EP 70 – The Lord Established an Everlasting Covenant of Love with Us through His Blood
We should always set the Lord before us
  1. Psalm 16: A Psalm of David. David often set the Lord before him; his heart was glad, hiswhole being rejoiced, and his flesh dwelt securely. David must have lived this way aswell.
  2. Psalm 27:4: David says there is one thing he has asked of the Lord, and despite all theexperiences God had already given him, he still seeks it. He desires to dwell in thehouse of the Lord all the days of his life, to gaze upon His beauty—not just let thethought fly by in his mind, but with a focused attention to behold the beauty ofGod.
  3. 2 Corinthians 3:18: Paul, with unveiled face, beholds the glory of the Lord, and istransformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, as by the Spirit ofthe Lord. When we behold the glory of the Lord, the Holy Spirit works withinus. Everyday, we can enjoy this precious time of transformation in His love and presence.
  4. The beautiful scenery on earth, when first seen, seems so wondrous. But seeing it thesecond time makes it astonishing no more. However, the more we behold the Lord, themore we see His beauty.
  5. There’s a joke that before one’s wedding, they should keep both eyes open, but after the wedding, only one eye should stay open. However, with the Lord, before we believed, our eyes were not yet opened. After accepting Him, our eyes might still not be wide open enough, and we are not so greatly influenced or attracted by the Lord. But as time goes on, we can open our eyes wide and gaze firmly at the Lord. No matter how long we gaze, He remains as beautiful as ever, and we can never exhaust the discovery of His beauty. 

God Establishes a Covenant of Love with Blood
  1. It takes eternity for the Lord to express His beautiful heart, His love dream with us and His love covenant. He will use eternity to portray the beauty, depth, richness, and wisdom of His love.
  2. He uses His blood to establish an eternal covenant of love. There is nothing stronger than this covenant, which has been established by the Almighty Eternal One through His life.
  3. Some people establish a covenant by pricking theirfingers and using a few drops ofblood. In comparison, this is nothing.
  4. In the past, covenants were established by slaughtering animals, showing that they arewilling to die if they breach the covenant.
  5. It’s so precious that the Lord has already died, showing the firmness of the covenant. Some people, even after making a covenant, may break it, but the Lord has died, signifying that He will never change.
  6. I once had an experience when I was drawing near to God on a mountain. Previously, I “envied”(羨慕）how God made covenants with Abraham and David personally, but on that occasion, God made it clear to me that He has established an eternal covenant of love with me through His precious blood. I was deeply moved.
  7. How precious that God’s covenant is so rich and complete! We need eternity to understand it. In reality, we can never fully understand it, but we must continue to know it because this covenant has profound essence.

God Establishes a New Covenant with Israel
  1. The night before the Lord’s crucifixion, the cup of thanksgiving represented the new covenant to be established through His blood.
  2. Hebrews 8:6-9, 8:10-12: Hebrews chapter 8 quotes Jeremiah 31.
  3. Hebrews 13:20 mentions the “blood of the eternal covenant,” showing that the Lord established the covenant through His blood.
  4. Moreover, the Lord lives and acts as the mediator of a better covenant. He is the guarantor, fulfilling the better office.
  5. If the first covenant had been flawless, there would have been no need for a second covenant. Therefore, the Lord said in regards to His people, “The days are coming when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.” (Jer. 31:31)
  6. The situation at Mount Sinai, when the old covenant was established, was different. This covenant was established by the Lord during a supper, while seated with His disciples at the table. Think about the situation at Mount Sinai and compare that with the scene of the Lord in the upper room—it is a huge difference. Before the supper, the Lord washed the disciples’ feet.
  7. You can compare the covenant made at Mount Sinai, as described in Exodus 19, with the covenant the Lord established with His disciples. 

The Old Covenant and the New Covenant 
Hebrews 8:10-121
  1. The Lord died for us, establishing a covenant with His blood, removing our sins, so that we may enjoy God dwelling our hearts.
  2. The first blessing: He will put His law within us, that is, He will dwell in us, causing our spirits to come alive and transforming us into new creations.
  3. Now that we have the new covenant, do we still need the old covenant? Hebrews 8:13: Under which covenant do we live? Even for the Israelites, the old covenant is becoming obsolete and fading away. The new covenant is eternal. It will never grow old, but it is always fresh. We can enjoy it every day. It is my blessing and your blessing, and it will never grow old. Instead, we will continue to understand its essence and preciousness more and more. 
EP 71 – The New Covenant and the Break-bread Meeting
The Passover
  1. When the Israelites came out of Egypt, they slaughtered a lamb at Passover and put itsblood on the doorposts and lintels. Because of this, they received peace.
  2. The Passover was a foreshadowing, but the Lord was truly crucified on the day of Passover for us! After eating the Passover supper, the Lord was crucified on that very day.
  3. During the supper of the Passover, the Lord set up the break-bread meeting. 

The Break-bread Meeting
  1. The Lord gave Paul a special revelation concerning the last supper, even though he was not present that night. In 1 Corinthians 11, nearly half of the chapter is dedicated to explaining this and the events of that night.
  2. Through Paul, the Lord again emphasized to the churches the importance of the break-bread meeting. Even though Paul was not there, he was able to express it so clearly, asif he had been present.
  3. During the last supper, when the Lord gave thanks for the cup, He spoke ofthe newcovenant established by His blood. The Lord values this covenant even more than wedo. It is truly the most complete and perfect covenant—an eternal covenant of love.
  4. This covenant contains the Lord’s love dream—His longing to dwell in us. In His final prayer in John 17, He said, “I in them”(John 17:26). Throughout John 17 and the preceding chapters, He repeatedly spoke of being in us and us in Him. This is His deep longing of love—to be the closest with us.
  5. This feast is unique; it is not represented by any ordinary symbol but is something we are to partake of by eating. Many people give commemorative gifts, but they do not ask the recipient to eat them. The symbolic elements of this feast are truly special.
  6. This feast is not just a weekly event but a lifelong practice.
  7. When brothers and sisters give one another gifts, it is impossible for us to take them out to look at them every week. However, what the symbolic elements of this love feast express is of profound depth. Brother Yu has remembered the Lord for over 50 years and still feels that he has not fully grasped its meaning—it remains fresh to him. 
EP 72 – "Neither Do I Condemn You"
  1. John 8:3-11–The Lord said to the woman caught in adultery, "Neither do I condemn you.". This reveals His love for her and His willingness to die for her. Jesus came to save us, not to condemn us. Therefore, He had to become a man and die for our sins.
  2. This was an encounter of love between the Lord and a person on earth—a love interview. Even in the worst circumstances, He can completely turn things around. The way He treated this woman serves as an example of how He treats us.
  3. As the crowd left one by one, the woman had the opportunity to leave as well, but she chose to stay because she had found love. She experienced the Lord’s acceptance, and heard words of hope from Him.
  4. The Lord’s words "Neither do I condemn you" are incredibly precious, especially to those who often feel accused. However, for Jesus to be able to say this, He had to die for our sins.
  5. "Go, and from now on sin no more." Thanks be to the Lord, who gave us such precious hope. He is the glorious Saviour—not only did He die for us, He also helps us to be free from sin.
  6. The bread and cup in the break-bread meeting illustrate the Lord’s love and His sacrifice for us.
EP 73 – The Lord Clearly Speaks of the Blessings of the New Covenant Before His Crucifixion – the Fourth Blessing
The Lord Washing the Disciples' Feet
  1. Jeremiah has already clearly spoken of the four blessings of the New Covenant.
  2. It is precious that the Lord, who established the covenant with His blood, personally and deeply explained the content of this covenant to us. Before His death, He had already explained it in detail and concretely.
  3. In John 13, the Lord washes the disciples' feet. At that time, Peter could not accept it, feeling unworthy. He even resolutely tells the Lord never to wash his feet, knowing that the Lord is the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16). The Lord, being the Teacher, washing the disciples' feet, was not only astonishing to them but also made them feel unworthy. Yet, the Lord is full of grace. He humbled Himself, took the form of a servant and came to serve. The Lord greatly desires to remove the distance between Himself and people.
  4. In John 13:8-11, 14, this relates to John 15, where it says, "Apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). We must pay attention to the condition of our spirits. Our spirits can feel; we know the state of our relationship with the Lord. Normally, we are connected heart-to-heart with the Lord, abiding in Him, that is, abiding in His love. If we sin and do not repent, we are away from His will. Then we can do nothing. We need to quickly return and rise up again by relying on the Lord.
  5. On the day we believed in the Lord, we were completely cleansed by His once-for-all sacrifice. After that, regarding our relationship with the Lord, we need to wash our feet and make them clean –staying close to Him and maintaining our heart-to-heart connection with Him.
  6. Washing one another's feet means helping one another–to remove obstacles that hinder our connection with the Lord, to help brothers and sisters to live a life connected to the Lord, so that they do not stray from Him. Also, we need to help them to quickly enjoy the Lord Himself. This is the meaning of washing one another's feet.

The Connection Between Washing the Disciples' Feet and the Fourth Blessing of the New Covenant
  1. When the Lord washed the disciples' feet, He indicated that we are already clean and do not need to bathe again, for our sins have been forgiven. We are eternally perfect and eternally clean.
  2. If we sin and fail, we must quickly wash our feet. This does not mean we need to be saved again, because experience being born again only once. When we repent from sin, that is not being born again. When we sin and fail, we do not lose our relationship with God as our Father, nor do we need to be born again.
  3. You are already clean—this is the fourth blessing: He will remember our sins no more.
  4. The Lord's prayer also mentions this, saying, "I in them" (John 17:26).
  5. If we abide in Him, we will truly experience the blessings of the New Covenant. 
EP 74 – The Lord clearly stated the essence of the New Covenant’s blessings before His Crucifixion – the First Blessing
The Lord Comes into Our Hearts
  1. John 14:16-17 says the Holy Spirit will be with us forever and dwell in us. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one, so the Spirit of the Father and the Lord also dwell in us. Christ in us is the hope of glory. Christ lives in us.
  2. In John 14:18: what it says here is that He will come to us and into our hearts.
  3. John 14:19: I see the Lord daily—this is beholding the Lord, who is in glory, everywhere and in our hearts at the same time.
  4. The Song of Solomon repeatedly speaks of the eyes, expressing how our attention of love and thoughts are upon Him, and He knows our love for Him.
  5. He says our eyes are like doves' eyes. Doves focus their gaze on their mate, symbolizing our loving gaze and attention toward the Lord.
  6. Beholding the Lord (who is in glory, everywhere and in our hearts at the same time) is very important—it involves our minds and thoughts paying attention to Him. This brings peace to our hearts and makes us more sensitive to His will and guidance. 

The Lord Comes to Us to Help Our Hearts
  1. John 14:19 says the Lord lives in us, not just residing in us but causing our hearts to live.
  2. The Old and New Testaments are different. In the Old Testament time, the Lord did not dwell in people's hearts forever. God's Spirit was with people but He could depart. But now it’s different; God dwells in us forever.
  3. Psalm 119: psalmist frequently mentions God reviving his heart. He treasured not only God's word but his relationship with Him and his own heart. He wanted his heart to live. Do you know the condition of your heart—is it dry, lifeless? Is your heart alive? Apart from the Lord, we wither like branches. 

The Precious Content of Psalm 22 and the Lord's Covenant
  1. Psalm 22 speaks of the Lord's crucifixion and suffering. He cried, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Psalm 22:1). We can never fully understand what was happening among the Trinity God and their suffering during this moment.
  2. The latter part of Psalm 22 speaks of the victory of the Lord’s cross—God answered His prayer, delivering His soul from the sword and the lion's mouth. As Hebrews 9 says, through the Spirit the Lord offered Himself without blemish to God. The Holy Spirit helped Him endure the immense suffering of the cross. He went through all this and He triumphed.
  3. The psalm then mentions the appearance of the church: Psalm 22:22 says, "I will tell of your name to my brothers." After the crucifixion, the Lord's first mention was us. We are the reason why He suffered, and the fruit of His suffering is also for us. It is precious that here the Lord first called the disciples "brothers." Because He is the eldest Son, and we are co-heir with Him, inheriting all with Him. Also, we are united with Him, sharing a living union with Him.
  4. The Lord is not ashamed to call us His brothers.
  5. Psalm 22:22: the congregation refers to our church gatherings nowadays.
  6. Although written by David 3,000 years ago as a prophecy, it already mentioned the church's gathering and its praise. Here today, the Lord is praising God, too. How? By dwelling in us and revealing the preciousness of the Father and His love.
  7. Being in our midst, the Lord continues to make known to us the Father and praise Him, helping us to see His preciousness and to praise Him in our congregation. Indeed, the Lord praises God through our mouths.
  8. The Lord says where two or three are gathered, He is among them. So today, He is specially present with us. He will make known to us the Father, open His heart to us and speak to us.
  9. Besides dwelling in our hearts, He has a special presence with us.
  10. This prophecy from 3,000 years ago is fulfilled in us today, and we enjoy the fruit of “it is finished!”
  11. Everything the Lord spoke that evening is fulfilled in us—these are true realities.
  12. The Lord is the eternal God. He is the most alive and He lives in our hearts. No matter how difficult our circumstances, He can help us to live again. He is the eternal life and origin of life.
  13. He is the glorious life in our hearts, causing us to be of others’ help. We need Him every moment and cannot be without Him. Apart from Him, we can do nothing but remain in sin. 
EP 75 – The Lord clearly stated the essence of the New Covenant’s blessings before His Crucifixion – the First Blessing (2)
The Day the New Covenant Was Fulfilled
  1. John 14:20– "In that day" refers to the day when the New Covenant was fulfilled.
  2. That day was the day the Holy Spirit came.
  3. "You will know" –This refers to a new kind of knowing, an experiential knowledge.
  4. "I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you"–The disciples experienced the Lord being in them. Although they had experienced His presence beside them before, it was only on the day of Pentecost that they first experienced Him dwelling in their hearts. This experience was deeper than having Him by their side.
  5. The Lord later told Thomas and the other disciples, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." (John 20:29). Today, although we have not seen the Lord with our physical eyes, we believe in Him and experience Him—therefore, we are blessed. His departure was truly for our benefit. 

"I Will Come to You"– Proof That We Enjoy the New Covenant’s Essence: No More Sin
  1. John 14:23–This verse is connected to what was said earlier: "I will come to you" (John 14:18). Therefore, the Father will also manifest Himself.
  2. This is true. Throughout my life, I have experienced this many times. He is absolutely real, and so are His words. This is what we need.
  3. I often look at Him—in my bed, while traveling—sometimes with stronger experiences, in varying degrees and circumstances. His manifestation allows us to know Him more clearly, to feel Him, and to understand what He is like. Even without speaking, I can sense His words within me. This is different from reading the Bible—this is the Lord personally speaking to my heart through the Bible, which gives a greater encouragement. He is living, and He writes His words and what He meant in us. The Lord talked about this the night before He was crucified.
  4. Think carefully, and you will remember the last words of the Lord’s prayer: "And I in them" (John 17:26). Since the Father and the Lord dwell in us forever, always in our hearts, doesn’t this prove that we are free from sin?
  5. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit do not come and go; since Pentecost, they dwell in us forever. If our sins were not completely removed, how could they live in us?
  6. It is so precious that His longing of love has been fulfilled—He dwells in us and desires us to have a part in Him, enjoying His provision, just as branches enjoying nourishment from the vine."

If You Abide in Me, and My Words Abide in You" (John 15:7)
  1. If our hearts are connected to Him, even when we are not reading the Bible, the Scriptures we have read in the past will shine in our hearts because He can teach us anytime. I have experienced this, and often songs come to me—songs filled with the Lord’s words.
  2. When the Lord opens His word and gives me light, I write it down, and it becomes asong.
  3. The Lord also leads the church the path ahead. We truly need the Lord Himself, and He gives much timely guidance—how to raise up the church and how to open the gospel door. Even the messages in meetings are from Him.
  4. "He feeds his flock among the lilies" (Song of Solomon 2:16). He personally shepherds His sheep. I am merely a vessel, co-working with Him. Through me He shares to others messages from Him. He is absolutely alive!
  5. Most importantly, He has let me know that He is truly with me. His mercy and love are fresh every day, and He feeds us with green pastures.
  6. "The Lord is my shepherd" (Psalm 23:1)—you are not lying on dry, withered grass but on green pastures, where you can graze and rest. You can take a few bites and then sleep for a while. Do you have such a precious bed?  

The First Blessing of the New Covenant
  1. The first blessing of the New Covenant is that His law is within us. This surely means we have been born again, and the Holy Spirit dwells in us—the Father, the Lord, and the Holy Spirit all dwell in us at the same time.
  2. What the Lord said before He was crucified is so precious and clear—He lives with us,and how precious that is!
  3. We are God's temple and God dwells in us.
  4. I wrote a song saying that our hearts are His heaven, His palace.
  5. Because of love, He longs to be the closest with us—and this has truly been fulfilled. The first blessing has been accomplished!
  6. If someone says, "He dwells in me," it would be ridiculous. But what the Lord said has been completely fulfilled on us. What He spoke two thousand years ago has now been realized in us.
  7. Apart from Him, we feel dry—this is real. We may have experienced times being away from Him and then returning to Him. These experiences in our hearts are all real.
EP 76 – The Lord clearly stated the essence of the New Covenant’s blessings before His Crucifixion – the Second and Third Blessings
The Second Blessing: Enjoyed Before Israel and Surpassing It
  1. 1.God declared to Israelites that He would be their God, and they would be His people.
  2. On that night, the Lord spoke about the kind of God He is. We are His darling and Abba’s dear children. We are more than just His people; we have received this blessing before Israel did, and we go beyond them.
  3. It is precious that He revealed the Father's name to His brothers.
  4. After His resurrection, He said He was ascending to His Father, who is also our Father.
  5. That night, the Lord said that the Father's love for Him would be in us. This is thegreatest love—the love of the Father for the Lord. It is both the Lord's and the Father’sdesire.
  6. His cup represents the New Covenant established by His blood, poured out for many. The church was a mystery at that time, even unknown to Jeremiah. Little did they know that we would enjoy a blessing even greater than the New Covenant. 

The Lord's Prayer That Night: Mentioning Seven Times That We Are Given to Him by the Father
  1. We are the greatest gift that the Father has given to the Lord.
  2. The Father, who infinitely loves His Son, wanted to give Him a love gift, which required the Lord to die to receive it. The hymn “The Love Expression that Stuns the Universe” says that both the giver and receiver would have to suffer. What exactly is this gift?
  3. It will take eternity for us to fully grasp the glory of mankind and to understand the immense joy the Lord has because of us.
  4. The Bible mentions seven times that we are given to the Lord by the Father. I am absolutely certain that there is no greater gift in the entire universe.
  5. When the Lord suffered, the Father also suffered tremendously—He forsook and struck His beloved Son.
  6. We have such a God who loves us the most and has paid the greatest price for us. We are more than His people.
  7. He dwells in us, and there is no deeper union in the entire universe.

The Lord Established the Covenant by Blood and Personally Explained it
  1. Even before shedding His blood to establish the covenant, He had already explained its essence.
  2. He deemed it worthy to establish this covenant with His blood. This was His longing of love and His eternal love dream—to be closest to us. That is why He said, "And I in them.”
  3. We must fully enjoy He being in us and He working in us. 
  4. The Lord has various kinds of work of love in us, enabling us to enjoy Him more and to overcome the world and all that is in it at every moment.
  5. The Lord Himself spoke about it and prayed about it. He also illustrated it with the analogy of the vine and the branches—how precious is this!
  6. We need the Son of God Himself to explain it to us—not just through angels, past prophets, and other people.
  7. Not only did the Lord personally speak about it, but He also washed the disciples' feet, signifying the fourth blessing: we are cleansed. 

The Third Blessing
  1. John 14:26—The Father sent the Holy Spirit.
  2. The Holy Spirit comes to glorify the Lord, helping us to see His preciousness and glory.
  3. The Holy Spirit reminds us of His words.
  4. John 14, 15, 16 talks about the third blessing: From the greatest to the least, we do not need others to teach us, for the Holy Spirit teaches us from within.
  5. No matter how much people teach, if the Lord does not speak in our hearts, it is of little effect. We need the Lord Himself to teach us so that we truly know Him.
  6. John 15—The Holy Spirit testifies about the Lord.
  7. John 16:13—The Spirit of truth comes to help us understand.
  8. John 16:14—The Holy Spirit glorifies the Lord
  9. John 15 (latter part)—The Holy Spirit testifies about the Lord.
  10. The Lord's departure to the Father was for our greatest benefit—He accomplished all things and then sent the Holy Spirit. On that day when the Spirit came, the New Covenant was fulfilled.
  11. John 17—The Holy Spirit guides us into the truth.
  12. John 17:26—The Lord revealed the Father's name to them and will continue to do so. Besides the Holy Spirit, the Lord will also personally reveal the Father. The One who established the covenant with His blood personally explained the first, second, third, and fourth blessings, and how wonderfully He expressed them!