Prayer Service in Malang, March 19, 2013 (Tuesday Evening)

Speaker: Rev. Mikha Sandatoding

Peace and grace in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Matthew 10:34-42
10:34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.
10:35
For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’;
10:36
and ‘a man’s enemies will bethose of his ownhousehold.’
10:37
He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
10:38
And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
10:39
He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.
10:40
“He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.
10:41
He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.
10:42
And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold waterin the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.”

Matthew 8-10in Tabernacle refers to the Altar of Burnt Offerings. It refers to Jesus that dies on the cross to redeem and save us from sin. This is the mercy of God for our life, sinful people. God loves us already, and then we must love God also.

Our love to God must increase day by day. [Acts 10:37]. Do not block our love to God by the problems of family. We must love Him more than anything in this world.

Three steps of love that we must have to please God are as follows:
  1. We must have the first love.
    Revelation 2:4
    2:4 Nevertheless I have thisagainst you, that you have left your first love.

    Matthew 3:16-17
    3:16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He[a]saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.
    3:17
    And suddenly a voice camefrom heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

    The way to get the first loveis as follows:

    1. Repenting, we stop doing sin and dispose the five main sins.
      1 Peter 2:1
      2:1 Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking,


    2. The right Baptism, thus the sins are buried and we rise in righteousness life. We get the first love from heaven.

    The first love is the main love, so we can prioritize God more than anything in this world.
    Colossians 1:17-18
    1:17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.
    1:18
    And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

    Revelation 2:5
    2:5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.

    With the first love, we are able to serve God and unable to fall in sins up to the peak of sins.

  2. We must have more love so our love for the world is less.
    John 3:30
    3:30 He must increase, but I mustdecrease.

    If our love to the world is more, then our love to God is less.

    John 14:15,23
    14:15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.
    14:23
    Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.

    The process to get the love of God in our life is being obedient or having perseverance in shepherding.

    1. Starting from the perseverance in General Service(Golden Candlestick), which is fellowship with God the Holy Spirit that is able to pour the love of God abundantly in our life.

      Romans 5:4-5
      5:4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
      5:5
      Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

      The love of God is poured like water to satisfy our life. We do not need to look for any satisfaction in this world anymore.

    2. Persevering in Bible Study Service and Holy Communion(Table of Showbread), which is fellowship with Son of God. In this service, we receive the Word that is sharper than two-edged sword, to purify from the things that can block God’s love including our self.

      Mark 7:21-23
      7:21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
      7:22
      thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.
      7:23
      All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”

      The things that block God’s love to enter our life are twelve sins in heart and mind.If the twelve sins are purified, the God’s love will abound, strengthen, unify, and perfect us.

      Colossians 3:14
      3:14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.

      The love unifies us with God and others so we never want to be separated, even though there are the things that can separate us with God and others.

      Romans 8:35
      8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shalltribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

      Ecclesiastes 4:12
      4:12 Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.
      And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

      The love also makes us strong, so we are strong, of good courage, and not disappointed easily.

      2 Corinthians 4:1
      4:1 Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart.


    3. Persevering in Prayer Service(Golden Altar of Incense), which is fellowship with God the Father to pour His love in our life.

      Zephaniah 3:17
      3:17 The Lordyour God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet youwith His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”

      God’s love is poured abundantly to change our life.

      2 Corinthians 3:18
      3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

      We experience the renewal of life, from carnal men that cannot endure become spiritual men that can endure all things, until we become perfect like God.

      Philippians 3:20-21
      3:20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
      3:21
      who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.


  3. The perfect love.
    Matthew 5:48
    5:48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

    Mark 12:30-31
    12:30 And you shall love the Lordyour God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.This isthe first commandment.
    12:31
    And the second, like it, isthis: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’[a]There is no other commandment greater than these.”

    The practice of having the perfect loveis as follows:

    1. Loving God with all heart and all soul, as we prioritize God.
    2. Loving others as our self, until we have the perfect love to love our enemy.

      Matthew 5:44

      5:44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,

      Loving enemy is not repaying evil with evil but repaying the evil with good.

      Romans 12:21

      12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

      We can pray for our enemies, so we can feel the love of God that is poured abundantly in our life.

    The sign that we have the love of God abundantly is the peace from Godthat never ends. The peace from God makes us strong to face everything in life, never disappointed or hopeless. We can keep our faith to wait God’s second coming.

    Isaiah48:18
    48:18 Oh, that you had heeded My commandments!
    Then your peace would have been like a river,
    And your righteousness like the waves of the sea.

    Having the perfect love issimilar as having the love of sun, which has no partiality and will to get physical advantage but willingness to sacrifice. We can sacrifice everything for God (except the true teaching Word), then He will perfect our live so we can live in joy forever and ever.
God blesses us.