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8-4-2019 Weekly Message

Meditation of the week: Psalm 90: 1-17

Text: Hebrews 11: 15-16

The title of the book: Life of Christian as stranger taking up the cross toward a country in heaven

         The writer of Hebrews, starting with Abel, defines what the faith is and witnesses to many faithful men of God. They all died in faith. But all of them did not receive the promise of the kingdom of God in their lifetime. But by believing in the promises of God, they made the promise real and convinced. They also cherished their hearts by convincing God’s promises. Therefore, they lived the life of strangers-like pilgrim in the earth. They were finally looking for the heavenly home long after that God had prepared for them. They lived in wandering from the land, but when they looked at their home country in heaven , they did not immerse themselves in Homesick, but regarded the heavenly land they had never visited as their homeland, as they were born in heaven, they lived  in the world and then left.

       At that time, the Holy Spirit did not come to the world yet when they lived in, but God gave them the Spirit of Christ in them, and they were able to see the heavenly home, like Christians who entered the spiritual kingdom of God in this age. In this regard, Apostle Peter testified about the special blessing they had received as they lived a prophetic life:

” Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:

11Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.,” (1 Peter 1: 10-11).

           Those who had lived for four thousand years before Jesus Christ appeared in the world to give  grace, lived a life of miserable death without hope except for a few people of faith. After Satan brought sin, death, and curse on this earth, the earth was cursed by the sin of the first man according to the word of God, filled with thorns and thistles, and became a miserable state where people had to sweat to survive as God said to Adam(Genesis 3:18).

         When God spoke through Moses, he said that the people of the earth would suffer in sorrows, and that the lives of the people would be reduced to seventy to eighty years:

” The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.” (Psalm 90:10)

         That’s right! Those who live in this world that Satan has ruled have become a world in which they have to live in grief to work, to eat, to drink, to wear, and to save their homes. God has chosen His people Israel and finally sent their king Jesus Christ, to speak to them to be free from what they should eat and drink:

” Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?….. Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. “(Matthew 6: 25, 31, 32, 33)

          Jesus spoke of what they should seek first, after Jesus died in the future to get rid of the sin of the world, and when he resurrected, he asked for the righteousness of God by believing in Him. He said that as the children of God, all things for their life shall be added unto them.  when they first seek kingdom of God and his righteousness, and enter into the spiritual kingdom of God.

          After saying this, Jesus said one very important thing:

” Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. “(Matthew 6:34)

       What he  means that their daily life shall be a life of evil, and the world shall be continued to be in disaster until the Lord destroys the devil that brought sin, death, and curse to the world. Satan is going to make them to worry in fear constantly. . But the Lord is telling His children not to worry about what will happen tomorrow. The Lord is to cast out the fears of Satan and they have to  in Him who gives grace each day.

          Apostle John, who realized this Word of the Lord, testified to the Saints once more to remind the Lord’s word:

” There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:18)

           Apostle Paul also told Pastor Timothy to boldly cast out fear:

” For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1: 7)

           Our enemy, the devil, is constantly tempting us not to look at the heavenly home that is before us by keeping our faith bearing our cross so that we may not be able to follow him.

          One of the most important things that we should never forget is that when we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, he removed all the heavy burdens of sin  from the cross, and that we have been given our cross for us to take up. We must never forget the cross that the Lord Jesus died pouring out his blood and waters to remove the heavy burdens we have been taking. The Lord spoke clearly to all who would follow him:

”  If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” (Matthew 16:27)

         In order to realize what the cross is, it is easy to see if you consider the cross that the Lord has been crucified. If Jesus did not love  sinners like us ,  he not needed to die on the cross. If the Lord had not denied Himself, He couldn’t die for us die.

      That’s right. The Lord Jesus is asking unto us to love them whom we never be able to love. . If we do not deny ourselves, we cannot take up our cross. This cross may be our neighbors, friends, church members, or our children. The cross that the Lord has given to each one of us can be clearly understood. The Lord Jesus will not take a look at us  if we just follow him without carrying our cross. We cannot forget his word unto us:

” And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.” (Matthew 10:38)

Amen! Hallelujah!