237 - Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life#
237 - Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life
(JP Text Group - Life Like an Eagle)
New Testament Bible, John 14:1-7
1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going." 5 Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" 6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."
Let us pray together**:**
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise You, thank You for starting a new week for us. In this gathering, we receive Your strength and supply. Through Your words, renew our thoughts and minds once again, let us focus on Jesus Christ, for You are our way, truth, and life. We are willing to live out Your abundant life. We are willing that the path in this world is no longer rugged and muddy, but to walk forward with You. Lord, place Your truth in our hearts, and let us follow You alone. Bless every brother and sister who seeks You, we pray in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!
Sharing Topic: Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life
In the time of Jesus, it was the era of Roman rule, and there were three things that could be boasted about. The first was the Roman roads. When you mention the Roman roads, you think of all roads leading to Rome. During that time, the roads were quite developed. A country with developed roads also means that its economy is developed; one of the things they boasted about was the Roman roads. The second was Greek philosophy, and the third was Jewish religion.
The construction of Roman roads was top-notch. All roads lead to Rome, but none of the roads leading to Rome could tell you how to reach eternal life. The Romans did not know because they had not built such a road. Even if you walked on the Roman roads, you would ultimately be on the road to death.
The second was Greek philosophy. Greek philosophy was indeed brilliant, but you could not find the truth in Greek philosophy. What you need to learn is not philosophy, but the truth. The two main philosophical schools in Greece eventually led to extremes. One was hedonism, also known as indulgence. The more popular was the Eleatic school. You may not know what this school is, but you may have heard of one person, Aristotle.
Aristotle believed that there are many pleasures and pains in life, and one should take corresponding actions to pursue pleasurable things and avoid painful things; enjoying one day of happiness is happiness, that was their viewpoint. This hedonism is often linked with individualism and materialism, which is a very narrow-minded hedonism, extreme hedonism.
Has the world today become like this? Are there many gold-digging women and sons? Are there more and more people whose goal is money? This is indeed a form of hedonism. This hedonism causes great harm to people, leading to spiritual decay, causing a huge waste of social wealth and resources, and creating tension in interpersonal relationships because everyone is only concerned about money or their own betterment, and they do not care whether others live or die, which is not conducive to harmony and stability.
One is asceticism. You may not know what this asceticism is, but it is called the Cynic school. You may not have heard of this school, but have you heard of Socrates and Plato? They were master and disciple. Why did these two famous philosophers end up in two extremes? One is enjoyment, whatever is comfortable, the other asceticism is mainly about self-discipline.
The person in the picture is the founder of the Cynic school; he lived in a large jar and wore only a piece of rag to cover himself. Why did he live there? They believed that the human body is evil and should not let the body live too comfortably; one must abandon all worldly pursuits of wealth and honor, and must embrace poverty. They advocated freedom, to what extent? Not needing to build a house, just sleeping in a jar, living however one wants; this is actually another form of hedonism. Why is it called the Cynic school? In the morning, after crawling out of the jar, he would relieve himself by the roadside, not caring at all whether the world had civilization, not caring how others viewed him, with no sense of shame whatsoever.
He felt that people simply do not understand him, "Everyone is drunk, only I am awake." Two very famous schools eventually led to extremes; at that time, the two most famous schools had no truth. Without truth, people began to search: how should I live? These are two extremes; they are lost. Without truth, everyone will ultimately be lost.
The third was the Jewish religion. When mentioning Judaism, it still has a very mysterious color today; people feel that Judaism is very mysterious and peculiar. At that time, Judaism attracted many Gentiles, so they began to be circumcised and started to observe the laws and regulations of Judaism to become Jews, becoming devout believers. In Jewish religion, you cannot find life. The Judaism of Jesus' time had only form and no content, like the fig tree that bore no fruit, only leaves but no fruit. It was in such a world, where everyone was lost, unable to find the way, unable to find life, unable to find truth, that Jesus made a world-shaking declaration: I am the way, the truth, and the life. In a time when everyone was lost, Jesus made such a declaration to tell us: No one can come to the Father except through me. This is a very great declaration, made by Lord Jesus, and it is directed to all people in the world.
Those who do not believe in Jesus cannot escape these three aspects: Where is your life heading? Where is your path in life? What do you rely on to live? You are merely imitating others. We know that Jesus is the ultimate answer. Why does Jesus call himself the way, the truth, and the life? Because in that era, people had no way. Let us look at this,
First: Jesus is the way. In the original Greek, it is stated with a definite article: Jesus is the only way. There are many roads in this world; why is Jesus the only way? Because only this unique way can lead you to the kingdom of heaven, connecting you with the Heavenly Father. This way is not an ordinary road, but the road to eternal life. Look at John the Baptist's father, Zechariah, who, filled with the Holy Spirit, prophesied about John the Baptist,
Luke 1:76-79
76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, 77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, 78 because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven 79 to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace."
This describes the work of John the Baptist; he was to go before the Lord, referring to Jesus, to prepare the way for Jesus Christ. What kind of way was he preparing? To let His people know salvation through the forgiveness of their sins. At that time, the Israelites, who revered Judaism, had problems; they could not find life within a religion. So John the Baptist came and said, "Come to me for baptism, confess your sins, and let your sins be forgiven."
How to be forgiven? By waiting for the one who comes after me; I baptize you with water, but he who comes after me will baptize you with fire and the Holy Spirit. Is this preparing for salvation? To let people know what salvation is and who salvation is. The work of John the Baptist is to let you know who salvation is. You are doing the same thing as John the Baptist today; you tell the world where your way is, which is Jesus.
Because of our God's tender mercy, the rising sun will come to us from heaven. **Everyone needs sunlight, but today the true way comes from heaven to earth, to guide your steps. After Jesus Christ came, He let the people know salvation through the forgiveness of sins; this is the content of the gospel we preach to others. Tell others that because of Jesus, your sins are forgiven.
To shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, those in the darkness of death have no way to go; Jesus came and gave them a way, a way to eternal life, guiding our feet into the path of peace. Brothers and sisters, after you believe in Jesus, where do your feet go? To the path of peace. If after believing in Jesus, you become increasingly uneasy, you need to examine what you believe; is it truly the way of Jesus or the way of Judaism? Many people today believe in Judaism; many people believe in merely a denomination, so they lose peace and the peace they should have.
Last week, a sister chatted with me; she said: After understanding the gospel of grace, I could no longer stay in the original church. I asked her what happened, and she said, "In their church, there is a sister who is a very devout servant; her daughter fell ill and died. The pastor said this sister had too many sins and cursed her daughter every day, causing her daughter to die... This conclusion is incorrect; this pastor has directly condemned two people, one is this sister, and the other is her daughter.
Under such doctrine, how can there be peace? After Jesus Christ came, He wants to guide your feet into the path of peace. The reason for losing peace is that we have no peaceful way in this world. Now that Jesus has come, He wants to lead your feet to the path of peace. Every time you come before Jesus, your path should be the path of peace. This peace does not mean that you will no longer encounter pitfalls on the road; it means that your heart is always at peace, and God will not place such burdens on you! Amen!
God will absolutely not let you curse someone to death! He has never given you that authority. Why do we believe wrongly to this extent? When encountering similar teachings, just directly reject them: In the name of Lord Jesus, your words are invalid, Amen! Because the light of Lord Jesus shines in the darkness, it is to guide my feet to His path of peace. The Bible tells us that as long as we preach the truth of Jesus and His peace, He will save us from darkness, forgive our sins, and ultimately guide our feet to His path of peace. Through Jesus, we have a new way.
Hebrews 10:19-20
19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body.
Why is it mentioned as a new and living way here? The past way was an old way, leading to death. Now, because of the blood of Jesus, you are on this "living" way; it is not the result of your efforts, but the result of your choice to believe in Jesus Christ. It is the blood of Jesus that changes all your paths.
In the past, there was a way that people thought was correct, but ultimately led to death. But now it is different; when you accept Jesus, His blood changes your entire path. This is why many people, after believing in Jesus, find that many friends disappear; God opens a new path ahead of them, and they meet some new people, interacting with these people in a new way of thinking because you have a new road.
Let me share a testimony, and perhaps you will have this concept. Before believing in Jesus, I did not know there were Christians around me. After believing in Jesus, I found so many Christians! It is a strange phenomenon; did these people not exist before? They all existed; after you believe in the Lord, these people pop up. They tell you, "I also believe in Jesus!" You wonder how you did not know! This is God opening a new path for you. Through the body of Jesus, He has opened a new and living way for us. Since it is a new way, it is different from the old way of Judaism; that is a dead end, and the religious path is also a dead end! Even if the Roman roads are so developed, they still lead to death. Do those roads no longer exist? But today, the way to eternal life through Jesus is still there; this is a new road.
A living way refers to what? It brings you not death, but a living way, a living way. Hallelujah! Brothers and sisters, do you know what life is? Why is it not called life and death? Life is life; God hopes you carry His life and live out His likeness; this is called living. If you do not have Jesus, how can you have His life, and how can you live out His life? Some people say, "Why is my life so miserable?" It is because of the lack of Jesus; Jesus is life! Without His life, how can you walk on the right path? There is simply no way! Through Jesus, a new and living way has been opened for you; congratulations! Those who have accepted Jesus are on this path of life. Amen!
Second: Jesus is the only truth. Jesus can absolutely say: I am the only truth. Apart from Him, there is no truth. This truth is different from the truths of the world; this truth is alive. When you read many books in this world, do they not have reasoning? But having reasoning does not mean having life. Do you understand this? Why does the truth of Jesus have life? Because Jesus Himself is the truth. Let us look at a passage of scripture:
John 18:37-38
37 "You are a king, then!" said Pilate. Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. I was born for this, I came into the world for this, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." 38 "What is truth?" retorted Pilate. With this, he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, "I find no basis for a charge against him."
Was Pilate truly seeking the truth? He asked Jesus, "Many people say you are a king; tell me, are you a king?" At that time, Jesus said something that Pilate did not quite understand: "I am a king! I was born for this, and I came into this world to testify to the truth." Jesus came to testify to the truth; He Himself is the truth, so He can testify to the truth. Otherwise, how could you testify to the truth? Everyone on the side of truth listens to my words, meaning: If you are willing to obey the truth, willing to listen to the truth, willing to seek it, He will let you find it. Pilate asked, "What is truth?" Did Jesus answer? Why did Jesus not answer? Because Pilate had just finished asking and walked away. How many people pray like this? "Lord, tell me what I should do?" After praying, they leave, and the Lord has not had time to speak to you yet, and you are already gone.
Pilate was like this; what is truth? Then he went out to the Jews and said, "I find no basis for a charge against him." Jesus had not answered yet; why are you in such a hurry? Many times we are too anxious. Here is a suggestion: After every prayer, no matter how long or short, can you leave a moment of quiet to listen to see if there is a word inside you? Give the Lord a chance to say something to you! We are usually too busy; many people pray formulaically, "Anyway, I prayed today, thank the Lord, you give me... Lord, what should I do? In the name of Lord Jesus, I pray!" Finished, and off they go, doing whatever they need to do. Can you quiet down and give Him some time? If you keep seeking the truth, Jesus is the truth! Do not look for it elsewhere.
John 1:14
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Brothers and sisters, what does it mean that the Word became flesh? I ask you, your flesh is born of your parents; how did Jesus get this body? Do not say it was born of Joseph and Mary. It was conceived by the Holy Spirit. How can the Holy Spirit become a person? What does it mean to be conceived? Here I want to tell you why He is the truth and why He is life; the word of God itself has power. This powerful word lets you see with your own eyes that this word ultimately became a person.
Have you seen many mythological stories? A monkey hair can turn into a monkey; our Lord, His word became a person, allowing you to see with your own eyes, and His name is Jesus. Through Jesus, you can see that He is the living Word. Many people in China are seeking this Word, which is actually seeking the truth. The way that can be told is not the eternal way; what does it mean? It means that it is extraordinary, meaning it is so vast that it encompasses all things, down to the details of life, which cannot be clearly explained.
There are many ways in Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, the way of the snake, the way of the birds flying in the sky; you do not know how they walk, right? Is there not a way in it? This is the meaning of truth. When we see Jesus, it says the Word became flesh and dwelt among us; when you see Jesus, you see the word of God.
In other words, the word of God became a person named Jesus; when you see Jesus, you know that the word of God is so powerful. Can you turn this corner? Although Jesus has gone back, His words are still here; you are still using the words of Jesus, and this is the truth. This word can become Jesus, and this word can also solve your life problems. If you leave this word, there is no truth. Although there are other words, marketing, physics... all are words, but only this one has life. He dwells among us, full of grace and truth. We have seen Him, that is Jesus Christ.
John 1:17: For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
Judaism believes in the law of Moses; is the law of Moses the truth? It is the truth, but it has no life. Jesus Christ is grace and truth; He specifically states that what comes from Jesus is grace and truth, which is alive. The truth of Jesus and the truth of the law are different. The truth of Jesus does not bind people more or lead to more indulgence; the truth of Jesus sets people free. Remember: The truth of Jesus is to set people free. We need to have a correct understanding of freedom. Why do many people not trust grace? They feel that grace is unreliable and will lead to deliberate indulgence; in fact, they do not understand what truth is.
John 8:31-36
31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." 33 They answered him, "We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?" 34 Jesus replied, "Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."
Although the Jews believed in Jesus, they did not know what freedom was. You understand the truth, and the truth will set you free. This freedom means you are no longer affected by bondage, pressure, or condemnation. We usually think freedom means doing whatever we want; that is not freedom; that is indulgence. What does freedom mean? When others complain about you for no reason, you have a freedom not to be affected by them; this is not something everyone can do. Jesus had this freedom; when so many people mocked and attacked Jesus, it did not affect Him.
In this passage, Jesus said to the Jews who believed in Him, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples."
Did the Jews not follow Jesus' teachings? They followed the law of Moses, but Jesus' way is the way of love, the law of love. Which is higher, the law of love or the law of Moses? The law of love is harder to follow. If it is the law, then follow it; but what Jesus gives you is the law of love, not something you strive to keep, but something you believe in. The Old Testament law of Moses requires you to strive to keep it, while Jesus' law requires you to believe, and by believing, you receive it. The Old Testament requires you to keep it to obtain it; for us, Jesus has accomplished it, and it is a bit easier for us. We think it is easy; in fact, it is the hardest; it is very difficult.
We strive to do something, which may be easier to accept; this is what we have been deceived by in the past, and we have lived in this pain for so long. When you change to a different way, people cannot bear it. I will give you a real example. Today we tell others, "No matter how serious your illness is, if you believe Jesus can heal you, Jesus can heal you." This is the original word from the Bible: Faith is to receive, and you will receive. The problem is, when things happen, does everyone believe? Some people still cannot believe. And if you change the way of faith and add the words of the law, they can believe.
For example, if someone has a serious illness, I say, "Your illness is quite serious; do not think that just because you have believed in the Lord for many years, your life is still quite immature!" He says you are right. You do not pray much, do you? He says yes. Do you feel that God does not listen to your prayers? He says yes. I am talking about something that many people have experienced.
Then I tell him: If you want to be healed from this illness, it is quite difficult; you have to pay something to obtain it! Does he start to believe? Well, what do you want me to do? I tell him: From today, go to a certain mountain and pray in that cave for how many days... Why do we believe this way? Because we feel we have put in the effort. But grace is precisely that you do not need to put in effort; God says it will be given to you freely. In this situation, we find it hard to believe.
Brothers and sisters, this is where our problem lies. What we need to do is believe. We need to constantly renew our thoughts and minds, so that everything about you is no longer the same as before. In the past, we lived under the law, but Jesus came and said, "I want to set you free." We thought freedom meant that all past pain was over, and we could finally do whatever we wanted. In fact, that is not true. True freedom is that Jesus says: I will not let you be under any bondage; I want you to live out my life.
Galatians 5:13-14
13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."
What is the purpose of our calling? The Bible says it is for freedom. Here Paul also tells us that you must not use your freedom to indulge the flesh. Are we called to indulge? How many people believe in Jesus for the sake of indulgence? Let me ask you another question: How many people believe in Jesus because they are suffering too much and want to escape their pain? How many are there? We believe in Jesus to receive His eternal life, to obtain His abundant life, and then to live out the life of Jesus because He Himself is grace and truth!
Is the teaching being spoken correct? If after you believe in Jesus, others say, "You have many sins; God will discipline you, correct you, and kill you!" Is that the purpose of our belief in Jesus? Is that freedom? You were too free in the past, so now the law is to bind you; Jesus did not come to bind you more; Jesus came to set you free. Do not take this freedom as an opportunity for indulgence; now I can do whatever I want. Some Christians, after believing in Jesus, especially after understanding the gospel of grace, start to curse others at will, and do not repent after offending others; is this completely wrong?
A few days ago, a sister chatted with me; they are living under the law. A leader of a praise team spoke very harshly and scolded someone; after that, he went back to God to confess, "Lord, I was wrong; I should not have treated her that way!" After confessing, he told the pastor, "I have confessed to God; I owe her nothing!" Do you think this way of living is correct?
In fact, he did not offend God; he offended a person. He should confess to that person; what is the point of confessing to God? Is there a problem with living like this? This is also a form of indulgence. If you do not understand the grace of Jesus Christ under the law, you will be like this: If you offend me, you offend me; anyway, I have confessed to God!
If you are under grace but do not understand grace, it will be even more serious. Do you know why? After you offend someone, you do not even confess to God; you say, "Jesus has forgiven my sins; what is there to confess?" Under the law, it is better; you know to confess to God; under grace, you do not even confess to God: "If I offend you, I offend you; what of it? Jesus has forgiven me!" Is this a form of indulgence? This is what it means: Do not use your freedom as an opportunity for indulgence.
What to do if you offend someone? Confess to that person. God has indeed forgiven you, but you are not offending God; you are offending a person! Always serve one another humbly in love. What does it mean to serve one another in love? The freedom of Jesus is to let us live in His love; when we are free in His love, we can serve one another with the love of Jesus Christ. Love is the complete law because the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Amen!
Brothers and sisters, when we talk about grace, does it abolish the law? No, it is precisely in the law of Jesus Christ, in the law of love. If there are still people who insist on bringing us back under the law of Moses, back under the law of the Ten Commandments, you cannot keep it; you will definitely fail. But in the freedom of Jesus, in His love, the entire law is included in the statement "Love your neighbor as yourself." Do the Jews understand this? What do they use the law for? To condemn others, to attack others, to slander others.
The essence of the law is love: to love God with all your heart and to love others as yourself. Did Jesus accomplish this? Jesus did not abolish the law; He fulfilled the law. Today I want to teach you: Today, under grace, it does not mean abolishing the law, but rather fulfilling the law more completely.
In other words, what they could not do under the law, you can do with the freedom of Jesus. Amen! In the past, if you offended someone, you needed to offer a sacrifice; now you need to confess to the person. This is what we call truth. Truth will never be that after you believe, your family falls apart, your relationships are ruined! It is not like that; it is to make you better and better. The love of God for you and the love of people for you will grow together! Amen!
When you truly understand the grace of Jesus Christ, you can rest assured that the relationships between you and others will become more harmonious. If you believe in grace and from then on, everyone around you hates you, it proves that you have believed wrongly; that is not grace; it is merely an excuse for indulgence. This is the second point: Jesus is the only truth.
Third: Jesus is the only life. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the last one is life. Let us look at a passage of scripture:
John 1:4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.
Where is life? Life is in Jesus. This life is the light of all mankind; why is it the light of mankind? Because the light of Jesus is not of this world; this life is a spiritual, heavenly life. The Bible tells us that only through Lord Jesus Christ can we enter into a close relationship with God, thus receiving the life of Jesus. When you have the life of Jesus inside you, you can live out the life of Jesus outside. If there is no life of Jesus inside you, trying hard to imitate will not work at all.
Brothers and sisters, we do not live on earth to imitate Jesus, but to emulate Jesus. What is the difference between imitation and emulation? Today many people imitate a certain pastor's preaching. How do they imitate? They have the same hairstyle as others, the same clothes as others, the same church decorations as others, and they preach just like the pastor; this is imitation. However, if the pastor bears fruit, he does not. This is like drawing a gourd based on a gourd; it does not work in truth. Because life cannot be imitated; what is life? You have it inside you, and you just live it out; is that very simple?
Jesus absolutely does not want us to live like others in this world. You see, there are many fans in the world. The most extreme fans are called die-hard fans, who are all imitating others, hoping to become like their idols. But God tells us: You should live out your own self; I created you as a unique existence. I placed my life inside you; the more you know, the more you live out that unique life because my life is in you! Hallelujah! Thank you and praise the Lord!
When we believe in Jesus, we have the life of Jesus inside us. Our relationship with the Heavenly Father has been reconciled, and the life of the Heavenly Father dwells in you. You do not strive to obtain this life; the moment you believe, this life is already in you; the Holy Spirit has already dwelt inside you. Therefore, we rely on the Jesus inside us, the power of the Holy Spirit, to live a life that shares common values with Lord Jesus. When Jesus forgave the woman caught in adultery and let her go, He said a word; let us take a look,
John 8:12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
When the woman caught in adultery was caught, Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more." Many people think this story ends here, but we should also read the following; after Jesus said this, He then said to the crowd, "I am the light of the world; whoever follows me will not walk in darkness."
If you remove this latter part, people will misunderstand grace.
Did Jesus forgive that woman? He said, "Go; no one can condemn you; I do not condemn you; go and sin no more." However, she did not know where her power to not sin again would come from; she had no power. But Jesus immediately said to the crowd, "I am the light of the world; whoever follows me will not walk in darkness."
Let me ask you, did the forgiven woman follow Jesus later? You can check the Bible yourself. Today, after we are forgiven by Jesus, if we do not follow Jesus, you will still return to your old nest; but if you follow Jesus, you will not walk in darkness. What does following mean? To believe in Him; wherever Jesus goes, you go; this is the beginning of a new life. If you remove the latter part (following), then it is over.
Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness. No matter how much darkness there was in your life in the past, perhaps it was the pressure of work, economic pressure, or your interpersonal relationships were terrible; all of this is your darkness. But today, after you believe in Jesus, you may say, "My situation has not changed at all." Look at whether you have followed Him; use the words of Jesus to reflect on yourself: "This is me now; the past me is already dead." The Bible says you are a beloved child of God; you are righteous and holy. If you know this identity, you will follow Jesus to define your way of living; the definitions given to you by the world are not correct; the definitions given to you by God are the correct ones. Hallelujah!
You possess the righteousness of Jesus upon you. Jesus said, "I am the light of the world; whoever follows me will not walk in darkness." It is not that we strive to dig out our darkness; it is not that we strive to drive away our darkness; you cannot drive it away. How do you drive away the darkness in your heart? You try hard not to get angry, but you still get angry; you try hard to forgive that person, but the more you try, the less you can forgive; you try hard to forget that person, but you find that the more you try, the less you can forget. This is the method of the world.
On the contrary, when you do not try, you forget; when you do not try, you overcome. Jesus' method is very simple; He lets you focus on Him. Because He is the only life, that life represents that He can change you and is growing. Hallelujah! Do not say you are still in darkness; the moment you believe in Jesus, you are already in the light; you have another name called "children of light." Hallelujah! You should tell those around you, "You are children of light."
You are not of darkness; you are children of light! Let us look at a passage of scripture:
John 6:63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life.
Many people read this passage and remove the most important part at the front, saying, "The flesh counts for nothing." What does Jesus mean? The Spirit gives life; He has not finished speaking. We must not take verses out of context, brothers and sisters. Is the flesh useless? It depends on who uses it. It is not wrong in itself; did Jesus carry flesh? Do you say Jesus' flesh is useless? If Jesus' flesh were useless, He could not solve our sin problem; His flesh is beneficial. He hung on the cross for our sins and shed precious blood; is this not something that happened in the flesh? Does it benefit us? Is it not true that apart from Jesus, our flesh is all corrupted? The flesh itself is not divided into corrupted and uncorrupted; the key is who is using it.
In the verses we just read, Jesus also said, if you are a slave to sin, the flesh is corrupted; if you are a slave to righteousness, that is beneficial. Jesus means that the Spirit gives life. If you pursue fleshly things, what does that refer to? Worldly things; therefore, here the flesh does not refer to the body but to worldly things. Worldly things are indeed of no use to you; if you pursue them, there is no benefit. If you pursue the Holy Spirit, pursue Jesus Christ, that is beneficial to you.
Jesus is afraid we do not understand, so He immediately says, "The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life." What He is afraid of is that people fall into mysticism. "Alright, the teacher said the world is useless; we should pursue heavenly things! From today on, I will fast, not eat for forty days; I must hear God's voice! I want to pursue super-spiritual things; I want to see visions, I want to have dreams, I want to hear what God says to me; if God does not speak to me, I will not do anything!"
Are we falling into another error? Jesus said, "The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life." What should you pursue? Do you understand? It is not pursuing external visions. Today, why do I not feel the tingling? Why do I not feel hot after you pray for me? I can turn the air conditioning to 30 degrees; you do not need to pray, and you will feel hot soon. The key is not these external things; it is the words of Jesus because His words are spirit and life.
So the Bible says: The first Adam became a living being; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. You can say the Holy Spirit now dwells in you; that is the spirit of Jesus dwelling in you. From this perspective, what Jesus can do, you can also do. Some people say, "Alright, from today on, I will go out and curse the fig tree." Why do you focus on this one? Should we imitate Jesus' healing? What was the purpose of Jesus cursing the fig tree? To tell you that religious people are like this; their ultimate result is death. Do you want to imitate religious people? Go ahead and curse them and see what happens!
Many times, Christians misuse this authority to curse others. Did Jesus ever curse anyone? No. So the one living inside you is the spirit of Jesus; what Jesus does, you should also do. Jesus always brings release, freedom, truth, and life to people. Therefore, you should also bring life to others; do not cause others to stumble; always help others receive the life of Jesus.
1 John 5:12-13
12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
How do you possess the life of the Son of God? At the moment you believe in Jesus, what do you believe about Jesus? During this time, we have been talking about fundamental truths, very simple things. You believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins, that He died for your sins, and that He rose from the dead three days later; you believe in what Jesus accomplished on the cross for you.
When you believe these things, you have the life of the Son of God inside you; therefore, this life of the Son of God is not obtained through your good behavior or efforts; it is given to you by God after you believe. Whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life; this means if the spirit of Jesus does not dwell in you, you do not have life.
Verse 13: I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
Brothers and sisters, do you have eternal life? Yes. What is eternal life? Abundant life. Today, it is not that you strive to enter the kingdom of heaven; rather, you already possess the abundant life of Jesus Christ. What kind of life is abundant life? When you see Jesus living in this world, is it not an abundant life? Many people think abundant life means having a lot of money and a high status. Was Jesus very wealthy when He was in this world? He did not have his own money, but He was never lacking. Did He have a high position in the world? People referred to Him as the son of the carpenter from Nazareth; that was His position. We cannot see Jesus' position or value in the worldly sense, but in the spiritual sense, did He have abundant life? Yes.
What the world pursues is merely a high status and a lot of money! You can pursue another kind of life where you have no lack. Although you do not have a worldly position, no one dares to look down on you; this is the best life, the abundant life. At that time, did Jesus have a position like the Pharisees? No, but even the Pharisees, after hearing Jesus' words, felt that He spoke with authority, unlike the scribes and Pharisees; this is the life Jesus gives you, which is already in you. You should live out such a life that anyone can see you are a person of authority.
This is a life that the world cannot give you; you can live it out through Jesus. You can pray for many people in the name of Jesus Christ, bless them, and you can see how this authority manifests in them. At that time, the world would not dare to disrespect you because they know they are not respecting you but the God behind you; you all have a strong backing named Jesus.
When facing Rome, philosophy, and life at that time, Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. When you have Jesus, you have all of this! So brothers and sisters, starting this week, I wish for you not to be troubled anymore; you should believe in Jesus. He has gone to prepare a place for you. You should know He is the way, the truth, and the life. Having Him, you can walk more paths in this world; when the world says there is no way, you have a way to walk; Jesus is your way; when the world has no method and no truth, Jesus is your truth; when the world faces death and is afraid, Jesus is your life. At any time, Jesus is our greatest hope. Hallelujah!
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise You, thank You for helping us through such words, letting us know that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life; He is the only way, the only truth, the only life. I am no longer troubled. Lord, I believe the way You give me is the best. I have Your truth, and I have Your life. This week is a blessed week. I no longer look at the definitions given to me by the world; I look at how You see me, carrying Your strength, living out Your abundant life! Thank you and praise You, all glory belongs to You, in the name of Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen!