God’s Sign – Jesus Christ (Mt. 16:1-12)
Let us bless one another, “Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God.” May you all remain within God’s unprecedented and never-repeated answers today. The contents of today’s worship are the people who go to church but are still not able to enjoy true freedom and answers, and the people who are continuously struggling to receive more wisdom and knowledge, like the nonbelievers. How will we be able to enjoy the correct answers and have victory? That answer is within Matthew 16.
As we live our walk of faith for a long time, people are bound to seek after miracles, signs, and evidence. Why is it that I’ve believed in Jesus Christ for a long time but I don’t have any evidence? If God has power, then I should be able to have some of that power or see it, but the problems in my family are still there, is God really alive? I do have salvation, but there are people who have lived their walk of faith with these kinds of questions.
There are also some people who don’t believe in the spiritual world that is in the Bible. For example, people don’t believe in the works of the Holy Spirit or the evil spirits at all. Inside of the church, there are people who read the Bible and make all of their decisions just based on their logic, and there are some people who go to church without having received salvation. These people are just choosing a religion to find, “How can I gain more wisdom in the world?” Because if you have wisdom, then you’ll be able to exercise well, run your business well, and study well. So, they’re always reading books, trying to gain more wisdom. God is giving His Word to all of these people today.
1. Pharisees and Sadducees
1) Tested Jesus (Mt. 16:1)
(1) A sign from heaven (Mt. 16:1)
Today in Matthew 16:1, it says the Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him. This means that they were trying to catch him doing something. The reason for this is because the Pharisees are the religious leaders and the Sadducees are the political leaders.
(2) Miracle of the 5 loaves and 2 fish – Make Him King (Jn. 6:15)
So, these are two groups of leaders who are ruling and controlling Israel, but now there’s this young adult who’s performing these miracles like the five loaves of bread and two fish, and all the Israelites want to make Him king. Then, that means that all of the work that the political and religious leaders have put in to maintain their power is threatened. Usually the Pharisees and Sadducees don’t get along, they’re usually arguing against each other, but now that they have a common enemy, they are uniting forces. That’s the same thing going on right now, where Russia and China did not always get along, but now that they have a common enemy in America, they are joining forces. It’s always the same thing, if I didn’t get along with somebody, but now they’re being nice to me, it is because we have a common enemy, so people are even able to hold hands with their enemies for their own benefit.
(3) Test if it is God’s word (Dt. 18:20)
In this kind of environment, this is taking place, and there is a basis with which the people are giving Jesus this test. They’re saying, “Is Jesus Christ really from heaven? If so, give us a sign from heaven,” and their basis for this test is from Deut. 18:20. So, these two groups are coming with the law of the Old Testament from Deut. 18:20 that says, any prophet who speaks their own words instead of the words of God will be put to death, and they are testing to see whether Jesus Christ is really from heaven or not. Because what Jesus is saying goes against what the Pharisees and Sadducees say.
For example, Jesus Christ stopped the Israelites from stoning the adulterous woman to death according to the law, and Jesus said, “Let him who has no sin cast the first stone,” so now they are beginning to suspect Jesus. From that point on they were determined to kill Jesus. Later on, He is put to death, He is crucified on the cross for the sin of claiming that He is the King. So, these two groups of individuals attacked Jesus Christ, and the same thing is in the church today, where people have the words of the Bible and they use their faith to attack others. Everything in the Old Testament speaks about Jesus Christ, so if these two individuals truly understood the words of the old testament, then they would worship and serve Jesus Christ as soon as they saw him, but the reason they did not do that is because they were holding onto something else and living that as their walk of faith.
These are people who are living today with Jesus Christ who is with them, but instead of putting value in that, they continue to seek evidence, miracles, and signs elsewhere. These are people who cannot live if they do not have any evidence or signs externally, because they are so anxious. Or, people who are reading the Bible today but they read it logically, so they don’t understand the spiritual things. These are two groups of people who are bound to oppose those who have the life of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They oppose the people of the gospel saying, “Is that all you need? You need to do other things as well.”
2) A wicked and adulterous generation (Mt. 16:4)
Then Jesus Christ said, “This is a wicked and adulterous generation.” Jesus Christ said, “It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.” So we’re able to interpret the weather for the day, but we cannot interpret the signs of the times. When Jesus Christ calls them “wicked, “it’s not speaking from our perspective of, “This person is good or bad,” but it’s wicked from God’s perspective. What does “wicked” mean?
(1) Wickedness (Gen. 6:5) – Centered on myself (Gen. 6:2), God (Gen. 3:5), Live for myself
(Gen. 11:4)
What does “wicked” mean from God’s perspective? Gen. 6:5, the LORD saw man’s wickedness. The reason why God saw that they were wicked was because they married any beautiful woman they wanted. Their children were heroes of old, men of renown. What does that mean? It is people who marry whomever they want to raise children of great renown, even if they marry a nonbeliever without the covenant. That’s wickedness. Satan gave the same message in Gen. 3, first he gave us the condition, “if you eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,” Then he tells us the result, “Then you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Satan always says, “You need to do this action, then the result will follow.” The LORD simply says, “Believe in the Word I have given you.” But the message Satan gives us is, “If you eat this fruit, then you will be like God, knowing good and evil; you will be in the seat of God,” and God calls that wicked. I need to entrust my life to God for Him to decide what is good and what is evil, but instead, I make that decision myself. I make the decision, “Oh, this will be to my benefit.” I live my life with my own plan. If I do this, then I will have success, power, and fame,” in other words, we have become the masters of our own lives. “The money is mine, my children are mine, my husband, my wife, they are mine, I’m the owner of everything.” That’s wicked. Everything comes from God, even your children are God’s. Your money doesn’t belong to you; it belongs to God. God gave it to you and that’s why you use it for the Lord’s work.
“How does that make any sense? I lost sleep working really hard for this money, how does it belong to God?” For people who keep asking this question, if you lose your health, you won’t be able to keep making money. Even if God blocks the sun for a few hours, we won’t be able to live. God controls our life and death, and if God ends our life, then we cannot work. Acknowledging that God is wisdom, and in Proverbs, it says, fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
(2) Adultery – Leave God to worship idols (Ex. 20:3-4, Col. 3:5)
(3) Life away from God – Want signs (Mt. 16:4)
Jesus calls them an adulterous generation, and even before the sexual adultery, there is another type of adultery. There is a spiritual adultery where instead of loving God and Jesus Christ the most, we are loving and living for our greed and desires. Everything starts from that spiritual adultery and then results in the physical adultery. So, the Lord was rebuking them, calling them a wicked and adulterous generation. These people do not accept Jesus Christ, so simply put, they are separated from God, that’s why they are bound to want evidence and signs.
3) Jonah’s sign (Mt. 16:4)
Then the Lord responds to them that the only sign they will receive is the sign of Jonah. What is the sign of Jonah? Jonah went into the belly of a fish for 3 days and resurrected or came back in three days.
(1) Cross – Death, 3 Days – Resurrection
This means that the only sign Jesus will show is the incident of the cross where Jesus Christ died for all of the curses and disasters of our sin, and resurrected in three days, but people think of that so lightly today because that’s not something I did. It’s not even that I believed it, but God gave me the grace to believe, so we think there is no value in this cross. The Lord coming to earth as a human and dying on the cross for us and resurrecting has finished all the problems in our life. But instead of focusing on that, we continue to bind ourselves by focusing on the traditions, laws, and customs. If the people lose hold of the gospel, then they are limited by the 66 books of the BIble, so they are bound to fall into the law of the Old Testament, in other words, they are bound to live a walk of faith like the Pharisees.
(2) Finished everything – Sign (Jn. 19:30)
In John 19:30, Jesus Christ said, “It is finished,” and that is the miracle, that is the sign. When we went on the mission trip to the Navajo reservation in Sedona, this is the work we gave to the Native Americans and the Caucasian people. Believing in Jesus Christ means that now, Jesus is my Lord, so a problem is not a problem. That’s what I told them, that is the main point. Why do you think God is allowing the members who go to church to hear these words? Because people are not receiving the message of the cross as power and everything, they are bound to go in another direction.
(3) Bread of life from heaven – Jesus (Jn. 6:30, 33, 35)
In John 6:30, the people asked Jesus, “What is the miracle that you will show us so we may see and believe in you?” Then Jesus Christ declared, “I am the bread of life, eat this and this will be your sign.” Eating Jesus Christ is the spiritual mystery to never be thirsty or hungry again. The main point of living a walk of faith is not about going back and forth to church. It is living with Jesus Christ Who is the life within me. The worship is enjoying, eating, and relaying the Word He gives us. The Bible tells us we are His Temple because the Holy Spirit lives within us. Today’s worship is the members of the early church who have gathered together.
The Bible tells us that formal worship is when we hear the words from the apostles, we break bread, and we share forum with the Word of God. But, if you think that only this is worship, then you will not be able to work out in the world. Out in the world, there are no pastors, there is no choir, you’re all alone, and that’s why, if you don’t know what the gospel is, if you don’t know what worship is, then you will have a hard time in the world. Worship is when you go out into the world, into your families, schools, and businesses, and you are worshiping and have Jesus as your Lord there. You obey and serve Him as your Lord, that is worship. So, you must be able to worship in your business field. But if you’re moving in your business field as if you are the owner, then that is not worship. The Lord must be the Lord of your business, and you follow after whatever the Lord commands of you, that is worship.
Jesus Christ is saying, “That is the sign, that is everything.” For these people, even though they walk through the valley of the shadow of death it doesn’t matter, because the Lord is with them, eating and drinking with them. “I am lost in my depression, I have mental illnesses coming back and forth,” it doesn’t matter. Those things cannot overcome Jesus Christ. But if you don’t have Jesus Christ, then those things will come. “For me, it’s hard to eat and make a living,” it doesn’t matter. Jesus Christ said, “I have shown you the miracle of the five loaves and the two fish.” Because the LORD is my Shepherd, I lack nothing. Through the worship in your everyday life, the evidence that that power of the Lord is with you will appear. The one who is most afraid is the devil. The devil tries to steal away your worship. Just this gathering worship is not worship; yes, of course we must gather together to worship, but we must also worship scattered. The Pharisees thought that worship was just the form, the exterior shell, the traditions and acts of worship, that’s why they failed. You should be able to worship while you’re alone, by yourself. Even if you are in a situation where nobody can help you, the Lord says He will dine with you and drink with you, that is worship, then the Kingdom of God is established there.
In the Old Testament, the Pharisees created the tabernacle and the holy of holies and the temple, and said, “God is only here.” Even though Jesus Christ Who is God Himself, is standing right now next to them, they say, “This is not worship; we’ve created our own form of worship,” and the Lord tore down the veil that separated the holy of holies when He died on the cross, and now He is within us as life in the Holy Spirit. So, now all life follows after and serves him, so even if somebody tells you to not come to worship, you are bound to come, but because you think this is the only form of worship, that’s why you fail out in the world; it means you don’t know what worship really is.
2. Pharisees and Sadducees
1) Be on your guard against yeast (Mt. 16:6)
Jesus Christ then warms His disciples, “Be on guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 1 Cor. 5:6 talks about this yeast, and yeast is something you put into the dough of bread so it can rise and become fluffy. What happens if the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees spreads into your faith? That is failure. The reason why we fail in our walk of faith is because something different or an incorrect thing is inside of us.
(1) Pharisees – Legalistic, Traditions, Hypocrisy (Lk. 12:1)
Especially Lk 12:1, it says the yeast of the Pharisees is hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is just putting on an external shell because they say, “We have to live according to the law,” but they themselves cannot live according to the law so they have no choice but to package himself externally, why is that? Because they misunderstand the law. The reason why God gave us the Law is to see ourselves through that law. “Oh wow, I really cannot live according to this law.” God gave us the law so that we will be able to see that we cannot keep it, but instead, they think they can keep it, so on the outside, they are gloating, but on the inside, they pretend to be holy. God gave us the law so that through the law, we will realize that we are sinners with no hope, and that is why we need the gospel, the grace of the cross. However, the yeast the Pharisees have spread throughout the entire dough, meaning that people will leave.
(2) Sadducees – Don’t admit the spirit, angels, resurrection
The Sadducees never believe in anything spiritual, that’s why they’re in politics, they just yearn for their politics from themselves, so don’t listen to what politicians say; the Lord said this from the beginning. In Luke, instead of recording “the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees,” it says, “The yeast of the Pharisees and Herod.” Herod became the king and started building the temple of Jerusalem in order to gain the favor and the support of the Israelites, but that’s hypocrisy; don’t do that. Jesus is saying this is the Bible since the beginning, but instead, you keep arguing, “Are you in the majority or minority group?” and that’s why we keep on failing.
(3) Yeast (1 Cor. 5:6) – Leavens the whole batch of dough
Whgne Jesus Christ said this to the disciples, they thought he was talking about the physical bread they didn’t bring, because yeast goes in the bread. So, even though the disciples enjoyed the gospel of being with the Lord, they received the spiritual message and interpreted it physically. That is still the case today. People just want to hear the message they want to hear, which is about physical things. Jesus Christ says He has finished all problems on the cross, but you look at your family physically and say, “Oh, but the problem is still there.” The disciples also had this time schedule, the spiritual things are the source of everything. When we take a photo, we can get copies of the same image, and it’s because the original print is still inside the camera, the invisible spiritual state inside of you will be revealed in a visible way in your life, but it’s not just the physical things you see. If you have fear inside your spiritual state, then fearful things will be revealed in your life. That’s why Jesus Christ is the solution to all problems. If you believe that He is with you, then the problems you see in your life will not be a problem to you, and the Bible testifies of this. Joseph was taken as a slave when he was 12, but it wasn’t a problem for him at all. The members of the Early Church were persecuted and executed for testifying of Jesus Christ, but that wasn’t a problem for them at all. This is the gospel that was given to us, but the thing that marks us go outside of this gospel is the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
2) Disciples
(1) Word – Interpret physically (Mt. 16:7)
The disciples who were in a state where they interpreted the spiritual words of Jesus physically, because they had not yet experienced the cross. If you testify of the pure content of the gospel in the field, then people are bound to come to life, but people in the world are lost in the physical problems, thinking it is a problem. They see those things as a problem because their spiritual state is already elsewhere. But if you are in a spiritual state that is with the Christ Who is life and light, then a problem is not a problem. “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death” means you will be surrounded, but the reason why you do not fear is because the Lord is with you. So even though you face problems, it is not a problem for you; you must be able to enjoy this gospel and testify of it in your field. For the disciples, they enjoyed the gospel of being with the Lord, but they don’t quite know what it means yet, and that’s what the members inside the church are like today.
(2) Faith – You of little faith (Mt. 16:8)
The Lord says in Mt. 16:8, “You of little faith.” What He means is, “I’m not talking to you about the yeast in bread, but I”m talking to you about the yeast of the Pharisees and Saducces, but you’re still not able to understand.”
(3) Word – Understand (Mt. 16:12)
It says in Matthew 16:12 that only then did the disciples realize, it’s important to realize the Word of God exactly as it is. There are some people who lived their walk of faith for a long time and they try to interpret the Bible from the original text, and that’s good, however, the deeper you analyze and read the Bible, the more you need to come to the conclusion of Jesus Christ. That was Paul. He dug and dug and analyzed the Old Testament, but once he met Jesus Christ, everything was clear for him, and He realized, “This is the greatest knowledge, all of the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden within this.” The more we live our walk of faith, the more we reach that conclusion, but if you are not coming to that conclusion, it means there is another yeast inside of you, and that is oppressing you, but the field desires to hear the gospel of the life of Jesus Christ.
3) Churches
Then the churches should be able to tell that, but the regions where the church is not able to tell that are being destroyed. Why must those people believe in our gospel when they have the same problem? Why would the Asians be so audacious as to go to the American caucasians and try to deliver the gospel to them? They’ve lived their own walk of faith, but when we gave them the gospel of this life, they said, “This is right,” and that’s why the Lord has allowed us to meet with them. You must know the gospel of life and relay that. Either way, we need to live our walk of faith with the 66 books of the Bible, but if you don’t know the gospel of life, you’re bound to go toward legalism, or you’re trying to dig into the Bible with your logic and your thoughts. Or, you look through the book of Proverbs and try to gain wisdom just like the Greeks.
(1) Get rid of the old yeast (1 Cor. 5:7)
1 Cor. 5:6 says to discard all the yeast first. Whatever the Word says that gives you an image before Christ came, throw it away.
(2) Passover sheep – Sacrifice of Christ (1 Cor. 5:7)
1 Cor. 5:7 says that Jesus Christ, the passover lamb, has been sacrificed for us, and in 1 Cor. 5:8, it says instead to eat the bread of sincerity and truth, to eat the bread of life, Jesus Christ. He lives within us, He lives with us, eating and drinking with us, even when I’m lonely, the Lord is with me. Even if I’m treated unfairly by people, the Lord is with me. No matter how extreme and evil of a circumstance I am in, it doesn’t matter because the Lord is with me; no situation is an issue. Though I’m hard-pressed on all sides, I am not crushed. That is the gospel of life. If we do not have the life of the gospel, then if you are hard-pressed on all sides, you cannot survive because of anxiety. Then, you find an incorrect reason, “It’s because I did this wrong,” or you’ll say, “Is it because I moved here when I shouldn’t have?” It doesn’t matter how much you look in the Bible with your incorrect reasons; it won’t work. The creator God, Jesus Christ is with me now and forever and always. Even though I believe in Jesus Christ, I keep hearing and seeing demons, it doesn’t matter. Because He is with you with all authority in heaven and on earth. The book of Romans tells us that there is no one who can separate us from the love of God. Whether somebody is high or low or powerful in this world, there is nothing that can separate me from the love of Jesus Christ within me.
(3) Bread of sincerity and truth (1 Cor. 5:8)
A parent who has had a child knows this feeling, they are even willing to sacrifice their own life for their children, but the reason why God gave us that love is because God’s love for us is even greater. So once you become a parent, you’re able to see what the love of God is like. If you get married and have a child, then any parent is willing to sacrifice their life for their child, and that’s why the Bible tells us to honor your father and mother. Because the Lord has given His own life to be with us, and He is with us; there is nothing that can separate us from that love. If your child commits a murder and is thrown into jail, look at the words the parent would say, the words the parent would say are different. That might be like a movie, but they would say, “You’re still my child even though you’re wrong,” and the mother would say, “I would even die in order to help you.” There is a movie that doesn’t have any god in it, but the mother says, “Even if I die, I will protect you as a spirit.” Then the people who really love their nation will say, “Even after I die, I will protect and serve this nation as a ghost.” These are words that come out of love, but the Lord is with us, united with us in His love, and He is going with us. No condition can separate us from that, that Lord is God. The moment you escape from that gospel of life, it is yeast. But the ones who have the gospel of life can change the world. We have been given that gospel, but the more time passes, the more we go astray from this gospel. They say, “Why is this place only talking about the gospel? Is there nothing else to talk about in the Bible?” I talk about it because that’s what the Bible talks about. I’m not talking about the gospel because three’ snothing else for me to talk about; I’m talking about the gospel because in the Bible, no matter where you look, the gospel is the conclusion.
3. Message of the cross (1 Cor. 1:18)
1) Those who are perishing (1 Cor. 1:18)
In the Bible, after Jesus Christ died, there was division inside of the church. The message of the cross looks like foolishness to those who are perishing.
(1) Foolishness (1 Cor. 1:18)
(2) Jewish – Demand signs (1 Cor. 1:22)
In 1 Cor. 1:22, the Jewish people are relentlessly inside the church, demanding miraculous signs. They used to be Jewish people, and then they came to Jesus Christ, but they are still looking for miraculous signs.
(3) Greeks – Look for wisdom (1 Cor. 1:22)
“And Greeks look for wisdom,” the “Greeks” refers to Gentiles. I talked about this earlier, but nonbelievers are always seeking wisdom, wisdom to be successful in their business, wisdom to exercise well, or wisdom to get intelligence to make a lot of money.
2) Those whom God has called (1 Cor. 1:24)
(1) Christ – God’s power, wisdom (1 Cor. 1:24, Gal. 2:20, Phil. 3:8)
1 Cor 1:24 says that Christ is the wisdom and the power of God. Christ Himself is the power, he is the sign, He is wisdom. No matter how great the wisdom of man is, no matter how powerful man is, they are nothing compared to Christ. We have been given the gospel and this Christ; why do we keep on going astray? Why do you keep looking for answers elsewhere? That’s what this is saying. After Jesus Christ died on the cross, the church became like this.
(2) Wisdom, strength of people – Weaker than God (1 Cor. 1:25)
(3) In the Lord – Boast (1 Cor. 1:31, Phil. 3:3)
That is why 1 Cor. 1:31 says, “Let those who boast, boast of the Lord.” In the church of Philippi, the people kept relying on their physical bodies and kept trying to devote themselves with their own strength or their own recognition, but in Phil. 3:3, Paul says, “We only do this for Jesus Christ so we only boast in Jesus Christ.” If you’re proud of something, you will boast of it even if nobody asks. What is it that you boast about? The people who do that inside of the church are those who rely on their flesh. The BIble says that their God is their stomach; they’re doing that to eat. Because Jesus Christ is everything, we have no choice but to boast of Him. If you’re intelligent, God has given you that intelligent mind. God has given you the talent, then we need to boast of Jesus Christ; why do you boast of yourself? Boasting is proclaiming the gospel, but why are you not proclaiming the gospel? Because you have nothing to boast about. Why do you think you have nothing to boast about? It’s because you don’t know how tremendous this gospel is. It’s nothing else; the Lord has already given it to us, and He says that is everything. Paul says, “I am racing towards the plan that comes with this gospel.” But if this is destroyed inside of the church, then that church is done. That means the members of the church will live in the world with nothing. But the reason we do gospel training is to be able to boast in the gospel. If you have nothing to really boast about, and you talk about the methods and strategies, then that is a religion. Isn’t that right? If we want to boast about something and there’s nothing for us to boast about, then it’s really difficult.
3) Power of the Holy Spirit
(1) Message and preaching (1 Cor. 2:4, Ac. 1:8)
In 1 Cor. 2:4, Paul says, “My message and preaching was not with wisdom, not with wise and persuasive words, it’s not the words of man, but it is a demonstration of the spirit’s power.” What words shall I say? With the words of God. How shall I run my business? With the wisdom and power of God, so everything is within Christ. But the members of the Early Church kept looking for a wisdom and a method outside of Jesus Christ, then what will happen? That individual will die. Not only will that individual die, but that yeast will spread throughout their entire family. Yeast is talking about sin, and “sin” is disbelieving or not believing in God. You must believe in Christ, and by believing in Him, enjoy Christ. No matter what dangerous situation you face, Christ is with you. Life and death are in the hands of Christ, your wealth and poverty are in the hands of Christ. How great or small you will be is in the hands of Christ. This Temple Construction is fulfilled by the power of the cross. During David’s construction of the Temple, He says, “It is not possible by your strength. ” Zechariah said, “It is only possible by the working of the Holy Spirit.” God does this work through those who believe in this gospel, the power and the wisdom of God.
(2) Reveal all things of God (1 Cor. 2:10)
1 Cor. 2:10 says the Holy Spirit within us reveals all the things of God to us, then through the Holy Spirit, we can know what God is trying to do, that is how we know the future. It’s talking about this wisdom and power. The things you’re studying in the world, yes, you need them to live in the world, but you didn’t know the pandemic was going to come, but God taught Joseph about the seven years of abundance and seven years of famine, and with that wisdom, he became Prime Minister, and all the surrounding nations had to come to him to buy grain and I’m sure they asked him, “How is is that we are all going through this famine but you have grain?” What do you think Joseph would have said? “I’ve always been pretty good at seeing the future”? He would have said, “The Lord Whom I serve gave me this wisdom.” Whom would he have boasted about? He would have boasted about the Lord God. The way you are today, whom do you think you would boast about? You should boast about the Christ Who has saved you, who has been with you and saving you until now. Even if you fail, that’s not failure because Christ never fails. Through even failure, God will make something new. Even if you get a disease, that is not the end. Does that mean somebody is okay if they never get a disease? No, Christ is Lord over that too; the end of someone’s life is in the Lord’s hands.
(3) Understand what God has freely given us (1 Cor. 2:12)
1 Cor. 2:12 says that we have received the Holy Spirit of God so that we may understand God’s grace; otherwise, we cannot know. Why do we need a church that gathers together? Because we need to be given the Word to share fellowship and break bread. Then, when you scatter, you need to have a living worship with Jesus. No matter what situation you face, the Lord is with you, guiding you. I hope you will not listen to the words of people, but listen to the Words of Christ. Without a doubt, He already has victory so you will have victory.
(4) 237 nations, 5,000 unreached tribes – Church construction
The location where we all gather together, that’s what we call the temple construction. Yes, we are each individual temples, but we gather together and we need that location. There are so many buildings, but what’s important is to go inside. The building will change depending on what the content is inside. If we open a bar here, then this building would become a bar, and if this building becomes a meeting place for gangsters, then this building will become a mob center. If people worship demons in this building, that is what this building is for. However, if inside of this building, we’re doing the thing God desires most, which is the life of Jesus Christ, healing, and doing world evangelization, then that is well. It may seem that God is asking you to do this work, but God does the work through those who have faith. Even right now, God can work one moment and give us the answer of 100 years. But it’s important whether this person has the vessel and faith for that blessing. Because either way, the Lord will not throw away His plan; He is bound to fulfill it.
Conclusion
1. Throw away the yeast
2. Christ – God’s sign
3. Power of the Holy Spirit – Know and relay all things…
In conclusion, what is the yeast that we have? What is that other thing inside of us that is preventing us from holding onto only Christ? Throw that away. Christ is the sign of God, is the wisdom and the power of God. That is why I hope you and I will enjoy, receive, and testify of the gospel of Christ, entrusted by the power of the Holy Spirit every day.
Message Prayer
Let us hold onto the Word we have received and pray together.
Offering prayer
God, we thank You. Thank You for allowing us to eat the bread of life within the wisdom we could not know. We pray that You will bless the hands that have given this offering so we may know and testify of the life of Jesus Christ. In this age where the life of Jesus Christ is becoming weaker and weaker, we believe You will prepare the temple construction to do the life movement. We believe that you have given the commandment to testify of this gospel to all nations. We pray that You will bless and work upon the offering and us to work upon the next generation who will continue this movement into the future. We pray that You will bless the economy of those who have given this offering so it may be the evidence to save the 237 nations, the 5000 unreached tribes, and temple construction. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray, amen.
God, we thank You. We pray You will bless Jason, we pray that the life of this gospel will be testified and overflowing in his entire family. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray, amen.
Announcements
1. Online zoom early morning prayer (Mon.-Fri. 5:30, Sat. 6AM) – Raise the bartizan of prayer.
2. Sunday 3PM Bartizan camp around church.
3. West Coast Children’s Retreat: 7/7(Fri.)-8(Sat.). Registration fee: $85.
4. West Coast Youth Retreat: 7/13(Thurs.)-15(Sat.).
1st Registration Period (6/11-6/30): $200
2nd Registration Period (7/1-7/9): $230
On-site Registration: $250.
5. Yakima, Portland camp: 7/17-19, 7/19-21.
6. Offering can be given to the church venmo: @antiochmissionchurch
Benediction
Now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the unending love of God, and the indwelling, working, guidance, and communion of the Holy Spirit, be upon all the heads of all the people of God, the people of all nations, and the remnants who desire to hold onto, enjoy and testify of the sign of God, Jesus Christ, and upon all their businesses and studies and all the work they do, be with them from now until forevermore always, amen.