attempted to become the first in spite of the fact he is only a creation (1Jn 3:8); and
- Redeemed the sins of all men, forgave them and set them free (Eph 1:7; Rm 8:2).
He was the first to rise from the dead (Ac 26:23) and
Became the first fruit among those who have fallen asleep (1Co 15:21).
He ascended to the heavenly throne.
The Holy Spirit comes in the name Yeshua
To His body, the church, and
Lets its members know that
Christ has the supremacy in everything (Col 1:15-8).
The disciple of Jesus is he who
Makes his spiritual life, the advancement of the kingdom of Christ, and the church work
His top priority over his family and livelihood (Mt 6:31; Lk 9:59-60; Lk 14:27-33; Col 1:24).
Therefore, he begins the first day of the week with worship, and
The first hour of the day with prayer,
As he longs to be the first to be called up to the air to
Partake in the first resurrection when the Lord returns (1Co 15:23; Rev 20:5).
O Lord,
I want to make You, the advancement of Your kingdom, and the work of Your body the church
The top priority of my life.
May Christ have the supremacy in everything, in my life!
I only hope that, on the day You return,
All those You have given me and I
Be the first to be lifted up! Amen.
Christ Our Abounding Comfort
(2Co 1:3-11)
God is the God of all comfort.
He comforts those who confess to be failure, and
He comforts with reward those who toil to comfort others.
Comfort refers to consoling those who
Face sadness, worries, loss, disappointment, injustice, solitude, toils, and pains, and
The bereaved, the orphans, the poor, the imprisoned, the troops in combat etc.
Even the dead are comforted by offerings.
While religions are man's attempt to comfort himself,
Faith is being satisfied by God's comfort, and
The life of this faith is refusing other comforts(Ge 37:35; Mt 2:18) and instead
Seeking the alienated and comforting them with God's comfort that abounds in oneself(2Co 1:5).
God made man in His image(Ge 1:28), and
He made him in order to destroy the devil(Ge 3:15) and
To comfort him by His comfort as a result(1Co 3:10).
For the Israelites were a people comforted by God,
He delivered them from their slavery of 430 years and
Led them through the desert by many miracles(Is 51:3, Is 61:2).
According to the prophecy that said that
Israel would be comforted over Jerusalem(Is 66:13),
The sanctuary was God's comfort for Israel.
When it was time, Jesus, the Son of God came to
The land of Judea where they were waiting for the consolation of Israel(Lk 2:25), and
He said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days(Jn 2:19), because
Through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body,
He would comfort all souls of men for He is the incarnate Word who was with the Father in the beginning(Jn 1:1, Jn 1:14).
As such, He refused to be comforted
By the devil after fasting in the desert(Mt 4:4) and
By the disciple who told Him not to die(Mt 16:23).
Jesus was rather despised, rejected, afflicted, pierced and crushed(Is 53:3-12), and
As He died, He said, "It is finished(Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
- Laid down His life according to the Father's word and resolved to be comforted only by the Father(Jn 10:17-18);
- Condemned the origin of sin(Ge 3:4-5); and
- Shed His redeeming blood and gave His soul as an offering for sin for all men(Is 53:10; Mt 20:28).
He was raised among the dead and
Ascended to the heavenly throne where
He is eternally comforted by the Father(Mt 16:19; Rev 3:21).
The Holy Spirit whom He sent
Comes in the name Yeshua to
Those who come before His name to be comforted by Him(Mt 5:3-4).
The church is where God's comfort abounds
Through worship, praise, preaching, repentance and prayer.
The Christian finds comfort
Only in the suffering, the blood of Jesus.
Therefore, he overcomes poverty, sadness, lostness, sickness, persecution, and tribulation, and
Goes out to seek and comfort with the abounding comfort of Christ
Those who are still lost in search of the world's comfort.
O Lord,
In the past, I have done many foolish things to console my heart.
But now, I do not need anyone else's comfort because
I have been abundantly comforted only by the suffering, the blood of Jesus!
With Your abundant comfort
Let me comfort those You have given me, those who are in tribulation.
Amen.
The Father's Kingdom Forever!
(Mt 6:13; Rev 5:9-10)
God is righteous (Ps 11:7).
With righteousness He establishes His kingdom and
With righteousness He rules His kingdom.
Faith is welcoming the kingdom that is ruled by His scepter of justice and maintaining the
relationship with His kingdom (Ps 45:6-7).
The life of this faith is giving one's life for His kingdom and His righteousness (Mt 6:33).
Righteousness refers to law and
Every nation has law and is governed by that law.
The level of a nation is determined by its constitutional government and
The fate of a nation is decided by the one who holds its power.
Adam was banished from the Garden of Eden (Ge 3:24) because
He ate the forbidden fruit and broke the word of God, the law (Ge 2:17, Ge 3:4-6)
Being deceived by the words of the devil,
The unrighteous who challenged the heavenly throne (Is 14:12-15; Eze 28:15).
God called Abram "Abraham, a father of many nations (Ge 10:5, Ge 17:5-6) for
Many kings and nations would come out from him.
God fulfilled His prophecy of Abraham's descendants being
Strangers in a country not their own for four generations (Ge 15:13-16) and
Delivering them from the ruler of that kingdom (Ex 12:40-41).
In the desert, the kingdom of priests where
God ruled with the Law of Moses was born “ that is, Israel (Ex 19:6).
In the sanctuary was the Testimony (Ex 25:8, Ex 40:20-21) which
Reminded them that God brought them out of Egypt (Dt 26:8) and that
God ruled from the mercy seat above the Testimony as their Ruler.
However, they rejected God as their king and
Made a man to be their king (1Sa 8:5-20), becoming
A wicked nation and people who sinned by serving other gods (Ps 1:4).
Subsequently, the nation divided into two kingdoms:
The Northern Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom, both of which eventually collapsed.
Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days (Jn 2:19) because
Through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body,
He would tear down the kingdom ruled by the Law and
Raise a new kingdom ruled by His words, the truth, for He is the incarnate Word who was with the Father in the beginning (Jn 1:1, Jn 1:14),
The righteousness of God who came in flesh,
As the kingdom of heaven (Mt 3:2, Mt 4:17).
Thus, He refused to be their king.
As He died, Jesus said, "It is finished (Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
- Kept the Father's law, command and testified His righteousness and the Father's righteousness (Jn 10:18; Rm 5:18);
- Judged the devil, the unrighteous prince of the world (Eze 28:15; Jn 12:31, Jn 16:11; 1Jn 3:18); and
- With His blood purchased men, making them a kingdom, and offered it to the Father (Rev 5:9-10).
After He rose, He sat on the heavenly throne
Becoming the King of kings, the King of ages (Ac 5:30; 1Ti 6:15).
The Holy Spirit comes in the name Yeshua as the Ruler
To those who received His blood as a spiritual territory (Mk 9:1).
The man of the Spirit is
Made a soldier of Christ (2Ti 2:3-13).
Therefore, he overcomes whether he eats or starves, whether he lives or dies, and
Goes to the ends of the earth and testifies Jesus to all nations (Mt 28:19; Ac 1:8).
He does it for the advancement of the kingdom where Jesus alone reigns as Christ and
He longs for that kingdom to stand firm and its sovereignty to overwhelmingly govern.
O Lord,
Your kingdom is our life!
Let us give our life for its advancement.
And when Your kingdom comes, let us all be absorbed in it. Amen.
The Lord is My Refuge
(Jn 8:1-11)
God is the Savior (2Sa 22:3).
For salvation He sacrifices Himself and
For those who come to Him to be saved He becomes a refuge.
Faith is seeking refuge in God in order to live, and
The life of this faith is running into Him to take refuge until the last day of the flesh and providing a refuge for those who come to live.
Rock hyraxes are creatures that are small but extremely wise for
They make their home in the crags (Pr 30:24-26).
To those who face disasters or threats to escape,
The most important thing is to find a refuge, since
Being protected to live is the most important thing
Regardless of the treatment or conditions.
Deceived by the devil,
Adam sinned and was banished from the Garden, which was
The best environment for a living being.
Thereafter, his descents became wanderers.
In spite of the fact that Cain killed his own brother,
When he was sentenced to be cursed by God,
He pleaded with God to not be killed by anyone he met.
Thus, God gave him a mark of salvation so he would not be killed (Ge 4:8, Ge 4:14-15).
Though according to the Law, a murderer was put to death,
Those who killed accidentally were exempt from such:
They were to run to one of the six cities of refuge along the Jordan, and
The high priest at that time would protect him until his death (Nu 35:10-29).
The sanctuary where the name of the Lord God was
Became the refuge of Israel (Ps 34:22, Ps 57:1, Ps 61:3-4).
Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days (Jn 2:19-21), because
Through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body,
He would become the refuge for the souls of all men.
For His name is Salvation (Mt 1:21),
He came to save men (Jn 12:47) and
Become their refuge (Jn 8:2-11)
As He died, Jesus said, "It is finished (Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
- Laid down His life and sacrificed Himself to fulfill the Father's will, the Law (Mt 5:17; Jn 10:17-18; He 9:9, He 10:1);
- Condemned the origin of sin; and
- Tore His flesh and shed His blood, making a way to the eternal refuge in the Father's house for sinners to run in and find eternal freedom (Jn 10:9; Lk 23:43; He 10:19).
Jesus rose and ascended to the heavenly throne.
The Holy Spirit comes in the name Y'shua
To those who gained the confidence by His blood and
Have fled to take hold of the hope set before them (He 6:18).
He lets them know that
The church, whose head is the name Y'shua, is
Their strong refuge on earth (Pr 30:26; Ps 71:7; Mt 16:18).
Therefore, to those who come into the church:
- There is no condemnation (Rm 8:1);
- There is no revealing of the sins they confessed;
- There is only the encouragement of the Holy Spirit (Ac 9:31);
- They are provided with heavenly things (Jn 6:33); and
- Jesus, the eternal High Priest, guarantees life (He 8:25).
The man of the Spirit is he who
Runs to the church where he takes refuge in the name Y'shua.
Therefore, he puts every effort to prevent worldly things from coming into the church and
To protect the souls who came in the church to live.
O Lord,
You are my Refuge in the days of tribulation.
Let me bite my tongue and not reveal the secrets of my brothers.
Let me not be tempted to increase the number of church members and become secularized.
Let me rather choose to be isolated and protect the church!
Amen.
When the Holy Spirit Comes
(Ac 1:6-11)
God is Spirit (Jn 4:24).
He gives birth through the Spirit (He 12:9; Jas 1:18), and
He works through the Spirit and is testified by the Spirit (Mt 16:17, Mt 16:20).
Religions are human efforts to arrive at the divine state, while
Idolatry is images of gods that men make and give divine authority to (Ex 32:1).
However, God is the God of gods (Da 2:47), and
As such, He reveals Himself according to His ways and is testified accordingly (Jn 1:18).
All visible things are the evidence of the invisible, self-exiting God (Ge 1:1-31; Rm 1:20), and
The exodus of Israel was an event that testified the self-existing God (Ex 3:13, Ex 3:17).
Furthermore, Moses and the Israelites were all witnesses of the self-existing God.
Even in the Old Testament, there were works of the Holy Spirit, also called
"The Spirit (Nu 27:18), "the Spirit of the Lord (Jdg 14:6, Jdg 15:14), and "the Holy Spirit (Ps 51:11), who
Inspired holy men to prophesy and reveal power.
The sanctuary where the Ark of the Testimony was (Ex 25:22)
Testified the invisible self-existing God of Israel.
Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days (Jn 2:19), because
Through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body,
He would fully reveal God the Father for
He is the Word who was with the Father in the beginning (Jn 1:1, Jn 1:14) and
Became flesh through the Holy Spirit (Mt 1:20, Lk 1:35).
As such, though He is the Son of God,
Jesus was baptized with the Holy Spirit (Mt 3:16), and
Led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit and was tested (Mt 4:1; Mk 1:12).
He was full of joy through the Holy Spirit (Lk 10:21), and
He drove out demons by the Holy Spirit and healed (Mt 12:28).
As He died, Jesus said, "It is finished (Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
- Laid down His life and fulfilled the Father's will (Jn 10:17-18);
- Condemned the origin of sin, who cut men off from God (Ge 3:4; 1Jn 3:8); and
- Shed His blood and redeemed the sins of all men, giving life to their souls (Mt 20:28).
Finally, He was raised among the dead by the Holy Spirit (Rm 8:11).
Before He ascended to heaven,
Jesus commanded the disciples to not leave Jerusalem and wait (Ac 1:4) for
After He goes to the Father,
He would send another Counselor, the Holy Spirit (Jn 14:16-18; Ac 1:4-5).
The Holy Spirit comes to those who long and wait for Him (Ac 2:1), and
He testifies Jesus (Jn 5:31-32; Ac 1:8).
He also lets believers:
- Know grace - that they have been forgiven of sins and that they have life in them (1Co 2:11-12; Eph 5:18);
- Have the heart of Jesus - so that they may bear the fruit of the Spirit (Php 2:1-2; Gal 5:16-18); and
- Leads them to the truth - so that they may know the things of the future and prepare for the Lord's return (Jn 16:8-11; Jn 6:13; Ac 1:11).
The man of the Spirit, therefore
Puts every effort to be filled with the Holy Spirit and
Become a witness of Jesus, of His resurrection
To the ends of the earth, to the end of the world, risking his life (Ac 20:24) for
He longs to have his faith be testified by the Lord when He appears a second time (He 9:27).
O Lord,
If the Holy Spirit is certainly in us,
Why is that our souls do not hear His voice?
Let us be filled with the Holy Spirit and Open up our mouths and cry out, "Jesus is alive!
Let us be witnesses of Jesus! Amen.
Call on Him While He is Near
(Is 55:6; Lk 8:22-25)
God is omnipresent(Jer 23:23-24).
For there is no place He is not present, there is nothing He does not know.
For He is near, when one calls on Him, He answers(Ps 145:18; Is 55:6).
Faith is knowing that He is near and
The life of this faith is calling His name and experiencing that He is near(Ps 73:28).
When Adam heard the voice of God after he sinned(Ge 3:8-10),
He knew that God was near and confessed, because of which
God clothed him in a garment of skin(Ge 3:21).
He was, however, banished from the Garden and
A flaming sword was put around it(Ge 3:24) because
No man with sin can come near God.
It became thereafter human nature
To make idols to satisfy their emptiness with images of gods and
To make religions by naming gods to approach them.
God called Moses from the burning bush on Mount Horeb(Ex 3:2-5) and
Warned him not to come any closer because
It was a holy ground where God was.
The sanctuary God commanded the Israelites to build(Ex 25:8) was where
The name of the Lord God was(Nu 3:10), and
Only Moses and the high priest could enter there(Lev 19:22, Lev 21:17-21, Lev 24:1) for
Without blood no sinner could come near God(He 9:7).
The prophet, on the other hand, warned them of
The curse of God, which was God refusing to listen when they called(Jer 7:13) but
Pleaded them to return to God for He stretched out His hand(Pro 1:24; Is 55:6).
Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days(Jn 2:19), because
Through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body,
God would near Himself to men for
He is the Word in the beginning who came in the flesh(Jn 1:1, Jn 1:14)
To be Immanuel(Is 7:14).
As such, Jesus began His ministry by calling the disciples
So they might be with Him(Mk 3:13-15), and
When there was a storm out in the sea
He rebuked the winds and the waves,
Only after the disciples cried out to Him(LK 8:22-25).
As He died, Jesus said, "It is finished(Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
- Laid down His life and fulfilled the Father's will(Jn 10:17-18);
- Condemned the divider(Ge 3:4-5);
- Tore His flesh and tore down the dividing wall between God and men, and shed His blood and paid the price of their sins, bringing them close to God(Eph 2:13-14).
He rose and sat on the heavenly throne.
The Holy Spirit comes in the name Y'shua to
Those who call on His name and have their souls saved(Rm 10:14), and
He lets them call on Him.
The man of the Spirit is he who
Received the name Y'shua and knows that He is near.
Therefore, he calls on the name and
Experiences His nearness whenever and wherever for
He longs for the day when he will finally
Be near the Lord forever.
O Lord,
When we call Your name again and again,
You never let us down and You answer us,
But we do not even call and fall in despair.
As You heard the prayer of Elijah on Mount Carmel,
Hear us when we call on You and
Let us know that You are near!
Amen.
Father
(Lk 15:11-32)
Our God is the Father(Mt 6:8).
He gives birth to His children(Jas 1:18), and
He wants to live with His children forever(Jn 14:2).
Faith is understanding the heart of the Father and
The life of this faith is returning to the Father.
There is no child who is better than his father for
The child always wants to live afar from his father while
The father wants to keep his son near him always.
The son who runs away from his home is the worst in the world, and
The son who takes his own life also kills the heart of his parents.
After Adam sinned just once,
The Lord God Jehovah banished Adam from the Garden and
Put a flaming sword around it(Ge 3:6, Ge 3:24) for
Jehovah refers to "the Lord, that is,
A relationship between a master and his servant enforced by fear.
To materialize this relationship,
God called on the people of Israel.
There was no forgiveness for anyone breaking the Law because
It was the spirit to fear(Rm 8:15).
The sanctuary where the name of the Lord God was
Warned anyone from haphazardly approaching it.
Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days(Jn 2:19), because
Through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body,
He would give birth to all souls for
He is the Word who was with the Father in the beginning, who became flesh(Jn 1:1, Jn 1:14)
To let men know that God is their Father(Mt 6:8) and that
He would take them to the Father's house in heaven to live there with Him(Jn 14:2-3).
Furthermore, He said that, anyone who has seen Him has seen the Father(Jn 14:9).
Considering this as blasphemy, the Jews put Jesus to death.
As Jesus died, however, He said, "It is finished(Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
- Laid down His life according to the Father's word and fulfilled His will(Jn 10:17-18);
- Condemned the father of lies(Jn 8:44); and
- With His blood paid the price of all men's sins(Mt 20:28), and with His torn flesh made a way for them to return to the Father's house(Jn 14:6; He 10:29).
The Father raised Him and
Jesus ascended to heaven, to the Father's house.
The Holy Spirit comes in the name of the Father, Y'shua(Jn 17:11)
To those who are born-again in His blood,
The spirit of adoption, the spirit of sonship(Rm 8:15-16; Gal 4:6), and
Testifies that they are children of God and
Lets them call Him, "Father.
When his child returns,
The Father welcomes him and forgives him regardless of what he has done because
To the Father there is no past of his child's wrongdoing;
There is only present with the fact that he has returned to be with Him.
To this day, however, children of God break His heart(Lk 15:11-32) as
They are not interested in their relationship with Him,
Only returning to not go to hell, like the prodigal son.
And they often want to run away
Complaining for not being recognized, like the older son.
The mature Christian deeply understands
The heart of the Father and
Waits for the day he can go to the Father's house and live with Him there.
Therefore, he does not break the Father's heart while he is on earth and
Looks after young souls like his little brothers.
O Lord,
Even foolish fathers who have nothing to offer
Want to live with their sons until the end.
Then, how much more for the heart of the Father who
Killed the One and Only Son to make a way to Him and
Made a home with jewels and waits for His children!
Father!
Forgive us for we are immature, and
Be patient with us. Amen.
The Life that I Now Live
(Gal 2:20-21)
God is the Lord of grace (Neh 9:31).
Grace comes from Him (Jn 1:14), and
To those who know His grace He infinitely gives.
Faith is knowing Him and being moved by Him, and
The life of this faith is paying back for grace until one can go before the throne of grace.
Grace refers to the gift that is costless and priceless.
Not because it is worthless
But because it is so worthy, so costly that
There is no way for the receiver to pay back,
The giver gives freely.
Despite the fact that he had the privilege of having all in the Garden,
Adam was ungrateful and sinned, deceived by the devil.
Consequently, he was banished from the Garden (Ge 3:5, Ge 3:23).
The people of Israel were chosen to know grace (Ge 18:3).
Countless lambs died in place of their firstborns and the pharaoh surrendered (Ex 12:1-13),
Because of which they were able to escape 430 years of slavery in Egypt.
God commanded them to remember this for generations -- that is, the Passover.
Furthermore, God commanded them to build the sanctuary in the desert (Ex 25:7), and
Had the high priest enter there to make atonement (He 9:7)
With the blood of animals once every year for
It was a grace period made by the blood of one-year old animals (He 10:1-4).
Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days (Jn 2:19), because
Through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body,
He would give grace to all men, for
He is the incarnate Word, grace after another grace (Jn 1:1, Jn 1:14, Jn 1:16) who was
With the Father in the beginning,
Sent as the Lamb of God (Jn 1:29).
As He died, Jesus said, "It is finished (Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
- Laid down His life according to the Father's command (Jn 10:17-18);
- Condemned the devil, the origin of sin (Ge 3:4-5); and
- With His eternal blood gave an eternal sacrifice, obtaining an eternal redemption once for all (He 9:12, He 10:12).
He rose and
Ascended to the throne of grace in heaven.
The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of grace (He 10:29),
Came in the name Y'shua to those who
Believe that their souls that were once dead in sin and transgression (Eph 2:1)
Died with Christ on the cross (Rm 6:6).
And He lets them know the things they freely received (1Co 2:12).
The true Christian is he who
Received grace and knows that he is indebted.
Therefore, the life that he now lives (Gal 2:20-21) is:
To praise the glory of grace (Eph 1:6);
To preach the gospel of grace (Ac 20:24);
To daily go before the throne of grace and seek help (He 4:16); and
To pour his treasure on the body of the Lord of grace, the church.
For he knows that he has nothing of his own, because of which
He puts every effort for the Lord to easily use every part of him, for
When the Lord Jesus returns he hopes to boldly go before His throne.
While the cross is the site of the grace of Jesus where He unilaterally poured it out to all,
The throne is the last gift for those who did not forget His grace and paid it back (Rev 3:21).
O Lord,
The life that I now live is the chance I have to pay back for Your grace, so
Rather than trying to gain one more from You,
Let me try given up one more because of You.
Amen.
Words and the Word
(Mk 16:19-20)
God is faithful.
His character is faithful (Hos 11:12) and
His word is faithful (Rev 21:5).
Faith is believing His word and
The life of this faith is hearing His word with discernment and delivering it as is.
Different from animals, men express their will and emotions through language.
Thus, they are able to form society and improve civilization, which makes them very unique beings.
While men put their honor and even life on the line to be accountable for their words,
God bets His name, His existence for His word, His language (Eze 22:14; Is 46:11).
Though Adam was a living being that needed to live by obeying the word of God,
He listened to the word of his wife, who listened to the word of the serpent.
As a result, he sinned and death entered (Ge 3:17).
God spoke more specifically when He called Moses.
He taught him what to say (Ex 4:12) and
Let him miraculously deliver the Israelites who had been slaves for 430 years.
After that, God spoke through the prophets (He 1:1).
God put His words in their mouths and
They spoke them (Dt 18:22).
The sanctuary where the name of the Lord God was
Reminded the Israelites the faithfulness of God.
Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days (Jn 2:19), because
Through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body,
He would fulfill the Father's word for
He is the incarnate Word who was with the Father in the beginning (Jn 1:1, Jn 1:14, Jn 1:18).
Thus, He spoke what He heard from the Father (Jn 12:49) and
According to His word, He performed many signs and wonders (Mt 9:6; Lk 5:4-5; Jn 9:6).
As He died, Jesus said, "It is finished (Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
- Died according to the Father's word, and honored Him and His word (Jn 10:17-18);
- Condemned the devil who challenged the word (Ge 2:17, Ge 3:5; 1Jn 3:8); and
- Redeemed men who were deceived by words and died, so that they may hear the word of God again (Ge 3:4; He 2:14).
The Father raised Him and
Jesus ascended to heaven.
The Holy Spirit comes to those who
Heard His word and came to life (Jn 6:63).
He lets them discern words from the word and
Testifies the word of Jesus.
The man of the Spirit is he who
Discerns the word from words (1Co 2:11-14).
He preaches the word and signs accompany it because
The Lord is faithful for His word (Mk 16:15-20).
Prayer, healing and driving out demons are the words of Christ and
He bets His name and His living existence to keep His word (Jn 14:12).
O Lord,
We have heard so many words since the day we were born.
Our parents, siblings, friends, spouses, children, teachers, colleagues, the president...
Hearing their words I was in despair.
But You let us hear these words and we are alive! We are healed!
Let our church, our children hear Your word.
Lord, give us all the discerning ear! Amen.
Resurrection is Authority
(Mt 28:1-10; Jn 10:17-18)
God is the Head of authority (Rom 13:1; Col 2:10).
All authorities come from Him and
To have the greatest authority, He uses authority.
Faith is knowing Him and prostrating before Him.
The life of this faith is using the authority that one has.
The power to give and seize, to let live or kill is authority.
Thus, it is a common sense to fall flat before a ruler and
It is only natural for those who have authority to confidently use it.
Though he was given the authority from God to govern the Garden (Ge 2:15),
Adam was deceived by the devil and sinned, and
Thus, he was banished from there (Ge 3:23).
Consequently, all men became slaves of the devil, the invisible ruler of death (He 2:14).
This authority was visualized in the Old Testament:
The king who could take away man's life, and
The Law, the law of sin and death, from which no flesh could escape (Rm 8:2).
The sanctuary where the name Jehovah was
Reminded the Israelites the authority of God.
Under such authority, the Son of God, Jesus, was sent by the Father (Ga 4:4), and
He said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days (Jn 2:19), angering the Jews.
However, through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body,
Jesus would use His authority for
He is the incarnate Word who was with the Father in the beginning (Jn 1:1, Jn 1:14).
Thus, He had the authority to calm the storm (Mt 8:23-27),
Drive out demons (Mk 1:21-27), dry out the fig tree (Mt 21:21-23), and
Forgive (Mt 9:6).
Finally, Jesus was brought to the highest ruler at the time, Pilate, whose
Authority to crucify Him also came from the Father (Jn 19:8-11), and
As He died, Jesus said, "It is finished (Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
- Willingly chose to die and became the first in history to use His life as authority (Jn 10:17-18);
- Condemned the ruler of death (He 2:14-15); and
- Shed His blood and paid the price of all men's sins, releasing them from the devil.
Jesus rose from the death in three days and
Became the King of kings, the authority of resurrection (Ac 2:36, Ac 5:31).
The Holy Spirit comes to the believer who
Received the name Y'shua and became a child of God (Jn 1:12), and
Lets him know what kind of authority he has been given.
The man of the Spirit is he who
Knows that in the name Y'shua, he has the authority to lay down his life and to take it up again.
Therefore, he is no longer slave to his mortal body, to sin (Rm 6:1-14), and
Instead, uses his life as authority,
Driving out demons, healing (Mk 16:17), and forgiving (Jn 20:23).
To gain a better resurrection, he does not shrink back from death (He 11:35-38), but rather he
Willingly chose death (Ac 20:22-24), for the world is not worthy of such man.
O Lord,
Though we refused to die and feared death, in reality we were already dying...
But You let us know that we have this authority in which
We can confidently use our lives.
For us to gain a better resurrection,
Give us the faith of the martyr who does not shrink back from
Torture, jeers, chains, imprisonment, stoning, sawing, sword, sheepskin, goatskin, destitute, persecution...
Resurrection is our authority! Amen.