330-I Am Willing, You Are Clean Now#
330-I Am Willing, You Are Clean Now
(JP Text Group - Organized by the Life of an Eagle)
Matthew 8:1-4:
1 When Jesus came down from the mountain, large crowds followed him. 2 A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” 3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. 4 Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”
The topic we are sharing is: I Am Willing, You Are Clean Now.
Let us first pray together:
Heavenly Father, thank you and praise you. As a new week begins, you will provide us with new nourishment. We come before you to receive your feeding. May the Holy Spirit renew everyone’s thoughts and intentions, so that we may gain strength from your words. You know our needs; provide us with food in due time. In your words, let us receive help, find direction, and gain strength from you. Thank you and praise the Lord. In the name of the Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen!
This is a passage of scripture that everyone is familiar with; it is a beautiful story of the healing of a leper. How much do you know about leprosy? Speaking of leprosy, even today, it is a terrifying terminal illness with a very strong contagiousness.
So far, medicine has been unable to cure it because it damages all the cells in the human body and can never return to its original state. For example, the hands eventually become bent and cannot straighten; the skin gradually falls off, and eventually, the bones are exposed, which is very frightening and filthy. Anyone who touches his belongings will be infected with leprosy. In the Old Testament, such people could only be thrown into a place similar to a leper colony.
So what does leprosy symbolize? In the Old Testament, when a person had leprosy, it generally represented sin or was related to sin. Of course, it cannot be said that having leprosy means one is sinful; it is merely a symbol, symbolizing that human sin is contagious and cannot be cured by oneself.
Can religious scholars solve the problem of human sin? No, they cannot. Believing in a religion cannot give you life or solve the problem of sin. What about psychologists? Nowadays, with so much pressure, many people have psychological problems, or there are indeed physical ailments. Can psychologists heal you? They cannot either.
Some might say, “I will go to a doctor; doctors contribute the most to healing diseases.” But can doctors cure all diseases? They cannot either. You can entrust your body to doctors for treatment, but doctors do not have a 100% guarantee that they will heal you because there will always be strange new diseases emerging. Especially when faced with diseases like leprosy, doctors still have no way to treat it.
This symbolizes that the problem of our sin can never be solved by ourselves; we can only come before the Lord. Just like the man with leprosy, he came before Jesus to worship Him; before that, he must have heard about Jesus.
Brothers and sisters, have you ever thought about this question: Why did the leper come before Jesus even though he knew he shouldn’t? Because he wanted to live. As long as a person has the desire to survive and seeks Jesus, they will find Him.
What is frightening is when someone is about to die and is preached the gospel, yet they refuse to believe in Jesus, saying, “I don’t believe in your Jesus; stay away from me!” In such a case, if he does not believe, our Jesus cannot help him. But as long as one is willing, no matter how serious the problem is, just like the terminal illness of the leper, as long as they seek Jesus, the desire to survive fills their heart, “As long as I find Jesus, He will surely heal me.” Jesus will definitely heal you. Amen! Thank the Lord!
When you come before the Lord Jesus, He will take your weakness and bear your diseases; this is what Jesus wants to give you. No one else in the world can do this besides Jesus. Doctors cannot say, “Give me your disease, and I will give you my health.” They cannot do it; only Jesus can. You might feel that you have many problems and feel embarrassed to seek Jesus, but in fact, no matter how many problems you have, Jesus can solve them.
Isaiah 1:18-19,
18 “Come now, let us reason together,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be like wool. 19 If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.”
Look at what our God says! He knows that sometimes our minds are quite developed; He says, “Alright, come and reason with me. Don’t you believe me? Bring out your theories and let’s debate.” Although your sins are like scarlet and crimson, God can solve them. So Jesus is the only way, the only truth, and the only life. As long as you seek Him, no matter how serious the current problem is, He can change it, so though they are scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. This is a qualitative change.
Currently, if a person is covered in leprosy, a qualitative change must occur. Would it be effective to listen to psychology? It might provide some comfort at the time, but the problem is not solved! However, when you listen to the words of Jesus, it not only comforts your heart but also brings about a qualitative change in your body. This is why many people say that after entering grace for a period, they become different, looking much younger than before. That is because they are constantly listening to the grace of Jesus Christ and His good news, which can change their bodies.
If you listen every day to negative and terrible news, you will feel like you cannot live much longer; people lose faith and hope. Our God says, “If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.” This means that although the past may have been very bad, now when you seek Jesus, He says, “I will let you eat good things and enjoy all that I have given you on earth.”
Today, a leper came to worship Him, saying, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”
The current problem is that this person does not doubt God’s ability but is unclear whether God is willing to heal him. This is also the problem for many believers today. Those who believe in Jesus never doubt His ability; they know that the God they believe in is the Creator of heaven and earth, all-powerful, all-knowing, and omnipresent. This is something everyone who believes in Jesus knows; the second thing they may be uncertain about is: when faced with problems, when there is illness, does God want to heal me? Does He want to help me? Does He want to turn my situation around? This is something many people are uncertain about.
Especially some people, after praying for a while and finding no change, begin to doubt whether God is not listening to their prayers or whether some sins have not been cleansed, so God is unwilling to help them. This is what we need to think about today.
The current problem is that the man with leprosy can no longer think about this because he is covered in leprosy. Does he have good deeds? No, he does not. Is there anything he can offer to God? No, there is not. Only when a person completely feels that they have nothing and comes before God, seeking just one thing: “Lord, have mercy on me; if you are willing, you can make me clean.”
I have mentioned before that there is a passage in the Old Testament that says if you have a little leprosy, you are unclean; if you are covered in leprosy, you are clean. Why is that? Does God have to wait until we are covered in leprosy before He is willing to heal us? No. Because when there is a little leprosy, we will rely on what remains, the part we can rely on, right? The fact is that when we have methods, we usually try our own methods first; only when we really cannot do anything will we rely on God. That is a little leprosy.
Now this person has nothing left; there are no good deeds, and there is nothing to offer God. He comes to seek Jesus, asking for just one thing—“Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” He comes to seek Jesus with empty hands, hoping that Jesus is willing to heal him.
I often tell everyone about the mindset of the law; the mindset of the law is actually a mindset of exchange. What is a mindset of exchange? It is when I seek your help, I can offer something to you in exchange for your help, to seek balance in my heart. Many times, we also come before God with this method, saying, “Lord, I read the Bible today, I went to the meeting, and I gave offerings. I believe you will surely listen to my prayers.” When these things are not done, or when we sin, we think God has left us, and He no longer listens to our prayers. This is called a mindset of the law.
Many times, we want to gain a benefit and feel that we must pay a price to do so; this is a worldly way. If we approach God’s healing and prosperity with such a heart, there will be doubts, and faith will be insufficient. What kind of way should we use to seek Jesus? It is actually very simple; you cannot offer anything to God in exchange for the life Jesus gives you because He has given you so much. Everything we have, our lives, our prosperity, and wealth, are all freely given to us.
What does it mean to be given freely? It means you do not need to pay a price; you are a recipient of His grace. Amen! When this person comes to seek Jesus, he is actually seeking with a heart of grace because he has nothing left. Many people around him have similar testimonies; after trying hard and losing everything, they come to seek Jesus and instead gain everything.
There is a woman in the Bible who had a bleeding issue for 12 years. She sought countless doctors, and her condition not only did not improve but got worse, and she spent all her money. At this point, she came to seek Jesus. Did she pay any money? No. She thought to herself, “If I just touch His cloak, I will be healed.”
Brothers and sisters, if she had this mindset from the beginning, she would not have suffered so much. We are not here to criticize this person but to point out a phenomenon. Many Christians also choose this way at the beginning, first relying on their own efforts, and only when they really cannot do anything do they come before God and say, “Lord, I really have nothing left; I am now seeking you, believing in you.” In fact, God hopes that we would be like this from the beginning. Amen!
The leper came before God and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” When he said this, he did not know how Jesus would respond to him because the disparity between his identity and Jesus’ was too great. Based on what Jesus has and what he has, there is no way to compare; he only hopes that Jesus can have mercy on him. When in doubt about whether God is willing to heal us, we should listen to what Jesus said to this leper. He said, “I am willing; be clean!” This sentence is also given to you today.
Share the first point: Believe He has the ability and is willing.
When there is a problem and you need help, you must find someone who meets two conditions: first, they have the ability, and second, they are willing to help you.
There are many capable people in the world, but if they are unwilling to help you, you still cannot get help. It is not enough to meet only one of the two conditions. For example, some people are very willing to help you, but they do not have the ability. Their hearts are good, but they cannot help you!
Jesus meets both of these conditions: first, Jesus has the ability. Do you believe that Jesus has the ability to heal all diseases? If you believe, then it is easy. The second question is whether you believe Jesus is willing to heal you. What is the reason? The Bible has many promises of healing that are for us, for you. If you believe He is a God who is willing to bless you, then it is easy. Not only in healing but also in prosperity and family matters.
Believe that Jesus has the ability to turn your business around, to turn your current problems around, and He is willing to help you, and then your situation can change. Hallelujah! If He only has the ability but is unwilling to help, we can only watch the problem continue to worsen without any way to intervene. Let’s first look at the biblical basis for why God is willing to help us.
Psalm 130:7-8,
7 O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is abundant redemption. 8 And He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
First, let’s look at what kind of God our God is. He is a God of mercy and abundant redemption. When we mention redemption, we think of being brought from death to eternal life, being saved from hell to heaven, and similar matters. In fact, this is just a small part of redemption. In the past, we were in sin, and now God has placed us in His righteousness; this is salvation, but it is not the entirety of salvation. What does the “redemption” mentioned here refer to? It means He can not only save your life but also save you in every matter of life. This is something many people have not realized.
Do you believe that Jesus is willing to save you in every matter? That is, do you believe He has the ability and is also willing? If you believe this, you will be willing to rely on this God. We need friends, capable friends to help us solve some problems. But Jesus is the best friend; He is full of love and abundant redemption, and He will surely redeem Israel from all his iniquities. This is something that the world cannot do.
Psalm 86:7-10,
7 In the day of my trouble I will call upon You, for You will answer me. 8 Among the gods there is none like You, O Lord; nor are there any works like Your works. 9 All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, and shall glorify Your name. 10 For You are great, and do wondrous things; You alone are God.
When the psalmist wrote this psalm, he showed us, “In the day of trouble, we should call upon our God.” The reason is that He will surely answer us. I hope you remember this verse in your hearts and do not doubt, “Lord, are you willing to heal me?” The answer is affirmative; He is willing to heal you and will surely answer you. When you call upon Him in the day of trouble, He will definitely answer you.
We have countless testimonies that have emerged, testimonies of healing, testimonies of turnaround, etc. These people called upon God in the day of trouble, and God did not abandon a single one of them. Amen! Verse 8 actually tells us what kind of God we believe in; among the gods, there is none like You, and Your works are incomparable. Our God is the only one who gives you grace freely. Thank and praise the Lord.
You must believe that the God the Israelites believed in the Old Testament is the same God we believe in today. He can redeem the Israelites and can redeem you. In the past, the Israelites worked hard in Egypt for 400 years, and under those conditions, no one could save them. At that time, the king of Egypt was the most powerful king in the world, and no one could take these slaves from his hands. But our God acted, and through Moses, with a staff, He brought the Israelites out. It was particularly simple for God!
So you should also believe that this God who performs miracles and has great power can definitely solve your problems. Relying on people may solve some of your problems, but some problems still cannot be solved. For example, when Moses encountered the Red Sea in front of him, what could he do? How could he cross the Red Sea with human effort? But what did our God say? “The staff you have in your hand already has this ability.”
I have shared before that the staff in Moses’ hand was the authority given to him by God. Today, that staff is also in your hand. When you encounter problems, what should you do? First, believe that God has the ability. Where is this ability now? It is in your hand.
Last week, there was an aunt who had back pain due to a herniated disc, and she was sweating from the pain, feeling very uncomfortable.
She asked, “Teacher Ren, can you come over?”
At that time, I really couldn’t go over, so I said, “We can pray together first.”
Then she used our method, putting her hand on her back, “In the name of the Lord Jesus, I command the pain in my back to go away now!”
You all can declare this. If she just mimicked what I said, it wouldn’t work. You must believe in two points: first, God has the ability; He has already given you this ability, and He is willing to heal you. As long as you know these two points, stretch out your hand to pray, and miracles will happen.
In less than five minutes, that aunt said she was better. Isn’t that wonderful? Is it difficult for us? Not at all, because it is not you who performs the miracle; it is Him. He has the ability! Just like this leper came to find Jesus, saying, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” What do you need to strive for? You don’t need to strive for anything; just completely surrender yourself to Jesus. Then Jesus said, “I am willing; be clean!” We all know this dialogue! But when problems arise, do you dare to have such a dialogue?
For example, if there is a cancer patient here, can you say in front of her, “In the name of the Lord Jesus, cancer, leave her now!” How many Christians dare to say this now! Let’s not even talk about effectiveness; how many people dare to say this? Many people say, “Healing is God’s will! If God heals, then this person can be well; if God does not heal, how dare I say such things!”
What does the Bible say? “When you call upon Him in the day of trouble, He will answer you.” Have we changed it to, “When I call upon you in the day of trouble, it depends on your mood”? Is that how it is? No! We have changed many scriptures, so we have no faith and even doubt that God does not love us.
God’s love has never changed; He has always had the ability, and He has always been willing, willing to heal us, willing to revive us, and willing to help us; otherwise, God would have long abandoned us because we are of no value. It is precisely in our state of having no value that God says, “I am willing to help you; as long as you are willing to turn back.” This is God’s character. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever!
Hebrews 11:6-7,
6 But without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. 7 By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
Let’s look at these two verses. “But without faith, it is impossible to please Him.” What does this mean? It speaks of faith! Many people talk so much about faith that they begin to doubt, “Do I really have faith?” Where does faith come from? It is not about how much faith you have; it is whether you believe Jesus has such great ability. That is your faith.
As long as you meet these two points, it is enough: first, Jesus has the ability to heal me; second, He is willing to heal me. Immediately, faith will arise. Is it simple? Some people talk about faith as if there are countless conditions! After they finish speaking, you may not have faith anymore. “But without faith, it is impossible to please Him.” Before praying to God, first believe these two points: first, He has the ability; second, He is willing to help you. Then you can come.
When praying for others’ healing or blessing, as long as you meet these two points, it is enough: first, believe in your God; second, He is willing to let you pray. Then you can pray. If he is unwilling, do not rush; that will not be effective.
“For he who comes to God must believe that He is.” This is the first condition. If he does not believe there is a God, what effect will your prayer have? Second, and believe that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. These are two very important points.
Do you know what it means to be rewarded? It means you do not need to pay a price; it is given to you freely. Every person who comes to seek Jesus should have this heart, which is to believe that Jesus will surely reward those who seek Him. Did the leper meet this condition? He only believed one thing—“Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus said, “Good, you meet the conditions; come! You seek me, and I will let you see.”
Verse 7 gives us an example: By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household.
You should have read this story in Genesis. At that time, the entire world was corrupt, and God told Noah, “This world has 120 years left; you should build an ark.” Perhaps at that time, it was like today’s era because Jesus also said, “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man.” Some people were marrying and being given in marriage, eating and drinking, not caring about what would happen to the world.
Noah and his family heard God tell them to build an ark. What God asked him to do was very special; it was something others were not doing. At this time, faith was needed to receive it. God said that after 120 years, the world would end. If it were you, would you be able to believe this? From any perspective, the world today is the same as yesterday; nothing has changed. It is not as if suddenly a mountain moved or the ground sank, and we should hurry to prepare the ark. No, there were no signs at all.
Do you know that it was only after Methuselah died that it began to rain? Before that, there were no signs at all; everything was the same as before. After one year, everything seemed fine; the second year was still fine. At this time, if one does not believe God’s words, God’s words might be ignored. Over the years, Noah, by faith, believed in these two points: first, He has the ability, and at the end, He will surely do it; second, He is willing to save us.
After they believed, this faith prompted them to do one thing: the eight of them went to build the ark, enduring pressure to do what others were unwilling to do. They moved with godly fear, believing in God’s words. If you truly believe, no matter what others say, you will see the results. This can also be applied to healing, financial turnaround, family, and marriage matters. No matter what others say, I believe God can surely turn things around, and then you will see. What is frightening is that we are particularly easily influenced by the surrounding environment and people.
Now think about it, for 120 years, Noah’s family had to build such a large ark. Did no one know? You can imagine that people saw this family of fools doing something very foolish; what would they say? Would they encourage him by saying, “Keep building the ark!”? In fact, they were mocking them. “Look at those Christians; what are they doing in the heat of the day?”
When I was learning to drive, my instructor said, “Amen!” It was obvious that it was not a sincere “Amen!” They had watched too much TV, and I said nothing more. You can imagine that Noah’s family must have faced ridicule and misunderstanding. In such a situation, can you persist in believing what God has said to you? Because God does not repeat every day: “120 years countdown!”… No, He said it once and then did not say it again.
As time passed, would they still believe that this promise was valid? The words of the Bible are placed here and are not repeated: “Believe me, and you will be healed! Believe me, and you will be healed!” No, now only the preacher speaks to you every week. Can you believe this word? If you say you believe, no matter what others say, I will believe this way because it aligns with God’s words, which God has given me. Then I will believe this way. God says I will let you see. You must believe that there is a God and that He rewards those who seek Him. Hold on to this faith, and that will be enough. The doctor’s report is written that way. That is a fact, but I believe in another fact, seeking my Lord; He will surely heal me.
I have told you before about a person who was diagnosed with cancer. The doctor said to come back for a recheck in a week. After returning home, he wrote on the medical record, “Jesus has no cancer, so I do not have it either.” He went for a recheck and found no cancer. Isn’t that wonderful?
Do you remember the sister who was diagnosed with stage 2 lung cancer a while ago? She now has no cancer cells at all. Is this not a miracle? Because she held on to one thing: no matter what others say, I only believe one thing—God has already healed me. Hallelujah!
So Noah moved with godly fear and prepared an ark, saving his whole family. Can you hold on to your faith in this era amidst various opinions? Today, there are many denominations in Christianity, saying, “What you preach is heresy; what you preach does not align with the Bible; you only preach blessings and do not preach anything else…” In such mixed teachings, can you hold on to God’s words?
People always have many arguments, but can you hold on to the truth that aligns with the Bible? If you hold on to the truth, it will definitely be effective. Unless you add something else to God’s words, it will lose its effectiveness. As long as what you hold on to is the truth, the truth will definitely produce results. This is what I believe.
“So Noah and his family prepared the ark, and thus condemned that generation.” What does this mean? Others did not believe what Noah and his family were doing, nor did they believe in his God, but the fact is that when the date came, Noah and his family were saved.
If you have an illness, declare to yourself every day: “In the name of the Lord Jesus, my body is healthy.” No matter what others say, no matter what the report says, you just believe this way, and then you will be healthy. What is frightening is that today you declare it, and tomorrow you doubt whether it will work! There is no “will it work”; there is only “it will work”! In God, there is only “yes,” not “maybe” or “possibly”! Jesus never says such things because He is God and is responsible for what He says.
A promise is a permission. Do you believe it? Since He has given you a promise, it is permission for you to receive it. Amen! Jesus said, “Whoever believes in me will never die.” Do you believe this? If you believe, you will receive it! Because of the stripes He bore, you have been healed. Do you believe this? If you believe, you will receive it. Do not add a question mark (?). Or “maybe,” “possibly”—that is the devil’s talk. The serpent tempted Eve, saying, “You will not surely die.” Is this not ambiguous? It is not considered a lie; you might die, or you might not die.
When it comes to healing, prosperity, and God listening to your prayers, is it possible or certain? You must believe that there is a God and that He rewards those who seek Him. There is no possibility here; it is all certainty! It is all “Amen.” Since the Bible clearly states that God is willing to heal you and that He has the ability, then why do many Christians still have illnesses? Why do they still have symptoms? This may be a question many people have been entangled with. Through today’s scripture, you will find the answer…
In Matthew 8:4, Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”
Many people may only read the first three verses and overlook the fourth verse. Do you believe that Jesus’ words are not superfluous? Sometimes He says to people, “Alright, go in peace!” But to this leper, He said, “See that you don’t tell anyone; go show yourself to the priest.” Since God said this, there must be a reason behind it. This was a law for lepers at that time. Jesus did not come to abolish the law but to teach people how to correctly understand the law.
Leviticus 14:1-6,
1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “These are the regulations for the leper who is to be cleansed: After he has been brought to the priest, 3 the priest shall go outside the camp and examine him. If the leprosy has been healed, 4 the priest shall order that two live clean birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop be brought for the one to be cleansed. 5 Then the priest shall order that one of the birds be killed over fresh water in a clay pot. 6 He is then to take the live bird, and dip it together with the cedar wood, the scarlet yarn, and the hyssop into the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water.
Next, let’s look at verses 7-9.
7 He shall sprinkle the blood of the bird that was killed seven times on the one who is to be cleansed of the leprosy and then pronounce him clean. After that, he is to release the live bird in the open fields. 8 The person to be cleansed must wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and bathe with water; then he will be clean. After this, he may come into the camp, but he must stay outside his tent for seven days. 9 On the seventh day, he must shave off all his hair; he must shave his head, his beard, his eyebrows, and the rest of his hair, and wash his clothes. He must bathe himself with water, and he will be clean.
Reading this is quite troublesome. On the day the leper is to be cleansed, he must first be brought to the priest. Today, when you are healed, who should you see first? Who does the priest represent? On the day the leper is to be cleansed, he must be brought to the priest. We accept Jesus, so let’s see if there is anything you need to pay attention to…
In the Old Testament, what did the priest represent? What did he do? He offered sacrifices. The priest stood before God to do things for the people.
In simple terms, the priest represents the people, serving before God, but what he does is announce what God has accomplished. For example, if a person has a problem in their body or has sinned, they bring a lamb before the priest, and the priest says, “You lay your hands on the head of this lamb and say, ‘All my sins are laid on the head of this lamb.’”
Then the priest takes a knife and kills the lamb, collects the blood in a basin, offers it to God, and then burns the lamb on the bronze altar. After this entire process, the priest finally says one thing: “Your sins are forgiven; go in peace!” Do you know that everything the priest does is for this last sentence? When that person sees this entire process, they know that all their sins have been forgiven, which is very important.
Why let this leper do such a complicated thing? The reason is simple: the physical illness has been removed, but the leprosy in the heart must also be removed! If there is no truth and one does not know that they have indeed been forgiven, this problem may reappear.
This explains another problem: why many people are indeed healed at healing and deliverance services, feel particularly good, but after returning home, the symptoms return. They say, “God did not heal me thoroughly.” The problem lies here; did they get healed? Yes, they did! They must be sure that they have been healed. If they neglect the latter part (showing their body to the priest), they will be uncertain whether they have really been healed or if they misinterpreted it at the time or if it was just a feeling.
The day the leper is to be cleansed…
Was this man cleansed of leprosy? Yes, he was. After being cleansed, he must do one thing: be sure that he has been forgiven by God. He must say, “You must go see the priest, and the priest must go outside the camp to examine him. If he sees that the leprosy has indeed healed…” He must be sure that he has been healed, and then the priest will examine his body and say that he is indeed healed.
He must command that two clean live birds, cedar wood… this entire series of things is to tell him the final answer: Verse 7, “He shall sprinkle the blood of the bird that was killed seven times on the one who is to be cleansed.”
Do you know what “sprinkling seven times” means in the Bible? Seven is a complete number. After doing this series of actions, all his sins are laid on the bird. Now he takes this clean bird and sprinkles it on him repeatedly; with each sprinkle, he knows: “Thank you, Lord, I have been healed; thank you, Lord, I am being cleansed…” His heart emphasizes this fact countless times: I have been cleansed. Then the priest says one sentence: “You are clean.” He declares him clean.
Who says this? The priest. In the past, it was his own belief that he was clean, but your belief has no foundation; you may think you are unclean again in a few days, or you may sin again and think God has abandoned you. But now, who is announcing it? The priest. The priest speaks God’s words; he is doing things for God. Through this series of regulations, you are assured of one thing: you have indeed been cleansed.
Some people, after being healed, ask me, “Can I go to the hospital for a recheck?”
Sure, go ahead! No problem! You go to the hospital for a recheck, and it will ultimately prove, “I have indeed been healed!”
Just like that older sister who testified that she has no cancer cells left! This proves she has been healed! This is a definite proof.
If there is no proof, you may know you have been healed, but many times you will still doubt, so you need evidence. What if the Israelites were in the wilderness without hospitals? This is the evidence. Do you understand?
This evidence lets him know for sure, “I have been cleansed.” After being cleansed, he must do cleansing things: wash his clothes, shave off his hair, bathe, and then stay outside the camp for another seven days… then shave off his hair, wash his clothes, bathe, and finally be clean. In fact, all of this is still to prove one thing: you have been cleansed. What he is doing now is what a cleansed person should do.
Just like I tell you, you have been healed, so go do what a healed person should do. Amen! For example, if your leg hurts, I say, “In the name of the Lord Jesus, your leg has been healed.” Then you should walk like a normal person! Don’t say, “Oh, it still hurts a bit; I’ll wait a while.” You should walk like a normal person! Amen! God says, “I give you seven days; can you adapt?” The key is that your heart must be healed. My advice to you is that if you have also been healed, I encourage you to continuously listen to the word, let the truth enter your heart, and let you be sure that you have been completely healed. At this point, it will not relapse.
Let me share a practical example:
Hebrews 9:13-14
13 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, 14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
What I just talked about were the regulations in the Old Testament regarding the cleansing of leprosy. Now you need to know that our cleansing is not through the blood of bulls and goats, nor through the ashes of a heifer, but through the blood of Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer… The ashes of a heifer refer to a very expensive red heifer. When a person’s body is contaminated, the ashes of the red heifer sprinkled on him will cleanse him.
Now we do not use the blood of these animals or the ashes; we use the blood of Jesus. The latter part says that the ashes of the heifer sprinkled on the unclean person sanctifies and cleanses the body. How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience?
I do not want everyone to come just for healing; after being healed, you must also let your heart be cleansed. Cleansing leprosy is too simple for Jesus, but when can the leprosy of the heart, the thoughts of sin, be removed? This is the way to ensure you will never have leprosy again. Hallelujah!
When you have a problem, we can pray for you, and the problem can be temporarily solved. But I hope everyone continues to come to listen to the word, so that when you encounter problems, you can permanently solve them through Jesus. This is what God hopes for us, so He says, “Through the blood of Jesus, how much more can your heart be cleansed?” In the original text, it refers to “conscience.” Do you know that the conscience is unreliable?
When Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the conscience began to function. Before that, there was no need to discern evil; it was enough to know what is good. But now, after eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they began to discern good and evil, and the conscience began to function. From then on, the standard of judgment for the conscience was no longer God but oneself.
Each person has their own conscience and their own standard of judgment, which leads to mutual attacks. You say you are healed, and others say, “I don’t see it. Who prayed for you?”—Teacher Ren! “Who is he? Can he be like God? Can he replace God?” When you think about it, it makes sense. You see, their conscience has set a standard for you, and as a result, your conscience becomes ineffective.
Many times, we are disturbed by external factors and feel that what others say makes sense. Under various chaotic messages and chaotic words, you lose your clean heart and think, “Maybe God did not heal me.” Today, I want to let your body be cleansed and also let your heart be cleansed through God’s words continuously. Remove some erroneous teachings and erroneous words from the world, and believe that God’s words are pure, that His blood can cleanse our consciences, and that our standards should return to the Bible.
How God says it, I will believe it! How God defines me, I will define myself. The world may label you one moment and give you a tag the next; we do not believe those but believe that God loves me. What I do will surely prosper. However, what we hear the most are people preaching our sins, diseases, poverty, and death.
In the past, I was under the law for ten years. In church, the most frequent message I heard was not how much Jesus loves me, nor was it about Jesus’ righteousness upon me; it was mostly about how corrupt I was. For ten years, I constantly felt that I was becoming more and more corrupt, and my sins were becoming heavier. This is why I found that when I first believed, my faith was particularly strong, and I felt very close to God. After believing for a while, I found that God was very far from me. After ten years, I felt that God was in heaven, and I was on the earth.
This is not just one person’s problem; many Christians today are still like this! God has never changed; it is just that our hearts have been polluted. You need to cleanse your hearts with the Holy Spirit and with God’s words, so that you no longer hear about sin, death, disease, and poverty, but that Jesus has replaced all of this. People always hear that they are unclean, unworthy, poor, weak, and that aging, sickness, and death are all very natural. If you hear such messages, you will definitely encounter such things.
Some sisters say that at this age, it is easy to get menopause syndrome. I ask you: Who told you that at that age, you must get the syndrome? An expert? I checked Baidu, and I saw that many people are like this…
Then I ask you: Whose child are you? Did God say that at 50 years old, you will have the syndrome, or whatever syndrome? No! Then why do you believe the words of the world and not believe God’s words?
Some people say that at seventy or eighty years old, all their teeth will fall out, and they will not be able to hear… OK! The world is like this, but are you like this? You are a child of God. Use God’s words to cleanse your heart. Hallelujah!
When Moses was 120 years old, he did not lose all his teeth, nor did he become deaf! He was not said to have failing eyesight! Believe that you are a child of God. Use God’s words to cleanse your heart. Every day, bless and pray for yourself, “In the name of the Lord Jesus, I am healthy in Christ! I am strong!” Hallelujah! Some people always teach the opposite message. Some say that disease is given to you by God to refine you, to purify you…
I used to joke with everyone that there are gold components in ore. You burn it with a big fire to refine the gold and remove impurities. Is that how you qualify for refining? You don’t need to refine a random stone, right? If it doesn’t contain gold, why refine it? I ask you, can refining your flesh produce gold? No, it cannot! Then why refine it? God does not work this way.
The Bible says that we were just humble clay pots, but how can this clay pot become precious? It is not by making you suffer; even if you are refined to the point of having nothing left, you still cannot become gold because you do not have that component. What God does is place His treasure in your clay pot, and then you have immense value! This is God’s way.
But why do we always say, “I am clearly just a clay pot, utterly incapable, unable to do anything, so God must refine me, refine me until I become gold”? How is that possible? It is clearly a piece of clay; how can it be refined into gold? Unless there is gold inside. The moment you accepted Jesus, God placed the Holy Spirit inside you. Is that not gold? You have that ability now. Hallelujah!
Is the Holy Spirit now living in your hearts? He is the one who governs all things, the all-powerful God. You can do all things, do good works, and be free from the laws of the world, free from syndromes. You have the ability because the treasure is placed inside you. You should use this word to cleanse your heart, not to be refined by disease. What can disease refine you into? In the end, doesn’t everything get cut off?
Share the second point: You need to hear an affirmative answer.
Earlier, we read Matthew 8:3, where Jesus reached out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be clean!” Immediately, his leprosy was cleansed.
Do you know that God is also waiting for a royal priest to stand up and make such a declaration to His people? Who is that person? Do you know what to declare?—Jesus is willing; you are clean now! Jesus is willing; you are healed now! This is why many people come from afar to visit, and we tell them, “Jesus is willing; you are healed now!” It is a very simple declaration, and this person is healed. The reason is right here.
We only do one thing, the thing God wants us to do: declare that he is cleansed. Moreover, this person being cleansed is not the priest’s job! It is not the priest who heals him! The Old Testament regulations we just read state that this leper, after discovering he was cleansed, went to find the priest. The priest merely declares that he has been cleansed.
When you stretch out your hand to pray for others, tell them: “By the stripes of Jesus, you have been healed.” It is to declare the result they should have. I believe you will all do this; in the future, do the right thing.
Some may ask, “Where can we find such a priest?” Today, who is such a priest? I am, and you are too. I and you are priests who have greater authority than the priests in the Old Testament to announce the good news. We preach the gospel to others and announce the good news. What kind of good news? The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the oppressed are set free, and we proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. This is what we need to announce. You should declare it like a priest, okay?
Earlier, we talked about the live bird. The priest must dip it together with the cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop into the blood of the bird that was killed over fresh water, and then sprinkle it seven times.
Did Jesus not complete this? He completed it. Jesus shed His precious blood on the cross, fulfilling all the regulations in the Old Testament. You just need to say, “In the name of the Lord Jesus…” OK! A series of regulations are completed. Is it simple? When you declare, you must have certainty; otherwise, you will not know if it has been accomplished. How do you do it?
1 Peter 2:9-10,
9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.
Are you a royal priest? Just like the priests in the Old Testament, declare that this person’s sins are forgiven, declare that this person has been healed by God, declare that this person has been cleansed! What we do is very simple. Through this, I want to tell everyone to practice declarative prayer. It is not effective to just mimic what I say; you must know the basis because you are priests. The regulations in the Old Testament have already been fulfilled by Jesus on the cross. You declare the facts that this person should receive. If he can believe, he will receive it. The words of the priest have authority because what the priest says is the same as God’s. Amen!
Deuteronomy 21:5, “Then the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come near, for the Lord your God has chosen them to minister to Him and to bless in the name of the Lord. By their word, every controversy and every assault shall be settled.”
Some people ask me, “Where in the Bible does it say we should declare?” Isn’t this one of them? There are too many such verses to support us. “Bless in the name of the Lord”—is this not a declaration? How did the Old Testament declare? You are correct; go back! The Lord has forgiven you; go in peace! This is something the priest often does because he has already offered sacrifices; this person can leave in peace.
Jesus has offered Himself as a sacrifice, the sin offering, the guilt offering, the peace offering, and the grain offering; Jesus has offered them all. When we pray for others, we can say, “In the name of the Lord Jesus, you are cleansed! You are healed! Go in peace!” You have this ability to declare what God has accomplished. You have the right to judge their matters! Amen! Thank and praise the Lord!
You must believe that God has already cleansed you. You can also say to yourself, “I am clean.” Now place your hands on your hearts and declare with me: I declare that in Christ, I am holy; in Christ, I am righteous; in Christ, I am healthy; in Christ, I am complete. Because of the blood of Jesus, I have abundant supply! Amen!
What you say now is the priest’s words. You should not only declare this to yourself but also declare it to those who are willing to let you pray for them. Hallelujah! Every weapon that attacks you will not be utilized.
Finally, let’s look at a passage from Isaiah 54:14-17.
14 In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you. 15 Indeed, they shall surely assemble, but not because of Me. Whoever assembles against you shall fall for your sake. 16 Behold, I have created the blacksmith who blows the coals in the fire, who brings forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the spoiler to destroy. 17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me,” says the Lord.
Today, I have read a complete version for you. In the past, we often used the phrase, “No weapon formed against you shall prosper.” Why is that? Because you shall be established in righteousness. Amen! So you do not fear. Because God has already completed all the work of redemption for you, you have the right to declare your righteousness like a priest and the right to declare others’ forgiveness! Hallelujah!
When others use their tongues to attack you, you can still declare, “In the name of the Lord Jesus, I forgive your transgressions.” You know that the priest does not speak curses; he only speaks forgiveness because he has offered sacrifices. After offering the sacrifice, he says, “Your sins are forgiven!” Because the curse has already been thrown into the bronze altar and burned. Jesus does not speak curses either. Because He is the sacrifice, after offering Himself, He gives you only blessings. You should also bless in the name of the Lord! Amen!
No weapon formed against you shall prosper. Although there are indeed instruments of destruction in this world, these things will not come upon you.
Every tongue that rises against you in judgment, you shall condemn. What does this mean? Because your mouth always speaks words of blessing, always speaks words of blessing, God will declare him guilty.
God hopes that we live in this world, knowing that Jesus has the ability to heal us, the ability to help us, the ability to forgive us, and that He has already done so. Therefore, no matter what your current need is, when you come to seek Jesus, He is willing to bless you; He also hopes that after you are healed, you will become His best testimony. Amen! Live like a priest, dear family!
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, thank you and praise you. Thank you for helping us with such words. When the leper came to find Jesus, he was uncertain whether Jesus was willing to heal him. Today, I am certain, believing that Jesus, on the cross, has paid the price for my sins, has shed blood and sacrificed, and is willing to give me the best. Heavenly Father, I believe this is your heart, and I also know that I am clean.
Through your words, let my heart also be cleansed. I no longer believe the definitions of the world about me; I only believe your definition of me. In Christ, I am righteous, and everything I do will surely prosper. No matter what others say, I believe you will surely bless me.
As a new week begins, when I bless and pray for my family and for what my hands do, the blessings of the Lord will surely come upon us, and I will see your blessings manifest! Thank and praise the Lord. I am willing to be like a priest in this world, to bless others. Because of what Jesus has accomplished, I can also be a blessing to others. All glory be to you! In the name of the Lord Jesus, I pray. Amen!
Take Communion
Everyone offers a prayer before the Lord, thinking at this moment that Jesus gives you His body, and through communion, you receive complete restoration. Let the power and grace of Jesus fill you at this moment! Forget the world’s definitions of you; look at how God loves you. Let the Holy Spirit fill you and touch your heart…
In the name of the Lord Jesus, I set apart this bread; this is no longer ordinary bread but the body of Jesus, given for me. Jesus gave His body to tell me that He is willing to heal me. I am willing to receive the body of Jesus, allowing my body to change, letting the heavenly life and health of Jesus fill me. In the name of the Lord Jesus, I receive His grace.
When you pray, believe that at this moment, when the body of Jesus enters your body, your body will also change, just like Jesus touched that leper, and the leprosy immediately disappeared. Today you also have this opportunity; you can touch the body of Jesus and let your disease disappear immediately! What do you need Jesus to do for you at this moment? Pray to Him…
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I also set apart this cup. This is no longer ordinary wine but the precious blood of Jesus, shed for me. Jesus shed His precious blood to establish an everlasting covenant for me. I am in the covenant, I am in God’s love, I am in His righteousness, and I will never be shaken.
At any time, when I come to seek Jesus, He is willing to take responsibility for me. The Heavenly Father loves me and is willing to pour out His abundant mercy upon me. Lord, I thank you. When I have doubts, I see this covenant and this blood, knowing that you have not abandoned me and are willing to listen to my prayers.
You are also willing to reach out and touch me, saying: “Your heart is clean.” Heavenly Father, thank you. Thank you for giving me Jesus. You love me so much. No matter how the world defines me, in Christ, you love me forever. You are willing to bless me and solve all my current problems. I am willing to seek you.
If you have any difficulties in your heart, you can pray to Him. He will surely listen to your prayers. Let’s open our mouths to Him! If you have grievances in your heart, you can also tell Him, let Him help you, become your only help. He will send angels and people around you, making all things work for you.
At this moment, let the Holy Spirit fill you, pouring out into your heart, making your spirit overflow. You know you are clean; let His words renew your thoughts and intentions, nourishing you, letting His love fill you. You are in this world but do not belong to the world; you are in the world but can enjoy heavenly blessings.
In the name of the Lord Jesus, I bless all brothers and sisters. You belong to Jesus Christ. His Spirit is willing to fill you, and His love is willing to fill you. So no matter how the world defines you, know that God has the ability to help you and is willing to help you.
As a new week begins, no matter where you go, believe that He walks with you and is with you! Amen! He will help you, and no matter what problems you encounter, He will never abandon you! In the name of the Lord Jesus, I also bless you and your family to be free from all diseases. May God bless all that your hands do, allowing you to see God’s mighty power! In the prayer of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen!