Bible Study Service in Malang, October 13, 2011 (Thursday Evening)

Matthew 26:26-29 is about EATING THE HOLY COMMUNION.
Overall, Matthew 26-26-29 can be divided into two parts as follows:
  1. Verse 26-28, about the Holy Communion, referring to Jesus' death on the cross.
  2. Verse 29, about Jesus' resurrection and ascension to heaven to drink new wine or to enjoy the heavenly joy.
    Matthew 26:29
    26:29 "But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom."

    We also enjoy the new wine of heavenly joy together with Jesus in New Jerusalem. The heavenly joy is not a future thing but it begins right now. Therefore, we have to enjoy the new wine of heavenly joy from now on up to the peak, namely the joy in the marriage supper of the Lamb of God on glorious clouds when Jesus comes a second time. Afterward, we enter the paradise and New Jerusalem forever.
John 2:1-3
2:1. On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.
2:2 Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.
2:3 And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine."


As a matter of fact, there is the lack of new wine even there is no more wine in the marriage and ministry in the world. There is only water in waterpot for washing the feet and hands as a ritual or tradition. Even the waterpot becomes empty. It has spiritual meaning as follows:
Isaiah 5:1-4,7
5:1. Now let me sing to my Well-beloved A song of my Beloved regarding His vineyard: My Well-beloved has a vineyard On a very fruitful hill.
5:2 He dug it up and cleared out its stones, And planted it with the choicest vine. He built a tower in its midst, And also made a winepress in it; So He expected it to bring forth good grapes, But it brought forth wild grapes.
5:3 "And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, Judge, please, between Me and My vineyard.
5:4 What more could have been done to My vineyard That I have not done in it? Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes, Did it bring forth wild grapes?
5:7 For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, And the men of Judah are His pleasant plant. He looked for justice, but behold, oppression; For righteousness, but behold, a cry for help.


The sour wine or no wine that cannot be consumed in the wedding feast comes from the vineyard of the house of Israel or God's chosen people. God has cared the vineyard carefully until Jesus must die on the cross in order to make the vineyard produce sweet wine, namely justice and righteousness. On the contrary, the house of Israel was hard-hearted, so they produced sour wine, namely oppression and cry for help. Afterward, God turned His care to the Gentiles. 

John 2:7
2:7 Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water." And they filled them up to the brim.

The water refers to the Gentiles.

Revelation 17:1,15
17:1.Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, "Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters,
17:15 Then he said to me, "The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues.

The Gentiles are as the many waters or wide sea conquered by Babel.
Be alert! Do not insist the false freedoms. The pastor who insists the freedom will not be willing to be shepherded, and the congregation does too, because it is the characteristic of the Gentiles.
The freedom here means not being willing to be controlled by the true teaching Word, beginning in the way one gets dressed, et cetera.

Where the flesh insists the freedom, there is Babel who conquers with the sins of wickedness and uncleanness up to the peak, namely the sins concerning eating-drinking and marrying-being given in marriage.

John 2:7
2:7 Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water." And they filled them up to the brim.

The waters, referring to the Gentiles, must be filled in the waterpot of shepherding.

Romans 11:25
11:25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.

Because a part of the Israelites was hard-hearted and rejected Jesus through keeping being sour wine, there is an opened chance and the mercy of God for the Gentiles so they can be saved and shepherded up to the full quantity. It is described as the waters that were filled up into the waterpot to the brim.
There were only waters in six waterpots from among the many waters. Meaning there are only few people of the Gentiles who want to enter the shepherding, namely the Gentiles who want to crucify the flesh. It happens because the characteristic of the Gentiles is the will to get the freedom as the wide sea.

The requirement of being shepherded is as follows:
  1. Being willing to pass through narrow gate, referring to the perseverance in doing three main services as follows:
    • Golden Candlestick -->patience in doing General Service.
    • Table of Showbread -->patience in doing Bible Study Service.
    • Golden Altar of Incense -->patience in doing Worship Prayer Service.
    We become peaceful and saved in the shepherding, not like many waters in the wide sea.

    John 10:1
    10:1. "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

  2. Hearing the shepherding Word enjoyably.
    John 10:3,5
    10:3 "To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
    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."


    Hearing the Word enjoyably or without any limitation means we hear with the anointing of Holy Spirit. In addition, we run away when there is strange sound of false teaching or gossips none may be responsible of the truth. Hearing two teachings will cause the fall into the false one. It is as Eve who finally heard the sound of the serpent, and as Eutychus who sat in a window and finally fell outside.
    Hearing two kinds of teaching is the sign of not being shepherded, and it becomes the block that hinders the work of God.
The result of being shepherded is there is no chance anymore for Babel to sit on, and we will live in peace and quietness.

After being shepherded, we still have to be chosen or drawn.

John 2:8-9
2:8 And He said to them, "Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast." And they took it.
2:9 When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom.


The Gentiles who are already shepherded must be chosen through being drawn, meaning being obedient until the flesh does not sound anymoreas Jesus is obedient until He must die on the cross. There will be a miracle, namely the water can turn into wine.

Only the obedient shepherded life who will experience the miracle.

Matthew 15:25-28
15:25 Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, help me!"
15:26 But He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."
15:27 And she said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table."
15:28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.


The life renewal as the water turns into the wine begins from the renewal in our tongue as follows:
God blesses you.