268 - A Holy Life and a Holy Living#
268 - A Holy Life and a Holy Living
(JP Text Group - Organized by the Little Prince of Heaven)
The topic we are sharing is called, A Holy Life and a Holy Living.
The scripture is Romans 6:18-23
18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. 19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. 20 For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. 21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. 22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. 23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father! Thank You and praise You! As a new week begins, we are willing to live a holy life through You. Please lead us, we look to You for strength and supply from Your words, renewing our thoughts and intentions, speaking to us through Your words, helping us through the Holy Spirit, allowing us to live out Your victorious life in our daily lives. Thank You and praise You! In the name of our Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen!
Today's scripture mentions that we used to live in sin, but now through Jesus, we have been freed from sin. The previous scripture says we have become servants of righteousness. Many people may not understand why the term "servant" is used. I have shared before that one characteristic of a servant is that their life does not belong to themselves; they cannot do whatever they want. Here, Paul uses the term "servants of righteousness" to tell you that when you accept Jesus, entering into His righteousness, your life no longer belongs to you, and you cannot just leave whenever you want.
In the past, if you owed someone money and could not pay it back, you would sell yourself to the creditor as a servant until the debt was paid off. Until the debt is cleared, you are always the creditor's servant and cannot just stop working. Now you must know that Jesus has redeemed you from sin; you belong to Jesus Christ. You are a servant of righteousness, and no one can change your identity anymore. You are now saved by Jesus and belong to Jesus Christ. Amen!
The scripture we just read says that I speak to you according to the weakness of your flesh. In the past, we had no way to overcome the world; the life within us belonged to sin. But now it is different; we belong to Jesus Christ.
In the past, how did we yield our members to uncleanness and iniquity as servants? It was not something you wanted to do; it was something you had to do. I have shared before that the reason people sin is not that they want to sin or can choose not to sin; it is because they are sinners, so they will inevitably sin. But now that you have been saved by Jesus, you belong to the righteous, and now, relying on Jesus, you can choose not to sin. You have the power of choice, unlike before when there was no room for choice.
Now Paul, through these words, tells us that just as we used to yield our members to uncleanness and iniquity as servants, we should now yield our members to righteousness as servants unto holiness. Here, a term appears: unto holiness. Many people may not understand the difference between a holy life and a holy living.
Many people often say that sanctification is a lifelong process, and even until we die, we may not be fully sanctified. So sanctification is a process. Now, through the Bible, do you think you are currently being sanctified, or have you already been sanctified? You have already been sanctified. A holy life means that after Jesus saves you, you belong to Jesus; you already have a sanctified life. However, in daily living, you have not yet fully become holy because you may still yield your members to sin and commit sin. It does not mean that after believing in Jesus, you will never sin again. This involves two aspects: one is life, and the other is behavior.
Verse 20 says that when you were servants of sin, you were not under righteousness. Although you are now righteous, it does not mean you are always willing to be bound by righteousness. When you are not bound by righteousness, you become a servant of sin, making it easier to sin. So Paul tells us that you have the power of choice; you can choose to sin, but the fruit of sin is death. No one believes in Jesus to live worse or to die.
No one believes in Jesus to sin; if it were for sin or death, there would be no need to believe in Jesus because you are already in it. The purpose of believing in Jesus is not to die or to sin but to have eternal life. I have shared before that entering the kingdom of heaven and eternal life are not the same; eternal life refers to a rich life, a blessing.
Now that you have been freed from sin and have become servants of God, you have the fruit of holiness, and the end is eternal life. You can choose to sin, but the end is death. This does not mean you are not saved, but it will bear the fruit of death. On the other hand, you can obey God's words, be a servant of God, and the end will be eternal life.
Verse 23 states that the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Many people have an incorrect understanding of holiness and often doubt that they are not holy, because they confuse the life of sanctification with the behavior of sanctification. Many people, after committing sin, even doubt whether they are saved. Mixing these two aspects together makes it difficult to distinguish the matter of sanctification, leading to constant doubt about God and uncertainty about whether they are sanctified in God's eyes. So are you holy or unclean before God now?
Always remember, there is no need to doubt: the moment you believe in Jesus, believing that Jesus died on the cross for your sins and has paid the price for your sins, you are holy and righteous in God's eyes. Will it change because your behavior is not good? It will never change. Hallelujah! Do not doubt this; through God's words, we need to understand the difference between a holy life and a holy living. We can live a holy life through a holy life.
The first point I want to share is that whether you are holy or not depends on whether there is sin within you.
Whether you are sanctified or holy does not depend on your behavior but on whether there is sin within you.
Exodus 30:10 states that Aaron must perform the atonement ritual on the altar once a year, using the blood of the sin offering to perform the atonement ritual, as a perpetual statute for generations. This altar is most holy before the Lord.
In the Old Testament, there was a reason for sacrifices because Jesus had not yet paid the price for their sins, and sin was still evident before God. Whether in their life or behavior, they were not holy. How could this problem be solved? How could everything about them be accepted by God? Thus, the sacrificial system was established in the Old Testament.
Sacrifices were not made haphazardly; there had to be order. Therefore, God appointed Aaron and his sons to serve as priests; it was not a matter of wanting to be a priest. There was an opportunity once a year to atone for the people, making themselves and the people holy through the blood of bulls and goats. Unholy people became holy through something, and that something must be holy.
Aaron had to perform the atonement ritual on the altar once a year, using the blood of the sin offering. Why perform the atonement ritual on the altar? Because that altar was set apart by God as most holy. Amen! Simply put, I am unholy, but this altar is holy. When I bring the blood of the offering and present it on the altar, because of this act, I become holy.
So when they had sin, through the ashes of the red heifer, they became holy. The holy things in the temple became holy as soon as they touched them. The reason is here. Amen! Because that thing is most holy, it is set apart by God. Hallelujah! If there were no blood to cover their sins, their sins would be exposed, and God would no longer draw near to them but would pursue their sins. Therefore, this matter cannot be done carelessly; there is order in the church, whether in the Old Testament or the New Testament.
In the Old Testament, there was a group of people, the Korahites, who thought: "We can do these things too; why must we let you do this?" Let us think, why do we need a high priest to decide everything today? If he is not good, we are in trouble; if he is good, we enjoy blessings. So why is it him? I can do it too. Many people may have this thought, thinking that Aaron is not as good as them and has many faults, so why can’t I offer sacrifices? The Korahites wanted to do this.
Numbers 16:1-5:
1 Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men, 2 And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown. 3 And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, "Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the Lord?" 4 And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face. 5 And he spake unto Korah and unto all his company, saying, "Even tomorrow the Lord will show who are his, and who is holy; and will cause him to come near unto him: even him whom he hath chosen will he cause to come near unto him."
Korah had many people at that time, two hundred and fifty princes, all of whom were famous and elected among the people, proving they were wealthy and powerful. Aaron was obviously not as good as them in this regard; whether in number or reputation, he was not as good as these people. Perhaps Aaron had many faults that these people noticed, so they gathered to attack Aaron and Moses, saying, "You take too much upon you! Every congregation is holy."
Why did they think they were holy? Perhaps they thought they also offered sacrifices, listened to God's words, and behaved well, so they were also holy. But they forgot that God established these things not because of good behavior but because God made them holy through these offerings. They should always be grateful to God.
If a person thinks their behavior is good and is holy, they will inevitably become proud like the Korahites. They thought Aaron and Moses were too proud, asking why they were lifting themselves above the congregation of the Lord. They believed their service had surpassed Aaron and Moses, so why should they listen to them?
When Moses heard this, he fell on his face. A person who truly understands God's grace and obeys God's words is absolutely not a proud person. He said to Korah and his company, "Tomorrow the Lord will show who are His." Moses was very clear: I can serve God because God set me apart, not because my behavior is better than everyone else's, but because God can use me today; this is God's grace upon me. So he said, our Lord will surely show who belongs to Him and who is holy.
Whether you are holy or not is not up to you; it is up to God. Thank You and praise the Lord! Whoever is holy will be allowed to come near Him, proving that our ability to serve God today is God's grace given to us, and not everyone has the opportunity, nor does God want everyone to do this.
When Jesus was preaching, many people wanted to follow Him; did Jesus want all of them? Some were indeed healed by Jesus and wanted to follow Him, but Jesus said, "Do not follow me; go back to your village and tell them what I have done for you." Not everyone is qualified to follow Him as a disciple, but everyone is qualified to believe in Him. These are two different things: one is a holy life, and the other is a holy living.
Clearly, the descendants of Levi, namely Aaron and his family, lived a holy life. Their lives were completely different from others; they served God only in the temple, which was their work and their life. However, the Korahites did not obey, leading to chaos in Israel. We have seen the final outcome; God opened the earth and swallowed all two hundred and fifty of them, proving that serving God cannot be done carelessly.
Priests are a group of people set apart by God for Him, and this has nothing to do with ability. Perhaps the priests have shortcomings, and their abilities are not the greatest, but they are set apart by God to serve Him, and they should be respected. We must not be like those two hundred and fifty, despising God's priests and attacking God's servants, thinking we are holy; this is not pleasing to God. God delights in order, not chaos. Now we know that Aaron and the Levites are a group of people set apart by God to live a holy life. Amen!
Hebrews 13:8-12:
8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever. 9 Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein. 10 We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle. 11 For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. 12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.
Here it is very clear that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever, telling you that at any time you believe in Jesus, you can become holy. Do not be carried away by any strange doctrines that say your behavior is too bad and that you are not holy or have not been sanctified. These statements are all wrong.
We already possess a sanctified life because it is good for the heart to be established by God's grace. Today, you have a sanctified life, a holy life, which is God's grace given to you. You should be established by grace and not be shaken by anyone. It is not about what you eat or do not eat that makes you holy; it is through the blood of Jesus.
Here it particularly tells us that we have an altar. In the Old Testament, they were not holy; did they become holy through the altar? Now we have an altar. What is it? Jesus was offered on the altar, established between heaven and earth, a great altar connecting us with God.
The offerings on it are not to be eaten by those who serve in the tabernacle. Jesus Christ was offered as a sacrifice on the altar. In the Old Testament, when priests offered sacrifices on the altar, some offerings could be eaten, but the sin offering could not be eaten. Now Jesus is the unification of the five major sacrifices, offering Himself. His body we can eat, which gives you a privilege that the Old Testament priests did not have; you can eat the flesh of Jesus, referring to the Holy Communion.
What is the characteristic of eating this flesh? In the Old Testament, when one was unholy, just touching the altar made them holy; if one had filth on them, through the ashes of the red heifer, they became holy. Now it is even more different; what do you rely on? For the blood of the beasts is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for a sin offering. Brothers and sisters, why bring the blood of the beasts into the sanctuary for a sin offering? To let their sins be forgiven, they became holy.
The bodies of the beasts were burned outside the camp; their sins were placed upon the bodies of the beasts, and ultimately the sins were dealt with. Jesus is precisely the offering of the Old Testament, so Jesus wants to sanctify the people with His own blood, and now do you know that you are holy? It is through the blood of Jesus, not your behavior. Since you have been sanctified through the blood of Jesus, He also suffered outside the gate. This principle shows that Jesus did not destroy the duties of the Old Testament priests. The Old Testament priests brought blood into the sanctuary, and the bodies of the offerings were burned on the outer altar. Was Jesus not the same?
He was hung on the cross between heaven and earth, connecting God and man, and all connections between people. He is in the middle. Through this, by His blood, you have become holy, possessing a holy life, with no sin left inside you; the problem of sin has been cleansed by the blood of Jesus. This is something we must remember clearly; do not let anyone shake your faith. You are holy before God.
The second point is that a sanctified life produces a holy living.
Let’s look at a passage from Exodus 39:30-31:
30 And they made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote upon it a writing, like to the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD. 31 And they tied unto it a lace of blue, to fasten it on high upon the mitre; as the Lord commanded Moses.
This was the holy garments and holy crown made for Aaron. Why add "holy"? These are related to his outward behavior. His inner life has already become holy through the blood of the animals, but what about his outward behavior? If he is not careful, he may forget. Therefore, God made some special things, like holy garments, to show that he is different from the world. The priest's clothing cannot be the same as the clothing of ordinary people.
So the pastor's clothing is also different from others; it is obvious that he is a pastor. The holy crown, which has a plate on the top with the words "HOLINESS TO THE LORD," reminds these servants: it is not your good behavior that makes you holy, but you are set apart for Me, and I have separated you from others. This is the life of sanctification, constantly reminding him that he possesses a sanctified life.
When he constantly reminds himself: I am different from the world, my life is different, and the things I do are also different; I am serving God. Therefore, his behavior will change. This is why I want to tell everyone: constantly emphasize your new identity, constantly emphasize the blessings you have in Christ, and your behavior will change.
In the Old Testament, as long as they wore such clothing, their behavior would definitely change. First, God recognized him and allowed him to serve; second, He dressed him in that clothing, and the person became different. Today, we may find the same thing in life. For example, if a person with a rough demeanor is given very expensive clothing and wears high heels, their behavior will change. It is not that they deliberately say, "I will speak more softly from now on"; they must act that way because this clothing shows their nobility. Unknowingly, their behavior changes because they know the value of this clothing.
Do you know that you are wearing the robe of righteousness of Jesus Christ? If you forget, you will show your old self. But once we wear this clothing, we know: I am not an ordinary person; I belong to Jesus Christ, so my behavior is the same as Jesus. If we have the opportunity to serve God, there is nothing to boast about; it is just that God is willing to use us.
When the priest puts on the holy garments, his life and behavior become different from those of the world. So when you are in Jesus Christ, you should believe: your behavior is also different from the world. You are a blessed person; you are someone who will receive heavenly rewards and earthly blessings. You are not like them. They eat and drink, and when they die, that is it. But you are not like that; you not only have life in this world but also the resurrected life in the next. Thank You and praise the Lord!
When the Israelites came out of Egypt, God wanted them to live a life completely different from their past, a life centered on God, a blessed path. While they were in the wilderness, they centered their lives around the tabernacle. If there had been aerial photography technology at that time, you would see that from a high place looking down, the tabernacle was in the middle, and the twelve tribes were arranged around it, forming a giant cross shape.
When Balaam stood on the mountain and looked down, he was shocked. The Spirit of God moved him, turning curses into blessings. There is a spiritual meaning here; it is a giant cross. All of us who belong to Jesus Christ, looking down from God's perspective, are like this; the center should be Jesus Christ. Hallelujah!
In the wilderness, they lived centered around the tabernacle. When the tabernacle moved, they moved; when the tabernacle stopped, they stopped. This was the life of the Israelites. God wanted them to learn to live differently from the past, learning to live centered around the tabernacle: I move, you move; I stop, you stop; I tell you to do something, you do it. This must be a blessed life; I will supply you with everything. God said this, and He did it. Although they were in the wilderness, so what? They lacked nothing to eat or wear, and every day there were miracles to see. How wonderful! But the people's thoughts were not like that; the Israelites were unwilling to live this way.
When it came to the temple era, after Solomon built the temple, although the Israelites had divided their lands, they still lived centered around the temple. Three times a year, they had to go to Jerusalem to worship God, such as during the Passover. Adult men and women brought their children to worship God, together recounting God's mighty salvation. Their life center was still God, whether it was the temple or the tabernacle; both represented God's presence.
Today, we should live centered around the church. In the spiritual realm, you should see this vision: here is the church, our center. We should live centered around the church; everything we have is for the church and is blessed because of the church. Amen! Isn't this wonderful? God hopes we live this way. Whether it is the tabernacle, the temple, or the church, the center and focus are our Lord. God hopes we live centered around Him in everything; such a life is easy and restful. Amen!
Exodus 22:29-31:
29 "Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of thy ripe fruits, and of thy liquors: the firstborn of thy sons shalt thou give unto me. 30 Likewise shalt thou do with thine oxen, and with thy sheep: seven days it shall be with his dam; on the eighth day thou shalt give it me." 31 "And ye shall be holy men unto me: neither shall ye eat any flesh that is torn of beasts in the field; ye shall cast it to the dogs."
From here, it can be seen that the Israelites did not become holy by offering things like crops, wine, firstborn sons, or the firstborn of oxen and sheep, right? They did not become holy by these things, but they had already been set apart by God, so God wanted them to live a holy life completely different from the world.
Where is the difference in life? The grain from your fields and the wine that drips from your winepress must be offered to God first. What is the purpose? Does God lack that little wine? Does God like to drink wine or eat your grain? The purpose is to let you live centered around God, to remind you at all times that all your blessings are given to you by God. Amen!
You shall give your firstborn son to me; why does God want this? If under the law, it would say: "If you do not give your firstborn son to me, you shall die; if the firstborn of the livestock is not given to me, you shall break its neck..." Is this not what the law says? You find God to be cruel, but God wants to tell you something: the firstborn is Mine; everything you have is given to you by Me. God wants us to remember this; it is completely different from the world. When the world gets the firstborn, they are overjoyed. When we get the firstborn, we remember that this is God's. We still live centered around God, and God hopes that we live a holy life in this way at all times. Therefore, you shall be holy men before Me, referring to a different way of living.
You shall not eat the flesh of beasts torn in the field; you shall cast it to the dogs. Unbelievers eat whatever, torn or not torn, but God says do not eat these things. Whether in the Old Testament or the New Testament, there are many things that you should not do. The world can do them, but you should not because you are a sanctified person. We are all a group of people set apart by God, sanctified by the blood of Jesus Christ and by the word of God. Once we are sanctified and belong to Jesus, we are no longer the same. How do we live a holy life?
John 17:16-19: They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes, I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
Guess whether this passage refers to your holy life or holy living? Chapter 17 has what background? This passage is Jesus praying with His disciples, which can be called the longest prayer, Jesus praying to the Father for His disciples. They were walking to the Garden of Gethsemane, singing hymns along the way, and Jesus began to pray to the Father.
In the course of the prayer, He said they are not of the world, which proves this is for believers. If they are not believers, they belong to the world. Now Jesus says, "Father! They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world; sanctify them through thy truth." This means they now believe in Me but do not know how to live a holy life. The disciples indeed did not understand; after Jesus died, they did not know what to do and went back to fishing, returning to their old lives.
Jesus saved them; they followed Jesus for three and a half years, but it was not meant for them to go back to fishing. The fishing life has nothing to do with the training of the past three and a half years. They should live a new life, but they did not know how to do it. So they needed to remember Jesus' words to have the strength to do it, and this strength was given to them by the Holy Spirit. Amen! Jesus said very clearly: When I go, I will send the Holy Spirit, and He will remind you of all things I have said to you. Is this not the truth? Thank You and praise the Lord!
Now these truths are not for the disciples to be saved but to help them live a different life. After the Holy Spirit descended on Pentecost, the disciples began to practice Jesus' words. From that day on, they lived a separated and sanctified life, which they could not do before. After being filled with the Holy Spirit, they began to preach in the name of the Lord Jesus to the Jews, and three thousand repented, five thousand repented, and many miracles occurred.
Were these not things Jesus did in the past? There was a period when Jesus went back, and during that time, the disciples did not do anything as impactful as this. It was not that they did not know the truth; they knew it, but perhaps many had forgotten. However, after the Holy Spirit filled them, they remembered what Jesus had done in the past, and their current behavior was a sanctified life.
From that day on, the lives of the disciples were completely different from before. Did Peter go back to fishing? No, after the Holy Spirit descended on Pentecost, the disciples went out everywhere to preach the gospel, and none returned to their former lives. From that moment on, they were living a sanctified life, which is the life Jesus wants us to live. The truth of Jesus sanctifies our lives for Him and also helps us live a holy life. A holy life must produce a holy living. Amen! God's truth has been given, and through faith, we have already been set apart by God, as can be seen in the scripture.
1 Peter 2:24-25:
24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. 25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
This refers to our lives. We used to have a sinful life, dead in sin, but now we live unto righteousness. In the past, we were like lost sheep, but now we have returned to Jesus Christ. This is our sanctified life, which will never change. What about holy living? Once you clarify this distinction, reading the New Testament becomes much easier.
Hebrews 12:14-15:
14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. 15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.
Now I ask you a question: You should pursue peace with all men and holiness. Here, holiness refers to a holy life or a holy living? Holy living. You are amazing! You already have discernment and understand the difference between the two. It is easy to understand that this refers to living aspects, being different from the world. They may attack and tear each other down, but we should pursue a holy living, which is peace with all men.
Without holiness, no man shall see the Lord. What does holiness refer to here? A holy life. If you cannot distinguish this, you will not be able to interpret this passage. Many people get confused and say, "Look, the Bible says that without holiness, no man shall see the Lord. You must change your behavior; pray, and God will listen." How can we change our behavior to be pure and not sin, so that God will listen to our prayers? You find it difficult and return to the law to strive. Here, holiness does not refer to holy living but to a holy life. Without holiness, no man shall see the Lord. If you do not believe in Jesus, how can you see Jesus? When you are willing to believe in Jesus, you are sanctified by Jesus. Can you see God at any time? Yes, you are already a holy person and can see God at any time, and you will produce a holy living. Amen!
You must be careful, lest any man fail of the grace of God. What do you think of when you come to see God? "Lord! My behavior is so good, so I come to see You today." Is that how it is? No, every time you come to see God, you say, "Because of the blood of Jesus Christ, I am now cleansed by Jesus. I am wearing the robe of righteousness of Jesus Christ before the Father; I am holy and righteous because I am in Jesus Christ."
It is by this grace that we see God. If you forget God's grace, a root of bitterness will spring up to trouble you. A person with bitterness inside proves they have lost God's grace or have forgotten that they are set apart by God, which is why bitterness keeps coming out. Bitterness has a characteristic: it will come out and trouble others. A holy life can be contagious, and bitterness can also be contagious. When you see someone with bitterness, for example, always complaining about this and that, feeling the whole world is against them, what should you do? You should discern that they have merely lost God's grace and forgotten God's grace. They need to return to God and recognize their identity to be free from these roots of bitterness and to understand God's grace again.
What we need to do is to never let anyone take away your life of being sanctified by God. As long as you hold on to this life, you can live a holy life! Why must you live a holy life? Can we not believe in Jesus like the thief on the cross just before he died? Why believe in Jesus and also live a separated life? What is the purpose? It is actually to receive rewards.
The third point is that a holy living brings abundant rewards.
Always remember: living a holy life, God gives you rewards. This includes both earthly and heavenly rewards. The purpose of believing in Jesus is actually quite practical: one is to enter the kingdom of heaven, and the other is to live a victorious life like Jesus. This is beneficial for us and beneficial for others. God is also particularly pleased when you live this way.
Matthew 10:40-42:
40 "He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. 41 He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. 42 And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward."
Does this refer to a separated life? Thank You and praise the Lord! He that receiveth you receiveth me. This is a thought that only exists in the Lord. From a spiritual perspective, although I am receiving him, in reality, I am receiving the Lord. Although you are at work, it seems you are serving your boss, but from a spiritual perspective, you are serving the Lord.
These must be understood by those who believe in the Lord; otherwise, no matter how you explain it, they will not understand. This is a separated life. When you view your life this way, there are rewards. Otherwise, how could you see your boss as your Lord? It is impossible; you think like the world, so how can you receive the rewards of being separated? First, you must see your difference from a spiritual perspective and also see the world's difference.
He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward. Do you know how eager God is to reward us in a righteous way? Since it is a reward, it must be related to behavior. Let me emphasize: salvation has nothing to do with behavior, but rewards are definitely related to behavior; they must be holy behaviors, which are behaviors different from the world.
In the eyes of the world: if I receive this person, I must be at a loss; I have to provide for what he eats, drinks, and uses, and I am clearly at a loss. How does God view such matters? If he is a prophet, the prophet comes to convey God's words, warning the people, comforting and encouraging the people. The prophet represents God doing things on earth. If you receive a prophet, it is equivalent to receiving God.
When the prophet conveys God's words, is there a reward? Yes, he conveys according to God's way, and God rewards him. Listen carefully, if he is a prophet who comes to convey God's words to you, and you happen to receive him, you do not know what God wants to say through him. You do not care about these things; you only do the receiving. He completes God's work and goes back, and God rewards him; you receive the same reward as him. Hallelujah! How generous our God is! Is this not righteous? Because you received him, you receive the prophet's reward. Hallelujah!
At this moment, am I not serving you? Some of you may be praying for this gathering, some may be contributing to this gathering, and some may be cleaning or arranging the venue for this gathering. These are all acts of service. No matter how many people are healed in this gathering, God gives me rewards; those who participated in this gathering receive the same rewards as me. This is how God wants to reward us in a righteous way. As long as you participate, God says, "Good! Through your participation, I will reward you." Some people say, "I do not do this." You just missed it. Next time, do not miss this opportunity.
He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. Hallelujah! Regardless of who it is, if anyone gives a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple, I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward. This disciple may be conveying God's words, preaching the gospel, and someone gives him a cup of cold water because he is a person who preaches the gospel.
In the case of God rewarding him, because this person did this, he receives the same reward as the one who preached the gospel. Our God is so just; is this not God's generosity? What is the way of the world? Today, I serve him; I have worked hard and done so much. If someone shares the reward with me, I feel like I have lost mine. Originally, I should have received one hundred, but now he comes and gets fifty, and I feel I have lost.
But in God's view, every person who participates receives a hundred rewards because God has so much to give. He always wants to bless you in a righteous way.
Those who belong to Jesus Christ are different from the world; their thoughts must also be different. God can bless him today, and He can also bless you; God can supply him today, and He can also supply you.
Do not say, "Why does he get so much? Lord! Give me his share." This is clearly the way of the world. God can give him so much, and He can also give you so much, even more. Do you remember how Elisha prayed? When Elijah asked him what he wanted, Elisha said, "I wish to have a double portion of your spirit." Did Elijah say, "You greedy little boy! How can you take my spirit? Can you take my ability?" He said, "Okay! If you can see me, God will give it to you." God indeed gave Elisha double blessings; he did greater things than Elijah. It is not that Elijah's ability decreased and was given to Elisha; it is that God can give you and can also give him. The key is whether you can desire that much. We should pursue more rewards in living a separated life.
So let me emphasize again: rewards are related to behavior. When you live a holy life, you glorify the Lord Jesus, and there are rewards from God. God will not treat you poorly on earth either. This is what we should pursue all our lives; a sanctified life is what we should pursue all our lives, which is to live a separated life more.
Luke 6:31-36:
31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. 32 For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? For sinners also love those that love them. 33 And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? For sinners also do even the same. 34 And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? For sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. 36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
The earlier part of this passage is what the world does; that is not called a separated life. The latter part, you should love your enemies, do good to them, and lend hoping for nothing in return; your reward shall be great. Is this part a holy living? The world does not do these things. If you ask them to love their enemies, will they? They would rather kill their enemies than be kind to them; it is impossible.
But we do this; this power comes from recognizing that you have a holy life. Your holy life is related to God's grace. So every time you remember you have a holy life, this life will produce a holy living, and this holy living will bring you abundant rewards. Amen!
Your reward shall be great, and you shall be the children of the Highest, for He is kind to the unthankful and to the evil. The children of the Highest have a characteristic: their way of living is completely different from the world. The world remembers what you did for them; they must keep it in mind. But God's way of doing things is that even if you forget, even if you treat Him badly, He still treats you kindly.
God lets the sun shine on the good and the evil, blessing the righteous and the unrighteous. This is God's grace, and our Lord also hopes that we live a separated life in our lives, relying on His strength. First, your heart must be broad. Our theme this year is to expand your territory; you must expand your inner territory, and then you will see the world differently.
You can always remember how God has treated you kindly, and then you treat others with that grace. The rewards God gives you will become greater. When you are on earth, one day your enemy wants to bring you down, but he cannot reach you anymore. God has lifted you to a height; he can only look at you from afar, gazing up at you, but he cannot bring you down anymore. If he can bring you down, it proves that you have not risen high enough.
What should you do? Let God expand your territory. Look at Jesus; when He rose from the dead, which enemy could grab Him and whip Him or humiliate Him again? None, because God has exalted Him to the highest. This is a separated life.
Finally, let us look at a passage of scripture that you can meditate on.
Ephesians 6:6-8:
6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; 7 With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: 8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.
This passage tells us how to live a separated life. Do not serve only when people are watching; this means to please people. Pleasing people leads to serving in front of others, caring about gains and losses in front of others. But we are servants of Christ, so you must do the will of God from the heart, living a separated life, living centered around the church, living centered around Jesus Christ.
Serve willingly, as if serving the Lord. This means that in your work, family, and life, you should view your service. What is service? Every day, the people you see and the things you handle are actually acts of service; you should see them as serving the Lord, not as serving men.
When you view things this way, you will know that every good thing a person does will receive the Lord's reward according to what they have done. So today, as you live a separated life, God wants to give you great rewards. I hope that our brothers and sisters will have great rewards in the kingdom of heaven and that your life on earth will be envied by others. Amen!
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father! We thank and praise You! We are people sanctified by the blood of Jesus, and we can live a separated life through You. Through the blood of Jesus, we have become holy and righteous. We are willing to live a sanctified life through Your words and pursue this holy living all our lives, living a victorious life like Jesus in this world.
Please help me this week to love and help others through Your strength. You are eager to bless me through my hands. I am willing to live according to Your words and obey Your words. Please give me strength. Thank You and praise the Lord! In the name of our Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen!