Will you please turn to the book of
Hebrews chapter 12.
We'll read from verse 25 through verse 29.
Hebrews chapter 12 verse twenty-five through verse
twenty-nine.
See that ye refuse not him that speaks.
For if those did not escape who had
refused him who uttered the oracles on earth,
much more we who turn away from him
who does so from heaven, whose voice then
shook the earth.
But now he has promised, saying, Yet once
will I shake not only the earth but
also the heaven.
But this yet once signifies the removing of
what is shaken as being made, that what
is not shaken may remain.
Wherefore let us, receiving a kingdom not to
be shaken, have grace, by which let us
serve God acceptably with reverence and fear.
For also our God is a consuming fire.
The same book chapter three verse one.
Chapter three verse one.
Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling,
consider the apostle and high priest of our
confession, Jesus.
May we look to the Lord.
Dear Heavenly Father, our hearts do rejoice knowing
that Thou has given Thy beloved Son to
us.
We do praise and thank Thee that even
though all things around us are being shaken,
yet Thou who art in us remains forever.
We do praise and thank Thee that we
can meet together this morning.
We do commit this time into Thy hands
and ask Thy blessing upon it for Thy
praise and glory.
In the name of our Lord Jesus, Amen.
The book of Hebrews was written before A
.D. 70.
Before the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple.
It was written to the Hebrew believers, that
is, those Jews who believed in the Lord
Jesus in the first century.
As a preparation for the catastrophe that was
going to fall upon that nation.
In other words, God was preparing His people
for what was coming to them very soon.
Once, God shook the earth as He gave
the oracles to the children of Israel.
We know that that happened at the Mount
of Sinai.
When God gave law to the children of
Israel, God descended upon the mountain in fire.
And the whole earth, the whole mountain shook.
It was a terrible sight.
And even Moses proclaimed that he was in
trembling and in fear.
But that was not to be compared what
God has promised, that yet once God will
not only shake the earth, but He will
also shake the heaven.
And we know it is a quotation from
Haggai chapter two, verse six.
Now indeed, that prophecy in Haggai chapter two,
verse six, that yet once God will not
only shake the earth, but also shake the
heaven, it will be finally and literally fulfilled
at the coming of our Lord Jesus to
establish His kingdom upon this earth.
And if you want to know how it
will be fulfilled, you can read the book
of Revelation.
Because there you'll find how this prophecy will
be finally and literally fulfilled.
But we know this prophecy is partially and
spiritually fulfilled at the destruction of Jerusalem and
its temple.
Why is it?
Because as we read the context of the
book of Hebrews, you'll find that this is
written to the Hebrew believers to prepare them
for the great shaking that was coming to
them in A.D. 70.
Therefore we know that this prophecy can be
partially and can be applied spiritually even to
that time.
I believe it is John Owen, that great
Puritan theologian.
He mentioned that this can refer to the
worship of the Mosaic order as the heavenly
things.
God will shake the heaven and the earth.
And the heaven refers to the Mosaic worship.
And the earth refers to the political state
of that nation at the time of A
.D. 70.
So brothers and sisters, we know that to
the Jews at that time, Jerusalem and the
temple were considered as heavenly things.
Why?
Because Jerusalem was a city that was chosen
by God Himself.
You remember in Deuteronomy chapter 12, God said,
after you enter into the land of promise,
He will choose a place to put His
name there.
And all the children of Israel must go
to that place to offer their sacrifices.
So Jerusalem was chosen by God.
And in Psalm 132 we find that I
have chosen Zion to be a place of
my habitation.
So to the Jews, Jerusalem was a heavenly
thing, not just an earthly thing.
And also the temple in Jerusalem.
We remember how David, in his great love
for God, he desired to build God a
temple.
Now even God did not allow him to
build that temple because he was a man
of war.
And yet God was pleased with that idea.
And God promised that His son Solomon would
build that temple.
So both Jerusalem and its temple were always
considered by the Jews as things of heaven.
Things that came from God.
But God said one day He will not
only shake the earth, but He will also
shake the heaven.
Not only earthly things will be shaken, but
even heavenly things will also be shaken.
And that is Jerusalem and its temple will
all be destroyed.
Now why is it so?
The reason was both Jerusalem and its temple
actually were shadows.
They were to prepare the way of the
substance which is Christ Jesus.
All these things were set until the time
when the Lord shall come.
And then the shadows shall pass away for
the substance has finally arrived.
God gave the Jewish people Jerusalem a place
of worship.
God gave them the temple where they could
enter into the temple and worship God.
But all these were but preparations.
They were not the eternal substance.
They were imposed until the time of the
coming of Christ.
Now that Christ had come, the substance had
arrived.
But these Jews who believe in the Lord
Jesus, they still cling to the shadows.
On the one hand, they believe in the
Lord Jesus.
On the other hand, they still held on
to Moses.
On the one hand, on the Lord's day,
they gathered together to break bread.
But on Sabbath, they go into the synagogues
to worship God.
So you find that in those days, these
Hebrew believers, they were actually holding on both
to Christ and to Moses.
Both to the substance and to the shadow.
To the extent that the shadow became a
hindrance to their entering into the fullness of
Christ.
In view of that, God was going to
do something.
To free these Hebrew believers from the bondage
of Judaism into the liberty of Christ.
So that's the reason why you find this
book was written.
To prepare them when Jerusalem and the temple
were destroyed.
These believers knew what God intended to do.
That they will not be under a kind
of despair, but instead they will be freed
from all bondages and enter into the full
liberty of Christ.
So this is the background of the book
of Hebrews.
Now brothers and sisters, we do feel that
this book is very relevant to our days.
In other words, we feel that this book
has something to say to us today.
Why?
Because our situation is very similar to the
situation of the Hebrew believers in the first
century.
We are also living in a day of
grace shaking.
I believe everybody knows that this is not
something in the future, but actually we today
are already in the time of grace shaking.
Not only the earth is being shaken, but
even the heaven is also being shaken.
When we look around us, whether you look
around at the international situations, or into national
situations, or when you look into the political
situation, or economic situation, or the moral situation,
you find that everything around us seems to
be greatly shaken.
Those standards that were set up long ago
are no longer honored.
You find everything around us just crumble down.
We are in the time of grace shaking.
You know, this time when I was in
Hong Kong, I told a brother, you know,
of all things upon this earth, we find
that nothing is real, but one, and that
is real estate.
We think that that is real.
Everything will change, currency will change, but real
estate, now that is real.
But this time when I was in Hong
Kong, you know, real estate is no longer
real.
Because of the possibility of the communist China
to take over Hong Kong.
Well, maybe in 15 years, or maybe earlier
than that, and when this news began to
come out, you find real estate just became
unreal.
Nothing on this earth is real.
The whole earth is being shaken.
There is nothing that you can hold on,
as if it will continue.
No, everything upon the earth is being shaken.
But dear brothers and sisters, not only the
earth is being shaken, even the heaven is
being shaken.
Not literally, one day it will happen, but
spiritually.
Whatever we call heavenly things, are now being
greatly challenged, are now being greatly tested, and
we find great shaking everywhere.
Not only without, but even within.
You know, even within Christianity today.
You'll find even in theological seminaries.
You'll find all these modern ideas are coming
out.
God is dead, or whatever it may be.
You'll find our very faith is being tested.
And without, of course, you'll find persecutions over
a great part of this world.
If you are the Lord, even if you
acknowledge yourself as a believer, it is considered
as a crime.
And you will be forced to deny your
faith, to see whether your faith is real,
or whether it is unreal.
You remember what our Lord Jesus said?
Will there be faith when He shall return?
It is because of the lawlessness that prevail
upon the earth the love of many shall
grow cold.
Dear brothers and sisters, you'll find even our
faith, our love, everything that we considered as
heavenly things are now being tested and contested.
We live in a time of great shaking.
Now, brothers and sisters, when the world notice
what they are going through today, and what
is coming to them, of course they are
filled with fear.
But, the Bible said, when you see these
things coming, lift up your head, for your
redemption draws near.
Dear brothers and sisters, I do believe that
we are in a time of great shaking.
But we need to thank God for the
great shaking, because God wants us to inherit
the kingdom that cannot be shaken.
I think it is but right for us
to understand this, because there are many things
that we hold tight, may be shaken off.
Why?
Because they are shadows.
They are not the reality.
And it is good for us to see
that whatever is not real will be shaken
off, that we may inherit that which is
eternal.
So, brothers and sisters, we feel that today,
we are in a day of great shaking.
And why does God allow these things to
happen to us?
It is because Christianity today has become so
deudized, that instead of being a living faith,
a revelation from above, it has become an
institution, a religion.
Just like the Jewish faith.
In the beginning, it was revelation.
In the beginning, it was a living faith.
But gradually you'll find it had become Judaism
and Ism, a religion.
And Christianity is the same.
In the beginning, it is a revelation.
In the beginning, it is a living faith.
But today, it has become so deudized, that
it has become an institution, become a religion.
And in view of the coming, soon coming
of our Lord Jesus, He has to deliver
us from that which is unreal to that
which is real.
He has to deliver us from that which
is outward, appearance, into that which is the
inward reality.
And I believe it is for this reason
that God allows such great shaking around the
world today among His own people.
Probably a word should be said about Judaism.
Now, what is Judaism?
Judaism is formed by five elements.
Number one, a definite place of worship.
In Judaism, you find that worship is limited
to one place, and that is Jerusalem.
Every year, three times a year, all the
mills of the Jewish people must travel to
Jerusalem to worship God.
They are not allowed to offer sacrifices anywhere
else in the world, but only in Jerusalem
and in the temple.
That is the one place of worship.
Number two, in Judaism they have a set
of laws.
God gives them the Ten Commandments, and with
the Ten Commandments all the statutes and the
ordinances and the precepts.
They have a set of laws to govern
them.
Number three, they have an intermediatory class.
The Levites, the priests, because the people were
not allowed to worship God directly.
They have to worship God through that intermediatory
class called the priesthood, the Levites.
Number four, they have a group of earthly
promises.
If you read the Old Testament, you'll find
that God promised the Jewish people, if they
love Him, if they keep His covenant and
commandments, then God would bless them.
And all the blessings you'll find in Judaism
are earthly and material.
That is, if they love and fear God,
then God will bless them with many children,
that God will bless their cattle and their
sheep, that God will give them a full
basket.
Now all these blessings you'll find are earthly
and material blessings.
That is Judaism.
Now, aside from these four things, what really
make it a Judaism is actually the fifth
one, and that is the traditions of the
fathers.
God gave the children of Israel the law,
but how was the law to be interpreted?
Or how will the law be applied to
daily lives, to detail, in details?
So you'll find that through the years, great
rabbis came up, great teachers, and they began
to interpret and explain the law of God.
And they began to apply the law of
God into the details of life.
Then, another generation, more teachers, rabbis, came out.
And instead of interpreting the law of God,
they began to interpret the interpretation of the
rabbis before them.
And then another generation came, and great teachers
arrived, and they came to interpret the interpretation
of the interpretation of the great teachers of
the law of God.
So throughout the years, you'll find gradually accumulated
a great pile of traditions called the traditions
of the fathers.
And the traditions of the fathers become so
strong that even at the time of our
Lord Jesus, you remember the Lord said, you
keep the traditions of the fathers and you'll
violate the law of God.
In other words, the commandment of God was
buried and hidden under a pile of traditions.
And that's how you'll find the living faith
among the Jews became a religion.
An institutional religion became Judaism.
Now, brothers and sisters, you can see very
clearly how Christianity today has been completely Judized.
Number one, a definite place of worship.
You know, when we think of worship, you
will say, now let's go to church.
Now, what do you mean by church?
Probably what you mean by church is a
building.
Maybe built of brick, or maybe built of
stone, or if you are in some uncivilized
country, maybe made of mud.
But anyway you'll find, we say now we
go to the place of worship.
That is, we mean we go to a
definite place, a building.
And that building is called a place of
worship.
Now, when we thought of worship, we think
of Sunday.
Because Sunday is the day of worship.
In other words, to many believers today, you'll
find that worship is a matter of place
and time.
There is a definite place called a place
of worship.
There is a certain time called the time
of worship.
And you'll find in the bulletin worship.
That is Sunday morning at ten o'clock
to eleven o'clock.
That's worship.
Now, what is worship?
Actually when you go there, you'll find you're
being entertained.
Not God is worship, but you are entertained.
And if you're not well entertained, probably you
have to go to another place of worship
to be better entertained.
And now you'll find another thing.
You'll find that even with lots of so
-called believers, they go to worship maybe once
a year on Christmas Day.
And if you're better maybe twice a year
on Easter too.
But anyway, you'll find that today worship among
in Christianity is restricted to place and time.
But when you read John chapter four, you
remember our Lord's conversation with the Samaritan woman?
When the conscience of the Samaritan woman was
awakened by the Lord, she began to ask
about this matter of worship.
So she inquired of the Lord and said,
We Samaritans worship on this mountain that is
Mount Gerizim.
But you Jews worship in Jerusalem in the
temple.
Now, which is correct?
Where should we worship?
And you remember the Lord said, Woman, the
time is coming, and now is.
You do not worship either in Mount Gerizim
or in Jerusalem in the temple.
But God is a spirit and is seeking
for true worshipers, those who worship Him in
spirit and in truth.
Dear brothers and sisters, what is our faith?
Our faith is that we worship the Father
in spirit and in truth.
It is no longer to be limited to
a place or to a time.
In other words, we worship Him all the
time, we worship Him everywhere.
We worship Him in spirit and in truth.
Now, it is true, sometimes we come together
to worship Him, but that doesn't mean that
when you are alone, you don't need to
worship Him.
It is no longer a matter of place
or time.
It is spirit and truth.
But unfortunately to many Christians today, worship is
still a matter of time and space.
It is as if you worship God on
Sunday, but from Monday to Saturday is your
time.
You can do whatever you like.
You can worship mammon if you want to,
but on Sunday you come to worship God.
But you know the Bible said, a man
cannot serve two masters.
You cannot serve God and serve mammon.
Christianity has been deodized.
It has become a religion instead of a
living faith.
Second, in Judaism you find a set of
laws.
God gives them the Ten Commandments and all
the precepts and ordinances and all these statutes.
Now, do we have these in Christianity?
Does God give us eleven commandments?
Is our life to be governed as a
Christian by rules and regulations?
If you read the Bible you'll find, with
us there is only one law, and that
is the law of the Spirit of Life.
In other words, God has put His Holy
Spirit in us.
And the Spirit of Life is the law
that governs our living.
But dear brothers and sisters, today how many
believers are still governed by the rules and
regulations of the church that they belong to.
Instead of being ruled by the Spirit of
God within, they still walk an outward way
of rules and regulations.
And that is Judah's Christianity.
Number three.
In Judaism you'll find an intermediary class called
the priesthood.
But in the New Testament we are told
in 1 Peter 2.5 as we come
to the Lord, we are all living stones.
Being built up together a spiritual house, a
holy priesthood.
In other words, in the New Covenant there
is the universal priesthood of believers.
Every believer is a priest.
We do not have an intermediary class between
us and God.
Our Lord Jesus is the only mediator between
us and God.
Today through our Lord Jesus we can come
directly to God, we can worship Him, we
can serve Him, because all of us believers
are priests.
But dear brothers and sisters, is this true
in Christianity today?
You'll find in Christianity today there is still
the so-called the sacred class and the
laity.
In other words, you are the layman.
And all the laymen are required to do
is to pay their due and also to
attend Sunday meeting.
And all the spiritual works are being monopolized
by a class of people called the sacred.
They are being set apart to do all
the things for you.
Dear brothers and sisters, this is not living
faith.
This is a religion.
This is Judaistic Christianity.
Number four, in Judaism you'll find there is
a group of promises.
But all these promises were earthly and physical
and material, because the children of Israel are
God's earthly people.
But we who are the Lords today are
God's heavenly people.
Dear brothers and sisters, do you notice in
the Bible, in the New Testament, that God
has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in
the heavenlies in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 1, 3.
God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing
in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus.
Why?
Because we are God's heavenly people.
So God's blessings to us today are heavenly
and spiritual.
Now that does not mean that God does
not supply us with our daily bread.
Certainly, He still takes care of our physical
needs.
But remember that the blessings that God has
promised to His church are spiritual and heavenly.
But today, dear brothers and sisters, does it
sometimes confuse you when you hear what today
is very popular in this country called Prosperity
Gospel.
In other words, if you believe in the
Lord Jesus then God will prosper you financially,
prosper you materially.
You don't need to drive a Chevrolet, you
can drive a Cadillac.
Now is that Judaized Christianity, Judaized Christianity?
Brothers and sisters, Christianity in the beginning is
a revelation from above.
The Heavenly Father revealed His Son in us.
It is a living faith.
But today we find there is very little
revelation known among God's people.
But there is a lot of tradition.
In other words, the way that we act,
the way that we do, why do we
do this way, why do we gather this
way, or whatever is connected with your so
-called religious life is actually based on tradition.
It is because your fathers have been doing
that, your grandfathers have been doing that.
You do not have a living revelation from
God.
Everything is based on tradition, not on revelation.
Now, we do not mean that today you
can have new revelation extra to the Bible.
Of course not.
All the revelations of God are contained in
the Bible.
We cannot have new revelation extra to the
Bible.
But still, whatever is revealed in the Bible
must be revealed to you too.
That is revelation.
Then it will be real.
The Word of God, the Logos of God
has to become rhema to you, has to
become a living life to you.
But today, dear brothers and sisters, unfortunately you
find that many believers live on traditions.
They do not have that revelation from above.
It is for this reason you find Christianity
today has been totally Judaized.
Instead of giving us Christ, it has become
a substitute for Christ.
And God is very jealous about it.
You remember the story on the Mount of
Transfiguration?
There you find our Lord Jesus took His
three disciples to that Mount of Transfiguration and
He was transfigured.
It was a preview of the Kingdom that
cannot be shaken.
Moses and Elijah appeared and they talked with
our Lord Jesus about His exit, how He
will leave the world.
And you remember how Peter, as if he
just awoke from his slumber, and he saw
that scene, it was so wonderful, so he
blurted out and said, it is good to
be here.
Let us make three tabernacles.
One for you, Lord, one for Moses, and
one for Elijah.
He thought he was being very generous because
he and John and James, they were just
sleeping open air.
But, the moment he said that, God took
away Moses and took away Elijah.
And a cloud, a bright cloud covered them.
And they heard the voice, This is My
beloved Son.
Hear Him.
When they opened their eyes, they saw no
one but Jesus only.
Why?
It is because God is very jealous for
His Son.
When Peter tried to put Moses and Elijah
on the same footing as the Lord Jesus,
God said, No.
You cannot do that.
Not only you cannot substitute Moses for Christ,
or Elijah for Christ, you cannot even put
Moses and Elijah on the same footing as
Christ.
God took away Moses, discharged Elijah, because God
said, This is My beloved Son.
Hear Him.
Dear brothers and sisters, the same jealous God
is jealous for His Son today.
And I believe it is for this reason,
at least this is one of the reasons
why God is shaking the heaven and shaking
the earth today.
God wants to free us from Christianity as
a religion into the fullness of Christ.
Christianity has become a substitute for Christ today.
Christianity has deceived us into thinking that we
have Christ.
But dear brothers and sisters, we need to
wake up and see that all things that
are considered as Christianity are being shaken today.
You will not have Christianity anymore.
There are many places in the world you
cannot find a definite place of worship.
You cannot go to a place called a
place of worship.
There are many places in the world there
cannot be a fixed time of worship.
If you want to worship God, you have
to worship Him in spirit and in truth.
Whatever is external, whatever is an ism, whatever
is a religion, you will find it will
go.
No longer exists.
Why?
Because God wants us to get the reality.
We are in a day when rules and
regulations will not hold anymore.
It is the spirit of God within us
and He never leaves us nor forsakes us.
We are living in a day when God
will take away all those people whom we
depend upon.
As if our faith in God depends upon
these people.
But God will take them away.
You have to see that you have to
worship God and serve Him directly.
We are living in a time when you'll
find even our properties, everything will be taken
away from us.
Even our life is in jeopardy.
Will you still believe God?
Will your faith be still vibrant and living?
We are living in a day when traditions
will all crumble down.
They will not be able to support you
unless you have revelation from above.
And that will keep you through any trials
and persecutions.
Brothers and sisters, we believe that God allows
this great shaking to happen to the world
today.
It is for our good.
And it is time for us to wake
up, to see, and let all these things
that can be shaken, shaken away.
Do not cling on to these things.
Let all these things go because sooner or
later they will go.
Be shaken.
Oh, how we thank God that anything that
is made, anything that belongs to the all
creation, anything that belongs to man, you'll find
all these things will be shaken away.
Only that which is God, which is of
Christ, will remain forever.
So it is time for us to understand
what is going on in this world today.
That we may not be despair, but instead
we may press on into that which God
has called us.
Now, brothers and sisters, as we are in
this time of great shaking, what should we
do?
You'll find in Hebrews chapter 3, verse 1.
It is said, Wherefore, holy brethren, partaker of
the heavenly calling, consider the apostle and high
priest of our confession, Jesus.
When we are in great shaking, it is
the time for us to consider.
Now, isn't it time for us to consider?
Surely it is.
But, what are you to consider?
Some people consider and say, well, probably there
will be nuclear war coming.
So, flee to the desert.
If you live in a city, probably you
will be hit.
But if you live in a far away
desert, then you can be saved.
Or people say, great famine will be coming.
What will you do?
Consider.
Store food.
And it becomes a great big business.
Dehydrated food becomes a big business.
But the thing is, if you have food
and nobody else have, are you able to
eat it?
Then you say, well, buy guns.
To protect yourself.
To protect your food.
Brothers and sisters, you'll find not only the
worldly people, but even Christians are considering all
these things.
Isn't that foolish?
What shall we consider?
The Bible tells us, consider.
Yes, we need to consider.
But what shall we consider?
We should consider not all these things, but
consider one person, Jesus.
This is a time that we should consider
Jesus.
The Apostle and the High Priest of our
Confession.
Brothers and sisters, there is nothing that can
save us through this great shaking, but the
Lord Jesus.
Consider Jesus.
Now, who is this Jesus that we must
consider?
He is the Apostle and the High Priest
of our Confession.
Our Lord Jesus is the Apostle of our
Confession.
What does it mean?
An Apostle means one who is being sent.
Who is sent on a mission.
Our Lord Jesus is the Apostle of our
Confession.
He is sent by God into this world
as an Apostle to represent God.
No one has ever seen the Father.
But the Son has declared Him.
The Lord Jesus said, if you see Me,
you see My Father.
Why?
Because He is the Apostle of God.
God has sent Him into this world to
represent Him.
And what a representation!
What a perfect representation He is!
He has not misrepresented God in any way.
You find He has represented God perfectly.
By seeing the Lord Jesus, we see God,
the Father.
He is the Apostle of God.
He was sent on a mission to fulfill
the work of redemption.
And here you'll find our Lord Jesus, as
He was on the cross before He died,
He said, it is finished.
What is finished?
His mission is fulfilled.
It's accomplished.
What God has sent Him to accomplish has
been accomplished.
He has died for us.
He has fulfilled the work of redemption.
And not only that, but the Bible said,
He is risen from the dead, and He
has now entered into Heaven as our Leader.
In other words, He has opened a way
for us to Heaven.
Dear brothers and sisters, consider our Lord Jesus
as the Apostle of our Confession.
And in considering Him as the Apostle of
our Confession, what should we do?
Very simple.
Hear Him.
He is the Apostle of God.
Therefore, hear Him.
Listen to Him.
What He says to us is true.
What He has done for us is true.
What He has opened for us is true.
Just hear Him.
Believe in Him.
Follow Him, because He is the Apostle of
our Confession.
Do not follow man.
Do not hear what man says, but hear
Him and follow Him.
He is the Apostle of God.
But He is not only the Apostle of
our Confession.
The Bible says He is also the High
Priest of our Confession.
When He was on earth, He was the
Apostle of our Confession.
Now He is in heaven.
He is the High Priest of our Confession.
Brothers and sisters, as Apostle, He represents God
towards man.
But as High Priest, He is representing us
before God.
You know, most of us know Him as
the Apostle, because we know what He did
on earth.
But probably many of us are not very
well acquainted with Him as a High Priest.
What is the Lord doing today in heaven?
I often remember that story about an elderly
sister.
When she wanted to be baptized, it was
the custom of those days that she had
to go through a kind of examination of
her faith.
So she was brought in before a group
of elders sitting there, you know.
And of course she was frightened.
And they began to question her faith and
asking her various questions.
And one of the questions asked was, What
is the Lord doing in heaven today?
And this sister really didn't know.
So she answered and said, The Lord was
standing in heaven looking down upon the earth
and looking at me to find fault with
me.
That was what the Lord Jesus was doing
today in heaven.
Of course we know that's not true.
Our Lord Jesus seated, sit at the right
hand of the Father.
What does it mean by seated?
Sit.
It means that the work of redemption is
done.
If the work of redemption is not finished,
then He cannot sit.
He has to stand.
But now you'll find our Lord Jesus sits
at the right hand of the Father.
Why?
Because on earth He has finished the work
of redemption.
It is finished.
But that doesn't mean He sits there and
take nap.
Because He has nothing to do.
Everything is done.
Not at all.
The Bible said He sits at the right
hand of God.
He lives here forever, making intercession for us.
And He is able to save those who
come through Him to God.
To save them to the uttermost.
Dear brothers and sisters, our Lord Jesus is
very very busy in heaven today.
Not because His work on earth is unfinished.
It is finished.
But because there is something more to be
done.
He is there representing you and me.
Thank God for that.
Brothers and sisters, do you know that if
you do not know Christ as the Apostle,
you will never be saved?
Do you know that if you do not
know Christ as your High Priest, you can
never live a Christian life?
Why is it that so many believers today,
they believe in the Lord Jesus, they are
saved, and yet they are struggling through their
Christian life?
Why?
It is because they do not know the
Lord Jesus as their High Priest.
Remember, you have Christ Jesus representing you in
the very presence of God the Father.
He is there for you, representing you.
He is there making intercession for you.
You may not know how to pray for
yourself, but He knows.
Even when you are not praying, He is
praying for you.
And when your prayer is weak, He adds
His prayer to your prayer.
Brothers and sisters, do you not know that
He is there, able to save you to
the uttermost?
What is meant by a priest?
What is meant by the High Priest?
It means through Him, you are able to
enter and to live in the very presence
of God and to please God.
By yourself you cannot.
Lots of believers today are trying to live
by themselves, to live the life of Christ
by themselves.
They try to live up to a standard.
They want to be good Christians, but it
is all self-effort.
They mean well and they really put their
whole being into it, but the more you
try, the more you find it is impossible.
You cannot do that.
But don't you know you have a High
Priest?
One who is now in Heaven, but who
has come to this earth once, He is
sympathetic with you.
Not because He is strong, He is not
sympathetic.
He is sympathetic with you because He was
tempted in all things, just like we are,
but without sin.
He is not only able to sympathize with
you, He is able to support you.
He is able to carry you through.
He is your High Priest.
Brothers and sisters, depend on Him.
Through Him, by Him.
That is something we need to learn.
You cannot live as a Christian if you
do not live by Him.
If you do not depend on Him.
Oh, come to Him.
Look to Him.
He is your High Priest.
Cry to Him.
Approach Him with boldness and you will find
mercy.
You will receive grace for your seasonable help.
Brothers and sisters, consider Him.
Consider Jesus your High Priest.
What do you mean by knowing Him as
your High Priest?
Now, sometimes we think that He is our
High Priest.
There He sits in Heaven far, far from
us, you know.
And there He is praying for us.
And is that all He does?
Just pray for us?
Well, you do not know the power of
prayer.
As He prays for us, you know what
happens?
As He prays for us, the Holy Spirit
within us begins to work.
You do not see Christ as the High
Priest, separated from the ministry of the Holy
Spirit.
As a matter of fact, His being High
Priest is connected with the ministry of the
Holy Spirit.
Because when He ascended upon high, God has
anointed Him.
In Psalm 133, you find the oil comes
down from Aaron's head.
That's the High Priest.
And the oil began to flow down through
a whole body, even to the skirt, hem
of the skirt.
So you find that His being High Priest
is closely related with the ministry of the
Holy Spirit in us.
As our Lord Jesus prays, and He prays
according to God, you know, sometimes we pray,
we do not know what we pray for.
We pray amiss.
But when He prays, He prays according to
God.
And God hears Him, and the Holy Spirit
begins to work in our lives.
Dear brothers and sisters, the working of the
Holy Spirit in our lives today is the
result of the High Priestly function of our
Lord Jesus.
You know the Holy Spirit is working in
you.
As He is working in you, He is
bringing you into Christ.
Our Lord Jesus is a High Priest according
to the order of Melchizedek.
That is, He is a High Priest in
the power of indissoluble life.
In the power of eternal life.
That is the way He is our High
Priest.
And dear brothers and sisters, you can experience
this.
How?
You can experience the power of the eternal
life within you.
Oh, thank God there is His life in
you.
And this life is eternal life, indissoluble life.
This life is a conquering life.
This life is a glorious life.
This life is a life that has been
tested and has been proven.
Brothers and sisters, this life is in you.
And you experience this life, the power of
this life in you through the Holy Spirit.
And that is the work of our Lord
Jesus as our High Priest.
Brothers and sisters, He is representing us before
God.
And through His prayer, and through the working
of the Holy Spirit, He is bringing us
into maturity.
He is bringing us into glory.
Everything is shaken around us.
But brothers and sisters, if it is Christ,
it is unshakable.
What is the kingdom that we are to
inherit?
What is the kingdom?
On the Mount of Transfiguration, you can see
what is the principle of the kingdom is
the Son, Christ.
He is the principle of the kingdom.
He is the kingdom.
And that kingdom cannot be shaken.
So dear brothers and sisters, if you find
something being shaken off from you, don't worry
about it.
If it can be shaken, it will be
shaken, sooner or later.
And it's much better if it's sooner, that
we be not deceiving anyway.
But thank God, dear brothers and sisters, we
know there is something in us that cannot
be shaken.
God has given us Christ.
He is the kingdom that cannot be shaken.
Oh, that we may enter into that kingdom
abundantly.
Do not enter into that kingdom as one
barely saved.
But as Peter said, let us enter into
the kingdom abundantly.
And what does that mean?
It means with much of Christ.
Oh, that we may know Him.
Let us consider Him.
Let us think about Him.
Meditate on Him.
Commune with Him.
Ask Him to fill us.
Because He is the only one that cannot
be shaken.
And thank God He is yours.
Shall we pray?
Dear Heavenly Father, we do praise and thank
Thee as we see all things around us
are being shaken.
And often times we find ourselves being shaken.
But we thank Thee, we know there is
something in us that cannot be shaken.
It is Thy Son, our Christ.
Oh, our Father, we do pray that Thou
will open our eyes, deliver us from anything
that is just traditional, religious.
But Lord, we pray that we may have
the reality.
We may have that which is eternal.
We ask Thee, O Lord, teach us how
to consider Jesus.
The Apostle and High Priest of our Confession.
We pray that we may know Him and
the power of His resurrection in fellowship with
His sufferings.
Conform to His death.
That we may also arrive at our resurrection
from among the dead.
Oh, our Father, we pray that Thou will
put Thy Son before us.
That we may not consider this or that
thing.
Knowing that all this or that will be
shaken away.
But Lord, we pray that we may consider
Thy Son, our Lord Jesus.
Oh, give Thy Son to us abundantly.
We want Him and Him alone.
In the name of our Lord Jesus.
Amen.