Like a chestnut tree

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.” (v.18-19)

The children of God know what happens and will happen in the world from God’s point of view because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in us. There have been many prophets in churches, but their voices have been ignored and mocked by people who call themselves Christians. It is true that God’s children go through tribulations especially within churches and Christian nations. I once was a false Christian and thought I knew God and the Bible. When truth comes, everything becomes clear, and we realize that we have been blind. We know only what we have been taught by the Spirit about God. Although we do not know everything that God knows, our knowledge becomes sufficient to recognize what is from God and what is not. Our knowledge stays pure, clear, and simple like that of children.

To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others: “‘We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ (v.16-17)

The Pharisees did not understand the works of God done through John the Baptist or Christ. They saw and judged everything according to their traditions. They thought they kept the Law well. And they could not understand the messages of John the Baptist and Christ.

I consider God’s wisdom as the Holy Spirit because only God possesses wisdom. From earthly point of view, there are wise people even among non-Christians because we often focus on the welfare of the mass public and morality. This is the feature of all other religions. Doing good to people is often the focus of a religious man. Christianity may look the same, but it focuses on the coming Kingdom. God saves only His chosen people. That does not mean we should help only God’s chosen. We must be good to others generally (Galatians 6:10), but our focus must not be doing good deeds in the eyes of the world. Our focus must be the words of God. And our Christian life starts with knowing God. Indeed, knowing God and believing in the one whom He has sent is everything. But without the Holy Spirit, there is no knowledge, wisdom, or understanding of God. Without Him, no one can abide in Christ and therefore, no fruit (good deeds).   

Many people interpret Matthew 11 from a moral point of view.

 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (v28-30)

Some ministers say our burden is lessened but we must do works, meaning living a moral life in the eyes of the world. I consider that the yoke of Christian is being a prophet.

Then I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brothers and sisters who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” (Revelation 19:10)

Being a prophet of God is against worshiping men and their works. The reprobate people serve men instead of the Triune God; therefore, their number is 666.

This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666. (Revelation 13:18)

Our job is NOT about building an earthly kingdom for God. I do not doubt that God is against Christian nationalism or any men’s attempts to build an earthly kingdom for God. Saints do not conquer the world by force or by earthly wisdom. We do not invade other nations, cause disruptions in society, or overthrow a government. We patiently wait for Christ. Our work is to preach the good news and be persecuted because the world and the false Christians do not understand or like our message. In this age, everyone has heard of the Bible and can read the Bible. Our mission is to tell people to read the Bible and know God. Preaching is not persuasion but proclamation. Those who are chosen will listen and understand eventually by the power of the Holy Spirit. The rest never accept our message. That is the work of a prophet. We do not worship men or their works. If anyone worships men or their works, he/she worships money because money is the root of so-called great men both in churches and the world.

They do not know, nor do they understand, for He has smeared over their eyes so that they cannot see, and their hearts so that they cannot comprehend. (Isaiah 44:18)

Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. (Psalm 116:15)

In this chapter, Christ sends out His disciples to proclaim the good news. God planned to make a nation to teach them about Himself. And God did it by building a nation called Israel. The Israel nation was a visible church in the OT. Indeed, the Israel nation was blessed by God in many ways.

who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons and daughters, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the Law, the temple service, and the promises; whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen. (Romans 9:4-5)

God wanted the good news to come out from the Jews.

You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, because salvation is from the Jews. (John 4:22)

To fulfil God’s will, Christ sends His disciples to the Jews.

These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.(Matthew 10:5-6)

Many people consider the Jews special and favored by God. But this chapter denies such idea. From the beginning, many Jews did not recognize the birth of their King. And God brought and will bring disasters to those called His people. It is the same now. Churches deny Sola Gratia and believe that their righteousness must come from works. They believe Christ kept the Law for them to give them righteousness. As long as they believe their righteousness is from the Law, they do not truly accept Sola Gratia.

God clothed us with His righteousness through the works of Christ and the Holy Spirit. It was not that Christ as a man had to keep the Law perfectly to gain righteousness. If he had to keep the Law to gain righteousness, that righteousness remains as mere uprightness that Adam had in the garden of Eden. That righteousness disappears by one disobedient act.

It is the righteous Christ, who is the second person of the Godhead and the sinless man with the Holy Spirit, fulfilled and fulfills all God’s will. By uniting with Christ, we are clothed with Christ, “the Lord our righteousness”. Doing righteousness deeds are the result of our union with Christ. Therefore, our righteousness is from our union with Christ.

The doctrine of the active obedience of Christ (AOC) had a face-off from a heretical origin by the Anselm of Canterbury to promote a moral living in the 17^th century England, which the Puritans wanted at that time. Therefore, work became the only way of gaining righteousness. The current trend of admiring ideas of Aquinas in the Reformed theology is the consequence of the bad turn that the Reformers made in the 17^th century England.

I am writing the same thing again and again so that we would understand the error of this doctrine. The Bible does not say that righteousness does not come from works. It is by God’s Spirit that we do righteous deeds. Christ came as a man to pay for our sins and to unite with His people to change our status from slaves to adopted children of God. We never fall again. By His Spirit, we live a life that God wants.

We are in a challenging situation that we need to tell people in every church about this good news. Churches do not and will not accept the good news. They say they know what the gospel is. They say they know TULIP and justification by faith alone. But somewhere along the line, they say different things.

Many Christians believe that they and their family are saved. Churches feed them delusions that everyone who go to a church is saved as long as they are obedient to their church authorities. They say that Christ kept the Law for them, and they also must keep the Law by having His Spirit. But when immoralities are found in their churches, they refuse to discipline people who have committed grave sins. Justification by faith is used to silence any criticism of church authorities. The AOC protects the church authorities because works become the center of a Christian life. It guarantees that the church leaders’ authorities as judges in churches. They promote a moral life to others and protect church traditions. But when they are involved in immoralities, they say they are saved by grace. The issue of the Covenant Theology and the AOC is that the doctrines were born out of social and political needs. When the ministers and the theologians turn their head towards people, they fail to please God.

When I went to a Reformed church, there was an issue of sexual immorality. God already showed me in a dream before it was revealed. The leaders protected the man who committed sins and condemned the woman for not forgiving the man. The woman left the church. Some people in the church were angry because their view of sins was crooked. I took the dust off my feet as I left the church. God showed me in a dream that my work was done. God will save those who are His in that church. The rest will face disasters and the second death.

Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn “‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’ (Matthew 10:34-36)

The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord says to the land of Israel: “‘The end! The end has come upon the four corners of the land! The end is now upon you, and I will unleash my anger against you. I will judge you according to your conduct and repay you for all your detestable practices. I will not look on you with pity; I will not spare you. I will surely repay you for your conduct and for the detestable practices among you. “‘Then you will know that I am the Lord.’ (Ezekiel 7:1-4)

“No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” (v. 16-17)

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.  When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. (v. 35-36)

In this passage, Christ continues to do the works that He was assigned to do. He proclaimed the good news of the Kingdom and healed diseases. As I mentioned earlier, miracles were performed as a way to proclaim the good news. If anyone who heals diseases reject Sola Gratia, then that person is not from God. It is the good news because we are saved by grace of God alone. Anyone who boasts of works or preaches work-based salvation is not one of us.

In verse 16 and 17, Christ talks about new wine in old wineskins. Christ’s messages were considered new although they were exactly what the OT was talking about. We need the only one authorised teacher, Christ, to interpret God’s words. Christ says what He teaches cannot be contained in the old system. Christ did the very first reformation as we read in Hebrews 9:10

since they relate only to food, drink, and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation. (Hebrews 9:10)

Similarly, the second reformation that happened in the 16^th century was also considered new. But it is more accurate to say that the reformers were talking about the old teachings of the Apostles written in the Bible. But their orthodox teachings could not exist together with the old system of the Roman Catholicism. The traditions became too hard to break. The Roman Catholicism based their theology on Anselm and Aquinas. It is well known that the decrees and the doctrinal statements of the Council of Trent is rooted in the teachings of Aquinas. Some say there are many things that Aquinas said right about God and there are similarities with the Reformed teachings. I’d like to warn them that God does not call something clean when it is mixed with dung. If you mix food and dung, it is dung, not food.

It was God’s will that we separate ourselves from the former unbeneficial systems. Therefore, it is considered treacherous when the reformers in the 17^th century England started to bring back the ideas from the Roman Catholicism, which were not orthodox. What God has separated, we cannot put them together again. Likewise, what God has joined together, we cannot separate.

Therefore, what God has joined together, no person is to separate. (Mark 10:9)

We will make a monster if we put them together. And a monster came in the 17^th century, whose name was Oliver Cromwell. He was what the 17^th century reformation has created. What I read is that he feared of going to hell but was assured of salvation through the Protestantism. He was influenced by John Owen. He killed the king and became a king (although he said he was not a king). He wanted to make a Protestant nation and forced people a strict moral living influenced by the Puritanism. We must remember that we cannot condemn or kill someone just because they do not accept our message or live the way we think right. We never know when one receives the Holy Spirit and comes to know God. We never know who are chosen although we are given the authority to judge unlawful deeds by God’s authority within churches. The errors of Oliver Cromwell are not much different from those of the Crusades and the Roman Catholic authorities. God never said we should conquer nations that do not accept God or kill people because of their unbelief. The judgement was already announced before the time began. And the world goes as it is destined and planned by God before creation. It is not our job to go and kill unbelievers. And we never know there may be chosen people of God among unbelievers.

Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written: “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord. (Romans 12:19)

When His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and destroy them?” But He turned and rebuked them [and He said, “You do not know what kind of spirit you are; for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.”] And they journeyed on to another village. (Luke 9:54-56)

When we do not understand God’s words, we do not know God. And the Roman Catholic church did not want people to possess or read the Bible because the church authorities wanted to use only certain verses to control people. Now we have the Bible in our hands, but we do not read. We are satisfied with what we hear from preachers on Sundays. We are satisfied with a relatively moral living and think we are better than unbelievers. The ministers and theologians say they have the authority to interpret the Bible but not others. They say it is dangerous for uneducated people to interpret the Bible on their own. It is true in some degree. But saints must discern. Many Protestant ministers and theologians do not accept criticism when someone points out the treachery of the 17^th century reformers. Therefore, there are saints who are oppressed under the Protestant church authorities. It is not different from the time when Christ was on the earth. Many are harassed and helpless because they do not know where to go. They are thirsty for righteousness and for the knowledge of God. All they hear is how to live a good moral life. When a moral life becomes the focus of Christianity, one becomes his/her own judge and god. Interestingly, the film, the American Gospel, shows a shocking truth. It may appear in the film that one side is better than the other. But I think it shows where the issue came from. Those who say they are saved by grace only, they put their trust in Christ’s obedience to the Law. Those who appear to be the good people have their religious root in the 17^th century England. This is where the problem came from. What we see on the other side is the result of the original issue. I consider that both groups are in the same mud pit.

God has decided to separate us from those groups who think they are their own gods and are satisfied with their own definition of a moral living. Separation is a total and complete separation. We cannot be partners with those who hold on to the old systems and unorthodox teachings.

I am trying to focus on the relationship between the eternal Covenant of Grace and Christ and how God’s righteousness was imputed to His elect people through Christ. Christ had to come as a man and do works to make God’s Kingdom. However, righteousness does not depend on works. Christ’s righteousness is unchangeable and eternal righteousness of God. The invisible church is clothed with Christ, God’s righteousness, through what Christ did on the earth. Those who follow the Covenant Theology (CT), and the active obedience of Christ (AOC) restrict the meaning of the Law to the Mosaic Law, focus on morality, and believe that righteousness comes from keeping of the Law. Christ did fulfill (and still fulfills) the Law and the prophecies, but that fulfillment did not give Him righteousness. Rather, the righteous God did righteous works on the earth and fulfilled the Law and the prophecies for His people to have His righteousness. Moreover, what the Law indicates is loving God and His people. I do not oppose to someone who says Christ loved us, fulfilled the Law and the prophecies, was obedient to the Father inside and out, and His love was shown on the cross. There have been ministers and priests who teach God’s people the right knowledge of God despite the corruption of the two systems. So not all are bad, but the time has come to reject the CT and the AOC for the new reformation.

Apostle Paul tried to explain that all works of Christ done on the earth were summed up in the death and resurrection of Christ. All other Apostles emphasize Christ’s work on the cross. The CT and the AOC have significantly weakened Christ’s work on the cross by saying that our righteousness is from Christ’s keeping of the Mosaic Law. This makes the Law the original source of our righteousness. They emphasize on a pious life that satisfy church authorities without feeding God’s true children. They resemble the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who opposed Christ. Their root is Anselm of Canterbury and Aquinas who relied on the ideas of pagan Greek philosophers. Aquinas himself denied that he had any knowledge of God before his death by saying his writings were like straws.

In this passage, Christ forgives sins and calls Matthew. The important verse is verse 13.

But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners. (v.13)

What the devils wants is that God’s people remain as slaves to sins. The Pharisees emphasized on the Law and opposed people with their traditions, they did not know God. In their view, Christ did everything against what they have been teaching. You may say that the Law was given by God in the OT. What God wants to hear from us is that we cannot keep a single command of God and say that we need someone who pays for our sins, changes our status from slaves to adopted sons of God. Through Christ’s works on the earth, we become obedient to God by knowing Him by the Holy Spirit. We will never fall again and die. That is the perfect love that God has shown us on the cross.

The Law and the prophecies were given for His people to put hope in Christ. What God really wants is love and mercy among us as God is merciful and loves us. If we really love God and His people inside and out like Christ, God considers that we keep the Law. But keeping of the Law does not give righteousness. Rather, the righteous people who are clothed with God’s righteousness, keep the Law. But the Pharisees did not see the Law in God’s way. In 2 Chronicles chapter 30 and 31, we understand that the humble heart satisfies God, not sacrifices.

Although most of the many people who came from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover, contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the Lord, who is good, pardon everyone who sets their heart on seeking God—the Lord, the God of their ancestors—even if they are not clean according to the rules of the sanctuary.”And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people. (2 Chronicles 30:18-20)

Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but my ears You have opened. Burnt offerings and sin offerings You did not require. (Psalm 40:6)

And the scribe said to Him, “Well said, Teacher; You have truly stated that HE IS ONE, AND THERE IS NO OTHER BESIDES HIM; and to love Him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.” When Jesus saw that he had answered intelligently, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And then, no one dared any longer to question Him. (Mark 12:32-34)

Those who follow the CT and the AOC say that Adam was righteous and did not need Christ. They promote people to worship men and indulge themselves in the delusions that Greek philosophies bring. Ask yourself this question: Did Adam love God? Did Adam trust in God? Did Adam understand God? Did Adam have faith in God? Could Adam obtain eternal life by not breaking the command? The answer is simply no. If Adam had truly loved God and did not need Christ, then he should not have eaten the fruit when Eve gave it to him. He should have begged for forgiveness for his wife’s sin.

God’s elect people admit that they are born sinners without the knowledge of God. Even though their church leaders promote a moral living, we know we cannot satisfy God by our works. They say if you do not do what they say, you are not one of them. We know that anyone who relies on their works are born under the fig tree, which bears no fruit.

Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite, in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel!” (John 1:47-49)

My guess is that Nathanael who were waiting for the coming of Immanuel knew that the fig tree (old covenant) was barren. As I wrote earlier, the fruit that we eat is actually a flower. Fig trees do not bear fruit from the beginning. He knew he could not keep the single command of God. Therefore, Christ calls him a true Israelite without deceit. On the contrary, the Pharisees (and likewise people) thought they kept the Law, bore fruit, and had the authority to judge others by the Law. They believed they were God’s sons but were not. Therefore, Christ said that He came for sinners who truly understood their sins and inability to keep a single command of God, not for those who were righteous in their own eyes. God always sees what is in our heart.

I heard that some respected theologians denied justification by faith alone as they got older. I consider that they pretended to know God because of the education they received in their churches from youth. Like King Joash of Judah after the death of Jehoiada, they turn away from God’s truth when they become proud. Many people rely on their leaders for their faith. Faith is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8). Trust in God alone.

This is what the LORD says:

Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind

And makes flesh his strength,

And whose heart turns away from the LORD. (Jeremiah 17:5)

In this passage, the three episodes continue to explain the authority of Christ as God and also the Son of Man with the Holy Spirit. One particular verse that I’d like to focus on is verse 22.

But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead. (v.22)

Those God has chosen before time began are alive to God, but the rest are dead to God. All men are spiritually dead. Some say God is so loving and He did not kill Adam and Eve even though they ate the forbidden fruit. It is a poor interpretation. Adam and Eve became spiritually dead when they ate the fruit.

but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for on the day that you eat from it you will certainly die. (Genesis 2:17)

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all mankind, because all sinned— (Romans 5:12)

Even though you may think you have nothing to do with Adam and you are free from sins, God sees that all descendants of Adam are like Adam. If we put ourselves in Adam’s situation in the garden of Eden, we do the same thing as Adam did – eating the forbidden fruit. Anyone who thinks they could do better than Adam is a fool. Job, who thought he was better than Adam or any other men, were rebuked by God at the end of the Book of Job.

If I covered my transgressions as Adam, by hiding mine iniquity in my bosom (Job 31:33)

Christ already knew who were His. And He did not trust in men because He could see everyone’s heart.

But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep. My sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. (John 10:26-29)

But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, because He knew all people (John 2:24)

I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the Scripture will be fulfilled, ‘He who ate My bread has lifted his heel against Me.’ (John 13:18)

When people approached Christ and said they wanted to follow Him, Christ saw who they were and what was in their heart. Many people became a Christian thinking Christianity will bring them material prosperity and reputation. Many think obeying the church authorities will guarantee their salvation. But Christ tells us that following Him costs everything that we possess on the earth. Even the eternal God did not have a place to lay His head on the earth. Earth is only a training place for the elect people. It will eventually be removed.

Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. (Luke 21:33)

And those who are His also do not have a resting place on the earth. God became a man to make an eternal dwelling place for Himself. And that place is His people. Therefore, it was crucial that He saved His people from death. That work was done on the cross by Christ. Those who are not His remain dead. His people go through sufferings like Christ did on the earth.

In this passage, I’d like to focus on two things. The first one is verse 4.

And Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one; but go, show yourself to the priest and present the offering that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them. (v.4)

Many interpret this as Christ’s obedience to the Law. While Christ was on the earth, He obeyed all the Father’s commands because He is righteous as the second head of the Triune God and also as the sinless man with the Holy Spirit. I believe our righteousness comes from God, and we are clothed with God’s righteousness through Christ and the Holy Spirit. But it is never that Christ had to keep the Law to be righteous or to gain righteousness by works to impute it to saints. The important point in this verse is in the last part – “as a testimony to them”. While the Pharisees (and likewise people) accused Christ of breaking the Law and their traditions, Christ kept the Law perfectly in heart and in deeds from the Father’s point of view. While the Pharisees believed their righteousness depended on works, they did not keep any of God’s commandments. Christ, as the Lord of the Sabbath, came and heal those who are considered unclean by the Jews. The Pharisees did not accept God’s testimony shown through Christ.

If we receive the testimony of people, the testimony of God is greater; for the testimony of God is this, that He has testified concerning His Son. (1 John 5:9)

The Pharisees accepted that Christ did good works but did not accept Him as the Son of God who became a man to save His People.

The Jews answered Him, “We are not stoning You for a good work, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.” (John 10:33)

Many people focus on the miracles that Christ performed on the earth. There are many churches emphasizing that they can heal people’s diseases and the healing power is the sign that God is with them. We must always look beyond works. Healing of a leprous man is a testimony to the Pharisees. The focus is not about the miracle that Christ performed. It is about who did it and what He teaches. The Pharisees failed and also refused to see the meaning of the Sabbath. They did not accept the Lord of the Sabbath. Therefore, their sin is not a sin of ignorance but of rebellion. At the end God judges everyone according to their deeds (Romans 2:6). We often interpret the deeds from a moral point of view. All good works come from the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives faith to saints. And the work of God is believing in the one whom He has sent. All other morally good deeds come as the result of the Spirit’s work in us.

Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent. (John 6:29)

At the end, faith divides the elect people and the reprobate because having faith means receiving the Holy Spirit. God knows to whom He has given His Spirit.

I am the good shepherd, and I know My own, and My own know Me, (John 10:14)

Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His;” and, “Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to keep away from wickedness.” (2 Timothy 2:19)

In this passage, faith of the centurion is distinguished because he recognized where the power was coming from. Indeed, Christ did not need to put His hands on every sick people to heal them. Miracles were done so that they would see the authority of Christ. As Christ performed miracles, He preached. The focus is the words of God. The Father manifested Himself through His only begotten Son. The Son manifested the Father through the words of truth.

Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. (John 6:68)

Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father and then we will be satisfied.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time, and you do not know Me yet, Philip, nor recognize clearly who I am? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father?’ (John 14:8-9)

The second one is verse 17.

This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases. (v.17)

Christ came to fulfill all the Law and the Prophet as the righteous Son of God. And the verse shows that God gave the Law and the Prophets as a shadow of Christ. Therefore, the conditional covenants were NOT given to see if people (including Adam and Eve) could keep God’s commands. They were given so that we fail and put all our hope in Christ, the mediator of the new covenant. Illnesses and diseases are the result of the original sin. And all sins of His elect people are removed by Christ’s death. And by Christ’s resurrection, His elect people were born from heaven as adopted sons of God. Christ showed His sacrificing love (agape) on the cross. Therefore, Christ is the fulfillment of all the Law and the prophecies.

For Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to everyone who believes. (Rom 10:4)

In this chapter, Christ continues to teach people true interpretations of God’s words. Those who were thirsty for truths came to John the Baptist and then to Christ. Christ gives them true interpretations of God’s words.

Firstly, Christ talks about judging others. It may appear that Christ is against any kind of judgements on the fellow believers of God. It may appear to contradict to what Paul says.

For what business of mine is it to judge outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? (1 Conrinthians 5:12)

But what Christ says here is not different from Paul. The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law asserted a pious life shown to other people. They thought they had the authority to judge others instead of understanding the true meaning of the Law.

You judge according to human standards [just by what you see]. I do not judge anyone. (John 8:15)

Here, Christ does not say he does not judge at all. He does not judge according to human standards. Many Christians use this verse to avoid any kind of discipline or to support those who have committed a sin. Because they do not know God, they violate God’s Law by turning a blind eye to abominable acts. The Kingdom consists of people who are kings, prophets, and priests. Saints are trained to teach and judge. We do not judge by human standards but by God’s wisdom.

Moreover, they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the common, and teach them to distinguish between the unclean and the clean. In a dispute they shall take their stand to judge; they shall judge it according to My ordinances. They shall also keep My laws and My statutes in all My appointed feasts, and sanctify My Sabbaths. (Ezekiel 44:23-24)

Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life? (1 Cor 6:3)

The teachers of Israel were given the authority to teach others. But they judged people by what they saw. They emphasized only externally pious life and ruled over others by judging people. Since they believed righteousness that comes from the Law, they asserted the traditions made for keeping the Law.

Their ideas are shockingly similar to the Puritan reformers in the 17^th century. The Reformed churches are rooted in their theology, especially that of John Owen. The Covenant Theology and the active obedience of Christ are written to assert an externally pious life. Church authorities are busy condemning people and enjoy their earthly power while they do not respect the Law of God. They do not judge by God’s authority but by human standards.

Saints judge by God’s authority because we are united with Christ. We do make bad judgements at times. But God disciplines us in His loving-kindness and patience. We do not boast that we keep the Law. We do not say we can keep the Law. We live the life of Romans 7.

It is very important to remember that our righteousness is not from the Law. Christ did not keep the Law to gain righteousness. He came to fulfill all God’s will because He is righteous. We are dead to sin and are resurrected to life because of Christ. We are clothed with God’s righteousness by uniting with Christ. The church’s righteousness is not from keeping of the Law. Obedience comes from the Holy Spirit. Adam could not obey God or overcome temptations because he relied on his own wisdom. Christ obeys the Father and overcomes temptations because He is united with the Father and knows Him. If we say our righteousness is from keeping of the Law, our righteousness is conditional. We will walk the same path as the Pharisees and the Puritans (and the Reformed), who say they keep the Law but do not.

I once read an article by a Reformed minister who said he was grateful that he was born in a Reformed church. I daresay it is more difficult for those in the Reformed than those in other religions or other Christian denominations to accept the gospel because they are confident that they keep the Law. This minister went on and said he admires John Owen and uphold Puritan teachings. I consider the Puritans the most dangerous and treacherous group. I once listened to a presentation of a prominent Puritan Reformed preacher/professor. At the end, he talked about choosing between God and the devil. He did not understand the divine election or Sola Gratia at all. We are not saved by our choice. There are many in the Reformed who say they understand TULIP, but their own words deny their understanding.

In Matthew chapter 7, Christ clearly explains the difference between two groups – one under grace and the other with pride and confidence in the Law. One bears fruit and is built on the rock. The other bears no fruit and is built on the sand. It is an irony that those who think their righteousness comes from the Law are told by God, “I never knew you; LEAVE ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS” (v.23)

The reason why God sees the Protestant and the Roman Catholic the same is because both believe that their righteousness is from keeping of the Law. It is important to understand that our righteousness is from God and does not rely on the keeping of the Law. People like Owen say that Christ as the Lawgiver did not need to keep the Law but did it anyway for the church because righteousness comes from keeping of the Law. Righteousness that comes from the Law is mere uprightness that Adam had. Righteousness given to saints for free is superior. We do not become like Adam in the garden of Eden.

Those who rely on the Law for their righteousness are not saints but belong to the other group. One with the Holy Spirit lives the life of Romans 7 but will gradually depart from old unlawful ways of life. Therefore, saints uphold the Law by the Holy Spirit.

Do we then nullify the Law through faith? Far from it! On the contrary, we establish the Law. (Romans 3:31)

In this passage, Christ continues to teach on the Kingdom and how saints live on the earth by the power of the Holy Spirit. The earth was made as a training place for saints. John the Baptist started his ministry before Christ. He gathered people who were thirsty in spirit to tell them about the light, Christ (John 1:6-8). Although the Jews had the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, many were not taught truths of God. Instead, they were oppressed by the system. While the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law emphasize the Law, they did not keep the Law. They thought they kept the Law and were righteous before God. But Christ denied they kept the Law. They did not know God. From their point of view, Christ was a Law breaker.

“Did Moses not give you the Law, and yet none of you carries out the Law? Why are you seeking to kill Me?” (John 7:19)

So they were saying to Him, “Where is Your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father; if you knew Me, you would know My Father also.” (John 8:19)

It is important to understand what the Law indicates. God will judge people by their actions (Psalm 62:12). But it is not the actions that matter but the heart where the actions come from. Therefore, the new covenant promises the change of the heart (Jeremiah 31:31-34)

In this passage, Christ warns His people of the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, who loved money and reputation. Others also served money instead of God. They were enslaved by sins. The people were living the life of a slave again just as their ancestors did in Egypt. God looks after even the reprobate people. In fact, the Bible talks about the evil people living a prosperous life. Although they receive wealth from God, they do not seek God or thank God. They serve money. God does not want His people to follow their ways. Our future is in the coming Kingdom.

Christ mentions two creatures in v.26 and 27 – birds and lilies. Many people boast that we are made in the image of God. But we are secondary products. The soil was made first. Then first man was created from the soil. But men were given authority to rule other creatures by God. This is God’s divine power. God gives the weakest and the least important in the world the authority to rule by His Spirit. Christ also lived as a poor man who was considered uneducated by the Pharisee and the teachers of the Law.

For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground; He has no stately form or majesty that we would look at Him, nor an appearance that we would take pleasure in Him. He was despised and abandoned by men, a man of great pain and familiar with sickness; And like one from whom people hide their faces, He was despised, and we had no regard for Him. (Isaiah 1:1-2)

Adam’s authority in the garden of Eden was only a shadow of the real authority that saint will have in the coming Kingdom. The distinctive feature of humans is that we constantly need to change our clothes. Any earthly garments wear out. We need to wear garments to keep ourselves warm and protected. Garments remind of Adam’s sin in the garden. No earthly garments can hide us from his sin and our sins. Christ came to give us the eternal garment – Himself. Garments also represent a status of a person who wears them. We are clothed with Christ.

For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. (Galatians 3:27)

Because Christ knew all plans of the Father and came to fulfill all His righteousness, He assures His people that there is nothing to worry about. He warns us not to be like the Pharisees who boast about their position in the society and wealth and yet, are afraid of losing their authority (John 11:48). The position of saints is guaranteed by Christ’s death and resurrection. Saints all die someday but our real life begins when the end comes. Therefore, Christ emphasized on the Kingdom and God’s will.

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (v.33)

It is not that food and clothing will be provided if I do God’s works. The Kingdom is not conditional but unconditional. Christ shows here what is the most important in the life of saints. Saints must seek to understand God’s will and pray. It is God who does all good works for His Kingdom. God uses His people at proper time for specific tasks. The Lord’s prayer summarizes all God’s will in saints. Firstly, we praise God for everything that He has done and will do. We praise Him for giving us the right to call Him our Father. Secondly, we understand God’s ultimate aim of creation is the Kingdom. We pray all His divine will to be fulfilled by the power of the Spirit. Thirdly, we thank God for providing us food for our physical and spiritual needs. We also devote ourselves to reading and studying God’s words by the Holy Spirit. We confess our idleness and stupidity and pray for God’s mercy and wisdom. Fourthly, we pray God to make us forgive those who sin against us by His power and wisdom. We confess we ourselves do not have the heart to forgive anyone. We pray that those who oppose our message may come to know God in future. Fifthly, we pray God to save us from temptations and trials. We confess our pride makes us go astray. We thank God for putting us in humble circumstances. Lastly, we confess that everything God planned before time began will come true for His glory, power, and His Kingdom. Saints will serve Him forever and ever.

Seeking God’s Kingdom and His righteousness is not doing something grand in the eyes of the world. Knowing and understanding God and His plans, and praising God for His righteousness is the most important work of saints. All God’s righteousness is summed up in Christ.

Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” (John 6:29)

There are many writings on how to pray and you have likely heard many sermons on this particular passage. Calvin wrote extensively on prayer in his book the Institute. Heidelberg catechism also explains on the Lord’s prayer. They are useful tools to understand how we should pray.

Prayers is the only direct communication channel with God. God gave us the right to pray. God only listens to the prayers of His people. Therefore, it is the most privileged gift of saints. Prayers is also associated with the burning of the incense in the OT (Exodus 30:1-9; Leviticus 16:11-13; Numbers 16; Psalm 141:2). Burning incense is mentioned in Revelation 5:8 and 8:3, indicating prayers of saints.

Numbers 16 is particularly important to understand prayer. There is much to talk about regarding Korah’s rebellion. Korah was a Levi and gathered some men and said to Moses and Aaron:

“You have gone far enough! For all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is in their midst; so why do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?” (Num 16:3)

And Moses reply to them:

“Hear now, you sons of Levi: Is it too small an honor for you that the God of Israel has singled you out from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to Himself, to perform the service of the tabernacle of the LORD, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them; and that He has brought you near, Korah, and all your brothers, sons of Levi, with you? But are you seeking the priesthood as well? Therefore you and your whole group are the ones gathered together against the LORD; but as for Aaron, who is he, that you grumble against him?” (Num 16:8-11)

At the end this rebellion, God accepted the incense of Aaron but did not accept the incenses of Korah and his companions. The Korah’s group and the Israelite people who supported them were annihilated by God. The earth opened and swallowed the Korah’s group, 250 men who burned incense were killed by fire, and the plague killed the rest. Aaron burnt the incense for the people and made atonement for them and the plague stopped. God said, “a reminder to the sons of Israel so that no layman, anyone who was not of the descendants of Aaron, would approach to burn incense before the LORD; then he would not become like Korah and his group—just as the LORD had spoken to him through Moses.” (v.40)

This is not about the authority of Aaron and his biological descendants. Although Moses was a shadow of Christ, it was Aaron who represented Christ’s priesthood. Christ as the only eternal high priest, enables His people to be God’s priests with Him as written in the Book of Hebrews and John 17. Therefore, only the prayers of God’s people are accepted. God’s elect people understand God by receiving the knowledge of God. God knows His people and gives His Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, there is no understanding of God and His words.

Like Korah, there are many people who think God would listen to their prayers just because they go to a church or call themselves Christians. Sometimes they think that their prayers come true. Their aim of praying is to get what they want for their life on earth. When they get what they want, they are satisfied. Their knowledge does not grow, and they say the same kind of prayers again and again. With the Ecumenical Movement, Christianity accepted many people in different religions who do not believe in God of His words. They say they are serving the same God with different names, and anyone can pray to God. They are only repeating Korah’s rebellion.

The Kingdom is the priestly Kingdom. Each saint is a priest who can pray to the Father in the name of Christ, and the prayers of saints are accepted as sweet aroma.

And on that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full. These things I have spoken to you in figures of speech; an hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father. On that day you will ask in My name, and I am not saying to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father. I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father. (John 16:23-28)

To enable us to pray to the Father directly and to make us into the Kingdom, Christ came as a man and went back to the Father. As the Father loves the Son, those who are united with the Son are regarded as adopted sons. We pray as Christ prayed to God on the earth. As our knowledge grows, our prayers mature. We no longer pray like the pagans do.

And when you are praying, do not use thoughtless repetition as the gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. (Matt 6:7-8)

Thoughtless people do not consider the Lord’s prayer important because they think they have the Holy Spirit and can pray better than Christ. While they say they are holy, they pray like unbelievers. They also like singing in men’s words more than in God’s words during public worships. It is not surprising because they do not have the knowledge of God. Luther once said the Book of Psalms is the summary of the Bible. The Book is a prayer book. And the Lord’s prayer is summary of all prayers. Our knowledge of God grows by the power of the Spirit. God accepts prayers of all saints although we sometimes utter meaningless words without knowledge. God forgives us because of the only eternal High Priest, Christ. And God teaches us about Him and corrects our misunderstandings. We must not forget that our prayers are accepted because of Christ. Many Christians believe all people are holy because we are made in the image of God. They are walking the same path as Korah.

You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sisterwill be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. (v.21-22)

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (v.27-28)

For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. (v.20)

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (v.48)

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. (v.17)

In this passage, Christ surprises people with the true meaning of the Ten Commandments. Those people gathered around Christ were mostly (if not all) Jews who thought they kept the Law pretty well. Some came thinking Christ would free them from the Mosaic Law.

God foresaw the coming issue with antinomianism and legalism within churches and preached on the meaning of the Law. In a nutshell, God’s words deny both antinomianism and legalism.

Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil. (Proverbs 4:27)

Going a straight way, not turning to the right or to the left was repeatedly mentioned in the OT. All the Apostles tried to teach people on this matter because there were the libertines who promoted antinomianism. On the other hand, there were the Jews who hold legalism – salvation by works. Among all the Apostles, Paul spent much time writing on this issue.

In this passage, Christ’s messages are the reflections of why He came to the world – There is no good works without being united with God. All good works are from the Spirit.

Therefore there is now no condemnation at all for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who are in accord with the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are in accord with the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. (Romans 8:1-11)

Under the Reformed Puritanism, people are often forced to do things that their churches define as good works. They are given false assurance that they have the Holy Spirit and are persuaded that they must do good works to prove they are saints before others. Without having any understanding of God, they falsely believe they are saved and do works as they like. Thus, false teaching produced many hypocrites.

All good works, even repentance unto life, are initiated by God. Even after we are reborn, we continue to struggle with sins as written in Romans 7. There are many speculative theories on Romans 7. Romans 7 reflects the life of saints after being born again. Through the temptations and trials, saints rely on God alone and confess that there is not a good thing in us. Even Adam, who was sinless, became sinful. There is not a good thing that we can do apart from God. We cannot overcome temptations without God. We cannot even start good works without God. It is not that we do the half of the works and God does the rest. God does 100% of our good works. And we do not even remember that we did something good.

I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)

Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ (Matthew 25:44)

the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and they will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they [g]existed, and were created.” (Revelation 4:10-11)

Not to us, LORD, not to us, But to Your name give glory, Because of Your mercy, because of Your truth. (Psalm 115:1)

There are many churches in the world who give false assurance to their people and say that they can do great things of God. Even in the Reformed denomination, churches say that they can make people disciples. Those who were fooled by their messages now work as ministers and professors in seminaries. Because they do not have understanding, they rely on human philosophies and go after Aquinas’ teachings when he stopped writing at the end of his life saying all his writings were like straws.

Christ tells people their righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees. Christ is not talking about strict law keeping. Christ talks about being clothed with God’s righteousness. Again, the Book of Job gives much knowledge on this matter.

even though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job were in its midst, by their own righteousness they could only save themselves,” declares the Lord GOD. (Ezekiel 14:14)

Here, the word righteousness is tsedaqah (Strong 6666), not yashar (Strong 3477). The Book of Job shows us how Job’s mere uprightness (yashar) becomes righteousness because of God. Without grace of God and without being united with God, there is no true righteousness.

Christ goes on and says that we must be perfect like Father. How can a man’s righteousness be like that of the Pharisees and be perfect? Does Christ want to hear from our mouths, “Yes, we are able.”? No. Christ wants to hear from us, “No, we cannot. We cannot do anything from the beginning.”

What God wants from us is our total reliance on God alone. From the beginning, God wants us to believe in Him alone.

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:17)

The issue with the Protestant churches from the 17^th century is that people disguise themselves as Christians by good works shown to the world and try to get saved by works. They say they are justified by faith, but their words and actions deny it. They often have no understanding of the Bible, do not read the Bible, and are busybodies. They go from house to house to slander and use both God and the devil to keep their power within their churches. This I saw in my dream.

Another important thing Christ teaches us here is that sin springs from our heart. Therefore, it is not that Eve and Adam ate and everyone sinned. More accurately, the original sin started from their heart even before they ate the fruit. God did not condemn their heart and stopped them from eating the fruit although He knew what was in their heart. It is because God wants to teach us this very truth – “apart from Me you can do nothing”.

Again, the original sin is not about one’s will. Eve and Adam were bound to fall into temptation and fail. In their pride, they thought they could reach God and be like Him by their own power and will. Their failure teaches us what God wants in His saints is not mere uprightness but righteousness of God. Uprightness may seem to result in a moral life. All religions promote this moral life. But, uprightness produces only pride and rebellion.