274-Do Not Receive His Grace in Vain#
274-Do Not Receive His Grace in Vain
(JP Text Group - Organized by the Little Prince of Heaven)
2 Corinthians 6:1-3,
1 As workers together with Him, we urge you also not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 For He says: “In an acceptable time, I have heard you; And in the day of salvation, I have helped you.” Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. 3 We give no offense in anything, that our ministry may not be blamed.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father! Thank You and praise You for Your grace! Thank You for preparing this wonderful time for us to worship and praise You together! During this time, supply Your words to us, let us know that we are recipients of Your grace, not receiving Your grace in vain. May we rightly divide Your words, receive Your words and live them out, so that in our lives, we can witness and glorify Your name. May the Holy Spirit lead every brother and sister, renewing our thoughts and intentions. In the name of Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen!
Brothers and sisters, peace in the Lord! The topic we are sharing today is: Do Not Receive His Grace in Vain.
The scripture mentions an important phrase, do not receive His grace in vain. In the past, I often heard some people say: “You have already received God's grace, God has done great works in you, you should serve the Lord more, do not keep sinning, otherwise, you will be unworthy of the Lord and the many graces God has given you.”
Some also say: “You have received so many gifts from God, if you do not give back, do not serve God in church, God will take back this gift.” May I ask, is such a statement correct? We have been taught this way in the past, as if God has given you so much, and if you do not give something back to God, you are unworthy of God. They call this “receiving God's grace in vain.”
Others say: “Now is the time God accepts you, you should serve God well; now is the time God saves you, you should obey well.” It seems that the former is correct, but the latter conclusion has problems.
Verse 3 is Paul's conclusion for us: We give no offense in anything, that our ministry may not be blamed.
What does this mean? If what we hear is such a half-truth, it does not sound like law nor grace, but a mixture. In this case, it is easy to fall into condemnation, thinking that if we receive God's blessings, if we do not obey or do something, we will owe the Lord. Over time, this will lead to guilt and weakness.
But in reality, we receive God's grace willingly to do what pleases Him. This is not forced; when we do it, it is not painful but enjoyable, and it is beneficial for us. Because we know we are pleasing to God, we are willing to obey His words and live, and this is an inner motivation, not like some people say: “Look, you have received so much from God, shouldn't you do something?” This implies a burden placed on people.
Paul advises us not to receive His grace in vain, what does this indicate? Some may attend grace churches, but they live out the law; some receive God's forgiveness, but they live out condemnation. This is what Paul means when he says you have received God's grace in vain. God continuously supplies you, but you have not lived it out at all, this is receiving in vain.
Receiving in vain means that God's grace has not produced effects in your life, not that you have received so much but have not given back, but that it has not entered your heart.
God has so many blessings, and you have not received even a little. First, you have not lived it out yourself; you know it but have not applied it to your life, this is receiving in vain. Many people may have such doubts: “Why have I listened to the truth for so long, yet my life has not changed?”
When listening to messages of grace, people feel at peace in their hearts, but they do not just want to feel peace in their hearts. Watching a comedy can also bring some peace, but when you return home, you go back to your old way of life. If you feel good after listening to a sermon in church, but when you return home, you are still the same, it proves that the message has not entered your heart; it has only passed through your mind.
Many people not only expect to feel peace in church but also hope to have God's power in any situation. If they accidentally return to their old self-efforts, they easily fall into guilt, and they may ask: “Is it because I have not done enough that I have not changed?” They will seek more related information to listen to, but the situation still does not change. In this cycle, they conclude: there is a problem with the message of grace...
Brothers and sisters, is there a problem with the message? Where exactly is the problem? The original scriptures do not have chapters; the Bible we read is divided into chapters one, two... The original scriptures are not divided this way; it is one scroll. There are no subheadings for our convenience in reading later. The last verse of chapter five is connected to chapter six, so we can understand why some people have not lived out God's grace because they have not received it correctly.
Sharing the first point: Do not let what Christ has done become in vain.
2 Corinthians 5:17-21,
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
The content of chapter six comes out, telling us not to receive God's grace in vain. This speaks of not forgetting what Jesus accomplished for you on the cross, all that He has done for you. Amen! If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
May I ask, who did this? Is there even a little bit of your effort involved? No, in the matter of salvation, you have no part in it; you can only accept what Jesus has accomplished. In the matter of salvation, you have nothing to boast about; you can only receive His salvation freely. The problem is that when you live as if you have done something to be saved, you are receiving God's grace in vain.
How do we enter into Christ? By believing in what Jesus did for us on the cross, we enter into Christ. Verse 18 says, all things are of God, meaning all that was just mentioned: if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. This is all done by God!
What is frightening is that many people take this verse and say: “All things are of God, so the sickness in you is from God; this accident in you is from God; now you have so many difficulties, weaknesses... that is from God, all things are from God.”
This is called taking verses out of context. What is mentioned here as all things being of God is to tell you that everything in the past has been changed by God; you are now a new creation, a completely new you, and you are reconciled with God. God not only reconciles with you but also gives you a ministry to tell others what Jesus has done for them on the cross. Hallelujah!
Verse 19 says, this is God in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
Brothers and sisters, this is the content of the gospel. What good news do we tell others? If you do not perform well, God will not bless you... this is not what we should tell others. We should tell others: God does not impute your trespasses to you; you are reconciled with God in Christ. Amen!
When you understand all this, you can receive God's grace; otherwise, you are receiving God's grace in vain. Receiving God's righteousness becomes our righteousness, which refers to our life aspect. Therefore, do not receive God's grace in vain, as if God has not finished and you need to add a little of your effort. God makes you the righteousness of God in Christ; what is frightening is that you refuse to accept His righteousness, trying to be self-righteous, which makes what Jesus has done become in vain.
So we need to learn to accept His righteousness, while those who are self-righteous may declare it, appearing similar to us on the surface, but it is not the same. For example, we may pray the same way; some have effective prayers, while others see nothing happen; they are merely imitating others.
This is ineffective. You must believe from your heart and then declare it to see results; you must declare it by faith. Many people just imitate because a certain pastor said that declaring will bring good things... so they declare every day, only to find no good things happen, and finally conclude: forget it, this is all a scam. Is it like that? We say, in the name of Jesus Christ, laying hands on this person, they will surely be healed; is this not the original word from the Bible? Some do this and see no results, and they say: “The Bible is all a lie.” Do not base your faith on what someone says; you must base it on the foundation of the Bible.
Understanding the Bible means knowing why what you say is effective; God accomplishes according to this way. Because of what Jesus did on the cross, this is a revelation; do not casually speak what is not in the Bible; God will not accomplish it for you. The Bible says that God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. At the moment you accept Jesus, God's righteousness is already upon you; Jesus has already borne your sins, replaced your sins; this is already completed. Trying to exchange God's blessings with your own actions means you are receiving God's grace in vain.
The most beautiful mystery is that in God, we can see our own righteousness; outside of God, there is no righteousness. We were nothing before, so the mystery here is that God looks at His Son on the cross for us, and we are justified, not because we do righteousness but because we receive the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
How did Jesus become sin on the cross? He never sinned, nor did He know what sin was; there was no sin in Him. Paul tells us here: He became sin because He accepted our sins. Brothers and sisters, what does this mean? At the moment you accept Jesus as your Savior, what does it mean? What did you give to Jesus?
All your sins. So you believe in Jesus; you do not lose anything. When we want someone to help us, do we give them the worst things? You would give them your best, but when you come to Jesus, you give Him your worst, all your filth, corruption, and sins. What do you receive from Him? His righteousness, His blessings, which He has given to you today. Amen! This is the grace we need to receive.
Do not say, “This seems a bit unfair?” Receiving God's grace itself is unfair; it is God's free gift. Because of all that Jesus accomplished, the Father is very pleased with you. You must know that Jesus has suffered so much for you; He did not suffer in vain. God does not want you to try to earn His blessings through suffering; He has replaced your identity as a sinner, and you can receive the identity of a righteous person. Grasping this, you will not receive God's grace in vain.
When you repeatedly think about all that Jesus has done for you, then declare and pray, you will find strength. Because your declarations are based on solid ground. I also hope that everyone's faith is clear, not muddled; believing whatever others say, if they say this, you believe it; if she says that, you believe it too, and when you put two together, you find something is wrong... do not be a confused person, but be a believer.
Next, the next verse, which is our main text today, you must not receive His grace in vain.
Many people inadvertently accept wrong things from others and will condemn themselves, easily neglecting God's grace, forgetting all that Jesus has done for them on the cross. For example, if someone says to you: “Look at you, still saying God loves you; God does not love you at all because your behavior is bad.”
If you accept this wrong statement, you will immediately fall into condemnation and neglect God's grace; this is called receiving God's grace in vain. Brothers and sisters, when we sin, are weak, or fall, what should we do? Does God abandon us? Since you believe God will not abandon you, you must always keep this truth in your heart, lest in times of trouble, sin, or failure, you doubt whether God can hear your prayers. Once you have such doubts, you actually neglect the truth and forget grace.
1 John 2:1-3,
1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. 3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.
This tells believers how to live. It says, my little children, I write these things to you so that you may not sin. May I ask: Is there anyone who believes in Jesus to sin? If you want to sin, you do not need to believe in Jesus; all who believe in Jesus want to live a life without sin and victorious.
John also tells us: I write this to you so that you may not sin. If I write to you, “Do not sin,” will you not sin? You will still sin; this is a fact because we have the flesh, and we will inevitably sin. What should we do when we sin? This is where we differ from the law's solution; we must return to the Bible and see how the Bible gives us the answer.
Let’s read the second half together: If anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. When you sin, you should not feel that God is far from you or has abandoned you... these are all wrong thoughts; these will make you receive God's grace in vain.
Once you accept these wrong doctrines and statements, you will receive God's grace in vain, falling into self-condemnation, making God's grace void. When you believe in Jesus, God's righteousness is upon you; you will absolutely not lose your identity as a righteous person because of your good or bad behavior.
If you have sinned, failed, come to Jesus, come to the Father and pray: “I thank You for forgiving me, I refocus on the cross of Jesus, I know His incarnation and His sacrifice are extremely necessary because I cannot overcome it myself. Jesus is my righteousness; please give me strength to overcome these issues. I am willing to repent to You; please help me and lead me. Amen!” Shouldn't we pray like this?
After sinning, we come before God, what is the ultimate purpose of repentance? It is not to have God forgive you, but to give you strength to overcome your sins. Hallelujah! When you make the right response, you will understand that Jesus' righteousness is upon you, and you have no righteousness of your own, while also recognizing yourself and understanding the forgiveness and grace of Jesus Christ. We are so unworthy, yet He still loves us, which makes us more willing to follow the Lord and willingly follow Him. If we make mistakes and are abandoned, everyone in the world does that; then what is the difference with our God?
We often say He is a loving God, He is merciful and compassionate; where is this reflected? It is in your weakness, when you fall or sin, He still does not abandon you. This is the difference between God's love and human love. Hallelujah! Otherwise, we would treat a person the same way; if we treat them well, they treat us well; if we wrong them, they abandon us. What is the difference? Therefore, we must recall what Jesus has done for you on the cross, do not let the grace of Jesus Christ become in vain.
Sharing the second point: Do not let human commands override Christ's teachings.
Colossians 2:18-23,
18 Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.
20 Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations—21 “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” 22 which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men? 23 These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.
This passage is very important. In Colossians 2:18, it begins by saying, let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels. Why would these things take away your reward? How can someone’s false humility and worship of angels take away your reward? Because we can easily shift our focus to a certain person: look at that pastor, how humble he is, how much he does for the Lord, how great his gifts are...
Has the focus shifted to the person? And he is falsely humble, presenting a facade; what about the worship of angels? What does this refer to? It says here, there are ancient texts: these people intrude into things they have not seen. Do you know about angels? For example, they always tell you: “Satan fought with me all night last night; I saw this and that...”
People find this very curious; they love to hear such strange things. When you tell them what Jesus did on the cross, they say: “Don't tell me that; tell me something strange, like the great battle with the dragon in Revelation, and the woman; what kind of war is that?” People are particularly interested in these things; do you know why? Because they are invisible, and they feel they need to think hard about it, talking about what is in hell, the eighteen layers, what is different in each layer; they want to understand these the most.
When you focus on these, it will take away your reward. Understanding more about hell, what reward can God give you? But if you understand the truth, even if you understand one sentence and experience this truth in life, you will have a reward. Hallelujah!
Do not try to listen to those strange things. When I first believed, I read a novel that has now been made into a movie called “Left Behind,” which is actually a sci-fi novel based on a passage from Revelation. People thought it was great; when I read it, I found it more interesting than the Bible. There are three books, and I finished them in about four days, casually eating something and starting to read. I had never been so engrossed in the Bible because these were things I had never seen before, all strange things, and I thought they were much better than the Bible.
The Bible says Jesus healed someone, and I found those things too dull. But when you look at these things, learning about others' false humility and worship of angels, it will take away the reward you should have received because these are all produced by their own desires. These people are vainly puffed up, feeling superior, thinking they had a dream or received some strange vision, with the focus not on Jesus.
Verse 19 says, these people do not hold fast to the Head. Our Head is Jesus Christ. When I preach to you, the focus should also be Jesus, not other things. Since our whole body relies on Him, joints and ligaments are mutually connected, and we grow with the increase that is from God. Shouldn't all the joints and ligaments of our body be connected to the Head? If the head is separated from the body, that would be a problem; there will be no growth, and there will be no effectiveness.
Verse 21 is the conclusion, telling us: if you died with Christ, a new life has begun. You know that when you have died with Jesus, the past life has died; now the one living is a new person, a completely new person living in the world, and has escaped the basic principles of the world. The basic principles of the world refer to the law of Moses; we have been freed from the law, so do not live like that anymore.
Why do you still live like you are in the world, obeying regulations like “do not touch, do not taste, do not handle”? For example, if you take this thing, God will not bless you; if you eat this food, God will not be pleased with you; if you touch this thing, God will depart from you; these are all regulations. Living under such regulations will make people receive God's grace in vain, thinking that if their behavior is not good, God does not love them.
Verse 22 says, these are according to the commandments and doctrines of men. Do you understand? You must read the Bible, placing the foundation and focus of our faith on the Bible; otherwise, if you only listen to what others say and never read the Bible, one person says one thing, and another says another, in the end, you will be led astray without knowing it. So do not believe everything people say. Today, the internet is very developed, and all kinds of information flood us; which one is correct?
Therefore, return to the Bible and discern whether what you hear aligns with the Bible. If it is according to human commands, it may sound reasonable when you listen, but it will be useless when applied. These regulations make people appear wise; it seems like wisdom, but in reality, it has none. How does this manifest in faith life?
When you chat with him, he can talk endlessly, reciting thousands of verses, and knows the Bible by heart, but he cannot handle a small matter; this is having wisdom in name only, which is useless.
With self-imposed religion, false humility, some say: “Do not use such formal worship; let’s have something passionate, with DJ music and neon lights for worship; wouldn’t that be better? That way is better, more exciting...” This is what people come up with, self-imposed worship, false humility; clearly, he is not humble, but puts on a facade before people. When he encounters problems, he cannot solve them at all.
Neglecting the body means telling you: “Recently, I am fasting; why? I want my spiritual life to grow a bit more; through fasting, God will bless me.” Is this not neglecting the body? Others do not fast, and he will look down on them, saying they always live in the flesh.
The latter part says that in restraining the desires of the flesh, it is of no value. Using human things to restrain our desires has no effect at all. The center of our faith should be Jesus Christ; He is our Head. Regulations cannot give you life, remember this sentence; regulations cannot give you life.
I have encountered some people who are sick, and their families are in chaos. I said to her: “Can you return to the Bible and see if what you believe is correct?” She said: “That won't do; have you memorized the Westminster Confession? If you cannot even memorize this, how can you enter the kingdom of heaven? No way.”
Brothers and sisters, do you know those small catechisms? These are merely summaries of some key points in church history to correct people's faith. As a result, some churches say: “You must train for this; you must memorize this; if you cannot memorize it, you are not saved.” Even if people memorize all this, can it change their lives?
Jesus never said that if you memorize any questions and answers, you will be saved. Believe, and you will be saved. Jesus also did not say that if you memorize any questions and answers, your life will be victorious. No, it is by believing in what Jesus has done and receiving His power that you will be victorious. Hallelujah! What kind of life do those people live? When you communicate with them, they will say: “Do not tell me this; you are wrong; you are a heretic; what you are saying has problems; what you are saying does not conform to certain doctrines.” I do not know those because I do not live by those; I know Jesus is enough. These are merely human regulations.
Please remember: Regulations cannot lead you to victory; when you truly encounter problems, Jesus can save you, but those regulations cannot save you. So be cautious of the information you hear; use the Bible to discern the teachings you hear. Thank and praise the Lord!
Here it mentions that some people’s false humility is fake; the Pharisees are intentionally humble, deliberately praying at the street corners. Do not let these people take away your reward. What I am talking about here is the part of reward, not that you will not be saved; our lives belong to Lord Jesus, and we should live according to the words of Jesus Christ, not according to someone else's words.
When we believe in human words more than Christ's teachings, this is receiving God's grace in vain, making God's grace void, while also making God's power disappear, and we cannot see God's great power.
Brothers and sisters, always remember this sentence. We all believe in Jesus; why do some people live out God's great power while others do not? It is not because their behavior is not good enough, but because they may have mixed too many human things inside, and God's power is reduced or even disappears.
I want to tell everyone: God will accomplish according to His promises, but absolutely not according to what a certain person says. Remember this sentence; what God will accomplish is His promise, not what a certain pastor says. So when I preach the promises of the Bible to you, and you believe it and apply it in life, it will have effects.
If I talk about my experiences, my testimonies, you will not see effects in life. So do not bring your testimony or experiences to people; bring the grace of Jesus Christ to people, bring the truth to people. Hallelujah! Some people receive grace but live out the law; this is receiving God's grace in vain.
For example, some say: “Jesus accomplished everything on the cross, so we do not need to do anything.” Is this correct? It is clearly incorrect. “If you ask me to do things, you are binding me with the law; what you are preaching is the way of the law.”
Some people say they believe in grace but do not repay borrowed money; they even say, Jesus accomplished everything on the cross, so I do not need to repay. If you encounter such a person, what should you do? This is what we call indulgence; they receive grace but give others the law. They receive grace for themselves but live out the law, bringing harm to others. Did Jesus bring harm to others? No, that is the way grace-filled life is lived out. Amen!
Those who truly have grace bring benefits to others. If it is like what was just mentioned, it must be the law; it is selfish. Such actions will make others more disgusted with Christians or make others hate grace, thinking that God's grace is intentionally allowing people to sin. This is because their faith has problems; this is one aspect. There are also some people who say: “Tithes must be given to your own church.”
Some people say this but do not do it themselves; privately, they let their relatives, daughters-in-law, and children ask others for money, saying: “Now you are committed to our church; you must give me a tenth.” They say one thing in front of people but do another privately, pulling others to their name for their own benefit. This is receiving grace but giving out the law.
They even go so far as to slander and harm other pastors. When others point out their mistakes, they directly respond: “The Holy Spirit told me; the Holy Spirit led me to do this; this is the prompting of the Holy Spirit.” What can we do with such people...
Today someone sent me a message saying: “God moved me not to listen to the message of grace anymore; it is not good for me; I want to go back to listening to the message of the law.” He asked me: “Do you think this is correct?” I said: “Well, go ahead and follow your prompting.” What else can we say? Brothers and sisters, in such matters, do not argue with them anymore; if people want to live that way, let them live that way. Always remember: do not let human teachings override Christ's teachings.
The standard of our faith should be the Bible, not what others say; we believe according to what they say. Earlier, we mentioned the principle of giving; in order, it should first be given to your own church, but the Bible never says this is the only way; you can give to someone according to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
Some churches are indeed very difficult, while others are very wealthy. If the believers of that wealthy church only give to their own church, and the neighboring church is starving, do they not care about them? It is not like that; it is what God prompts you to do that matters; that is pleasing to God. Amen!
Everyone should have such discernment. Such regulations, many people only apply to others but do not follow themselves. The Pharisees are just like this; they want to enjoy God's grace but let the people live under the law, under condemnation.
Matthew 23:3-5,
3 Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. 4 For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. 5 But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.
The “they” here refers to the Pharisees and scribes. Jesus said to them: “Whatever the Pharisees and scribes tell you to observe, you should observe and do. This is good for you, but do not do according to their works.” Are their works hypocritical? Just like what we read earlier, false humility, self-imposed worship, praying in public places, the purpose is not to pray to God but to be seen by men because they say and do not do.
Brothers and sisters, under grace, do not become the modern-day Pharisees who can say but cannot do. “God's grace is great; Jesus loves me; His righteousness is upon me; do not let me do anything; if you ask me to do something, you are binding me with the law.” This is definitely incorrect.
You must know that a person who truly understands grace and lives out grace is pleasing to God and also pleasing to people. It is impossible for you to live out the truth and have everyone hate you; this is absolutely impossible. Undeniably, while holding onto the truth, some people will indeed dislike us, but if everyone hates you, there must be something wrong with you; then you need to adjust your faith and see if there is a problem with your belief.
The Pharisees bind heavy burdens and lay them on people's shoulders. Let me tell you a joke, which is a piece of folklore. On the Sabbath, they (the Pharisees) said you cannot walk more than two miles; generally, it is enough to walk two miles from home to the synagogue. The purpose of this rule is to prevent people from doing their own business while worshiping God, but the Pharisees would ride in carriages and stroll around on the Sabbath, being able to travel far. Some believers saw this and said: “Rabbi, did you not say that on the Sabbath you cannot walk more than two miles?” The rabbi said: “Look, my feet are not walking.”
Does this not make people more disgusted with God? If today we say how good this God is, in church everyone is harmonious, but when we return home, we immediately change our face, and when interacting with the world, we immediately change our face. When others see you like this, they will hate this God.
I believe many people have experienced this, especially in dealing with our relatives. They do not listen to what you say; they watch what you do, see if your behavior has changed. In church, you say how good your God is, but you live like that, so your family is unwilling to believe in Jesus. Do you understand what I mean? Is grace good? This is what we need to confirm.
Grace is absolutely good; if you live out grace in another way, others will mistakenly think that grace is like this, which truly brings shame to our Lord. Using this term is not very accurate; no matter what, our Lord is always glorious; the one who suffers loss is ourselves because the Pharisees do everything to be seen by men; this is what is terrifying. To appear better in front of people, they will show hypocrisy. If you truly live before God, knowing that God is pleased with you, you are willing to live a life that pleases God, you will be consistent in front of people and behind closed doors. I hope our brothers and sisters are consistent inside and out. Hallelujah!
Sharing the third point: Receive grace, live out grace, lest this ministry be blamed by others.
Titus 2:7-8,
7 In all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, 8 sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.
Is there a requirement in the New Testament? Are there requirements in Paul's letters? For example, does it say you should do this, do not do that? There are many such words, but this is not the law. For example, “You should love one another,” is this the law? This is the fruit that should be borne under grace, but we do not emphasize the fruit.
Brothers and sisters, please remember: that is the direction we are running towards. How do we explain this? For example, when buying a peach tree seedling, how would others introduce the peach tree seedling? Would they show you many peach leaves? Is that how they introduce it? No, they will show you the fruit that the peach tree bears; this is the fruit of this peach tree; this is the fruit of another variety. Is it through the fruit that you choose the tree? Not through the leaves, right? Unless you want an ornamental peach tree.
But Paul writes these fruits to tell us: you can live out this way; you receive this gift and can live out this fruit. Jesus Christ gives us a variety of abundant life; that is the direction we are running towards. Just like this passage says, you should show yourself to be a pattern of good works in all things.
Is this before God or before people? Before people. We should live out a pattern of good works before people.
The latter part says, in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, sound speech that cannot be condemned, meaning when you teach others, you should use God's words; integrity and reverence mean do not speak nonsense; sound speech means do not let your words have loopholes. Should teaching others be like this? Paul hopes we can live out what we have received, showing good works, not before God, but living before people, so that those who oppose us have nothing to say and feel ashamed. This is our goal. Amen!
When we live such a life relying on the Lord, it shows that you have received such abundant blessings from God, and you are living in them. Amen! When we evangelize and tell others about grace, many people do not understand, and many are also opponents. How do you shut their mouths? Should you debate with them holding the Bible? The more you debate, the bigger the problem becomes, and the deeper the misunderstanding. The best way is to live it out and show them. Amen!
Some time ago, someone communicated with me, saying: “They originally received teachings from a certain doctrine, do not believe in miracles, do not believe in healing; they say healing is outdated; whether God heals you or not depends on God's will; it is up to God.” However, their believers, after falling ill, especially hope to receive healing.
Now that we understand God's grace, how do we communicate with them? Do not talk too much theory with them; just say: “I can pray for you; I believe that God's promise is, by His stripes, we are healed; if you are willing to believe this, I can pray for you.” They will not argue with you; after praying, if that person is healed, then their thinking will begin to change. You live out this life for them to see.
I have previously shared the story of the older son and the younger son in Luke 15. The younger son sits before the fatted calf at the feast, with many good things to eat, while his brother scolds him and refuses to come in. What should you do? Do not let others' words make you lose your appetite; all this before you is not set before you by them, but by your father. In the midst of the enemy's insults, you should enjoy this abundant feast. Amen! When you are full and satisfied, go out and bear witness.
They say grace is not good; then you live out this abundant life to bear witness, saying: “You all know how my body was in the past, but now what it is like, you can see; do you want to believe? You decide; I will not force you.” If they continue to insult you, you just keep receiving this abundant fatted calf; let those who insult you continue to insult you; you should continue to receive God's grace amidst the insults. Hallelujah! Until one day they discover: “Why does this person not retaliate? Why does this person always bless me? Perhaps that is the true life.”
Jesus never retaliated when others insulted Him; He never needed to. If Jesus hated someone in His heart, He would not need to insult them. With one word, a person would be finished, but Jesus did not do that because He was full of God's abundant grace, and He lived out this abundant grace for us to see.
Galatians 5:13, Brothers, you have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
This is Paul’s letter to us; you have received God's grace, you are called, you are in freedom, but you should use this freedom to serve one another. The problem is that some people always say: “Do not emphasize behavior; emphasizing behavior is the law.” You can read the New Testament; in Paul's letters and John's letters, they also emphasize that we need to have good behavior.
My viewpoint: The grace of Jesus Christ will produce good behavior. As long as you believe correctly, you will live correctly; conversely, if a person always makes others dislike them, one year, two years, three years, we can understand, but if it has been ten years and they still live like they did ten years ago, it can only indicate that their root has problems. It cannot be said that God's way has problems; it is just that you have not received it at all. When we live out what we have received, others can see God's grace through us.
Why emphasize that everyone must not receive God's grace in vain? What you receive from God is forgiveness; live out that forgiveness; the love you receive from Jesus, live out that love; this is our hope. Should we not have this heart? If you say, “I cannot live it out now,” that is fine; first, you must have this heart.
If you say, “It does not matter; whether I live it out or not, it is okay; after all, God loves me,” this will not do; it will lead to a fall. I must tell you what life under grace looks like. This can be called our future pattern. Jesus has also said what the kingdom of heaven you will go to looks like, where the streets are all made of pure gold, and the walls are made of precious stones...
Has Jesus not told us all this? Why does He tell us this? Jesus first describes it to you to give you hope. We have received the grace of Jesus Christ; I will also tell you what the fruits under grace look like to give you hope. Hallelujah!
If people do not know what is correct, how can they live correctly? Because of some people's ignorance, they say: “Jesus accomplished everything on the cross, so we can do anything.” This is a form of indulgence, saying: “Jesus accomplished everything, so it does not matter if I burn incense or tell fortunes; it is okay.” This is completely wrong and will lead to indulgence.
Jesus and His disciples never said such things. Paul often teaches us to take Jesus as an example, live out the pattern of Christ, and stay away from idols; this is the original word of the Bible. Do not let some people's teachings deceive you; this will cause people to slander God's grace.
Ephesians 4:1-3,
1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Is this also a kind of requirement? This is the life under grace; this is not receiving God's grace in vain. Paul says, since you are called and saved, you should walk worthy of the grace with which you were called. Walking worthy means you are clearly a prince; why live like a beggar? This is not worthy; your heart is clearly full of blessings; why always live out curses?
This is inconsistent with our identity and what we have received inside; this is called receiving God's grace in vain. What is not in vain? In all things, be humble, gentle, patient, bear with one another in love, and endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Receiving love from Jesus means living out unity, mutual connection, and mutual forgiveness. Amen!
In the church, we should be like this. Thank and praise the Lord! We should live a life that matches our identity. Shouldn't the son of a king live out the style of a king? After a king sits on the throne, does he say whatever he wants? The words of a prince cannot be the same as those of a street thug. The manner and behavior of a dignified princess are also different from those of a shrew. So what are you? Brothers and sisters, you are princes and princesses; live out the style of princes and princesses! Many people live out lives that are not much different from the world; this is receiving God's grace in vain.
Colossians 3:12-13,
12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.
This is a very important passage. What are you? The elect of God, holy and beloved. You are not trying to become holy; you already are; you are such a person, so you should live out a life that matches your identity, which is to have tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, and longsuffering.
If there are issues between people, if there are grievances, that means there are conflicts. The way the world deals with conflicts is to never interact again; this is the way of the world. But we are different from them; we must bear with one another and forgive one another. Hallelujah! This is the pattern of us Christians. The problem is that some Christians live worse than the world; the world merely ignores you from then on, but Christians spread that this church is bad, that the brothers and sisters in the church are not good, that they are heretics, living worse than the world.
What God tells us is to always bear with one another and forgive one another. This power comes from the Lord, as the Lord forgave you, so you must also forgive others. This is the fruit that is borne, so forgiveness is the fruit under grace. Some say, “I cannot live it out; what should I do?” When you cannot live it out, do not condemn yourself, do not feel guilty; continue to receive from Jesus, continue to listen to the word, read the Bible, and receive His words.
Give others some time because trees are different; the years to bear fruit are also different. It is impossible for all trees to bear fruit at the same time; some bear fruit in January, some in March... Let us give others some time, bless them, and let them grow; this is our life in Jesus Christ. Hallelujah!
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father! We thank and praise You! Thank You for helping us again through these words, that we must not receive Your grace in vain. You love us so much and want us to live out such love. You forgive us and want us to live out a life of forgiveness because You and the Father are one. May the brothers and sisters be united with one another; perhaps we will have problems among us, but we forgive one another and bear with one another because we are one family.
As we receive such words, living out a life worthy of grace, we can experience Your words in life and become a testimony to the world. Thank and praise the Lord! Please manifest Your glory through me, so that the world sees me as the image of Jesus, for my name is called a Christian. Thank You for renewing and changing me today through the word. In the name of Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen!