To coincide with Fasting Prayer Service Session III
Matthew 26:57-68 is about WITNESS AND TESTIMONY.
Let us now use our time to bear witness, or else we will surely deny the Lord.
There two kinds of witness and testimony as follows.
Matthew 26:63-66
26:63 But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, "I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!"
26:64 Jesus said to him, "It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven."
26:65 Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, "He has spoken blasphemy! What further need do we have of witnesses? Look, now you have heard His blasphemy!
26:66 "What do you think?" They answered and said, "He is deserving of death."
Jesus is the example of the true witness. He kept bearing witness that He was the Christ, the Son of Living God, although He had to face persecution and death.
Jesus kept bearing witness about the truthalthough He had to face persecution and death.
Hebrews 3:6
3:6 but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.
Jesus kept bearing witness that He was the Christ, the Head of His house, although He had to face persecution and death.
The true testimony of Jesus is to plead us, His body. If Jesus, the Head, had not born witness, we (His body) would have perished just as body without its head.
Therefore, we must be the true witness as Jesus is. We must keep bearing witness that Jesus is the Head of His body whatever risk we have to face.
The practice of bearing witness that Jesus is the Head of His body is as follows.
Do not use the neck to shake the head.
Queen Vashti shook her head when King Ahasuerus invited her to come. Consequently, she was thrown away. Esther had nothing but she was obedient, so she was lifted up as queen.
Youth, do not resist righteous parents!
With worship and obedience, we are lifting up our hand to God and He will stretch His merciful hand to us, to embrace us.
The result of being in God’s embrace is as follows.
Matthew 26:57-68 is about WITNESS AND TESTIMONY.
Let us now use our time to bear witness, or else we will surely deny the Lord.
There two kinds of witness and testimony as follows.
- False witness; in verse 59-63a.
- True witness; in verse 63b-66.
Matthew 26:63-66
26:63 But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, "I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!"
26:64 Jesus said to him, "It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven."
26:65 Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, "He has spoken blasphemy! What further need do we have of witnesses? Look, now you have heard His blasphemy!
26:66 "What do you think?" They answered and said, "He is deserving of death."
Jesus is the example of the true witness. He kept bearing witness that He was the Christ, the Son of Living God, although He had to face persecution and death.
Jesus kept bearing witness about the truthalthough He had to face persecution and death.
Hebrews 3:6
3:6 but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.
Jesus kept bearing witness that He was the Christ, the Head of His house, although He had to face persecution and death.
The true testimony of Jesus is to plead us, His body. If Jesus, the Head, had not born witness, we (His body) would have perished just as body without its head.
Therefore, we must be the true witness as Jesus is. We must keep bearing witness that Jesus is the Head of His body whatever risk we have to face.
The practice of bearing witness that Jesus is the Head of His body is as follows.
- We must live in righteousness and holiness in all matters whatever risk we have to face.
We must be righteous and holy in our private life and all matters. - We must be faithful and active in the ministry of building Christ’s body.
Ephesians 4:11-12
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 saintsfor the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
If we live in righteousness and holiness, we will be equipped with the ministry and the gifts of Holy Spirit to be employed in the ministry of building Christ’s body.
The ministry of building Christ’s body begins from marriage, shepherding, inter-shepherding or fellowship, up to the perfect body of Christ.
John 1:49-51
1:49 Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!"
1:50 Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these."
1:51 And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."
The shepherded life is as being under a fig tree. Meaning we feel cool, pleasant and we have the preservation of God although our life in the world becomes “hot”. Moreover, we have to go outside to become true witness through the ministry of building Christ’s body inter-shepherding, whose result is as follows.- We can see the opened heaven, meaning spiritual and physical miracles.
- We can see Jesus who comes a second time on glorious clouds.
II Timothy 1:6
1:6. Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
We have the gifts of Holy Spirit through the laying on of the hands of pastor. Ministering God, we have to be more faithful and fervent in spirit with the gifts of Holy Spirit and ministry we have.
Exodus 29:9
29:9 "And you shall gird them with sashes, Aaron and his sons, and put the hats on them. The priesthood shall be theirs for a perpetual statute. So you shall consecrate Aaron and his sons.
The ministry lasts until the end line or forever. There is no retirement, or else the right decreases until one loses the right to enter heavenly kingdom.
Acts 20:24
20:24 "But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
Do not count anything dear to ourselves, including our life. Only see the Lord and minister until the end!
Revelation 20:6
20:6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.
Moreover, we will still become priests and kings in Heaven.
Revelation 22:3,5
22:3 And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.
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. - We can see the opened heaven, meaning spiritual and physical miracles.
- We worship Jesus (the connector of Head and the body is the neck).
The neck points to worship and obedience.
Do not use the neck to shake the head.
Queen Vashti shook her head when King Ahasuerus invited her to come. Consequently, she was thrown away. Esther had nothing but she was obedient, so she was lifted up as queen.
Youth, do not resist righteous parents!
With worship and obedience, we are lifting up our hand to God and He will stretch His merciful hand to us, to embrace us.
The result of being in God’s embrace is as follows.
- The hand of God’s mercy gives strength to the weak hands.
Zephaniah 3:16-18
3:16 In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: "Do not fear; Zion, let not your hands be weak.
3:17 The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."
3:18 "I will gather those who sorrow over the appointed assembly, Who are among you, To whom its reproach is a burden.
Meaning as follows.- Our hand becomes strong to hold fast the true teaching Word.
- Our hand becomes strong to serve and minister God forever.
- Our hand becomes strong to keep believing and hoping fully to God.
- Our hand becomes strong to hold fast the true teaching Word.
- The hand of God’s mercy gives us victory over these things.
- Sin and the peak of sin. We can be more righteous and holier before God.
- Temptation and problem, even the impossible ones.
- Sin and the peak of sin. We can be more righteous and holier before God.
- The hand of God’s mercy renews or changes us.
We are renewed from carnal man or mortar pot to spiritual one or golden pot as Jesus is. The renewal begins from sincere and peaceful heart until someday we are as glorious as Jesus is.