284 - Even if you fail, it does not affect His love for you#
284 - Even if you fail, it does not affect His love for you
(JP Text Group - Organized by the Little Prince of Heaven)
The topic we are sharing is: Even if you fail, it does not affect His love for you
Luke 22:31-34,
31 The Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” 33 But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.” 34 Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”
Let us pray first:
Heavenly Father! We thank and praise You! At the beginning of a new week, we come before You to receive Your words. No matter where I am, at any time, You are with me. Your love has never ceased. Even if I sometimes fail, You are still with me. Your love has always been unwavering. Today, let me recognize Your love anew through Your words. I am willing to receive Your strength to live a new life. Please help me. At this moment, let the Holy Spirit guide me to know You more. In the name of Lord Jesus, I pray. Amen!
Even if you fail, it does not affect His love for you. After we believe in the Lord, we live on this earth and are particularly susceptible to the influence of others. No matter what kind of person it is, when interacting with others, either you are influenced by them, or you influence them. The church is the same. If we know God's power, the church will influence the world. Before the Middle Ages, the church was the spotlight of the entire world. Wherever the church went, the world would follow. After the Middle Ages, the church experienced decline and corruption, and up to today, the church has actually been moving forward with the world.
People no longer look up to the church, and the reason is that it is mutually influential. Either we are influenced by others, or we influence others. Jesus wants us to live in this world to influence the world. First, you must know that you have this ability, and God has placed this ability within you. If we are influenced by others' words or emotions, it may lead to condemnation, and failure is evident. Many people, after failing, feel condemned, doubt God, condemn themselves, and some even give up and stagnate.
But today I want to tell you that even if you fail, it does not affect Jesus' love for you. He came into this world not to condemn you, but to save you. When do you need to be saved? In despair, in difficulty, in tribulation, in the valley, you need to be saved. If we are always sitting on the throne, then there is no need for salvation.
It is precisely because we have problems that we need to come before Jesus. It is because we are weak that we need to come to church every week to listen to God's words, and we will be inspired by Christ's love to stand up again. Brothers and sisters, please remember, Jesus came to save the lost. He is willing to save you in everything. Even if you come to Him with your problems, you will surely receive.
Sharing the first point: The devil wants to get you, shaking your faith.
Our faith is not like Jesus' faith; He always looks to the Father. Many times we look at ourselves and our circumstances, so our faith is easily shaken. Let's look at a passage of scripture,
1 Peter 5:7-8,
7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
Does Jesus know that we have worries? Yes, He knows. Worries arise from being influenced by others or by the environment. Because of worry and fear, not knowing how to solve the problem, we become anxious. When these things happen, what should we do? We should cast them on God; this is a well-known principle.
However, when it comes to practice, it is not like that. We cannot put down our worries. If you truly put them down, Jesus will take your worries. When you cannot let go and still bear these worries yourself, the next verse will appear in people's lives: Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. The devil cannot devour just anyone; he selectively devours some people.
Based on the context, we know that it is those who have not let go of their worries, those who are anxious, fearful, and condemned. In general, it is your faith that has been shaken. When you cannot cast your worries on God, you are actually influenced by some surrounding circumstances. God tells us to be alert and of sober mind.
You should know that it is not about dealing with the devil. Here it says your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion. Jesus knows we have worries and knows how these worries arise. When we are influenced by others or by the environment, it is easy for the devil to shake our faith. Brothers and sisters, have you ever thought that when you doubt God, or even when you are unsure whether God can accomplish this for you, the devil will say some words to you,
Look at you, does God still delight in you?
You are busy every day and do not draw near to God; will God still love you?
Stop serving; a person like you has no qualification to serve, and you still want to live a prosperous life?
Every time you doubt and bear worries, the devil will put these words in you. Although they are not spoken out loud, everyone has such a battle in their thoughts, as if you are having a conversation with someone who knows everything about you, conveying a lot of negative things to you. In fact, this is the devil shaking your faith. If we look at our environment, there are indeed many problems, and we are indeed busy, neglecting our relationship with God. The devil will continue to attack you, and you will easily be shaken. When you realize this problem, you should cast your burden on Jesus.
Yesterday, a sister from afar gave a testimony about experiencing a lot of grace from Jesus in her life. She said, “It’s particularly simple; I just came to Jesus with my true self. When I had no faith, I said, ‘Lord, I have no faith; please give me faith; Lord! I doubt you; please help me.’” She revealed her true self before Jesus and found that she received during the sermon and suddenly understood while reading the Bible. What is to be feared is that we clearly have not received but think we have; that is the problem. So cast your burdens on Jesus, for He cares for you.
The devil prowls around like a roaring lion, but please remember: he is a fake. The true lion, the lion of Judah, is our Lord Jesus. The devil looks like a lion, but in reality, he has no attacking power. If you have seen the animal world, you should understand that a real lion does not roar when hunting; it quietly waits for a solitary prey and waits very quietly. If it roars, those prey will run away.
A lion with killing power will not roar randomly. When hunting, it will not make a sound; it will pounce directly on its prey. Only an old, toothless, powerless lion will roar, and the purpose of roaring is to prove its existence, to show its presence, fearing that others will forget it. In fact, it has no attacking power; it only proves its existence. The truly capable and confident will never roar.
Has Jesus ever roared? He does not need to; He is filled with power. So the truly powerful lion will patiently wait for the best opportunity to hunt. The devil does not want us to understand the grace of Jesus Christ; he wants us to have the illusion that he has already taken control of everything, hoping that we will be discouraged and disappointed so that we can fall into his snare.
In verse 31, the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Satan has asked to sift you as wheat.”
Every time the Bible repeats a call, it indicates that Jesus wants to tell you something very serious or that God wants to convey something very important. Whether in the Old Testament or the New Testament, when you read such repeated calls, you should pay close attention to what follows. In the Gospels, when Martha is called, “Martha, Martha,” it is followed by a very important truth.
Also, when Saul was on his way to Damascus to arrest Christians, when Jesus shone a great light on Saul from heaven, Jesus said, “Saul, Saul! Why are you persecuting me?” This is Jesus' style of action. Here, saying “Simon, Simon!” is to tell Peter a very important truth with a very loving heart. Unfortunately, Peter at that time did not understand. We must understand this when reading the Bible.
Later, Jesus said that Satan wants to get you. What for? Have you seen wheat placed in a sieve? It makes the wheat move and filters out the impurities. If our faith is shaken by the devil like this, putting you inside and shaking you for a while, you will lose your direction. Once a person loses faith, they have no direction. Although we have the Holy Spirit inside us, we can still fall into the devil's snare due to our worries and some problems. The reason is that there are some things inside us that the devil has found. We are all imperfect people, and the devil looks for your problems and shortcomings every day, poking at your weakest points in the worst way. The devil's role is to do this.
In the text we read today, Satan has found a handle in Peter. Satan is not omnipotent; this handle can shake Peter, making him weak and discouraged, just like sifting wheat, constantly shaking him to lose direction. Peter did not know he had this problem. In fact, among the twelve disciples, Peter's problem was very serious, and it was not a matter of one or two days; the devil had already found his handle. What was Peter's problem? I summarized it as: thinking he stood firm.
Let’s look at Luke 22:32-33,
32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” 33 But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.”
Before Peter fell, Jesus told him, “You will fall; you will be weak, but I have prayed for you. Do not be afraid; when you stand up, go and strengthen your brothers.” Isn’t this a good shepherd? He has already told you, “There is a pit ahead; you will fall into it, but it’s okay; I have prayed for you and will pull you out.” So we know what to say: “Thank you, Jesus, for loving me this way. You know I will be weak and fall, but you will not abandon me.” But Peter did not think this way; he said, “Lord, even if all fall away, I will not.”
What did Jesus mean?
Let’s look at Jesus' original words in Matthew 26:31-33,
31 Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ 32 But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” 33 Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.”
Jesus had reminded Peter of this several times. Why did He remind Peter? It was because he thought he stood firm that led to his downfall. Jesus said very clearly, “Tonight you will all fall away on account of me,” which proves that as Jesus' disciples, it is particularly easy to fall in difficult circumstances. Admitting it will not kill you, but many times we care about our image and do not want to bear our weaknesses, pretending to be strong in front of others. In fact, this plays right into the devil's scheme.
It would be better to come before Jesus and say, “I really can’t; please help me. I truly have no faith; please strengthen me.” Isn’t that enough? Jesus will not slap you for admitting your mistakes. Peter said, “Even if all fall away, I will never fall away.” Is this absolute? “I will never fall.” Only Jesus can say this; no one can say they will never fall. As a result, you all know that Peter denied the Lord three times, falling more thoroughly than the other disciples. Did all the disciples fall? Peter fell the most completely.
From this, we see that even if you fall and fail, Jesus has not abandoned you. Hallelujah! This is our hope. The Israelites in the Old Testament were the same. Before the golden calf came out, the Israelites thought they stood firm. They said, “We will do everything the Lord has commanded.”
The original meaning is “You can say whatever you want; as long as you say it, we can do it.” Then, because of their pride, during a small trial when Moses went up the mountain to receive the two tablets of the law, the people could not wait and said, “We don’t know what happened to Moses; let’s make a god for ourselves.” Their problem was exposed. They had just said they could obey all of God's words but violated the first commandment: You shall have no other gods before me.
So brothers and sisters, you need to find the root of your problem. Peter did not know his root was thinking he stood firm. In fact, this had already revealed his problems and weaknesses, and it was not a matter of one or two days. Reading the four Gospels, you will find that during Jesus' three years of ministry, Peter was the most exuberant, successful, and also the one who failed the most, yet he himself did not realize this, which ultimately led to his failure.
Look at Paul's summary in 1 Corinthians 10:12-13,
12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
This is something many people are unwilling to see. Most people, after receiving grace, say they do not want to see suffering or encounter trials. You may not want to see it, but that does not mean you will not encounter it. The Lord's Prayer says, “Lead us not into temptation.” What is the next sentence? If the first sentence is fulfilled, the second sentence becomes meaningless. If you do not encounter temptation, how can you fall into a snare? It is because you will fall into a snare and enter temptation that God says, “I will save you from the snare.” So we should not pray, “Lord, do not let me encounter any suffering or problems.” You should pray, “Lord, no matter what I encounter, give me strength to overcome it.” I cannot overcome it by myself, but I can rely on You.
Before Peter fell, Jesus had already told him, “I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail.” This is key. It is also clearly stated here that you will encounter temptations, but God will provide a way out so that you can endure it.
God did not say He would not let you encounter temptation or crush the devil so that you would not encounter temptation. The way God gives us is that in temptation, He will provide a way out for you. What do you need to do? Endure, patiently believe that God will lead you into a more abundant place. This should be joyful endurance. If you are that lion and there is a herd of antelopes running ahead, you see a group, but this is not the best time; you must wait patiently. You will not say, “Forget it, when will there be a solitary one? I won’t eat.” If you do not eat today, tomorrow you look again, and it is still a group, you still won’t eat, and you will starve yourself. You cannot pray like that, right? You should patiently wait and watch them until you find one that is running slowly, carefully approach, wait patiently, and seize the opportunity to catch it. This is the way God provides for us.
The environment may seem terrible, but we cannot say, “It’s over; You do not love me anymore.” That is not right. You should believe that even in this environment, the Lord has not abandoned me; He will provide a way out for me. When there is no strength, He will give you strength; when there is no ability, He will give you ability; when there is no faith, He will give you faith. This is what our Lord does.
What is to be feared is thinking you stand firm. When a person thinks they are standing firm, they will no longer rely on God. When they feel strong, they will not pray to God and will rely on themselves to do things. At this moment, Jesus did not pray that Peter would not fail, but that he would not lose faith.
Today I also want to tell you a fact: This is what Jesus often prays for you. Jesus did not say, “I will not let you encounter any difficulties; I just want you to not lose faith in difficulties.” In other words, Peter will inevitably encounter a temptation, and in this temptation, Peter will be weak and fall. Through this event, Jesus allows Peter to see his true self, and on his future path, he can learn to rely on Jesus in everything.
I once saw a work where a young man walked a path, and an old man appeared ahead and told him, “Do not walk this path; at the end is a cliff that cannot be crossed.” But the young man said, “Because you are old, you cannot cross; I am young and can.” He continued forward, and as he grew older, he finally reached the end and found it was indeed a cliff. At that moment, he thought, “I must warn those behind me not to walk this path anymore because I have taken many detours; this path is impassable.” He returned to the original path and found that he had become an old man. At that moment, another young man came, and he told him, “Young man, this path cannot be walked.” The young man, just like he was when he was young, said, “You old man, why are you stopping me? I love climbing and am brave enough to venture.” No one is willing to listen to him.
Brothers and sisters, what problem do you find? In the Bible, our God is wise; He knows how this world came to be and how it operates. He has also written the way to victory in the Bible, telling us, especially young people, not to take this detour. I have already told you how to walk the victorious path. But we do not think this way; we think many things in the Bible are incorrect.
I do not know how many people view the Bible this way: “This sentence in the Bible should not exist; it is outdated.” They look down on what God says in the Bible and want to explore on their own, only to find failure in the end. Thus, many spiritual elders have written many faith experiences, and all experiences have a characteristic: failure is always a violation of God's words, while success is always in accordance with God's words. Amen!
This is also true for the world. The reason why people succeed is that they inadvertently follow the principles of God in the Bible. Even if you are a Christian, if you insist on going against God, going in the opposite direction, the outcome will still be failure. The difference between you and the unbelievers is that even if you fail, our God still loves you. You can adjust in time; there are many times in life to adjust your direction and turn towards Jesus.
Since Jesus has walked this path, and ahead is glory and abundance, why should we look for another path? This is the simplest path; just do as the Bible says, and that is enough. Many people do not realize this; they think they can achieve something on their own, but in the end, it is all Jesus who has done it with you. What can you achieve on your own? It is all Jesus who gives you strength, helps you, and blesses you. It is entirely He who guides you. When you obey His words, you have victory and receive rewards. Hallelujah!
Sharing the second point: Even if you fail, it does not affect His love for you.
John 13:38, 14:1
Jesus said, “Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” 1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.”
Because these are two chapters, I want to explain that the original Greek text of the Bible does not have chapter divisions. These chapters were added later for reading convenience. For example, when we say chapters 13 and 14, the original text is one scroll. Here, these two chapters should be combined. Jesus asked Peter, “Will you really lay down your life for me?” This is in response to Peter, who said, “Even if they all fall away, I will not fall away. I am willing to lay down my life for you; I am willing to die for you.” Peter said this.
At this moment, Jesus countered Peter, “Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” Immediately following, He gave Peter and all who fall a comfort, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” When Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled,” did He not already know they would fall? If they did not fall, they would not be troubled. It is precisely because He knows they will fall that Jesus says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.” At this moment, Jesus wants to tell the disciples that He knows their weaknesses, discouragement, and failures. You should believe in God and also believe in me, which means believe in all the truths I have previously told you. Amen!
Generally, when we are weak and fail, it is difficult to believe that God will continue to love us; we use human thoughts. When a two or three-year-old child makes a mistake or even causes a big disaster, he will hide and not want to see his parents. He thinks his parents must hate him very much and might even hit him.
Do we think of our God this way? Yes, when we are weak, discouraged, and fall, we think, “The Father does not want me anymore; I have made such a big mistake.” Do not say you cannot make mistakes; Adam did just that. Adam had a very good relationship with God, but after he fell, the first thing he did was hide from God. We are the same; the reason we hide from God is that we feel “God no longer loves me; He will surely seek my sins and will not bless me anymore.” This leads people to rely on themselves again, and after falling again, it becomes a vicious cycle.
Jesus knows the disciples will fail, so He says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” Today I also tell you that even if your family, career, or finances have problems, do not be troubled; you believe in God, and you should also believe in Jesus. Many people often overlook the last part because the chapters separate 14 from 13, but in fact, they are connected. This is Jesus telling Peter, “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times. But even if you fail, do not be troubled; you should believe in me, believe that my love for you is unwavering.” Amen!
We all know the story of Peter denying Jesus. By the third time, Peter swore and denied Jesus. The first time, a servant girl said to him, “You are one of his disciples.” Peter replied, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I do not know the man.” Look at how thoroughly he denied it. The second time, another person said, “You are a Galilean; you are one of his disciples.” He said, “I swear I do not know him.” By the third time, let’s look at,
Luke 22:59-62,
59 About an hour later, another asserted, “Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean.” 60 Peter replied, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.” 62 And he went outside and wept bitterly.
This passage is very important. First, Peter denied Jesus, and then after the rooster crowed, our Lord Jesus turned and looked at Peter. In this scene, you can go back and meditate on what Jesus' gaze was like. Was it a contemptuous gaze? “Look at you; didn’t you say you would never abandon me? Didn’t you say you were willing to die for me? What are you doing now? Did you hear that? The rooster has crowed; it can prove your failure.” Is this what Jesus meant?
What was Jesus' gaze? At that time, Peter was outside, and Jesus was being judged inside. The door was open. The Lord Jesus turned and looked at Peter because at that moment, He was facing the high priest Caiaphas in the courtyard. The door was open, and as soon as the rooster crowed, Jesus turned and looked at Peter. That was not a gaze that would break Peter’s heart; it was truly a gaze of compassion, as if Jesus was telling him, “Peter, even if you fail, I will not abandon you; I will not despise you; I am willing to lay down my life for you.”
What Peter could not do, the bold words he spoke, at that moment, Jesus was telling Peter with a gaze: What you cannot do, I have done. Even if you fall, even if you deny me, I will not abandon you. Hallelujah! At that time, Jesus did not even think about His own situation; He was being judged, yet He still cared about Peter. This is the love of Jesus, a love that can turn a person's heart back.
This compassion and love of Jesus turned Peter’s heart towards Him, which is something the law can never do. According to the law, Peter would be under condemnation. Under the law, when a person fails, they will condemn that person. But under grace, this person will be lifted up. Under the condemnation of the law, after repeated failures, people become hard-hearted. But under grace, the love of Christ will give people the strength to live a new life. Amen!
You should know that our Lord Jesus loves you and loves you very much. Even when He is being judged, He still cares about you. Before your failure, He already knew you would fail, but He did not abandon you. If it were us, we, without this love of Jesus, would not be willing to be such a person.
If you were to make a friend, and our Lord said, “In 360 days, this person will betray you and ruin everything in your home,” would you still want to associate with this person? Our thought might be to avoid this person from today to prevent my loss. But Jesus is different. He clearly knows that the group of disciples He has been with for more than three years will leave Him, and even Peter, who thinks he will never fall, will vehemently deny Him. Yet Jesus still associated with them for more than three years. This is Jesus' compassion, the love of God.
If we knew the outcome, we might have left this group of people long ago, knowing they could not be lifted up. But our Lord knows everything. He knows you will fall, and He also knows He will lift you up. In the eyes of our Lord Jesus, there are never any hopeless cases; there is never anyone who cannot be helped. Jesus will give you strength. You must be sure: our Lord Jesus loves you. Do you remember what Jesus said to Peter? “When you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
Peter remembered what Jesus had said to him and went out and wept bitterly. This can be said to be Peter's repentance. He finally felt he really could not do it: “I said I could die for Jesus, but now I have denied Him three times. How can I still say I can die for Him? I really can do nothing.” After he went out, Jesus was on the cross, truly doing what Peter had initially said: “I can die for Peter.”
This is also what Jesus is doing for you today. He was hung on the cross for your sins and rose from the dead on the third day. Let’s look at what happened after the resurrection. After the Sabbath, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices to anoint Jesus' body, which is what we now celebrate on Sunday, commemorating the resurrection of Jesus. In fact, it is more about meditating on how Jesus loves us. So on the first day of the week, very early when the sun had risen, these women came to the tomb, and the angel said to them,
Mark 16:7, “But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”
This passage particularly emphasizes Peter. What does this indicate? Peter was indeed the one who fell the most thoroughly, but at this time, our Lord particularly cared for Peter. Here, Peter is mentioned specifically, as if he had never sinned. This is what I want to tell you: the New Testament and the Old Testament are different. Jesus has already risen; this is the beginning of the New Testament. The New Testament is different from the Old Testament. What is the difference between the two covenants?
Let’s look at a passage of scripture, Matthew 10:32-33,
32 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.”
When Jesus said this, was He under the law? According to this standard, where should Peter be? He should be abandoned. But at this time, our Lord Jesus did not deny him. This is the love of Jesus, an unwavering love that will not stop loving you because of your actions. Even if you deny Jesus, He knows your weakness; your heart does not truly want to deny Jesus; you are just overwhelmed by the environment. This is Peter's weakness. Therefore, some people often use this passage to scare believers: “If you dare to deny Jesus, even if you are saved, God will not want you anymore; He will erase your name from the book of life…”
Many people say, “I can never fall; I can never deny Jesus,” and even boastfully say, “I will never deny Jesus.” Is this not like Peter? In a state of weakness, a person does not know what they will do. What I mean to say is that Peter denied Jesus, but did Jesus say in front of the Father, “Peter, I do not know you”? At this time, we need to interpret through the cross.
Peter swore and denied Jesus, which is indeed a denial, but did Jesus deny him? Because Jesus bore Peter's weakness and bore his sins. There is no second person in the world besides Jesus. If you have a friend you love very much and have invested a lot in, and in the end, he denies you and even slanders you, you would be very sad and might say, “From now on, it’s over between us.” That is the way of the world. But Jesus did not do this. Jesus shed His precious blood for Peter, and in the kingdom of heaven, sins are no longer remembered.
If you carefully read Hebrews 11, the Hall of Faith, you will find that every great man of faith has sinned, but in Hebrews 11, their weaknesses and sins are not recorded. That is the pattern of the kingdom of heaven. Do you understand? Sarah had faith, Isaac had faith, Jacob had faith, Abraham had faith… What is recorded there are all their successful examples. This is the record in the kingdom of heaven; there is no record of sin, only records of victory. The kingdom of heaven will not record your failures.
Some people have fabricated lies to instill fear and anxiety, saying, “In the future, we will all stand before the great judgment seat, and there will be a huge screen showing everything from creation to the end of the world. Everyone will see what sins you committed from the day you were born until you die. Every sin you committed will be played on that big screen in front of everyone in heaven.”
Some even say, “The Lord will give everyone a bag of popcorn, and everyone will eat while watching what sins you committed.” Others say, “The things you did in secret, the Lord will also show on the big screen because the Bible says that what you do in secret will be revealed in public.”
Brothers and sisters, if you hear such words, would you still want to enter this kingdom? That would be hell. We have suffered losses in our memories and thinking on earth; our brains only operate at ten percent. Many past events are forgotten. For example, what did you do on this day last year? You cannot remember. But when you get to heaven, everything will be activated one hundred percent. Once you see it once, you will never forget it again. How terrible would that be! That is not called heaven; it is simply hell.
If heaven is like that, I would not want to go there. Let’s not even talk about the kingdom of heaven; just think about our gathering place. If I took a video of one person among you showing what sins they committed and played it on the screen, would that person still come to this church? If you say they would, then fine, I will play it again. Every time they come, I will play it. Would they still come? They would never come again. That would make them feel ashamed. But did Jesus take away your shame on the cross? Did He take away your sins? All of these have been removed, so why would they still be played on the big screen? This is something people imagine to create anxiety and fear; this is not real. Brothers and sisters, heaven will not have a record of sins because the precious blood of Jesus has already wiped away all your sins. Amen!
Isaiah 44:22-23,
22 I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you. 23 Sing for joy, you heavens, for the Lord has done this; shout aloud, you earth beneath. Burst into song, you mountains, you forests and all your trees, for the Lord has redeemed Jacob. He displays his glory in Israel.
Brothers and sisters, this is a fact: God no longer remembers your sins; God no longer remembers your failures; God has wiped away all your weaknesses. You may still remember, but God says, “I have forgotten. There is no record of your sins with me.” You will sing aloud because our God has redeemed you. In fact, this passage is what is recorded in Hebrews 11. When reading the Old Testament, did Abraham commit sins? Did Jacob commit sins? Did Sarah commit sins? They all had weaknesses and failures, but there is no record of that; you only read about their great achievements. Sarah, by faith, believed that God could give her a child. What great faith that is!
If you do not read the Old Testament and only read Hebrews 11, you might think Sarah had great faith. But what was the reality at that time? When God told her, she laughed behind Him, thinking, “How could this be possible?” That is the reality. But in the record of the kingdom of heaven, Sarah is recorded as having faith, and God accomplished this for her. That is the true record.
Brothers and sisters, when you one day arrive in the kingdom of heaven, you will find, “Wow! Is this me? Did I have such great faith?” Jesus will say, “Yes, you did, because you believed in me. Therefore, I gave you my faith, and you accomplished this.” The kingdom of heaven will be filled with joyful shouts, praising the Lord! So every great man of faith has failed and sinned, but it is not recorded. This is the love of Jesus for us.
Romans 8:35-39,
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: “For your sake, we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Our weakness comes from these aspects. Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Every time we feel that God does not love us, it is due to the following reasons: trouble. In trouble, people will doubt whether God still loves them; hardship. After we pray and still face hardship, we say, “Lord, you do not want me anymore; you do not love me anymore.” Is it persecution? When persecution comes, we ask, “God, where are you?” In fact, we should ask ourselves, where are we?
I have shared before that when God looked for Adam, He asked, “Adam, where are you?” When we encounter persecution, we ask, “Lord, where are you? Why don’t you strike that person dead?” We always like to ask, “God, where are you?” In reality, we should ask ourselves, even in persecution, in trouble, in hardship, we should ask ourselves where we are. Where are you?
Look at the last sentence: you are in Christ Jesus. The love of Jesus is upon you; you are in Christ Jesus. Even in difficulties, hardships, and persecutions, God loves you. Then it also says, is it hunger? When we are hungry, we think, “Lord! Where is your provision?” Many people say, “Lord! Where is your provision when there are problems with finances? Where are the supernatural miracles?”
Last week we shared about the mighty warrior Gideon. He said, “Where is the Lord’s power that our ancestors spoke of?” Did he not see it? If he knew the Lord was with him, he would not have asked this question. Is it nakedness? Is it danger? Is it sword? When these environments come, people usually say, “Lord! You do not love me anymore.” In fact, our God’s love will not be separated because of these.
Verse 36 says, as it is written: “For your sake, we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
This is a fact. When Paul wrote this passage, people viewed Christians this way. In that era, Christians were looked down upon, even humiliated and killed, like sheep running around. In this situation, Paul still believed that God’s love for him was not separated. What great faith that is! When we are at peace, we can say, “Lord Jesus! I love you.” But can you still believe in the Father’s love for you when the environment is not good? This is true faith. Amen!
Verse 37 says, “No, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”
What things? The “all things” here refer to the troubles, hardships, persecutions, hunger, nakedness, danger, and sword mentioned above. If you know Jesus loves you, and His love is upon you, then problems are not problems. Moreover, our Lord says you will be more than conquerors. Being more than conquerors means that for you, it is a small problem. It is not that you have to work hard to overcome it; you will overcome it easily. So the secret to overcoming easily is to believe that even if you fail, Jesus loves you. Even if you fail, you still have to believe that the Father’s love has never left you. This is relying on the love of our Lord, not relying on our love for the Lord.
If you rely on your love for the Lord, when you do not love the Lord, you will feel that God does not love you. That is a kind of exchange, just like what we read earlier: If you do not love me, I will not love you. This is the love of the world. But the love of Jesus for us is that even if you do not love Jesus, He still loves you. Amen!
As children of the Father, we should believe this: even if we fail, the Father still loves us. Relying on this love, you can overcome all your current environments; they are nothing. Paul had great faith; he had long since put life and death aside. Although this statement sounds simple, very few people can truly do it.
What does it mean to put life and death aside? How did Paul view his life? He felt that while living on earth, no matter what environment he encountered, whether in poverty or abundance, hunger or fullness, he had learned the secret because he knew my Lord loves me. Because he knew this, he overcame in any environment. His meaning was that as long as he lived one more day in this world, he would do something for the Lord, he would preach the gospel to others, and he would definitely save some people. This was Paul’s thought.
He believed that as long as he lived one day, the love of Lord Jesus was upon him for one day. Paul said, “If I die, that would be even better.” Brothers and sisters, if you encounter such a person, what can you do? When he is alive, he preaches the gospel to everyone he meets. Did Paul stop preaching the gospel when he was thrown into prison? He preached the gospel to the people in prison, and in the end, even the jailer believed in Jesus. No matter where he was released, he preached the gospel and proclaimed the Lord’s power.
Paul said, “If you kill me, I will immediately be with my Lord Jesus.” Such a person of faith does not care about the environment anymore because his focus is only on the Father and Jesus. He knows Jesus loves him. Finally, it is Paul’s conclusion: “For I am convinced.” I also send this sentence to you; you should also be convinced.
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The reason Paul could write this is that he had already understood this truth. Today, God wants to love you. What can separate you? Death, can it separate? If our body dies, congratulations, we will never be separated from Jesus again. Is it life? It is better when I am alive; I have already believed in Jesus, and He lives in me. Is it angels? Which angel can stop God from loving you? Satan cannot stop it either. Satan can deceive you and dig a pit for you to jump into, but he cannot stop Jesus from loving you. You must remember this clearly.
Is it powers? You say the environment around you is not good… it cannot stop our Father from loving you. Back then, the situation in Rome was even worse. If you dared to say you believed in Jesus, you would be beheaded. Yet at that time, Paul still believed. He knew that these powers were also in the hands of our Lord, meant to reward him.
Is it abilities? No matter how capable a person is, they cannot stop the Father from loving you. Others can limit your physical actions, but they cannot limit your inner freedom. So when Paul and Silas were imprisoned, they sang loudly in there; their hearts were free. Philippians is a letter of joy. Paul wrote this book while in prison, comforting those outside the prison: You should rejoice; you should greatly rejoice.
Brothers and sisters, who is not joyful now? We have merely changed prisons; your prison is just bigger than theirs. Our actions are free, but our hearts are bound by emotions, and in everything, we are influenced. In fact, you are still bound. If you understand that Jesus loves you, the matters of family and work will not be a big deal; God will give you strength to overcome.
Is it the present, or the future? We will always be influenced by some things. When we are in high places, we say it is good; when we are in low places, we cannot bear it. In fact, no matter what happens, if you know you are in Christ Jesus, no one can separate you from Jesus' love, you can overcome the current environment. Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, can separate us from the love of God.
Please remember: nothing can stop Jesus from loving me. This love is given to me in Christ Jesus. No one can pull me out of Christ, and no one can stop Jesus from loving me. Jesus' love fills every environment and every step of your life. If you remember this, you will have faith.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father! Thank You and praise You! Thank You for renewing us again through such words. Even if we fail, believe that You still love me, not because my behavior is good that You love me, but because You are a God full of love. You want to give Your love to me, so I can live out Your victorious pattern. Although Satan wants to get us, sifting us like wheat, causing us to lose faith and shake.
But I believe that Your love has always been upon me. I thank You for the experiences in my life because after experiencing them, I can comfort those who have the same experiences as me. I have stood up, and I can help them stand up with me through the Lord. Thank You for allowing me to bear that beautiful testimony for You. Every day of my life, I am willing to rely on You. This is the beginning of a new week, a week blessed by You. Live with Your love, experiencing Your presence in life. Thank and praise You! In the name of Lord Jesus, I pray. Amen!