Peace and grace in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Luke 9:57-62 is about "The Cost of Discipleship".
Luke 9:57
9:57. Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, "Lord, I will follow You wherever You go."
Our following to Christ must be increased until we follow Him wherever He goes. It is the same as the following of body to the head, namely the one of bride.
The practice is we must be active and stirred to take part in the ministry of the building of the body of Christ according to the one that God gives to us and the stirring up of God in our heart.
Our ministry to God starts from marriage, shepherding, inter-shepherding, up to the perfect body of Christ. We greet Jesus' second coming on the glorious clouds and we are not separated from Him forever.
There are three hindrances in the building of the body of Christ as follows:
The spiritual meanings of Sodom-Gomorrah are as follows:
Psalm 25:15
25:15. My eyes are ever toward the LORD, For He shall pluck my feet out of the net.
The way out so we are not bound by Sodom-Gomorrah is our eyes must be toward Jesus.
Hebrews 12:2
12:2. looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Genesis 19:13-14,17
19:13. "For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the LORD, and the LORD has sent us to destroy it."
19:14. So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, "Get up, get out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city!" But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking.
19:17. So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, "Escape for your life! Do not look behind younor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed."
Escaping to the mountain is the same as the eyes are toward Jesus who leads us to the perfection.
Revelation 21:9-10
21:9. Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, "Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife."
21:10. And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
We are toward the New Jerusalem or the perfect bride.
Genesis 19:18-20, 21-24
19:18. Then Lot said to them, "Please, no, my lords!
19:19. "Indeed now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have increased your mercy which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, lest some evil overtake me and I die.
19:20. "See now, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one; please let me escape there (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live."
19:21. And he said to him, "See, I have favored you concerning this thing also, in that I will not overthrow this city for which you have spoken.
19:22. "Hurry, escape there. For I cannot do anything until you arrive there." Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.
19:23. The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar.
19:24. Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the LORD out of the heavens.
Lot confessed that he could not escape to the mountain or the perfection. Actually, Lot must be punished. But there was Zoar, the little city or the nearest one.
City of Zoar refers to The Altar of Burnt Offerings or Christ's cross.
Chris's sacrifice is often diminished and considered as a foolish thing, so one keeps sinning.
The cross of Christ is the place to confess all of our sin and weakness, and struggle so we are set free from sin and physical-spiritual weakness.
When we confess our sin, the cross is also the place for God to struggle up to He cries: 'It is finished!'
Genesis 19:23
19:23. The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar.
From the cross, God radiates the perfect love.
The results are as follows:
God blesses us.
Luke 9:57-62 is about "The Cost of Discipleship".
Luke 9:57
9:57. Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, "Lord, I will follow You wherever You go."
Our following to Christ must be increased until we follow Him wherever He goes. It is the same as the following of body to the head, namely the one of bride.
The practice is we must be active and stirred to take part in the ministry of the building of the body of Christ according to the one that God gives to us and the stirring up of God in our heart.
Our ministry to God starts from marriage, shepherding, inter-shepherding, up to the perfect body of Christ. We greet Jesus' second coming on the glorious clouds and we are not separated from Him forever.
There are three hindrances in the building of the body of Christ as follows:
- [Luke 9:57-58] The fox and bird, namely evil and unclean spirit. It is the same as the body of Babylon that will be destroyed.
- [Luke 9:59-60] The dead body, namely being unfaithful in the ministry. His life is not changed, so he is stamped with 666. He becomes the same as antichrist who will be destroyed forever.
- Looking back.
Luke 9:61-62
9:61. And another also said, "Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.
9:62. But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."
It is the same as the body that is bound by Sodom-Gomorrah like Lot's wife. Lot's wife became the pillar of salt. She was useless and destroyed forever. We often do not feel the bond of Sodom-Gomorrah, but someday, we will look back
The spiritual meanings of Sodom-Gomorrah are as follows:
- The influence of the world with all of its business, difficulties, distress, joy, et ceterathat bind us, so we become unfaithful in the ministry. It is the same as becoming God's enemy.
James 4:4
4:4. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
Matthew 25:26,30
25:26. "But his lord answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazyservant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.
25:30. 'And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' - The influence of the death/sin of Sodom-Gomorrah which is the same as sins up to the peak of sin namely sin of eating-drinking and marrying-giving in marriage, so one becomes God's enemy.
1 Corinthians 15:25-26
15:25. For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet.
15:26. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. - The influence of the lust/feeling of the flesh, so we love our flesh family more than God, namely prioritizing flesh family more than God.
Romans 8:6-7
8:6. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
8:7. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.
Luke 9:61
9:61. And another also said, "Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house."
We sacrifice God or the ministry for something in the world.
Consequently, we will be destroyed forever.
Psalm 25:15
25:15. My eyes are ever toward the LORD, For He shall pluck my feet out of the net.
The way out so we are not bound by Sodom-Gomorrah is our eyes must be toward Jesus.
Hebrews 12:2
12:2. looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Genesis 19:13-14,17
19:13. "For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the LORD, and the LORD has sent us to destroy it."
19:14. So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, "Get up, get out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city!" But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking.
19:17. So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, "Escape for your life! Do not look behind younor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed."
Escaping to the mountain is the same as the eyes are toward Jesus who leads us to the perfection.
Revelation 21:9-10
21:9. Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, "Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife."
21:10. And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
We are toward the New Jerusalem or the perfect bride.
Genesis 19:18-20, 21-24
19:18. Then Lot said to them, "Please, no, my lords!
19:19. "Indeed now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have increased your mercy which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, lest some evil overtake me and I die.
19:20. "See now, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one; please let me escape there (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live."
19:21. And he said to him, "See, I have favored you concerning this thing also, in that I will not overthrow this city for which you have spoken.
19:22. "Hurry, escape there. For I cannot do anything until you arrive there." Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.
19:23. The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar.
19:24. Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the LORD out of the heavens.
Lot confessed that he could not escape to the mountain or the perfection. Actually, Lot must be punished. But there was Zoar, the little city or the nearest one.
City of Zoar refers to The Altar of Burnt Offerings or Christ's cross.
Chris's sacrifice is often diminished and considered as a foolish thing, so one keeps sinning.
The cross of Christ is the place to confess all of our sin and weakness, and struggle so we are set free from sin and physical-spiritual weakness.
When we confess our sin, the cross is also the place for God to struggle up to He cries: 'It is finished!'
Genesis 19:23
19:23. The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar.
From the cross, God radiates the perfect love.
The results are as follows:
- The perfect love protects and takes care of us in the difficulties and impossibilities of the world both physically and spiritually.
We can live in righteousness and holiness in the destroyed world. We have beautiful and successful future. - Genesis 32:24,28-31
32:24. Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day.
32:28. And He said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed."
32:29. Then Jacob asked, saying, "Tell me Your name, I pray." And He said, "Why is it that you ask about My name?" And He blessed him there.
32:30. And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: "For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved."
32:31. Just as he crossed over Penuel the sun roseon him, and he limped on his hip.
The love as the sun gives us the victory in the struggles, finishes all of our problems, and changes us from carnal men to spiritual ones like Jesus.
God blesses us.