Revelation 21: 5
21:5. Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new."And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful."
The theme: "Behold, I make all things new!"
God has created men who are as glorious as He is in the beginning of creation but they sinned and were driven out to go into the world.
Nevertheless, they kept on sinning in the world so God judged them with floods and fire and brimstone latter.
Therefore, we have to experience renewal little by little until we are placed in New Jerusalem. This is the plan of God to make all things new.
It is the renewal of New Jerusalem that God creates or makes all things new to be placed in New Jerusalem.
The renewal of New Jerusalem is signed with "THERE SHALL BE NO MORE", meaning there is no old thing anymore.
There are seven things that shall be no more as follows:
Revelation 22: 5
22:5. There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light.And they shall reign forever and ever.
THERE SHALL BE NO NIGHT, meaning there is no darkness of sin or the peak of sin anymore. It equals to there is no spiritual blindness anymore.
We have learnt the definition and reason as well as the position and condition of spiritual blind man.
Tonight we are learning THE FOLLOWING OF SPIRITUAL BLIND MAN.
Matthew 20: 30, 34
20:30. And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"
20:34 So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.
The blind man sat by the road and could not follow Jesus in the journey to Jerusalem.
Now it means spiritual blind man cannot follow Jesus to New Jerusalem.
Verse 34= 'their eyes received sight, and they followed Him'= we have to see Jesus in order to follow Him to New Jerusalem.
Not following Jesus to New Jerusalem, one is drowned to the sea of fire and brimstone.
Thus, we have to SEE JESUS FIRST.
HOW CAN WE SEE JESUS?
2 Corinthians 4: 3-4
4:3. But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,
4:4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.
Spiritual blindness means disability to see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.
There are two kinds of the gospel preached as Jesus has given us example and Paul has taught as follows:
In short, seeing Jesus means seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.It means hearing, understanding, believing and practicing the true teaching Word.
It is only because of the mercy of God if we can hear the teaching Word.
Matthew 20: 34
20:34. So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.
Only those who RECEIVE THE MERCY OF GODmay receive the teaching Word (seeing Jesus). The two blind men refer to a marriage. Only the marriage getting the mercy of God may receive the teaching Word so the marriage can be lead to the perfect one.
The steps of following Jesus to New Jerusalem lead by the teaching Word are below:
21:5. Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new."And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful."
The theme: "Behold, I make all things new!"
God has created men who are as glorious as He is in the beginning of creation but they sinned and were driven out to go into the world.
Nevertheless, they kept on sinning in the world so God judged them with floods and fire and brimstone latter.
Therefore, we have to experience renewal little by little until we are placed in New Jerusalem. This is the plan of God to make all things new.
It is the renewal of New Jerusalem that God creates or makes all things new to be placed in New Jerusalem.
The renewal of New Jerusalem is signed with "THERE SHALL BE NO MORE", meaning there is no old thing anymore.
There are seven things that shall be no more as follows:
- Revelation 21: 1= sea,
- Revelation 21: 4= death,
- Revelation 21: 4= sorrow,
- Revelation 21: 4= crying,
- Revelation 21: 4= pain,
- Revelation 22: 3= curse,
- Revelation 22: 5= night.
Revelation 22: 5
22:5. There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light.And they shall reign forever and ever.
THERE SHALL BE NO NIGHT, meaning there is no darkness of sin or the peak of sin anymore. It equals to there is no spiritual blindness anymore.
We have learnt the definition and reason as well as the position and condition of spiritual blind man.
Tonight we are learning THE FOLLOWING OF SPIRITUAL BLIND MAN.
Matthew 20: 30, 34
20:30. And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"
20:34 So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.
The blind man sat by the road and could not follow Jesus in the journey to Jerusalem.
Now it means spiritual blind man cannot follow Jesus to New Jerusalem.
Verse 34= 'their eyes received sight, and they followed Him'= we have to see Jesus in order to follow Him to New Jerusalem.
Not following Jesus to New Jerusalem, one is drowned to the sea of fire and brimstone.
Thus, we have to SEE JESUS FIRST.
HOW CAN WE SEE JESUS?
2 Corinthians 4: 3-4
4:3. But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,
4:4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.
Spiritual blindness means disability to see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.
There are two kinds of the gospel preached as Jesus has given us example and Paul has taught as follows:
- Gospel of salvation.
Ephesians 1: 13
1:13. In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,
The gospel of salvation is good news or milk.
It preaches about Jesus' first coming to die on the cross to save sinful men.
Thus, the gospel of salvation brings sinful men to know Jesus and be saved.
Being saved is not enough because we need the second gospel as follows. - Gospel of the glory of Christ or teaching Word or Bride Tidingsto prepare us to become God's Bride.
It is the gospel preaching about Jesus' second coming in order to sanctify and to perfect us to become His bride, ready to welcome Jesus' second coming and to enter into New Jerusalem.
Thus, holy bible begins with a destroyed marriage but ends with the perfect one.
In short, seeing Jesus means seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.It means hearing, understanding, believing and practicing the true teaching Word.
It is only because of the mercy of God if we can hear the teaching Word.
Matthew 20: 34
20:34. So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.
Only those who RECEIVE THE MERCY OF GODmay receive the teaching Word (seeing Jesus). The two blind men refer to a marriage. Only the marriage getting the mercy of God may receive the teaching Word so the marriage can be lead to the perfect one.
The steps of following Jesus to New Jerusalem lead by the teaching Word are below:
- Following Jesus' steps.
1 Peter 2: 19, 21-24
2:19. For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully.
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.
Verse 22-24= the steps of Jesus in death and resurrection.
The step of death means being dead to sin.Here are the practices:- Not sinning (verse 22),
- Not lying (verse 22),
- Not repaying evil to evil but repaying good to evil (verse 23).
The step of resurrection means living for righteousness (verse 24).
The teaching Word is as the two hands of God leading us.
The step of death and resurrection is as valley (death) and hill (resurrection).
Having the steps, we live in the atmosphere of Canaan or the land of promise, not of Egypt.
Deuteronomy 11: 10-12, 15
11:10. "For the land which you go to possess is not like the land of Egyptfrom which you have come, where you sowed your seed and watered it by foot, as a vegetable garden;
11:11 "but the land which you cross over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water from the rain of heaven,
11:12 "a land for which the LORD your God cares; the eyes of the LORD your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year.
11:15 'And I will send grass in your fields for your livestock, that you may eat and be filled.'
Verse 10= the condition of Egyptthat is a plain full of sorrows.
Verse 11-12= the condition of Canaan, where we live with relying on the rain of God's mercy that is to say the protection and the preservation of God as well as health for our body, soul and spirit, and health in our marriage.
Having the steps, not only we are preserved but also our livestock (verse 15).
Formerly, the livestock were used by Israelites as the offerings to God.
Meaning: The Lord blesses us for committing service and ministry as well as fellowship like we commit today. - Not sinning (verse 22),
- Following the voice of the Lord.
John 10: 4
10:4. "And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
Following the voice of the Lord as Shepherd means we hear and obey the Shepherding Word (the true teaching Word God trusts to a pastor to preach to the congregation continually and faithfully as their food).
There are two things we must take heed in the shepherding:- Do not be strange nor reject the true shepherding Word.(It is from inside).
Hosea 8: 11-12
8:11. "Because Ephraim has made many altars for sin, They have become for him altars for sinning.
8:12 I have written for him the great things of My law, But they were considered a strange thing.
Adding the quantity of ministry but rejecting the Word will add sin to sin and such person becomes evil doers.
Ministry without the true teaching Word will add sin to sin. - Do not hear strange voice(It is from outside).
John 10: 5
10:5. "Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."
The strange voice from outside is the voices that are not in line with the one in shepherding.
The strange sounds may take these forms:- Other doctrines which are different with the one we have received.
- Gossips making other people not want to hear the true teaching Word.
- Other doctrines which are different with the one we have received.
Receiving the strange voice from outside and considering the true Shepherding Word a strange thing,one becomes as Eutychus sitting in a window.
Consequently, he fell down from the third story and died.
The right attitude is being firm in the shepherding as one sits on the grass.
Psalm 23: 1
23:1. <>The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Being firm in shepherding, we shall not want.
Meaning as follows:- We are preserved by God directly,
- There is no spot or blame but holiness and perfection as Jesus is.
- Do not be strange nor reject the true shepherding Word.(It is from inside).
- Following Jesus wherever He goes.
Matthew 8: 18-19
8:18. And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side.
8:19 Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go."
Following Jesus wherever He goes means the following of body to its Head.
It is good to be shepherded but there can be a separation because there is a lost sheep.
Following Jesus wherever He goes means the following of body to its Head or the following of a bride to her Bridegroom.
This is the last following until we enter into New Jerusalem.
- Entering into the building of Christ's body.
The practice is joining in a fellowship. Starting from a marriage, shepherding, inter-shepherding until the fellowship of Israelites and Gentiles to welcome the Head on the clouds.
The true foundation of the fellowship is THE TRUE TEACHING WORD.
A fellowship without the true teaching Word has foxes and birds as the head, not Jesus.
Matthew 8: 20
8:20. And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the airhave nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."
The foxes mean the lust of money or evil spirit.
The birds mean unclean spirit. - The nearest part of the body and its head is in the neck, referring to the lovingkindness that they cannot be separated for a moment; we are in the relationship of worship.
Not worshiping God, we have no relationship with Him.
Worshiping Him, we become as baby Moses cryingand we have the mercy done by God's hand.
- Isaiah 54: 10
54:10. For the mountains shall depart And the hills be removed, But My kindness shall not depart from you, Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed," Says the LORD, who has mercy on you.
The first result is we have the guarantee of God's promise and mercy to give us peace when the world is full of crises. God also protects and preserves and helps usto be free from crises even the greatest crisis, that is to say antichrist. - Jeremiah 33: 19-21
33:19. And the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying,
33:20 "Thus says the LORD: 'If you can break My covenant with the day and My covenant with the night, so that there will not be day and night in their season,
33:21 'then My covenant may also be broken with David My servant, so that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne, and with the Levites, the priests, My ministers.
The second result is the promise and the mercy of God will never be broken as long as the day and the night still come; our service and ministry are firmed until Jesus comes a second time, we do not fall.