219 - The Father's Love Leads Us to Repentance 7#
219 - The Father's Love Leads Us to Repentance 7
(JP Text Group - Organized by the Little Prince of Heaven)
The seventh lecture on the Father's love leading us to repentance is titled: The Lost Elder Son
Luke 15:25-32
25 At that time, the elder son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked what was going on. 27 The servant replied, "Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound." 28 The elder brother became angry and refused to go in.
So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, "Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!" 31 "My son," the father said, "you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found."
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise You! Thank You for granting us the beginning of this new week. We are willing to turn to You at all times, to understand the Father's love, and to live with strength in Your love. I come once again to seek Your words, help me through Your words, renew me, let me understand Your love, understand Your power, and live with this love to lead a different life. Guide us during this time so that we can all gain something. Thank You! In the name of our Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen!
Brothers and sisters, peace in the Lord! Previously, we talked about the issues of the younger son and the elder son; in fact, both of these sons are not good examples. Today we share: The Lost Elder Son. In the story of the prodigal son, many people may have heard interpretations of this scripture, and many, especially those who have believed for many years, have heard the parable of the prodigal son countless times, believing that the elder son is very filial and obedient. Although the elder son has always been in the father's house, do you know the state of these two sons? Both sons have a very distant relationship with their father. Although the elder son is in the father's house, he has never felt the father's love.
How many people believe in Jesus but have never felt the Father's love? Yesterday, while chatting, a sister shared with me about her former church, where everyone seemed to complete tasks, arriving exactly on time and never early, akin to attending and leaving a meeting. As soon as everyone recited the Lord's Prayer, they would leave quickly, so today many people who gather here ask why you don't recite the Lord's Prayer. They have formed a mindset that if they don't recite the Lord's Prayer, they don't dare to leave because there is no closing statement. It's not just her church; the one I used to attend was similar. No one wanted to arrive early, and when they did, they all looked gloomy. When the pastor recited the Lord's Prayer, they would rush out at a speed that didn't require urging. Why is this? It is actually about completing a task, and such people are just like the elder son.
If you say he doesn't gather, he does gather, but his life hasn't changed much. God is God, and he is he; it seems that this God has nothing to do with him, yet he has to listen to this God. Do you know what your relationship with God is? When you come here, the Father hopes you will close your eyes and call Him "Daddy"; this is the shortest prayer. Do you understand?
This morning, my younger son, because he was playing, locked himself in the room. He is two years old and locked himself in without a key. What should be done? Should I criticize him from outside? Blame him for locking himself in? Don’t you know it’s dangerous? Can’t you see the door? Saying these things is useless. What is he calling for inside? Daddy. Why doesn’t he say, "The one with the gift of interpretation, the one who cooks better, the teacher"? Why doesn’t he use these? He only calls for Daddy and Mommy! Are you willing to save him? Is he playing too much? Is it his own consequence? But do you want to save him? Yes.
Brothers and sisters, think about your relationship with the Heavenly Father in this way. Many times, it’s not about how I am so corrupt that I locked myself in. What’s the use of saying these things? Do you think it’s better to repent like this, "Come save me"? It’s not like that. No matter how you are now, maybe you say I am weak and have fallen, just call out "Daddy"! He will be willing to save you because He loves you and cares for you.
It’s not what you do that makes Him love you, but because He loves you, He cares about what you do. Amen! Please remember, it’s not what you did that made the Father love you, and you will not change the Father’s love for you by doing more. When you call out "Heavenly Father Abba," you only know one thing: He is your Daddy, so He is willing to save you. Hallelujah!
Romans 8:14-15,
14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father!"
How do you become a child of God? It’s not by doing good deeds or attending gatherings to become a child of God; it’s because those who are led by the Spirit of God, at the moment you believe in Jesus, the Holy Spirit dwells in you, and you begin to be led by the Spirit of God; you are a child of God. If every time you come to church, you are very afraid, thinking that if I don’t gather this time, God will somehow bring me trouble to make me listen to Him, that is the heart of a servant. The Spirit you received is the spirit of sonship; only a son has the right to call out, "Abba, Father!" Amen! Many people are clearly sons but act like servants, which is very pitiful. Therefore, prayer becomes very formulaic. As I have shared before, sitting in the high heavens, "Holy and Righteous Lord," every time I hear such prayers, I feel that this God is very far away, and I don’t know if He can hear my prayers.
But if you call out Daddy, how far is He from you? He is right there with you. This morning, I specifically demonstrated this; there was just a door separating me from my son. Can you understand that feeling? When he calls out to me, I say, "Don’t be afraid, Daddy is here." Brothers and sisters, do you know that we are very close to the Heavenly Father? It’s just that you feel like you are sitting in the high heavens, and then you think the Father is very far from you, but in reality, He is very close to you. Amen! Thank and praise the Lord!
Now let’s look at the elder son. Where is the elder son coming back from? Verse 25: "At that time, the elder son was in the field."
What was he doing in the field? Working. From a worldly perspective, isn’t this son commendable? Look at him diligently working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing not far from the house, which proves something unusual. If every time he came home, there was music and dancing, would the elder son be surprised? No. He would say it’s normal; my family has parties every day. But today’s situation is very special, so he called over a servant and asked, "What happened?" The servant might happily say, "Your brother has come back."
Now think about what the elder son’s face looked like at that moment. Would he happily say, "Really? My brother has come back?" Or would he have a dark face? The servant said, "Your father has killed the fattened calf because he has returned safe and sound." Isn’t that like stabbing a knife into his heart? This servant really doesn’t know how to speak. Who asked you to mention the fattened calf? As a result, after hearing such an explanation from the servant, the elder son became very angry. The elder son heard from the servant that his brother had returned and was accepted by the father, restored to his position, and he couldn’t help but burn with anger. He began to complain about these two people, refusing to enter the banquet, staying outside the door, openly expressing his dissatisfaction with what his father had done, so the father had to come out to talk to him.
Two very similar scenes appeared again. The elder son refused to go in, and his father came out to persuade him. Is this scene familiar? The first time with the younger son, didn’t the father also come out? What did the younger son say to the father before? "Give me my share of the estate." He wanted to leave you. Isn’t that the meaning? Now what about the elder son?
The elder son was very angry. He said to his father, "Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends."
In fact, what the elder son is saying now is also humiliating his father; he has been rejecting his father all along. Why is the elder son so angry? The reason is simple: he feels very uncomfortable spending so much money to host a banquet. He believes his brother does not deserve all this; who should deserve it? It should be him. Yet his brother received it, so why not him?
So he said to his father, "You never gave me even a young goat." In his heart, isn’t this father very stingy? "I have served you for so many years, and you have never given me a young goat to celebrate with my friends. Now you actually killed the fattened calf for him." The fattened calf is just a representation because the cost of the banquet the father prepared far exceeds the price of the fattened calf. Although the fattened calf is expensive, inviting people to sit at the table costs much more than the fattened calf. Amen!
Here I want to reveal a spiritual mystery to everyone. You know, when our Heavenly Father gave up Jesus to die for us, was His heart not in great pain? But do you know what causes our Heavenly Father the most pain? You killed the fattened calf, yet you refuse to go in and eat, and you are still complaining. Isn’t this a tragic situation for mankind? They do not understand the heart of the Father. They do not know the great price our Heavenly Father paid for our salvation. Thank and praise the Lord! So the elder son is very excessive; he begins to settle accounts with his father. Let’s take a look at what a son living under the law, a self-centered son who exchanges demands for blessings, says.
In verse 29, he says to his father: "Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat to celebrate with my friends."
Who is his focus? This is a characteristic of a person living under the law. His focus is never on the father but on himself. A person living under the law is centered on how I am doing, how I am... When he is not satisfied, or when he does not get what he wants, he begins to complain. The elder son suddenly starts to settle accounts with his father, saying, "I have served you for so many years. Isn’t it time to settle the total?" "I worked hard for you and got so little, and you never gave me a young goat, while this son did nothing, and you actually gave him the fattened calf."
The elder son’s anger further humiliates the father. He does not have the proper attitude of a son towards his father, especially in public. Once the bottom line under the law is broken, the true nature of a person is revealed. Was the elder son pretending before? He was just enduring; it’s just that now that the younger son has returned, all his bottom lines have been broken, and he can no longer bear it. In verse 29, there is a word in the original text that is not translated in the Chinese version, meaning "Look, I have served you for so many years." He is actually saying to his father: "Look, I did all this work; I have served you for so many years." He means, "Did you not see?" In a culturally significant Middle Eastern region, the elder son’s behavior is also an attitude that the father absolutely cannot tolerate.
If placed in today’s context, it’s like a son writing a memoir to humiliate his father, saying, "For so many years, I have done this for you... but you have given me nothing." He shows that this father is stingy, emotionless, and lacks familial affection. His behavior actually ruins his father’s reputation and career. How does this father love this elder son? What should we do when faced with such a son? Should we love him?
If there are many people around you still living under the law, still relying on their efforts to exchange for God’s blessings, when you do not meet their demands, they begin to complain about you, slander you, and even defame you, what should you do? You should accept them with love, just as this father loves the elder son. In that era, if the elder son said such words to his father, the father could have driven this rebellious son out of the house. However, this father once again responds to his son with incredibly gentle words. What did he say to his son?
Let’s look at verses 31-32,
The father said to him, "Son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found."
In the father’s eyes, what he possesses is joy and happiness. But in the heart of an elder son filled with the law, what does he possess? Jealousy and unfairness. The father’s meaning is: "Son, no matter how you publicly confront me, I still hope you can come to my banquet. I have not given up on your brother, nor will I abandon you." This is an unexpectedly loving and gracious father. The story ends here. The story does not say whether the elder son ultimately went into the banquet or not. Do you think the elder son went in? Yes, that’s great; your hearts are filled with love.
If someone says he didn’t go in, then you have to wait a bit; perhaps you still can’t bear it or accept the elder son. In fact, it’s not our business; it’s the elder son’s unwillingness to turn back. Is the father charging him for the food he is being offered? No charge. Why doesn’t he want to go in? Just because his brother is sitting inside, he doesn’t want to go in? The banquet is free; why doesn’t he want to go in?
This story is very characteristic; it does not say whether the elder son entered the banquet, but did the younger son enter? He is already inside. When people sin, the sin is obvious; everyone can see it, and such people are easy to repent. What kind of person is the hardest to repent? The one who pretends to be very good, who appears very holy and righteous, and who makes no mistakes. For example, those hypocritical Pharisees and scribes, why is it hard for them to enter? They think they are very good, so they do not need Jesus’ grace; that is the problem.
One day, when we realize we cannot do anything, we have nothing, and we can only rely on Jesus’ grace, we can receive the abundant supply from the Father. Amen! In fact, the elder son Jesus spoke of is truly the Pharisees; they possess the mentality of the elder son, and now Jesus hopes they will respond to the Father. What kind of response should you have towards this God in heaven? Should you go in or not? Now Jesus hopes they will go in with the Father. Amen!
Matthew 13:15, "For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes; otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them."
Why have the people’s hearts become calloused, their ears dull, and their eyes closed? Because they see their own things. If a person always boasts about their achievements and merits, their heart will become calloused, and their eyes will only see their past, unable to see God’s grace. If that’s the case, their eyes are closed; they are unwilling to see anyone and do not believe anyone. How can God change and heal such people? They clearly have a sickness in their hearts but are unwilling to receive healing. It says, "Otherwise, they might understand in their hearts and turn, and I would heal them."
What is the condition here? When we are willing to turn back, God will heal us. Healing is a very simple thing; as long as you are willing and fully believe that God supplies this to you, you can receive it. Amen! Let’s look again; Jesus uses the younger son and the elder son to describe two blessed paths: one is to obey the law and strive to maintain it, while the other is to receive the grace freely given like the younger son. In this parable, the elder son represents a life path of obeying the law and moral standards, which is a path of relying on one’s own efforts to earn God’s blessings.
The Pharisees of Jesus’ time believed they were God’s chosen people, descendants of Abraham, and they had to diligently follow the law to maintain this blessed status. Have you heard this message? That we must work hard to please God to maintain our identity as the righteous, to be blessed? If we don’t work hard, we won’t be blessed. How many people still believe this about God, and they say they must work hard to do good deeds to ultimately be saved? Such people are not even sure whether they are saved. This model has many variations; some may express it differently, but they all believe: only by reaching a certain standard can you be blessed.
For example, how can one receive healing? One must be pure in heart, fully rely on God, and have great faith. So many conditions! We find it very difficult to obtain blessings; the path to blessings seems very hard, like climbing a high mountain with no road. Then you must climb hard, and when you reach the top, you will be blessed. So all people start to climb, and as a result, they all fall down.
If it is so difficult, then what is the purpose of Jesus coming? When we fall, many people will say: "Oh no, you have fallen; God will not let you go; you will suffer God’s punishment and judgment, and the degree of judgment will depend on how deeply you repent to determine your guilt." In this mindset, even after we fail, we feel ashamed to face God, right? A high mountain, you always climb a little and then fall down, and in the end, you say, "I am too ashamed to go up; how could God bless someone like me?" Please remember, this is all the heart of the elder son under the law; they are all trying hard to meet God’s standards.
How many people come to gatherings out of fear of being punished by God? They set up gathering points in their homes to be blessed, and they do various tasks in church, even if their own homes are in disarray, they say they must first clean God’s house. They feel they must go; they cannot not go; they cannot offend this God. They dare not relax even a little before God, always fearing they cannot meet God’s requirements, and then things will go wrong at home. Such people are just like the elder son, relying on their own efforts to obtain God’s blessings.
We see the younger son; in the parable, the younger son represents receiving everything from the father. After the younger son returned, what did he have? Nothing at all; he completely received everything given by his father, having nothing of his own and being unable to do anything. If he really had a skill, could he have ended up in this situation? No, he couldn’t do anything and couldn’t repay his father for anything.
But in front of such a father, he receives blessings; we call this grace freely given. And when the younger son receives all this, can he feel his father’s love? Yes, even though he has failed so completely, he understands one thing: his father’s love and blessings have not diminished. Hallelujah! Brothers and sisters, even when you are weak, when you fail, when you fall, please remember one thing: the Father’s love for you has never diminished. Hallelujah!
In this, both sons are lost. It is easy to see the sins of the younger son, squandering the family’s wealth and ruining everything. His problems are recognizable; he has humiliated the family, living a reckless and indulgent life, completely unrestrained and far from his father. In this, the father represents our Heavenly Father, telling us one thing: such a wayward person will definitely be rejected by God because he does not deserve to receive such grace.
The elder son thinks this way too, but when we focus on the elder son, we find that this son is good; he completely obeys his father’s words, is obedient to the commandments, and is entirely under his father’s control. Moreover, he is self-disciplined and restrained. Did he eat the goat when the father didn’t let him? No, he didn’t. Did he go to work in the field when the father asked him to? Yes.
Are there many Christians living like this? Every week they gather; you say pray, and they go; you say training, and they participate. But for so many years, their hearts are filled with bitterness. What’s going on? The elder son’s way of serving. In our view, according to worldly standards, the younger son is the rebellious son, and the elder son is the filial son, right? But in fact, what is it? Both sons are lost sons.
Both sons have a very distant relationship with their father, humiliating him. The father personally goes to welcome them, letting them return to enjoy this banquet. Isn’t this the same? At first, the younger son returned, and the father welcomed him. The younger son knew he was unworthy and still accepted his father’s blessing. The elder son returned from the field, looking presentable and still working; doesn’t he have the capital to boast? The father still goes to welcome him, saying, "Come in and eat with us." He refuses to go in; he is angry. He humiliates his father and is unwilling to enjoy his father’s loving banquet. So in this story, both sons are lost.
But Jesus brings out an unexpected ending: the elder son remains in a state of distance from his father, while the younger son enters the banquet. The wayward one goes in, while the morally upright one stays outside. It is not that the father does not let him in; it is that he is unwilling to enter. Does God not want to bless you? Some people are unwilling to be blessed! They say, "Why should You bless him?" If you have such thoughts, you are unwilling to receive God’s blessings because your heart is filled with jealousy. The elder son does not lose his father’s love because of his bad behavior; how does the elder son lose his father’s love? Precisely because of his good behavior.
Some may say: "If you say this, does it mean we don’t need to have good behavior?" No, we need to have good behavior, but good behavior is absolutely not a condition for us to boast or earn God’s favor. Amen! For the elder son, it is not his sins that create a barrier between him and his father, but rather his own righteousness and pride that create a gap between him and his father. The more he works, the heavier his complaints about his father become, doesn’t it?
If he works from early morning until evening, and at the end of the day he says: "Really, I don’t even know if I can get a goat to eat," then the next day he goes out and works another full day, and when he comes back, he complains again: "I’ve worked for a year, and you don’t even know to get a goat for me." He just complains and does not pray to God. How many Christians complain like this? "Lord, why don’t You heal me?" The next day they endure the pain and go to work, and in the evening they say: "Lord, why don’t You heal me?" God says: "Why don’t you pray?"
Many people do not believe, you know? They do not believe their father will give them anything. Have they ever asked their father? No, isn’t this very clear? "Son, everything I have is yours." Why did the father say this to him? If you want a goat, what should you do? This is all yours; how can you live so foolishly?
Many Christians are like this, wanting God’s blessings but not daring to ask, saying that it is God’s, not theirs. But what does God say? "Everything is yours." If you don’t want it, that’s your problem. So the elder son tries hard to think: Maybe my behavior is not good enough, so I work hard... but he keeps thinking about that goat, and the father never gives it to him, so he accumulates a lot of pride and anger in his heart. His good behavior, in the eyes of the world, looks very honest; he works hard, but his heart is already filled with bitterness.
It is not the elder son’s faults that prevent him from enjoying the father’s banquet; it is precisely because of his self-righteousness that he is unwilling to go in. We should take the elder son as a cautionary tale because we can easily fall into the elder son’s lost state. Do you understand? We can remind each other to be cautious about the younger son’s problems, but are we easily falling into the elder son’s problems? Because pride can cause us to lose ourselves. The mindsets of these two brothers actually represent two life paths. What does the younger son desire most in life? At first, he did not want to live under his father’s discipline; he wanted to control his share of the family property. How did he do it? Boldly asking. Everyone, this is what we need to learn.
The younger son said, "I want it, so I will boldly tell you," but he just said it a bit excessively. So the state of the younger son at that time completely subverted the social moral norms of the time; he lived entirely for himself. What does the elder son desire most? It’s actually very simple; he wants to be like his brother. When his brother said, "Father, give me my share of the estate; I want to go out," with gold and silver treasures, he left. What did his brother think? In fact, he also wanted to live that way, but he was restrained by the law and did not dare to ask, so he pretended at home. Can you imagine how painful that must be? How many people serve like this, believing like this, wanting but not daring to ask, and if they don’t want it, they feel uncomfortable, living in constant conflict.
In fact, the elder son wants the same things as his brother; he loves the inheritance more than his father. In fact, in his eyes, his father is not as important as a young goat. You can imagine that this elder son is actually not much different from the younger son. However, when his brother left, he stayed by his father’s side and never disobeyed his father. What does the request he makes in his heart mean?
Let me explain the elder son’s thoughts to you. What does the elder son want to say? "I have never disobeyed your commands; now let me live according to my own wishes." Isn’t that the meaning? He later says, "You have never given me a young goat to celebrate with my friends," which means, "Let me live for myself for once." What did his father say? "Go ahead; this is originally yours." Isn’t that a pity?
The intentions of the two brothers are the same; they both resent their father’s authority and resent living under their father’s authority. They are both looking for ways to break free, wanting to stand in a position above their father to command him. In other words, both sons are rebellious; one behaves poorly while the other has an extremely good attitude, but both hearts are far from their father. They are both lost sons. Let’s look at what the Pharisees were like at that time and how Jesus evaluated this group of people.
Matthew 15:7-9,
7 "You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: 8 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 9 They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.'"
If you replace the hypocritical Pharisees here with the elder son, isn’t that very accurate? How does the elder son treat his father? When the father says, "Go feed the sheep today," how does the elder son respond? "Okay, Father." Do you know how interesting that expression is? If a son has reached this point, from the outside, this son appears very respectful! But what is he thinking inside? "Oh, he’s making me work again."
This is to say they honor me with their lips, which is respect on the surface, but their hearts are far from God. Think about it; does the elder son have friends? Yes, otherwise he wouldn’t ask for a goat to celebrate with his friends. What would his friends say about him? "You have so much wealth, but none of it belongs to you; it’s all your father’s. You want a goat, and your father won’t even give you one." You can imagine how those who are friends of the law would incite him, slander him, and attack him; there’s nothing else. In this situation, the elder son’s heart has already twisted.
Now, why does Jesus tell us all this? What is this story about? Both sons do not love their father; they only use their father to achieve their own purposes. Isn’t this similar to many religions in the world? Many religions use human reasoning to instruct people, throwing God’s words aside; these are religious legalists. Both sons want to get something from their father but are unwilling to want their father. It is not just about believing in their father, enjoying him, and serving him; they merely want to use their father.
If we do not understand the Father’s love, we will act this way: "I did something, so you should give me something." This is a transactional heart. This indicates that no matter who it is, even if we diligently work, shouting to uphold the Ten Commandments, it is possible that we are the very people who violate the Father’s heart and distance ourselves from God. But although both sons are lost, how does the father act?
He invites both sons to enter the banquet. That said, do not hate those living under the law, nor defame them. Amen! What is our Heavenly Father’s intention? He also hopes they enter the banquet and enjoy this abundant grace like us; this is the heart of our Heavenly Father. You must not treat your elder brother as an enemy to attack him; can you understand?
Although they are under the law, you must never attack them; they just have not understood yet and are still relying on their own efforts to exchange for blessings. What should you do? Pray for them and bless them. Amen! You should know that although they are all going their own way, the father still loves them. The Jesus we believe in is not a religion, nor is He anti-law or anti-moralism; I just want everyone to understand what the gospel is.
What is the gospel? Even though you are not good, the Heavenly Father still loves you. Even though you have many weaknesses and many transgressions, this father has never abandoned you; this is good news for us. Even if we have nothing, the Heavenly Father is willing to give you everything through Jesus. So you say: "I have lost my life and ruined my inheritance." If you are willing to return to the Father’s love and simply receive His love, God is willing to give this to you; we call this the gospel, also known as good news.
Jesus Christ is the beginning of good news and the end of good news. The gospel itself begins with Jesus Christ, so if we leave Jesus, there is no gospel to speak of. The Heavenly Father has granted you this banquet at a cost; He only asks you one question: Are you willing to come in? From the perspective of the gospel, both of them have gone the wrong way, but they are both loved by the Father. Amen! No matter what happens to you, what grievances you suffer, or what you lose, even if you go the wrong way and do the wrong things, the Heavenly Father still loves you.
The two people in the story do not have the same ending; it is not that the father is unwilling to give them anything; it is just that their choices are different. For 1500 years under the law, there was not one righteous person among the Jewish people, please remember, wanting to exchange for God’s grace and blessings means saying, "I will work hard to do something to let God bless me," which is still the heart of the law.
The Israelites lived under the law for 1500 years, and not one was righteous; even the best, David, failed, and Moses also failed. Although they were called people after God’s own heart, they still failed. Amen! Do not rely on yourself to exchange for God’s blessings. Under grace, it is through what Jesus has done that God wants to give this blessing freely to you. What is the difference between the two? One is striving to earn God’s blessings through good behavior, while under grace, what does it look like? Knowing that God has already blessed you, you do things not to please God but because you know He loves you, and you do things with God’s power.
Just like Jesus, when He came out of the Jordan River after being baptized, a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." At that time, did Jesus do any work? Did He perform any miracles? Did He heal anyone? Did He preach any gospel? No. He did nothing, yet the Heavenly Father said, "I am pleased with you; you are my beloved Son."
Brothers and sisters, I also hope you keep this in your heart: It is not because of what you have done that you become God’s beloved Son, but because of the blood of Jesus Christ, His salvation makes you God’s beloved Son. Knowing you are God’s beloved Son, you carry the power, authority, and glory of this love and then do things. Jesus is like this. Amen! When Jesus stood before Lazarus’ tomb, He said: "Father, I know that you always hear my prayers." Why was Jesus so confident? Because He never forgot that He is the beloved Son of the Heavenly Father. Amen! When do we become weak? When we forget that you are loved by the Heavenly Father, it is easy to become weak; when you forget that you are redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, the Heavenly Father has accepted you. If you forget all this, you will forget how God sees you. Thank and praise the Lord!
We are all under the grace of the New Testament; even the worst among us can call out, "Abba, Father!" and let Him save you. Amen! Just like when the younger son returned, he had nothing and was covered in filth, yet the father still accepted him. Are you stronger than the younger son? You say: "Yes, but it’s about the same." Regardless, please remember one thing: your Heavenly Father still accepts you. Do not look at how corrupt you are, do not look at how many problems you have; you should look up to your Heavenly Father, who is today opening His arms to embrace you. Amen! Because Jesus is your Savior, He has justified you.
We have been saying that the best person under the law cannot be justified, but under grace, even the worst person can be changed. Under the grace of Jesus, many tax collectors, prostitutes, soldiers, and fishermen have changed. It is not that they worked hard to please God with their behavior; it is precisely because they understood their identity, knew they were accepted by the Heavenly Father, and understood they were forgiven sinners that their behavior changed. Hallelujah!
It is not that we need good behavior under the law, and under grace, we do not need it; we all need good behavior and to be examples to the world. Jesus did not say that we do not need good behavior under grace. At that time, Jesus once said: "Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." What does this mean? Do the Pharisees and teachers of the law have righteousness? Does it mean that if we do not have self-righteousness, we cannot enter heaven? In fact, what He means is: they have good behavior in front of people, referring to this. Amen!
Under grace, what should we learn? You should emulate the elder son’s good behavior in front of people, but where does this power come from? Understanding that you are loved by God produces this good behavior. When you work, you do not complain. Amen! How many people work while complaining? In fact, this is the mindset of the law. What is the other kind? Singing while working. Which kind of life do you want to live? "I don’t want to work while singing." In fact, work must be done by someone because the Bible tells us: "Do not be lazy, but be diligent in doing good." This means God hopes we are diligent people, but what kind of mindset should we have while working? Understanding that you are loved by God, you are already blessed, and you are blessing others.
As a full-time housewife, this work is not something many people can see. Sometimes while doing it, it may not even be understood, so many housewives complain while cooking, scolding their husbands, and criticizing their in-laws for being blind, not even looking at the children, and complaining for many years. But when you understand that the Heavenly Father calls you His beloved, you are a person who is pleasing to God. When you cook, you hold the family’s food supply in your hands; you control their lifeline; you are a person who can bless them.
When the mindset shifts, when you do these things, doesn’t your heart become joyful? You might even sing while cooking, seeing God’s wonderful works in various ingredients, doing things as a blessing, and your heart is filled with joy, and the family will change because of your blessing.
The same goes for work, so brothers and sisters, remember one thing: we do not work hard to please people to bless us, but because we are already blessed. If you do not cook, your husband will starve; some may say, "Is that so exaggerated?" I have truly encountered many such people. When the husband is busy outside and has no time to cook, the wife has been cooking at home for many years. There was a time when this wife went back to her parents’ house, and what did the husband do at home? Within a week, he became emaciated, eating instant noodles every day, unable to cook, and not even knowing where to find things. If you are that housewife, wouldn’t you feel a sense of accomplishment? Haha, you can’t live without me!
In reality, this is the case; everyone’s role and position are different, but everyone is important. Hallelujah! Just like you in the church, I stand in this position, and you stand in that position. Our positions are different, but everyone is extremely important before God and plays an irreplaceable role before God. Hallelujah!
But we need to cooperate with each other. Thank and praise the Lord! But you must remember one thing: no matter what God asks you to do, you do it with a grateful heart because God has already blessed you and accepted you. Hallelujah! No longer needing to rely on our own achievements to gain God’s blessings, recognition, and grace, God has already given us all His grace, granting us peace, completeness, and prosperity, and then we do all these things. No matter what you do, you are joyful. Hallelujah! Thank and praise the Lord!
Let us pray to God together:
Heavenly Father! We thank and praise You! Thank You for letting us understand through these words that although the elder son diligently does things, he lives under the law. We do not want to live like this, merely appearing close to God while our hearts are far from Him. Our thoughts and intentions are before You; we are blessed. It is not about striving to be blessed by God, but through the sacrifice and redemption of Jesus Christ, I have already been blessed. Let me see everyone through Jesus’ eyes, and there are still some people living under the law, but they still need the Father’s love. We can invite them to enter this banquet together; this is the heart of our Heavenly Father. It is Your love that leads us to repentance. May every brother and sister see the Father’s love in this new week. Thank and praise You! All glory be to You, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen!
Lift up my head
You know me by my name; Your unceasing love embraces me.
You clothe me with garments of righteousness and holiness, allowing me to live out God’s glory.
You know me by my name; Your unceasing love embraces me.
You clothe me with garments of righteousness and holiness, allowing me to live out God’s glory.
Do not be discouraged or disheartened; relying on the Lord, you will lack nothing.
Almighty God, loving Lord, You help me with a smiling face.
My strength and salvation, my fortress and high tower.
Who is like You, supporting me and answering my cries?
I will lift up my head, looking to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Glorious King, my shield all around me.
I will lift up my head, singing Hallelujah.
Loudly proclaiming, I will rely on the Lord for victory all my life!
Lead the Holy Communion:
Heavenly Father! We thank You for giving us Your body at this time, allowing us to rely on Jesus Christ here, so we can receive Your heavenly health. In the name of our Lord Jesus! We set this bread apart. From this moment on, it is no longer ordinary bread; it is the body of Jesus Christ given for us.
Lord, You have given us the Holy Communion to commemorate You, so through this Holy Communion, let us remember we are the beloved sons of God. The Son of God, Jesus, is healthy, so today we can receive Your health through the Holy Communion. Hallelujah! Through the Holy Communion, we once again reflect on all that Jesus You have done for us. When we know that by Your stripes we are healed, we are willing to receive Your healing before You. Our healing does not come from our good behavior, how great our achievements are, or how many people we have served, but precisely because of what You have done for me.
Heavenly Father, we thank You! So each of us now offers a prayer before God. Please remember, receiving healing is not because of what you have done, but because of whom you believe. The Father’s healing is free and unearned; it is not the result of your efforts but the result of your belief. So today, do you believe that Jesus is willing to heal you? If you believe, all diseases, no matter what they are, have no power to remain on you because you know you are the same as Jesus.
The Heavenly Father has accepted you. When Jesus was beaten, it was to let you be healed. Today, at this moment, receive the Father’s healing; receive the healing that comes from Jesus right now. When you touch this bread, you must believe this is the body of Jesus. When you touch it, this power will enter you, restoring your health. Each of us can pray before God. What do you hope Jesus will do for you? Which part can He heal you? Pray for yourself. Let’s open our mouths to pray. Each of us can open our hearts before God to pray. If you can speak in tongues, you can use tongues; if not, you can pray with understanding; it doesn’t matter. Try to call out once...
Heavenly Father! We also set this cup apart in the name of Jesus. From this moment on, it is no longer an ordinary cup; it is the precious blood of Jesus Christ shed for us. When You shed the precious blood, all our sins were forgiven, and You made us clean. Today, when we stand before You, we are clothed in the clean body of Jesus Christ, in the clean robe of righteousness.
Heavenly Father, no matter how many grievances we have in our hearts from the past week, how many problems, how much guilt and shame, in the name of our Lord Jesus, I now command all of it to fall away from you. You must remember one thing: the blood of Jesus has completely cleansed you. No matter how you are, He has made you clean, so please remember you are loved by God, the son or daughter loved by the Heavenly Father.
No matter what, please remember this is your identity; no one can take this identity away from you. It is not because of your good behavior, but precisely because of the blood of Jesus Christ; He has changed everything, allowing the Father’s love and blessings to remain on you without decrease. Hallelujah! Thank and praise the Lord!
Let us together offer prayers before God for these matters, giving your gratitude to our Heavenly Father. Let you remember it is not what you have done that makes the Father love you more, but because the Father loves you, you are more willing to live for the Lord and do something for the Lord, being a good example before the world.
Heavenly Father, we thank You! Thank You for leading us, leading us through this time, allowing us to live in Your love and receive Your love to live. Thank and praise the Lord!