If he is not able to show his
fullness there, we will be short of his
witnesses.
So when I meditate in front of the
Lord, there is a new prayer in my
heart.
I have to admit it.
Because I do feel quite comfortable where we
are in South Jersey.
It's wrong.
The Lord has something more he wants to
give to us.
There's more.
We are so easily satisfied.
But he has more.
Do we want more of him?
If we want more of him, then his
testimony will be given.
So brothers and sisters, a crisis
is good for us.
If the Lord can shake us out of
where we are, and so we plant into
who he is, that is a tremendous liberation.
Then his testimony will be with us.
I believe our life on this North American
continent is too comfortable.
That's why the testimony of Jesus Christ is
very weak.
Because we are easily satisfied.
We equate spiritual blessing with earthly things.
We make things more important to us than
the person of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Not just physical things.
But many spiritual things.
We ask for gifts.
We ask for power.
We ask for evangelism.
We ask for deeper life.
We ask for church life.
We ask for spiritual life.
Often times we fail to ask one thing
that we need to ask.
That is the person of the Lord Jesus
himself.
Nothing can take his place.
What is evangelism?
What is church life?
It is more Christ.
What is church life?
It is life bringing order into our fellowship.
It is all Christ.
And so the Lord really has been teaching
me a new lesson.
The Lord forgave me.
Because we often pay attention to things rather
than the person.
Because we are afraid of going through a
real crisis.
But a crisis will shake us all of
ourselves and plunge us into the fullness of
Christ.
So what a spark reminds us of a
spiritual reality.
It is on the cross of the Lord
Jesus.
Many things happen.
They are all recorded in the scripture.
We talk about many of those events that
took place while he was on the cross.
And we preach.
But he said there is one thing we
miss.
It is when he was hanged on that
cross.
There was an earthquake.
We failed to talk about that.
Because on the cross everything will be shaken.
What is not of Christ will be shaken
off.
So that what is of Christ can be
brought in.
So I feel we need a spiritual earthquake
to shake us out of where we are.
So that we can plunge into Christ.
We can immerse in him.
So that we can enjoy the testimony of
who he is, the fullness of Christ.
For instance, just remember.
God is after fullness for his people.
That is why he gives his Christ to
us.
Christ is God's fullness.
And the church is to deposit the fullness
of Christ.
The church is to deposit the fullness of
Christ.
So that is our mission.
When fullness is there, everything is taken care
of.
And that is a great lack with all
of us.
And thank God for this weekend, for these
few days.
The Lord is reminding us what is really
in his heart.
It is a testimony of God.
The testimony of Jesus Christ and our testimony.
They are all one.
For instance, we need to pray much.
We need to pray the right prayer.
Lord, we need you.
We need more of you.
We continue in need of you.
Don't be satisfied with what you have.
The Lord desires to give you much, much
more.
But for him to pour out his blessing,
his fullness upon us, we need to be
enlarged.
We need to be broken.
We need to be empty.
So he can fill us more of himself.
The testimony of Jesus Christ is himself.
It is himself in fullness.
When he can see himself in us, that
is his testimony.
So may the Lord help us.
We have a long way to go.
But thank God the work has begun.
And let's hold fast.
Let's pray.
Lord, what can we say to you?
We are so privileged.
To come to some understanding of what is
in your heart.
We thank you for the theme of this
conference.
We know this is what you are after
for yourself.
Your testimony in fullness in your people.
Lord, we pray that you create in us
a hunger for more of you.
Remind us that there is always something more
in you you want to give to us.
We do pray that you shake us out
of ourselves.
That we may be shaken into who you
are.
Then your name indeed will be glorified.
Make us like John the Baptist.
We become smaller and smaller and smaller.
And become big and big and big.
And so that you can be the great
I am to us and all of us.
And to you be all the glory.
Lord, do your work.
The kind of work that will satisfy your
own heart.
And we give you all the praise.
In the praise of Lord Jesus.
So we look to the Lord for the
word of prayer.
Lord, we thank you that you are with
us.
If you are with us, what more do
we want?
Lord, we thank you for your presence with
us this evening.
Our hearts look up to you.
We say to you, Lord, speak your words
to our hearts.
Lord, through your words let us see yourself.
Lord, delivering us from just hearing messages.
Lord, we want to see you.
We want to hear you.
We want to bow our knees and worship
you.
Be Lord over this meeting tonight.
And to you we give all the glory.
In the precious name of Lord Jesus.
Amen.
This is our last evening session for this
conference.
And I thank the Lord for this conference.
This conference is not just for us.
It is ultimately for the Lord himself.
Because the Lord is after something for himself
in us.
I remember last Biola conference, last year.
At the end of the first ministry of
the Lord I heard a comment from a
brother.
He said, that message we heard is enough.
He said, we can all pack and go
home.
Because what we heard from that first message
it will be good for the rest of
our lives.
And Brother Spock often used to say the
same way.
He said, what I share at this conference
or with this particular message it will take
the rest of our lives for the Holy
Spirit to walk in that reality into us.
So brothers and sisters, we thank the Lord
for speaking to us.
And the reason why he speaks and speaks
again because we are so slow to respond
to what's in his heart.
And the Lord is indeed very patient with
us.
He will not give us up.
He has committed his testimony to us.
And he is there to fulfill it.
So I just want to share a couple
of thoughts before we go to the Gospel
of John.
We often hear brothers that are more advanced
spiritually they often put it across to us
this way.
They put it across.
That's what they try to tell us.
All our problems and all our difficulties are
because we have an inadequate knowledge of who
Christ is.
If we truly know who he is we
will be set free from many of the
problems we do face.
Now this evening I would like to use
the few words we find in the book
of Genesis.
The beginning few words those words are of
great significance.
Because those are the first few words God
uttered.
Those are the first words the Holy Spirit
recorded for us.
And we are all very familiar with those
few words.
But we often fail to see the importance
of it.
Because those few words reflect who he is.
So in the beginning God those words are
really how shall I put it very profound.
There is a great depth into it.
And often times we read them casually.
And it was through those few words God
was introducing himself to us.
I am the beginning of everything.
The reason why I begin because I have
a plan I have a purpose.
And this plan of this purpose that I
have in mind I have the will I
have the ability I have the power I
have the faith to see to it that
it is ultimately fulfilled.
Put it in our language God is in
real business.
He is in real business.
He is really in his enterprise.
He is engaged in real business.
That's right.
Because he has something in mind.
And what he has set out to do
he will surely do it.
Because our God cannot fail.
If our God can fail then he is
not God.
So for instance when we look at ourselves
when we look at God's people and the
conditions that we are in it is easy
to be disappointed.
It is so easy to be discouraged.
And the reason why we are discouraged because
we look at the tangible we look at
the visible.
But it is almost very difficult almost impossible
to see him who is invisible.
Then if we can see him who is
invisible he is real then that is our
great deliverance.
So brothers no matter how you feel about
yourself no matter how we feel ourselves as
a company of God's people God has already
committed God has already committed his testimony to
us.
And the reason he has committed to us
because he has faith in himself that he
will accomplish it.
But we have to have faith in our
God.
So our brothers say God's testament remain the
same and change.
And God is going to work that into
us.
God is going to work that into us.
And we may resist him we may delay
his work but ultimately he will be successful
in what he is doing.
Now brothers and sisters God is in real
business.
He is also looking for people who are
in real business with him.
The reason why the Lord cannot commit him
totally to us is because we do not
do business with him wholly or completely.
On his part he has already totally committed
himself to us.
But on our part our commitment is often
time partial.
And often time it is inconsistent.
When we come to the conference we commit
it.
And when we go home it is a
different story.
So I want to just read one verse
with you brothers and sisters.
God is looking for those who have been
in business with him.
And it is hard for him to find
such people.
Okay, so we turn to 2 Chronicles.
16 Verse 9 The
first half of verse 9 For the eyes
of the Lord run to and fro throughout
the whole earth to show him strong on
behalf of those whose heart is loyal to
him or whose heart is perfect before him.
Whose heart are perfectly toward him.
Or put it in a very casual way.
He is looking for those whose heart has
been in business with him.
The Lord is looking for those he can
commit himself.
Commit his testimony so that his testimony can
radiate through them.
Now we know through the history through the
church history and even in our days within
the last 50 or so years the Lord
has found few here and there those who
were really committed to him and how the
Lord used them.
We are blessed today because of those who
have committed themselves totally to the Lord.
Because of their total commitment we are blessed.
And the Lord is looking for such people.
Now the scripture says his eyes run throughout
the whole earth.
Hence they are very rare very few.
He has to search for them.
But thank God there here there the Lord
do find those whose hearts are toward him.
The Lord is still looking for such hearts.
So we often heard today the problem is
not with God himself.
The problem is with us.
We are delaying his work.
We are slowing down his work.
But in the end he will succeed.
Here and there there will be those who
will respond.
And I will call them as the overcomers.
And if the Lord can get hold of
those overcomers it is guaranteed the Lord can
get hold of us all.
Brothers and sisters we need that kind of
people today.
In our local fellowship.
We need those whose hearts are totally toward
the Lord.
And through them the testimony of Jesus Christ
will come to us.
They are channels of blessing.
So we need to pray the Lord in
these last days for raised man whose hearts
are perfect toward him.
Now this week this last few days we
heard much from the Lord.
We heard the testimony of God.
The testimony of Jesus Christ.
And our testimony.
Even though there are three how shall I
put it we approach in three different ways.
But actually it is one.
Because the Lord Jesus came for the purpose
of making his father known to us.
Because the only begotten who is in the
bosom of the father he came to declare
him the father.
And if you look into the gospel of
John how often the Lord say my father
father from his own lips.
There's a frequent mention of the father from
his lips.
It's not just lips saying it.
Because the father was with him.
At least three times in the gospel of
John he said I was never I'm never
alone.
He's always with me.
He is in me.
And then the father he loved his son
so much he touched his son from the
heaven.
It is a universal declaration that Jesus Christ
is God's only beloved son.
God has given everything for his son.
And he showed his son everything he was
going to do.
So Christ is God's purpose.
Christ is God's will to us.
Christ is God's work for us.
Outside from Christ God has no other purpose.
Outside of Christ God has no other will.
Outside of Christ God has no other work.
Everything's in Christ.
And Christ is everything.
Now we have to get hold of that.
That is a foundational truth.
And we just solidly stand on that truth.
Now this evening I'd like to share from
some of the signs we find in the
Gospel of John.
How the Holy Spirit used those signs to
show us Christ or work Christ into us.
As we share according to Gospel of John
the theme of the Gospel is the testimony
of Jesus Christ.
Now according to John what is the testimony
of Jesus Christ?
The theme of the Gospel of John in
John we find the testimony of Jesus Christ
is Jesus Christ himself.
No one can testify for him.
No one is qualified to testify for him.
Our testimony is not we testify for him.
Our testimony is he in us testifies himself
through us.
So what comes up is not me what
comes up is the Lord Jesus.
I believe some of these things we need
to take hold.
Now in Gospel of John we know there
are seven mentions of I am.
Now I am simply speaks about union with
Christ.
Once we are in union with Christ so
all that he is become ours.
That's how God loves us.
So let me put it this way.
How God the Father is to his son
our Lord Jesus Christ.
So also shall we if we are in
Christ.
So in Christ what God is real to
his son should be also real to us.
So we often heard that people put it
this way.
If I am in Christ God cannot love
me less than he loves his son.
Because I am in Christ.
The love the Father gives to the son
is the love he gives to me.
Because I am in Christ.
Some of these things I am sure you
heard on many occasions.
It's not new to you.
But we need to be refreshed again.
And that's why I share on Thursday evening.
John's gospel was God's reaction to the spiritual
condition of his people in John's days.
Because there is a spiritual declension.
The testimony of Jesus Christ has been weakened.
The world came in.
Man came in.
Tradition came in.
And we become fixed in our ways.
And John saw that.
Once we come to a fixed rate we
limit God.
And God will not allow us to limit
him.
Because he is so big.
He refuses to be limited by anyone.
So Brother and Sister, John wrote his gospel.
And our deliverance from our smallness is to
see how great Christ is.
So Brother and Sister, how we need to
take a good look at God's beloved Son.
Not just through messages.
But through an inner seeing in the spirit
of who he really is.
Now, I have a longing in my heart.
I say, Lord, don't bring me to a
place where I'm in a fixed position.
If I'm fixed in myself then God cannot
move on with me.
He will bypass me and he will walk
in somebody else.
I miss out but others come into the
good of it.
But God's intention is that we must all
move on with him.
From grace to grace.
And there's no end to it.
If Christ is an end then he's very
small.
The end is glory.
You cannot measure glory.
It's always beyond us.
And how we need God to set us
free from ourselves.
If his testimony is to be committed to
us.
And if we are to be found faithful
before him.
Now, for him to work for for Christ
to work himself into us.
That is the work of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is not so interested in
signs and wonders.
His one mission is to exalt God's beloved
son.
His one mission is to incorporate his beloved
son in all of us.
Because our testimony is Jesus Christ.
The only Jesus Christ in us fully formed
we can satisfy the Father's heart.
Now, we're going to look at some of
the signs.
Okay, now let me just before I introduce
those signs, let me just quickly share this
one book.
In all these signs I'll try to share
five signs this evening.
Every sign that you'll find in the Gospel
of John before Christ can work himself into
that situation the Holy Spirit solemnly created a
crisis.
One brother said if we are not brought
into a real crisis spiritually we'll never get
revelation.
Our easy life is not conducive for spiritual
revelation.
So in all of the five signs you
will see God allow a crisis to come
into the situation.
It has come to a point either the
Lord himself or nothing.
Or we are brought to a place we
have no other choice but hold on to
the Lord.
But that is grace.
If the Lord can work in us in
such a way that we can just hold
on to him that is grace.
That is real grace.
Grace is unto purpose.
It's to get hold of Christ.
And who is indeed the grace that we
need.
Now I mention the crisis first then we'll
share how the Lord get through those crises.
Now we avoid crises.
We avoid crises.
We think it's bad for us.
But in all these five signs we say
we'll find it's very necessary.
The first is the marriage in Cana.
Now there was a real crisis.
Very very embarrassing.
If the Lord was not there I don't
know how that couple going to live through
for the rest of their life.
That's right.
I don't know how they can live through
the rest of their life.
So the crisis the Lord allow in that
situation is they ran out of wine.
So that is a crisis.
Now the second sign is the healing of
the normal man's son.
Do you think he will go to the
Lord voluntarily?
Without the Lord he will create that situation
that his son is almost at the point
of death.
So his son at the point of the
death was the way Christ was brought into
that situation.
Now the third sign is the informed man
we find in the Gospel John chapter 5.
Now that man was sick lying in that
bed for 38 years.
A desperate situation.
Longing to walk longing to rise up but
totally incapable.
But through that crisis the Lord when the
Lord comes in that man rise up and
walk.
Through all this crisis the Lord make himself
bigger.
And he make himself how real how living
and how true he can be.
Now the other is man born blind.
Now interesting it says this man who was
born blind was for a purpose.
The God's work should be revealed in him.
Now this I in God's work is to
be revealed in him.
Okay and then when he come to Lazarus
come to Lazarus okay now Lazarus was dead
and that the Lord say this disease this
sickness is not unto what this sickness is
for the glory of God as a son
of God may glorify through it.
Now death and glory go together.
God's work and blindness go together.
Ah God's way is strange.
His way is above our way.
It's humanly inconceivable So that's God's way for
our blessing.
Now let's go to take a look at
Cana situation.
Okay we'll read a few verses.
Chapter 2 of John the Gospel.
Okay we'll read from verse 1.
On the third day there was a wedding
in Cana of Galilee and the mother of
Jesus was there.
Now both Jesus and his disciples were invited
to the wedding.
And when they ran out of wine the
mother of Jesus said to him they have
no wine.
His mother said to the servant whatever he
says to you do it.
Now there were set there six water pots
of stone according to the manner of purification
of the Jews containing twenty or thirty gallons
a piece.
Jesus said to them fill the water pots
with water and they filled them up to
the brim.
Draw some out now and take it to
the master of the feast and they took
it.
When the master of the feast had tasted
the water that was made wine and did
not know where it came from but the
servant who had drawn the water knew the
master of the feast called the bridegroom.
And he said to him everyone at the
beginning set out good wine and when the
guests had well drunk then the inferior you
have kept the good wine until now.
This is the beginning of signs.
Jesus said in Cana Galilee and manifest that
his glory and his disciples believed in him.
Now what a glorious end.
What a glorious ending of this incident.
Because 11 is what he came for.
It's for him to manifest his glory and
the disciples believed in him.
So all the signs are pointing to Christ.
So the mother did not quite understand the
Lord Jesus.
The mother of Jesus did not quite understand
the Lord Jesus.
All she think about is to solve the
immediate problem they faced.
Because without wine that wedding would be most
embarrassing to the couple.
Now if you read this account I personally
think this young couple prepared as much as
they were able to do it.
I'm sure if you see a young couple
going to get married they could not think
of anything.
They think of anything and everything.
Everything is covered.
they were not waiting to be most perfect.
Not just for themselves but for their guests
as well.
Nothing is overlooked because this is once in
a lifetime.
So we don't know why they ran out
of wine.
Maybe some of the invited guests just kept
coming.
We don't know.
But we know one thing, the Jewish tradition,
marriage usually takes several days.
Now if the family is quite wealthy usually
seven days.
So it's a long feast.
So there's a lot of eating and there's
a lot of drinking.
Now I'm sure this young couple prepared enough
for all the guests that were invited.
But I believe this crisis was created solemnly
by God.
For Christ to manifest His glory.
And for the disciples to truly believe Him.
Now from this incident we know God want
us, the Lord Jesus want us to discover,
to find Him that He is the God
of fullness.
His fullness.
And that's why there was six big stone
water pots.
Now when the Lord said fullness He meant
fullness.
Because those stone water pots they contain twenty
to thirty gallons of water.
And there was six of them.
Now six is the number of man.
You know when the Lord comes into our
situation it's for the first time we discover
how empty we really are.
When we compare with each other I think
I'm pretty full.
If we all compare with Lord Jesus then
we discover how empty we really are.
We have nothing.
Now another thing that we discover in this
incident because we often times do not know
that we are empty until we are told
we are empty.
So when the Lord told the servant he
said fill those water pots with water to
the brim.
The Lord is saying do you know those
water pots have been empty for a long
time?
Someone was neglecting their duty.
Because when the guests are coming in they
need water to wash their feet.
So something was wrong when the pots were
empty.
And no one was aware of it.
The Lord knew it was empty.
He said fill them to the brim.
And he said take them out.
Draw them some.
Draw some out.
And the moment the Lord gave the command
said draw the water turned into wine.
When the Lord said draw he put himself
into the wine.
He put himself into the wine and put
himself into the water and the water turned
into wine.
So when the Lord comes into our situation
there's transformation.
We cannot transform ourselves.
When he comes he transforms.
There's no need to try to transform.
But when we allow him to come into
our lives transformation begins.
And his transformation is a lasting transformation.
Because those six water pots will fill to
the brim.
Speak of his fullness for us.
Do we know we are empty without the
Lord Jesus?
It is good for us to know that
we are empty.
Because God will step into that situation.
And to show us he is our fullness.
He will come and fill us to the
brim.
Now one brother said this sign is the
first sign we find in John.
But all the other signs are based on
this one sign.
Because when the Lord gives his life to
us he gives his life in fullness to
us.
He never gives his life to us in
measure.
The reason why we do not find fullness
is because we restrict that fullness with our
flesh.
So the more empty we become of ourselves
the more he can fill us with himself.
Our testimony is the fullness of his life
in us.
The fullness of his life in us.
Or put it another way, he wants to
testify to us that in him there is
fullness of life.
Now let's quickly go to the next one.
Now I don't think I need to read
that incident.
I think you know pretty well by heart.
The healing of a normal man's son.
Now he apparently this normal man heard the
Lord Jesus was in Cana.
I also heard the Lord Jesus did many
miracles.
And when he discovered that his son was
at the point of death immediately he went
to Cana.
With the purpose to plead to the Lord
Jesus come to Capernaum and heal his son.
It's a come down and heal our son,
heal my son.
A desperate need.
A real crisis.
There's a crisis hard to face.
The boy was at the point of death.
And this father went to Cana to try
to invite the Lord Jesus pleading with him
to come to Capernaum and to heal the
son.
Now we often say the Lord is very
compassionate.
He's very sympathetic.
He's very loving.
But the Lord's love and compassion is not
sentimental.
There's truth behind it.
Because his love is true love.
Our human love oftentimes is sentimental.
But his love is true love.
It's real.
You may find it difficult to accept, but
it's real love we need.
But the Lord's reply seems to, how shall
I put it, is not all that helpful
to this sorrowful nobleman.
He was in desperate need.
But as though the Lord poured cold water
on him.
That's right.
The Lord just simply replied and said, unless
you people see signs and wonders, you will
by no means believe.
That's the Lord's reply.
Because the Lord saw through his heart.
The Lord saw through what was in his
heart.
You remember in the Gospel, At the end
of chapter 2.
It says, the Lord did not commit himself,
the Lord did not commit himself to them.
Because all they were looking for were signs.
And the Lord knew what was in their
heart.
They were looking for signs and wonders.
And when it comes to the feeding of
the five thousand, the Lord said, you come
not because you saw the signs, because you
are after the bread to satisfy your stomach.
For instance, sometimes we approach the Lord with
the wrong motive.
And we find the Lord very difficult for
the Lord to answer our prayer.
So the Lord said, you want signs and
wonders.
Unless you see signs and wonders, you won't
believe.
This normal man has some measure of faith.
He went to Canada because he has faith.
He has faith in the Lord Jesus.
But his faith is not in himself.
His faith is in his signs and wonders.
And the Lord is trying to help him
draw him away from just looking for signs
and wonders.
The Lord is trying to draw him away
from just looking at signs and wonders.
And the Lord is trying to draw him
out to have faith in himself.
So the normal man replied in verse 49.
He said, Sir, come down before my child
die.
That was a desperate plea.
Because if he don't come, he die.
Come!
And what was the Lord's reply?
He said, Go your way, your son lives.
Is that enough?
Is the word come from the mouth of
the Lord Jesus, is that enough?
Most of us, we don't find it quite
enough.
May the Lord have mercy on us.
So, G.
Campbell Morgan, he put it this way.
The normal man was brought to a place.
He came to a conclusion.
Sign or no sign.
Whether you come with me to Capernaum or
not, come with me to Capernaum.
I have no choice now.
I take your word.
And he went.
And the child lived.
How merciful God is.
His dealing seems to be harsh.
Harsh.
That is all good for us.
But he wants us to come to know
him in such a way.
His word is enough.
Because he says so.
But if we can believe that, it will
save us from a lot of trouble.
And how we can just follow him in
such a wonderful way.
So, brothers and sisters, there was a real
crisis.
But a wonderful lesson was learned.
His word is enough.
Because his word is life.
His word is spirit.
His word is true.
His word is himself.
His word is his own work.
That's why in the beginning was the word.
Everything came about because God spoke and it
was happened.
God is still unchanged.
And his word is still true.
Can we believe him?
Where can we find the testimony of Lord
Jesus?
Where his word is believed.
His testimony is there.
Because his testimony is his word.
And let's quickly go to the other sign.
The man was 38 years infirm.
38 years.
Desperate situation.
So I was meditating on this passage.
I admired this man very much.
Because he has such long endurance.
He was lying there for 38 years in
that one condition.
Now, if I am right, reading from this
account, I saw he was lying with that
group of sick people near the pool for
all this time.
He said, no one carried me.
When the water stirred, no one carried me.
So if he was carried there every day,
those who carried him would carry him into
the water.
So those who really would help him would
help him all the way and not just
halfway.
And he was lying there for 38 years.
So I thanked for myself.
If I were in his condition, would I
lie there for 38 years?
I don't think so.
I think a few days, maybe a couple
of weeks, I'd give up.
Why try?
It's a hopeless situation.
Somehow in this man there's a ray of
hope.
And I think it's that ray of hope
allowed the Lord Jesus Christ to come and
approach him.
Brothers and sisters, what God is looking for,
weak as we are, if we have a
small hope just for him, genuine hope, he
will work wonders for us.
Thank God.
And he walked into that situation.
The Lord walked into that situation.
And he said, do you want to get
well?
He said, when the water stirs, no one
will put me into the water.
So by the time I call myself near
the edge of the pool, someone else already
got in.
Now I have no idea how many times
he tried that.
I'm sure he tried very hard.
I mean for a man to be in
that condition, I think the one wish is
that I can walk one day.
Now brothers and sisters, spiritually we are all
crippled like this man.
We can never get up ourselves.
No strength.
sin make us powerless.
And flesh make us tied down to the
earth.
If you determined to rise up, we have
no strength.
We are totally incapable.
And all that man need is the Lord
said a few words.
The Lord said, rise up, pick up your
bed and walk.
Very short few words.
We need to listen to the Lord to
say just a few words to us.
It's from him.
It's life to us.
Then we will have the power of his
life to rise up and walk.
Now brothers and sisters, bed is something we
all need.
So what do you do when you go
at night?
What do you do at night?
Do you all go to your bed?
A place of comfort.
A place of rest so needed.
But you will not careful.
What is blessing can be a curse to
us.
Because a bed should be a blessing.
But if comfort is all we seek, our
comfort becomes a curse.
For instance, we have a great temptation in
this North American continent.
Because we all seek the comfort of this
life.
If we are not careful, our comfort could
be a curse.
It becomes an idol to us.
All we seek is comfort.
Our comfort takes the place of Christ.
If that is the case, we are spiritually
paralyzed.
Our job, our home, our house, some
people live for their home.
It's not for their use, but it's for
their showcase.
I tell you, we all have that tendency.
And the Lord delivers from all these earthly
things.
If we are not careful, all these things
will cripple us spiritually.
And they will hinder us from rising up
and following Him.
For instance, this is what we all face.
If we are earthbound, our testimony is gone.
Because our testimony is that we are not
of this world.
We are the citizens of heaven.
The gravity of our life is not earth,
that's heaven.
So brothers and sisters, these are the things
we need to be aware with.
If the Lord's testimony is to be committed
to us, and if we are to live
out His testimony in us, now let's quickly
go to chapter 9.
I think we should read a few verses
from chapter 9 of John, the man who
was born blind.
We'll read one through five.
Now Jesus passed by.
He saw a man who was blind from
birth.
And His disciples asked Him, saying, Rabbi, who
sinned, this man or his parents, that he
was born blind?
Jesus answered, neither this man nor his parents.
Neither this man or his parents sinned, but
that the works of God should be revealed
in him.
Now brothers and sisters, through this sign we
find in John 9.
The Lord gives us a glimpse of what
His work is all about.
What is really His work?
His work is to give us spiritual sight.
Not to see many things.
But He gives us spiritual sign to see
first Himself.
That is our problem.
When we are given spiritual sight, when we
are given spiritual sight, instead of looking to
Him, we look at each other.
We look at ourselves, and immediately we go
blind again.
Brothers and sisters, problems make us blind to
the Lord.
We cannot look at brothers and sisters, that
makes us blind spiritually.
When we look at brothers and that's right,
because we are not looking at the Lord
Jesus.
We look at our problems.
You see, so we don't have spiritual sight.
We don't need spiritual sight to see our
wrong.
We are wrong anyway.
That spiritual sight is what we see.
Now shall we turn to verse 35.
Now when we are given spiritual sight, we
may not first realize why it was given
to us.
But the Lord, he knew why he gave
it to us.
He gives us spiritual sight for a purpose.
He does everything with a specific purpose in
mind.
So, verse 35.
Jesus heard that they had cast him out
and when they found him, he said to
him, do you believe in the Son of
God?
He answered and said, who is he, Lord,
that I might believe?
Jesus said to him, you have both seen
him and it is he who is talking
to you.
Then he said, Lord, I believe.
And they worshipped him.
The Lord gave us spiritual sight because he
wanted us to see him.
He wanted us to worship him.
We are given spiritual sight to see just
the Lord Jesus.
Because he has got everything for us.
Apart from him there is nothing.
Apart from him there is no beauty.
Apart from him there is nothing meaningful.
When we see him we see everything.
He is our righteousness.
He is our sanctification.
He is one day our redemption of this
body.
He is our humility.
He is our love.
He is everything.
And he is our unity.
So it is all in Christ.
And so how do you try to manufacture
unity?
But it is Christ.
If we are in Christ we are one.
If we see him we are one.
Because if we see him we only worship
him.
Where else can we go?
Just like Peter.
The Lord said you want to go too?
And Peter said where can we go?
You have to worry eternal life.
We are stuck with you.
We have no choice.
So the spiritual sight is for seeing the
Lord Jesus.
Because that's the Father's will.
To see just his son.
And just listen to his son.
Now we quickly come to the next sign.
Lazarus.
Death.
It's a terrible thing.
So when we think of death that's the
end.
You know in this world there's nothing beyond
death.
That's the end of everything.
But if the Lord Jesus testimony is committed
to us his life in us will overcome
death.
The Lord said I will build my church.
The gates of Hades shall not prevail against
it.
The threat of death is always there.
But his life is the overcoming life of
death.
In this world death has last word.
But in Christ life resurrection is the last
word.
Because if we are in Christ we have
indications seems to verify the fact that it's
over.
But amazing thing is that through all that
the Lord raised up a more effective and
more glorious ministry.
But that is God's work.
So when we are committed to the Lord
totally there's no fear.
So when we are committed to the Lord
totally there's no fear.
The Lord will be successful in his work.
We can fail but he cannot fail.
There are small companies also under attack.
You say how could this happen?
It's unimaginable.
It's unthinkable how God insolently allows it to
happen.
You fear for them.
You wonder could they go on?
With such unpleasant experience they went through how
can they go on?
Brothers and sisters God is a God of
resurrection.
Out of nothing he can give life.
And out of death he can breathe life
into it.
And then John said this kind of work
is for God's glory.
When there's death and yet there's light that
comes through it that is glory.
That is testimony.
And when God can gather he gets all
the glory.
We are living in the end days.
We have no idea what lies ahead.
But we are committed totally to Lord's testimony.
We will experience the threat of death.
I fear not.
I am the resurrection.
I am the life.
In the end he triumphs.
So brothers and sisters do not fear of
the crises in your life.
There are occasions for him to step in.
So that he can show you who he
is.
And what he wants to be in you
and in me.
It's he in you and me that is
a testimony of Jesus Christ.
We cannot be his testimony.
We are so fleshly.
We are not qualified.
The only thing we can do is to
let go of ourselves.
Then he takes over.
And that is the work of the cross.
And in the end of that work is
glory.
So the Lord said Lazarus' case is for
the glory of God.
Can a situation so hopeless, dead cannot be
glory?
Yes, resurrection.
It is not our doing it's his doing.
God cannot fail.
He is in real business.
And he is in his business to be
successful.
In a sense God's end already secure in
himself.
That is our testimony.
So God is working what is already accomplished
into us.
And God works on that sure foundation.
So what is true with Christ will be
true with all of us.
And that's what the Holy Spirit is engaging
in all of us.
Now brothers and sisters the eyes of the
Lord is looking to and through throughout the
whole earth to find those whose hearts are
loyal to him.
Where can he find such hearts?
If he can find such hearts he will
commit himself totally to them.
Brothers and sisters may this conference give all
of us that desire.
Give all of us that desire.
We can say to the Lord if that's
what you want that's what I want and
you do it.
Let's pray.
Lord we can only thank you because you
fail not in the beginning God you begin
what you began because you know what you
are doing.
You have the faith and the power to
accomplish it.
Lord we say do it with us.
Do it in us individually and also corporately
that we may bear the testament of Jesus
Christ that God will be glorified.
Thank you for this conference.
Thank you for speaking to us.
Lord do your work.
Do not allow us to hinder your work.
Do it in spite of us to you
be all the glory.
In the name of Lord Jesus.