Our Savior Who Daily Bears Our Burdens
(Ps 68:19; Mt 1:21)
God is righteous and merciful(1Ch 16:41; Is 42:21).
Because He is righteous He seeks the price of sin, and
Because He is merciful He bears the burden of sin.
Faith is believing this and laying one’s burden on Him, and
The life of this faith is daily laying one’s burdens on Him and experiencing salvation.
Though those who have never had burdens
Do not know the weight of burdens,
Those who bear heavy burdens are truly grateful
When someone else bears them.
Deceived by the devil, Adam sinned and
When asked by God, he imputed his sin to Eve and
Eve to the serpent(Ge 3:13).
God did not, however, give a chance to the serpent to impute.
Instead, He only declared his punishment(Ge 3:14) for
It is not angles God helps but Adam(He 2:16) by
Bearing his burdens.
Following God’s instruction,
Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt and walked in the desert
But he resented the fact that God put the burden of all the people on him(Nu 11:11).
However, through the Law God revealed about
The Lamb that will bear their burdens(Lev 16:22),
Carry all their sins and go into the desert.
As such, the sanctuary reminded them about
God’s righteousness and mercy.
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 carry the burdens of all men, for
He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world(Is 53:4-7; Jn 1:29),
The incarnate Word who He came in flesh to bear the burdens of men(Is 7:4; Mt 1:21; Jn 1:1, Jn 1:14).
As He died, Jesus said, “It is finished, declaring that He:
1. Laid down His life and fulfilled the Father’s will(Jn 10:18);
2. Condemned the origin of sin; and
3. Shed His blood and He Himself bore the burdens of men in His body(1Pe 2:24) – sins, infirmities(Mt 8:17), poverty(2Co 8:9), shame(Eze 16:25; He 12:2), and sorrow(Is 53:4).
He rose and ascended to the heavenly mercyseat.
The Holy Spirit comes to those who have been saved from sin and death
Through the blood of Jesus, and
He lets them praise the God of salvation who daily bears their burdens(Ps 68:19).
The man of the Spirit knows that
The Savior bore the burden of his sins in His body, and
Thus, daily lays his burden of his soul, flesh, family and even livelihood
On the shoulders of Jesus(Is 9:6) for
He longs for the eternal rest with Him(Mt 11:28-30).
O Lord,
What is man that You are mindful of him(Ps 8:4)?
For we are foolish
We have been struggling to bear our burdens on our own.
We welcome Your coming in flesh!
Until the last moment we are in our flesh
Carry our burdens, Lord! Amen.
Church is Immanuel
(Mt 1:18-25, Mt 18:20)
God is living(Neh 9:5).
His existence is surely living and
He dwells with the living for He is the God of the living(Mt 22:32).
Faith is knowing and longing for Him, and
The life of this faith is dwelling with the living in order to be found as the living in the last day.
During wars or disasters,
The most important news is about casualties.
Anyone pronounced as living will be taken,
While anyone pronounced as dead will be left behind.
In the last day, those whose souls are found to be dead will
Be thrown into the eternal fire with the devil(Mt 25:41; Rev 20:13-15).
Although Adam, the living being, was made
To live eternally with God(Ge 2:7),
He was deceived by the devil and sinned,
Thus banished from the Garden
Never to return as the flaming sword shielded it(Ge 3:4-6, Ge 3:24).
The Bible says, “The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob(Ex 3:6),
Since though Abraham, Isaac and Jacob all died
God is living(Ge 26:24, Ge 28:13-14).
For God was with Moses,
He delivered the Israelites from Egypt(Ex 4:12), and
As a sign, the pillars of fire and clouds led them(Ex 13:21-22).
While the sanctuary reminded them of God who dwelled among them(Ex 25:8),
They lived in fear because of their sin and death that came through the commandment(Rm 7:9, Rm 7:24).
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 dwell with the living forever.
His birth was by the Spirit(Mt 1:18, Mt 1:20) for
He is the Word who was with the Father in the beginning(Jn 1:1), who
Came in flesh through man to dwell with men(Mt 1:23; Php 2:7).
He promised to send the Counselor who would come
To dwell with the living forever(Jn 14:16, Jn 16:7).
As He died among sinners, Jesus said, “It is finished(Lk 23:33; Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
1. Finished the work that He came to do by coming as man according to the Father’s command(Jn 10:18);
2. Judged the origin of sin, the ruler of death(He 2:14; 1Jn 3:8); and
3. Died like a sinner and redeemed the sins of men(Mt 20:28).
After He rose from the dead, He ascended to the throne from where
He judges the living and the dead(2Ti 4:1; Rev 1:17-18).
The Holy Spirit came to be with the church,
The gathering of those made alive by the blood of Jesus(Ac 2:1-4)
To the very end of the age.
It is the site of God’s presence, Immanuel.
In order for him to be lifted up with the church
When the Lord returns,
The man of the Spirit boldly goes out and
Preaches the gospel, and
Whether he is sad, suffering or in hardship
He runs to the church because
Being with the church is his greatest happiness.
O Lord,
Though we have never seen God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit
We can see the church!
Whatever the persecution or test we may face,
Let us never leave church.
Let us dwell with our brothers and sisters, living souls! Amen.
The Lord’s Patience
(2Pe 3:8-13)
God is the loving Father of spirits(He 12:9).
He gives birth to children and provides for them, and
He patiently waits for them to mature.
Faith is knowing this as grace, and
The life of this faith is hastily doing the Father’s will until the end.
Though being patient does not refer to eternity,
It requires a great deal of waiting and endurance, and
Those with the most patience are parents for
They are loving.
God’s patience was revealed since the beginning.
Though He could have created all things in a moment,
He patiently did it in six days to prepare for His plan.
After warning Noah of the flood,
God waited 70 years for him to prepare the ark(1Pe 3:20).
Furthermore, the Law, the basic principles, was put in charge(Gal 3:24; Col 2:8),
To teach Israel about God and
He was patient with them for 1500 years.
As such, the sanctuary was a reminder for
God’s patience and love for Israel.
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 truly reveal the love of the Father, for
He is the incarnate Word who was at the Father’s side in the beginning(Jn 1:1-3, Jn 1:14, Jn 1:18),
Already decided to be revealed, who waited until His time(1Pe 1:19-20).
As He died, Jesus said, “It is finished(Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
1. Fulfilled the Father’s will established before the creation and glorified Him(Jn 10:17-18; Eph 1:3; Php 2:8-11);
2. Condemned the devil the origin of sin(1Jn 3:8); and
3. Shed His blood as an atoning sacrifice, redeeming men, and revealed the Father’s love(Jn 3:16; 1Jn 4:9-10).
He rose and entered the kingdom of the Son He loves(Col 1:13).
The Holy Spirit comes to those born-again by the blood of Jesus and
Reveals the Father’s patience.
The man of the Spirit knows that
God’s patience is grace to him(1Co 2:12) and
To not be destroyed he repents and is saved(2Pe 3:9-13).
In order for him to arrive in the home of righteousness
When the day of the Lord comes like a thief,
He diligently uses the time that
The Lord graciously extended for him as
The time Moses’ arm was raised(Ex 17:12) and
The time sun was held in place(Jos 10:12-13).
O Lord,
I am grateful that You did not return
While I was still lost in the world.
I am grateful that You did not return
While I walked away from Your grace.
I am grateful for the Father’s love that waited for me patiently.
If You give me another year, I will do better. So help me!
Amen.
For the Name of the Lord
(Php 2:5-12)
God is the Lord.
All things comes from Him and return to Him(Rm 11:36), and
He lets the servants who revere His name(Neh 1:11)
See His face and serve Him eternally(Rev 22:3-5).
Faith is longing for the name of the Lord(Is 26:8) and
The life of this faith is living for the name of the Lord(2Th 1:12).
The fact that God has a name is
On the premise that there exist other persons for
His honor, relationship and authority is
All by HIs name.
The Lord(Adonai) God is the Creator.
While all things obeyed according to His word(Ge 1:3-30),
Adam was deceived by the devil and disobeyed(Ge 2:17, Ge 3:4-6).
As a result, all men became slaves of the devil following him to hell(Mt 25:41).
Once Moses revealed the Lord’s name to the pharaoh(Ex 3:13, Ex 5:23),
God punished the nation the Israelites served as slaves and
Made them His servants(Ge 15:13; Ac 7:7).
For the Lord’s people(Ex 6:6) followed
Moses, the pillar of clouds, and the ark of covenant,
God endured even their rebellion(Ex 32:11-13; Nu 14:1-16) and
When they returned to
The sanctuary where the name of the Lord was and
Asked for forgiveness, they were forgiven(1Ki 8:33).
Thus, they confessed that there is no one like the Lord(1Ki 8:23).
However, the priests gradually showed contempt for the name of the Lord(Mal 1:6), and
The people defiled the name of the Lord(Mal 1:12; Ac 7:42), because which
The Temple of Jerusalem repeatedly became desolate(Da 9:18).
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 the name of the Lord, not Jehovah but Y’shua for
God came as the Son of Man, taking the very nature of a servant(Php 2:6-7).
Though the winds, the fig tree and demons submitted to His command(Mk 1:25-26, Mk 4:41, Mk 11:21),
According to the prophecy, Jesus was sold for 30 silver coins(Mt 26:15).
As He died, Jesus said, “It is finished(Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
1. Willingly kneeled before the name of the Father and became His servant(La 3:55; Jn 10:18);
2. Judged the devil, a servant who left his proper position(Is 14:12-15; Jude 1:6); and
3. With His blood redeemed all men who were enslaved by the devil(Eph 1:7; 1Pe 1:18).
He rose and sat on the heavenly throne, and
At the name Y’shua, the name above all names
Every knee bows and every tongue confesses that
He is Lord, to the glory of the Father(Php 2:10-11).
The Holy Spirit comes to those who
Received the name Y’shua and
Testifies that the name of the Lord is Y’shua(Mk 16:17; Lk 10:17; Ac 2:34-36; Ac 4:30).
The men of the Spirit know that
They are servants of the Lord, and
Do all things, whether speaking or doing, in the name Y’shua.
On the Lord’s Day, they return to the place where the Lord’s name is and
Submit to the Lord’s command,
Not as slaves but as loving servants(Ex 21:2-6).
They put every effort to bring
One more man to confess that the name Y’shua is Lord and
One more man to his knees before the name Y’shua.
O my Lord, Y’shua,
I truly love You(Ex 21:2-6)!
Even a dead dog like me(2Sa 9:8; Mt 15:26-27) longs to
See the face of the Lord and serve.
Lord, command us all for we are here to listen to You.
We want to return to where You are! Amen.
A Steward of God’s Grace
(1Pe 4:7-11)
God is the Lord of grace(2Ch 30:9).
Grace comes from Him(Jn 1:16) and
Those who know grace He puts in charge of more things(Mt 25:21; Lk 19:16).
Faith is receiving grace, and
The life of this faith is knowing the things that one is in charge of as grace, and putting effort to carry them out until he receives greater things to be put in charge of.
When one confers his belonging to someone else,
Be it his clothes, money, children, national matters or even life,
The more precious it is the more thought he gives in trusting that person.
God made all things and
Put man in charge of them(Ge 1:28).
God made the Garden of Eden and
Put Adam in charge of it(Ge 2:8).
However, he ate the forbidden fruit and
God banished him from the Garden(Ge 3:23).
The will of God to put man in charge of better things
Began to be fulfilled when God called Moses.
Moses was in charge of the people of God, Israel(Ex 3:9-10), and
He brought them out of Egypt.
Furthermore, he built the sanctuary and
Taught them the Law to serve God(Ex 35:1-Ex 40:33).
While he was a faithful servant in all God’s house(He 3:5),
He could not enter the Promised Land for he was just a servant.
Jesus, on the other hand, came as the son over God’s house,
Worthy of greater honor than Moses(He 3:3-4).
He said, “Destroy this temple and I will raise it in three days(Jn 2:19-21),
Because through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body,
He would build God’s house for
The Temple of Jerusalem was just a copy of the true one to come(He 9:23-24).
As He died, Jesus said, “It is finished(Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
1. Laid down His life and was faithful to the Father(Jn 10:18; He 3:2-6);
2. Condemned the devil who was unfaithful(Is 14:12-15; Eze 28:14-17); and
3. With His blood redeemed men, of whom He was put in charge(Mt 1:21; Jn 3:16), so they can serve Him.
Jesus died and rose, and ascended to heaven where
He is receiving glory on the throne since
The builder of the house has greater honor than the house itself(He 3:3-4).
The Holy Spirit comes to those who
Received the works of Jesus as grace and have become God’s temple(1Co 3:16), and
He lets them know the things that God freely gave(1Co 2:12).
The man of the Spirit is
A steward put in charge of God’s grace(1Pe 4:10), and
He is conferred a kingdom from Jesus as
Jesus was conferred a kingdom from the Father(Lk 22:29).
Therefore, he is in charge of feeding the Lord’s lambs(Mt 24:45; Jn 21:15),
Carrying out his duties(1Ti 1:12), and
Using his time, materials and talents(Mt 25:14-21),
Doing them all by being faithful to the One who appointed him for
He longs for the greater heavenly throne.
O Lord,
We say, “Grace, grace but
We did not cherish the souls You cherish.
We neglected our duties.
We were greedy about using our time, materials and talents as though they were ours.
Let us deeply think about You for
You trusted us and put us in charge of all these things.
Let us be faithful until death! Amen.
Always Give Thanks
(Ps 139:14; 1Th 5:18)
God is merciful(Ps 136:1).
He has compassion on whom He has compassion(Rm 9:15) and
He finally saves those who give thanks for His compassion(Lk 17:12-19).
Faith is knowing thanksgiving and
The life according to this faith is always giving thanks(1Co 1:4; 1Th 5:18; Phl 1:4) for
The things that He fearfully and wonderfully made, and His wonderful works(Ps 139:14).
Different from animals,
Humans express their gratitude for the favor and the blessing they received:
Parents, teachers, bosses, physicians, rescuers etc.
Those who are ungrateful, however, are not even considered humans.
How much more, then, for those who forget the boundless mercy of God?
Since Satan forgot that he was created as an archangel and
Attempted to be like God(Eze 28:12-17),
He was contained in Hades until the great day of judgment(Is 14:12-15; Jude 1:6).
He deceived Adam to commit the same sin(Ge 3:4-6) and
All men became slaves of the devil, not knowing thanksgiving, being resentful(Ex 16:7).
While all men were wiped out from the earth by the flood(Ge 6:8-19),
Noah, however, gave thanks for God’s mercy by giving a burnt offering and
God promised to never destroy creatures by water(Ge 8:20-21).
God especially had mercy on the people of Israel(Ps136).
He delivered them from their slavery in Egypt,
Let them pass through the desert, destroy many kings and
Led them to inherit the Promised Land.
The sanctuary that God commanded them to built(Ex 25:8)
Reminded them to always give thanks for
God’s mercy and great wonders(Ps 100:4-5, Ps 136:4, Ps 138:2).
Yet there were priests who considered Him as burden(Mal 1:13).
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,
He would let not the flesh but the soul know thanksgiving for
He Himself gave thanks to the Father for hearing Him(Jn 11:41).
Without any resentment,
Jesus died and said, “It is finished(Is 53:7; Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
1. Gave thanks for the works of the Father who fearfully and wonderfully made an environment in which Jesus could be conceived, die and be resurrected, and He committed His soul to the Father(Ps 139:13-14; Jnh 2:9; Lk 23:46); and
2. Condemned the devil the ungrateful one(Eze 28:12-17; 1Jn 3:8); and
3. Had compassion on souls and sprinkled His blood of redemption, giving them another chance to give thanks(Mt 20:28; Rm 9:15).
He rose and sat on the mercyseat in heaven(He 4:16).
The Holy Spirit entered the souls who are forgiven by the blood of Jesus and
Lets them know what God has freely given them(1Co 2:10-12).
The man who has thanksgiving rising from his soul
Considers all the negative circumstances of the past,
Such as his family background, physical conditions etc.,
As rather the condition for God’s compassion for him(sinner, humility), and
Knows the poverty, the wounds, the punishment,
The death and the resurrection of Jesus(Is 53:5; 2Co 8:9) as
The wonderful works of the Son of God for him.
Therefore, he always gives thanks for
The gifts of the Spirit(2Co 9:15), the given duties(1Ti 1:12), the word of revelation(Mt 11:25),
Answers to prayers(Jn 11:41), and the church of the truth(1Ti 3:15), for
He longs to finally give thanks for committing his soul in that day.
O Lord,
Thank You for receiving my soul!
Let those be my only last words.
Let me never be ungrateful,
But rather give You thanks always and forever! Amen.
Grow, My Soul!
(Eph 4:11-16)
God is the Father of spirits(He 12:9).
He gives birth to children through the word of truth(Jas 1:18), and
He makes the matured children His heirs.
Faith is knowing and longing to become an heir of God, and
The life of this faith is putting every effort to become mature, to attain to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ(Eph 4:13).
It takes a very long time for humans to mature
In terms of their body, function, character etc.
If growth stops in any of those aspects
They become concerns of their parents for
They cannot become heirs.
The Bible is a guideline for the heirs of God,
For the men of God to grow
Through training, such as teaching, rebuking etc(2Ti 3:15-17), and
This is because Adam, the ancestor of mankind was
Deceived by the devil and sinned(Ge 3:4-6) for
He only thought of himself.
Consequently, all men became slaves of the devil(2Pe 2:19).
God delivered the slaves of Egypt, the Israelites, and
Made them His servants by giving them
The spirit of slave to fear, the Law(Rm 8:15).
The commandment to love the One God(Dt 6:4-7) was
For them to control their human nature, since
While the heir is still a child(Gal 4:1-3)
The Law was put in charge to train him(Gal 3:24).
The sanctuary, the teaching, their history etc were all physical because
They were still under the basic principles of the world(Gal 4:3).
However, misunderstanding this,
There emerged many hypocrites, who were different inside and out(Mal 1:6; Mt 23:28).
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,
He would tear down the spirit of slave to fear and
Give the spirit of the Son and make them heirs of God by
Putting His law and covenant not in the physical but in souls(He 8:8-10).
They would become mature children honoring the Father,
Not out of fear but out of love(Lk 7:37-47).
As He died, Jesus said, “It is finished(Jn 19:30) for
It was the moment He attained to the whole measure of His fullness(Eph 4:13), and declared that He:
1. Gladly sacrificed Himself for the Father(Jn 10:17-18);
2. Condemned the devil who only knew himself(Is 14:12-15); and
3. Sacrificed for mankind(1Co 5:7).
As the firstfruit of resurrection,
Jesus ascended to the heavenly throne, the heavenly storage(1Co 15:20; He 1:6).
The Holy Spirit came as the nurturing Father to
The souls born-again through the blood of Jesus(Jn 14:18).
Men of the Spirit are those who
Keep the Law not out of fear but out of love(Gal 4:9; Col 2:8) and
They are willingly trained physically, financially or socially
By the word of righteousness(Mt 5:10-12).
They are considerate not of themselves but of others,
Sacrificing themselves(Mt 5:39-44) and
Carry out their duties and do the work of edifying the church(Eph 4:12-16).
They long to finally become those elders seated on the heavenly thrones(Rev 4:4, Rev 11:16), for
They know that quitting spiritual growth is
Degeneration and destruction(He 10:39), and
Its result burning up chaffs(Mt 3:12).
O Lord,
My soul is an heir of heaven!
Since I am still a selfish child in the way I think, understand and speak,
Strike me if You have to but
Let me grow and do the work of edifying the church! Amen.
Work for the Spirit!
(Is 28:21; Rm 8:5-6)
God does His work(Is 28:21).
For Himself He works(Ge 22:8) and
He surely accomplishes His work.
Whether a student, a business man, a laborer, an artist, a solider, a politician etc.
Everyone knows what is his work, while
Christians know that their work is
The work of God, the work of the Lord, the work of the church, the work of the Spirit.
Faith is having the work of my soul and
The life of this faith is prioritizing the work of the spirit and surely completing it.
After he sinned,
Adam was banished from the Garden and had to toil –
Its outcome in meaninglessness(Ge 2:17, Ge 3:4-6, Ge 3:16-9).
Noah, however, built an ark and he and his family were saved(He 11:7)
According to the word which said that
God would comfort him in labor(Ge 5:29).
Since Abraham did not withhold his only son but
Gave him as a burnt offering(Ge 22:12),
God let him give instead the ram which He Himself provided(Ge 22:8, Ge 22:13).
Because God worked with Moses the Israelites left Egypt(Ge 4:5), and
Through His great works, they began to fear God and put their trust in Moses(Ex 14:31).
Subsequently, God made them
A kingdom of holy people and a holy nation(Ex 19:6)
To do the work of God by building the sanctuary and serving Him there:
Moses built the Tabernacle in the desert and
Solomon the Temple of Jerusalem(Ex 40:33),
While Zerubbabel, Nehemiah etc risked their lives to rebuild the destroyed Temple, and
The sons of Levi, the priest served in the work of the Tent of Meeting(Nu 4:3).
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
He would do a new work(Is 43:19) for
He is the Son of God in whom was the Father doing His work(Jn 5:17, Jn 14:10).
As such, His food was to fulfill the Father’s work(Jn 4:34, Jn 6:26-29).
As He died, Jesus said, “It is finished(Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
1. Worked according to the command of the One who sent Him and submitted His soul to the Father(Jn 10:18);
2. Judged the devil who attempted to ascend the throne without work(Is 14:13; 1Jn 3:8); and
3. Sprinkled His blood and redeemed the sins of all souls, and began a new work(Lev 17:11; Is 28:21; 1Pe 2:24).
He rose and sat at the right hand of God where He still works as
The eternal high priest who serves the Father(He 9:24), and
To this day intercedes for the souls born-again in His blood(Rm 8:34),
Speaking in their defense(1Jn 2:1).
The Holy Spirit comes to the souls made new creation by His blood and works with them.
He lets them stop doing the meaningless work of the flesh(Gal 5:19-21) and
Do the work of the Spirit(Rm 8:5-6).
God’s fellow worker(2Co 6:1; Col 1:24) has
He who began a good work working with him until the end(Mk 16:20; Php 1:6).
Therefore, he does not worry what to eat or what to do(Mt 6:31, Mt 6:33).
Instead, he puts every effort to work for
The name Y’shua, the gospel, the truth, His kingdom
According to his measure edifying His body the church(Eph 4:16), and
To look after the souls committed to him until the end(Jn 6:39; Jas 2:22), as
He longs for the last day when
According to what is recorded in the book of life(Ne3; 2Co 5:10; Rev 20:12)
He would be comforted with the authority to rule over all nations(Rev 2:26).
O Lord,
Though history may forget us
Let all our works, be they small, be recorded and
Let us be rewarded with life and peace(Rm 8:6)!
Regardless of the barrier
Let none of us abandon the work and leave.
Let us all complete it! Amen.
Be Strong and Courageous
(Jn 16:25-33; He 10:19-20)
God is living.
His existence is living and
His word is living(He 4:12; 1Pe 1:25).
Faith is believing Him and
The life of this faith is having boldness by faith and breaking through poverty, sickness, persecution and even tribulation.
Men who accomplish great things in the world are
Those who are courageous, those who have strong faith in themselves.
The Bible, however, demonstrates men who were bold by faith.
At the old age of 80, Moses held on to his rod(Ex 4:1-17) and
Led Israel out of their slavery of 430 years in Egypt.
Putting the ark of God before them,
Joshua led Israel to conquer Canaan for
He was strong and courageous(Dt 31:23-26).
The boy David was fearless and
Defeated the enemy who defiled the living God,
Becoming the king of Israel(1Sa 17:32-37).
While prophets were bold men(1Ki 21:20-23),
The boldest of them all was Elijah who
Exposed the wicked deeds of kings and cursed them.
Solomon fulfilled the dream that his father David could not:
For he was strong and courageous,
He was able to build the Temple of Jerusalem(1Ch 28:20).
Looking at this boldness and courage of Israel,
Jesus said, “Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days, because
Through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body(Jn 2:19-21),
He would become the courage of all men.
As such, He confidently rebuked the Pharisees and the Scribes(Mt 23:13-29) and
He was bold even before the ruler Pilate(Jn 19:8-11).
As He died, Jesus said, “It is finished(Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
1. Obeyed the Father’s command and broke through the greatest power, death(Jn 10:18; He 2:14-15);
2. Condemned the devil, the ruler of death(1Jn 3:8); and
3. With His blood redeemed all men who were held in slavery under fear of death and gave them a second chance to overcome(He 2:15).
He rose and sat on the heavenly throne.
He is the Lamb who has the scars of breaking through death, and
All creation worships Him forever(Rev 5:12-13).
The Holy Spirit comes to believers and
Gives them courage(Ac2)
The man of the Spirit is he who
Does not fear persecution, tribulation or even death for
He believes that he will live even though he dies(Jn 11:25).
Therefore, he never ceases to testify Jesus(Ac 4:8-13), and
Even if he falls because of poverty, sickness, despair or mistakes,
He gets up over and over, for
Only the blood of Jesus is his strength(He 10:19-20) and
Only the name Jesus is his courage(He 4:16; 1Jn 5:14).
With confidence he breaks through whatever wall is before him and
Finally receives the great reward(He 10:35).
O Lord,
Though we were weak and timid in the past,
By the blood of Jesus we gained boldness and strength.
With the name Jesus, let us be strong and courageous, and press on!
Amen.
The Spiritual Sense
(Rev 1:10, Rev 4:2)
God is Spirit(Jn 4:24).
He created spiritual beings and the spiritual world.
He has fellowship only with those who have spiritual sense, and inspires them.
Faith is knowing Him and longing for Him(2Co 13:14).
The life of this faith is eliminating all things that hinder in order to be inspired by the Spirit.
All living things have senses.
Animals sense changes in the environment,
Find food, defend themselves and survive.
Plants are sensitive to light and temperature.
Humans have five senses that allow them
To perceive and recognize, and behave accordingly.
Furthermore, they can maximize these senses to develop and utilize technologies,
While some use them to discover, invent and create.
When living things lose their function to sense, it is death for them.
When the living being loses his spiritual sense, it is eternal death for them.
Because Adam ate the forbidden fruit
Following his fleshly senses by impulse of(Ge 3:4-6).
Consequently, his spirit died and lost its sense(Ge 2:17), cut off from God(Ge 3:23).
The worthlessness of men without spirit was demonstrated
When God washed away all men of flesh that He created(Ge 6:1-7).
All but two of the Israelites who left Egypt died in the desert(Ge 32:4; Nu 14:35)
Because they lost their sense of direction even though
As the people of God they were supposed to be led by the Spirit of God.
The sanctuary built under the direction of the Spirit of God(1Ch 28:12)
Reminded them this and let them long for it(Ps 84:1-12),
While the prophets, who spoke when the Spirit of God came upon them,
Rebuked them for going astray(Eze 11:5).
Yet the false prophets who spoke on their own accord tempted them(Eze 13:2-3).
God chose men whose spiritual sense was remarkable
Regardless of their age, occupation or knowledge –
Such as Samuel, Jeremiah, David etc.(1Sa 3:10; Jer 1:6-7; Ps 51:1-19) – and
Had them write the scripture.
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
He would make a way for men to be born of water and the Spirit(Jn 3:3-8) and
Have fellowship with the Father by giving them spiritual sense.
He is the Son of God, the Word that became flesh by the Spirit(Mt 1:18; Jn 1:1, Jn 1:14).
Thus, He worked by the Spirit during His public life(Mt 3:16, Mt 4:11, Mt 12:28).
As He died, Jesus said, “It is finished(Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
1. Humbled Himself to the point of death and finished the work He came to do as the Son of Man(Php 2:6-11);
2. Condemned the devil who, because of His pride, lost his sense of direction(Is 14:13; Eze 28:17; Jude 1:6); and
3. Redeemed Adam’s sin and sprinkled His blood to souls to give life to them(Lev 17:11; Mt 20:28).
He rose and
Ascended to the heavenly throne.
The Holy Spirit comes only to
The souls born-again by the blood of Jesus and
Has fellowship with them and the church.
The man who is in Spirit on the Lord’s Day and
Has the ear to hear a loud voice like a trumpet(Rev 1:10)
What the Spirit says to the churches(Rev2-3)
Sees heaven and the One seated on its throne(Rev 4:2).
He knows the deep things of God(1Co 2:10-14), and
Discerns good from evil, righteousness from unrighteousness,
Truth from false, the way to live from the way to die.
And finally, from the Spirit he will reap eternal life(Gal 6:8).
God uses men with spiritual sense such as
David, Jeremiah and Paul, who are
Extremely sensitive to sin and
Know their own inabilities.
Therefore, all their lives they repent in tears and
Never cease to pray for they are truly humble.
O Lord,
Let me be humble and have an acute spiritual sense so that
I would never become numb about sin.
Let me be on my knees and pray for my inabilities and ignorance.
Let my tears never run dry!
Amen.