215 - The Father's Love Leads Us to Repentance 3#
215 - The Father's Love Leads Us to Repentance 3
(JP Text Group - Chen Chen Compilation)
Luke 15:8-10,
8 “Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!’ 10 Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise You. You desire for us to turn back to You and repent before You, and Your heart is joyful. Every time we turn our thoughts and gaze towards You, You are joyful. Because You want us to look up to You and grant us Your abundant blessings.
As a new week begins, let us solely look to Jesus. Grant me strength, let me be renewed. Receive Your provision. Thank You and praise the Lord, help us in the time ahead, let the Holy Spirit illuminate us, let us see the Father's love, and let the Father's love lead us back to You in every matter. Thank You and praise You, in the name of the Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen!
In Luke 15, there are three parables in total. The first is the parable of the lost sheep, the second parable is about a woman who loses a coin and searches for it; the third is the parable of the prodigal son, where the younger son runs away, and the father is always waiting for his return. These three parables illustrate one thing: how our Triune God loves sinners.
Today, I do not want to explain what the Trinity is; it is enough to say that God is the one God in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God has three distinct persons, but they perform the same work, and at different times, He manifests in different forms. The three parables speak of our Heavenly Father, the Holy Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, telling us from three perspectives how much the Triune God loves us.
How does the Triune God love sinners? He first seeks sinners, then accepts sinners. When God does such things, what can we do? Our response to God is to be willing to be found by Him, willing to be accepted by Him, which is called repentance. Repentance means renewing your thoughts and turning to God. The lost sheep that is found signifies that Jesus Christ was born as a man, seeking sinners on earth and bringing repentant sinners back to God's house.
The second parable we are sharing today is about the Holy Spirit illuminating sinners, bringing them into the light to maximize their value. If Peter had not encountered Jesus, what would have happened? He would just be a fisherman; his life's value would be just that many fish, maybe he would earn a few more boats, but that would be it. When he followed Jesus and served others, his value was maximized.
Only when we follow Jesus and are willing to serve will our life's value be maximized. We do not live in darkness; our lives are filled with sunlight and value. Knowing the Father's love, you will be willing to turn back to Him, and your life will be different. Amen!
Earlier, we read in the scripture that there was a woman who had ten coins; this woman symbolizes the Holy Spirit, just remember that. One coin, in fact, was a Greek coin, the currency unit of that time, equivalent to a Roman denarius. In the Bible, a denarius was equivalent to a day's wage for a worker, which is not a small amount for a woman. What about ten coins? In that era, the status of women was relatively low; unlike men who could earn money by working a day, there were few jobs for women. What do the ten coins symbolize? They symbolize all sinners, because "ten" in the Bible is a complete number. The Bible has three, seven, ten, twelve, seventy, one thousand; these are all complete numbers. Do you know that? It symbolizes God's desire for all people to turn back to Him. Hallelujah!
The ten coins specifically refer to the Jews, particularly the Pharisees, scribes, and tax collectors among the Jews. Do you remember our first sharing? Luke 15:1-2, 1 Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.”
For Jesus, the ten coins included these two types of people. No matter which type you think you are, Jesus is willing to seek you, willing to receive you, and willing to eat with you. Hallelujah! What does it mean for Jesus to eat with you? It means Jesus is willing to be your friend; your identity is the same as His.
What does losing one coin represent? What does the lost coin symbolize? It refers to sinners, specifically the tax collectors and sinners among the Jews, who are the lost coin. What do the nine coins symbolize? They refer to the self-righteous, unrepentant Pharisees and scribes. Amen! Brothers and sisters, when you read the Bible, to understand this passage, you must look at the context; you cannot interpret or associate it casually, as that will cause problems. Here it mentions that the nine coins symbolize the self-righteous and unrepentant people, mainly referring to the scribes and Pharisees among the Jews.
The first story is about a sheep lost in the wilderness, indicating that they have lost their direction. Are there many people who have lost their direction? They do not know what the purpose of their life is, or they do not know where to go next. Such people are like that lost sheep; Jesus can find your direction, the way home, and bring you to a place of abundance. This is the first type of lost direction.
What does this section explain? This one coin has fallen into darkness, losing light and value. Brothers and sisters, think about it, one coin is already a lot for the woman; when this coin falls into darkness, does it still have value? If it is not found? It has no value; it will remain in darkness. If it is not found, it will forever stay there, known by no one. Although it is a coin, it can never fulfill its value.
Brothers and sisters, if we are not in Jesus Christ, we can never fulfill our value. Living in darkness is very miserable. The first is the person who has lost direction; the second is what? People in darkness do not know where the road is, do not know where the light is.
Brothers and sisters, in the past, we all lived in darkness. The Holy Spirit came and shone His light into our hearts. If a person is born blind, their world is mostly darkness. We cannot feel this now because your eyes can see. If you were to cover your eyes and do things from today, how would you feel?
When a person is in darkness, the first thing is fear; they do not know how to walk, do not know what is ahead. So, people in darkness do not want more money or more goals; they want light. Hallelujah! If people live in darkness, what they need most is not a high position, not fame; they need Jesus Christ to enter their hearts, otherwise, they will never know what their value is. Amen!
What is your darkness? Some say, "I have many bad habits," that is your darkness; or say, "I have done many wrong things in the past, feeling guilty and condemned," these are all your darkness. How to get rid of this darkness? This darkness will constantly condemn you and affect your life. At this time, we might say, "I try not to think about this," but in the quiet of the night, you will still think of it. These dark things constantly disturb people and also disturb Christians.
What is the way to overcome darkness? Let the light in, and darkness will disappear. Amen! Can we shine ourselves? No, we need a light body to enter the darkness. No matter what you need, maybe you have an illness, feel uncomfortable inside, do not know where the direction of life is, and are quite afraid. Congratulations to you, now, at this moment, let the Holy Spirit illuminate you, let Him enter you, and your life will have direction, and you will no longer feel afraid because you are no longer in darkness. Jesus Christ is the light; our God is the light. Hallelujah!
John 8:12, Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
There is a hundred-meter sprint champion named Liu Xiang. If you blindfold Liu Xiang and say, "Run," how fast can he run? If you randomly throw him in a place and say, "Liu Xiang, start running," can he outrun you? No, why not? If a person's eyes are not opened, even if you tell him to run straight ahead, he cannot believe you. We need light; how urgent it is.
All people need Jesus Christ! Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness.” In Genesis, God created a great light, and later created the sun and the moon. What does that great light refer to? The glory of God! When we go to the new heaven and new earth, when we go to heaven, will we still need the sun? No, why not? Because each of us is a light body; it would be difficult to live in darkness, do you understand?
Just like Adam and Eve, at the beginning, they had radiance. When you follow Jesus, you do not walk in darkness. How many people tell you to dig out the darkness, to get rid of the darkness? These are all wrong; you only need to let Jesus Christ enter your heart, and the darkness will disappear. You just need to follow Jesus, and the darkness will disappear. Amen! So, if this coin is not illuminated, it will remain in darkness; can it come out by itself? Do not rely on yourself to overcome the darkness inside you, to overcome bad habits, problems, or diseases; let Jesus shine on you. Hallelujah!
In the scripture we just read, it says that this coin was lost, “If she loses one coin, does she not light a lamp?” Here, the lamp symbolizes God's word; you can also say that the Holy Spirit uses God's word to illuminate us. When you lose direction and are in darkness, what you need most is God's word to enter you. However, many people turn it around and say, "First solve my problem, then you can tell me God's word." That can solve your temporary problem.
The real and lasting solution to your problem is to give you God's word; once you use it, you will never fall into darkness or be abandoned in darkness. Hallelujah! This is also the reason I keep teaching everyone, hoping that everyone learns to rely on Jesus in life. When you fall into darkness, just call on Jesus, and the light of Jesus will shine in, and you will no longer be afraid. Amen! Thank You and praise the Lord.
In the past, we were like this; now the Holy Spirit comes to seek us, and He searches carefully, lighting the lamp and starting to clean the house. Why does God come to seek you? Because you have value! Would you drop a hair and say, "I will light a lamp and carefully look for where my hair went"? No, you wouldn’t. Why not look? Why does the Holy Spirit come to seek you? Why did Jesus choose to become flesh and die on the cross to seek you? Because you have value. What is your value? Priceless. Priceless has two interpretations: the first is worthless, the second is without number. Which one do you think you are? Without number? Without number could also mean zero. Today I tell you the accurate answer: Jesus is worth how much, and you are worth how much. So now tell the person next to you, your value is the same as Jesus.
How does our Heavenly Father view Jesus? If Jesus were lost, what would the Father do? He would spare no effort to find Him. If your child is lost after school, would you not spare any effort to find him? Would you say, "It's okay, just one day lost, what's the big deal?" That might not be your child. In the eyes of the Father, every person is very valuable. Even if one is lost, that one who has fallen into darkness, our God does not want him to stay in darkness; He sends His own Son Jesus into the world to find that person in darkness. Therefore, He lights the lamp, cleans the house, and searches carefully because you are very valuable, so He searches very carefully.
Why search carefully? Because you are too hard to find. Think about this question: if a coin falls into a dark corner, is it not hard to find? It is not inconspicuous; it is likely covered by dust and filth, making it hard to find unless the whole house is cleaned thoroughly.
When Jesus comes to find us, what are we like? We are already covered in filth, in darkness; we might be like that African person who is already black and still in darkness. This is indeed quite troublesome to find, so now it needs to be cleaned carefully. When the filth on you is removed, your true form will be revealed. When you accept Jesus, all the filth on you is cleaned by Jesus, and your value is manifested.
Everyone needs radiance; do not sit in darkness anymore. Today many people have not believed in Jesus; they are still in darkness. Matthew 4:15-17 says,
15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. 16 The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death, light has dawned.” 17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
We only remember the latter part, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand; you should repent." But how many people remember the background? This background mentions what? The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, what places do these refer to? These two lands belong to two tribes of Israel, the lands they divided after entering Canaan. By the time of Jesus, they had gradually been divided into the Galilee region, where many Gentiles lived. The land of Naphtali is a very interesting place. Before Jacob died, he blessed his twelve children and prophesied,
Genesis 49:13 “Zebulun shall dwell by the haven of the sea; he shall become a haven for ships, and his border shall adjoin Sidon.”
It says, “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea,”
This proves that at that time Jacob knew: my children will dwell by the way of the sea. What kind of road is that? A blessed road.
Looking further, “beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.” What does this refer to? Naphtali is a way by the sea; when Jacob blessed Naphtali in Genesis 49, you can go back and see, he said, “Naphtali is a deer let loose; he uses beautiful words.” (Genesis 49:21)
Originally, in Naphtali, like a deer, beautiful words would come forth. When Jesus Christ came, He began to preach in this place, meaning that when all the people were in darkness, they eagerly hoped for the arrival of light, and Jesus' arrival began to preach along the way by the sea in Naphtali, the most beautiful words began from this place. Amen! Jacob might not have thought that he prophesied that Jesus would come later to bring beautiful words to his descendants.
What I want to tell you is, if you say the problems you encounter are very serious, and there is no way to go, you are in darkness. When you hear the words of Jesus Christ, these are beautiful words, and from that moment on, a turnaround will begin. Whether it is the Old Testament prophets or the pastors and teachers under the New Testament, their work should be to lead the people from darkness into light, to restore hope. John the Baptist was such a person. When his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit, he prophesied. Let’s take a look,
Luke 1:76-79,
76 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, 77 To give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins, 78 Through the tender mercy of our God, With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us, 79 To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace.”
What was the purpose of John the Baptist coming? The message he preached was the same as Jesus, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand; you should repent.” But when Zechariah was prophesying, he said, “You will be called the prophet of the Highest,” the Highest refers to our Jesus Christ. He is the prophet of Jesus, who will go before Jesus to prepare the way for Him. The message John the Baptist preached was not a message of condemnation but a message of forgiveness. He was to tell all the people in darkness: do not worry anymore, do not be afraid, soon there will be One coming after me who will save you; even if you are in darkness now, light is coming soon. Hallelujah!
Being in darkness is not scary; what is scary is staying in darkness. When everything is dark, we expect the arrival of light; Jesus Christ is that light; He has already come. When John the Baptist preached, he wanted the people to receive forgiveness of sins and know salvation. So, where does salvation start? It starts with Jesus; Jesus Himself is salvation. Because of the tender mercy of our God, this part is very important and may be overlooked by many. Because God has mercy on us, He remembers that the coin is lost, and He must find it. If God is unwilling to seek us, do you think we can return? No way; we would stay in darkness forever.
Let’s look further, “Because of the tender mercy of our God, with which the Dayspring from on high has visited us,” this Dayspring of light was originally high above, right? Now God lets this light come down and shine upon you. Originally, Jesus was high above; now God lets Him come down and visit you, letting you know what salvation is. Salvation not only means bringing us from death into life but also means that in every matter of life, God is willing to save you. Hallelujah! Maybe you say there is no way to go now; is Jesus your salvation? Yes; you say you have an illness; is Jesus your salvation? Yes. When you believe, this Dayspring of light from on high will shine upon you and illuminate those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death.
What is a person sitting in darkness, sitting in the shadow of death waiting for? Waiting for death? Who wants to wait for death? Because you are not in darkness now, you say you are waiting for death. No, the person in real darkness does not wait for death; they want to live. If you do not believe, go ask those cancer patients in the hospital. Ask them, “What are you waiting for?” They will say, “Waiting for death?” How many people say that? If they can go to the hospital, what are they waiting for? Waiting for healing. If they were really waiting for death, they would not go to the hospital.
People in darkness are definitely waiting for light; those in the shadow of death are definitely waiting for life to come. You do not need to wait anymore because Jesus has already come; you just need to receive it, receive this light, and this light will enter you and guide our feet into the way of peace. This is Jesus Christ.
Before Jesus came, did those people have peace in their hearts? Did they have peace in their feet? No, they were running everywhere every day but did not know why they were running. Are many people like this? Busy every day, not knowing why they are running. Many people, when they run, do not have peace in their hearts; Jesus is their peace! This is the prophecy of John the Baptist's father about John the Baptist, and what we need to do is the same as John the Baptist. We need to tell those in darkness and in the shadow of death that the light has come; accept Jesus, and you will no longer continue to roll in darkness; your dark era is over. Amen!
John 12:46, “I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.”
What does this mean? Jesus came into the world; He Himself is the light. As long as you are willing to believe in Jesus, you will not abide in darkness. But do not take it too literally; do not say sometimes I will still fall into darkness. It is true that Jesus never said, “Once you believe in Me, you will never encounter difficulties, you will never encounter illness, you will never encounter problems.” You may fall into problems, but you will not abide in problems. You may occasionally get sick due to your own reasons or other reasons, but you will not abide in illness.
Some people live in illness; after believing in Jesus, we say it is a life of grace upon grace. One grace ends, and the next grace is waiting. But many people are in a life of illness upon illness; this illness just ended, and the next illness is waiting in line behind it. This is the life of those in darkness and in the shadow of death, right? You must believe one thing: when you accept Jesus and believe in Jesus, you will no longer abide in darkness. Amen! You say I was just in darkness; yes, you are that coin that fell into darkness. You were living in darkness in the past, but now the Holy Spirit has come to seek you. The Holy Spirit has come to seek you, and everything about you will be different. It is He who changes your life. When we are found by the Holy Spirit, our value is manifested. Although you have dust on you, who cleans it? Jesus.
How many people talk about repentance? They say you must cleanse yourself! You must get rid of darkness! You must have good behavior! May I ask: if he has been living in darkness for so long, if he could get rid of it, what is he doing sitting there? Just like I asked you earlier, what is he waiting for in darkness? Waiting for the arrival of light, which proves he has no light; he needs to wait for the arrival of light. Why does he have so much dust on him? Why so much filth? It is because no one is cleaning. If we are not found by Jesus, if we are not cleaned by Jesus every day, everyone will be filthy. Now it is different; when you accept Jesus, He pulls you out of darkness.
Think about this: if a piece of gold falls in your house, would you search for it carefully? If you searched for a long time and found it one day while moving, covered in dust, would you say, “It is so dirty; I don’t want it”? No, what would you do? Would you just wash it casually? You would clean it thoroughly; this is how Jesus sees you.
The Holy Spirit reminds you every day; the blood of Jesus cleanses you every day. He will tell you: now you are not a person living in darkness. Some say, “But I still have darkness.” Having darkness does not mean you live in darkness. When you sleep at night, is there also darkness? But will you always live in darkness? No, there will always be a dawn. These are all temporary; thank You and praise the Lord!
Jesus came into the world; He is the light, so that all who believe in Him will no longer abide in darkness. Now you are not a hopeless person; you are not a person living in darkness waiting for light. The light of Jesus has already shone upon you. No matter what you encounter, turn to Jesus, turn to our Heavenly Father; He can change everything about you! Do not be constrained by past wrong teachings that say you must strive to cleanse yourself. A coin covered in dust, how can it cleanse itself? It cannot clean itself; it is in a filthy environment, in a dusty environment; how can it clean itself? I am not saying to encourage everyone not to clean; I am just telling you a fact: no matter how clean you clean the house, if you do not clean for a week, it will still be full of dust because we live in this world. You must know that Jesus is the light; Jesus can cleanse everything about you!
When we get to heaven, will there still be dust? No. In the past, I told someone: do more for the Lord in this world, and you will be rewarded in the future. That person said, “I don’t want a reward; what do I want a reward for? I don’t even want to be an official.” I did not ask him to be an official; he said, “As long as I can enter heaven, I will just clean the house at the gate of heaven.” May I ask, is there garbage in heaven? No. So what will he clean? Therefore, these are all dark thoughts that should be cleared away; they should be the dust that needs to be cleaned. Hallelujah!
When you know your value, do not misjudge yourself.
You say, “I am just dust.”
Jesus says, “No, you are a coin.”
You say, “I am dust.”
Jesus says, “You are a coin.”
You say, “I am dust.”
What can Jesus do? After cleaning you, He lets you see yourself. When will we know we have the power of Jesus inside us? When you are serving, you will know that it is not you; it is the power of Jesus Christ. Otherwise, you will always feel: I am me, and Jesus is Jesus! How could I be the same as Jesus? You will doubt yourself unless you are in the service scene, reaching out to pray for someone, and the illness is immediately healed. That is not you; it is Jesus who has cleaned you, and you are filled with the value of Jesus!
1 Peter 2:9-10,
9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.
This is you now; but you, listen carefully, but you are a chosen generation! Even if you are that coin that has not been found for a long time, now the Holy Spirit has come to seek you. After finding you, you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood. What does it mean? What does a priest do? In the Old Testament, priests offered sacrifices for the atonement of sins. Now you are a royal priesthood; do you know what you are to do?
Tell that coin in darkness: you are a coin; your value is a day’s wage for a normal man.
It says, “No, I am dust.”
You say, “You are a coin!”
Because Jesus has cleansed you, this is what we need to tell others. Because the priest is here to do this. When a person always doubts themselves, always looks down on themselves, always feels they can do nothing, the priest must correctly tell them that because of our sacrifice, all this has changed. When Jesus cleanses you, the Holy Spirit constantly reminds you that you are a royal priesthood. Hallelujah!
A holy nation, you are in a holy nation; you are not in the corner of darkness, not in a dark nation, but in a holy nation. Look at yourself correctly.
You are God’s own people. When you understand this identity, you are to proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light: tell the world what Jesus has done for them; tell the world you are not what you see now; your value is very great, the same as Jesus. Hallelujah! Thank You and praise the Lord. Here it tells us one thing: you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God.
How did you become the people of God? It is because you are willing to be accepted, willing to be taken by God. You were originally a coin in darkness; the Holy Spirit found you and asked, “Are you willing to come with me?” You said yes, and that is how you became the people of God. In the past, you were a sinner, rolling in darkness. Jesus said, “Are you willing to believe in me?” You said yes, and your identity was instantly changed. In the past, you had not obtained mercy, but now you have obtained mercy, all because Jesus changed all this for you on the cross. Hallelujah!
What we share about the coin being sought, found, and used is all done by this woman. In the past, many people could not open this place and would tell you: you are that coin, a filthy coin, a coin full of dust; you must repent and cleanse yourself. This coin, even if you beat it to death, cannot cleanse itself!
Because in this passage, the protagonist is not the coin at all; it is the woman. Our Lord uses money as a metaphor. Why use money? Does money have life? No, how can it repent? Is this coin a symbol of sinners? But sinners have life; money is a lifeless thing.
Why use money as a metaphor? This tells us one thing: in the eyes of God, we were all dead, just like a coin has no life, no value, unless you are used by God. If you are not in Christ, in the eyes of God, you are dead and have no value. Even if you can gain the whole world like Solomon, so what? You are still dead, still without value. Unless you are in God's hands, used by God, everything about you will change.
How does this coin repent? It is willing to be used by God. Amen! The initiator of all this is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit comes to seek you, to guide you, to help you recognize your own value. Always remember, the Holy Spirit comes through God's word, through the words of Jesus Christ, to let you know your value. It is absolutely not to tell you how many sins you have; the law has already done that; the Ten Commandments have already done that. Why let the Holy Spirit do this?
The Holy Spirit comes to tell you how precious you are in God's eyes; He wants to tell you that your value is the same as Jesus. You can do the same things in this world as Jesus does, which is to preach the gospel and tell the world that the Father loves them. The focus is not on the money itself but on this woman. The focus of Christianity is absolutely not on you but on Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and our Heavenly Father. He saved you; He cleansed you; He made you different. Being able to be used by Him is the greatest value of this life.
I did not understand in the past; many pastors told me: being used by God is your lifelong honor. I said, “You can forget it.” However, as I served more, I increasingly understood one thing: if we are not in Christ, if we are not used by God, even if you are famous in this world, so what? After a short few decades, no one will remember who you are. But if you are used by God, everything you do for God in this world will be remembered by God forever, and your value will be maximized, allowing you to do things you could not do in the past. No matter how capable that person is, can he pray for a sick person and make that sick person healed? No, but we can do it in the name of Jesus Christ. Hallelujah!
This is your value, the same as Jesus, which can reflect the power of Jesus through you. When you have the opportunity to serve God, that is when your value is manifested. If that coin is always placed in darkness, it will forever be worthless. If our work is not centered on Jesus Christ, it really has no value. Everyone, if you serve in the church, even if it is a tiny bit of service, you are blessed. Because God will not overlook that little bit of service, that little bit of offering; God will always record it, and that is the most valuable thing. Amen!
2 Timothy 2:20-21,
20 But in a great house, there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. 21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.
Many people only use the latter part, you must become holy, you must be useful for the Master. How to use it? First, destroy yourself, and then be used by God. Finally, it says: be prepared to do every good work. If he has destroyed himself, how can he do anything? So many problems arise because he only takes the latter part and forgets the former part: in a great house, there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, two types, one is honorable, gold and silver; one is dishonorable, wood and clay. So, does our birth determine that we can never achieve anything in our lives?
I was created as a clay vessel! What can you let me do? Some people are born as gold vessels; their value is obviously higher than ours! I ask the brothers and sisters: if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, how can a clay vessel become an honorable vessel? How can wood and clay cleanse themselves to become holy? Some say: you must be burned by the Holy Spirit. Yes, after burning, there is not even wood left; how can it become a gold or silver vessel?
Do you see any silver or gold components in that wooden vessel? No. Even if you burn it, it cannot produce gold. What to do? Always looking at your own words, you are just a wooden vessel and clay vessel. You say, “I am just this way; how can I become honorable? I cannot.” Some people say you must strive to become holy. Can you become holy? No, can you cleanse yourself? No. Just like that coin, in darkness, covered in dust, can you let it cleanse itself? If you sprinkle dust on the coin, will it be clean tomorrow? No. We are just like this; you cannot get rid of this dishonorable thing.
What is meant by getting rid of dishonorable things here? It refers to the context; some people have deviated from the truth and ruined people's faith. They do not know their value; they think they are dishonorable, so they will hate themselves, condemn themselves, and also look down on others, judging others. Many people take this passage out to interpret casually; they forget that there is a background where some people have deviated from the truth. If you leave the truth of Jesus Christ, you become a wooden vessel and clay vessel with no value. When you are in Jesus Christ, your value will be manifested. Hallelujah!
2 Timothy 2:16-19,
16 But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. 17 And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort; 18 who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some. 19 Nevertheless, the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”
This is the meaning of the passage we just read. You must shun these profane and idle babblings. They are not the truth; do not debate with them, or it will lead you into more ungodliness. It will make you feel you are a clay vessel, make you feel you are a wooden vessel, worthless. But in reality, what are you? You are a gold vessel. However, because the truth is unclear, many people use some secular idle talk to say, “How can you still say you are a gold vessel? Isn’t it just a layer of paint on the outside? Do you really think you are gold?” Many people's faith is lost.
Are many people like this, attacking others' faith? We say: actually, you all carry the authority of Jesus Christ. Can every person lay hands on the sick and pray for them to be healed? Yes, when you do this, they will say, “Great, hurry and pray for me.” No, many people's reactions are: “You really think you are God? You can do that; if you lay hands on me, I will be healed.” Is this the language that attacks you?
These words are like cancer, getting worse and worse. Especially when something bad happens at home, others say: “See? God’s discipline! God’s curse has come upon you! Don’t struggle anymore; you still say you are the image of Jesus; what part of you is like Jesus?” You look and think, “Yes, what part of me is like Jesus? Am I not just a clay vessel? Am I not just a wooden vessel?” Many times, you look down on yourself like this. These poisonous words have destructive power. We must shun these profane and idle babblings. Amen.
Our focus should not be on a particular person but on the Holy Spirit, on Jesus Christ. If you focus on that coin, when you find it, you will see it is covered in dust, and so is the surrounding area. When you preach the gospel to a sinner, what do you see? They are full of problems, and there is not a good thing around them. You say, “Just a person like you, go to hell; I have seen enough of you.” Will you discard them like this?
Jesus does not discard us; He cleanses us. Do not focus on a particular person because people all have problems; they are all imperfect. Focusing on people will always find their problems and then attack them, just like cancer, drilling into that place, making the cancer worse. Do you understand? In the end, he feels worthless.
When you see a person's problem, do not say it out loud. People always say: “I see, that so-and-so has a problem.” Or condemn people, saying, “You love to drink; you have a drunkard inside you; you love to gamble; you have a gambler inside you; you love to lie; you have a liar inside you.”
Do not do this, brothers and sisters; do not feel like you are very familiar with demons and can discern so many demons. Just focus on Jesus. If you really have the gift of discernment of spirits and see a gambler inside him, you say: “Come out in the name of Jesus!” Do not say, “You have this or that demon inside you.” Do not say this; such words are like cancer and will ruin many people's faith.
It goes on to say, “Nevertheless, the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: ‘The Lord knows those who are His.’” The Lord tells us here: do not believe the nonsense of these people; your foundation is in Jesus Christ, having this seal: “The Lord knows who are His.” Always remember: you are no longer that dishonorable wooden vessel and clay vessel; you are a gold vessel; your value is very, very great. Hallelujah! When Jesus found us, we were all full of problems and filth, but Jesus personally found us; the Holy Spirit personally found us, cleaning our hearts every day, telling you: you are righteous, you are holy, you are loved by God. So, just look to the grace of Jesus Christ.
To repeat, the focus of Christianity is never on people but on Jesus Christ. From today, adjust the focus of your life to Jesus. Do not gather and say, “This is not good, that is not good.” Do not talk about that; just talk about Jesus Christ. This will help many people stand up. Because when people hear what Jesus accomplished for them on the cross, they will be cleansed and know their value, allowing them to live a valuable life.
Luke 15:8-9,
…does she not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!’
Here it refers to the light of the Holy Spirit and the word of God. Cleaning refers to God cleansing you and also cleansing your surroundings; He cleansed everything about you. Always remember: cleansing is absolutely not something you do; it is done by that woman, it is done by the Holy Spirit, it is completed by Jesus Christ. He searched carefully for you, proving you are indeed very hard to find.
To be honest, repentance is quite difficult. I have already believed in Jesus; I have already repented. That is true, but in life, are we willing to turn to God in every matter, believing His words? This is difficult. We must learn to seek Jesus in everything, look to Him. You believe the eyes of the Holy Spirit; the power of the Holy Spirit is your power, and your value will be manifested. You are among all people, but you are different from all people; you possess the value of Jesus Christ. Hallelujah! When preaching the gospel to others, do not talk about what you have done, nor talk about what our pastor has said, “Our pastor preaches so thoroughly.” Do not promote like that.
Look at a passage, 2 Corinthians 4:5-7,
5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.
You are an earthen vessel, but now what is placed inside you? A treasure. What is this treasure? The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is now placed inside you, and you shine brightly; your value is different; the glory of God shines through you. Look at the people around you like this; do not say, “How do you still have so many bad habits?” You are still looking at people in darkness.
We do not preach ourselves; do not say what I have done, what I can do miracles, what I can discern spirits. You can go aside; just leave Jesus. We preach Christ Jesus as Lord. Do you know what Lord means? King; there is also a point above, the King of kings. What is a king? The greatest one. Amen! Jesus is your Lord; only Jesus is in your heart. When preaching to others, just talk about Jesus, and the glorious light will shine out of darkness. Do you understand? This person is now in darkness, believes in Jesus, but feels very uncomfortable, guilty, and condemned. When you give him Jesus, the glorious light of Jesus will shine into his darkness.
This person originally had a backache; you say, “Haha, standing is such a comfortable thing; look, I can run and jump, and do this and that.” Do you know what this person is thinking? “When you have a backache one day, you will not say this.” This is called “standing and talking without back pain.”
When we give him Jesus, the light inside him will come. Do not give yourself to others; give Jesus to others. When the light of Jesus shines in the darkness, they will have hope. When the light of Jesus is in our hearts, you will no longer be afraid of anything because He will cleanse you, He will lead you, He will guide you to walk in His light. And when you are willing to follow Jesus, when you are willing to live in the light following Jesus, our Lord is joyful.
So, verse 10 says, “I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.”
When we are willing to rely on Jesus in everything, willing to rely on the Holy Spirit, our God's messengers are happy. Amen! Hallelujah! Thank the Lord. I hope today's words bring you some help.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise You! In the past, when we did not know You, we were just a coin, lost in darkness. You came and found us; You shone upon us, allowing us to recognize that we are a coin, valuable. Bring me into Christ; my value is the same as Jesus; I no longer look down on myself, nor do I look down on the brothers and sisters around me. Everyone possesses the image and likeness of Jesus Christ, living out Your likeness in the world. Please help us to look to You in every matter.
Holy Spirit, I thank You for illuminating me through Your word; I am no longer in darkness. You have cleansed me; I am in Your light, carrying the power of Christ. My mouth can build others up; it is not about preaching myself but about preaching Jesus Christ as Lord. He will bring light to those in darkness. Hallelujah! Thank You and praise You. Let me live in Your sunlight every day. Thank You and praise the Lord. In the name of the Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen!