“Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.” 1 Cor. 4:1 Who today can say that he is a steward of the mysteries of Christ? Who can say, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ”? If there is such a person, he has the right to be heard; he is fit to be a servant in the church of the living God. “Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.” Verse 2. If there is one thing that I am certain is lacking in our time, it is stewards of the mysteries of God. To be a steward of the mysteries of God, you must first possess them. God doesn’t entrust His mysteries to just anyone. Even human beings don’t entrust their secrets to just anyone. To be a steward, you need to be in possession of a number of God’s mysteries—then you can make them available at the right time to those who need them. Jesus said, “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods.” Matt. 24:44-47. In these verses, Jesus is speaking about the end times. That we have come to the end times is certain, but how is our stewardship over the mysteries of Christ? Virtually all preachers speak only to sinners because they have nothing to give the children of God. They don’t even realize that there are mysteries of Christ. At best, they know there is an expression “mysteries of Christ” in the Bible. They are in a very sorry state. Yet in the assembly of the dead you can be a priest, pastor, preacher or whatever other title you choose. Prov. 21:16. But your title will be of little help when Christ is revealed if you have not been a faithful steward of the mysteries of God. You can be saved, but if you have not been a faithful steward, you will receive no reward for your work. It has only been a means of livelihood, and you already have received your reward for it—just as a shoemaker and a blacksmith receive wages for their work. We will not reproach anyone for not possessing the mysteries of God without also showing them how to find them. Read 1 Timothy 3:16. “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels,” etc. This mystery is called the mystery of godliness. In other words, through personal godliness we can receive the mysteries of Christ. The first mystery is: Christ manifested in the flesh. The life of Christ can only be manifested in the flesh through godly fear. We have all seen religious people from denominations who so closely resemble the world in their conduct, dress and life—perhaps even smoking a pipe—that they are far from having Christ manifested in them. But we have also seen one of the few, one among thousands, in whom Christ’s image has been displayed to a certain degree. If you want to speak about deeper spiritual things, go to the latter—but don’t be mistaken here, for some people have, through years of hypocrisy, acquired a mask that can easily deceive you. From a person in whom Christ has become manifest, the knowledge of Christ will radiate. He has received what he has through obedience and faithfulness. The day comes for him when the knowledge that Jesus also had to deny and humble Himself becomes a comfort. He realized his faithful Savior also had to experience humiliation, also had to be obedient, also had to deny Himself. Consider how great this is. This is Christ manifested in the flesh. Where do these eloquent preachers place Jesus? Hundreds of miles above the clouds. But in reality, He is at the right hand of the poor and the God-fearing—He is manifested in the flesh. “For He shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to save him from those who condemn him.” Ps. 109:31. Schools of theology cannot impart to a soul the knowledge of the mysteries of Christ; neither can eloquence nor the art of preaching. Only the fear of God can. So those who are to be stewards of the mysteries of Christ must be God-fearing people. God clearly does not appoint anyone else to give His people food in due season, and food is what God’s people need. Sinners need forgiveness. Many people preach to sinners, but how many provide food?? Personally, when the time came that I needed food, I received blows and insults. Not a single person gave me spiritual nourishment. As a poor, starving youth, I looked around to see if there might be even one who understood me, but there was no one. When it came to chasing me away, preachers were the worst. But I thank God that He did not forsake me. He led me through fire and water so that I could cleanse myself. Later, God’s Spirit began His crushing work in my inner being; it only took about two months for me to become as a stranger to my mother’s children. There was no longer room for me in preachers’ hearts or in their congregations. But what happened to me was like what happened to the one who was born blind: he met Jesus out on the street. Outside all the denominations, I, too, met Him daily. No wonder it is written, “Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp.” It is true that He does not leave us orphans, even if there is no one in the flesh we can honor as our spiritual fathers. If you want to be taught by the Spirit, prepare your soul for trials. Listen and obey. Come to rest in your spirit. Let honor and dishonor fly past your ears as if they had nothing to do with you. Take up your cross daily, and if you have received a truth, defend it with the Sword. Treat everyone impartially, and do not put your trust in priests and preachers. Most of them let themselves be bought for wages. Surely the salvation of your soul is too valuable to just be a part of their business of “soul saving.” Blessed is everyone who, at the day of the revelation of Jesus Christ, is found giving food in due season to the Lord’s disciples. We need food—not long sermons. We need sheep that can nurse the lambs; we need preachers who can give things of spiritual value to the people of God. Away with these “day-by-day” stories. What concern is it to God’s people how the preacher takes advantage of people’s ignorance “day after day”? If God were to enlighten people just a little bit, they would have placed these gentlemen in the back row and told them to repent from all their arrogance. One day this will happen, much to people’s great amazement. Many of those who are among the first will be among the last. The time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; for it is written, “Judge those who are inside; those who are outside, God judges.” (Norw.). Even if you have been saved from sin, you will probably be left to the mercy of fate if you yourself don’t have an ear to hear. Preachers themselves know nothing about salvation through the life of Christ. Rom. 5:10. It would be ridiculous to demand that they give others what they themselves do not have. Are you one of those who travels around preaching and glorifying all the spectacular new meeting halls you see, praising everyone who receives you and reveling in self-exaltation because many in their blind admiration of authority look up to you? Then know that the only thing that will determine your worth on that Day is the quality of the nourishment you gave the lambs. Many have already had their eyes opened to the difference between food and amusing stories. They see through you when you boast and when you make the congregation laugh to satisfy your flesh with their applause. Thanks be to God that the chariot of salvation is moving, and more and more people belong to that host that are refining and cleansing themselves in these last days. For such people, preachers’ worn-out stories are mere chaff for the fire. They know about something more profound, something better, something that weighs in the scales. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the church.Johan O. Smith

Matthew 5:17-48. “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.” V. 17. The usual thinking is that in the old covenant God was such a strict God who gave commandments that the people could not keep; but when Jesus came, He became such a kind God who said that everything is alright. This is how people think—not openly, but subconsciously. However, Jesus says that He did not come to destroy the Law, but to fulfill it. Therefore He has not at all come to take something away, but rather to add even more. God gave the law to man so that they should learn to understand that they could not do His will. Jesus did not just come with laws that were a thousand times more stringent than the Law; He also came with power that enabled souls to fulfill them. However, it was not just the Law that was to be fulfilled, but also the Prophets. And what the prophets have written is heart-rending; also the work that is to be accomplished in us is heart-rending. Nevertheless, it must be fulfilled, for it is written, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” V. 6. With what? With righteousness. The person who is experiencing natural hunger doesn’t go around asking what is for lunch, he just asks for food. Now the fact is that there are many people who say they hunger and thirst for righteousness, but they want to have it on certain conditions. Such people only sniff at righteousness, and then they leave one day. But the person who hungers and thirsts for righteousness whether it takes him to the North Pole or to the South Pole, whether it would make him black or white, who says: “Give me righteousness at any cost!”—he will be filled. God will not break His covenant with us if we have thus surrendered to Him. It is possible that we may go away, but He never does that. Then His righteousness will be fulfilled in us irrespective of what our state might be. Then we have a reason to hope. Then it is His business to save us if only we remain with Him. “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” V. 20. The righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees was an outward righteousness. They were righteous before people. For example, they paid their debts and their subscriptions. Those who are not even righteous outwardly, not only do they not enter into the kingdom of heaven, they don’t even get as far as knocking on the gate; they are far, far away. There is a difference between these two groups. It can be said about the person who possesses an outward righteousness that he is near to the kingdom of God. But you have to possess the righteousness that God acknowledges in order to enter into the kingdom of heaven. God has to be able to say that we are righteous. Thus it was God who said about Job that he was blameless and upright. “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder,’ and, whoever murders will be in danger of judgment.” Vs. 21-26. Murder is the consequence of anger. The person who is angry is driven by the same stuff as the person who murders. First anger, then evil words, then blows, then murder. The substance of all these is the same. The difference is in their strength; it is a matter of degree. The fact that the person who is angry does not kill someone is best for him, because if he does kill someone, he risks being put in prison. As far as God is concerned, anger without a cause is the same as murder. “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Vs. 27-28. Jesus came with a righteousness that penetrates our mind, our words, and our actions. For those of old it was good enough when they abstained from committing adultery—what people called adultery. However, Jesus Christ penetrates into heart and mind—that is where He judges. He says that every time a man looks at a woman to lust for her, he has already committed adultery with her. Or every time a woman looks at a man and thinks the same in her heart, she has already committed adultery. People don’t know about it. Only two know about it—God and I. “If your right eye causes you to be tempted, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.” Vs. 29-30. When Jesus used such strong expressions as “plucking out your eye” and “cutting off your hand,” He meant it. If I am so weak that I fall when I am tempted—not fall and rise again, but fall away from God and give up—it is better that I remove what tempts me—pluck out the eye or cut off the hand. It happens that some people, when it is necessary, are patient and let others pluck out the eye, but here Jesus says that we shall pluck it out when we are tempted. “Furthermore, it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except adultery causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.” Vs. 31-32. In the old covenant when a man was tired of his wife and wanted to have another, he could get rid of her by giving her a certificate of divorce. He couldn’t leave her just like that. There had to be order in the matter; he had to give her a certificate of divorce. However, after Jesus came there is only one case for which divorce is permitted, and that is because of adultery. However, divorced person is not permitted to marry again before the other person is dead. “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ But I say to you, do not swear at all. . . . But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.” Vs. 31-37. It is easy an easy matter to keep yourself from swearing falsely. Besides, we shall be truthful in all our conduct so that we do not need to resort to such means as swearing in order to be believed. If someone asks me whether something is true, then I answer, “Yes, it is true.” If the other person asks one more time, “Is it really true,” I answer “Yes” once more. “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’” V. 38. In days of old, if someone hit another person so that he lost his eye, the victim had the right to take out the first person’s eye. If it was the left eye, he had to take the other person’s left eye. He did not have the right to take the other person’s right eye. Or if he knocked out the other person’s tooth, the other person had the right to knock out a tooth of the first person. He couldn’t knock out two teeth, only one. There had to be righteousness. “But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.” V. 39. This is what all Christians do, not so-called Christians, but real Christians. “If anyone wants to sue you and take away your coat, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.” Vs. 40-41. I don’t have to give my cloak to everyone who wants to have my coat, but only to the one who wants to sue me because he thinks he is entitled to it. Neither shall I go with just anyone because he wants to be accompanied, but only if he compels me to do it, then I shall go the second mile with him. “Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.” V. 42. This word has caused and still causes many difficulties. This does not mean that I shall give to every rascal who comes along and asks me to give him everything I possess to test me because I am a Christian. Jesus wants to get at my self-life. When someone asks, the precondition is need, and then I shall give without first calculating that I have enough for myself, what I shall have tomorrow and next year, and when I become old, or when I am sick. I shall give what I have until the last penny. This is also how I must act if someone wants to borrow from me. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” Vs. 43-44. It is not difficult to love your enemy, and it is especially blessed to do good to him. It is like when a dog gets a particularly good bone, then he is especially glad for it. It is written about joy in the Holy Spirit, making melodies with grace in our hearts to the Lord. So there are also melodies in God’s kingdom. And if anyone is so fortunate as to have an enemy, he can make up melodies for him and be only good to him—send him gifts and then go away and hide himself. There are certain things that cause a special kind of joy, and this is one of them. “That you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” V. 45. “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” V. 48.