214 - The Father's Love Leads Us to Repentance 2#
214 The Father's Love Leads Us to Repentance 2
(JP Text Group - Organized by the Little Prince of Heaven)
The topic of sharing is: The Father's Love Leads Us to Repentance Lecture 2
Luke 15:3-7
3 So Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. 6 Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise You! Thank You for leading us to Your presence to receive Your words, allowing us to know this wonderful Great Shepherd. Jesus is the Great Shepherd of our souls, the one who shepherds our souls. As a new week begins, we receive Your personal provision. We are willing to obey You; You lead us to that green pasture by the streams of water. We do not know what the road ahead looks like, but You do. We come to look up to You alone, thank You and praise You! We completely entrust the following time to the Holy Spirit, praying in the name of Lord Jesus. Amen! Hallelujah!
Continuing our series on repentance: The Father's Love Leads Us to Repentance Lecture 2
Last time we mentioned that there are two types of people listening to Jesus preach: the first type is tax collectors and sinners, and the second type is Pharisees and teachers of the law. The story that Jesus tells next is mainly directed at the Pharisees and teachers of the law because true sinners are relatively easy to repent, but those who are self-righteous find it very difficult to repent.
So Jesus used this parable: “Which of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until he finds it?”
Brothers and sisters, when we see Jesus speaking this way, He is already seeking the sheep; He is not saying He has this idea and is preparing to do so; He is already doing it. Who is the lost sheep? All of them, whether tax collectors or Pharisees, are lost sheep. It’s just that one is more lost and farther from the owner, while the other is closer to the owner but is also a lost sheep. Do you understand?
When talking about the older son and the younger son, you will understand. Is the older son close to his father? Very close, but is he lost? Yes. Many people think that just because they come to church, they are closer to God. In fact, it is not that you can only find God in church; He is with you wherever you are! Hallelujah!
Since we mention repentance, we need to have a correct understanding of the definition of repentance. Many people think that repentance is regret + correction. Have you heard this term? What is repentance? First, regret what you have done, and then correct it; otherwise, just regretting without changing does not count as repentance. Many Christians just regret without changing! That is not called repentance. Brothers and sisters, is repentance explained this way? The original meaning of repentance in the Greek Bible is to renew your mind, change your thoughts, and turn to God. Amen!
Let me share a scripture with you. If it were regret plus correction, would God regret? Yes, right? If God regrets, what would He do? Does God regret because He made a mistake? We use the term regret when we make a mistake, so does God regret?
Exodus 32:14, "And the Lord relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring on His people."
Did God make a mistake? At first, God said, "I will punish you; I will bring disaster upon you." No! This thought is too evil; I cannot treat them this way. Did God realize He was wrong? If we do not understand repentance, we will misunderstand that regret means making a mistake and must confess to God about what we did wrong. So what if God regrets? To whom does He confess? Many concepts are actually wrong from the beginning, and once wrong, any explanation will also be wrong.
At that time, the situation was that the people made a golden calf, and they said, "This is the god that brought us out of Egypt," which made God angry. God had just said, "You shall not worship other gods," so did they violate the first commandment? At that time, God said to Moses, "Moses, stand aside; I will destroy them and make you into a great nation." If you were given this opportunity to destroy your enemies, would you take it? We would say: "Great, Lord, destroy them!" God said clearly: "Come here, let me destroy them, and I will make you into a great nation." But what did Moses do at that time?
Moses pleaded with God, saying, "God, do not do this; if You do this, what will the pagans say about You? They will say that You brought the people into the wilderness just to kill them." At that time, Moses already had a heart of compassion, Amen! At that moment, God relented and did not bring the disaster He had said upon the people. Do you understand regret? The word repentance means that God changed His mind. Amen!
You must understand that the meaning of repentance is to change your mind. What does it mean for God to change His mind? Not bringing down this disaster is a good thing, right? Then what about our repentance? We usually have already made a mistake; how do we repent? Change our minds and turn to God. Amen! Many people always define repentance as repenting in sin. If that is the only way to count as repentance, then God would be quite evil from the start; He would need to confess to Himself. It is not like that. We see that Jesus said there was one sheep lost, and the shepherd left the ninety-nine in the wilderness.
Many people worry: Is it worth it for that one? Let me ask you a question: Is it dangerous to leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness? Yes, which is more cost-effective? If you had to choose, there is one that is already lost and you do not know where it is, and now you leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness to find that one. Some people worry, what if Jesus finds that one and brings it back, and the ninety-nine get eaten?
Many people have asked me this question, saying: "Is it worth it to leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, in danger?" This might be our own thinking. It is because we do not understand the biblical background; this is a kind of assumption. What is said here is not that He left the ninety-nine in the wilderness; it actually refers to the pasture. Do you understand? The pasture is within the shepherd's home; are the ninety-nine safe? Yes, they are. Jesus would never put us in danger; He first arranges the ninety-nine in the pasture, where they are completely safe, and then He goes to find that one lost sheep. Amen!
Let me ask you a question: Why did that sheep go missing? Why did it lose its way? The ninety-nine are fine; why did it get lost? We need to understand the characteristics of sheep. Sheep have three characteristics, which I have summarized, but they are definitely correct. The first is that they are nearsighted; they can only see a very limited distance. They only look at the butt of the sheep in front of them; wherever that sheep goes, they go. The one in front? Looks at the shepherd. Why does the Bible use sheep as a metaphor for us? You only need to look at Jesus; first, you must admit you are nearsighted. Don’t think you can see well; that can easily lead to problems, do you understand?
This sheep might discover a pile of grass and think, "What good grass! Look how well this grass is growing; it smells so good." It has stopped looking at the butt of the sheep in front of it and has gone off in the wrong direction. In God's definition, this is called deviating from the path. In Hebrew, what does sin mean? It means there is a target; as long as you hit the target, you meet the conditions. If you deviate from the target, you have sinned. Do you understand?
For sheep, as long as they keep looking at the butt of the sheep in front of them, they are fine. But once they deviate from that butt and run off to another place, they can easily lose their way because sheep truly cannot see far, while the shepherd? Can He see far? He is much taller than the sheep, and when there is danger ahead, He can see it clearly, which is why the shepherd is needed to lead the flock. Amen! This is the first characteristic of sheep: nearsightedness.
The second characteristic is that sheep are social animals. No matter how hot it is, sheep like to huddle together. This characteristic also tells us something: once a sheep strays from its original way of life, it will feel afraid. It may indeed have deviated from the crowd due to its own reasons, just like many Christians who do not want to gather. At first, they feel fine, thinking they do not have to go to church in the hot weather, but gradually they find that problems in life increase, right? It is not that God does not want to bless you; it is determined by our own characteristics.
Humans also have a social characteristic. If you were given a room full of gold and silver treasures and placed in a deep mountain forest, where you could not see anyone all day long, how long could you live? No matter how much money you have, you would not like it, right? Because you need the process of sharing, the process of being able to see and talk to people. If this characteristic is taken away, a person will become very problematic.
If a person is isolated in one place for ten or twenty years, what will happen to that person? When they see people again, they will not know how to talk. Brothers and sisters, this is why Moses, when he met God at eighty, said, "I am slow of speech and tongue." How was Moses' eloquence before? The Bible says he learned all the wisdom of the Egyptians; he could speak very well. But after forty years? He really could not speak anymore because most of the time he was in the wilderness, seeing very few people. The Israelites, when they took the sheep out, would be in the wilderness for two or three months, or even half a year, and the most they would hear is the bleating of sheep. We also need to live in community. Amen! No matter what you think, if you say, "No, no, no, I live well alone," one day you will definitely have problems, but this problem is not caused by God. Amen!
Everyone thinks about this question: Did God allow this sheep to go missing? Did He let it feel fear, worry, and anxiety? Some people, after leaving God, instead complain to God: "Lord, why do You let me feel so lonely and in pain now?" God says, "Where are you?" Do you remember what God asked Adam after he sinned? "Where are you?" If you were in the sheepfold, would this problem arise? No. Amen!
I encourage brothers and sisters to participate in gatherings often, to come together. We have fellowship life; when a problem arises, we will solve it. Long-term isolation will definitely lead to weakness and problems; this is not given to you by God, nor is it allowed by God; it is determined by our own characteristics. Amen!
The third characteristic of sheep is that they have no means of defense. Goats are a bit better; they have horns, but what about sheep? Do sheep have any means of defense? No, when they encounter wolves or lions, can they fight back? Once they encounter danger, sheep will bleat; they can only bleat, calling for help from the shepherd. They cannot kick like other animals. You see, wild donkeys, they are not that great, but when a lion attacks, they can kick a bit, but the final outcome is that the donkey dies in the mouth of the tiger or lion.
They do not know how to call for help from the owner; they are stubborn and do not want to listen to their owner. But sheep are different; once they realize there is danger, they huddle together and start calling for help from the shepherd. Amen! This is also one of our problems. Brothers and sisters, no matter how serious your problems are now, whether you feel lonely, afraid, or worried, remember to call on Lord Jesus for help, pray to Him. Amen! You must believe that our Great Shepherd, Jesus Christ, will surely hear your prayers and help you. Even if you cannot find your way home now, the Lord will surely find you and personally help you. Amen!
Let’s look at a scripture, Mark 6:34, "When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So He began teaching them many things."
Brothers and sisters, when Jesus came, did this group of people have a shepherd? Yes, but what were these shepherds doing? The Bible says these shepherds were choosing which sheep were fat to slaughter them, while the weak ones were thrown aside and ignored. As a result, the weak ones were scattered everywhere. What does this indicate? In the church, the Pharisees and teachers of the law were supposed to teach God's people, but did they fulfill the responsibility of shepherds? No. It means that when the sheep have problems, should they go out to seek them? But did the Pharisees seek them? No, they directly discarded the weak ones and slaughtered the fat ones.
Brothers and sisters, many churches have this problem: the shepherds blame all the reasons on the believers; it is all their fault. I think if we have brothers and sisters who are weak, I would think that perhaps my teaching in this area is not enough, and I will continue to teach. If someone leaves, I would think that perhaps they are not receiving provision here, so they went elsewhere. That is a good thing; do you understand? Do not blame all the responsibility and problems on the sheep; they have limitations. Amen!
Nearsightedness cannot see far, social animals need a group they can communicate with, and they have no means of defense. So when they feel weak and afraid, they will definitely seek the shepherd. The vision of sheep is really not good; do you understand? Many little sheep, we say they are new believers, have no discernment. If someone talks about something strange, they are willing to listen, and they are generally misled. This is a lack of knowledge. I hope everyone has discernment. Amen!
Sheep have a discernment; do you know what it is? Poor eyesight does not mean poor hearing. Should we have this discernment? You must listen to whether it is the voice of Lord Jesus; you must discern whether it aligns with the teachings of the Bible. You should have this, right? Some say, "I haven't read the Bible much." The teachings of others should bring you closer to Jesus or lead you away from Him. Do they promote harmony among people or incite hatred towards everyone? You should be able to discern this, right? Can the results also be discerned? If someone says, "That pastor is no good; this pastor is no good; these believers are no good," then should you still listen to him? He must be a problematic person.
Brothers and sisters, because a true shepherd would not do destructive work. When Jesus came out and saw many people, He had compassion on them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus did not say the Pharisees and teachers of the law, but did they fulfill their role? No. Under the law, many people truly only care about themselves, but under grace, we care for one another. What did Jesus come to do?
Look at Luke 19:10, "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."
What is the first thing? To seek. Is it easy for God to find us? Yes, why don’t you go find God? Most people talk about repentance in a general church context, saying, "How do you count as repenting? Come out of sin, go find Jesus, don’t keep turning in sin, hurry up and do good deeds!" Is it like this? Have you ever thought about a question: This sheep is already lost; how can it find its way home? Can it find its way home? How does it repent? If you tell a sheep in the wilderness not to be afraid, can it not be afraid? How can it not be afraid? By returning to the flock, it will naturally not be afraid. Amen!
We need to have this wisdom. Indeed, some brothers and sisters are weak and do not want to gather; they have problems. Should we first solve their problems? For example, if someone is sick, do not ask for any reason; first pray for them, and then encourage them to return to church. Do not start by blaming them and hitting them, making them feel it would be better to die. Now, the group of Israelites that Jesus saw were they not all scattered? No one was taking care of them. Jesus did not first criticize this group of people, asking why they did not go to church; instead, He first taught them many things because His purpose in coming was to seek and then to save.
Brothers and sisters, this is the core of the work Jesus did in this world: the first is to seek, and the second is to save. Amen! You must remember this principle. If you are going to serve, do not forget these two principles. The first is to seek, what kind of people? The lost. The second is to save, what kind of people? The lost. Do not criticize or slander those who are lost; they need to be sought and saved. Amen!
Let’s look at this sheep; it has already lost its way home, so the shepherd went to find it. Look at Luke 15:5-6,
And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep!’
Who found whom? The shepherd found the sheep. The order of repentance must not be mistaken; many people only talk about repentance as you must repent, you must seek God, you must go find Jesus. It should be Jesus seeking you. Brothers and sisters, think about it: how can a weak brother see Jesus? You go find him; are you not representing Jesus in this world?
In the church, there is a ministry called visitation. Who do we visit? Not the one who lacks nothing, who is particularly vibrant; they do not need a visit. They should go with you to visit those who are weak and lost. When we find these people, they will see Jesus through us. Do not expect to just wait here; if you do not believe, you will not find Him. Do you know what this is an advertisement for? A coffin shop. The advertisement above the coffin shop says, "One day, we will wait for you." Let us not do this, brothers and sisters; we must actively seek those who are lost. Hallelujah! We must take the initiative to seek those who are lost. Hallelujah!
Jesus found this lost sheep and joyfully put it on His shoulders and went home. How did this sheep repent? Many people focus on the sheep when talking about this passage, thinking that repentance must be the sheep's problem; it must be the sheep that actively repents, that must thoroughly confess its sins, that must change its behavior.
It has already lost its way; is it afraid? Is it worried and desperate? Because it cannot find its way home, it is nearsighted; how can it find its way home? What does it do to count as repentance? In fact, its eyes are always looking for the arrival of its shepherd. Hallelujah! Its ears are always listening, waiting for that familiar voice to appear.
Brothers and sisters, what it seeks is comfort, not condemnation. So if there are brothers and sisters around you who have not come to gatherings for a long time and you feel moved to visit them, when they hear that familiar voice, tell them that Jesus loves you! Amen! When you find people this way, their hearts will no longer be worried or discouraged. According to the traditional way of repentance, this is very dangerous, you know?
After the shepherd found the sheep, did he first say, "Are you scared? Are you worried? Are you afraid? Are you desperate? Are you suffering? I tell you, this is all your fault for not drawing close to me and running around. Hurry up and confess your sins." Would the sheep kneel down and bang its head on the ground, and then the owner would say, "Alright, get up." And then put a chain around its neck to drag it home, saying, "You are not worthy for me to hold you! With your character, you still want me to hold you? You are full of sin; if I touch you, I will be infected."
Are you familiar with such words? Many weak brothers and sisters, but what does the shepherd say to them? "Do you know you were wrong? I tell you, this sickness is given to you by God to keep you away from Him, to keep you from gathering, to keep you from praying, to keep you from reading the Bible. You should properly account for all your sins." Would this sheep still be willing to repent? Would it still be willing to go back?
If you take a chain to find a lost sheep, what will that sheep do when it sees you? It will run away. This is why some pastors, when comforting believers, not only do the believers not want to return, but they also turn off their phones and close their doors. Do you not understand the reason? They are more afraid of you than they are of wolves because every time you come, you condemn and strike them down, always thinking it is the sheep's problem. Is it the sheep's problem? Yes, it is indeed the sheep's problem, but it is not the owner who said, "You run, try running." It is indeed because of its problem; perhaps it thinks its vision is too good, but it is lost. However, after it is lost, what do you do? Use a gentle heart to encourage them to come back. Amen!
Anyone can make mistakes. When a person makes a mistake, it is not to loudly proclaim, "You fool, how could you go wrong?" to the ninety-nine and say, "Don’t learn from that one; let it suffer in the wilderness for a month, let it fast for forty days, and then it can be saved." It is not like that. The shepherd did not delay; he left the ninety-nine in the pasture and immediately went to seek the lost sheep. Amen! We need to look through the Bible to see how this sheep repented; do not focus on the sheep; focus on the shepherd. Hallelujah! In the church, do not focus on the believers; do not focus on the brothers and sisters around you; focus on Jesus Christ.
If coming to church is just to see who the newcomers are today, to see if there are any testimonies in the church, if you come for that, it is better not to come because you will also hear other things, such as some people falling and becoming weak, which will make you very uncomfortable. If every time you come, you are just looking for Lord Jesus, you will always receive comfort. So do not get the focus wrong; it is the Lord who found this sheep. Please listen carefully: when you are weak, the Lord will seek you. Amen!
How did this sheep repent? Let’s look: When the shepherd found it, he joyfully put it on his shoulders and went home. Did this sheep walk? Was it tied up to go back? Did the owner make this sheep confess? Having made such a big mistake, perhaps he found it in the middle of the night; you say how hard it was for the shepherd to climb mountains and cross rivers! Why didn’t he tidy up this sheep? I want to ask brothers and sisters, how did this sheep repent? Very simply, when the shepherd found it, it knew it was wrong. Amen!
Some weak brothers and sisters are willing to let you visit their homes, which proves they already know they have gone wrong; they already know they are weak, which proves they have already repented. Do you understand? They are willing to turn back. When the shepherd found this sheep, the repentance of this sheep was simply being willing to be found by the owner. Amen!
After being found, what should this sheep do to repent? When the shepherd picks it up, it should not be afraid. If you are that frightened sheep, and your shepherd always condemns you, slanders you, punishes you, and condemns you, even if one day you are lost and see him coming, you will also be afraid. But do not understand Lord Jesus this way because Lord Jesus did not come to condemn you but to save the world through Him. He came to seek and save the lost. You must remember what His purpose is: to seek you and then to save you.
Do you remember that after Adam and Eve sinned, did God seek them? Many people say that God sought Adam to condemn him, to judge him. In fact, the judgment did not begin at that moment; it began after he ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Why did he see himself naked? Because he had already been judged, and what was God's purpose in seeking him? To clothe him with the garments of salvation, to clothe him with garments made from animal skins. Amen! I personally believe that the animal skin should be sheep skin, which symbolizes our Lord Jesus Christ. God's purpose in finding them was to save them; Jesus is seeking you today to save you. Amen!
When we understand the heart of Jesus Christ this way, you will be willing to be held by Him. Amen! What is lacking in family life and interpersonal relationships is this, especially in modern society, where people are becoming increasingly indifferent. Perhaps if you hug someone, they will think you have some ulterior motive. Lord Jesus truly came to save you; your repentance is very simple: willingly accept the grace of Lord Jesus.
He found this sheep, picked it up, and put it on His shoulders. Why on His shoulders? Shoulders symbolize strength; He knows you are very tired now. You do not need to be dragged home; He needs to lift you up, letting His strength become your strength. When some people are weak and hesitant, you need to let the strength of Lord Jesus become their strength, give them the love of Jesus, and save them; this person will naturally stand up. We do not say to the sheep, "You have run all day, right? You are tired, right? You know you are wrong, right?" You need to lift it up because you have strength; put it on your shoulders.
So the only purpose of Jesus finding you is: when you are weak, He is willing to put you on His shoulders; He wants to walk forward with you. **Joyfully putting it on His shoulders, many people forget this word. Many people always say that when they encounter that lost sheep, they should have a stern face, frightening it into not running out again. But what was the Lord's reaction after finding this sheep? Joyfully, what does this symbolize? Many lost sheep, lost people, lost souls, when Lord Jesus finds them, when they are willing to be held by Lord Jesus, He is joyful. Amen!
It is not like what some people say, "You are full of filth; look at what you have done in the past; how could God possibly accept you?" These are all wrong. When Lord Jesus finds these sheep, He puts them on His shoulders, willingly gives them strength, and then returns home, back to the owner’s house. Amen! Today when you come to church, you have actually returned to the house of Jesus.
Verse 6 says, "Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep!’"
Do you know this is the life in the church? When we see unbelievers or weak brothers and sisters returning to the church again, we are all joyful, and we will let you come up and introduce yourself, saying, "Who are you? Where are you from?" The purpose is not to let us remember how corrupt the past was, but to let you remember one thing: you have returned, and we are willing to accept you because in heaven, Lord Jesus is also joyful; He sees a sheep repenting, turning back home. Amen!
He calls his friends and neighbors; do you know who the friends and neighbors are? You all are. When you see brothers and sisters returning, no matter how they were in the past, when they are willing to return to the church, everyone should be joyful. This is the heart of Lord Jesus. This sheep's repentance is simply its willingness to be found by the Lord, to be sought, to be carried back home; that is enough. This is repentance. Do not say the sheep must do something; what does this sheep need to do when the owner picks it up and carries it home? Today many people always emphasize, "Repentance means you must do something; you must do something," and they get the focus wrong.
Now think again, when the owner carries this sheep on His shoulders back home, what does this sheep need to do to count as repentance? Very simply, it needs to be willing to quietly lie on the shepherd's shoulders; that is the best repentance. Think about this question: You have finally found your lost sheep; you have put it on your shoulders, and this sheep starts to kick and say, "I need to walk too." Its four legs are also walking; isn’t that tiring? It would be better to walk on the ground. You put it on your shoulders, and its legs are still kicking; the shepherd is tired, and it is also tired. Is this the situation? True repentance is not about what you must do; rather, it is about doing nothing at all; it is resting quietly in the strength of Jesus. This is repentance; when you return home, the owner will provide you with food and drink. Amen!
After you are filled with strength, that is when you can be asked to do something. Many people always take doing something as repentance; in fact, it is first about changing your mind and focusing on Jesus Christ. Hallelujah! So remember, this section emphasizes not how the sheep repents and finds home, but emphasizes the shepherd. The main character is the shepherd, the shepherd's seeking, the shepherd carrying it back home, the shepherd being very happy, and the shepherd saying to his friends, "Come and rejoice with me."
The reason this sheep is willing to repent is that the shepherd's love leads it to repentance. Now think about this question: That sheep lost its way, perhaps feeling very afraid in the wilderness, hungry for a day, anxious all day long, finally looking forward to the owner coming to hold it and take it home. Will this sheep say next time, "Last time the owner carried me back, I didn’t walk; this won’t do; I have to go out again"? Will it? Who would want to live a life of fear, despair, and discouragement?
Is it not true that after one such experience, it will not want to deviate from the owner's goal again and will be willing to follow Jesus? This is true repentance: the love of God leads him to repent, giving him the strength not to deviate from God anymore, not to wander off like before, like a sheep that has lost its way, going its own way, not like that anymore. Amen! Those who truly understand the grace of Jesus Christ will not want to disbelieve in Jesus; they will not want to, do you understand? Because they know how good Jesus is; they know how wonderful it is to be provided for by the shepherd. Therefore, no one wants to return to living by their own strength in grace unless they do not understand God's grace. So it is the love of God that leads him to repentance.
Let’s look at a scripture, 1 Peter 2:25, "For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls."
The Good Shepherd will surely take care of you; the Good Shepherd will surely carry you; the Good Shepherd will surely guide you; and the Good Shepherd will surely restore everything to you! The Good Shepherd will accompany you with His grace and love; He will not let you feel lonely and helpless. You do not have to live like you did before you believed in Jesus, relying on your own strength to support your family, worrying about keeping your job, being cautious and worried that enemies will ambush you.
Before, you might have done everything in fear and anxiety, relying solely on yourself, and began to feel pressure, depression, and some problems. But you are no longer alone; you have a master, and He is Jesus Christ. Now you have returned to the Shepherd of your souls, and similarly, when you encounter problems, can you pray to God? Pray to God, and He will provide a way out for you. Amen!
If you are sick, the shepherd will heal you; when the sheep has problems, the shepherd will take care of it. Do not pretend to be a lion when you are clearly a sheep. Why do you see yourself as a lion? That will only cause you a lot of suffering. Brothers and sisters, admit that you cannot, and then you will be willing to rely on your God. What is prayer? It is acknowledging God as God and admitting that you cannot. This is prayer! Many people complicate prayer, saying you must pray, you must do this; that becomes complicated. What does prayer mean? "Lord, I cannot, so please help me." This is prayer! You are not a lost sheep; now you have returned to Jesus Christ; you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
The word "returned" in the original Greek is a passive verb. What is a passive verb? We all used to be like lost sheep; Jesus came to find us; we are saved passively. When Jesus died on the cross, we were justified, right? It is all passive. It is not that you actively said, "Jesus, hurry up and go to the cross; I am waiting; hurry up and bleed."
It is not like that; no sheep is like that. We are all passive; it is the Lord Jesus who found us to save us. Now you have been brought back. Please remember, this sheep was brought back; the shepherd did not find this sheep and say, "Okay, you lead the way home." It is not like that; who is in front? No one is in front; the shepherd carries the sheep, and they walk together. Now do you know how to walk with Jesus? Jesus is carrying you forward. Amen! Do not think, "I am in front." If you run ahead of Jesus, you will get into trouble; one day you will definitely get lost.
Some people are too anxious, which is why problems arise. Abraham's original wife was Sarah. Sarah was too anxious and said, "We are both old and have no reproductive function; what if God's promise is not fulfilled?" "Old man, let’s think of a way; we cannot let others laugh at our God! How about this, you have a child with my maid, and I will claim him as my own." Did she run ahead of God?
Running ahead of God will definitely cause problems; can you not wait a moment? The child was born, but the family was in constant strife, continuing to this day. The conflict between Arabs and Israelis has persisted since then; this is a mistake made by one wrong move. Sometimes do not be anxious; just be a sheep; do not think your vision is good; look at what the Bible says!
I think the Bible says something wrong; it should be this way; this Bible is outdated; do not understand it with the times.
Do not do that; just be a sheep; think about what the characteristics of sheep are; admit that you cannot, and pray to God. Amen! We have been brought to the Shepherd; it is the Lord Jesus who has accomplished this. Please remember, it is not that you actively returned; it is that you were brought back. The shepherd lost one sheep, and then the shepherd went to find this sheep. Finally, the shepherd found that sheep, which may have been crying, freezing, lonely, and hungry. Then the shepherd picked up this sheep and carried it; what this sheep needed to do was to rest. This is the best. Amen!
I greatly admire a pastor who once said: "The opposite of faith is not disbelief, but lack of rest." We think the opposite of faith is disbelief; we always say, "Why do you not have faith?" He says, "I believe." It is not that he does not believe in God; it is just that he does not have rest. Do you understand? You do not have rest; that is why you do not believe. We always say, "Your faith is too small," but in fact, it is that you do not have rest.
Brothers and sisters, when the sheep relies on itself, it truly does not have rest. When the Lord picks it up, what it needs to do is to rest and believe in the shepherd. Amen! The Lord Jesus has already put you on His shoulders; do not say, "Will you take the wrong road? Where are you taking me?" This is overthinking. Believe that the words of the Bible are for you; they will not lead you astray. If you believe this, you will be blessed. Hallelujah!
The parable Jesus told is that the shepherd did all the work; we only do one thing: rest! Is it simple? It is to completely trust the shepherd's steps, believe in His guidance, and He will not put you in the mouth of a tiger to be eaten; He will take you home. This is what we need to understand. When you understand this, you will have rest.
David understood the relationship between the shepherd and the sheep. David was also a shepherd; he wrote Psalm 23, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters."
When David said this psalm, what was he talking about? It is the Lord doing it, not me doing it. He is my shepherd; who is the sheep? David. David means I am that sheep; He makes me lie down; it is not me telling the owner, "I do not want to work today; take me to the green grass." It is not something you thought of; the owner has already thought of it for you. The Lord Jesus has arranged the best path for everyone; the fear is thinking your path is better; that is where mistakes arise. David deeply understood this, so David said, "He makes me lie down... He leads me... He restores my soul."
We cannot awaken a person's soul unless the Lord Himself does the work. What does the world say? "You better make complete plans for yourself; you must stay alert; otherwise, your competitors will eliminate you; you better drive faster; otherwise, they will block you." The world is like this, but we are not like this; we are lifted up by the Lord; we are led by the Lord to still waters and green pastures. Amen!
When you have such a Lord, you can rest. You have this Good Shepherd: Jesus Christ! Do you believe that Jesus is taller than you? I am not talking about height; I am talking about His stature. Do you believe His vision is better than yours? How good is His vision? How far can you see with your naked eye? Can you see five hundred meters? You cannot see, right? What about Jesus' eyes? There is a children's song that says, "The eyes of the Lord roam throughout the earth." Do you still want to compare with Him? "My vision is good; I can see three hundred meters." So what? That is only three hundred meters; there is nothing to boast about; you are still nearsighted!
Believe in the vision of Lord Jesus, the promises given to you in the Bible. Believe in Him, and you will have rest; believe in Lord Jesus, and you can truly repent from your heart, turning everything to Jesus Christ. You must know that His stature is taller than yours, His vision is farther than yours, He cannot make any mistakes, and He loves you completely. Even when you encounter danger, you must believe He can protect you. Amen!
If so, does your life become very simple? You do not have to be anxious every day, "Lord, what should I do ahead?" Even if you encounter problems, so what? My Lord will definitely save me. Paul already had this faith; why was Paul not afraid of any suffering? He said, "Even in suffering, my Lord will definitely save me; what am I afraid of?"
Later, he also said a classic line: "Even if I die, I can pray to God to resurrect me from the dead." Do you think this kind of faith can be compared to ordinary people? If you have this faith, you are not afraid of death at all! Moreover, a person with such faith knows that his life will not end. Before Paul died, did he know his life was about to end? He said, "I am already being poured out like a drink offering," which proves that in the past, he never worried about dying. No matter how big the problem was, he would not think death was something to be afraid of!
Once, he was on a big ship, being transported to Rome as a prisoner. A storm arose on the way, and Paul said, "This weather is not suitable for sailing." Those people said, "What do you know?" Sure enough, a storm arose on the road, and those people said they were going to die. Paul said, "Do not worry; at most, we will lose some finances and goods; no one will die." How did he know this? He believed his God would definitely save him. When you believe that the Lord can save you in everything in life, you will have rest. When you have this rest, you will be willing to repent in everything, knowing that His love is leading you to repentance, and you will live a life full of love, a life full of rest. Hallelujah!
Let’s look at a final scripture, Luke 15:7, "I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent."
Every time I see someone deciding to believe in Jesus, in my spirit, I see another scene: in heaven, our Lord Jesus is rejoicing with us on earth. He eagerly anticipates seeing a soul on earth willing to turn back and accept Jesus Christ, turning to Jesus. In heaven, there will be more rejoicing for him than for the ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
Now let me ask everyone a question: Are there really ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent? Are there any righteous persons who do not need to repent? Why did Jesus say there is greater rejoicing for the one than for the ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent? Why? When interpreting the Bible, do not leave the context. At the beginning, who was Jesus telling this story to? The Pharisees and teachers of the law. Who are the ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent? The Pharisees and teachers of the law, who think they do not need to repent!
"I have nothing to repent for; I am at home; what do you want me to repent for?"
"I preach to them every day; what do I need to repent for? I know more than they do; I can recite the Bible; what do I need to repent for?"
Such people are the righteous who do not need to repent; they are self-righteous! The hardest to repent are the pastors. I have indeed encountered some pastors, and when I talk to them, I ask, "Is sharing the grace of Lord Jesus Christ in line with the Bible?" They say yes. I ask, "Then why don’t you preach it?" They say, "I dare not preach it; I am afraid that if I preach it, everything I have preached in the past will be overturned; then what will happen to my reputation?" Do they know they are wrong? Yes. Are they willing to turn back to God? No.
Some pastors even say, "Are you saying that everything I preached in the past was wrong?"
I say I have never said that; it is just that some things do not align with the Bible.
They say, "Impossible; I have preached this way for a lifetime; it cannot be wrong."
Do you see how they think they do not need to repent? Brothers and sisters, everyone needs to turn to Jesus Christ in everything; do our thoughts and intentions need to be renewed every day? What you preached in the past was right does not mean that today you can still use that method. Remember, many times I have told everyone that forty or fifty years ago, preaching the gospel was very simple: just believe in Jesus and go to heaven; if you are sick, you will be healed. At that time, when people did not believe, it was because they were poor and could not afford to see a doctor. So they said, "Believe in Jesus; first, you can go to heaven; second, if you are sick, you will be healed; how good is that!"
But today, can you still preach like that? No, people think it is outdated; can’t you go to the hospital? So the times have changed; it is not that the Lord's power has diminished, but we need to renew our thoughts and intentions, telling them who Jesus really is. At that time, the problem of basic needs could not be solved; if you told them about heaven and abundant life, would they believe it?
But now that time has passed; we need to provide others with more information about Jesus Christ. That is why I am now telling you what the original meaning in Hebrew is. If we go back forty or fifty years, no one would have listened to this because everyone had no need for it. We need to repent in this area, renewing our thoughts and intentions to Jesus so that our faith can be continuously renewed, and the Holy Spirit will supply us; every day is new. Hallelujah!
The Pharisees think they do not need to repent; however, Jesus wants to tell them: that sheep knows it is lost and is willing to be saved, while you are unwilling. If you are unwilling to let go of your pretended righteousness, you will not receive this abundant blessing, and you will not receive such rest. Although you do understand salvation, you are living under the law.
Those who truly understand the grace of Jesus will say, "I wish you understood more grace." Although this group of self-righteous people who do not need to repent, Jesus still rejoices over them because they are ultimately saved. Today, let me say something off-topic: Are people under the law saved? As long as they believe in Jesus and acknowledge Jesus as Lord, they are saved. It is just that those who repent in the grace of Christ, in the love of the Father, will receive more supply from Lord Jesus, and His joy will also be greater. Similarly, your joy will also be greater. Amen!
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise You! Thank You for letting me understand what repentance is through these words, that it is the Father's love that leads me to repentance, that You have found me, picked me up, and carried me on Your shoulders back home. I admit that I cannot do anything; I look up to You in everything. As a new week begins, You lead me on the road ahead. I do not know where the path of life will lead, but every step You lead me to is the most blessed. I am willing to look up to You every day in everything, turn to You, and renew my thoughts and intentions. Thank You! Thank You, Father, for such abundant provision; all glory belongs to You! I pray in the name of Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!