Peace and grace in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Luke 9:18-21
9:18. And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"
9:19. So they answered and said, "John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again."
9:20. He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God."
9:21. And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one,
Confession and recognition of Jesus determine our success in following Him, starting from in this world until entering the eternal kingdom of Heaven.
There are many people who recognize and confess Jesus as John the Baptist or Elijah. It means the ones in physical activity (physical miracle). If we just recognize Jesus in His physical miracles, we can be deceived by false prophet who is able to do the great miracles too.
Peter confesses and recognizes Jesus correctly, namely Jesus as Messiah, the Son of the living God.
Messiah means One who is Anointed.
There are three anointed offices as follows: the king, the high priest and the priests (servant), and the prophet (human).
Matthew 16:16
16:16. Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Peter also knows Jesus as the Son of God.
Recognizing Jesus as the king, servant, human and Son of God means the one through His cross.
The practices of recognizing and confessing the cross of Jesus are as follows:
ad 2. Confessing and recognizing Jesus as Son of God and human.
John 10:33-36
10:33. The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God."
10:34. Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods"'?
10:35. "If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken),
10:36. "do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,’ because I said, 'I am the Son of God’?
Jesus was almost stoned by the Jews because He confessed Himself as a Man and Son of God.
We give thanks to God that we can confess Him as a Man and Son of God.
In Christmas, God was bornas a man, or He did not reincarnate.
The proof that we recognize and confess Jesus as Son of God and humanis we must experience new birth or the renewing from carnal men to the ones of God or spiritual ones like Jesus.
The practices of the man of God or new one are as follows:
Proverbs 9:1
9:1. Wisdom has built her house, She has hewn out her seven pillars;
The number seven refers to perfection.
Spiritual man builds his house with seven pillars until perfect.
So, the new man with seven signs of renewing is the same as seven strong pillars, namely being strong and of good courage. It means one is not shaken by anything until he becomes the pillar in New Jerusalem.
Being strong and good courage means as follows:
The example is Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed–Nego.
Daniel 3:16-18,24-25
3:16. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed–Nego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.
3:17. "If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.
3:18. "But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up."
3:24. Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, "Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?" They answered and said to the king, "True, O king."
3:25. "Look!" he answered, "I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God."
They kept on worshipping God even though they were not helped. They surrendered all things to God.
The resultis God is with us (three men were cast bound into the midst of the fire, but four men walked in the midst of the fire). God does not leave us. He heeds, cares, understands and struggles for all of us.
The results are as follows:
God blesses us.
Luke 9:18-21
9:18. And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"
9:19. So they answered and said, "John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again."
9:20. He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God."
9:21. And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one,
Confession and recognition of Jesus determine our success in following Him, starting from in this world until entering the eternal kingdom of Heaven.
There are many people who recognize and confess Jesus as John the Baptist or Elijah. It means the ones in physical activity (physical miracle). If we just recognize Jesus in His physical miracles, we can be deceived by false prophet who is able to do the great miracles too.
Peter confesses and recognizes Jesus correctly, namely Jesus as Messiah, the Son of the living God.
Messiah means One who is Anointed.
There are three anointed offices as follows: the king, the high priest and the priests (servant), and the prophet (human).
Matthew 16:16
16:16. Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Peter also knows Jesus as the Son of God.
Recognizing Jesus as the king, servant, human and Son of God means the one through His cross.
The practices of recognizing and confessing the cross of Jesus are as follows:
- Recognizing and confessing Jesus as the King of kings and the servant. It means we have to become the priests and kings. We minister to God according to the ministries that God gives to us.
- Recognizing and confessing Jesus as Son of God and human.
ad 2. Confessing and recognizing Jesus as Son of God and human.
John 10:33-36
10:33. The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God."
10:34. Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods"'?
10:35. "If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken),
10:36. "do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,’ because I said, 'I am the Son of God’?
Jesus was almost stoned by the Jews because He confessed Himself as a Man and Son of God.
We give thanks to God that we can confess Him as a Man and Son of God.
In Christmas, God was bornas a man, or He did not reincarnate.
The proof that we recognize and confess Jesus as Son of God and humanis we must experience new birth or the renewing from carnal men to the ones of God or spiritual ones like Jesus.
The practices of the man of God or new one are as follows:
- 1 Timothy 6:9-12
6:9. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.
6:10. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
6:11. But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness(1), godliness(2), faith(3), love(4), patience(5), gentleness(6).
6:12. Fight the good fight of faith(7), lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
The man of God is free from evil and unclean desire.
Evil desire is the love of money that makes one stingy (one cannot give) and greedy (one steals others' and God's, namely the tithes and special offerings).
Evil desire makes us stray from the faith, so we are tormented and perish.
Unclean desire is sin of eating-drinking (smoking, getting drunk, and drugs abuse) and marrying-giving in marriage (sexual sins with all its kinds, including sexual deviation).
If we are free from evil and unclean desire, we can love God more than anything and we experience renewal of life. We become as the man of God with seven characteristics as follows:- Pursuing righteousness
- Godliness.
- Faithfulness.
- Love.
- Patience.
- Gentleness.
- Fighting the good fight of faith until eternal life.
- The signs of new man are as follows:
- Putting away lying, speaking true and good word, and becoming blessing for others.
Ephesians 4:23-25, 29
4:23. and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
4:24. and that you put on the new manwhich was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
4:25. Therefore, putting away lying, "Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor," for we are members of one another.
4:29. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. - Not being angry without love or reason or not being angry with outbursts of emotion.
Ephesians 4:26
4:26. "Be angry, and do not sin": do not let the sun go down on your wrath, - Do not give place to the devil. Young men do not need to go to discotheque, cinema, et cetera.
Ephesians 4:27
4:27. nor give place to the devil. - Do not steal, but give.
Ephesians 4:28
4:28. Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. - Do not grieve the Holy Spirit with bitterness, envy, et cetera.
Ephesians 4:30-31
4:30. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
4:31. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. - Having the characteristic of God, namely being kind to one another, tenderhearted, and forgiving one another.
Ephesians 4:32
4:32. And be kindto one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you. - Obedience until our flesh does not sound anymore. It is the same as Jesus who became obedient to the point of death of the cross, so He became offering that produces sweet-smelling aroma.
Ephesians 5:1-2
5:1. Therefore be imitatorsof God as dear children.
5:2. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet–smelling aroma.
Obedience until our flesh does not sound anymore is the same as becoming offering that produces a sweet-smelling aroma for God, so we please Him and He will satisfy us.
- Putting away lying, speaking true and good word, and becoming blessing for others.
- Colossians 3:9-14
3:9. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds,
3:10. and have put on the new manwho is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,
3:11. where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.
3:12. Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies(1), kindness(2), humility(3), meekness(4), longsuffering(5);
3:13. bearing with one another, and forgiving(6)one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.
3:14. But above all these things put on love(7), which is the bond of perfection.
The signs of new man are as follows:- Tender mercies: one does not judge others nor agree sins.
The true one is bringing sinner to God, so he repents. - Kindness: generous man.
- Humility: one can confess sin.
- Meekness.
- Longsuffering.
- Forgiving one another.
- Love.
- Tender mercies: one does not judge others nor agree sins.
Proverbs 9:1
9:1. Wisdom has built her house, She has hewn out her seven pillars;
The number seven refers to perfection.
Spiritual man builds his house with seven pillars until perfect.
So, the new man with seven signs of renewing is the same as seven strong pillars, namely being strong and of good courage. It means one is not shaken by anything until he becomes the pillar in New Jerusalem.
Being strong and good courage means as follows:
- Keeping on living in righteousness whatever risk may come.
- Keeping on obeying God whatever risk may come.
- Keeping on ministering to God faithfully and correctly whatever risk may come.
- Keeping on worshipping God and calling His name. We totally trust and commit ourselves to God.
The example is Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed–Nego.
Daniel 3:16-18,24-25
3:16. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed–Nego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.
3:17. "If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.
3:18. "But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up."
3:24. Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, "Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?" They answered and said to the king, "True, O king."
3:25. "Look!" he answered, "I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God."
They kept on worshipping God even though they were not helped. They surrendered all things to God.
The resultis God is with us (three men were cast bound into the midst of the fire, but four men walked in the midst of the fire). God does not leave us. He heeds, cares, understands and struggles for all of us.
The results are as follows:
- God is able to take care of and protect us in the middle of the trouble and impossibility of the world.
- God is able to finish all impossible problems.
- God gives thoughts of peace, a future and a hope (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed–Nego were promoted).
There is a beautiful and successful future in due time.
Jeremiah 29:11
29:11. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peaceand not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. - God uses us to become His witness.
- God changes our life until perfect like Him. We are worthy to greet His second coming on the glorious clouds.
God blesses us.