Please turn to the book of Ephesians, chapter 1. We will read from Ephesians 1:8-12.
Which He hath made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,
making known unto us the mystery of His will,
according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Him
unto a dispensation of the fulness of the times,
to sum up all things in Christ,
the things in the heavens, and the things upon the earth;
in Him, I say,
in whom also we were made a heritage,
having been foreordained according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His will;
to the end that we should be unto the praise of His glory,
we who had before hoped in Christ.
Please turn also to Romans 11:36.
For of Him, and through Him, and unto Him, are all things. To Him be the glory for ever. Amen.
Now turn to John 12. We will read from John 12:20-28.
Now there were certain Greeks among those that went up to worship at the feast:
these therefore came to Philip, who was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.
Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: Andrew cometh, and Philip, and they tell Jesus.
And Jesus answereth them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a grain of wheat fall into the earth and die, it abideth by itself alone; but if it die, it beareth much fruit.
He that loveth his life loseth it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.
If any man serve Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall also My servant be: if any man serve Me, him will the Father honor.
Now is My soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save Me from this hour. But for this cause came I unto this hour.
Father, glorify Thy name.
There came therefore a voice out of heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.
Let us bow down and have a word of prayer.
Lord, when we gather before You, our hearts are filled with thanksgiving. We thank You that people like us, You would gather before the table of Your life. You ask us to remember You, to come into fellowship and communion with You, to worship You, and to wait for Your return.
We thank You and praise You, for from the beginning to the very end, it is Your grace; it is Your mercy. We thank You that You have given us another opportunity to come before You.
Lord, if You have any remaining word to speak to us, we ask You to speak. For Your word is spirit and life. We cannot live without You, and apart from You we cannot serve.
We entrust this period of time to You. May Your Holy Spirit accomplish Your work in each one of us, that Your heart may be satisfied. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, amen.
Every time after the breaking of bread, I feel I have nothing to say.
On the day of Pentecost, three thousand brothers and sisters were added, and daily the Lord added those who were being saved.
They continued daily in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and the prayers.
We see that those who have been saved by grace obey the teaching of the apostles. Here, “apostles” is plural, but “teaching” is singular. Although the teaching of the apostles had different emphases and different aspects, their teaching was one.
Their teaching was what they had received from the Lord. The apostles did not have their own teachings. They did not have their own inventions. They only passed on to us what they had received from the Lord.
It is the same with their fellowship. Paul did not have his own fellowship. Peter did not have his own fellowship. Although they fellowshipped, their fellowship was according to their fellowship with the Lord.
The apostle John said that we have fellowship with the Father and with His Son; then we fellowship with one another in this fellowship. The apostles are plural, but the fellowship is one, because this fellowship is the fellowship of the Son of God.
Every one of us is called into the fellowship of God’s Son, Jesus Christ. To practice and live out the fellowship and teaching of the apostles, the two most important matters are the breaking of bread and prayer.
Now here we are, breaking bread to remember our Lord. We not only remember what He has done for us in the past; we also have fellowship with Him today, at this very moment.
We have fellowship with His blood and fellowship with His life. For us to live is Christ. Not only do we have fellowship with the Lord here; we also wait for His return.
Brothers and sisters, if we keep the spirit of the breaking of bread, I think we do not need to say anything further. We really see that we are one in Christ.
May we continue in the spirit of fellowship and in the spirit of breaking bread, so that when the Lord returns, we may meet Him with joy.
After every breaking of bread, I always feel this is enough. We do not need to add anything more. If we can keep the spirit of the breaking of bread, that is sufficient.
But the brothers have arranged it this way, so I have to be obedient. This time, my burden before the Lord is this: in the matter of service, how can we be one in Christ?
If we want to be summed up in Christ in this matter of service, the only way is found in Romans 11:36. All our service has to be from Him. It has to be out of Him and from Him. It must not be according to our will, but according to His will.
Everyone who has been saved by grace is called. Our calling is to serve God. Every one of us belongs to the royal priesthood. But how do we serve Him?
Do we serve Him according to what we think is good? Do we give Him what we consider our best? We often think, “I gave Him my best. I gave Him my true heart. I serve Him according to what I think is best.” But is this the way that can please Him?
Brothers and sisters, in real service, everything has to come out of Him. Everything has to be according to what He likes.
Our service cannot be according to tradition. Our service has to be according to revelation. God has revealed His will to us, and we serve Him according to His will.
But it is not sufficient merely to know His will. We also have to depend on Him. Our method has to come from Him. It must not be according to our own method or according to the methods of the world. It has to be according to His method.
Our Lord, He and He alone, is the way. He is not only the truth; He is also the way. Our Lord is our way of service. He is not only the way of our life.
If we do not walk in Him, we will not grow in life. In service, if we do not walk in His way, our service cannot be pleasing to God.
We see that when the Lord was on earth, all His service was according to the will of God. He desired to satisfy the heart of God.
For this reason, the way of His service was the way of the cross. That was His direction, and that was His will: total obedience to the will of God. In this way, His service was pleasing to God.
So, brothers and sisters, the secret of service is the cross. It is not that I have ability, eloquence, or natural capacity to serve. The only way of service is to let the cross reject us, so that the life of Christ can flow out from us.
We also see that, in the way of service, the will of God is not individualistic. To do it all by yourself is not the will of God. The will of God is corporate.
All our service is for the purpose of building the church. It is not to build my own kingdom. The ability for service is not out of ourselves—not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of the Lord.
Therefore, service has to be from Him. This is a matter of source. Service has to depend on Him. This is a matter of process. Finally, service is unto Him.
Our service is for His purpose: that His will may be accomplished and that His name may be glorified. These are the principles of our service in three different aspects.
Today we have to ask the question: “I am here serving the Lord. Is this service unto Him? Is my service able to satisfy the heart of God? Is it something that can glorify Him?”
If so, then our service is unto Him and for Him, that God may be glorified.
I think that in the Bible there are many terms, but the term glory is one of the most difficult to explain or define.
If we talk about justification, we can define what it means. If we talk about sanctification, we can try to define the meaning of sanctification. But when we talk about glory, we feel that it is very difficult.
But we thank God. Every time the glory of God is expressed, God Himself is manifested. When He is pleased and manifests Himself, then His glory comes forth.
You remember when the tabernacle was established. The glory of God filled the tabernacle. The priests who were serving in the tabernacle could not remain inside, because the glory of God filled the tabernacle.
God Himself filled the place. He was pleased. The tabernacle had been built according to His will.
Although Moses had learned all the learning of Egypt, and although the architecture of Egypt was extraordinary—even today the pyramids are considered wonders—Moses did not build the tabernacle according to his own ability.
Moses had learned much. He could have been the best architect. If God had simply said, “Build Me a tabernacle,” Moses could have said, “No problem. I can build a palace. I can build a pyramid. It is not difficult to build a tabernacle.”
But God said that every single thing in the tabernacle had to be according to the revelation He had given Moses on the mountain. Not only the materials, the weight, and the size—even a thread had to be according to the pattern shown on the mountain.
Moses was mighty in ability, but God was very particular. God could have said only, “Build Me a tabernacle.” But thank God, Moses was faithful.
Every single thread, Moses made according to the will of God. When the tabernacle was built according to the revelation of God, God was satisfied. His glory filled the place.
God accepted the tabernacle as His resting place. This is something we see again and again in the Bible.
Sometimes, however, we see the glory of God appear not because He is satisfied, but because of His condemnation. When His glory appears in judgment, His judgment comes.
Brothers and sisters, no matter what, we know that glory is the appearance of God. He can appear to accept because He is satisfied, or He can appear to condemn and judge.
When the Lord returns and His glory appears, will He be satisfied with us, or will He judge us?
You remember Matthew 25. The Lord Jesus used two parables, two examples, and both have to do with the return of the Lord.
The Lord said that there were ten virgins: five wise and five foolish. In the Bible, believers are called virgins. Those who do not believe are sinners and violators in the eyes of God. But those who have been cleansed by the blood of the Lord are, in the eyes of God, like virgins.
We have all been betrothed to Christ. We are waiting for the return of our Lord.
Five virgins were wise. Their wisdom was not in other things. They not only had oil in their lamps; they also had extra oil in their vessels. This was their wisdom, because they did not know when the Lord would return.
If the Lord tarried, the oil in their lamps would burn out. Then they would not be able to receive the Bridegroom. Therefore, they prepared extra oil in their vessels.
But there were five foolish virgins. They had oil in their lamps when they went out to receive the Bridegroom. There was some light, but they did not prepare extra oil in their vessels.
Perhaps they thought gold, silver, and precious stones were more valuable. But they were foolish. Why? Because the Bridegroom tarried, and then suddenly there was a cry: “Behold, the Bridegroom!” They all awoke.
For the sake of helping the brothers and sisters, let me say a little more. These ten virgins refer to Christians who have fallen asleep.
Not only the foolish ones were asleep; the wise ones were asleep also. Because of the delay of the Lord, the saints of the first century died, those of the second century died, and now we are in the twenty-first century.
They refer to God’s children who have already fallen asleep. But the Bible also speaks of those who will still be alive when the Lord returns.
When the Lord returns, there will be two women grinding, two people tilling the ground, and two people sleeping at night. One will be taken, and the other will be left. These refer to Christians who are still alive when the Lord returns.
There are still two kinds: one who is taken up and one who is left behind.
Brothers and sisters, I really feel that this is our moment. Generations of saints have passed away, and the Lord has not yet returned. But today, when we see the conditions in the world, the condition of the church, and our own condition, is it not about time? Is it not the time for the Lord to return?
We are living in the most hopeful time, but also the most critical moment. Our Lord may appear suddenly, because He will appear as a thief.
Does a thief announce, “I am coming”? Is there any thief like that? A thief comes when you are not prepared.
Why does he come? Is he coming to steal your trash? I hope he would come every night if that were so! No, he seems to know where your treasure is. He comes to take the treasure and leave behind the trash.
When our Lord returns, it is like this. Consider the two conditions. The wise ones have extra oil. They have paid the price and prepared the oil. They not only have the Holy Spirit, but they are filled with the Holy Spirit, and they enter into the feast.
The foolish ones do not have the oil. What they have may be gold, silver, and precious stones, but gold, silver, and precious stones cannot give light. They have to go and buy oil, and when they return, the door is closed.
There is something lacking in our attitude toward the Lord’s return. In many songs, it says that when the trumpet blows and the angels make an announcement, then the Lord shows up. But regarding us, by then it is already too late.
He will come as a thief. There will be no trumpet and no loud announcement from angels. Suddenly He will appear and take up His treasure.
Perhaps you feel troubled by this saying. What does it mean when the Lord returns?
Matthew 25 says that the Lord shall return. The word translated “coming” is parousia. In the original language, it refers to a coming or presence that extends over a period of time; it is not merely one moment or one event.
Today our Lord is not physically here. He has left us and returned to heaven. Although He has given us His Holy Spirit, and through the Holy Spirit He is with us until the end of the age, according to His own person He has been raised to heaven and seated at the right hand of the Father.
One day He shall return. He has promised that He will return to be with us. But how does He return?
If you read Acts 1, you find that our Lord ascended from the Mount of Olives. The disciples watched Him ascending from the top of the hill, and then a cloud received Him.
From the Mount of Olives to the cloud, His ascension was visible. But from the cloud to heaven, it was not visible. The disciples were still watching even though they could no longer see Him.
Then two men in white appeared and said, “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was received up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye beheld Him going into heaven.”
This is in Acts 1. We know how He left us, and when He returns, it is the reverse process.
From the throne to the top of the cloud is not visible. From the cloud to the Mount of Olives, everybody can see. Therefore, the return of the Lord has two sections.
The first section is from the throne to the top of the cloud. This is invisible. This is what it means when He says, “I come as a thief.”
If you are awake, you can go up. If you do not watch and pray, then you cannot go.
What is the meaning of the top of the cloud? We know that Satan’s headquarters is in the air. He is described as the prince of the power of the air.
When our Lord descends from the throne to the top of the cloud, there are believers who are still alive. The number two represents the church, for the Lord is in the midst of two or three gathered in His name.
The two women grinding refer to morning. The two tilling the ground refer to day. The two sleeping refer to night. It is not six people; it is only two, because the earth is round. In one place it is morning, in another place it is day, and in another place it is night.
Today, God’s children are scattered all over the earth. We live here for the Lord, and the Lord knows our condition. Are we watching and waiting for Him? Are we following Him and walking in His way?
Outwardly, people may appear the same. They may all be working, or they may all be sleeping. Do not think that because the Lord is returning, we should stop working.
In the history of Christianity, some people thought the Lord would return. They left their work, put on white garments, and went into the desert to wait for the Lord. But the Lord did not come.
The Lord said that no one knows when He will return; only the Father knows. Although we all belong to the Lord and appear the same outwardly, the Lord knows our real condition.
Those who are filled with the Holy Spirit in their lives, the Lord takes. Perhaps tomorrow, suddenly, some Christians on earth will disappear.
They are the man-child in Revelation 12. They have overcome Satan on earth by the blood of the Lord, by the word of their testimony, and because they did not love their lives even unto death.
The Lord knows them, and He takes them. They pass through the enemy’s headquarters and reach the throne to receive the Lord Jesus as He returns.
These are the people who welcome the Lord’s return. When they reach the throne, there is warfare in the air. Michael and his angels fight against Satan and his followers.
Satan is thrown down from the air to the earth. The air is then cleared. The Lord brings His overcomers from the throne to the cloud. These things are not visible on the earth, but they happen.
We thank and praise the Lord. This is our hope of glory.
When Satan is thrown to the earth, Satan, the Antichrist, and the false prophet are all on the earth. That is the tribulation for three and a half years.
Do not think that because we are saved, when tribulation comes we will all have been raptured. If we are not prepared, if our life is not governed by the Holy Spirit, and if our service is not according to the heart and mind of the Lord, we may remain.
The second parable in Matthew 25 concerns the master who goes into a far country. According to the ability of his servants, he gives one five talents, another two talents, and another one talent.
These are the investments that the Lord gives to His servants. Today, the Lord not only gives us life; He gives us gifts. Everyone is given gifts. Some have greater gifts, some less, but no matter how much we have, the Lord wants us to use it. This is our service.
Not only must our life be filled with the Holy Spirit; our service must be faithful and wise, according to the will of God and according to His ways.
Those who faithfully work according to the gifts God has given them are good servants. They know the heart of the Lord. The Lord gives us gifts not for us to bury under the ground, but for us to use according to the will of God.
When the Lord returns, that servant will be praised and rewarded. But the foolish servant is lazy and unfaithful. He buries his gift. He does not serve the Lord; he serves mammon and himself. In the end, he will be judged.
Regarding the Lord’s return to be with us, there are two sections. The first section is from the throne to the cloud, and it is not visible. Only those who are awake, who pray, and who serve faithfully will be raptured directly to the throne.
On the surface of the earth, God gives His children another opportunity. One may become an overcomer during the tribulation.
Then, when the time comes, the Lord will rend the heavens and come down. He will bring His saints to the earth.
Before He comes from the cloud to the earth, the tribulation lasts three and a half years. Then the trumpet sounds, and the angels make their announcement.
At that time, those who have fallen asleep in the Lord will rise. Those who remain alive will be taken to the cloud—not to the throne, but to the air.
Then all who belong to the Lord will gather before Him. According to the Bible, this is the judgment seat of Christ.
This is not the judgment before the great white throne. The judgment at the great white throne concerns eternal death or eternal life. But this judgment is governmental.
God’s children will gather before the Lord in the air, at the bema of Christ. What does this mean?
In ancient times in the East, families were large. Many generations lived together, and there was a head of the household. From time to time, the head of the household would gather everyone for a meeting.
The head of the household would sit on a raised platform, and the whole household—old and young—would stand before him. If you were not part of the household, you had no part in that meeting.
What would he do? If you brought glory to the family name, he would praise and reward you. If you brought shame to the name of the household, he would blame or judge you.
Judgment begins in the house of God. Then judgment comes to the Jews, and afterward judgment reaches the whole world.
After the judgment at the bema, the Lord will come from the cloud to the Mount of Olives. The Mount of Olives will split in two, and the Jews who remain will escape through the valley.
Here we have to see that we must wake up. We do not want to be Christians who have to remain.
If we are not willing to suffer for the Lord now, when the tribulation comes, we will suffer then. But the Lord loves us. He wants to prepare us so that we may be equipped to see Him.
Dear brothers and sisters, today we are living in the most tense moment, but it is also the most exciting time, because our Lord can return at any time.
When He comes suddenly, some Christians will be raptured. This is the promise of God to the church in Philadelphia: because you have kept the word of My patience, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming upon the whole world.
Dear brothers and sisters, we cannot be careless. We cannot simply let ourselves go. We are living in a critical moment.
I hope every one of us will be well equipped. May our life be pleasing to Him, and may our service satisfy His heart.
We cannot spend our time on meaningless things or merely on things that people consider good. Are these things pleasing to the heart of God?
May we truly rise up so that our service may be unto Him. To put it simply, what is unto Him is that which glorifies Him.
All the service we have on this earth is not to glorify ourselves. It is for the glory of God. Whatever is from Christ, whatever service comes out of Christ, can glorify God.
When our Lord was on earth, He was the servant of God. How did He serve the will of God?
When He was twelve years old, He went to Jerusalem. In the temple, He was recognized as a son of the law. Today, among the Jews, this is commonly associated with the age of thirteen, but at that time He was twelve.
When He was twelve, He entered the temple. He did not go home with His earthly parents but remained in the temple. His parents went home and could not find Him, so they returned to look for Him.
They looked in other places and could not find Him. On the third day, they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers of the law.
He not only listened; He asked questions. Those who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers.
His mother said, “Son, why hast Thou thus dealt with us? Behold, Thy father and I sought Thee sorrowing.” The Lord said, “Why were ye looking for Me? Knew ye not that I must be in My Father’s house?”
He was saying, “I am now a son of the law. My responsibility is to serve God. His things should be My things.”
But He was only twelve years old. He was not yet able to be independent, so He submitted to His earthly parents and went home.
He became a carpenter. The Bible calls Him the carpenter, meaning that He was a good carpenter—a truly good carpenter. His skill was first-rate. He was never careless. Everything was for the glory of God.
Dear young brothers, you are studying. For whom are you studying? For yourself? For your parents? Or for God?
We should study for God. No matter what we do, do all things to the glory of God. Things that do not glorify God, we should not do.
To glorify God is our responsibility.
The Lord waited until He was thirty years old before He came out to preach the word of God. Why? It may be that His earthly father had passed away early. According to the customs of the earth, He was the firstborn son and had responsibility.
He was a carpenter until He was thirty years old, caring for His mother and His brothers.
When He was thirty years old, He came out. How did He come out? He went to the Jordan River to be baptized.
John did not dare to baptize Him, because John knew in his heart that Jesus was different. He did not need to repent.
John said, “I have need to be baptized of Thee, and comest Thou to me?” But the Lord said that they had to fulfill all righteousness.
The will of God is that all men should repent. The Lord stood on the ground of man and repented for man. He laid down Himself.
From that moment, He began to serve. But His whole life of service had one principle: “Is this according to the will of the Father? Can this glorify God?”
He did not care for Himself. He did not care for the praise of the world, no matter what men said. He asked only one question: “Would this glorify My Father?”
This was the principle of His whole life of service.
For this reason, in John 12, when the Gentiles came to see Him, according to man this would have been a moment of glory for the Lord.
The Lord said that the hour had come for Him to be glorified. But His glory was not the glory that the world speaks about.
He said, “Now is My soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save Me from this hour?” He was thinking about the cross.
But He said, “For this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify Thy name.”
Then there came a voice from heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”
Brothers and sisters, this is what it means for service to be unto Him. In all our service, can we do it unto Him?
The glory of earth counts for nothing. Only when we can glorify God is our service truly unto Him.
This was also the principle when Moses served on earth. He was faithful in all the house of God.
Although there were misunderstandings concerning him, and although he suffered much, the Bible says that he was the meekest among the sons of men. That means he had no self. He knew only the glory of God.
In the New Testament, we see that Paul was the same way. He testified before King Agrippa, “For this cause I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision.”
Even when he wrote Philippians, he said that he did not consider himself to have attained. He forgot the things behind and pressed on toward the goal. His goal was Christ.
When he came to 2 Timothy 4, he knew that he was about to depart. He said, “I have finished the course, I have kept the faith, I have fought the good fight.”
Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give to me at that day; and not to me only, but also to all them that have loved His appearing.
Dear brothers and sisters, today we serve on earth. We thank God that we still have opportunity.
Do not look backward. When you look backward, you may see only disappointment. There is not much to see behind us.
I feel that now is the moment for me to begin to serve the Lord.
Brothers and sisters, may our service be from Him, through Him, and unto Him. This is enough. May the Lord be glorified.
May the Lord have mercy on us. Let us pray.
Lord, Your grace is so abundant, but we often have wasted Your grace.
We think too highly of ourselves. We seek the praise of men. Lord, forgive us.
Lord, may there be a turning point in our service from this time forward.
Not only in our life, but also in our service, may Christ be all and in all to us—not ourselves, but You.
From You, through You, and back to You. Not only, “For me to live is Christ,” but also, “To serve is Christ.” In the name of the Lord Jesus, amen.