379-Entering the Promise of Rest by Faith#
379-Entering the Promise of Rest by Faith
(JP Text Group - Shalom Organization)
Dear family, peace in the Lord, and welcome to your arrival.
The topic of sharing is: Entering the Promise of Rest by Faith.
Hebrews 4:1-2
1 Therefore, since the promise of entering His rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. 2 For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, thank you and praise you. Thank you for giving us this time to come before you. We seek you because you have promised us that we can come to you with our questions at any time. You will listen to our prayers and grant us strength and power. In our lives, we need the rest that comes from you, living with your promises. Please bring today’s words to us through the Holy Spirit, renew us, and help us know you more. As a new week begins, let us live with your words. Thank you and praise the Lord. Bless all the brothers and sisters who seek you. In the name of the Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen.
God has a promise for all who believe in Him, which is to enter His rest. Rest is not about sleeping or doing nothing; rest is working with God's victory, power, and glory. Working with rest is enjoying the process of work rather than enduring it, just like having a precious potted plant at home that needs to be trimmed with delicate scissors every few days to maintain its beautiful shape. The trimming process is the enjoyment of the work.
Jesus Christ has already won the victory on the cross and has overcome the world. Therefore, no matter what problems we encounter, we should look to Jesus, and through His words, He will give us faith. When we see Jesus' victory, we will naturally have rest. This is God's promise to all who believe in Him. Seeing the work Jesus has accomplished, with His victory, Jesus can help you, and the Holy Spirit will renew you, allowing you to know Jesus more. In every aspect of life, learn to view problems through Jesus' victory and solve them with His wisdom.
Matthew 11:28-30:
28 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Jesus knows that we have labor and burdens in this world. These burdens may be financial, familial, or psychological, etc. But no matter what it is, when you come to Jesus with your burdens, you believe that His promise can give you rest. Why can we find rest in Jesus? Because He has the power and is willing to help you. Therefore, in life, through prayer, entrust your burdens to Jesus. What does it mean to entrust? Lord, I cannot bear this burden right now; I give it to you! To give it to the Lord means to believe that He has the power to solve this problem, to seek answers in His words, and to help us through these!
Do not misunderstand; many people think that entrusting means, "Lord, I won't care anymore; you handle it!" Some like to shout phrases: "I have entrusted everything to Jesus, so I don't need to care about anything!" As a result, things get worse. This is not entrusting. What we mean by entrusting is to come to God with our problems, seeking answers, wisdom, and solving these problems together with Him.
For example, if there is a certain illness, we pray to Jesus: "Lord, you have overcome sickness; heal me. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I command this illness to leave." You are working with the Holy Spirit, and the premise is to first believe that Jesus has this ability. Then, bring your problems to seek Him, knowing that He can give you rest, and He certainly has the power to solve such problems. Trusting His promise will surely give you rest!
When we have burdens, seeking Him will give you rest. This is God's promise to us. I am gentle and humble in heart; you should take my yoke and learn from me. Seek Jesus; He will not give us more burdens, nor will He blame you for being useless or messing things up! He understands us, will help us, and will make our burdens lighter, granting us wisdom and allowing us to have satisfying joy in Him! Therefore, you need to see the world through Jesus' eyes and feel the Father's love with His heart.
We carry too many unnecessary worries, such as children who are already in their twenties or even thirties, some of whom have been married for years, yet family members still cannot let go, worrying about everything, exhausting themselves, losing rest, often troubled, and having poor relationships with their children. You only need to introduce Jesus to them, let the children learn to rely on God, and the rest should be left to the Holy Spirit to walk with them, allowing them to walk their own life! There is no need to interfere with their thoughts in everything; just pray for them often, and God will arrange the most suitable path for them.
Sometimes what we think may not be what the children want, as God's guidance for each person is different. I have encountered many parents like this; their children are already grown, yet they still worry about everything. If the child is doing well, they worry; if the child has a problem, they still worry!
I say, pray for him! Believe that God will lead him to walk his own life.
But I can't help but worry!
There is really no need for that.
Let’s think about Joseph in Genesis. His family completely abandoned him; his brothers deceived their father, saying Joseph was dead, torn apart by wild beasts, but he was actually sold into Egypt. From that moment on, his family would no longer care about this teenager. What would happen to his life? In whose hands would it be?
We know that the Lord was with him, and he prospered in everything! But today, many children are twenty-seven or thirty-seven, and their families are still not at ease, still keeping them in the tent, taking care of them every day. This will definitely lead to many problems, causing the whole family to lose rest. Unknowingly, they add unnecessary burdens to themselves, all because they lack the wisdom found in the Bible.
The first point of sharing: Why do some people not enter the promise of rest?
In Hebrews 4:1: Therefore, since the promise of entering His rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it.
- It seems that some are falling behind.
Why are they falling behind? It’s as if they have missed the promise. The Greek word for falling behind means to miss out. Since God has given us the promise to enter His rest, why do many people not enter God's promise and not enter rest? Why have they missed it? The main reason is that they all have their own ideas. When there are too many ideas, they do not believe God's words.
Let’s look at the Israelites at that time, Numbers 21:4-5:
4 They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom; but the people grew impatient on the way; 5 they spoke against God and against Moses and said, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread; there is no water, and we detest this miserable food!"
I am just giving you one example of why some Israelites did not enter God's promise. The promised land is Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey, but some Israelites died in the wilderness without entering. Where is the reason? It is in today’s text; some seem to be falling behind. From a historical perspective, they indeed missed entering the promised land. Why did they miss it? Have you noticed that for forty years, this group of Israelites had many ideas, and their ideas were completely opposed to God's promise. They always complained, saying, "Why did you bring us out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?"
Ultimately, these words came to fruition in their lives. Many brothers and sisters do not realize that they have done the same thing as the Israelites, often complaining negatively. Every year they complain; if something goes wrong, they complain about family, complain about children, complain about society, and in the end, they find themselves further away from God's promise. They wonder why others who believe in Jesus have everything going smoothly, while they have nothing going well. They complain to God, never considering whether they have missed something.
The Israelites did not learn this lesson in forty years! Ultimately, this group of people indeed died in the wilderness because they still had this mindset even near the Jordan River. Forty days later, twelve spies returned from Canaan, and they still had this mindset of wanting to go back to Egypt. They were not trying every means to believe in God and enter the promise; instead, they were doing everything possible not to believe in God's promise. How could they enter?
It’s like telling others, "You can enter through this door to obtain eternal life," and they always have a thousand reasons to tell themselves they cannot enter. What if it’s not as they imagined after entering? Many reasons to doubt you, even trying to convince you that you are wrong. We are not trying to prove what we say; we are just sharing God's truth with everyone. Whether you believe it or not, entering through Jesus' door means there is grass to eat and water prepared! Some say, "What should I do?" Very simple, let go of your own ideas, and you can enter God's promise. If you do not let go, your ideas will always conflict with God's ideas, and in the end, you will always be victorious.
Matthew 13:13-17:
13 This is why I speak to them in parables: Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. 14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: "You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. 15 For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise, they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them." 16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17 For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
This is Jesus speaking to those who listen to Him preach, not to receive but to find fault. These people, although they saw Jesus, did not understand; although they heard, they did not comprehend. It is not that God spoke too profoundly or that Jesus spoke too difficultly, but that these people's hearts were closed! They had their own ideas, and every time Jesus spoke about something, they could argue from the opposite direction. How could such a person understand?
You can never wake up a person who pretends to be asleep! They were not prepared to listen to these words at all; how could they understand? God's promise is placed here, and some people always wonder if this is possible? This is not very realistic! There are many doubts inside; how can they enter? No matter how well you speak, they just won't enter because they have their own ideas and do not believe in God. It’s not that they do not believe in God, but in many matters, they do not trust God's words.
The scribes and Pharisees of that time were like this. Even Peter and the fishermen understood what Jesus was saying. Could these people, filled with theological knowledge and well-versed in the law of Moses, not understand? They absolutely understood, but their own ideas were too many, and they could not believe what Jesus said. Their hearts were hardened, and they were unwilling to understand, so their ears were dull, and their eyes were closed! What is God's intention? How He hopes their eyes could see, their ears could hear, and their hearts could understand. If they turned, they would be healed!
Many people have missed God's promise, lost rest, and not entered this promise. What should be done? They need to let go of their own ideas and align with God's words, adjusting themselves rather than always expecting God to adjust. Jesus said to those who listened to Him preach, "Blessed are your eyes because they see; blessed are your ears because they hear." This is actually encouraging these people because you believe simply, so you see.
Have you noticed that those who sincerely seek Jesus receive? Because their hearts are open, they no longer rely on what they think is correct, so they are correct in Jesus. Amen. I want to tell you, you are also blessed because when you seek, you do not come with a critical mindset to listen to the sermon; you come with a receptive heart, and you can receive. You will receive every time; this is the first point: they seem to be falling behind.
- Not harmonizing the word with life
Missed things have not entered the heart at all. They heard but did not live it out; the word and life are disconnected. When encountering situations, they still use their own wisdom, making it impossible to enter God's promise. In life, we will encounter some problems and sufferings, but God's promise tells us that He has the power to help us, allowing us to rely on Him. At any time, we should not doubt but believe that His words will surely come to pass.
When we have problems, this is when we rely on God. When does the word need to harmonize with life? It is when you need to make decisions; that is when you need to apply the word. Otherwise, when will you live out God's words? Isn’t it when we need it? When there are problems, when we are weak, when we do not know how to make decisions, God's words become our reference.
Psalm 95:6-11:
6 Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; 7 for he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if only you would hear his voice: 8 Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness, 9 where your ancestors tested me; they tried me, though they had seen what I did. 10 For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, "They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways." 11 So I declared on oath in my anger, "They shall never enter my rest."
After the Israelites entered the wilderness, Moses led them, and God's provision was there every day. They lacked nothing to eat, wear, or drink; God's care for them was meticulous. Even if the environment was slightly harsh, the Israelites' reaction was absurd. For forty years, they continuously tested God. They ate manna and finally said they did not like this miserable food and wanted to eat meat, just to see if God could give them meat.
There were no animals or living creatures in the wilderness; there was no way to eat meat. When they encountered problems and had this idea, they did not sincerely come before the Lord to pray, "Lord, we want to eat meat; can you give us meat?" They were testing God, not believing that God could provide meat. This kind of thinking is terrifying!
Although they often learned the Ten Commandments and studied the laws and regulations, when encountering problems, they always liked to question and test. Today, many people are like this! When they encounter problems, they say, "I do not believe God can do this!" In fact, they want to see if God can do this.
Many people's prayers are made with a trial-and-error mentality. We should not do this; it is very difficult to grow in God's words and enter His promises with such a testing heart. God may fulfill your requests, but even if He does, you still do not believe Him, thinking it was just a coincidence! It just happened to be that way! You will not see it as God's guidance or comfort. Just like when we pray for others, their problems are solved, and we say, "You need to thank God," they say, "I do not think this is entirely God's work; I also put in my effort."
This is the mindset of the Israelites back then. During the quail incident, God indeed brought the quails with a strong wind. That day, a strong wind suddenly came. If I were there, I would think that the quails were off course and that they were blown here because of the wind. Without this wind, the quails would not have come here. I would not see it as entirely God's provision; it just happened to be the windy season!
People have many reasons not to believe in God. This is because they have not harmonized the word with life. In fact, every single thing in life has God's guidance and provision. Do not think that this is your own effort that has led to today's results. If God does not prepare blessings for you, no matter how hard you try, the results will not be good.
If in the wilderness, God had not given them the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, could they have made the wind rise? Could they have made it rain? Could they have made manna fall from heaven every day for forty years? It is impossible! However, the Israelites never thought about these things; they separated life from the word. Therefore, we must combine the word with life. If we separate them, we will be confused and not see this as God's work. Every single thing in life should be connected with God, allowing us to see the words and guidance God wants to give us.
God's promise has always been there, but the Israelites did not believe it and complained when they encountered problems! Although they had seen countless miracles, they always focused on their own gains and losses. I hope brothers and sisters will shift their focus to God; otherwise, if they always look at trivial matters at home, they will not be able to see God's promise, let alone enter it!
It is a pity that this group of Israelites missed the opportunity to enter Canaan because they believed they would die in the wilderness, and in the end, their words came true. The failure of the Israelites serves as a lesson for us! We should not miss God's promises. Perhaps you have believed for many years and have missed many of God's promises. Sometimes think about it: if you had not been so impulsive and had acted according to God's words, the outcome might have been different! If you have such feelings, from today on, rely on God's words to live and harmonize the word with life.
The second point of sharing: How to harmonize the word with life?
When you harmonize God's words with life, you can enter the blessings that God has promised us. Entering God's promise is not based on our actions or performance but on faith! Because the work Jesus accomplished on the cross requires us to fully believe and receive. The word entering life means believing that the word can help you. When you encounter any problems, you will use this word. Even those who do not believe in the Lord use some words to solve problems; some use the experiences of the previous generation; some use their experiences; some use the successful experiences of others!
We should not live like this; we should rely on God's words to live.
- Fully believe
When you cannot believe, you need to find ways to believe, such as reading the Bible, listening to sermons, and praying, striving to enter rest. In simple terms, it means changing your mindset to live, living according to God's way, and putting aside your so-called correctness to look up to His promises.
For example, if a child has a high fever, the first thought might be to quickly give them fever-reducing medicine. If the fever does not go down after a day, then rush to the hospital. This is a very normal process. There is nothing wrong with it; we respect medicine, hospitals, and doctors. These are all part of saving lives.
But let’s change our mindset. What does that mean? If the same thing happens, first pray for the child, declaring and praying for the child with faith. During your prayer, you can also give them medicine or take them to the hospital. If you pray first, perhaps the subsequent steps can be completely ignored because they may not be needed. If you set prayer aside and finish everything else first, then pray at the end, when this matter is accomplished, you will not be sure whether it was God's work or your own effort that prevented the child from continuing to experience this issue. You cannot distinguish!
I hope that everyone’s first thought when encountering problems is to handle these issues with God's words. When you handle them with God's words, God may give you many methods. No matter how you achieve victory in the end, you will still thank God! If you do not adjust this way, you will not know what the relationship between the word and life is! Some say the sermons are good, but they do not know how to apply them! If you listen to these sermons and still do not know how to apply them, that would be too regrettable because it has already been explained very simply, right?
Exodus 3:7-8:
7 The Lord said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.
The Israelites were suffering greatly as slaves in Egypt. They cried out to God, and their cries reached God's ears. God sent Moses to save the Israelites. This passage clearly states that God saw their misery in Egypt, heard their prayers, and knew their suffering. He came to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and bring them into a land flowing with milk and honey. If we were the Israelites and heard Moses say this, we would have to fully believe it because we had prayed before, and now it is being fulfilled. A man named Moses has come to save us; isn’t this the fulfillment of God's words?
The next step is to leave Egypt and enter the promised land, the land flowing with milk and honey. Isn’t this what we should hope for? If at this moment there is worry, what should we do? Just like when Moses first went to find them, Pharaoh increased their burdens, making it seem impossible to leave. We should not doubt God's promise; we should continue to persuade ourselves that God's words will surely come to pass! Instead of complaining like the Israelites: "Moses, who told you to come and save us? You have not saved us; instead, you have made our burdens heavier..." This is the disconnection between the word and life! Using the opposite to harmonize!
When encountering difficulties, how can we deny God's promise and expect to enter the promise? When we cannot believe God's words, we need to find ways to believe. What are those ways? Reading the Bible, listening to sermons, praying—these are all methods to help you recognize God again. When you read the Bible, you will find testimonies of those who relied on God and had good outcomes. You believe they were saved by God; you can be too! Just believe that God will surely save me!
If you cannot get into reading the Bible, you can continue to listen to sermons. Listening to sermons is not about enjoying the excitement of someone singing and jumping around; it is about hearing Jesus in the word. Once again, believe that Jesus loves me and is willing to help me. Through the word, believe in God's promises again, and you can come to pray in the same way. If you cannot believe or have doubts, pray to God, saying, "Lord, I believe you love me, and your promises will surely come to pass in my life!" Although the environment looks terrible, and although Pharaoh has sent people to increase our burdens, I believe you will surely lead us out of Egypt!
You need to persuade yourself to believe God's words, rather than starting to doubt God's words when encountering problems and complaining about Moses. This is useless. If God has said so, we should believe so! When we cannot believe, do not complain to God; instead, use God's way, God's words, truth, and testimonies to persuade yourself to believe.
Hebrews 10:19-23:
19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, His body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
How to believe? We know that Jesus indeed came to the world and sacrificed Himself on the cross for our sins, opening a new and living way for us. If you believe, you will know that God's promises will surely come to pass! Even if there are many difficulties and problems now, they cannot stop God from leading us into the promised land.
Just like the Israelites entering Canaan, although there were many obstacles along the way and strong walls, nothing could stop God from leading the Israelites into the land flowing with milk and honey! If we always focus on how big the current problems are and how many enemies there are, we will indeed feel discouraged. When feeling discouraged, we need to think again about God's promises, allowing our thoughts to enter God's promises, rather than always thinking about what the enemies have done to us. We need to forget those things and always think about what God has promised us. God has promised you, and you should act with His victory! Amen!
We must hold on to the hope we profess. What do you profess with your mouth? If you, like the Israelites, profess: "We cannot enter Canaan; we will surely die in the wilderness," you will definitely see that result. We must hold on to the promises God has given us! God's promises say so; at any time, we must hold on to this faith without wavering!
No matter what others say, no matter how those around you believe, we must believe this way and not waver! Why? Because God's promises are faithful, and the God who promised us is also faithful. You can understand Him as the God of Amen, real and true, who does not joke around; what He says, He will do. When you believe this way, your heart will find rest.
Why do we not dare to trust people? Because they change too quickly. What they promised today can be disregarded tomorrow. At first, they may call you brother, but later they may stab you in the back. That is why we do not trust people. However, our God is not like that. We cannot apply the ways of the world to Jesus; it does not work. You should believe what the Bible says; that is the true nature of our God. Jesus is what our God is like! Amen. At all times, we must hold on to the fact that God is faithful, and the promises He has given us will surely come to pass, regardless of the environment. Just believe that God's words will surely come to pass, and do not throw away your courageous heart, dear family!
Hebrews 10:35-39:
35 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. 36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. 37 For in just a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay. 38 And, "But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back." 39 But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.
What does this passage mean? Do not throw away your courageous heart; this courageous heart means that God has said so. After receiving the Holy Spirit, we are very grateful and should follow God for life. Just like when we pray the sinner's prayer, we should follow God for life. No matter how great the difficulties or how terrible the situations are, do not throw away this courageous heart! Holding such a heart will be richly rewarded. No matter how the environment is, we will carry hope, believing that our God is the victorious Lord who has overcome this world!
No matter how the world struggles, no matter how terrible the surrounding environment is, our God is still seated as King. Viewing all things with this heart will allow you to endure. When you encounter difficulties in the world, do not say, "Forget it, Lord, take me away; I do not want to stay in this world anymore." Have you thought about it? Our lives have time; some are long, some are short. We cannot define a person's blessings by length. Each person has a mission given by God. After completing your mission, God will take you back. If you have not completed it, you must continue to fulfill it! Praying like this is also useless!
Jesus was on earth for about thirty-three years; how regrettable! What if He lived to three hundred years? How blessed would the world be! We think this way, but this is not God's will. It is because Jesus completed God's will in just over three years of work that there was no need to stay longer, so He returned!
We are the same. When we are doing God's will, we indeed need to endure. The road ahead is not smooth; it is not always easy. There will always be some obstacles. The enemy hopes to drag you down, giving you some difficulties to make you give up and feel discouraged. Those who play games know that it is like leveling up while fighting monsters! To grow, there must be some obstacles and difficulties ahead. But those are not problems because you will definitely overcome them, right? Even if you encounter a small boss, that is not a problem; you can definitely overcome it; it is just a matter of skill.
We are not like that; our Lord has already won. Using the Lord's victory to overcome these difficulties is easier, right? It just requires patience! You cannot expect the difficulties to be removed. In difficulties, you will see God's will accomplished and enter God's promises. In this process, you will experience the joy and power of God being with us! Many people say, "Lord, please come quickly; I really cannot stand it anymore; I cannot bear to see the world like this..." Do not rush; the time has not yet come. There is still a little while; what is to come will come and will not delay! This means that God does not procrastinate; you do not need to worry about this. When the time comes, He will not delay for a second!
So what should we do before Jesus comes? Spread the gospel; we must proclaim this word. If at this time you say, "Lord, I do not want to do it anymore; I do not want to live; take me away!" Isn’t that retreating? What will God do? It is not that God does not want you; God is just saying He does not like you to do things this way.
Verse 39 gives us a very clear definition: "But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed." This refers to those who are not saved. Some people encounter difficulties and do not believe anymore. Perhaps this person never truly believed. Therefore, we do not discuss whether this person believes or that person does not believe; we just need to believe ourselves. Those of us who believe in Jesus are not among those who shrink back and are destroyed; we are those who have faith and are saved!
The original text means that we are people who possess life by faith. This is what you need to remember: you are a person who possesses life! Whose life do you possess? The life of Jesus! That is a victorious life, a glorious life, a life that allows you to enter His rest and promises! You need to adjust yourself to align with Jesus' thoughts, and then you will enter rest! You will enter His promises!
2 Corinthians 1:20-21:
20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God. 21 Now it is God who strengthens us with you in Christ and has anointed us.
His words are our guarantee; we need to believe completely! No matter how many promises God has made, in Christ, they are "Yes"! The meaning of Jesus is that so many promises will surely come to pass! Not a single word is empty! Not a single promise cannot be fulfilled! They are all "Yes" through Him!
How are these promises fulfilled? They must be fulfilled through Jesus. If you leave Jesus, all promises will turn to nothing. We must always place Jesus first in our lives, thinking about what Jesus has done for us. He is our Lord, and God's promises will be fulfilled in us through Jesus. We pray in the name of Jesus; because of Jesus, we are pleasing to the Father and blessed by the Father. This is all because of Jesus, so through Jesus, these promises can truly be fulfilled in us, bringing glory to God!
If your thoughts align with Jesus' thoughts, you will see God's glory. Our Lord will be glorified because of you, and many things will turn around, just like Paul, who performed great works and made the Lord's name great! This is because Paul's thoughts were aligned with Jesus. He always had the mind of Christ, viewed the world with Christ's eyes, and acted with Christ's heart, so he performed great works and manifested God's glory! It cannot be said that Paul did not encounter difficulties; he faced many challenges, but he overcame them all. This is the part we should emulate! Therefore, Paul confidently said, "You should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ." Amen.
Now, it is God who strengthens us with you in Christ and has anointed us. Do not look to any person to pray for you to receive anointing; it is our God who anoints you, it is the Holy Spirit. Hallelujah! Seek in the Holy Spirit, think about all things with the mind of Christ, and let the Holy Spirit fill you through prayer. Isn’t that powerful? Why seek people everywhere? The promises people give you may indeed change. If they promised you something, one day they may not have the ability to fulfill it. But the promises God gives you must be kept in your heart; do not neglect them. This is what is lasting and real. Amen.
- Use what you have received
If God's words are not used, they are no different from other theories. But if we believe His words are life, powerful, and are willing to use them in life, we will see miracles and experience His wonderful grace. You must use what you have received. Today, if you receive a word, apply that word in your life. I suggest everyone listen to a sermon every day or read a passage of the Bible daily. You should apply that received word in your life daily. By doing so, your life will grow, and you will experience many wonderful graces. Amen.
James 2:14-17:
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
First, let’s emphasize that the "brothers" mentioned here refers to those who have already believed in the Lord. Believers have received many truths. We do not lack ways to receive the truth; we can find sermons online everywhere. However, if you have received but not applied it, it becomes knowledge, theory. How do you apply it? If you always feel that you understand a lot and think you have faith but have never lived it out, what good is it? Can such faith save them? Here, "save" refers to whether you can apply this word when you encounter problems.
Next, James gives us an example: if a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food, and they come to you seeking help, saying, "I am in difficulty; can you help me?" If you give them the theory: "Go in peace; keep warm and well fed," what good is that to them? It is of no benefit at all. This is like having received many words, talking about God's words, and being able to talk all day without any use, but when it comes to a small matter in life, you say, "I do not believe; I do not think there is a God in this world; I rely on myself!"
Why is there such a big gap? This shows that they think they have faith, but when it comes to truly using faith, they have none at all, indicating they still do not understand. Those are merely theories; the part that is truly applied is the part that has been received! It is like eating; if you eat a pound of dumplings or a pound of meat, but only digest one or two, only that one or two is real. The rest is gone; it went in and out, not counted as received. The part that remains is what has been received. Amen!
If a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food, having been hungry for several days, we take them out for a meal. Even if we do not have much money, we give what we can to help them through this day! This person sees God's love through you! You do not need to tell others how much you love them; they have already felt it. This is living out the word; you help them not for any other reason but because they are your brother or sister, and you are willing to help because you have the ability to do so. Amen. This is faith and action working together!
James 2:18-22:
18 But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds. Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds." 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. 20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.
James further explains to us that if we merely receive these theories, they do not benefit our lives much and cannot lead us into God's promises to find rest. So what should we do? It is to live out and apply the words you have received. You will know that this word is powerful and not empty.
You believe in the Lord and believe in God's words; that is correct. The devil also believes, but the devil does not act according to God's words. He believes there is a God and that God's words are powerful, but what he does is contrary to God's ways! God wants us to go east, but the devil pulls you west. Isn’t that the devil's work? While receiving God's words, you still live according to the opposite of God's words; you have fallen into the devil's trap.
In verse 18, many people may not understand, "You have faith; I have deeds. Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds."
Why is it so complicated? In reality, this is human theory, going around in circles and not understanding. It is not that complicated! It is simple: faith and action cannot be separated. However, some separate them and want to analyze or debate. It is not that troublesome. Believing in the Lord is very simple. If God’s word says so, just try to live it out!
There is no such thing as your faith and my actions; these are all human constructs! Abraham initially believed in God, but how did he prove it? Of course, in front of God, there is no need for proof because God knows whether he believes or not. But in front of people, how can he prove that he has faith? By setting an example for others? By offering Isaac on the altar, he was considered righteous because of his actions. Therefore, we take Abraham as a model of faith, a goal. Every time we mention faith, we think of Abraham because he did this. If you are willing to live out God's words, you will also become an example for others and experience the power of God's words. Faith works together with actions!
Too many people have big heads and small bodies; they receive a lot but apply very little. In this regard, I hope everyone enters the promise with faith, and rest will naturally come. Hallelujah! Faith is made complete by actions. This means it is perfected, and you will see benefits. This will bring you real help. I hope everyone, as the new week begins, experiences God's words. If you receive a word, use it repeatedly, and you will see God's power within it!
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, thank you and praise you for comforting and encouraging us with such words! Although the environment does not seem good and there are many problems, I enter the promise of rest by faith. This is the promise of rest you have left for us. We do not want to miss the promise and are willing to use your words in difficult lives and environments. You are the victorious King, the victorious Lord; I live with your victory!
You have overcome this world. In this week, please give me strength to experience your wonders! Please guide my steps ahead and renew me with your words! I look forward to seeing your goodness and experiencing your glory this week! All glory be to you. In the name of the Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen!