Peace and grace in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Revelation 3:21-22
3:21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
3:22 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."'"
The promise of God to the church of the Laodiceans or the congregation on the last days is to sit with Jesus on the heavenly throne. The bride (the body) sits with the Bridegroom (the Head) on the throne of the New Jerusalem forever. We experience the top of Jesus' covering as the heavenly Bridegroom and no one may charge against.
Luke 13:34
13:34 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathersher brood under herwings, but you were not willing!
Jerusalem represents the Israelites or the chosen nation of God. Actually, He really wants to care, protect, and cover the Israelites in this world until on the throne of Heaven forever. But, part of the Israelites hardened their heart and rejected the covering from Jesus. Thus, there is chance and mercy of God for the Gentiles or all of us, so we can experience the covering of Jesus as the Heavenly Bridegroom, starting from this world until we sit together with Him on the throne of Heaven forever.
Who is worthy to get the covering of the Lord?
Psalm 68:4-6
68:4 Sing to God, sing praises to His name;
Extol Him who rides on the clouds, By His name YAH,
And rejoice before Him.
68:5 A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows,
IsGod in His holy habitation.
68:6 God sets the solitary in families;
He brings out those who are bound into prosperity;
But the rebellious dwell in a dry land.
This morning we learn about widows, that is ones who have no relation with the flesh with all its desire.
Romans 8:7-8
8:7 Because the carnal mind isenmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.
8:8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
The carnal mind and flesh desire are not subject to the law of God. They make us disobey the Word of God. It equals to becoming the enemy of God, meaning being outside the covering of God, and being in the perdition forever.
If we have no relation with the flesh and all its desire, we will obey the true teaching Word whatever the risks are, until the flesh does not sound anymore.
The example is the widow of Zarephath.
1 Kings 17:7-10
17:7 And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.
17:8 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying,
17:9 "Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongsto Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you."
17:10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow wasthere gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, "Please bring me a little water in a cup, that I may drink."
The world in the last days will also be attacked by double famine as follows.
Why does God let physical and spiritual famine happen?
It is to unite the twelve tribes of Israel in Egypt. The brothers of Joseph must go to Egypt to get the wheat of Joseph. Twelve tribes become one refers to the unity of the perfect body of Christ, or the bride who is ready to welcome Jesus' second coming on the glorious cloud, to sit together with Him on the throne of Heaven forever.
How can we face famine?
1 Kings 17:11-12
17:11 And as she was going to get it,he called to her and said, "Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand."
17:12 So she said, "As the Lord your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I amgathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die."
Do not use our own ways or strength, because it will lead to the death. The widow of Zarephath uses flour and oil related to herself. They refer to smartness, richness, self-experience. It is too little compared with the huge physical crisis, moreover the spiritual one. Our own ability will not be able to help. It will lead to the death and perdition forever.
1 Kings 17:13-16
17:13 And Elijah said to her, "Do not fear; go anddo as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring itto me; and afterward make somefor yourself and your son.
17:14 For thus says the Lord God of Israel: 'The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.'"
17:15 So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for manydays.
17:16 The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke by Elijah.
The right ways to face the crisis are as follows.
God blesses us.
Revelation 3:21-22
3:21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
3:22 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."'"
The promise of God to the church of the Laodiceans or the congregation on the last days is to sit with Jesus on the heavenly throne. The bride (the body) sits with the Bridegroom (the Head) on the throne of the New Jerusalem forever. We experience the top of Jesus' covering as the heavenly Bridegroom and no one may charge against.
Luke 13:34
13:34 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathersher brood under herwings, but you were not willing!
Jerusalem represents the Israelites or the chosen nation of God. Actually, He really wants to care, protect, and cover the Israelites in this world until on the throne of Heaven forever. But, part of the Israelites hardened their heart and rejected the covering from Jesus. Thus, there is chance and mercy of God for the Gentiles or all of us, so we can experience the covering of Jesus as the Heavenly Bridegroom, starting from this world until we sit together with Him on the throne of Heaven forever.
Who is worthy to get the covering of the Lord?
Psalm 68:4-6
68:4 Sing to God, sing praises to His name;
Extol Him who rides on the clouds, By His name YAH,
And rejoice before Him.
68:5 A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows,
IsGod in His holy habitation.
68:6 God sets the solitary in families;
He brings out those who are bound into prosperity;
But the rebellious dwell in a dry land.
- Widows, that is ones who have no relation with the husband because of death. It refers to ones who have no relation with the flesh with all its desire.
- The solitary, that is ones who have no relation with the world.
- The fatherless, that is ones who have no relation with the old father, meaning being set free from sins.
This morning we learn about widows, that is ones who have no relation with the flesh with all its desire.
Romans 8:7-8
8:7 Because the carnal mind isenmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.
8:8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
The carnal mind and flesh desire are not subject to the law of God. They make us disobey the Word of God. It equals to becoming the enemy of God, meaning being outside the covering of God, and being in the perdition forever.
If we have no relation with the flesh and all its desire, we will obey the true teaching Word whatever the risks are, until the flesh does not sound anymore.
The example is the widow of Zarephath.
1 Kings 17:7-10
17:7 And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.
17:8 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying,
17:9 "Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongsto Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you."
17:10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow wasthere gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, "Please bring me a little water in a cup, that I may drink."
The world in the last days will also be attacked by double famine as follows.
- Physical famine equals to crisis in all fields, especially in economy.
Why does this happen?- Because the brook dried up, meaning all things in this world cannot fulfill human needs anymore.
- Because economy is controlled by antichrist.
- Because the brook dried up, meaning all things in this world cannot fulfill human needs anymore.
- Spiritual famine.
Amos 8:11,14
8:11 "Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord God,
"That I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine of bread,
Nor a thirst for water, But of hearing the words of the Lord.
8:14 Those who swear by the sin of Samaria,
Who say, 'As your god lives, O Dan!' And, 'As the way of Beersheba lives!'
They shall fall and never rise again."
It means being hungry of the Word of God, the true teaching Word. It happens because now one does not want until will not be able to hear the true teaching Word. The consequence is he will fall and never rise again. He will fall in sin up to its peak, that is sin concerning eating-drinking and marrying-being given in marriage. He will not be able to repent, but enjoy doing the sin and laugh when doing it.
On the contrary, as long as we still can eat and enjoy the true teaching Word, no matter whatever our condition is, God is able to raise our condition physically and spiritually.
Why does God let physical and spiritual famine happen?
It is to unite the twelve tribes of Israel in Egypt. The brothers of Joseph must go to Egypt to get the wheat of Joseph. Twelve tribes become one refers to the unity of the perfect body of Christ, or the bride who is ready to welcome Jesus' second coming on the glorious cloud, to sit together with Him on the throne of Heaven forever.
How can we face famine?
1 Kings 17:11-12
17:11 And as she was going to get it,he called to her and said, "Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand."
17:12 So she said, "As the Lord your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I amgathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die."
Do not use our own ways or strength, because it will lead to the death. The widow of Zarephath uses flour and oil related to herself. They refer to smartness, richness, self-experience. It is too little compared with the huge physical crisis, moreover the spiritual one. Our own ability will not be able to help. It will lead to the death and perdition forever.
1 Kings 17:13-16
17:13 And Elijah said to her, "Do not fear; go anddo as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring itto me; and afterward make somefor yourself and your son.
17:14 For thus says the Lord God of Israel: 'The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.'"
17:15 So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for manydays.
17:16 The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke by Elijah.
The right ways to face the crisis are as follows.
- Flour and oil must be related with God. They refer to the true teaching Word and Holy Spirit.
The bin refers to our life that is easily getting broken and destroyed. Therefore, the bin must be filled with the Word, Holy Spirit, and love, through a ministry to God.
The process is as follows.- Hearing the true teaching Word in the anointing of Holy Spirit. We hear the Word solemnly and with a need.
- Understanding the Word.
- Believing and having faith to the Word.
- Practicing the Word, so the true teaching Word is within our hand. The Word becomes our heart. Thus, we are also held by God and become His heart.
4:6 Better a handful withquietness
Than both hands full, together withtoil and grasping for the wind.
The proof that we live within the hand of God is quietness and peaceful heart. Thus, Satan cannot touch our life.
As long as the bin of human life is not filled with the Word, it will be empty. That kind of life has no quietness and will be filled with seven evil spirits. He will be stressful, evil and unclean, until destroyed forever. - Hearing the true teaching Word in the anointing of Holy Spirit. We hear the Word solemnly and with a need.
- Making a small cake.
John 8:51
8:51 Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death."
A small cake means being obedient to the true teaching Word, starting from small matters. Thus, we will receive eternal life in Heaven. We get the formula of the Heaven, that is from nothing to something, from small to big.
The small cake must be burnt so it is cooked. It refers to flesh suffering without sins, or the sprinkling of blood. It is to burn egoism or self-interest. If one is egoistic, he will be stingy (being unable to give for the work of God and the others who are in need, being unable to give his life to God) and greedy (seizing the right of God and the others).
If the small cake is uncooked, it will not be used in the building of the body of Christ.
The cooked small cake is to please and satisfy God's heart. Thus, He will surely please and satisfy us.
1 Timothy 6:6-7
6:6 Now godliness with contentment is great gain.
6:7 For we brought nothing into thisworld, and it iscertain we can carry nothing out.
It is until we receive a great gain, that is the two wings of a great eagle. The usefulness is as follows.- Evacuating us to the wilderness far from the eye of antichrist. We are cared and protected by God through the Word and Holy Communion. The exercise now is through persevering in Bible Study Service with Holy Communion.
Revelation 12:14
12:14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. - Giving us extra strength, so we are not weary and heavy laden. We are not disappointed and desperate, but keep being faithful and fervent in spirit in ministering God. We keep being faithful in waiting His second coming.
Isaiah 40:29-31
40:29 He gives power to the weak,
And to those who haveno might He increases strength.
40:30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
40:31 But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew theirstrength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.
Be watchful, if now we always feel weary and heavy laden, desperate, disappointed, stressful, afraid, worried, it means we are outside the hand of God. It means that the wings droop.
Matthew 11:28-30
11:28 Come to Me, all youwho labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
11:29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
11:30 For My yoke iseasy and My burden is light."
God invites us to come to His cross to learn to become gentle and lowly in heart. Being lowly in heart means honestly confessing all our weaknesses and sins. Being gentle means the ability to receive the Word no matter how hard it is. Being gentle is also the ability to forgive the sin of the others and forget it. If one is lowly in heart and gentle, his heart will be peaceful. God is able to solve all problems even the impossible ones. He is able to give us beautiful and successful future. He is able to care our body, soul, and spirit until we are perfect as Him.
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
5:23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
5:24 He who calls you isfaithful, who also will do it.
We can welcome His second coming on the glorious clouds. We sit together with Him on the throne of Heaven forever.
- Evacuating us to the wilderness far from the eye of antichrist. We are cared and protected by God through the Word and Holy Communion. The exercise now is through persevering in Bible Study Service with Holy Communion.
God blesses us.