141-Rest, for God is Your Guardian#
141-Rest, for God is Your Guardian
(JP Text Group - Organized by the Little Prince of Heaven)
The topic we are sharing today is "Rest, for God is Your Guardian."
Psalm 127:1-2
[A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon.] Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain. 127:2 In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat—for he grants sleep to those he loves.
Alright, let’s start with a prayer:
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise you! Thank you for giving us this time to worship and praise you here. Renew us with your words as we begin a new week, letting us know that everything comes from the LORD.
Our blessings, our health, and everything we do is blessed because of you, God. Without your blessing, we would labor in vain.
Lord, today we are here to look up to Jesus, you alone. We lay down all our worries and burdens. We believe that when we look up to you, you will grant us strength and supply. Thank you and praise you for blessing every brother and sister who seeks you today. In the name of Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen! Hallelujah!
Let’s look at our text today. Who wrote Psalm 127? Solomon. This is a psalm written by Solomon. Solomon was a very wise man, right? So where did Solomon receive his wisdom? Was it in a dream? He didn’t gain it by diligently reading all the books or studying various kinds of knowledge, did he? Is that a good way? Is it easy? Is the wisdom we gain painful or easy? Solomon simply had a dream, and in the dream, God asked him, "What do you want? I will give it to you." Solomon said, "Your people are too many for me to manage. I need you to give me wisdom." God said, "I will give it to you." It was that simple; he received wisdom, right, brothers and sisters? Has anyone read such verses?
Go back and read the books of Kings and Samuel carefully, and you will understand how easily Solomon received his wisdom. When he went to Gibeon, he offered sacrifices, and after the sacrifices, he went to sleep that night.
After sleeping, he had a dream, and God told him, "What do you want? You can ask me." Brothers and sisters, Solomon received wisdom in his dream. Now, what could be more restful in this world than sleeping? Isn’t it? Can a person fall asleep peacefully? If someone has insomnia at night, what is the reason? Some say, "I have health problems."
In fact, how do health problems arise? It’s because you have many things in your heart that you can’t let go of, so you can’t sleep. You say the term "depression" has only appeared for a short time, right? Why didn’t people in the past have so many depressed individuals? Because back then, there wasn’t such rapid economic development, and people didn’t have such great pressure. So the term "depression" rarely appeared. We see that when Solomon took over his father King David's throne, he was said to be only about 17 years old.
For such a young child, let me ask you, is it a big deal to manage such a large country? Some people must not say, "Oh, how nice it is to be an emperor." I tell you, when you really become an emperor, you won’t think that way. Maybe at that time, you wouldn’t be able to sleep at night. Because how would many surrounding countries try to find ways to divide your country if it became powerful? But Solomon knew that other things didn’t matter. Honor and wealth were not important; what mattered was that he needed wisdom. So he asked God for wisdom.
When he was sleeping, brothers and sisters, I mean sleeping at night, not now, of course. In the past, some people were embarrassed to say, "Teacher Ren, we are embarrassed to go to your church." I asked, "Why?" They said, "Because every time you preach, we fall asleep." I said, "Congratulations, that’s a good thing because you have my old style." Maybe in the future, you will also be a preacher. Why? Because when I first believed, I would get extremely sleepy during gatherings. Now I know it was God letting me rest. Sleeping is a form of rest. Let me tell you, you might think it’s not that exaggerated. When I first believed, I didn’t understand God, but I particularly liked to listen to hymns and praise songs, and I was very willing to go.
But as soon as the pastor started preaching, my eyelids felt like someone was pulling them down. I was so sleepy that you know? I sat on the sofa, and as soon as I heard them say, "Let’s stand up and pray," I was extremely sleepy. So later, I felt embarrassed and didn’t want to go. People there said, "It’s okay; if you can sleep here, that’s a good thing." I thought, "That kind of comfort is pretty good, so I’ll go." But after going, I still slept. What to do? Later, I thought, "Lord, can you let me not sleep?" So at that time, we had gatherings around 2 PM, and I would eat lunch at 12 PM and quickly sleep until 1:30 PM. You say an hour and a half is enough, right?
Then I hurried to the gathering, but when I got there, I still slept. I tried all kinds of methods, and the result was that during singing, I wasn’t sleepy at all. Every time the pastor preached or read the Bible, my eyelids would start to droop. Later, you know what I did? I often stood at the back, but unfortunately, that also failed. I stood there and fell asleep.
For a whole year, until one day, I suddenly found that I was no longer sleepy. I believe many people have had such experiences. Suddenly one day, you listened in and found you weren’t sleepy anymore. This is because God has opened your eyes. Before God gives you this ability and grace, He first gives you rest. Of course, this rest doesn’t necessarily mean sleeping!
Brothers and sisters, sleeping is just one form of rest, Hallelujah! But at the same time, brothers and sisters, if you have someone around you who has insomnia, let them listen to my preaching. If they have insomnia, tell them to come to our church; it’s no problem. If you go and can’t sleep, you can still listen to the sermon. If you sleep, the problem is also solved. Isn’t that a good deal? So today, if you have insomnia, you can listen to today’s words. God will let you sleep peacefully. Hallelujah! The scripture we read today says,
Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain.
What does this sentence mean? It means that if God does not take care of what you do, will there be results? No, brothers and sisters. You see, many people are busy all year round but have no results. Do you say they are not busy? They are busy, but at the end of the year, there are no results.
We have brothers and sisters who have given me such testimonies. They are actually very busy all year round, and they earn quite a bit every month, but at the end of the year, they have nothing. Isn’t that laboring in vain? Brothers and sisters, God does not want us to labor in vain like this. God wants you to be abundant and have more. Hallelujah!
So if you are in business, please remember, if God does not take care of your business, what you do will be in vain. It must be God who does it. Some people say, "No, I clearly made money." I clearly enjoyed it. But what if one day you suddenly have nothing? Isn’t that laboring in vain? So if it is God who takes care of it, you are definitely not in vain. There will still be an inheritance left in your hands. Amen. So brothers and sisters, we should not labor in vain; you should learn to use God’s words to bless everything you are doing now. Amen!
First, bless your life with God’s words. Because the prosperity of your life is proportional to the prosperity of your body. Hallelujah! At the same time, you should bless your family, your business, and your work. Let God take charge of all this. In other words, in your image, you should remember that we are just co-workers. Whose co-workers? God’s co-workers. Amen!
Paul said that we are co-workers with God. So who is the main character? That’s right. If you are doing business, you should think about one thing. Who is the boss? Jesus Christ is the boss. Amen! I am working for Jesus Christ. He is the COO, and I am the CEO, the executive director. Isn’t that what it means? I give you an order, and you go do it. Isn’t that equivalent to our role as Christians? Our God has planned everything; isn’t He the COO? He has planned everything, and you remember that what God has planned is definitely the most perfect, and then let you execute it.
That’s right; our Lord Jesus Christ is the boss. He has planned everything. He says, "I hope you will have so many blessings in heaven in the future." You say, "Lord, that’s great." Jesus says, "Go do this." You say, "I will go." Jesus says, "There is a sick person; you lay hands and pray for him." You say, "Lord, no, just do it as you say." Amen! Don’t worry about the results.
Recently, many people have asked me, "Teacher Ren, I believe that God’s words are true and will indeed come to pass, but what if I pray for others and they are not healed? What should I do?" What should we do, brothers and sisters? Keep praying. Isn’t that simple? So brothers and sisters, we must remember that God is your builder. Hallelujah!
Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Remember, if you pray for others, and you rely on your own ability, can you scare away the sickness? Or if this person has a demon, can you scare it away? Who does the work? That’s right, God builds this person. The LORD builds this person. Amen!
So when you use the name of Jesus, it is Jesus who is doing this. You say, "Lord, I have done it." That’s it. Just like in the past, when the emperor’s envoy announced the emperor’s decree or edict, after announcing it, whether you do it or not is your business. I tell you, whether you do it or not is your business. If you don’t do it, naturally, there will be someone to deal with you, right? So what I should do is to finish it. Brothers and sisters, today as God’s messengers, we are not delivering a message of punishment; we are to tell others about God’s love and the grace of Jesus Christ. Amen! So you are an envoy, but what you deliver is definitely good news. What the envoys you see on TV deliver may not necessarily be good news.
Sometimes there is punishment involved, and sometimes they say your whole family will be executed. So today we are messengers of the gospel, and we bring good news to others, so you can go and speak. When you go and speak, God is doing things behind the scenes. Hallelujah!
When you are building a house, remember who is taking care of this house for you. It is our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen! It is God who is taking care of this house for you, so when you build, you need to know where to build. This is extremely important. If this house is not built by God, remember that it will not be able to remain. So where is our house built? All our houses are built on the rock of Jesus Christ, and this house will remain forever. Amen!
Brothers and sisters, this is the house built by God. If you are not building on Jesus Christ, it is all laboring in vain. Amen! Today, many people in this world buy dozens of houses, each one luxuriously decorated. So let me ask, when God destroys this world in the future, will He say, "Oh, you have so many houses; isn’t it a pity?" Will He leave a little for you?
When God destroys this world in the future, there will be nothing left. But if you build on Jesus Christ, for example, today you preach the gospel to a soul and let that person be saved, or if that person has a problem and you help him rise from weakness, you know that the house you are building is permanent. Hallelujah! So here it says, Unless the LORD watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.
Even if you don’t eat or sleep, watching is in vain. Why? You will see the city being attacked. It’s because there is no protector. So today we are not like this. We who are in Christ, Christ is your protection! Jesus Christ is your guardian. Amen!
Let’s share the first point: Worry will take away your rest. Believe that God is your builder.
Many people wake up early and stay up late, unable to sleep because they are filled with worries. Because of worry, they suffer from insomnia. When your heart is filled with worry and unease, you cannot enjoy God’s rest. So some people work hard to maintain their relationships. For example, some people send small gifts to others from time to time to get along well with everyone, and send blessing messages during holidays, but in the end, everyone still dislikes you. You worked hard, but there were no results. Because you didn’t use God’s way to work hard, you will find that in the end, you still fail.
Some people work hard to maintain their marriage, trying to make their husband or wife like them, but in the end, they find that problems still arise. Sometimes the problem may not be with you. What you lack is a builder. What you lack is a guardian. Also, some people work very hard at their jobs. In the end, they find that they still cannot be recognized by their boss or colleagues.
In fact, during this process, many people lose their rest. But I want to tell everyone, if God is your guardian and builder, you don’t have to worry like this at all. Amen! When God wants to change a person, isn’t it easy? It’s too easy. When God wants to maintain a marriage, is it easy? It’s too easy.
When God wants to maintain your relationships, is it easy? So you see, Moses was very respected among the Israelites, right? But what kind of person was Moses? The Bible says he was very humble. Isn’t that right? He didn’t use authority or play tricks to win people’s hearts; he was simply a person who looked up to God. Because what he was doing was God’s work, Amen!
He was leading the Israelites. So he knew that only by looking up to God could these people respect him. So brothers and sisters, if you want people to respect you, you must first look up to God. God will give them a heart that respects you. Amen! This is very important. You must first place all your focus on God. You believe that God is your builder.
If God wants to build you step by step and establish you in a high position, who can pull you down? If you rely on your own way to climb up, what will happen in the end? Someone will push you down. One day, you will definitely be pulled down. Do you know why? Because it’s lonely at the top. You are the only one up there, and there are so many people below; sooner or later, they will pull you down. But if it is God who lifts you up, remember that no one can resist it. In the Old Testament, there was a man named Joseph.
Did Joseph climb to the position of prime minister by himself? He simply looked up to God, but God was building Joseph step by step. No matter what difficulties he encountered, he didn’t complain, didn’t grumble, and didn’t lose heart; he still believed that God was helping him. In the end, what happened? God lifted him up and placed him in a high position. This is Joseph’s success!
People in this world all hope to succeed, but it doesn’t matter; here is a method: let God build you, and let everything you have be rebuilt by God, then what is built will definitely be stable. When you have work to do, for example, your business, your relationships, and whether your children will succeed in the future, hand them over to Jesus, hand them over to God.
You remember that if your child is 17 years old, you must let him know this God. He may have a dream one night and possess Solomon’s wisdom. Is it simple? Exactly. Let your child know God, and you will be blessed for life because you don’t know how God will use him in the future and how He will lift him up. These are things you can’t imagine. Brothers and sisters, first, we must believe that God is my builder, and God is my guardian. Amen!
When you walk outside, you must believe that God has built a fence around you to protect you, and there are shields surrounding you. You must first believe that God is the God who watches over you, so you can rest, right? If you don’t know whether God is willing to protect you or take care of you, you will lose your rest.
Verse 2 says, In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat—for he grants sleep to those he loves.
Can you understand the meaning of this sentence? You see, from our perspective, this sentence seems very normal. Waking up early in the morning, sleeping at night, and eating the food earned through toil. Isn’t that correct? But why does God say it is in vain? In fact, at first, when I read many verses like this, I said, "Lord, do you mean for us to sleep in? Let us be sleepless at night? What should we eat if we don’t eat the food earned through toil? Should we eat pies that fall from the sky every day? Why does it become in vain? Is what I’m doing wrong? Waking up a little earlier in the morning and being able to sleep well at night, how can that be in vain?" Later, when I checked the original text, I found that "eating the food earned through toil" in the original Hebrew means: eating down worries, eating down concerns. Doesn’t that become in vain? It turns out that every day you treat worries as food.
What kind of worries are food? Brothers and sisters, think about it. Tonight, after work, your boss assigns the tasks for tomorrow. How should this project be done? You have to think of a way to get it done in a few days, and then you start thinking, "Oh, what should I do tomorrow? Who should I find? This client won’t work; that client won’t work. Oh, how can I get the employees to work?" Isn’t that thinking about tomorrow’s matters? This is called eating worries, and the more you think, the more energetic you become, and the more energetic you become, the less sleep you have.
The next day, you have no energy; this is called eating down worries, eating down concerns. We are not saying not to make plans for tomorrow. But worrying about tomorrow is unnecessary, Hallelujah! If you wake up very early, sleep very late, and often live in worry, that will be a very painful thing.
I have a college classmate who had a son. At that time, I congratulated him and said, "Congratulations on having a son!" Guess what he said... "Don’t congratulate me; I’m almost worried to death." I said, "So many people want a son but can’t have one; why are you so worried?" I looked at him and thought, "How will he marry a wife in the future?" Isn’t that worrying? If you look at this son every day and think, "Oh, how will he marry a wife?" Congratulations, you are doing this in vain. The earlier you wake up and the later you sleep, the more in vain it becomes.
So brothers and sisters, God does not want us to live like this. Amen! What does God mean? The troubles of a day are enough for that day. God knows we have troubles, but you think today’s troubles can be dealt with today; don’t worry about tomorrow. Because tomorrow God will naturally provide tomorrow’s grace.
Don’t let these worries take away your rest; you must believe that God is building you step by step. So the food of toil, the food of worries, the food of concerns. Christians should not eat it; eating it will cause insomnia. Here, there is also another meaning; the original meaning is that God not only wants to grant sleep. Because it later says,
For he grants sleep to those he loves. This phrase in the original text means "those whom God loves." Don’t we often send out "the beloved of God" in our daily spiritual food and devotions? I am reminding you, letting you know that you are the beloved of God. What characteristics does a person loved by God have? This person must have God’s blessings upon him. In the Old Testament, there was a man named Joseph. We often use Joseph as an example. Joseph was the most beloved son of his father, right? Because he was the most beloved son, he wore a unique coat. What was it called? That’s right— a coat of many colors. Do you know what privileges come with wearing a coat of many colors? So today, if you understand that you are loved by God, you will understand that you are a person who is at rest.
In the past, Abraham and his family, as long as they wore a coat of many colors, it represented this person. First: he is the most beloved child of the father and is qualified to wear the coat of many colors. Second: the person wearing the coat of many colors has privileges. They don’t have to work and can enjoy the best in the family. This is why I want to explain to you why his brothers hated this guy.
Hmm, you wear such beautiful clothes, and you don’t have to work every day, while we work hard and still have to let you eat the good stuff. So you see, when the brothers saw him, they got angry and jealous of him. In the end, didn’t they tear Joseph’s coat of many colors apart? Why did they hate this coat so much?
Because they didn’t wear it. So they were very jealous and hated him, right? So brothers and sisters, it’s not that there are other reasons, but today you know that you are also wearing a coat of many colors. This coat is the robe of righteousness of Jesus Christ. Amen! Because you wear this robe of righteousness, you must first determine one thing: you are the beloved of God. If God doesn’t love you, He wouldn’t let you wear this robe. The person who wears this robe is remarkable!
The person who wears the robe of righteousness of Jesus Christ can possess all the blessings that Jesus has, and they are all freely given. Do you understand, brothers and sisters? The person who does not wear this robe must toil and work hard, and in the end, God says it is still in vain.
The person who wears this robe? You don’t have to work so hard, but God says, "I will give it to you; you just need to take it." Isn’t that easy? So when we work, it becomes a form of enjoyment. So this is what we mean by the beloved of God; this is how it is. You must determine that you are the beloved of God, and then you will have rest. Hallelujah!
For he grants sleep to those he loves.
Sleeping is a blessing; do you believe it? Not being able to sleep is definitely a pain, an extremely painful thing. So the beloved of God will be granted peaceful sleep. In the original text, this sentence means—peaceful sleep is a gift that God gives to those He loves! Why could Solomon write this sentence in this psalm? Because he understood this principle too well. He knew that while I sleep, God grants wisdom, wealth, ability, and honor, right? So Solomon said, "The beloved of God will be granted peaceful sleep."
Brothers and sisters, I also wish that every day you meditate on this sentence. If someone around you who believes in Jesus says, "Oh, you don’t know; I’ve had insomnia for many years," let them read this passage carefully and tell them what it means to be the beloved of God. Then tell them that God has a gift for the beloved of God, which is to grant them peaceful sleep. So at night, you should meditate like this: "I am the beloved of God, so I can definitely sleep peacefully." This sleep is not just surface sleep; it is deep sleep. During the process of sleep, God will also add strength and rest to you.
Brothers and sisters, do you know that sleeping is a great blessing from God? Why do people need to sleep? To rest... and also? In fact, it is to regain strength. If we don’t sleep and keep working, how many days can we last? Not many days. In fact, if you calculate carefully, you can’t last more than 72 hours; you will collapse. If you keep working without stopping, you will be done; this person will be doomed. So God does not want us to live like this; God says, during the day, you work, and at night, how do you let yourself sleep? So when you sleep, do you know what God is doing?
When you are sleeping, it is because you need to sleep, but God says, "How does the God who watches over Israel not sleep?" He not only does not sleep but also does not slumber. This is our God! Do you know why God doesn’t sleep? Because God is always full of energy, always full of strength. He has so much strength that He wants to give it away continuously; if He doesn’t give it away, He feels uncomfortable. Who does He want to give it to? That’s right, it’s you. Amen!
So when you work hard during the day and get very tired, you lie down on the bed and enter dreamland. After entering, what happens? God sees, "Oh, this leg is so thick; it won’t do; it needs to be repaired." Then God touches it, and the fatigue immediately disappears. Then God sees, "Oh, these eyes have been looking at things all day; they need to be repaired; otherwise, if it goes on for a long time, the eyes will swell." So God wants to repair all your organs from head to toe and restore them to their original state.
The next day, when you wake up, you say, "Why do I feel so strong all over?" If God didn’t give you this strength, where would it come from? This is what we say, God is your builder. What do you need to do? That’s right; at that time, you need to rest. If you don’t rest and say, "I will keep my eyes open and not sleep." Well, then God can’t repair you. Always remember that when you are asleep, God starts to repair you. This repair is not to make things worse; it is to make things better. It means restoration. Amen! He wants to build you; He wants to build you!
Well, it is really important for us to be able to sleep. Similarly, you can also interact with God in your dreams, or say, like Solomon, receive God’s wisdom in a dream. Amen! In fact, on this point, I am very certain. Because I have received many scriptures in my dreams.
Moreover, several times, when I dreamed of a huge snake trying to come and bite me, I said, "In the name of Jesus, leave me." I could almost hear my ears speaking. Many times I found that when I encountered many difficulties in my dreams, I began to call on Jesus.
You will find that when you call on Jesus, whether in your dreams or in reality, God will help you. Isn’t that a wonderful thing? In fact, so far, humanity has not been able to unravel the mystery of dreams. In fact, it is a spiritual matter. Spiritual matters can only be unraveled through the Holy Spirit.
Brothers and sisters, so when you sleep at night, remember that your spirit does not sleep? That’s right; your spirit does not sleep. While your body is resting, God and your spirit are still in dialogue. Amen! You remember, if you dream and are still working at night, you will be in trouble. You will be very tired when you wake up the next day because you have not slept for 24 hours. You have been working continuously, and you will definitely be tired.
But if you dream at night and dream of God, you are remarkable. You will be filled with strength. Because dreaming of God’s words, God will comfort you, build you, and take care of you. Amen! He will restore many things for you. Hallelujah!
Once, when I went to a place to pray for someone, what was his situation? He had heart problems, neck problems, and a herniated disc, and his legs hurt. At that time, I looked at him and thought of many problems. And at that time, I told him, "Do you believe? After today’s prayer, God will heal you." He said, "I believe." So I prayed for him. "In the name of Jesus, I heal you of all diseases." That night when he got home, he lay on the bed and prayed in tongues. He said that kind of speed, no one knows what it was like, and his hand was shaking.
That was the situation, and then it was like this. Do you know what was happening? Surgery. Later, he thought, "Actually, I don’t understand what it means." He told me, "I don’t know why it was like this (shaking), this way, and then it was still like this, how could it be so much like a doctor stitching something?" As a result, he said that speed was too fast; you know? It was something that couldn’t be learned. The speed was very fast. After it was over, all diseases disappeared. While he was lying on the bed, God did this. In fact, this is called rest. Amen!
Sleeping is just one form of rest. If you are in God’s rest, it means you believe that God is already doing this. You let go and let God hold your hand to do it. You are in rest. At that time, God is your builder. Let God build your family, your work, and your business. Amen!
When you rest at night, God will create things in your body. Restore, repair, and fix everything. So I encourage everyone to develop a habit before going to bed at night—read the Bible. This way, you can guide yourself to communicate with God at night. It is very important.
When you step into a new day, you must believe one thing: God has already prepared everything. You say, is there anything surprising to our God? "Oh, I didn’t expect you to believe in Jesus." Will there be such a situation with God? God already knows. So when you get up in the morning, does God know what you will encounter? Does He know your needs? God knows everything. So do you still need to worry?
Remember what we said at the beginning, you are the executive director, right? Our God is the planner. He knows. Today, where you should go and what you should do. What you need to do is, "Lord, please lead my steps today." That’s enough. Amen! And completely believe that no matter what happens, I first believe that God can solve all these problems. Even when there are difficulties, God can solve these difficulties.
The Israelites, when they left Egypt, the enemies in Canaan had already been defeated, right? Forty years later, they saw this result. They just didn’t know, so during the wilderness, they kept complaining, complaining, and complaining. What a regrettable life! So brothers and sisters, if one day, when our lives are over, and we see Jesus, all the mysteries will be unraveled. At that time, you will regret, "Oh, why were there so many complaints? Why didn’t I believe?" In fact, at that time, how should we think?
If at that time, I thanked God every day, how great it would be! I know that the problem will be solved in a few days. Or in a few years, God will give me more. I wouldn’t complain anymore. The Bible says, if you carefully look at Job’s ending, you will know how good God is. Although the devil took everything from Job, God immediately did what? He gave him double. So why are you feeling depressed, painful, and complaining about the gains and losses now? Live in God’s rest, for He is your guardian. Amen! Don’t eat the food earned through toil! Let’s read together:
Matthew 11:28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
All who seek Jesus, Jesus will not give you a heavier burden. What does Jesus give you? Rest. Go to Jesus! He will grant you rest. You say, "Lord, oh, I’m so worried about this matter." God says, "Don’t worry; I have a solution." Amen! You say, "The child is so disobedient."
Jesus says, "Just hand him over to me; I have a way." Right? You say, "Oh, I’m so worried about this... What about my future business?" God says, "Just hand it all over to me; I have a way to manage it well." Amen! This is our God! Our God never fails. Hallelujah!
However, there are many people who are always in a hurry every day. Have you seen such people? They can’t sit still. After sitting down, they can’t do it; "Oh, I have to do this, I have to do that." Many people feel painful if they don’t do something. Brothers and sisters, remember, why do such people act this way? Because they always do not believe in rest.
Rest is a very important thing. But at the same time, I also tell everyone, is rest difficult? Yes... The Bible tells us in Hebrews that you must strive to enter that rest. Why must you strive? Because it is too difficult to enter. You are sitting here (in church), of course, resting is too easy.
For a person with insomnia, if you tell them, "Don’t worry; you will be able to sleep at night," is it difficult for them? It’s too painful. You know? You lie down, and in less than a minute, you are sound asleep. They look at you sleeping, and they feel painful. "Why is it so easy for you? Why is it so difficult for me?"
Brothers and sisters, in fact, rest is to let you always remember that God is your guardian, and then it becomes easier for you. If you rely on yourself, is it difficult? It’s too difficult. It’s too difficult, brothers and sisters. Some people are in a hurry; why? Because they do not believe in God’s rest and do not believe that God is their guardian.
In fact, God has prepared every day for you. If you encounter any accidents or dangers, remember that the Heavenly Father has already prepared a way out for you. The Bible says, "When the enemy pursues you from one road, God will open seven roads for you to escape." Can they catch up? They only have one road to pursue you, and you have seven roads to escape.
What does this prove? The way God has prepared for you is very broad. Don’t always focus on that one road. "Lord, this road is blocked." God says, "There are still seven behind." Don’t say, "Oh, Lord, this year is coming to an end, and this company is going down." Don’t worry; there are seven companies waiting for you. If you think this way, isn’t it restful? You say, "Lord, what about this child? His science studies are just not good." It’s okay; there are still seven subjects that will be very good soon. Is this still a problem? Don’t worry about these problems.
You must believe that God is your guardian. You must also believe that God is your builder. He can build you and everything in your hands. Thank the Lord; you should often thank God and believe in God. I believe you are my builder; you are my guardian. You will make a way for me. Amen! Even if the current environment is not good, I believe you will make a way for me.
Why? Because I wear a coat of many colors; because I am the beloved child of yours. Brothers and sisters, many of us always say, "Lord, you saved me from trouble; I thank you! Lord, you solved this matter for me; I thank you! Lord, you healed my disease; I thank you!"
In fact, every day, those who are not sick should be even more grateful to God! Isn’t it more appropriate to thank God for not encountering troubles? That’s right, because you have always been in God’s blessings. You should thank God even more, right? But likewise, if difficulties come, you should thank God for that. Why? "Lord, you are about to enhance my combat power. I will overcome it. This is not a problem." Amen! Although the environment looks terrible, remember not to complain about the environment.
Today, I will briefly talk about a person in the Old Testament named Jacob, Joseph’s father. Do you know? This Jacob is also called Israel. At that time, he thought his brothers were jealous of Joseph. So they tore his coat of many colors and stained it with the blood of a goat, saying, "Look, my brother has been torn apart by wild beasts." And? When he said this, whose heart was torn apart? It tore Jacob’s heart apart, didn’t it?
So Jacob has been thinking about this child for many years, and every time he thinks of this matter, he feels very painful. Later, when they went to Egypt to buy grain, did he meet Joseph? Did his father believe it? Look at how it says here.
Genesis 42:38 Jacob said, "My son will not go down there with you; his brother is dead, and he is the only one left. If harm comes to him on the journey you are taking, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in sorrow."
You see what this old man is thinking? That son is dead. If harm comes to him on the journey you are taking, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in sorrow. If you read this sentence ten times every day, how will you feel? Very painful, right?
You see, he not only thinks that Joseph is dead, but he is still in pain now, even though many years have passed, right? But now, isn’t it very difficult? And now, this child is about to go with his brothers, and he says, "Oh, he will die on the road." Isn’t he thinking all negative things? Later, he even said, "Oh, if this child goes, I will die too."
Isn’t it that many of us are always imitating this? "Oh, I’m so angry; what should I do?" You see, this child is disobedient, and the husband is not doing well. What should I do? How to live? This is the same way of thinking. But did Jacob know what the real situation was? What was the real situation?
That’s right, God had already prepared this child, and he was now the prime minister. If he goes, will it be painful? Will he go down to the grave? What will he go to do? To enjoy blessings. You say, was Jacob’s thinking wrong? In fact, God had already told him the answer. Are you sure? This is Genesis chapter 42, right? Let’s take a look at how God told him earlier. God had already told him the answer; he just didn’t believe it. In Genesis chapter 15, let’s look together: how did God speak to Abraham at that time?
Genesis 15:13-14,
13 Then the LORD said to Abram, "Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there. 14 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward, they will come out with great possessions."
In fact, isn’t this word about to be fulfilled now? Aren’t they going to Egypt? What are they going to Egypt for? He said, "Oh, I’m going to go down to the grave in sorrow." When did God say He would let you go down to the grave? So isn’t that just blind thinking?
Brothers and sisters, rather than blind thinking, it’s better to read the Bible a few times and see what God’s promises are in the Bible. God will definitely not let you go down to Egypt and suffer in sorrow on the road. This is not God’s doing. Amen! Well, you see, God told him, "You know your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own." In fact, this sentence started with Joseph, didn’t it?
Joseph first became a stranger in someone else’s land, and then his whole family went over. And didn’t he serve the Egyptians? Isn’t that right? After four hundred years, did they serve for nothing? No. After four hundred years, God took them out with interest, right? When they left that place, how did they leave? They will come out with great possessions. So remember, brothers and sisters, if you act as God’s CEO, you will definitely not suffer losses. Although the current situation may not look good, don’t worry; you will be blessed even more later. Hallelujah!
Share the second point: Believe that God is your guardian; do not rely on your own efforts anymore.
Do not rely on your own efforts anymore; when you encounter problems, you find yourself saying, "Oh, I’m so worried; what should I do?" This is relying on yourself, isn’t it? You should think, "Jesus will help me." Amen! So what should we do? First, you must believe! God is the beginning, and God is the end. He is Alpha; He is Omega! Amen!
So every morning when you get up, you should first thank God! You can pray like this: "Heavenly Father, I believe today is the day you have prepared. I can’t wait to see the blessings you have prepared for me. I thank you for going before me; I believe that what you have prepared for me today is good."
There may be unpleasant things that happen, but I believe you will turn everything around. I am willing to enjoy every day in the days you bless me. Then what do you need to do? Rest!
Don’t let the devil steal your joy; don’t let him steal your rest. What you need to do is enjoy God’s rest every day. Amen! You must believe that God is still working today. Rest is not doing nothing; rest is working with the energy that God has already completed. Isn’t it different?
When others rely on themselves, you say, "Lord, what about this plan today?" Please grant me wisdom. Then God will grant you wisdom. Amen! In your business, you say, "Lord, please grant me wisdom," and God will grant you wisdom. Many things will be turned around. This is what we mean by not relying on yourself; you need to rely on God and rest.
Let God take care of everything you have. Amen! You see, many people, when they go to work, they are very hurried. Because they know they must rely on themselves. But you shouldn’t be like this; you should be like Jesus at all times. Jesus was never flustered, right? Was Jesus busy with work? Jesus’ work was very busy.
The Bible says that sometimes He was so busy that He didn’t have time to eat. But Jesus never said, "Oh, I’m so worried." These things never happened, did they? Although Jesus had many things to do, He was always calm and composed. Do you all believe this? This is what people in our generation lack the most. In fact, it’s not just us; do children need it? They need it very much.
My daughter Duojia also particularly needs rest. Because I find that when I pick her up from kindergarten at four in the afternoon, it’s cold outside, isn’t it? Wearing a down jacket, when she gets home, isn’t it particularly hot? Then she says, "Oh, I’m so hot; I can’t take it anymore; hurry up and take me downstairs; I can’t stand it anymore..."
When I see her, I think, in fact, we need rest. You say, just shouting like this makes it even hotter, right? So what should we do? Shouldn’t we calm down and be better? Brothers and sisters, when you encounter anything, don’t let yourself be flustered, "Oh, what should I do, what should I do..."
The more you do this, the more flustered you become. At that time, what should you do? Calm down, find a quiet place, and pray to God. Say, "Lord, grant me wisdom; what should I do?" Isn’t this very important? This point is too important, brothers and sisters. So when you do this, you are acknowledging, "Lord, you are my guardian. I do not want to rely on myself; I want to rely on you." Amen!
Especially if you are in business. If there are no customers now, what should you do? Don’t go looking around, "Oh, how could he run away?" Don’t do that. What should you do? Pray in your store and say, "Lord, this is a blessed store. Your anointing fills this place. Your grace fills this place; attract people to come!" Just pray like this.
"Lord, I thank you because I am here; because I am your beloved child, the glory of God will shine here." Pray for the place where you are. Rest assured, God will send people. Amen! In this way, each of us can enjoy God’s rest in our daily lives.
In the family, it’s the same. If the husband and wife argue about who takes care of the children, who does the laundry, or whether to mop the floor today, I suggest that, in fact, washing the clothes today or tomorrow makes no difference. Don’t let such trivial matters take away your rest. Amen! So sometimes, my wife and I also argue about such things. Because sometimes I am thinking about something and don’t want to be disturbed. But she keeps coming over and over and over... and I lose my rest.
In the end, I say, "If the floor is not mopped for a day, what will happen?" She says, "What if someone comes and sees?" I say, "What does it matter?" Isn’t that right, brothers and sisters? What does it matter? Don’t let such things take away your rest. If you want to do it, you can, but when you do it, don’t say, "Oh, why don’t you do it? Why am I doing it? Why is it like this..."
Don’t ask why. When you do it, do it with a joyful heart. Amen! If you do it with a troubled heart, then it’s better not to do it first. If not doing it can help you maintain rest, then don’t do it! This is not our wisdom.
In fact, I used to know quite a few Jewish people. At first, I didn’t understand. Later, I understood. In fact, they really know how to enjoy life. I knew a Jewish person, and at that time I said, "Can I come to your house sometime?" He said, "Sure, very welcome. But remember to call me before you come." I said, "Okay!" Later, I thought, "Oh, this might be out of politeness to make an appointment."
When I went, I found the house was clean and everything was normal. After playing, we left. Once, we didn’t make an appointment because we happened to pass by his house. We knocked on the door without an appointment. When we opened the door and went in, my goodness. The house was simply a disaster. There were smelly socks, pants, and clothes all over the bed, you know? The floor was even worse.
When I looked at the kitchen, my goodness, the dishes had been there for several days. At that time, I didn’t say a word. In fact, thinking back now, not saying anything was correct. Later, a sister finally couldn’t help but say, "Why didn’t you clean up a bit?" Guess what he said? "You came too suddenly."
Later he said, "In fact, home is a place where I can feel at ease." He said, "When I’m outside, I keep myself very tidy. But when I get home, I need rest. I need peace, so as long as I can see it, I can let myself be comfortable however I want. I won’t live for what others say." Today, in order to avoid what others say, I spend six or seven hours every day cleaning the house until it is spotless, folding all the clothes neatly, because I’m afraid of what others will say.
He said, "I don’t want to live like that." Brothers and sisters, can you see something? Their way of thinking is quite different from ours, brothers and sisters. Because they are in rest. Amen! But if they say, "Oh, today I’m going to your house," they say, "Today someone is coming; I can’t say." I know someone is coming, so I deliberately let it be messy. At this time, should I clean up a bit? Brothers and sisters, this is the way of rest.
So at any time, remember not to let these trivial matters in life take away your rest. So brothers and sisters, if anyone wants to come to my house, please call in advance! Haha, just kidding. In fact, my wife is very diligent; she cleans the house very well every day. So I look forward to everyone coming! Hehe.
I’m just joking. If I’m at home, then it might be like that. Because... I’m not lazy; I’m not encouraging everyone to be lazy. What I mean is, in comparison, don’t let others take away your rest. Amen! If you have nothing to do at home, can you tidy up the house? Of course, that’s no problem.
But if I am already very busy, and you say, "Oh no, I haven’t tidied up the house yet; this hasn’t been done, and that hasn’t been done." Don’t let it take away your rest. It’s nothing. Hallelujah! The key is that God wants to lead you to live in rest this year. It’s not about striving to obtain God’s blessings.
God’s blessings have already been prepared. You just enjoy the blessings that God gives you today. So we are not trying to obtain more prosperity from there. God has already prepared everything. So don’t live under pressure and curses; if you lose rest, you will fall into the law and into that curse.
From Adam onwards, when Adam disobeyed God’s will, God said, "Because you have disobeyed my will, you will sweat and toil to eat." Right? In fact, that is a life of curse. God does not want you to live like this; through Jesus Christ, you have already been freed from the curse, so you do not have to sweat to eat. God has already given blessings; you just need to receive blessings. First, let’s update our thoughts. Amen!
You are different from Adam; you are not under Adam; you are in Christ. Amen! After Adam sinned, he fell under the curse, and at that time, thorns and thistles appeared on the ground, and these things will make people lose rest, right? Brothers and sisters, today, if you are in God’s rest, who is your builder? Who is your guardian? That’s right. If you know this, will you still be afraid of this economic crisis? Will you still be afraid that your child won’t find a job in the future or that your child won’t be able to marry? Don’t worry about these things. God will definitely have provisions. Amen!
Do you know why Jesus had to wear a crown of thorns? Because our rest was taken away from here. The devil gives you a false impression. If you don’t work hard, what will happen...
He gives you all negatives. As a result, it takes away your rest here, and your whole body and mind lose rest. God wants to restore your rest. Let Jesus wear the crown of thorns. From this place, many places were pierced, right? Isn’t a lot of blood flowing out? You remember that when Jesus shed blood, He redeemed you from the curse.
So when Jesus’ head was pierced by the thorns, your thoughts should come out of the curse. Don’t curse yourself anymore; you should bless yourself. Amen! So every day, don’t say those cursed words; say blessed words to yourself, say blessed words to your children, say blessed words to your business. Even if it looks terrible on the surface, still bless it. Hallelujah! In this way, your thoughts will be renewed. Jesus hopes that our thoughts will be renewed first, and then you will see the results.
Alright, let’s pray together!
Heavenly Father, we thank you! When Jesus was on the cross, He wore the crown of thorns. All my curses, the curses that should have fallen on me, fell on Jesus’ head. This is the crown of thorns; He wore it for me. Therefore, I can enjoy rest. Because Jesus wore the crown of thorns, He took away all my curses.
Today, I wear the glorious crown of God. I possess His righteousness; I possess all the blessings of Jesus. Jesus, I believe I am in your rest, and you are willing to grant me your greatest rest.
Lord, thank you for loving me like this! When the people of this world rely on themselves, they often lose rest and are in turmoil. But I am not like this; I know you have already given all the blessings, and although the environment sometimes does not meet my expectations, I believe that God, you can change all this! You can turn all situations around. My mouth still speaks praise and thanks! I believe that Jesus Christ, you shed blood and sacrificed on the cross, has cleared all my debts of sin, so I can be in your rest.
I hope you remind me at all times, using your words to remind me, letting me remember that you are my builder, you are my guardian. I am willing to let you work in me, so Holy Spirit, as this new week begins, guide my steps, renew my thoughts with your words. Let me know that I am in blessings! Everything you have prepared is ready. Thank you and praise you. In the name of Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!