This is ministry given in Richmond, Virginia by
Brother Stephen Kong on Sunday evening, April the
9th, 1972.
I'd like
to read from the book of Hebrews, two
passages.
Hebrews, chapter 1, verses 1,
2, and 3.
God having spoken in many parts and in
many ways, formerly to the fathers in the
prophets, at the end of these days has
spoken to us in Son, or in the
person of the Son, whom he has established
heir of all things, by whom also he
made the world, who being the effulgence of
his glory and the expression of his substance,
and upholding all things by the word of
his power, having made by himself the purification
of sins, set himself down on the right
hand of the greatness.
And then Hebrews, chapter 12.
Hebrews, chapter 12, verse 2.
Looking steadfastly on Jesus, the leader and completer
of faith, who in view of the joy
lying before him, endured the cross, having despised
the shame, and is set down at the
right hand of the throne of God.
Now, in my version there is a footnote.
This looking steadfastly, it means looking away from
other things, and fixing the eye exclusively on
one.
Or to put it more simply, looking off,
O-F-F, looking off unto Jesus.
God has spoken.
I think this is one of the greatest
things in the universe.
God speaks.
He has spoken.
Now suppose God shall remain silent.
Suppose God never speaks.
How are we to know him?
We can never know God unless God speaks.
And in his speaking he reveals himself to
us.
So I think we should be very, very
grateful that God has spoken.
He has spoken to our fathers in the
former days.
That is to say, before the coming of
Christ.
God spoke to our fathers through the prophets.
God will raise up men and women.
God will inspire them.
God will put his thoughts and sometimes even
words into their mouth that they might speak
for God.
God spoke through the prophets.
But when he spoke through the prophets, it
was in many parts and in many ways.
In other words, when God spoke through a
prophet, what the prophet prophesied about God was
only fragmentary.
It was never complete and perfect.
However much that prophet might be used of
God to speak, what he had uttered was
but bits and pieces and fragments.
God had to raise up many prophets.
He had to speak through many prophets.
But even when you put all the speakings
of the prophets together, there were still many
parts and not the whole.
God would use one prophet to speak a
little.
He will use another prophet to reveal a
little bit more of himself.
Now the prophets here we cannot limit just
to the prophets as we know today in
the Old Testament.
For instance, like Elijah, like Jeremiah, Isaiah, up
to Malachi.
Now we consider these people as prophets.
But as a matter of fact, if you
read the Old Testament, you'll find Abraham was
a prophet.
Noah was a prophet.
Enoch was a prophet.
Moses was a prophet.
These were all prophets.
Why?
Because God once spoke through them.
God once revealed himself through these people.
So you have to take the whole Old
Testament together and there you'll find God spoke
through the prophets.
It was in many parts.
God spoke through Abel a little bit.
God spoke through Noah or Enoch a little
bit.
Through Noah a little bit.
Through Abraham a little bit.
And so on and so forth until Malachi.
Because these were all parts, fragments.
These were all pieces.
These were all preparations in a sense.
They were not the final, full, complete revelation
of God.
Through these teachings we might know God to
a certain degree.
But only to a certain degree.
Not to the full revelation.
At the same time, when God spoke through
the prophets, he spoke in many ways.
Sometimes he used very plain words.
Other times he spoke in riddles and parables.
Sometimes he spoke through visions and dreams.
Other times he spoke in the form of
types.
And still others he spoke by demonstrating it
in history, in actions.
Therefore in the Old Testament you'll find we
have the law, the psalms and the prophets.
Sometimes he was like a commandment to us.
Other times he was like a song to
us.
A sentiment.
And then another time he was like a
prophesy.
So God spoke through the prophets in many
ways.
And in many parts.
Thank God for all these teachings.
But again, it was not the final.
It was fragmentary.
It was parts.
Not the full.
Then at the end of these days.
That is to say at the end of
the days of the law and of the
prophets.
When God introduced his own son to this
world.
Then the Bible said, God has spoken to
us in son.
You know in Greek it is rather strange.
It doesn't sound very much like English.
God has spoken to us in son.
We will put an article before the son.
But in the Greek the spirit of God
purposely omitted that article.
Before son.
Why?
Because the way that God speaks in his
son is very different.
Completely different from the way that he spoke
through the prophets.
When he spoke through the prophets.
He inspired them.
He gave them words to speak.
Sometimes they understood.
Sometimes they did not understand.
But when God speaks in his son.
It is not just inspiring his son to
speak.
Or putting words in his son's mouth.
No.
God speaks in his son.
That is to say God speaks.
The closest English expression would be, God speaks
as son.
God himself is speaking.
He is speaking directly.
He is speaking not in the person of
the father.
But he is speaking in the person of
the son.
So you find a great difference between these
two kinds of speaking.
When he speaks in his son.
He is revealing himself to the fullest.
Because he speaks directly.
The Lord Jesus is not only the last
word of God.
God has spoken many words.
And when he comes to the Lord Jesus,
his son.
Of course he utters the last word.
But he is more than the last word.
All that the prophets have spoken are speaking
concerning him.
He is the very substance of all God's
former speaking.
He is the son total of all God's
speaking.
In other words, the son is the final.
When the son comes, then God is fully
revealed to man.
There is nothing further beyond that.
He is the final.
In other words, if you want to know
God, you have to know him.
If all you know is the prophets.
No matter how many prophets you know.
No matter how much.
Uttered by the prophets you are acquainted with.
All you have are parts.
Or fragments.
Or preparations.
Preparatory.
It behooves us that we know the son.
If you have the son, then you have
all.
Because no one knows the father.
But he who is in the bosom of
the father declares him.
The son is final.
He is final.
I think there is a picture that can
illustrate this point.
One day you remember our Lord Jesus took
three disciples to the mountain.
And there he transfigured.
These three disciples were the leading disciples among
all the others.
He took these three, Peter, John and James,
with him to the mountain of transfiguration.
And there he was transfigured.
His face shone.
Even his garments.
And there Moses and Elijah appeared.
And they talked to him.
Now the word departure actually means his exit.
How would the Lord Jesus make his exit
out of this world?
He has come to this world.
He has lived on this earth for a
number of years.
He has demonstrated through his earthly days what
kind of man God wants.
And he is that man.
Now Moses and Elijah appeared with him.
And they were talking about his exit.
How would he go out of this world?
You know this was a very, very important
moment in history.
How far as the Lord himself is concerned
he is well qualified to make his exit
from the mountain of transfiguration.
Why?
That's because he has proven to be worthy
to appear before God as man.
Here is a man who is qualified to
abide in the presence of God.
He is a man at God's own heart.
He has pleased God in every way.
And certainly he can be received to God
as the perfect man.
Now should our Lord Jesus make his exit
at that time then what will happen to
us?
There will be no redemption.
No cross, no redemption.
It is alright for him.
But there will be only one man in
glory.
And no more.
So you find that this is a very
important subject to talk about.
Moses and Elijah, they are interested in this
subject.
Now how will the Lord Jesus make his
exit out of this world?
Instead of making his exit at that time
he decides to make exit from this world
by way of the cross.
That gives us hope.
But anyway you find Moses and Elijah, they
are talking with the Lord Jesus about his
exit.
And because the glory is so great these
disciples fall asleep.
These are wakes up just in time.
As if he senses that Moses and Elijah
are going to leave.
So immediately he feels he has to say
something to retain them.
He does not know what to say.
But he has to say something.
Therefore he says, oh Lord it is good
to be here.
Let us make three tabernacles.
One for you, one for Moses, one for
Elijah.
And let us stay here forever.
It is better that he keeps quiet.
Because immediately after he has spoken a cloud
and God dismissed Moses and Elijah immediately.
So they see no one but Jesus, the
Lord and the Prophet.
They prepare the way.
They introduce Christ.
As soon as their tasks are done God
dismissed them.
God is very jealous of his son.
If anybody wants to make Moses and Elijah
on a same footing with our Lord Jesus
the Father is so jealous he dismisses them
right away.
He says no one is to be on
the same footing with my son.
They are introducing the son.
They have a place in my economy.
But when the son arrives that is the
final.
He does not want us to see Moses.
He does not want us to see Elijah.
He wants us to see Jesus.
There is a finality in Christ that God
wants us.
But our tendency is always trying to hold
on to something other than the son.
And we must remember God is very jealous.
And that may explain many experiences of your
life.
The whole book of Hebrews is written with
this theme.
The finality.
Now if you know anything about the background
of the book of Hebrews I believe you
will appreciate it more.
Why?
Because you remember after the Lord has accomplished
the work of redemption.
And he is risen from the dead.
He is ascended upon high.
And on the day of Pentecost the Holy
Spirit is poured forth.
The church is formed.
And the gospel is being preached to all
mankind.
Now as the gospel is spread many Jews
at that time believe in Christ.
In the book of Acts you find even
many priests.
They believe in Christ.
But they do not confess him publicly.
Why?
Because they are afraid of their position.
In Judaism.
But anyway you find that during the early
days of Christianity there were many many Jews
who became believers in Christ Jesus.
When they believe in the Lord Jesus you
find that they were holding in their two
hands both Judaism and Christianity.
You know the world at that time did
not know that Christianity was something entirely new
and different from Judaism.
The Roman world, the Roman Empire at that
time in the very beginning treated Christianity as
a sect of Judaism.
They thought it was just a sect.
A school.
In Judaism.
And not only the world thought it that
way even the believers at that time.
They thought that it was just a continuation
of Judaism.
Therefore you find these early Jewish believers what
we will call today Hebrew Christians they might
gather together on the Lord's day and break
the bread in remembrance of the Lord.
And yet on Sabbath they still went to
the synagogues and to the temple.
On the one hand they believed in the
Lord Jesus as the fulfillment of all prophecies
yet on the other hand they still kept
the law and the dates and all these
things.
So you find in these so-called Jewish
believers or Hebrew Christians they couldn't see the
distinction between Christianity and Judaism.
It was a Judeo-Christianity.
In other words they put Moses on the
same level as Christ.
They had received Christ but they would not
let Moses go.
They wanted both.
It was such a mixture.
And you know God was very unhappy about
their situation.
God was very jealous of his son.
So God decided to do a drastic thing.
If God did not do something drastic these
Jewish believers would never be delivered from Moses.
They would never be pure in their faith.
So God decided to do something terrible.
What?
God decided to destroy Jerusalem.
To destroy the temple in Jerusalem.
To destroy the sacrifices.
To put these priests out of job.
Jerusalem was the place of God's appointment.
He himself chose that place to set his
name there.
To a Jewish people Jerusalem had such a
hold upon him.
You remember in Psalm 137?
The psalmist said, Oh, if I forget Jerusalem
let my hands forget its steel.
If I do not remember Jerusalem let my
tongue cleave to the upper palate.
In other words, Jerusalem was everything to a
Jew.
That's why you'll find this time when they
got Jerusalem they would not let it go.
It was their very life.
The temple.
The temple was given to them by God.
God himself said he would set his eyes
upon the temple.
He would hear their prayers.
This is the place where they came to
worship God.
The temple was given to them by God.
The pattern was revealed to David by God
himself.
The laws.
The sacrifices.
The priesthoods.
The services.
All these things came from God.
They were the very life of Judaism.
The very life of the Jewish people.
But because they held on to these things
to the extent of rejecting God's Son and
even those Jewish believers they did not reject
the Son they received the Son and yet
they still held on to that Jewish Judaism
and were most reluctant to let them go
as if they would lose something.
So God said alright.
I had to do something.
God was determined to wipe out Jerusalem.
Destroy the temple.
Tear everything down that these believers
might be set free from the bondage of
Judaism in order that they might enter into
Christ in a pure way.
Otherwise they would never be able to enter
into purity of faith.
Christianity in the eyes of God is not
a continuation of Judaism.
It is a new thing.
A new creation.
And God did not want his people to
hold on to the old and try to
mix it with the new.
You remember the parables our Lord Jesus speaks
about the old and the new?
If you have an old garment and there
is a hole there now what will you
do?
Do you tear a piece out of the
new garment and put this piece, new piece
on the old garment?
No.
Or do you put a piece of unfinished
cloth and mend this old cloth?
No.
Because if you do the new, the unfinished
cloth will shrink and it will tear the
hole even bigger.
You don't do that.
Or do you put the new wine in
an old bottle, old skin?
No.
Because the new wine will still expand and
the old skin has lost its flexibility, elasticity.
So the wine will burst the skin and
the wine will be poor for.
You don't do that.
But you know that's exactly what these Jewish
believers were doing.
They tried to hold a new wine in
the old skin.
They were thinking of tearing off a piece
from the new garment or from the unfinished
cloth and mend the hole in the old
garment.
The Lord said, God said, Now, my son
is the final.
I do not want you to have my
son and with many things else.
These all served.
Now they have served their purpose.
They could, My son shall remain only...
But you know this was such a drastic
step.
If God did not instruct them first to
prepare their hearts, they are afraid might be
shaken to pieces.
I remember during the war time I was
in Singapore and the Japanese came and bombed
Singapore day and night.
Day and night.
Any hour except two hours.
Early in the dawn.
And that's the time that we met together.
We never stopped meeting.
We knew during that two hours from approximately
four o'clock to six o'clock in
the morning.
So we came together on the Lord's Day
and met during those two hours and then
dispersed.
Bombing any hour.
Day and night.
And one day I remember very vividly a
young brother came to me in agony.
I could see he was just agonizing.
He came to me and said, Brother, brother,
have you heard?
Have you heard that a bomb has fallen
through the roof of a church building?
Have you heard of that?
Oh, I said, yes, I heard it.
He said, brother, if God allowed a bomb
to go through the church we have no
more protection.
We are finished.
Brothers and sisters, how we put our trust
in a building thinking that this is the
sanctuary and we may find protection there.
Isn't it God is trying to show us
there is something more real?
But you know what the Jewish believers at
that time, they had the same trouble.
What if God should destroy Jerusalem and the
temple and with all these things?
Now these Jewish believers would say, now that's
the finish.
That's the end.
They would begin to doubt God.
Their faith would be all shattered to pieces.
Because somehow they lean upon these things.
They held on these things as if these
were the very thing, the very substance.
It is for this reason that God raised
up an instrument.
We do not know who the writer of
Hebrews is.
There are different theories.
But let's not speculate.
But anyway we know that God raised up
a servant of His.
And through that servant He gave the Hebrew
believers at that time.
And the message in the book of Hebrews
is not these things but Christ.
All these things had to go.
But the Son shall remain forever.
And it is much better.
So you find the book of Hebrews is
centered upon the theme of the finality of
nothing is final.
Because it is not final therefore sooner or
later it will pass away.
But Christ is the finality of God.
And this is the purpose of God.
All the other things introduce Christ.
But when Christ has come these things must
pass away.
Why?
Because God will not allow anything to stand
together with Christ.
However good it may be.
Not only the things that do not come
from God must go.
Even the things that come from God.
The Son.
Is there a message in this book of
Hebrews for us today?
I believe there is.
We are living in a time of transition.
This age is drawing.
And the age to come is to be
introduced.
We are living in a time of transition.
And during this time of transition there will
be great seekings everywhere.
During the last 50 years.
Or during the last 10 years.
Or during the last 5 years.
You can see there is much seeking in
the world.
Much seeking.
Let us not think of the world.
Let us think of the Christian world.
During the last 5 years how much seeking
has happened to the Christian world.
To Christianity.
It seems as if everything is being tested
to its very core.
Even this matter of whether there is a
God.
And the very theologian in Christianity will come
out and say there is no God.
God does not exist.
Or God is dead.
He exists once.
But he is dead now.
You find that the very core of Christianity
is being tested.
We are not like the Jewish
believers holding on to Judaism.
But dear brothers and sisters do we not
have the same problem?
We are holding on to Christianity.
To Christian traditions.
Christianity in reality is Christ.
Christianity is Christ.
What is Christianity today?
Christ.
There are many things in Christianity that have
been developed through the centuries and ages that
do not come from God.
And if they do not come from God
they have to be shaken off.
Why?
Because the kingdom that cannot be shaken is
coming.
Before the kingdom that cannot be shaken comes.
All that can be shaken that is, all
that is not in the kingdom has to
go.
Therefore you find many things in Christianity that
are developed through the years but do not
come from God have to be shaken away.
Do not cry over that.
They cannot enter into the kingdom of God
anyway.
But the thing is even things that come
from God just like Jerusalem the temple the
law the feasts the sacrifices they came from
God.
And yet the day shall come when these
things will also pass away.
Why?
The sun has come.
Brothers and sisters let me ask you a
very serious question.
What do you have in your hand?
What is Christianity today?
Is Christianity a huge collection of things?
Things that are not from God and things
that are from God but a collection of
things?
That is to say we have a collection
of teachings of doctrines of instructions of rules
of regulations of forms of ways of worship
of service is just a great huge collection
of things like a museum like Smithsonian Institute.
Or is Christianity to you Christ?
What do you have in your hands?
What is your Christian life composed of?
Is it composed of many things?
Or is it composed of nothing but Christ?
Brothers and sisters this will be the test
of our days.
God allows and God will allow yet much
more seeking in Christianity.
Not only those traditions that do not come
from God will be questioned even Christian traditions
that do come from God will also be
tested to see whether they are but things
or they are Christ.
If they are things they will be shattered.
If they are Christ they will enter into
the kingdom that cannot be shaken.
That is the test of our day.
I have a deep burden in my heart.
I do not know how to discharge it.
But dear brothers and sisters I have a
great fear in my heart.
My fear is when it comes to things
that do not come from God we can
readily see it.
We will reject it.
Why?
Because it does not come from God.
Not that easy though.
Many things we know that are not from
God we still hold it very precious.
But in comparison let us say that things
that do not come from God are easily
discerned and should be more willingly forsaken.
In other words when the shaking comes and
these things were shattered to pieces we will
let them go to pieces.
We will not try to hold them together.
But dear brothers and sisters the difficult thing
is suppose what you have are things should
you let these things go?
Does God want to take these things away
from you?
Because you are occupied with things.
You are not occupied.
He has given you these things.
But these things are to introduce you to
Christ.
Unless you reach the finality anything that is
not final has to pass away.
May I say very reverently Christ is the
final form of all things.
You read the gospel according to John.
You know the gospel according to John is
written very late.
After the gospel according to Matthew the gospel
according to Mark the gospel according to Luke
have been written and spread among the believers
for some time.
And then there began to have confusion.
Confusion among believers as to Christ.
Therefore God used the apostle John in his
old age.
After a long period of knowing God God
used the apostle John to write the gospel
according to John.
You know the gospel according to John is
very different in nature than the other three
gospels.
Therefore all theologians divide the three gospels in
one class and the gospel of John in
another class.
And that's correct.
It's very different.
Why?
Because in the three gospels you find they
record what Christ has done and what he
has said.
In John's gospel he also records what Christ
has said and done and yet there is
a difference.
In the gospel of Mark, Matthew and Luke
you see things.
You meet things.
But in the gospel of John all these
things are not just things.
Christ is these things.
That's the difference.
Therefore you'll find in the gospel of John
many, many times there is such a word
I am.
I am the bread of life.
Suppose you're hungry.
Suppose you're not satisfied spiritually.
You need spiritual food.
You need it.
The Lord said I am the resurrection and
the life.
When he went to raise up Lazarus he
was not just giving Lazarus a thing called
resurrection.
He was giving to Lazarus himself.
I am the resurrection.
You'll find throughout the gospel of John Christ
is the great I am.
That is to say he is it.
Whatever it may be if it is bread,
he is the bread.
If it is life, he is the life.
If it is the way, he is the
way.
If it is the truth, he is the
truth.
If it is the life, he is the
life.
If it is resurrection, he is the resurrection.
In other words, he is all things.
Not just bread a thing.
Light another thing.
Way another thing.
Truth another thing.
Life another thing.
Resurrection, another thing.
Oh brothers and sisters, how many things we
accumulate in Christianity, in our Christian life.
But if all we have are things and
not crying, one day they will be shaken
up.
It simply is not enough to be occupied
with things.
We must be occupied with Christ.
There are two verses in the Bible, which
are great verses.
Tremendous, tremendously.
You know in Colossians chapter 1 verse 19,
that he might have the preeminence over all
things.
Christ may have the first place in all
things.
Now this is the will of God.
The eternal will of God is that Christ
may have the first place in all things.
But how?
And then another verse is in Ephesians chapter
1 verse 10.
To head up or to sum up all
things in Christ.
Things in the heavens and things on earth.
That is the eternal purpose of God.
But how is it to be fulfilled?
Let us say in the early days of
our Christian lives, we usually are given things
or we meet with things, we deal with
things.
For instance, I'm a sinner.
I'm deeply burdened with my sin.
Oh how I need forgiveness.
So I go to the Lord and say
now Lord, will you please, you have died
on the cross for me.
You have shed your blood for me.
I believe you.
Will you forgive me?
And the Lord says, I forgive you.
So we take a thing called forgiveness of
sin and we get the forgiveness of sin.
We come to the Lord and say Lord,
I need to be justified.
But how can I be justified?
Not by my work, but how?
You are the justifier.
So will you please justify me?
And the Lord says, all right, I'll justify
you.
So you know the Lord as the justifier.
Or to put it another way, you know
the Lord as your savior.
But when you read the Bible, you'll find
something very strange.
In 1 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 30, God
has made him our righteousness, our justification.
He is not only our justifier, he is
our justification.
He is not only our savior, he is
our salvation.
That's Psalm 27.
God is my light and my salvation.
Now we will say God is my savior.
But the prophet know better.
He said God is my salvation.
Christ is our righteousness.
It is not only that he justifies us
or he gives us something called righteousness, he
himself is made righteousness.
Glory.
I cannot forget the story about John Bunyan
because you know sometimes when you have a
very hard time to get through, God may
have some lesson for you to learn to
help others.
Other people got saved very quickly, but John
Bunyan got saved very difficultly.
You know as a young man he was
very careless and he sinned, you know, and
then he was convicted and he tried to
reform himself, you know, he became in the
church, he became the bell ringer, you know,
he rang the bell in the church.
And then he was reformed for a while
and then he slid back again and then
he was again convicted and he tried to
reform himself.
So it went back and forth, back and
forth.
You will find his autobiography in that book,
Grace Abounding.
Grace Abounding is his biography.
He didn't mention his name, but that's his
biography, autobiography.
But you know one day, when John Bunyan
was so burdened in his heart about his
justification, righteousness, he was walking in the field.
He was sighing.
How can I be justified?
I had no righteousness.
All the righteousness that I have, all like
filthy rats.
How can I be righteous before God?
And he was so burdened and he was
walking through the field, he heard a voice.
Whether he heard it from heaven or he
heard it from his heart, I don't know.
He said, my righteousness is in heaven.
Suddenly it dawned upon him.
My righteousness is not in me.
My righteousness is in heaven.
Why?
Because Christ is in heaven.
Christ is my righteousness.
Now if Christ is my righteousness, that solves
the problem.
I may not feel righteous, but my righteousness
never changes because it is Christ.
Brothers and sisters, in the early days of
our spiritual life, we usually go to the
Lord and cry out for things.
Just like children, I'm hungry, give me bread.
And the Lord condescends himself and gives bread
to us.
And when we have bread, we run away
and have a good time.
Then when we have another need, we come
back to him and say, now Lord, we
are in need again.
Please give me this thing.
The Lord says, all right, I'll give you
this.
And we take this and we off we
go.
You find that what we want are things.
Spiritually, spiritually.
We want justification.
We want sanctification.
We want redemption.
We want joy.
We want peace.
We want comfort.
We want power.
We want gift.
We want grace.
We want this.
We want that.
And you know, in the early days of
our Christian life, strange to say, God often
gives these things to us.
Because if God did not give these things
to us in the early stage of our
Christian life, we would stop going on with
it.
God has to suffer long with us.
He goes along.
He goes along with you.
But he cannot go along with you all
your life.
Why?
Because these things are not final.
The finality is in Christ.
Unless you find Christ in these things, unless
Christ become these things to you, God's purpose
is not served.
Is not served.
And that is the reason why all these
things will be tested and shaken.
Have you ever heard, probably you would say,
well, that would never happen.
But I have read many biographies.
I have heard, known, all the experience of
many Christians, of some Christians I would say.
And some, even the best of Christians, love
the Lord throughout their life, even the servants
of God.
But do you know, it seems to shatter
your faith.
In their death bed, they even doubted whether
they are saved.
Have you heard of that?
I have read about that.
I saw something.
Why?
Is it not because they know the Lord
as Savior, but they do not know the
Lord is the Savior?
Is it because they know the Lord as
the Justifier, but they do not know the
Lord as the Justification?
They know the Lord as Give, made them
righteous, but they do not know Christ.
Even this matter of our salvation has to
be tested.
If it is Christ, it cannot be tested.
It is in the kingdom.
If it is just a thing, one day,
even if it comes from God, why, it
is not the last one.
God has to lead us to the very
end, to see that it is Christ.
And thank God, as you read these biographies,
even at the very end, they had a
struggle.
Even in John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, you will
remember that.
The Christian.
When he passed through the icy water, you
know he falters.
He is drowning.
And what's the other man's name?
Faithful?
Yeah.
Has to break him and help him out.
You know, that is a picture.
Now even to the very last, it is
tested.
But thank God.
You find in all cases, at the very,
very end, they came out of darkness and
they know the same yesterday, today, and forever.
They may doubt.
They may be puzzled.
But it doesn't change Christ.
Brothers and sisters, if you see Christ, that's
the final.
It never changes.
Oh, how many brothers and sisters.
Oh, you know that you don't have patience.
You know, that's the problem with all of
us, probably.
So you go to the Lord and ask
for patience.
Lord, Lord, I'm a believer.
I have to be very patient.
If I'm not patient, people will say, now
are you a believer?
So you go to the Lord and say,
now Lord gave me patience.
They gave me patience.
And you know, strange to say.
Lord gave you some patience.
It is very strange, very strange.
For a few years, maybe, you are able
to be quite patient.
But the hard thing is, after a few
years, you are supposed to be matured now,
more matured.
And suddenly you discover you lose your patience.
God takes away his gift.
And yes, strange.
In my own experience, I knew a sister.
I admire her.
I was a young boy then.
And she was way ahead of me.
And I admire her very much.
And the Lord used her so much.
But after I first came out to learn
to serve the Lord, one day I heard
her standing up and said, things that really
frightened me.
Such a patient sister.
She told us how she lost her temper.
That was terrible.
After many years of being patient, he discovered.
But do you know why?
The Lord has something bigger for her.
The Lord said, you want a thing called
patience.
Well, I have to give it to you
for a little while.
But that is not Christ.
So you have to lose that thing in
order to gain Christ.
If Christ is your patience, then you will
be as patient as Christ.
Your problem is forever solved.
That is sanctification.
That is holiness.
Holiness is not you get something called holiness.
Or you eradicate something that is unholy.
No.
Holiness, Christ is holiness.
He is that thing.
Therefore you find the Bible said, what is
the church?
The church is the body of him who
fills all in all.
All things to all men.
Everything, everywhere in the end of our life.
Everything, everywhere.
Christ is all things in all.
He is your salvation.
He is your way.
He is your truth.
He is your life.
He is your gift.
He is your power.
He is your wisdom.
He is all these.
Brothers and sisters, God is very jealous.
He does not want us to be occupied
with things.
Even things of God.
This thing and that thing.
And we think if we accumulate a hoard,
a lot of spiritual things that makes us
very spiritual.
Is Christ your wisdom?
Is Christ your power?
Is it Christ?
Or is it in Christianity?
There is no thing, nothing.
All the things that we have, have a
personality that is to say Christ is all
things to us.
All things to us.
And because Christ is all things to us,
therefore he has the first place in all
things.
And this is the way he sum up
all things in himself.
It is not one thing, another thing.
He's gather up all things in himself.
It is he.
I remember Brother Nee used an illustration.
Of course he is talking about himself.
He has lots of experience of healing.
Once he was dying of tuberculosis.
The doctor gave him up long ago.
But then suddenly the Lord just raised him
up by his word.
He had lots of experiences.
But he said one day the Lord offered
him a lesson.
And the lesson is, it is more than
the Lord healed him.
The Lord said I am your healing.
I am your healing.
And he used 2 Corinthians chapter 12 as
an example.
Here was Paul with a thorn in the
flesh.
He went to the Lord and asked for
healing.
The Lord could well very easily heal.
But the Lord did not take away that
thorn.
Did the Lord heal him?
Yes.
The Lord was his healing.
My grace is sufficient.
What we need to learn is simply this.
Christ is the final.
Therefore the scripture exhorts us.
Look away from all things and look only.
Because if you look at things, one day
these things will pass away.
But if you look at Christ it never
passes away.
That's what God really wants you to have.
It is he.
Because of this God will measure us with
this criteria.
With this standard.
You remember Revelation chapters 2 and 3.
The seven churches.
The Son of Man is judging, measuring these
seven churches.
But what is he looking for in these
seven churches?
In some of these churches they have many
good things.
Things that come from God.
For instance in the church in Ephesus God
said I know.
I know your labor.
I know your work.
I know your endurance.
I know your patience.
I know you can test the false apostles
and prove them false.
I know you do not keep the doctrines
of a Nicolaitans.
Nicolaitans.
I know you have this, you have that,
you have this thing, you have that thing.
But the Lord said I'm against you.
Why?
Because I do not find myself.
You have lost your first love.
You may have many things.
But if the Lord cannot find himself in
these things.
Or if the Lord is not in these
things.
If the Lord is not these things.
They will be shaken.
The Lord said unless you repent I will
remove the testimony.
In other words remove the testimony.
In the church in Laodicea.
Oh they are very proud of themselves.
We are rich.
We lack in nothing.
As a matter of fact they are.
They are very rich in doctrines.
Very rich in teaching.
Very rich.
This and that.
But the Lord said I do not find
myself in these things.
If you do not repent I will burn
you out.
What do the Lord, what does the Lord
see in the church in Philadelphia?
Even though they have a little power the
Lord sees.
So brothers and sisters we are approaching the
very end of the very end.
God is shaking you.
Shaking you.
Because the kingdom that cannot be shaken.
He will measure us.
Test us.
With one criteria.
And that is.
Is it or is it things will pass
away.
Christ alone.
So my burden today is.
As I meet many believers.
One thing pierces my heart.
I have met many believers in many places.
But I discover most of God's people are
occult.
And because of this great shaking will come.
I have already seen some shaking.
Unless we see it is Christ.
Then our faith will even be purified and
strengthened.
Our hope will even be lifted.
And our love.
So it is.
Very important.
That we see.
In God's mind.
Our heavenly Father.
We do not know how to.
Discharge a burden.
But we just live of our heart to
Him.
And pray.
That thou will give us.
The spirit of wisdom and revelation.
That we may see Christ.
As the final.
We pray that we may not stop short.
With many things in our hands.
Things that come from this.
And yet.
Thou art not in them.
Neither art thou all things.
O Lord we pray.
That more and more.
We may be occupied with thyself.
Instead of with things.
That when thy kingdom shall come.
We may find.
Find ourselves.
In that kingdom.
Which cannot be shaken.
O Lord.
Do not spare us.
Lest we be deceived.
In the name of our Lord Jesus.