347-God's Incomplete Love for You#
347-God's Incomplete Love for You
(JP Text Group - Huang Jihong Compilation)
Romans 5:6-11
6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
The topic of sharing is: God's Incomplete Love for You
Let’s start with a prayer:
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise You! Thank You for preparing such a wonderful time for us to worship and praise You together, and to listen to Your words. Please set this time apart as holy, so that everyone can be led by Your words and receive Your nourishment and supply. You guide every brother and sister who seeks You today. Hallelujah, thank You and praise the Lord. We pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
Today is the last sharing of the year. As we share, I believe God will lead each of us to reflect on how He has guided us throughout this year. I also believe that everyone has been led by the Spirit of God and has experienced the wonderful grace of Jesus this year. Although we are incomplete, we must believe one thing: even though you are incomplete, God still loves you.
This passage tells us that while we were still weak, Christ died for the ungodly at the appointed time. Jesus knows we are sinners, so He died for us when we were still weak, not when we were strong, not when we had achievements, not when we were in glory, but when we were weak.
Brothers and sisters, when we interact with others and see their weaknesses, we might leave that person; when we see someone’s corruption, we might stop associating with them; or when we see someone sin, we might condemn them even more.
Recently, I heard about a pastor who fell ill, and many people around him attacked him, saying: "You are being disciplined by God; it’s because your faith is wrong that you are facing such retribution..." As children of God, we should not comment on others like this. When is love for one another truly manifested? It is when others are weak or discouraged, and we can bring them help; that is the best time for love, not when others have achievements.
Loving a very beautiful star or celebrity is something anyone can do; there are countless fans. But when that person is down and ill, can you still love them then? God is not like that. While we were still weak, He died for the ungodly at the appointed time. This tells us that God is determined to die for you. When the time comes, no matter what you are like, He is willing to accept you. Even though you are incomplete, our God is still willing to accept you.
Verse 7 says: "For scarcely for a righteous man will one die."
A righteous man, from the perspective of the world, is someone who is very righteous and has great integrity. Very few people are willing to die for such a person, meaning only a small number of people are willing to lay down their lives for such individuals.
To die for a good man, perhaps someone would dare to do so. A good man is someone we consider to be good. But who is willing to die for a sinner? Looking around, if a person is extremely sinful, those around them would rather see them die sooner than die for them; this is the way of the world. But how does our God love you? In your weakness, in your discouragement, in your helplessness, even when you have nothing, even when you sin, He died for you. This is God's love for us.
Verse 8 states: "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Brothers and sisters, have you ever thought about what sinners can do? Sin. Some might say, but sinners can sometimes do good deeds. When we do not believe in Jesus, can we do good? Yes, but have you considered another thing? When these people do good, they often have their own motives. How many people are willing to help someone completely unrelated to them, without any benefit to themselves? Almost no one, right?
But Jesus is not like that. Christ died for us while we were still sinners. When He died for us, those people did not understand Him. What did those at the foot of the cross say? "You are God, aren’t You? Didn’t You save many people? Come down from the cross, and if You can save Yourself, I will believe You are God..."
This proves that Jesus is dying for them, saving them, loving them, but this group of people completely misunderstands Him and mocks Him. At that moment, how many people could still love these people? Only Jesus has this kind of love, which is still upon you today. Amen. Only Christ died for us while we were still sinners, and you can see that this is God; His love is manifested in us.
From another perspective, if God can love you at your worst, will He not continue to love you today? Never define yourself by saying God no longer loves me because I have sinned. Can you sin more than when you did not believe in Jesus? No, right? When you did not believe in Jesus, you resisted God, even blasphemed Him, completely did not believe in Him. At that time, Jesus loved you. Today, you believe in Jesus and have a relationship with the Father. When you are weak, how could God possibly strike you or abandon you?
If you understand God's love, your heart will always have hope. Let me tell you why you will always have hope. We are justified by His blood. Brothers and sisters, our relationship with the Father is permanently reconciled, not based on your behavior, but on the blood of Jesus. Because of the blood of Jesus, God's love for you never changes. Amen.
He calls you righteous, calls you His beloved child. After you are justified, God says: He will remove His wrath against you through Christ; that is, God will no longer be angry with you. Amen. As parents, when a child does wrong, we may be angry with them, discipline them, or even strike them; that is also a form of love. Brothers and sisters, how much more so our Heavenly Father? Our Heavenly Father will no longer be angry with you; He will have many ways to help you understand His love and bring you close to Him again.
Verse 10 states: "For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life."
After we are reconciled with God, in the things we encounter in life, God says He will save you. When do we need to be saved by Jesus? When we are weak and discouraged, when we sin, we need Jesus’ salvation. When we are strong and in glory, people do not need Jesus’ salvation. Why is it difficult for successful people in the world to believe in Jesus? They feel they do not need Him; they think they are doing fine on their own. It is only when a person cannot rely on themselves that they turn to God and can more easily see God's work.
Verse 11 says: "And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation."
Here is a hope for you: never forget that there is a God who always loves you. Even if everyone else has betrayed you and abandoned you, our God still loves you, and you should rejoice in this. The problem with people is that they place their lifelong goals, focus, and hopes entirely on others. Once someone changes, their heart is immediately hurt. For example, parents often place all their expectations on their children, and when the child fails and loses everything, the parents cannot bear it. If you place everything on wealth, when one day you lose your wealth, you may not want to live anymore.
Just like I mentioned last time, recently some people lost everything in forex trading; some lost over a million and said they did not want to live anymore, wanting to jump off a building or commit suicide... Why? Looking back, is your life really worth that million? But at that moment, people cannot think clearly because that was all their hope, all their focus. When everything is lost, they cannot bear it.
But if you always focus on God, rejoice in God, when wealth is lost, God is still there; He can still give you more. Job lost everything, but God was still there, and God blessed him with double blessings again. If you do not have God, this could truly be your only reliance, and it is quite pitiful because in this world, there is no solid foundation to rely on except Jesus Christ. Amen. Many people have a wrong notion that they believe God loves them only when they do good deeds, serve God, and give more. As long as they perform well, God loves them, helps them, and answers their prayers more quickly.
Many people say: "Please pray for me; I believe God listens to your prayers faster than mine."
I ask them why?
They say, "Because you have a good relationship with God."
Brothers and sisters, how is your relationship with God? Our relationship is the same. It’s just that I know the truth of God a little more than you do, but is there a difference in our relationship? Does God love you more than He loves me? No, it’s the same. Hallelujah. Do you have the same authority in your hands as I do? Yes.
It’s just that our positions are different, but God's love for us is the same. You can say when you are weak: "Can I pray with you?" I would say yes. But never say: "You pray; God listens to you faster because you have a good relationship with God, and I do not..." Whenever these things are mentioned, people tend to think that because they have sinned, their relationship with God is not good...
Brothers and sisters, remember: no matter when, our relationship with God is forever peaceful and harmonious through the blood of Jesus. The problem is that we often sin and are often weak. No matter how upright your behavior is, you will inevitably make mistakes, have doubts, and fail. Many people say: "Be careful with your tongue and do not sin." They secretly resolve to never sin again. After making this resolution, do they stop sinning? On the contrary, the more resolutions they make, the more they sin because in their self-effort, they ultimately compromise with sin.
When behaviors keep going wrong, we instinctively have a wrong thought: that God no longer listens to my prayers. Many people have this wrong thought. In the morning, I made a mess at home, had a fight with my partner, and cursed at someone on the street... When I come to church to pray, I think: God will not listen to my prayers because those things were all my fault; how could God possibly listen to my prayers? I just sinned...
I do not know if you have had such thoughts. Many people, after having just made a mistake, come to God to pray and feel that God will not listen to their prayers, that God will not help them. I want to tell you: despite this, God is still willing to help you. If you feel you have failed and that God will no longer pay attention to you, please let go of that thought. Many people often say to me: "Please pray for me because you are a pastor; I think God must listen to your prayers. You are a beloved child of God."
Some say, "I am so terrible, I have sinned so much; God may not listen to my prayers." This religious thought is truly oppressive. In the past, we were taught that if you leave God, He will leave you; if you do not love God, He will not love you; if you make the wrong choice, do not expect God to save you; you will reap what you sow. I do not know if you think like this, but many people really eat the fruit of their own sowing because of their wrong beliefs. But our God is not like that. The truth is that God will not leave you when you fall; instead, He will run to you and lift you up. Amen.
There is a passage in the Bible; let’s look at it together. In Luke 15:17-20, it tells the parable of the prodigal son. The younger son initially did not understand his father's love and tried every means to leave this old man. He said to his father: "Give me my share of the estate; I want to leave you and be independent, far away from you, no longer listening to your nagging or your teachings." The father said nothing and gave the son what he was entitled to. The younger son went off to a distant country. In that distant land, he wasted his wealth and lived recklessly, which is the lifestyle many people enjoy today, saying: "How good it is without God; I can do whatever I want." But what was the outcome?
The younger son lived very miserably. When he had nothing left, he thought to himself, "I have squandered everything; I am too ashamed to go back to my father. I do not even deserve to call him my father because I disrespected him in the past, calling him an old fool. Legally, I am already dead. But my father did not treat me this way; I really cannot face him again." Just like many people say, "I have sinned; I cannot go to church anymore." Look at the younger son. When he truly had no way out, if he had any other option, he would not have returned to his father. In other words, if the person feeding the pigs had given him better food, he would never have gone home. But the problem is that even in such a terrible environment, no one showed him any compassion; this is the state of the world.
Do not expect the world to give you any good help. If someone helps you, you should be grateful; but if someone does not help you, that is their business. Isn’t that the way of the world? We have nothing to complain about. Just like the younger son, when he was feeding pigs, it was only natural that others would not give him food because he had not worked yet; why should he eat? Isn’t that how companies operate? On your first day at a company, if you have not generated any profit for me, why should I pay you? This is an equivalent exchange.
With God, it is not like that. With God, when you are unworthy, He still provides for you; when you are worthy, He rewards you. Amen. When you come into God’s house, you are a blessed person. Outside of Christ, people always want to gain the most benefit while giving you the least, so the person feeding the pigs will not give him anything good to eat.
From another perspective, this was actually a good thing for the younger son because if he had not hit rock bottom, he would not have sought Christ. How many Christians live like this? They reach a dead end in the world and finally say they want to go to church, to seek Jesus, when they truly have no other way out. When they come back, what kind of attitude should they have? Look at the younger son when he returns; he originally thought he could just be a hired worker in his own home.
Let’s look at this passage in Luke 15:17-20:
17 "When he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”’ 20 And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him."
Actually, everything the younger son thought before verse 19 was a legalistic mindset, did you see that? Because he squandered everything, he felt he deserved this and was unworthy to be called a son; this was what he deserved. To be a hired servant was also different from the hired servants in the world. He thought being a hired servant in his father’s house would satisfy him. Because his father was particularly good to people, many hired servants had plenty of food, which proved that his father treated those servants very well compared to his current boss. In other words, at that moment, he was looking for his father out of hunger and desperation.
But he knew that according to his current behavior, he was unworthy to call his father. Just like many Christians, after sinning, feel unworthy to pray to God, feel unworthy to call Him Father because they just sinned. When you think like this, you actually lose the intimacy with the Father. Look at the father’s heart. The father had already seen the son from afar, and when he saw him, he had compassion, ran and embraced his neck, and kissed him. When you see this action, what does it remind you of? If the father thought the same way as the son, he would not have run to him.
I want to tell you that even if you fail, God will not say: "What a pity, you have lost the opportunity to be my son; you should be a hired servant." What should we do? If the Heavenly Father really spoke to us like that, we would say: "Thank you, being a hired servant in your house is better than working outside." Isn’t that right? But the father did not say that. He ran to embrace his son and kissed him repeatedly. This shows that no matter what the son had done, how many sins he had committed, or how terrible he had been, the father still loved him. Hallelujah.
Through this passage, I want to tell you: when you are weak, helpless, and in despair, God will show even greater love to you and help you rebuild your faith. When you think of Jesus, you should have hope and passion, always filled with faith. If you think of Jesus and He is always waiting with a big stick to hit you whenever you make a mistake, you will never feel that Jesus is good.
But when you think of this Heavenly Father, in your lowest point, when no one understands you, He still accepts you and loves you. At any time, you will always have hope and be filled with faith; that is God’s mercy upon you. Even though you have failed, you are still God’s beloved child. You do not need to pursue perfection before the Heavenly Father accepts you; you do not need to say that when I no longer doubt You, I can become Your beloved child. You do not need to; you already are. No matter how you are now, in the eyes of the Father, you are His beloved child. You are incomplete, but that does not mean He does not love you. Amen.
Although we indeed need to strive to glorify the Lord, we must at least know how much God loves you and understand how good your relationship with the Father is. In fact, the Father means that even if you are incomplete, please do not be too hard on yourself; He still loves you. He knows you are incomplete and knows how many sins you will commit in your lifetime. This is the greatness of our God.
I once made some assumptions for some people. Suppose you built a team of 12 people, and you knew from the beginning that one of them would ruin your reputation and betray you in three and a half years, causing you to lose everything. How would you treat that person? What would you bosses do?
We would think of every possible way, find every excuse, and definitely want to get rid of him. But the greatness of Jesus is that He knew Judas Iscariot did not believe in Him and would betray Him, yet He still gave him three and a half years of opportunity and entrusted him with the most important position, managing the church’s finances.
Even though He knew that this person would occasionally take money from the offering box to squander it outside, He still gave it to him, intending to give him a chance to repent. Although in the end, Judas Iscariot did not turn back to Jesus, God’s love for him did not diminish. If our Jesus could love even Judas Iscariot, why could He not love you? Our Heavenly Father knows everything about you; you can commit countless sins in your lifetime, yet He can still love you. This is true love. Amen.
When two young people are in love, they swear eternal love, saying they will love each other until the seas dry up and the rocks crumble. Why? Because they only see each other’s strengths. When two people calm down, they will discover each other’s shortcomings. If they can still love each other, that is true love.
Just like our Heavenly Father, He knows everything about you, how many sins you will commit in your lifetime, how many times you will betray Him, how many times you will doubt Him, yet He still loves you. This is God’s perfect love for you, an incomplete person. Hallelujah. Brothers and sisters, rest assured that the Jesus you believe in is absolutely worthy of your trust. God accepts everything about you, not because of your behavior, but because of everything Jesus accomplished on the cross.
Let’s look at a passage from Psalm 139:14-17:
14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them. 17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!
When you read this passage, what do you think of? Before creation, God knew you and loved you. This is a phrase that often appears in the Bible. We may not understand what this means. It means that before you were born, God had already seen everything about you and knew everything about you, yet He accepted everything about you. Amen. When we understand God’s love like this, we can truly give thanks to Him. For I am fearfully and wonderfully made. I often tell people that no matter what you look like, you are a unique creation in this world, and this creation is not made by your parents but by God. Amen.
People always like to look at the beautiful. Yesterday, my youngest son went to a church for Christmas with his mother. There was a 9-year-old boy who, because he looked a bit ugly, my son insisted on hitting him, saying: "Why are you so ugly? What are you doing at church?"
When he came back, we both had a good talk with him. A 4-year-old child wanted to hit someone just because they looked ugly.
We told him: "Actually, how someone looks is not something they can decide, right? What matters is that they have a beautiful heart. I said you look pretty, but you cannot look down on others just because of that."
This is not something others taught; it shows that there are inherently evil things in people. Liking beautiful things is not wrong, but why dislike the ugly? We repeatedly educate him not to act like that. You should know that every person created by God is unique and special.
I want to tell you that no matter whether you have made great contributions, you are still a unique work of God in this world. You will never find another person exactly like you; this is where our confidence lies. People may have prejudices against you and may want to hit you because you are not beautiful, but our God will always love you.
15 My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
This means that even before our bodies were formed, God had already seen us; God knows everything about you. He loved you even before you were born. And the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them, means that God knows everything about you, but He does not interfere; He still loves you and gives you His mercy to guide your life. Finally, the psalmist says: Your thoughts toward me are precious. God’s thoughts toward you are also precious. He knows your problems, knows your weaknesses, and at this moment, He is willing to give you His love and love you to the end. Amen.
God already knows what mistakes we will make; all the days of our lives are written in His book. Just like when we reach the end of the year and reflect on the past year, we know we have made many mistakes, many failures, and many achievements. We know this because it has passed, and we can see it.
But do you know what will happen next year? No. But our God already knows. He tells you not to worry about your tomorrow; everything is in God’s hands. You just need to look up to Him. Amen. Right now, you may be failing, but that does not mean you will still be failing tomorrow. Our God can turn everything around for you.
What is scary is that if we keep relying on ourselves and keep failing, we will ultimately fail completely. In the eyes of the world, you have failed, but in the eyes of God, you are still His beloved child. Amen. God also knows when we will fall, when we will take shortcuts, when we will lose our temper. The good news is that He still chooses you; He still says: You are His beloved child. He will still help you and manifest His best blessings upon you. God loves us, not because we perform well enough, but because of the blood of Jesus, because of the salvation of Christ. Amen. Because of Jesus, you are God’s beloved child. He is willing to help us, support us, and renew us.
In the Bible, besides Judas Iscariot betraying Jesus, who else betrayed Jesus? In fact, all twelve disciples betrayed Him, but the degree of their betrayal was slightly different. What is the difference between Peter and Judas Iscariot’s betrayal? It is that Peter remembered God’s words; he believed, but both of them failed completely.
From the perspective of sin, there is no difference between Judas’ sin and Peter’s sin. You cannot say that Judas’ sin of selling Jesus is heavier than Peter’s denial of Jesus. Denial and selling are essentially the same. Both denied Him in front of others. According to the Old Testament law, Peter would not be saved because "whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny before My Father in heaven."
But with the New Testament, everything changed. At that time, Peter did not really know himself; he thought he loved a lot. Before Peter betrayed Him, Jesus told him, "Tonight, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times." The purpose of Jesus saying this was to remind Peter, to tell him: I know everything about you, but I still love you. But Peter completely did not understand this meaning. What did he say? "Even if they all fall away, I will not fall away. I am willing to die for You." Was Peter serious when he said this? Very serious.
I once asked some people, I said people can also say forever. For example, a man says to a woman, "I will love you forever." Do you know how long this forever lasts? It means that as soon as he finishes saying "forever," it ends. Peter said: "Lord, I will not betray You; I am willing to die for You." Was he serious? But how long could he maintain that? As soon as he said it, it ended. When it was time for him to die, he could not die. This is the faith within people; it is very short-lived. But Jesus said, "I will die for you." He did not swear, but Jesus really did it. After He said it, this promise has lasted until today. Amen.
At that time, Peter said, "I am willing to die for You," but what happened? He did not die; he had three chances and still did not die, right, brothers and sisters? When the rooster crowed, he suddenly remembered Jesus’ words. The Bible says Peter went out and wept bitterly. Can you imagine Peter’s mental state at that moment? He was very regretful. What was he regretting? He was regretting why he said such things before; he could not do it. Now he realized he really could not do it. When faced with real death, he could not possibly die for Jesus. But he still did not understand that at that moment, Jesus was dying for him.
Only when the Holy Spirit reveals these things to us today does He want to tell you: You cannot die for Jesus, but Jesus will definitely die for you. God knows your weaknesses, so He gave you three chances. You did not die; that is okay; He still loves you. Amen.
But if you have the heart to be willing to die for the Lord Jesus, our Heavenly Father is already very pleased with you. Just having that heart is enough; what is scary is if you do not even have that heart. Peter felt very ashamed; I think he must have felt very guilty because shortly after, Jesus was crucified. He probably never had the chance to apologize to Jesus again. What I mean to say is that if Jesus had not resurrected, Peter might have lived in guilt for the rest of his life.
In life, looking back over the past year, many people feel guilty about their past wrong choices, and this guilt may accompany them for one year, two years, or even ten years. Some people, because they did not do what they should have done, and when their relatives or friends passed away, they lived in guilt forever, with no chance left. Today, God wants to tell you that He still loves you. Even if you have betrayed Jesus in the past, even if you have denied Jesus, Jesus will never deny you.
At that time, Peter had no chance to say to Jesus, "I’m sorry, I was wrong; I promise I will never leave You again." But what do we see? We all sin and fall; you might say you will not fall as seriously as Peter did. If it were the world, they might not care about Peter anymore, but what do you see?
After Jesus resurrected, He found Peter. When Peter went fishing with the disciples, they caught nothing that night. I think Peter might have been thinking: "I followed Jesus for three and a half years, and now I have graduated from theology, only to come back to fishing." Moreover, this situation was exactly the same as when he first met Jesus; they had not caught a single fish again. I do not know if Peter declared anything that night; in any case, nothing happened. When dawn was approaching, they were probably about to pull in their nets, as the opportunity had already passed.
At that moment, there was a person on the shore who said: "Children, do you have any food?" Their instinctive response was no. The person on the shore said: "Cast the net on the right side, and you will find some." Does this sound familiar? Very familiar. Three and a half years ago, someone had said this to him. I think Peter’s heart must have been warmed when John said: "It is the Lord."
Peter jumped into the water and ran to Jesus. When he reached Jesus, he must have first said: "Lord, I am sorry; I should not have said I would die for You; I really cannot die." He had denied Him before; shouldn’t he repent a little? According to many people’s perspectives, you treat Jesus like this; He would not possibly forgive you. He should discipline you.
But you see, after Jesus died and resurrected, when Peter ran to Jesus, was there any process between them? Did Peter weep bitterly on the ground, tears flowing down and soaking the sand? No. Nothing happened. When he came before Jesus, it was like meeting an old friend after a few days, saying: "Did you catch any fish?" Jesus said, "Come, give me some of the fish." He gave the fish to Jesus, who cooked the fish they caught and said, "Eat."
You can meditate on this process yourself. Peter had felt guilty in the past, and when he saw Jesus again, he probably had many things he wanted to say to Jesus. When he saw that Jesus completely accepted him, Peter’s heart had already turned back and was already touched by Jesus’ love.
Brothers and sisters, when you understand that Jesus accepts Peter like this, please remember that when you are down and fail, God is also there for you, after you have worked all night and caught nothing, to prepare breakfast for you and solve your current problems. No matter how difficult the problems you are facing in your company, family, or life are, please come before Jesus; He has already prepared breakfast for you. Amen. Come and eat.
Jesus does not hold past grievances against you; He does not even mention the past. Brothers and sisters, until Peter died, Jesus never brought it up again. He only asked him: "Peter, do you love me more than these?" Jesus wanted to give Peter more love. Was Peter’s heart troubled because he could not get over that matter? Because Jesus asked him three times, "Do you love me?" Peter said: "Lord, You know my heart." He had already seen that Jesus loved him; otherwise, he would never have dared to answer like that.
I want to tell you that if Jesus can forgive Peter and love Peter like this, He can also love you just as much. It is this love that allowed Peter to walk out of his past guilt and shame. He received Christ’s love and bravely acknowledged his incompleteness. Did you notice? When Jesus asked: "Do you really love me more than these?" Peter replied: "Lord, You know I love You." Why did he not say like before: "Even if everyone falls away, I will not fall away; I am willing to die for You"? Because he truly knew he was incomplete. When he saw his incompleteness, Jesus still loved him.
By next year, I hope every brother and sister experiences this love of Jesus. Even if you are incomplete, our God still loves you; even if you have nothing, our God still loves you. His love for you is everlasting. Hallelujah. After Peter received this love, relying on this love, he became a great warrior, preaching the gospel until the end of his life.
It was precisely because he received this love that he had strength. No matter what difficulties he faced, he did not deny Jesus. If you also receive this love from Jesus, no matter how difficult the road ahead is, there is always hope. You believe that Jesus will prepare the best way out for you, bringing you out of difficulties and turning everything that is bad for you into something beneficial. Hallelujah.
After Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended upon Peter and filled him, he came down from the Mark’s upper room, and that day, 3,000 people repented; soon, 5,000 people repented. Peter did what he had never done before. God could give him such great blessings because he realized his incompleteness and believed that Jesus loved the incomplete him.
When you realize you are incomplete and realize that God loves this incomplete you, you will have confidence and be willing to tell our Heavenly Father everything about your life. You must believe that God has prepared a better future for you. He is helping you, uplifting you, and making you inherit greater blessings, so that your life may become more abundant, with the purpose that He hopes you can become a blessing to those around you.
Let’s look at a passage from Exodus 3:15. God also said to Moses: "You shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.’"
God used three adjectives: He is the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. What are the characteristics of these three men? First, let’s look at Abraham. What do you think of when you think of Abraham? The father of faith; this person has a truly great heart. When God says: "I am the God of your father Abraham," everyone says, "Good," because they know Abraham is our example!
The second is Isaac. When you think of Isaac, you should think of obedience because this child was very obedient. When his father was going to offer him as a burnt offering, he said, "Okay, let it be according to your will." This child was indeed very obedient. The obedient will be blessed! This is something many pastors also preach; Isaac is also our model because he was obedient!
The third is Jacob. What do you think of? Do you know what Jacob means? To grab. So his brother could not defeat him; isn’t it normal to call him Jacob?! His name means to grab. He grabbed and grabbed; isn’t that too normal? He grabbed his brother’s heel while still in his mother’s womb, right? Later, he tried every means to scheme against his brother.
Isn’t this person quite interesting? After all this failed, he had no choice but to run to his uncle’s house, scheming against his uncle. Unexpectedly, he encountered a cunning opponent who made him work for 20 years without pay. If it were not for God, Jacob would have never succeeded in his life; he could not defeat his uncle. God saved him.
Did Jacob scheme with God? I do not know how you view Jacob. Jacob, when he had nothing and was cast out by his family because his brother wanted to kill him, his mother said, "Hurry and run; if you do not run, your brother will kill you." He ran out with nothing but a staff. That night, at Bethel, he slept with his head on a stone, having fallen to such a low point.
That night, God said to him: "I will bless you; I am the God of your father." How did he respond? "Okay, if You want to bless me, first let me eat and be warm. I want to go to my uncle’s house and make a lot of money, and then I will consider You my God."
If you were that God and saw Jacob like this, would you still want to be his God? According to what we say, "Forget it; you can choose whoever you want to be your God; I will not care about you. You are even putting conditions on me." Isn’t Jacob such a person? He always prioritizes his own interests, even scheming against God. Later, when he returned, he wrestled with an angel. Why? Because he was not convinced, he did not want to admit defeat; in other words, he did not know himself. It is this kind of God who still loves Jacob.
Do you know why? Some say it is because he later changed. God changed his name to Israel! From now on, you shall no longer be called Jacob; your name shall be Israel. After he became Israel, did he indeed change? Yes. The Bible does record that after his name was changed, his character also changed. Later, he was able to reach out and bless Pharaoh of Egypt; this was after he became Israel.
Should we say: "The LORD is the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Israel?" Shouldn’t the Bible have changed to "Israel" later? But it has always been "the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Why not change it to "Israel"? He is a deceiver, self-centered, and has no bottom line. God loves such a person. Amen.
If you say, "I have faith like Abraham; I believe God loves me," you can say that. If you say, "I have a heart of obedience; I believe God loves me," you have that... But when we are selfish like Jacob, we often say God will not love me. I want to tell you that God is not only the God of those with great faith; He is not only the God of those who obey Him; He is also the God of imperfect people. Amen.
You are incomplete, yet our God still loves you. Hallelujah. Brothers and sisters, God intentionally left this name to tell all people that you are incomplete, but that does not affect His love for you. Hallelujah. In the past, you may have been discouraged, desperate, and failed, but God’s love has never diminished.
In Matthew 1, three women are mentioned: Tamar, Rahab, and Ruth. These three women all had flaws and problems, but God used them, exalted them, and brought them into the genealogy of Christ. I want to tell you that God is not disappointed in you; all your actions are within God’s expectations, yet He still loves you. Looking back at our journey over the past year, you may have many failures and mistakes, but it does not matter; God still loves you. We summarize past experiences and lessons, turn the page, and start a new plan and journey. Starting from the new year, look to God in everything, and do not determine whether God loves us based on past successes or failures; He still loves you. Hallelujah.
In the new year, He can help you fulfill your destiny. Even if you have made mistakes, please remember He still loves you. He can help you overcome the problems in life and overcome your weaknesses. Hallelujah. No matter how you were in the past, please do not blame yourself. You cannot change the past, but today you can resolve to live relying on God, knowing He loves you, and receiving God’s grace to continue moving forward.
If you have many failures in the past, you can come before the Heavenly Father and say: "Lord, I have done many wrong things, but I still believe You love me. Your love has never diminished. I declare today is a beautiful day; my Lord has prepared abundant blessings for me. I will start from a new starting point and experience His grace in my life." Amen.
Finally, let’s look at a passage from Psalm 5:11-12. Let’s read it together:
11 But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name be joyful in You. 12 For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield.
I send this passage to you, hoping that as everyone summarizes this year, remember: those who trust in God will rejoice and shout for joy because You love us, You love our incomplete selves. Although we have problems, it does not affect Your love for us. You say: "Let those who love Your name be joyful in You." We know You love us, and I am willing to seek You, offering my love before You. As the new year begins, please help me to rely on You in everything, believing that You will bless the righteous, that is, bless me.
You will surround me with favor as with a shield; the enemy can no longer steal my things because You are with me. Your words are my strength, my wisdom, and my help in everything in life. Thank You and praise You. Bless every brother and sister who hears the word, so that we may all receive abundant supply in You. We pray in the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.