291-Inheriting the Promise#
291-Inheriting the Promise
(JP Text Group - Organized by the Little Prince of Heaven)
The topic we are sharing is inheriting the promise.
Galatians 4:1-7,
1 I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, 2 but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. 3 In the same way, we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. 4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
Let us first pray together:
Heavenly Father! Thank You and praise You! As a new week begins, we come before You first, for Your words are our life and strength. We desire to receive supply and help from Your words. We commit today’s time to the Holy Spirit to personally guide each one, to gain strength from Your words, to receive new light, to gain wisdom through the words, to inherit Your promise, to witness Your name in our lives, and to bless the brothers and sisters who seek You. In the name of the Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen!
Inheriting the promise!
What does it mean to inherit? Is it to accept? What is the difference between inheriting, receiving, and seizing? Inheriting is passive, while seizing is active. We inherit the promise.
Many people in the world earn their inheritance through their own wisdom, right? But our inheritance is not earned; it is inherited, which means it is received. Since it is inherited, what God gives you cannot be taken away by anyone. It relies not on our efforts but on our identity.
Just like Sister Sun's inheritance now belongs to her son, whether he wants it or not, it is his. Because he is a son. Regardless of whether this son is filial or not, obedient or disobedient, it belongs to her. Are we not children of the Heavenly Father now? Since we are sons, is everything in the kingdom of heaven not ours? It is given to us by God, right? Just because we are sons, we are qualified to inherit the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, we do not seize the inheritance but inherit the inheritance that comes from Christ. This way, we can live in peace and joy every day. Because God has given it to you, no one can take it away.
The first point to share: As children, we cannot inherit the promise; we must wait to grow up.
Why do I say this? Many Christians do not understand who they are in Christ or what they have in Christ because no one teaches them these things. Many Christians do not even know if they can be saved, let alone inherit the promise. When I raised this topic, some people said, "We are not saved yet; how can we inherit the promise? We have not even entered the gate of the sheep."
Brothers and sisters, have we entered the gate of the sheep? The moment you believed in Jesus, did you not enter? Yes, after entering, you are qualified to inherit the promise.
Just like crossing the Jordan River and entering the land of Canaan, you can only inherit the promise after entering. If you are on the other side of the Jordan River, you can think about it every day, but you still cannot see this inheritance. Although you have already qualified, you can only truly possess this inheritance when you enter. Many Christians, to this day, are still unclear about whether they are saved, let alone the matter of receiving rewards. The teachings about inheritance can solve all the urgent needs of the body, allowing us to live a victorious life in the world through God. Being saved is a very simple matter; the moment you believe, you are already saved. The life after salvation is a long journey.
Some people have been saved for forty or fifty years, some for seventy or eighty years. We do not live in this world to be saved but to live out His likeness in the world through the grace of Jesus Christ. This is the part that should be emphasized. All these inheritances and powers are given to you by Jesus. You should rely on the God who saved you. Hallelujah! If you do not understand these righteous principles, you are like a baby. Many people are still like babies when they are about to die. The Bible has a very accurate definition of a baby. Let us look at what a spiritual baby is like.
Hebrews 5:13-14,
13 For everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
Here, it talks about two types of people: those who are babies on milk and those who are mature. A spiritual baby is different from a physical baby. You may see some people who have believed for ten years or even decades, but they are still spiritual babies. Just as I mentioned earlier, they do not even know if they are saved. Would you say they are not babies?
In the past, someone asked me, "Can you recite the Lord's Prayer?"
I said, "Why should I recite that?"
He said, "If you cannot recite the Lord's Prayer, you are not saved."
...
Can reciting the Lord's Prayer save you? It is clear that these are characteristics of babies. What are the characteristics of babies in life? They cry when they want to eat, they make noise when they want something, and they have no discernment. In the scripture we just read, everyone who lives on milk cannot eat anything else; babies can only digest milk and cannot digest anything else. If God gives them something else, can they bear it? Just like your child who has just been born for a day or two, even though you have many inheritances and many delicious things, can he enjoy them? But are these blessings not his?
For example, many loving parents prepare clothes for their children for three or five years before they are born. However, if he is just born for a day, can he bear those blessings? These blessings are indeed his, but he cannot bear them. The only problem is that the child's life is too small. Parents have to wait for him to grow up. When he grows to a certain age, they give him clothes for that age. When he reaches that age, they give him blessings that he can bear. Many Christians, clearly being babies, still want to wear the biggest and most expensive fur coat at home, which costs tens of thousands and is particularly expensive. Can a baby just born wear that? They cannot even stand up. No matter how good the blessings you prepare for them, they cannot bear them. It is not that we are unwilling to give them.
What should we do if we are babies? We should crave God's words to grow. We cannot say, "I want to eat chocolate; from today on, I will drink milk." That will lead to death. It is not that chocolate is bad, nor is it that your parents are bad; if they give it to you and you cannot digest it, problems will arise. Chocolate is a blessing, but for babies, their life can only digest milk for now. What are the characteristics of a spiritual baby? The scripture just mentioned that spiritual babies are unskilled in the word of righteousness, which in the original text refers to justice. What is God's justice and God's kingdom? Many people say, "We still ask for God's kingdom, 'Lord, let Your kingdom come, let Your justice come down.'" Do we still need to ask like this? No, we do not need to ask like this.
These things have already been accomplished. If you do not even know that God's kingdom has come and that God's justice is already upon you, that means you do not understand the principles of righteousness. When did God's kingdom and God's justice come upon you? The moment you believed in Jesus, God's justice was already given to you, and you were called righteous. When did God's kingdom come down? When Jesus was crucified, He brought down the kingdom of heaven and all His blessings. The moment you believed in Jesus, you entered into God's kingdom. Now, are you willing to let God's kingdom enter your heart?
God's kingdom and the kingdom of heaven are two different things. The kingdom of heaven can be understood as heaven, the place we will go in the future, the new heaven and new earth; God's kingdom is the place ruled by God. Are you willing to let God rule your life? That is God's kingdom in your life.
If you are willing to let God's kingdom and let Jesus take the lead in your home, then that is God's kingdom in your home. Jesus said very clearly, God's kingdom is not here or there; God's kingdom is within you. Hallelujah!
We already know that God's kingdom and God's justice have been given, but are you skilled in them? This is an important point. You can use these scriptures to judge for yourself what kind of life you have. No matter what you find out, do not condemn yourself. If you are a child, then just be a child; eat more spiritual food and grow. Many people do not understand their identity as righteous people. When they fail, feel discouraged, weak, or even sin, they start to doubt, saying, "Lord! You have left me; You do not listen to my prayers..."
The conclusion they draw is actually due to their unskillfulness in the principles of righteousness, or in other words, their unskillfulness in the principles of justice.
How many people, when their prayers are not answered and they do not see results, doubt, saying, "Lord! Do You not like me? Do You not listen to my prayers? Did I do something recently that displeased You?" This is all called unskillfulness in the principles of righteousness. Just like I mentioned earlier about Sister Sun's son, regardless of whether he pleases his parents, he should always believe, "This is my inheritance; it will be given to me in the future." This has nothing to do with his behavior.
You must remember: At any time, the Heavenly Father sees you as a son. Even if you make mistakes, fall, or are weak, you are still the Heavenly Father's son. He is still pleased with you, and He will always listen to your prayers. This is called being skilled in the principles of righteousness. Since it is called skilled, you should never neglect the title "You are God's beloved son."
If one day you forget and encounter some setbacks, doubting that God does not want you anymore, that is called unskillfulness in the principles of righteousness. Children are like this; when their parents leave for a while, they start crying, feeling insecure, thinking that if their parents leave, they do not want them anymore. Many children, even at two or three years old, are still like this. Parents say, "You stay at home for a while; I will go out to buy something and will be back soon." As soon as the mother leaves, he immediately cries, insisting on following closely, needing to be accompanied even in sleep, feeling insecure. This is a child; they always think: If their parents leave, do they not like them anymore? Some parents even use this method to scare their children: "If you do not behave, I will throw you outside and not want you anymore." This makes the child even more afraid.
These are caused by not knowing their identity. When they are still babies, they have many unclear perceptions, including how much their parents love them; they do not know how many inheritances they have. When they are babies, can they inherit these inheritances? No, they cannot inherit; they can only wait until they grow up.
Only mature people can eat solid food. They eat different food. Babies can only drink milk. When new believers come to church, we can only comfort them; everything must be done for them. Even if they are wrong, we still have to say it is our fault. Because they are children, if your child has just been born for two days and has a diaper accident, can you hit him? You have to patiently say, "Okay, I will clean you up right away." Even if it is their fault, you still have to comfort them; this is a baby.
When serving in the church, there are indeed some people who are babies, and they must be treated as babies, fed spiritual food, and allowed to grow continuously. Only mature people can eat solid food. Is solid food better or milk better? The solid food mentioned here refers to many different types of food. Would you want to drink milk for your entire life? That life would be tasteless. Did God not create many delicious things? Only when you grow up can you taste these flavors.
Brothers and sisters, when we first recognize Jesus' righteousness, we must first know that Jesus shed His precious blood for your sins on the cross. He sacrificed Himself so that you could be called righteous. Firmly remember your identity as a righteous person! At any time, do not let anyone take away your understanding of being righteous, and only on this basis can you recognize more of God's blessings. Please remember that all of this is given to you by God.
After growing up, what characteristics do those who begin to eat solid food have? Their powers of discernment are trained. Whether they are children or mature, there is a process of skillfulness. Children must first be skilled in the principles of justice. After growing up, our powers of discernment become trained. In this process, you continuously recognize your identity as a righteous person and skillfully use the authority of a righteous person, and you will become trained.
Just like a child who learns to call their parents "Mom" and "Dad" at first, when they grow up, regardless of what others say, even if they rarely call their parents, in their hearts, that relationship has been fully established. If a child is taken away from their parents from the day they are born, even though these two people are their parents, if this child has never called them "Mom" or "Dad," when they meet, they will still be very unfamiliar with each other, and there will be no sense of intimacy in their hearts.
So at the beginning, I want everyone to recognize the love of the Heavenly Father, recognize the righteousness of Jesus Christ, recognize your identity as a righteous person, and recognize that the blessings of being righteous are helpful to you. When you truly know that He is your Heavenly Father and that all your blessings depend on Him, at that time, your relationship with God will begin to elevate, your powers of discernment will begin to open, you will see light in the Bible, and even in your work, you will see more revelations of Jesus Christ, His grace, and His power. You will discover more and more. For example, when praying in tongues, some people start with very monotonous syllables, but in the end, they become more and more, speaking in tongues to interpreting tongues, beginning to have visions and powers. Are these gifts not all coming out? In fact, it is just that you have become skilled, and afterward, God shows you more blessings.
In reality, these blessings have long been prepared, just like when a child turns one year old, the mother brings out a pile of beautiful clothes that were prepared before he was born. Our Heavenly Father has prepared everything for you. It belongs to you spiritually. It just depends on what stage your life is in. God will give you His inheritance according to the part that your life at this stage can bear. A mature person is someone who can discern good from evil. What is good and what is evil? In this world, only God is good, only God is righteous, only God is good. Using God's words, you will be able to discern right from wrong, good from evil. Hallelujah!
All who believe in Jesus Christ should use God's words as the standard for our lives. Is the world not constantly changing? What was once considered right is now wrong because people are constantly changing. But God's standard does not change. If you are still a baby, even if you feel like an adult, you still cannot inherit the adult's estate. What should you do? If you have always been a baby, how much God longs for you to continue to love this spiritual milk so that your life can grow. The inheritance has already been given to you, right? It is what God wants to give you. When you are still a baby, these can only be managed by a steward.
As we read in Galatians 4:1-2,
1 I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, 2 but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father.
Through this passage, we can know that you are the heir, the owner of these inheritances in the kingdom of heaven. You are qualified to inherit these inheritances. But if your life is that of a child, you are no different from a slave. There is a Greek background here. In the Greek region, when a boy is born, he is no different from other slaves. From a young age, he has to work and do various things. When the child becomes an adult, there will be a coming-of-age ceremony, which is the ritual of meeting the father. At that time, he can become his father's son. Before that, he is like a slave. If he does not honor his father before that, and the father looks down on him, on the day of the coming-of-age ceremony, he may not recognize him, and then he will not be qualified to inherit the promise.
This is different from our country. The moment you accept the Father, you are His son. However, your inheritance is temporarily managed by others, perhaps by the king of this world, or others are preparing this blessing for you, waiting for you to grow up and then inherit these properties and estate. This is the blessing God has prepared for us. Under guardians and managers, waiting for the time set by the Father to come, it seems that our God has predetermined a time, right? Waiting for you to inherit His inheritance is actually related to you.
According to Jewish tradition, when this child reaches thirty years old, he can start a family and leave his father to do things. At that time, the father will divide all the family property for him, such as giving him some startup funds to start a business. Before this, he is not qualified to touch his father's inheritance. When his father gives it to him, or before he passes away, he gives him all his inheritance, then he has independent rights.
Brothers and sisters, it seems that the father is waiting for us, having predetermined a time for us. In reality, it is related to our lives. Even if a newly born child has the right to inherit all the family property, his life is too small. Even if everything is given to him now, he still cannot bear this inheritance because his life is too immature.
God has been waiting for us. The Bible mentions predestination, which seems to be God's sovereignty, but in reality, it is related to your life. When your life grows to adulthood, God will naturally give you greater blessings, allowing you to witness His glory. If you are a child, you can only be enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. As children, we have no discernment, and we are the same as the world. New believers behave and think like the world because they do not yet understand the principles of justice and do not know how to use God's words to live.
Many people are still in this state. They have believed for a long time, but their way of living and thinking is still no different from the world. This means they are still enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. When you change your thinking, one day you will no longer want to live by the world's ways. You say, "Lord! From today on, I want to live according to Your words. I am sure Your words are correct and the most powerful." When you begin to live by God's words, you will find that God's words become more and more powerful, and you will see more joy and experience peace. This means you have begun to have discernment.
How many people still focus their eyes on the pastor, saying, "Pastor, your gaze towards me today is not right; a word you said hurt me, so I will not go to church." This is the behavior of a baby. When will we no longer look at people but see everyone through Christ, focusing our gaze on Jesus? You have already become skilled in the principles of justice. At that time, God can directly reveal the truth to you, allowing you to experience His power. This is not with God; it is in our thoughts and intentions.
Then it says, 4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
Before we believed in the Lord, we were all under the law of the world. Now that you believe in Jesus, He has already saved you from the law of the world and has given you the title of son. You are a child of God, with the right to inherit the promise. Knowing this, should you not become familiar with your estate? There is no need to become familiar with the world anymore, right? Reading the Bible, gathering, and praying is the process of becoming familiar with your inheritance. When you read the Bible and gather, it is not beneficial to God; it is beneficial to you. The more you come to know God, the more He will reveal His inheritance to you, allowing you to inherit these things. Babies cannot inherit all of this.
Using worldly reasoning, no normal parent would entrust their inheritance to a baby to manage; that would cause problems. Therefore, parents must wait for their children to grow up. Such situations arise: if a child is not yet grown, and the parents get cancer, how can they give this child a large estate? This leads to the establishment of a trust fund, which is to entrust lawyers or foundations to help manage the estate, but they must wait for the child to grow up, until he can be independent. At that time, the trust fund will evaluate the son, and if he is now a person who can discern good from evil, they will give the inheritance according to his parents' will. If he still cries whenever he wants... then he will have to wait a little longer. This is your inheritance, but your life has always been so immature that they cannot give it to you because giving it to you would harm you. If a first grader has a lot of cash in his backpack every day, that would harm the child. The key is that our lives must grow. God's blessings and inheritance have long been prepared.
In Luke 15, there is a story of a prodigal son. The younger son was actually a baby at that time. Although he had grown physically, his thoughts and intentions were still that of a baby. He took his inheritance too early, which was due to his immature mindset. He indulged himself and wasted his wealth. Such behavior proves that he is a baby; his character is not mature enough. At that time, it was not the best time for him to inherit the promise. He went out full and returned empty.
Similarly, today many believers place too much focus on inheritance and blessings, always saying, "Lord! Why do You not give me more blessings? Why do You not give me more gifts? Why do You not let me see more of the estate?" God cares more about your life. I hope everyone’s life can grow. At that time, God will be particularly willing to let you see more of His blessings.
If you are a child, and you are given a piece of candy, you think the world is beautiful and that your father loves you very much. But for the father, he would rather this child grow up and have the ability to earn candy rather than give him a piece of candy every time. When he is one year old, he is given a piece of candy, and the child is delighted. But when he is twenty-eight years old, if he is still given a piece of candy, would you think this father would be happy? God cares more about our lives. God is particularly willing to give you this blessing, but He hopes your life can grow. I hope our brothers and sisters can pay attention to the building of our lives, just like our theme this year, to expand our territory. When you expand your capacity, God will fill you with more blessings. Amen!
God will elevate you to an enviable position at the right time, just like Joseph. We all hope to have a position like Joseph, but do you know that before God made him prime minister, He had already given him the heart of a prime minister and the ability to inherit this inheritance? Otherwise, if he were placed there, he would be a tyrant and harm more people. God has allowed him to experience some trials and setbacks from being a child, and his mind has grown up; he can now discern good from evil. Look at his brothers; when they finally meet Joseph, are they still in the form of children? They say, "You cannot harm us; we are..." They cannot find a reason or justification. Are you innocent? Are you unintentional? Clearly, they sold their brother. So they say, "Please spare our lives."
What did Joseph say? "Actually, God sent me here before you to save our lives." How much has your life grown? Joseph could sit in the position of prime minister because he had already matured. This has nothing to do with physiological age. Many people are already seventy or eighty years old, but their lives are still babies in Christ. Some people have just believed for two or three years, but they are already mature. This is related to our pursuit.
Brothers and sisters, in life, I hope we read God's words every day, whether through listening to sermons or otherwise, to first become skilled in the principles of justice, knowing that God particularly cares about my life and loves me. He is willing to elevate me. In any environment, learn to thank God, rely on God's power, and experience God repeatedly. In these experiences, God will elevate your character to inherit greater blessings.
Romans 8:16-18,
16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
Are you sure you are a child of God? In the presence of the Heavenly Father, we are fellow heirs with Christ. Since we are heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if we suffer with Him, how do you understand this suffering? In the process of your life growing, experiencing God's grace repeatedly, you will definitely encounter obstacles. When Jesus preached the gospel, was He not completing God's work? In this process, He suffered the most. He did not commit any sin, yet He still suffered. So when we experience God, we will also face some persecution and attacks. What should we do then? Do we not believe? We need to look up to the Heavenly Father's provision even more and confirm that you are God's beloved son. Hallelujah!
On the way to the Garden of Gethsemane in John 15, Jesus had a prayer that sounded very tragic, saying, "You will all leave me, leaving me alone." He immediately added, "But I am not alone; the Father is with me." Brothers and sisters, have you ever thought about it? Jesus clearly knew what was going to happen afterward. His heart was troubled; He did not want His disciples to leave Him, right? He hoped these disciples could stand with Him, but He also knew that these people would definitely leave Him because of their weakness. Yet He immediately had a strength; He knew the Father would not leave Him. This was His only hope. When He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, He asked the Lord three times, "If it is possible, let this cup pass from me." This cup is the cup of suffering, but it is not because Jesus is afraid; it is because at that moment, His only hope was that the Father would also leave Him. For Jesus, this was suffering because the Father, who had never left Him, would leave Him.
For us, everything Jesus did was for us to gain glory, so that we could inherit His inheritance and enjoy blessings with Him. In life, when you encounter some obstacles, if someone obstructs you from believing in Jesus or worshiping God, what should you do? Hold fast to your faith! This is suffering. You must believe that God will surely make a way for you. Why? Because the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. This is life, not referring to existence. In this world, we must forgive others, accommodate others, and be tolerant of children. Do we not suffer? There are many grievances we must bear ourselves. Therefore, when serving in the church, when you bear these pressures and sufferings, do not complain, for one day, God will give you great glory because of these things. Hallelujah!
Those who have raised children know that before a child turns one, there are many things to deal with. When you are asleep at night, he wakes up again. At that time, are you suffering? But after those years of suffering, you will find that this child is very obedient and wins many awards in school. Did you not share in the glory with him? We are the same, brothers and sisters. Because Christ has already gained glory, He now particularly hopes that you will inherit the glory that God wants to give you in the future. When you encounter suffering and problems in life, do not lose heart. The grievances and sufferings you endure now, compared to the glory God will give you in the future, are nothing. Hallelujah!
Here it says, since we are children, we are heirs. In this passage, the Greek word for children refers to immature children. We are heirs of God, fellow heirs with Christ. This does not mean that we can immediately receive all the inheritance. Although the child is the heir of everything, he must wait until the time predetermined by his father comes to obtain actual ownership. Until that day arrives, this child will work like other servants to please his father. When we do not recognize the righteousness of Jesus Christ or have not believed in Jesus, we are all under the law of the world, striving to obtain blessings like the world. But you have already believed in Jesus, yet many people still live this way because they are still children and have not grown up, so they cannot inherit the inheritance God has given them.
I will give a few examples of maturity from the Bible, and everyone will understand. When Moses led the Israelites, was he not already a mature person? How did Moses handle problems? Every time, he turned to God in prayer. His method of solving problems was completely different from that of the world. This water is bitter; if we solve it according to worldly methods, how do we solve the bitter water of Marah? The worldly solution is to say there is no way to solve it; just endure it for now and see if there is other water below. This is a human solution. For Moses, who was already mature, he used God's method. He prayed to God, "Lord! What should we do now? This water is bitter." God said, "Put a tree in it." The world cannot solve this problem and cannot think of such a method. This is the difference between a mature person.
Your methods of handling things are different from the world. You use God's methods. In the wilderness, once, when the Israelites were bitten by snakes and were all poisoned, according to today's methods, would they not be taken to the hospital to see where the poison had spread? If the poison spreads severely, they would directly amputate. If it is too late, they would die on the way. People have done their best; this is the worldly solution. But how did Moses solve it? Under God's guidance, he made a bronze serpent and told the people, "If you look at this bronze serpent, you will live."
Is this not inheriting the promise? Is this not using God's power in practice? This is the difference from the world. Our lives are growing. When we encounter problems, we continuously use God's power and the authority of Jesus to overcome these problems, and our lives will grow. When problems arise, pray to God first. If the child is sick, pray first. We do not first take medicine, then go to the hospital if the medicine does not work, and finally pray. This was the way we used to handle things when we were slightly immature. But as your life grows, you reach a stage where you have matured and will rely on God in everything. Hallelujah!
Perhaps reading the Bible and praying every day has become your most important thing because you feel this is the source of my wisdom and strength, as well as my treasure for victory. Some are still children. If you let them come to church to listen to the sermon, they will say, "This is really unbearable; my ears are hurting." Because they do not yet recognize the beauty of this inheritance.
In Paul's time, children were cared for and constrained by tutors before the age of twelve. From the age of twelve, they became apprentices to their fathers. In the following eighteen years, until they were thirty, they worked as apprentices to their fathers, learning the family business or everything related to trade, unlike hired workers who would receive fixed wages.
During the apprenticeship period, sons generally do not receive wages because the father supplies everything the son needs. However, the father and son live under the same roof, under the father's authority and protection, learning the skills and business secrets of the family business from the father. This is their wage.
Hired workers receive wages, but sons are heirs and must learn to wait. In this process, they are called the period of suffering. Why suffer? Because there is no wage. This explains a problem: many people complain, "Since I believed in Jesus, why do I live worse than the world?" It is simple; the father is training you. You are in the eighteen years between the ages of twelve and thirty. The father is training you to understand His righteousness, His authority, and His mysteries. Many times, you indeed do not live as well as the world, but once you learn all of this, what you inherit is your father's entire estate, and they will all be your workers.
If you do not understand, you say, "I am the same as these hired workers. They work hard every month and receive wages, but I still have nothing. I am not as good as them. I live with you, eat with you; what does that matter? I want to be like them." Then you are becoming a servant.
Many people envy the world, but there is no need to envy the world. What you need to do now is to let your life grow in the words of Christ. Then God will give you His inheritance. At that time, those people in the world will serve you. I hope brothers and sisters can quickly recognize God's words. God particularly looks forward to your thirtieth birthday. When you reach thirty, you will be a qualified apprentice. Generally speaking, sons complete their apprenticeship training at the age of thirty, preparing to inherit their inheritance.
When he turns thirty, he can inherit his father's skills or mission and independently manage affairs. In the eyes of outsiders, thirty is considered a mentally mature independent person. This is why Jesus began His ministry at about thirty years old. In that era, if you were under thirty, others would think you were mentally immature and would not believe what you said. They would ask your parents if you made him say that. Therefore, when Jesus came out at thirty, no one doubted Him anymore because, legally and in everyone's consciousness, He was already an independent person who could discern good from evil. This also meets the requirements of the law. Brothers and sisters, I look forward to you reaching thirty years old soon.
The second point to share: Expand your territory and inherit the promise.
As we just read in Galatians 4:3, 3 In the same way, we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world.
The growth of our lives is not achieved overnight; it takes time to grow. People who come to church have different levels of life. There are babies, twelve-year-olds, and thirty-year-olds. In this, there are stewards who are strictly trained, managing with legalistic thoughts, telling you how you should behave; there are also those who teach like fathers, guiding gently, aiming to train us to inherit the promise later. Many believers see pastors as enemies; this is definitely a sign of being a baby. If your life is still that of a baby, you must first learn to receive His words and let your life grow.
1 Peter 2:1-2,
1 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation.
Brothers and sisters, this process is to tell us that when you believed in Jesus, you were already separated from the old life, the malicious life, the life of deceit and jealousy, and the life of frequently telling lies. Now how do you let your new life take effect? Crave the pure spiritual milk. Do newborn babies particularly like to drink milk? We must have that eagerness.
A few days ago, a sister gave me a testimony. She previously had poor circulation in her capillaries from head to toe, had no strength, and walked unsteadily. When she heard the message of grace, she said, "Do not disturb me; let me stay at home and listen to the word every day." She listened to one sermon after another and felt it was really wonderful. Her friends said, "We are missing one; let’s go play mahjong." She said, "Do not disturb me; I have no time." Isn’t this just like a baby craving spiritual milk? I believe many of you have experienced this process. During that time, you just wanted to listen to the word, did not want to do anything else, and were not interested in watching past TV shows. You just liked to listen to the word, and when you listened to the word, you felt so comfortable.
That process is the process of craving spiritual milk. Later, her life changed. Many of us have similar testimonies. In the process of eagerly listening to the word, she enjoyed it and found that one day her illness disappeared, her body recovered, and joy filled her. This is when she started drinking milk, and her body began to grow. Babies grow rapidly in the early days; you give them milk, and they drink it quickly. They do not know how many meals they eat in a day.
Now think about it: how many meals can an elderly person eat in a day? When life is nearing its end, how many meals can they eat? Once every two days, and finally once a week, they stop eating. This is the opposite of babies. If you say, "In the beginning, I loved reading the Bible and listening to sermons. I could listen to ten sermons a day. Now, if I can listen to one sermon a month, that is already very good," then that proves your life may have reached an elderly stage. This is a dangerous signal.
In life, we should crave God's words every day, just like newborn babies crave milk. This way, our lives will grow very quickly. To grow into salvation means that in life, you will often experience God's salvation. This milk is beneficial to him. However, babies absolutely cannot eat indiscriminately; otherwise, it could be fatal. I mentioned this earlier, so they can only drink pure milk.
For new believers, do not encourage them to listen to too many sermons from different people; this could harm them and change their taste. For new believers, encourage them to read the Bible first. Do not listen to or watch randomly; otherwise, it will affect their future reception. In theology, there is a meaning that when you first start to engage, do not look at any commentaries or explanations of the Bible. Do not look at how others interpret it. Do not look at these; first read the Bible. Read it four times before you speak. Have a basic framework of God's words in your heart first, and then when you do other discernments, you will have the most basic discernment. If you start off listening incorrectly, you will use that standard to discern others, which is very dangerous.
I encourage everyone to read the Bible first. Read it four times, regardless of whether you can understand it. Just read it.
Hebrews 6:10-15,
10 For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. 11 And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
You must be assured of one thing: our God is a just God. He will not forget what you have done for Him! You can meditate on this passage. Because of love, you tolerate someone, endure someone, forgive someone, and continually encourage someone, even if you have suffered a lot, our God will remember it all. As servants, we serve others, just like parents raising children; we serve them. Do not think of yourself as being so noble; that is just serving them.
But you will find that in this process, our lives are being built. Our Lord said that He desires each of us to show such earnestness. What kind of earnestness? First, remember that God is a just God, and then serve others with that love. If your hope is in the Heavenly Father, you will always have a satisfying hope. You must hold on to this hope until the end. Hallelujah!
Are you sure God is a just God? Since you know God is a just God, then what you do for the Lord in your life, He will not forget a single thing! What you have done may be forgotten by others. For example, if someone helps me, we want to repay them, but suddenly something interrupts, and we forget about it. This person might say, "I helped you so much, and you did not even say thank you?" People can overlook such things. But the Lord will not forget even the smallest thing you do for Him. In the future, He will reward you. Hallelujah!
Verse 12 says, "And do not be sluggish."
This means that regardless of whether others reward you or understand you, you must continue to do so because we are servants. If you do this, you are a person of hope because you are not doing it for people to see; you are doing it before the Lord. God will give you a great reward in the future. It also says, "Be imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises." If you want to inherit the promise and the inheritance, do you not need to do so with faith and patience?
Just like a child, when he is just twelve years old, he knows this family business is his. Does he not need to wait patiently for his thirtieth birthday? Is this process of waiting painful or joyful? Every year he grows older, he thinks, "Great! I am one step closer to inheriting the promise." It is not like, "Oh no, I have grown another year older." Today, is this not how the world is? "Oh no, I have grown another year older," which means I am one year closer to the grave. But we are not like this in Christ; it is the opposite. Every year, we say, "Lord! Thank You! You have given me grace for another year."
When the world says, "Wow! You are already seventy or eighty years old, and you are about to be buried." That is great because I will soon meet my Lord and be with Him forever. We always have hope. You must believe that God will never lie. Look at Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and those spiritual predecessors in the past. Did they not all inherit by relying on God's promises in the end? The promises and inheritances God gives us will never be lies.
God told the Israelites, "I will bring you into the land of Canaan." Did their descendants enter Canaan? Yes, they entered and inherited that land. So God said, "If you believe in Me, I will give you eternal life, and you will reign with Me in heaven in the future, entering the new heaven, new earth, and new Jerusalem." Do you believe? I believe that with each passing day, we draw closer, so our hope is growing larger.
When you encounter unpleasant things in this world, such as being bullied for no reason, you must endure and bless them. This is your opportunity to receive blessings. Otherwise, if you flatter me and I flatter you, what is the point? The world can do that. How can we show the life of Christ? Much of our character is built in adversity.
If you look closely at the great people in the Bible, do they not all have this process? In these adversities, they learned to rely on God and understand the preciousness of God's words. Many times, we are like this. When we are weak and helpless, we are more willing to rely on God. I hope everyone develops this habit in daily life, starting now to accept training, learning to use God's words to correct our lives and renew our thoughts and intentions. I look forward to each of you breaking through to thirty years old soon. Hallelujah!
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father! Thank You and praise You! Thank You for leading us today, through Your words, letting us know that we are people who can inherit Your promises. However, babies cannot inherit, not because You are unwilling to give us blessings, but because we cannot discern good from evil. Lord, let me be in Your righteousness, and let us continually become skilled, knowing I am God's beloved son, and understanding the righteousness and authority of Jesus, the precious blood of Jesus, and what Jesus accomplished for me on the cross, allowing me to skillfully apply these truths in my life.
As the new week begins, I will live according to Your promises and Your words, learning to issue commands with Your words. I learn to treat others with the way You treat the world. Please grant me wisdom and strength, allowing me to witness and glorify You in my life. Thank You and praise You! I am willing to live according to Your words, and all glory belongs to You. In the name of the Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen!