Week 6: The Victory of the Overcomers
Praise the Lord. Now we are at the last week for Crystallisation-Study of the book of Daniel. May all the lessons be helpful for your spiritual growth. May God sanctify us, so that we will be like Daniel and his companions, the overcomers who knew God's heart and dedicated themselves for His economy.
There are 2 sections this weeks. Firstly, we are told to be the shining stars, like our Lord Jesus is. Secondly, we will learn from a victorious story of Daniel and his companions.
We are to be shining stars
Last week, the weather in Cardiff was so wonderful. On the way back from the meetings with brothers and sisters, I really enjoyed looking up to the clear sky. There were plenty of beautiful shining stars in it. What a wonderful picture I saw.
And guess what! God calls us to be as beautiful as those stars. Specifically, God desires us to be like our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Bright Morning Star.
Those who are wise shall shine Like the brightness of the firmament, And those who turn many to righteousness Like the stars forever and ever. (Daniel 12:3 NKJV)
I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star. (Revelation 22:16 NKJV)
Yes, Jesus is the Star that was prophesied to come out of Jacob. (Numbers 24:17) And we, as His body, are called to be the duplication of the heavenly Christ as the living Star. And the job description of the stars is to shine so that many people will turn to righteousness, that is to lead them to the Way, our Lord Jesus (John 14:6).
And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts (2 Peter 1:19 NKJV)
The apostle Peter clearly tells us that this world is a dark place. That is why God needs His people to shine.
This world is so dark. Because of God's love, Jesus, the One who created all things, became a Man to be the Light shining in this world. But sadly, the world did not comprehend this light.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. (John 1:1-4 NKJV)
I like what Dr. Kenneth Boa once taught in his MP3 teaching on the book of John. He called this symptom of light phobia as "cockroach syndrome." It is a clear imagery for a Thai guy like me, because there are plenty of this tiny undesirable animal everywhere in Thailand. When I turned the light off, they would come out from everywhere, and would run happily on the floor. But whenever I turned the light on, they would run away, because they feared light. At worst, they would even climb my legs or fly toward me. What a terrifying story!
Jesus is the Light of the world (John 8:12). But the world did not receive Him. Likewise, when we become the light of the world as He commands us to be (Matthew 5:14), we may be rejected or persecuted. Only the elects whose hearts have been quickened by the Holy Spirit will respond to this light. May we not lose heart. Just shine. Perhaps those whom we shine to may come to the true Source of Light, our Lord Jesus, and be saved.
And how can we become shining stars? I want to confirm that God has never asked us to do what He has not already provided the things we need to accomplish it. God calls us to be stars, and He has already provided us the necessary things: the Bible (the prophetic word) and the Spirit. We need them both. The Bible is not enough. We also need the Holy Spirit, whom is given unto us by the last Adam (Jesus Christ) as the life-giving Spirit (1 Corinthians 15:45), to lead us. As the apostle Paul says, "the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." (2 Corinthians 3:6 NKJV)
May I mention a little bit about the Greek words for "the word." The constant word written in the Scripture is "logos." Yes, logos is important, and we should meditate it regularly. But Logos alone is not enough. We also need "rhema," which is the instant word applied to the situation we are facing. That is why we need the Author of the logos, the Holy Spirit, to guide us as to how to apply the logos, changing it to be rhema, in our daily living. This rhema is what Jesus says we are to live by it.
"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word (rhema) that proceeds from the mouth of God." (Mathew 4:4 NKJV)
Now, when we have both the Bible and the Spirit with us, what are we waiting for? Let's shine today!
Some lessons from Daniel and his companions
I'm sure most brothers and sisters who grew up in the church are so familiar with the stories in Daniel chapters 1-6. These are the stories of the overcomers, who were absolutely one with God in their victory over Satan's devices. May I pick up only one of them, the victory of Daniel's companions over the seduction of idol worship in Daniel 3.
Daniel 3 tells us a story about Daniel's companions who denied to worship idol that the king Nebuchadnezzar set up. As a result, they were arrested. And the punishment was to be thrown into a blazing furnace.
Their reply to the king is really impressive for me. They told the king that, "Our God can help us. Even if He will not help us, we will never worship your idol anyway." (paraphrased) Wow, what a spirit of martyrdom they have. This make me think, "If I were they, would I have enough faith to say like that?"
If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up. (Daniel 3:17-18 NKJV)
Reasonably, the king was very furious, and commanded that the furnace was heated seven times more. They were bound and thrown into the furnace. The fire was so strong that it killed the men who took Daniel's friends to the furnace.
Praise the Lord. The Lord protected them. The king was so amazed to see, "four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God." (Daniel 3:25 NKJV) Yes, the excellent Christ Himself as the Son of Man came to His overcomers. Moreover, He transformed the bad situation to be a pleasant place to walk about!
As believers, we are not immune to troubles or difficulties. Especially when we are the overcomers, we are likely to be persecuted in some way. The Lord says that surely we will have tribulation. But He also assures that we can have peace, because He has already overcome the world.
These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. (John 16:32-33 NKJV)
And the story comforts me that even though God may not deliver me from the difficulties I face, He will transform the situations to be a pleasant place to walk about!
The Lord is with us and in us. We can have peace and joy all the time, regardless of the circumstances. Why? Because we have Him and can enjoy Him all the time.
Reference
- The Holy Word for Morning Revival: Crystallisation Study of Daniel and Zechariah Volume 1, week 6.
- Footnote of Matthew 4:4, Recovery Version.
No comments:
Post a Comment