305 - Do Not Imitate, but Absorb and Receive#
305 - Do Not Imitate, but Absorb and Receive
(JP Text Group - Organized by the Little Prince of Heaven)
John 15:4-9
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. 9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, thank You and praise You! Thank You for preparing such a wonderful time for us to worship and praise You together. We believe this time is You setting apart, a time You lead us in. You are the vine, and we are the branches. We need to draw nourishment and supply from You to bear fruit. Today is our time to receive Your word. You supply us through this time, allowing everyone to come before You to absorb and receive. Bless the brothers and sisters who seek You today, in the name of Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen!
The topic of sharing is: Do Not Imitate, but Absorb and Receive
Do you know that people in this world are all imitating others? What is the difference between imitation and receiving? For example, in today’s sermon, if someone takes my message and reads it word for word, that is imitation. But if they take it and receive it themselves before sharing it, that is receiving. Do you see the difference? Many people do not understand that each of us is a channel. You have God’s reception, and I have it too. When we share with each other, we can receive from one another, as we are all witnessing the same Lord.
Jesus says here that you must abide in me, and I in you. If you read the first three verses of chapter 15, you will know this is addressed to believers. How do we enter into Christ? By believing in Jesus, we enter into Jesus Christ. But do those who enter into Christ truly live in Him in all things?
Sometimes we rely on ourselves, sometimes on our flesh, and sometimes we rely on our own reasoning to do things. What Jesus is saying is that you must abide in me, and I in you, which means His words must always be in your heart. If His words are always in your heart, when you conduct yourself in life, you will unconsciously use God’s words.
In life, we are always living by words. Non-believers may use the experiences, teachings, traditions, or knowledge learned from their ancestors... After believing in Jesus, there should be a new way of living, using God’s words to renew your life. This passage introduces Jesus as the vine, and we are the branches. Abiding in the branches proves that everyone who believes in Jesus is connected to the vine. It cannot be severed, right? I have shared these things before, saying that if you do not bear fruit, you will be cut off, which means God wants to lift you up. You are still connected to Jesus. However, after being connected, some people continuously draw nourishment from Jesus every day, while others, after believing in Jesus, have no difference from non-believers. That is the only difference, but they are all branches on this vine.
Some branches bear much fruit, some bear little, and some do not bear fruit at all. Isn’t that very common? Where is the difference? It is not in the root but in how much nourishment the branch absorbs. We all believe in Jesus; some receive much from Jesus, while others receive little, but you cannot imitate this. This is something that cannot be imitated.
Verse 7 says, if you abide in me, and my words abide in you;
This means that the words of Jesus can become our guidance in life. When you often meditate on the words of Jesus, the subsequent verses and promises will be fulfilled in you. Do you believe that God’s promises do not change? Are God’s promises equal for everyone who believes in Him? You cannot say that because you are older, you do not need as many promises, or that because you just believed, you do not need as many promises. No, for everyone who believes in Him, God’s promises are equally abundant, and His love for us is the same.
The next sentence says, whatever you wish, ask, and it shall be done for you.
We all hope that our prayers can be fully accomplished, and we hope that God can hear our prayers anytime and anywhere, and fulfill them in the best way. Do you believe this is God’s promise? The meaning of God’s promise is that as long as you are willing to believe, you can receive it. There seems to be a condition in the front, my words must abide in you. That is where the difference lies.
Verse 8 says, you bear much fruit, my Father is glorified.
Now let’s return to the vine. How can the vine branches bear much fruit? Is it by their own effort? Can they lift themselves up? No, they only do one thing, which is to continuously receive every day. Isn’t that simple? It is every day. Don’t think about cramming; for example, if the college entrance exam is coming, starting now, you sleep four hours a day and study the rest of the time. Even if you apply all that thinking, it won’t work. This is not something that can be accumulated in three years. It is not starting from zero and learning from now on; it won’t work.
So today I want to tell everyone, faith is accumulated. Some faith suddenly bursts forth, but such faith only lasts three days. Just like the vine bearing fruit, it is the same; it is about continuously receiving every day for the grapes to grow little by little. Amen!
When we bear fruit, it is just like the vine bearing fruit. The first three years may not bear fruit, but once it starts bearing fruit from the third year, it will continue to bear fruit every year thereafter. Your life is the same; do not be anxious about why you have not borne fruit yet. If you have not borne fruit yet, what you need to do is to continuously receive the words of Christ every day, to live in His love, and to abide in His love. You cannot say today, “I know God loves me,” and then tomorrow think, “Because my behavior is not good, God may not want me anymore, He may not hear my prayers, I may have too many sins, and God has abandoned me.” Do not have this thought; you must believe that God has always loved you.
The first point of sharing is: Faith cannot be imitated.
Let me share a testimony. There was a sister whose situation was very bad; her family relationships were terrible, her marriage was broken, she had health issues, and she was very depressed, almost unable to live. One time, someone recommended my sermon recording to her. After listening to one sermon, she felt it was a treasure; she realized how good Jesus is, something she had never felt before. She had misunderstood God. She listened to twenty sermons a day, and when she told me, I was shocked. My sermon is an hour long, and twenty sermons would be twenty hours. She told me that your voice preached to me twenty-four hours a day. Thank the Lord! Do you know what happened? She listened earnestly, believed, and received. Three months later, all her diseases disappeared.
She did not seek anyone to lay hands and pray for her, nor did she ask for daily prayers and blessings. She simply listened to the sermons, and three months later, all her diseases disappeared. Later, her family relationships were restored, and her work was completely turned around. Previously, she could not work, but later her work was completely transformed. This was all done by God. I do not know; I have no credit in this. I am just a channel. She simply listened to my sermons, and it was that simple. It was not me who helped her; it was Jesus, whom I preached, who brought her a complete turnaround.
After her complete turnaround, people around her saw her change and asked her, “How can I be healed?”
She said, “Listen to the sermons.”
“Which sermon should I listen to for healing?”
I believe many people ask this question: “Which sermon should I listen to for financial turnaround? Which sermon should I listen to for family restoration?”
Brothers and sisters, is it about which sermon? I ate seven loaves of bread, and when asked which loaf filled me up, isn’t it the same principle? This is a misconception for many people. When they ask her how to be healed, they want to know which sermon to listen to. How was your marriage restored? How was your financial situation turned around? They want shortcuts. After this sister shared her testimony, she used the method in that testimony. After divorcing her husband, she continuously listened to the sermons...
She had a feeling that she wanted to find him and reconcile because she was already prepared inside, filled with a forgiving heart, to do this. Although the man did not change, she had already changed.
After this sister finished speaking, the listening sisters said, “I understand now; I am also divorced, and I will find my husband.” The two also reconciled, but within three days, it was just like before. Where is the difference? Was this sister’s testimony wrong? One was imitating, while the other lived out the words of faith. Amen!
When this sister told them to listen to more sermons, they felt it was just the same old tune. Am I also telling you to listen to more sermons? Many people say, “I am also listening; why is there no effect?” I also declared according to what you said; why does it not work? Many people ask me, “Teacher Ren, I declared according to your method; why does your declaration work, but mine does not?” In fact, our difference lies only in how much we recognize Jesus within.
Many people focus on results. You tell me what the simplest method is, and I will just do it. In fact, this is imitation. I want to say that faith cannot be imitated; it can only be received from Christ. Amen! Have you seen similar prophets or apostles with healing power? When they stretch out their hands, everyone falls down, and when they stretch out their hands, someone is healed. You can imitate their actions; you can even have the same hairstyle and wear the same clothes, but that will not work. The difference is in the faith inside.
Matthew 8:14-17
14 And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever. 15 And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them. 16 When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: 17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, “Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.”
This scripture is very familiar, right? Have you noticed how Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law? At that time, Peter’s mother-in-law had a fever, similar to what we call tuberculosis today, which is contagious. Generally, people would not want to touch her, but what did Jesus do? He touched her hand, and the fever left. Can you imitate that? If someone has a fever here, and you touch her hand, why is she still hot? Is it that Jesus’ words are problematic? No, is it that God’s promise is wrong? No, then where is the problem? You cannot imitate what happened next; in the evening, many possessed with devils came to Jesus, and He cast out the spirits with just one word.
Someone might say, “Tell me, what did Jesus say?” Isn’t that the wrong focus? Even if I tell you one word, you will not have the same effect. The reason is that one has faith inside, and the other has doubt. One is certain that the words spoken will surely be fulfilled, while the other is just trying it out. So I hope everyone receives from Christ; this kind of faith can never be imitated.
Mark 4:39-41
39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, “Peace, be still.” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 And he said unto them, “Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?” 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, “What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
How can you imitate this? When a typhoon is blowing, you say, “Peace, be still!” You can imitate Jesus’ manner, but will there be any effect? You will definitely not see any effect. A few years ago, in the church I served, a similar thing happened. Just after the meeting, when the brothers and sisters were walking out, a particularly strong typhoon blew. There was a large advertising light box at the entrance, which was blown into the air and was rolling towards a sister’s face. That situation was unavoidable, with the wind speed so fast. At that time, we had just talked about some declarations. She had listened for a long time, and that day she used it. Do you know what she did? Without saying a word, she stretched out her hand and said, “Stop!” Do you know what happened? It was as if suddenly this light box was tied by something and stopped right in front of her, falling straight down in front of her. That sister was shocked; was it a miracle?
So I just asked you, can you do it? You said no, then it won’t work. But if you say yes, it is already too late; it still won’t work. This is a matter of faith; it is not because you can or cannot. You say, “I don’t have that much faith.” This kind of faith, every one of you can have. Hallelujah!
Just grasp the method, and I ask you, why could Jesus have such great faith? Is it because He is the Son of God? Because He is God, He has such great faith. If your answer is this, you indeed will not have such great faith.
In the Bible, Jesus said, “The works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.” This refers to healing ministry, gospel ministry, not to say you should go to the cross. It refers to the service aspect; you will do greater things than Jesus. This proves that what Jesus did at that time, you can also do. The key is to receive such faith like Jesus, but you cannot imitate it; otherwise, it will go wrong.
I once read a book where three sisters imitated what a pastor said, saying, “Peter walked on the sea; we can too; we have this faith.” As a result, the three sisters held hands and walked across the river, and in the end, they all drowned. Was it because their faith was not big enough? We are not discussing this today; I am telling everyone to know where Jesus’ faith comes from; that is the key.
John 10:27-30
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. 30 I and my Father are one.
In this passage, have you found the answer? Why does Jesus have such great faith? How does Jesus view the Father? Greater than all. So brothers and sisters, you do not need to compete with others. Just like when you come to this church, it is not that I dug you from other churches or used some tricks to bring you here; that will not last long. It is that you are led here by God; I know this is God’s work. Jesus also said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” So I hope you follow Jesus. Jesus believes that the sheep belong to the Father; no one can take them away. This refers to the devil; he cannot take them away. Hallelujah!
Moreover, the next part says, “My Father gave me the sheep,” and that next sentence is crucial. In Jesus’ heart, He always believes that He is greater than all. What does this mean? If you feel that the problems you encounter in life are very big, who is greater? Our Heavenly Father is greater. If you feel that your life is about to end and there seems to be no solution, who has greater power? The Father’s power is greater. So Jesus always thinks that He is greater than all; He is my backup. Then what are you afraid of? You worry and are anxious because you feel you are fighting alone and do not know how long you can hold on. But if you know that our Heavenly Father is your backup, you will no longer worry.
Verse 30 says, “I and my Father are one.”
Earlier He mentioned, “My Father is greater than all,” and then immediately tells us that this power greater than all is now within me. Now I ask you a question: Do you acknowledge that the power of the Holy Spirit is greater than all? Then let me ask you, is the Holy Spirit in you? Yes, then what does this indicate? Logically, you and the Holy Spirit have now become one. In other words, the power of the Holy Spirit is as great as your power.
Isn’t it really simple? If you understand this, when you reach out to heal others or declare, the power will be different from someone who imitates. This is the difference in faith inside.
Look at the event of Lazarus, John 11:41-45
41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, “Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. 42 And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.” 43 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.” 44 And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, “Loose him, and let him go.” 45 Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him.
Here I want to highlight a few points. After Lazarus had been dead for four days, to the people, he was already beyond saving. Others said he was already stinking. The temperature in Israel is very high, and to people, death is very thorough. Here, when someone dies, they are buried after three days because there might be a state of apparent death, known as resurrection. But on the fourth day, there is no chance; death is very thorough, meaning completely dead.
In this situation, Jesus said one thing, “Lazarus, come forth.” If you shout at a dead man’s tomb today, will there be any effect? When Jesus said this, we must carefully look at the previous part. If you do not understand, no matter how great your faith is, if you imitate without understanding, it will weaken you.
Let’s look at the second half of verse 41. Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you because you have heard me!”
I do not know how many people pray believing that the Father has already heard their prayers before they pray, or if they think that through prayer, the Father will hear their prayers. Do you see the difference?
Many people say, “Father! Please hear my prayer.” It seems like God has not heard yet, and you are trying to impress Him with your words, actions, and piety to make Him listen to your prayer. But Jesus is not like this. When Jesus prayed, He said, “Father, I thank you because you have heard me.” Before you even open your mouth, the Father has already heard your prayer.
Then in verse 42, you should remember, “And I knew that thou hearest me always.”
Hallelujah! Now you know why Jesus had such great faith? When He came to the world, He was indeed very lonely. Although there were twelve disciples later, what He did was not understood by all twelve disciples. So at this time, Jesus had already expressed that the source of His faith is I know you always hear my prayers. I hope you go home and meditate on this sentence. Meditate on the fact that our Heavenly Father always hears your prayers. He does not hear only occasionally or when you perform well; He is always listening to your prayers. But why did He let Lazarus rise again?
But I said this for the sake of the people which stand by.
So the later sentence “Lazarus, come forth” was not for Jesus himself but for the people standing around, to let them believe that you sent me. In fact, this passage is to increase the disciples’ faith, to let them know that Jesus can not only calm the storm but also is the God who can raise the dead because previously, He had already told Martha and Mary: I am the resurrection and the life.
The Chinese Union Version says, the resurrection is in me, and life is also in me, but the original meaning is “I am the resurrection, and I am the life.” It means today I want you to see one thing: life is in my hands, and resurrection is also in my hands. So He said, “Lazarus, come forth.” Do not imitate this result; you must believe in the faith that Jesus brought forth, and the dead man came forth.
Look at verse 45. Many of the Jews who came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him.
Now do you know why the Jews believed quickly and betrayed quickly? Where is their faith established? Those who came to Mary saw what Jesus did and believed on him. They came to see miracles; when they saw what Jesus did, they believed on him. Now Jesus performed a miracle, and some said, “I must believe you; you are indeed good! You are the God who solves my diseases, the God who turns my finances around.” But why did this group of Jews still crucify Jesus?
Faith cannot be established on miracles; it must be established on God’s words. God’s words can produce miracles, but if you only focus on miracles and those gifts, one day you will betray Jesus with these gifts. Imitation can only imitate the fruit; it cannot imitate the faith in the heart. This faith cannot be imitated.
Even if I tell you how good Jesus is, I bear witness to you, you sit down, and the brothers and sisters all tell you what Jesus has done in their lives. After you listen, you say, “This God is indeed too good; I believe in Him.” Such faith will only last about three days. Before the Israelites left Egypt, they saw so many miracles, none of which were small miracles, turning blood into water... so many miracles they witnessed with their own eyes. Did they believe? Among them, the miracle that everyone experienced was crossing the Red Sea. I believe some people would say, “As long as I see those miracles, I will definitely not doubt God.”
That was a miracle experienced by over two million people, right? Even if you say my faith is small, if you see the Red Sea parting, with two walls of water in front of you, and you walk through it, I believe everyone would remember it and never forget it. This miracle was enough to shock your visual perception, but so what? It only lasted three days. After they crossed the Red Sea, three days later, when there was no food or drink, they began to complain. This is human faith; you cannot imitate them. They could not receive the words from God in their hearts; they were just imitating the fruit. Once there were none of these, they immediately returned to their original state. Therefore, we must receive from Jesus and not imitate the results of others. Amen!
1 Peter 5:7-10
7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9 Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. 10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
This passage says that our adversary, the devil, is imitating Jesus, as a roaring lion, proving he is not a real lion. When someone stands beside me, and you say, “Teacher Ren! That person looks like you.” This indicates that person is definitely not me. Even if two twins stand together, and you say, “You two look alike,” they are still not the same person. But you and the Holy Spirit? They are one. This is completely different. Two people who look similar may not be the same inside. Even if their outer genes are the same, their thoughts are also different. But the Holy Spirit inside you is one with you. The devil is also doing imitative work, but we should not imitate; we should receive the power of the Holy Spirit, but not imitate.
Here it says the devil is like a roaring lion. Who is the real lion? The Lion of Judah, Jesus. When Matthew wrote the Gospel of Matthew, he introduced Him as the Lion of Judah, so he wrote Jesus’ genealogy in great detail, telling us that He is the true descendant of Abraham, and He is the King. He came to the world to be a King; He has royal blood.
He is the true Lion of Judah. There must be an imitator, which means it is fake. A real lion does not roar when eating. You can see this in the animal world. When those animals are grazing or drinking water, the lion is quiet in the grass; it will never make noise. The one that roars proves it has no power.
I have shared before that truly powerful people do not get angry easily. Unless they are powerless, if someone pokes them, they will jump higher than anyone else, trying to prove they are stronger. In China, we have a saying: “The mantis tries to stop a car.” The mantis is very short, but it tries to stretch up in front of the car: “Look, I am tall.”
We say, “Hmm! It is indeed tall.” But that is fake. Would you be afraid of a lion painted on the wall? No, because it is fake. The one who truly brings us protection is the Lion of Judah, Jesus Christ. But many people are frightened because they do not understand. Why? These people have worries in their hearts.
So verse 7 says, cast all your care upon God.
When you cast these worries on God, you will no longer worry about the devil’s intimidation. When the devil says, “Look at how you are; God will not hear your prayers; your family will not get better,” when you hear his roar, you start to worry. At that time, everything starts to go wrong. It is not that God’s promises have failed; it is that you chose to believe the devil’s lies, and fear entered your heart.
Do you remember Adam and Eve? When they believed the devil’s words, did fear not enter their hearts? Because their worries had already arisen, they forgot God’s promises. You must believe that God’s promises do not change. Hallelujah! Cast your worries upon God.
Verse 9 says, resist him steadfast in the faith.
How to resist? On one side, the devil is telling you fearful words, and on the other side are God’s promises. Which one should you believe? This is the problem. Strong faith is whether you can believe that the promises given to you in the Bible are true, regardless of the circumstances.
I have shared before that believing stubbornly means believing no matter what others say. Just believe this: no matter how much you are intimidated, believe that God loves me. No matter how much you are threatened, believe that the blessings God gives me are good. This is how to resist the devil with strong faith.
He uses division and intimidation to make you fearful, but you hold on to one thing: Jesus is good for me; all things work together for good, ultimately leading me to benefit. If you can recognize this, you will say, “The devil is just here to promote me today, so I do not hate you at all. I have seen through this; you are really pitiful. You attack me; I am not worried or anxious. I will be more aware that my Lord’s promises are true.
In life, when a certain part of you is attacked by the devil, it actually proves that you are about to break through in that area. He has already seen it and wants to pull you back, not letting you move forward. If you move forward, he will have no way to hold you back. You must see this clearly; if you do not see this clearly, you will become disheartened and say, “Lord, why do You not care for me? Why do You not want me?”
The next part says, because you know that your brethren in the world are also experiencing the same afflictions.
This kind of affliction refers to how to choose when two sides of information impact you simultaneously. The hardest time for a person is when they do not know how to choose; that is the suffering, right? At the crossroads of life, not knowing which way to go is what makes it painful. Once you know where the direction is, you will not be afraid.
So God also tells us in verse 10, the God of all grace...
What does all grace mean? It means that wherever you need grace, God’s grace will supply that matter. In whatever area you need grace, God’s grace will manifest in that area. You know: am I doubting in this area? Then, Lord, give me faith, give me strength, let me receive Your grace to overcome it.
He has called you in Christ to enjoy His eternal glory. You remember that now the devil’s intimidation makes you afraid, worried, and fearful, which indeed causes you to suffer temporarily. But God says here that He will perfect you, establish you, strengthen you, and settle you.
Where does this strength come from? It is when you are convinced: I believe that God’s promise will surely be fulfilled in me, and then He will give you strength. Amen! In the Bible, after Jesus fasted for forty days, He was particularly hungry and tired, but the devil began to tempt Him at His weakest moment: “Aren’t you the Son of God? If you are the Son of God, why are you like this? Where is your Father? How about this: turn the stones into bread and prove that you are the Son of God.” Isn’t the devil quite despicable? He pokes you in your weakest place, making you feel uncomfortable. In the wilderness, it seems like there is nothing, no supply, as if you have truly been abandoned by the Father. But what Jesus thought of was the words of God, which is the best way to overcome all attacks from the devil. After that, the devil saw through the trick and left, and then the angels came to minister to Him. Amen!
In the prayer at Gethsemane, did the devil not also send thoughts to Him? He was very weak at that time, and an angel came to give Him strength. Your faith is always established on God’s words, which is unshakable. Although there has not been a change yet, you still believe that God’s words will be fulfilled, and God will give you strength to overcome.
The second point of sharing is: Do not focus only on results; focus on Jesus.
Many people give up praying when things do not go well; many people give up drawing near to God when praying for sickness for a while without any effect, seeking human help instead, looking for someone who has this gift. While this is good, remember one thing: the one who truly heals you is not that person, but Jesus behind that person. It is just that that person knows Jesus more, and their faith is greater; that is the only difference. It is not that today I am better than you, or I have deeper knowledge than you... this is the view of the Gentiles. What we use is the power of the Holy Spirit; the only difference is that some people know God more and have more experiences, so their faith appears greater. Some people have very little understanding of God or have mixed various teachings from the world, so they waver. That is the only difference.
If you can often meditate on the words of Christ, faith will also arise in you and will grow increasingly. If you always focus on results, you may experience more disappointment because sometimes people may not be able to help you. You must first fill your heart with the words of Christ.
Luke 11:24-26
24 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, “I will return unto my house whence I came out.” 25 And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. 26 Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.
This passage is a parable Jesus told. What does this passage illustrate? Some people, when encountering problems, seek help from gifted individuals, which is fine, but what is the more important part after the help? Some people ask me, “I also attended some masters’ special meetings, and my illness was indeed healed. I went to the hospital for a check-up, and it was indeed healed, but why does the illness return to the same state after a week?” Was the gifted person not healing well at that time? Or was it a false impression?
Was it truly healed? Just like this person, was there not an unclean spirit inside him? Then this unclean spirit was cast out, and God also cleaned him up inside, but this is an empty house. After casting out the unclean spirit, should there not be a new owner to move in? The problem is that there was no new owner. So when Jesus does things, He does it thoroughly. He does not only cast out the unclean spirit but also cleans up your house and decorates it with various beautiful things. But you do not let Jesus be the owner; it is an empty house.
Those unclean spirits wander around outside, and when they find no place to go, they say, “I will go back and see how that house is doing.” When they come back and see: Why is it so clean? I hate clean places because I am called unclean; I cannot let it be so clean. If it is so clean, I cannot stand it. So he called seven other spirits more wicked than himself, “Come with me to torment him; that house is too clean. I do not know who cleaned it so well, but now the house is empty, so we must go in.”
Now there are eight of them. Originally there was one, and from the outside, what is the situation? You would be better off not seeking that master to pray for you; it would be worse than before. If you do not pray, there is only one spirit; perhaps the torment is not that severe. This passage is saying: a person’s heart was once filled with unclean things, but Jesus cleaned him up, and he must accept Jesus to be the owner of this house; only then can the problem of unclean spirits be solved once and for all. If this person was cleaned up and decorated and invited Jesus into his heart to be his Lord, even if one day the unclean spirit says, “I will go back and see how that house is doing,” he would see that Jesus is living inside. So once a Christian accepts Jesus, it means Jesus has already come to live in his heart and become the Lord of his life. Can the devil still enter?
I have shared before that can Christians be possessed by demons? This is what it means. When Jesus becomes the Lord inside you, the devil cannot enter anymore because he must flee when he sees Jesus. What is this person’s problem? He did not accept Jesus to be his Lord. What I mean now is that you must believe that the prayers and declarations given to you by others are temporarily effective, but the more important part is to say, “I am willing to accept Jesus.”
I can pray for your decision to follow Christ, I can pray for your healing, and after the prayer is effective, that is the most important part: to invite Jesus into your heart to be your Savior. In life, you must often meditate on God’s words. When you encounter difficulties, you will reach out to pray, and when you pray, you will have sufficient faith. Amen!
Just now, Jesus gave us the parable that we are the branches, and He is the vine. The vine branches continuously absorb nourishment, and bearing fruit is a natural thing; it is very simple. Why do I encourage everyone to listen to more sermons? Especially some people say, “Teacher Ren, I have had depression for over thirty years.”
I believe that whether it is three years or thirty years, the solution is the same: let the words of Christ fill your heart. How long do you want to solve your problem? Some say, “I want to solve it today.” Well, I can pray for you today, but after you go back, you must listen to more sermons.
Many people particularly look forward to the fruit of that sister, right? A complete turnaround, but many people do not want to listen to sermons every day like she did, listening to so many sermons for so long; they simply do not have that time. Your time is indeed precious, but if you take away the time for listening to sermons, the remaining time will definitely have nothing to do with Christ, yet you want to solve your current problems through these. Isn’t that contradictory?
What I mean is very simple: if you want a complete turnaround, let the words of Christ fill your heart. We must establish a relationship with the Father, a deep and intimate relationship; there are no shortcuts. There are no shortcuts to knowing Jesus; only by reading His words and listening to His words every day can you be built up.
The Bible is so thick that it is impossible to fully know Jesus in one day. From the moment you accept Jesus as your Savior until the end of your life, we must know Jesus every day. This is the spiritual food of our lives, and how can this relationship be established? It is by continuously meditating every day. We now have spiritual food; you can follow our WeChat public account, Reigning in Life, which gives you two minutes every day to meditate on God’s words. How much of Christ’s words you know and use is the part you truly receive. Amen!
I do not want everyone to just listen to some theories; theoretical knowledge does not need to be too much; it is useless. Knowledge only puffs up. But today, if you hear such a word, keep it in your heart, meditate on it today, and use it; this is the change in your life.
Just now, I said, my words must abide in you. This does not refer to salvation; it means believing in His words in all things, keeping the words of Christ in your heart. Jesus once said that a good man, out of the good treasure of his heart, bringeth forth good things. You see some people often disheartened and complaining; this shows that what is inside them is these things. Some people’s hearts are often filled with doubt and do not trust anyone; in fact, it is because they have too many similar things that have filled their hearts. How can we change these people?
I once asked some people, if there is a glass cup filled with dirty water, how can we clean this cup? Some said, pour it out and wash it well. This is a method, but not everyone is willing to pour it out. Some people know very well that this is bad, but they are unwilling to pour it out.
You ask those who are addicted to drinking or smoking; do they not know this is bad? But can you make them quit? No, this is what I just said: this cup is already dirty, and they know it is bad, but when you ask them to pour it out, they cannot. Even if you pour out the water, what about the dirt on the cup? In fact, there is a simpler way, our way of grace: place it under a clean faucet. There is no need to pour out the old things; what we need to do now is to continuously pour clean water into the dirty cup. This is the way of grace.
My method for you is simple: you say, “I want to change this bad habit, but I cannot do it by myself.” That’s easy; just meditate on God’s words every day and listen. You will find that as you listen, you have already changed. Hallelujah! As you listen, your body changes, and you do not know when you are healed. As you listen, forgiveness arises inside you, and you do not know when you have produced forgiveness. It is not your effort, saying, “Lord! I want to bear the fruit of forgiveness,” just like a rooster saying, “I want to lay eggs with all my might.” No matter how hard it tries, it cannot produce eggs; the essence of life is different.
But now our Lord’s grace is pouring and cleansing you. One day you will find that a person who used to love watching TV finds that this thing has no attraction anymore. Isn’t this change the simplest? It is also what we can accept; this is what I call the change under the New Covenant of grace.
Jesus said, my words must abide in you. You only need to do one thing: listen to sermons and read the Bible. If you say, “I really cannot read the Bible,” then just listen to one sermon every day; that should be doable, right? If you have more time, listen a little more, and then the negative things inside you will decrease more and more...
Just like I said earlier, this dirty cup has dirty water; it does not matter! Place it under the faucet. As long as you continuously pour clean water into it, the dirty things inside will decrease more and more... until it is completely clean. Hallelujah! How is the degree of cleanliness determined? By how much clean water is poured in. If you keep the faucet open twenty-four hours a day, it will be gone quickly. If you pour for just one minute every day, it will also be clean, but it will take longer. The manifestation of this is that some people have great faith, some have small faith, and some people’s situations start to turn around completely shortly after listening, while others need half a year or a year. The difference lies in how much of God’s words are poured in.
If many people want to change but are unwilling to put God’s words in their hearts, such change will be very slow. How many people only let God’s words be in their hearts on Sundays? After this day, they return to the words of the world, and they still fill themselves with worldly theories! If you are willing to put God’s words in your heart, often meditate on them, and use them, your Heavenly Father knows everything you need.
Here it says, whatever you wish, why does God say this at this time? Don’t we all like this sentence? Whatever I wish, God will accomplish. The previous sentence is more important: if you often meditate on God’s words, you will have no selfishness, no desire to harm others. At that time, you will want to help others and serve others, and God will give you more.
If we do not have God’s words inside us, and we think about how to scheme against others every day, do you still expect God to accomplish your wishes? You always pray, “Lord, let thunder strike that person dead.” This is something God will not accomplish. You must first put His words in your hearts and live in His love. Amen!
Hebrews 3:12-14
12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. 13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end.
This passage is also addressed to believers. When people focus on results, they will resort to any means. When God’s way does not work, they start to use worldly methods. Many people do things by putting God’s words aside. God tells us here that we should exhort one another to often meditate on God’s words, lest we be deceived by sin through worldly methods, and our hearts become hardened.
You will find one thing: the more you listen to sermons, the more willing you are to listen to sermons. The more you gather, the more eager you are to gather, and you look forward to gatherings. Conversely, the same is true; the less willing you are to listen to sermons, the more uncomfortable you feel when listening to sermons. The less you gather, the more you feel that gatherings are meaningless. This is a human problem; it is about which one you choose.
Verse 14 says, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end, we will be partakers of Christ.
Think back to when your true faith began. Think about that faith, and then hold it steadfastly until the end, and you will be partakers of Christ. This does not mean you are saved; it means that in all things, you can expect the effects of that time. I believe that after everyone believes in Jesus, they have experienced God’s inspiration or heard our prayers at least once or twice. At that moment, was your faith not true? At that moment, you said, “Lord! I believe you will accomplish this for me.” As a result, it was truly accomplished. Hold that faith steadfastly, and you will also see God’s glory in the things you pray for now. Hallelujah!
2 Corinthians 2:14-15
14 Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savor of his knowledge by us in every place. 15 For we are unto God a sweet savor of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish.
Paul tells us here, to always thank God! He always leads us to triumph in Christ. Is there failure in Christ? No, so brothers and sisters, Christians should be always victorious. Some ask, but why do so many Christians still fail? There are indeed reasons for failure, but now you should emulate those who are victorious. If you always ask why they failed, why their prayers were not accomplished, you must remember that the more such things are in your heart, the less faith you will have. If your mind is always filled with, “That person’s prayer was heard by God,” “That person was changed by God,”... if your heart is filled with such testimonies, your faith will be built up. You will start to want to read the Bible, want to listen to God’s words, and you will remember that God always leads us to triumph in Christ. Hallelujah!
You have the fragrance of Christ upon you. How can this fragrance be manifested? It is very simple; what is inside you is what will come out. Just like that Maotai liquor, even if the outside bottle is not very good, the liquor inside is fragrant. As long as you pour that liquor out, the fragrance will immediately fill the room. Do you remember that nard? The woman took the ointment worth thirty pieces of silver, and when she anointed Jesus’ head, the whole house was filled with fragrance. If that lid is always on, the fragrance will not come out.
Brothers and sisters, when we are filled with the words of Christ, when you open your mouth, it is the fragrance of Christ. When you open your mouth, you will find that the victory of Christ will be manifested in you. No matter whether you declare, pray, or sincerely ask God, you will find that God has already accomplished it for you because your order is correct. Before you even open your mouth to pray, you believe that God has already heard your prayer and is willing to accomplish it. Hallelujah! May you have such faith to live through this new week.
Let us pray:
Heavenly Father, thank You and praise You! Thank You for restoring our faith through such words today. You are the vine, and we are the branches. I am willing to abide in You. I am willing to keep Your words in my heart. Your words are the words of victory because You have overcome this world. You have triumphed, so we can also triumph in all things through You. Thank You for giving me such words to increase my strength. I am Your disciple; You love me just as the Father loves You. I am willing to live in Your love. You give me strength, let my faith be built up, and give me a heart willing to listen to Your words. When I continuously listen to Your words and meditate on Your words, this faith will continually grow within me, and I will experience the power of Your words. Thank You and praise You! In the name of Lord Jesus, bless all the brothers and sisters who listen to the sermons. God loves you; you must believe that God loves you. As you continuously listen to Him and know the power of Christ, this power will be revealed in you, and you have become one with the Holy Spirit. Thank You and praise the Lord! In the name of Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen!