Simpang Borobudur no 27 Malang
0341-496949
Speaker: Rev. Youpri Ardiantoro

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

Mark 2: 13-17
2: 13 Then He went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them.
2:14 As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, "Follow Me." So he arose and followed Him.
2:15 Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi’s house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him.
2:16 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the
tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, "How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?"
2:17 When Jesus heard it, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.
I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."

Levi did not follow Jesus only, but also ministered to Him and became one of the twelve apostles.
Formerly, in the days of Israel, the tax collector meant the sinners.

There were four reasonswhy the tax collectors were called the sinners as follows.

  1. Luke 3: 12-13
    3: 12 Then tax collectorsalso came to be baptized, and said to him, "Teacher, what shall we do?"
    3:13 And he said to them, "
    Collect no morethan what is appointed for you."

    Because they collected more, so there were disadvantages to others. They took the other’s possession.

  2. Matthew 5: 46
    5: 46 "For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectorsdo the same?

    Because they onlyloved those who loved them.

  3. Matthew 18: 17
    18: 17 "And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.

    Because they did not want, even they refused to be advised. Such person is said in Titus 3 as a divisive man.

  4. Matthew 21: 31
    21: 31 "Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said to Him, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectorsand harlots enter the kingdom of God before you.

    Because they did not do the will of Father God.

Leviwas a tax collector sitting at the tax offfice. It means as follows.

  • Enjoying the sins.
  • Being in the circumstances of the sinners like Isaiah who was unclean in his lips and lived in the midst of people whose lips were unclean.
  • The sins have become roots or characteristics.

Although Lewi is one of the Israelites, the wage of his sinful deeds and characteristics is death.
God is not willing that His people keep on wallowing in the sins. Therefore, Jesus comes to call the sinners, heal, correct, and justify them to have the ministrylike Levi who could be one of the twelve apostles.

How is the process of the sinners’ having the ministry?

  1. Ephesians 4: 8-12
    4: 8 Therefore He says: "When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men."
    4:9 (Now this, "He ascended" ––what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth?
    4:10
    He who descended is also the One who ascendedfar above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)
    4:11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
    4:12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,

    As for God:

    1. 'He who descended is also the One who ascended' refers to The Lord’s death and resurrection.
      Jesus dies and resurrects in order to redeem, sanctify, and equipus with the ministries.

    2. Jesus callsrefers to the preaching of the true Teaching Word.
      The calling of God when the Word is preached is privateto each person.
      The content of the calling is as follows.

      • Showing us the false things.
      • Rebuking.
      • Exhorting.

  2. As for the sinners whose representative is Levi:

    1. Levi heard the calling of Godor the Teaching Wordseriously to understand and belive in it to become the faith.
    2. Levi immediately left the tax officeor his job as the tax collector, so he could minister to God.

      'immediately' means he could please God.

    3. Levi followed Jesus.

The facts found in the following to Jesus are as follows.
1 Peter 2: 21-24
2: 21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:
2:22 "Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth";
2:23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;
2:24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness––by whose stripes you were healed.

  1. Following the step of death and resurrection.
    The step of deathmeans being dead to sin or repenting.
    The step of resurrectionmeans living in righteousness.

    What were the sins of Levi?

    • Giving disadvantage to others or seizing their possession.
      Luke 19: 8
      19: 8 Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restorefourfold."

      Righteous life can return and giveto others and the work of God.

    • Loving those who loved him.
      Repentance happens when one can love the enemy.

      Matthew 5: 43-45
      5: 43 "You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighborand hate your enemy.’
      5:44 "But I say to you,
      love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,
      5:45 "that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

      It means one has followed Jesus.
      The proof of lovimg the enemy is praying for them, accosting them friendly, not repaying evil for evil, and so on.

      Loving those who love us means being the same as the sinners or tax collectors. Hating those who love us means being the same as Satanor under the level of the sinners or tax collectors.

    • Rejecting the advice.
      By what can we advise one like Levi?
      2 Timothy 4: 2
      4: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.

      By the true teaching Wordwe know correctly.

      We have to avoid those who cannot be advised after the first and second admonition, or else we will be in their sin.

      Titus 3: 10
      3: 10 Rejecta divisive man after the first and second admonition,


    • Not doing the will of Father God.
      We must repent until we can do the will of God correctlybecause all things we do without doing the will of Father God are useless. Although we are great in doing our service and ministry as if we are used by God and there are miracles, someday God will say "Depart from me you who do lawlessness!"

      Doing the will of God starts from the marriageas follows.
      Ephesians 5: 22
      5: 22 Wives, submitto your own husbands, as to the Lord.


      1. Wifemust be submissive to the husbandin all things as the submission to God.
        The wife may be more in intelligence or riches than the husband, but the one who takes the decision is the husband.

        1 Timothy 2: 11-12
        2: 11Let a woman learn in silence with all submission.
        2:12 And
        I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence.

        The husband will face Jesus, the Head, if he disregards his submissive wife. .
        The submissive wife is doing the will of Father God. Although she is suffering, she will be lifted up when Jesus comes a second time.

      2. Husbandmust love the wife as himself and not do bitterly towards her.
        Ephesians 5: 28
        5: 28 So husbands ought to love their own wivesas their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself.


      Afterwards, we do the will of Father God in our service and ministry to Him like the Tabernacle that was made according to the will of God.
      All things must be in line to the pattern of the Tabernacle or the true Teaching Word and there is no uselessness. For example, the repentance is stopping sinning to return to God, believing in Jesus through hearing the Word, the infilling of Holy Spirit, shepherding, perfection, and all things must be in line to the true Teaching Word.

  2. Being shepherded or following Jesus as the Shepherd.
    John 10: 27
    10: 27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.

    The requirements of being shepherded are as follows.

    • Being righteous.
      Proverbs 12: 26
      12: 26 The righteous should choose his friends carefully, For the way of the wicked leads them astray.

      We will be shepherded well if we are righteous. Keeping sins or unrighteousness, it will be difficult to be shepherded.

    • Being the sheep of God.
      Who are the sheep of God?
      Matthew 15: 21-28
      15: 21 Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
      15:22 And behold,
      a woman of Canaancame from that region and cried out to Him, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon–possessed." |
      15:23 But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, "Send her away, for she cries out after us."
      15:24 But He answered and said, "
      I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
      15:25 Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, help me!"
      15:26 But He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it
      to the little dogs."
      15:27 And she said, "Yes, Lord,
      yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table."
      15:28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

      Actually, the sheep of God are the house of Israel. The Gentilesare dogs. Nevertheless, if the dogs willingly eat the crumbs or use the tongue to lick the crumbs of the true Teaching Word, the Gentiles will become the shepherded sheep of God.

      Thus, the one that determinesthe Gentiles’ being the dogs or sheep is the tonguewhether it willingly licks the crumbs of the Wordto consume it or not. Not licking the crumbs of the Word means licking vomitor unclean things as follows.

      1. The soreis the weakness or mistake of others.
      2. The bloodof one who is not sinful is the slander or derision to him.

    The shepherded sheep is inside the sheepfoldthat refers to the three main servicesto God as follows.

    • Golden Candlestick or perseverance in doing General Service.
    • Table of Showbread or perseverance in doing Bible Study Service with Holy Communion.
    • Golden Altar of Incense or perseverance in doing Prayer Service.

    We must be shepherded to the true Teaching Word,not to any human, as a branch that dwells in the True Vine.

    The sign of the shepherded sheepis hearing one voice, namely the voice of the Great Shepherd or the true Teaching Word.

    The sinful will keep on sinning if he is not shepherded well because there is no sanctification.

  3. The following of the body to the head.
    Matthew 8: 19-20
    8: 19 Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow Youwherever You go."
    8:20 And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but
    the Son of Man has nowhereto lay His head."

    The head is upon the body. It means that the body must follow the head.
    The headrefers to Jesus or the true Teaching Word.

    Following Jesus as the Head means that we are obedient and faithfulto the true teaching Word regardless any risk we have to face.
    It is like Levi when he was called by Jesus. He immediately followed Jesus without asking anything.

    As a result, the Word sanctifiesour life.
    If we are holy, we will be given the ministry(Ephesians 4: 11-12) like Levi with his ministry.

    We must immediately minister to Godbecause we are being pursued by the time of Jesus’ second coming that is near. If we do not immediately minister to God, we will be caught up.

    The ministry is our place in the body of Christ. Whatever ministry we have, we must do it faithfully, patiently, and correctly.

    The results of ministering to God faithfully and correctly are as follows.
    Matthew 19: 27-29
    19: 27 Then Peter answered and said to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?"
    19:28 So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory,
    you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
    19:29 "And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake,
    shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.


    • God gives us the guarantee of assurance in physical life.
      'shall receive a hundredfold' means the guarantee of assurance for preserving and protecting our life.

    • God gives us promise to sit on His throne or the guarantee of eternal life forever.

God blesses you.

Print Version

Transcript
  • Prayer Service in Malang, October 30, 2012 (Tuesday Evening)
    ... these He also called whom He called these He also justified and whom He justified these He also glorified. We are in bad condition and destruction in sins when we are called. Romans As it is written There is none righteous no not one After being justified we should not be proud ...
  • Bible Study Service in Malang, June 15, 2017 (Thursday Evening)
    ... to the spiritual one namely the body of Christ. Why Because the physical temple was built in the Law system. The forty six years refer to the four commandments written on the first tablet of the two tablets of stone and the six commandments on the second tablet or the ...
  • Prayer Service in Malang, January 21, 2021 (Thursday Evening)
    ... the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony and they did not love their lives to the death. they overcame him refers to the servants of God who defeat Satan through the things as follows The power of Holy Spirit it is explained in General Service ...
  • Youth Service in Malang, January 10, 2015 (Saturday Evening)
    ... it. Jesus teaches us to do the will of God including honoring our parents respecting family and others as it is written in the Old and New Testament. Jesus does not teach us not to respect parents family and others but He expects two things as follows Our Christianity is not ...
  • Prayer Service in Malang, January 10, 2023 (Tuesday Evening)
    ... of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah which was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon . which Jeremiah the prophet spoke to all the people of Judah and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem saying . From the thirteenth year ...
  • Prayer Service in Malang, November 18, 2021 (Thursday Evening)
    ... angel preaches about the punishment to one who rejects the Everlasting Gospel or the Gospel Word and the True Teaching Word. So he does not fear glorify and worship God but worships His creations. Verse the second angel preaches about the punishment to one who drinks the wine of Babel's ...
  • All night Prayer Session II in Malang, July 08, 2010 (Thursday Midnight)
    ... servants of God the priests after there is wave offering offering made by fire heave offering and the garments of high priest. The guarantee is eating the flesh and the bread. Thus the guarantee of God's servants comes from the ministry God's employment in their lives . Flowing from that ...
  • General Service in Malang, February 11, 2018 (Sunday Morning)
    ... . The fear or stress attacks the world. Revelation - And the kings of the earth the great men the rich men the commanders the mighty men every slave and every free man hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains and said to the mountains and ...
  • Bible Study Service in Malang, August 15, 2013 (Thursday Evening)
    ... that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear lest somehow as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached ...
  • General Service in Malang, June 30, 2019 (Sunday Morning)
    ... garden of Eden through the false teachings or the spiritual food to hinder men or congregation so that they cannot return to the garden of Eden or paradise. In the past Adam and Eve were driven out from Eden because of the matter of food or fruit. Now the trinity of ...

Live Streaming

Live Streaming of GPTKK

Recording

Follow our recording service

Transcript

Sermon Summary

Testimony

Lfe experience with the Word of God

Sermon transcript from church service in Malang and Surabaya, preached by Pastor Widjaja Hendra.

Contact to info@gptkk.org if you have any questions or if you want to subscribe Manna magazine, dan contact to widjaja_h@yahoo.com if you want to have a private consultation with our pastor.