General Service in Malang, September 04, 2011 (Sunday Morning)

Matthew26:26-29
26:26. And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it,and gave itto the disciples and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."
26:27
Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave itto them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you.
26:28
For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
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."

EATING HOLY COMMUNION

The last Passover feast equals to the first Holy Communion.

Eating Holy Communion is eating unleavened bread and roasted flesh.
Eating Holy Communion is eating the body of Christ and drinking the blood of Christ.

What is the usefulness of Holy Communion?

John6:54-56
6:54 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
6:55
For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.
6:56
He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.

The usefulness of Holy Communion is as follows:
  1. Holy Communion (the body and blood of Christ) is true food which gives true satisfaction and joy (heavenly satisfaction and joy).(verse 55)

    Why does God give Holy Communion?
    Since man is never satisfied in eating-drinking matters and any other things in this world, such that he falls in eating-drinking and sexuality sins.

    The proof started from the garden of Eden, where men could eat all fruits from trees which were allowed by God to be eaten, but they ate the forbidden fruit (men fell into sin). Be watchful! Just as Eve, it is more often that a wife is not satisfied in household.
    As men have been out casted to the world, they eat not only the fruit, but also the leaves, the stem, the root (the whole plant). Even because of their dissatisfaction, men eat animals.

    Inside the church, pastor (the shepherd) eats the sheep, that is when pastor does not feed the sheep.
    Otherwise, sheep also eat the shepherd (saying bad things about the pastor), that is when sheep cannot eat the shepherding Word (getting bored, sleepy, etc.).

    It will not be impossible that men will really eat their fellows. It will peak on the era of antichrist.

    Holy Communion muffles human dissatisfaction, such that we experience satisfaction and always give thanks to God in everything.

  2. Holy Communion gives us eternal life.(verse 54)

    Since Adam and Eve fell in sins, all men have sinned (Romans3:23).
    The wages of sin is death (perdition forever).

    If man dies in sins, later he will be raised to be judged forever (to be perished forever).
    Do not play with sins!
    Sins cannot be hidden or thought as it has been solved, even until within the grave.

    Holy Communion gives us eternal life, it means that by eating the Holy Communion, we decided to leave the sins and live in righteousness and purity.
    If right and pure life is permitted to die by God, later he will be raised by God to receive eternal life.

  3. Holy Communion unites us with God in the relation of body (the Bride) and Head (the Bridegroom) which cannot be separated anymore. (verse 56)

    Through Holy Communion, the church of God (the body of Christ) is united with Jesus as the Head, and will lead to the marriage supper of the Lamb of God (convocation in the air forever).

    The Holy Bible is started with carnal marriage. But, because of human dissatisfaction, there are a lot of victims of wrong marriage nowadays.
    Through the Holy Communion, God wants to restore our marriage, such that it will not be satisfied only by carnal matters (fake satisfaction), but it will be brought to true satisfaction, that is spiritual marriage between Christ and His congregation.

    Revelation19:9
    19:9 Then he said to me, "Write: 'Blessed arethose who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!'" And he said to me, "These are the true sayings of God."

    The relation between the Head and the body is the neck, that is worship prayer.
    Thus, the spiritual marriage relation is the relation in worship prayer.

    Holy Communion will force us to worship God.
    If we want our carnal marriage to be made good, we have to worship God more.

    If now we do not like (even feel being forced) in worshiping God, later we will be forced to worship antichrist. In the era of antichrist, one who stands worship God will be tortured until his head will be beheaded.

    Song of Solomon4:4
    4:4 Your neck islike the tower of David, Built for an armory, On which hang a thousand bucklers, All shields of mighty men.

    (Song of Solomon 4 talks about the bridegroom who praises the bride. Do not misappropriate this verse in the world, since Satan always tries to destroy carnal marriage such that men will not enter spiritual marriage.)

    The neck of the bride is like the tower of David. Tower is the place for spying, for guarding.
    In what matter must we be watchful?
    • Such that we keep within God's will = always being obedient to the Word.
      Whatever we do (great service, many sacrifices, etc.) will be useless if we are not obedient to the Word.

      The neck is for bowing (being obedient).
      Be watchful!
      Many times woman uses the neck for shaking the head (being not obedient, not submitting). The examples were Eve and Vashti.
      Once we are shaking our head (not being obedient), we will fall!

    • Such that we always live in God's grace and kindness (loving-kindness relation).

      The Word cannot be separated from God's mercy and kindness (grace).
      Walking out of the Word equals to walking out of the mercy and kindness (grace) of God.

      David confessed that in the shepherding he found the mercy and kindness of God, and he lived from those.

      The usefulness of the mercy and kindness of God are as follows:
      1. A thousand bucklers hang on it. It means that the mercy and kindness of God are our life's buckler, God protects us as the apple of His eye.

        The mercy and kindness of God protect and care us in the middle of wilderness of this world, as David was protected by God from Saul and Goliath.

        Every our heart beat (every step) is God's mercy and kindness, since we are in the womb until we die.

        The mercy and kindness of God are able to protect us from all sorts of dangers, from antichrist, even from God's judgment which will come to this earth.
        The buckler of God cannot be penetrated by anything.

      2. The tower of David was built for an armory. It means the mercy and kindness of God give us victory.
        • God's love gives us victory, especially victory over sins and the peak of sins (eating-drinking and sexuality sins).
          We can live in righteousness and purity (personally), and can hold on the right and pure marriage.
        • God's love also gives us victory over all our problems, even the impossible one. God's love will solve everything for us.
        • God's love gives us success and beautiful future.
          David, who was in the shepherding field, could be lifted as king.

      3. The mercy and kindness of God are the power of God to restore and renew our life.

        Psalm51:1-3
        51:1 Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Yourlovingkindness;According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions.
        51:2
        Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin.
        51:3
        For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin isalways before me.

        David's conscience was still good, such that he still could regret and confess his fault, also struggled to be set free from sins.

        When we fall in sins is as we are in the valley of the shadow of death, in the valley of thorns, in failures and ruins.
        Moreover when a great life falls into sins, it means a deep failure and ruin.

        We always need the Word.

        Why do we always have to listen to sharp Word?
        The Word is God's warning which points our sins, such that we can regret, confess, and leave the sins. It equals to coming back to God's mercy and kindness.

        The mercy and kindness of God are able to renew and restore our life.
        The starting of renewal and restoration from God is being able to confess the sins.
        We will be restored and renewed continually, until become the same perfect as Him on His second coming.

      The PROFF that there are protection, victory, and restoration in the merciful and kind hands of God is
      peace within our hearts.

      Although there is threatening danger, many problems to be faced, many deficiencies and blemish, we believe that the mercy and kindness of God are able to solve everything.

      On Jesus' second coming, we will be renewed as perfect as Him, such that we may enter the marriage supper of the Lamb of God, a thousand years kingdom of peace/ paradise in the earth ("a thousand bucklers"), up to the New Jerusalem (the eternal Kingdom of Heaven).
God blesses us.