Youth Service in Malang, November 07, 2015 (Saturday Evening)

Peace and grace in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Luke 9:22-27 is about our following to Jesus.
Luke 9:22 is about the direction of our following to Jesus, namely going to New Jerusalem.
Luke 9:23-6 is about the requirements of our following to Jesus.

The requirements of our following to Jesus are as follows:
  1. We must deny ourselves and take up our cross (verse 23).
  2. We must willingly lose our life because of Jesus (verse 24).
  3. We must be free from the influence of the world (verse 25).
  4. We are not ashamed and afraid because of Jesus and His words (verse 26).

Luke 9:27

9:27. "But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste deathtill they see the kingdom of God."

'We shall not taste death' does not means we will not die, but we are not controlled by the death. It refers to the perfect body of Christ or the bride of Heaven. It is the same as Jesus, the Bridegroom, who is not controlled by the death. Although Jesus died and was buried for three days, but He was risen in the body of glory that cannot perish. We are as the body of Christ, so we are not controlled by the death and will not perish.

1 Corinthians 15:51-52
15:51. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed--
15:52. in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

God tells His secret to us through Paul the apostle, namely we shall not all sleep. It means some Christians sleep and some of them will live until Jesus comes a second time.
Being dead or alive is God's mercy. It is not important, but the important one is we must hear and obey the trumpet sound (the true teaching word) as long as we live in the world, to experience the renewal of life continuously until we become perfect, as glorious as God.

The shepherding word leads us in the steps of renewing until we become perfect and as glorious as God.

The renewal processes are as follows:
  1. Being born from water and spirit= water baptism and Holy Spirit baptism.
    John 3:3, 5
    3:3. Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
    3:5. Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

    Matthew 3:15-17

    3:15. But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he allowed Him.
    3:16. When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were openedto Him, and He saw the Spirit of Goddescending like a dove and alighting upon Him.
    3:17. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

    Jesus is not a sinner, so He does not need to be baptized, but He is willingly baptized in the water. The reasons are as follows:

    1. For doing God's will. We must enter the water baptism too for doing God's will.
    2. Becoming pattern about the true water baptism.
      Romans 6:4
      6:4. Therefore we were buriedwith Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raisedfrom the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

      The true water baptism is one who has died to sin or repented must be buried in the water with Jesus and come out or rise from water with Him to receive new life or heavenly life, namely life in righteousness. So, we will receive Holy Spirit baptism.

      1 Peter 3:21

      3:21. There is also an antitype which now saves us--baptism(not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good consciencetoward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

      The result of water baptism and Holy Spirit baptism is we have a good consciencewhich is the same as the heart of dove (the bride), namely sincere heart. There are no more bitterness, wickedness, uncleanness, worry, hypocrisy, et cetera. We experience peace from God.

      Sincere heart (being peace) is a strong baseto receive physical and spiritual God's blessings, and to lift us up to the throne of heaven.

      1 Peter 3:22
      3:22. who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.

      We are used by God for the glory of His name. Our prayer is answered by God. Until Jesus comes a second time, we are lifted up on the glorious clouds and we enter the throne of heaven.

  2. The renewal through prayer.
    Matthew 17:1-2
    17:1. Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountainby themselves;
    17:2. and He was transfiguredbefore them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.

    The shepherding word renews us until we can worship God.
    By worshipping, we experience the renewal of face. It is the same as the renewal of senses. One of them is the renewal of mouth.

    If our heart has been renewed to become the heart of dove, the mouth will produce the voice of dove.

    Song of Solomon 2:14

    2:14. "O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, In the secret places of the cliff, Let me see your face, Let me hear your voice; For your voice is sweet, And your face is lovely."

    The voice of dove is the sweet oneor prayer in the experience of resurrection.

    Nahum 2:7

    2:7. It is decreed: She shall be led away captive, She shall be brought up; And her maidservants shall lead her as with the voice of doves, Beating their breasts.

    The voice of dove is also the groaning or prayer in the experience of death.

    If these are combined, it will be the song in the experience of resurrection and death. It is the same as a new song.

    Revelation 14:1-3

    14:1. Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father's name written on their foreheads.
    14:2. And I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder. And I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps.
    14:3. They sang as it were a new songbefore the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth.

    If our mouth has the new song, our face can be lovely or we have a beaming face.

    Revelation 19:6-7

    19:6. And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, "Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!
    19:7. "Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready."

    Until Jesus comes a second time, the voice of dove becomes the prayer voice of a great multitude on the glorious clouds.

  3. The renewal through the sprinkling of blood or the test.
    1 Peter 4:12-14
    4:12. Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;
    4:13. but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.
    4:14. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of gloryand of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.

    The sprinkling of bloodis suffering in the flesh without any sin or taking up the cross with Jesus.
    God allows us to experience the sprinkling of blood, so we receive the Spirit of gloryto change us from carnal men to spiritual ones like Jesus.

    The example is the family of Bethany who loves Jesus and vice versa, but Lazarus is allowed to be sick and die.
    John 11:5-6

    11:5. Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
    11:6. So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.

    Our attitude when facing the sprinkling of blood determines whether we receive Holy Spirit or perish.

    John 11:31

    11:31. Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weepthere."

    The negative attitude is weeping. It means blaming others and God.

    John 11:32

    11:32. Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."

    The right attitudeis falling down at God's feet, totally surrendering to God and worshiping Him.
    We confess that we are unworthy and incapable. We only rely on God's mercyand the Spirit of glory will be poured out to do spiritual miracle, namely changing our life.

    John 11:39-40

    11:39. Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."
    11:40. Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"

    The thing that must be renewed is 'Take away the stone'. It means we become honestand do not hide a stench.
    We honestly confess the right thing and sins, and we believe in God.

    Being honest and havingfaithare the same as stretching out our hand to God and He also stretches out His hand to us to do physical miracle.
    Lazarus who has been dead four days could be risen. The impossible thing becomes possible. Failure is changed into success and the thing that has been destroyed can be good.

    Until Jesus comes a second time, we are changed to become perfect and as glorious as Him and we become His bride.
God blesses us.