87 - Perfect Service#
87 - Perfect Service
(Japanese Text Group - Lily Qi Sisters Compilation)
Mark 1:1-13
1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2 As it is written in the prophets, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way. 3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’”
4 John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camel's hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” 12 The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.
The topic of sharing is: Perfect Service
Let us pray:
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise you for your grace. Today, your children gather together to seek Jesus Christ, for you are the beginning of the gospel, you are the gospel. We lay our burdens and all our worries before you. We believe that here we can receive strength, be renewed, and receive your provision again. Lord Jesus, thank you for this time, we completely dedicate it to you. May the Holy Spirit personally guide the hearts of the brothers and sisters. You know our weaknesses and our lacks, you provide for us in due time. We pray in the name of Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
Whenever you come to God's house, some things are happening to you. If you have some bondage, through God's word, Jesus will grant you freedom. And when you look up to Him, God allows you to have His glory, His beauty, and His honor.
May the brothers and sisters, after hearing the word, live out God's image in their lives this week, which is an image of glory upon glory. In fact, we already have God's image within us, but many times we fail to live it out, not knowing what it truly looks like inside. Today I want to tell you what you look like inside and how to live out God's glory and beautiful image. When you live this life, not only will you benefit, but those who see you will benefit as well.
Let us turn our focus to the Gospel of Mark. The Gospel of Mark is particularly interesting and important. Have the brothers and sisters ever thought about why the Bible has four Gospels? It records many repeated things; wouldn't it be enough to write just one? Just record everything from Jesus' birth to death and resurrection, and what He did afterward, one person could do it, right? Or compile it into one book, read it once and that's it. Why divide it into four books, and many are repeated? Clearly, they are the same; this book has it, and that book has it too.
God does not do useless things. Even if you do not understand, you must remember that our God will never waste a single word in the Bible. If it has no meaning, God will not record it in the Bible, Amen. The four Gospels represent four different aspects of Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament, the book of Ezekiel describes the past tabernacle, which had a holy place and the most holy place, right? There was a veil between the holy place and the most holy place. There were patterns, and within the patterns were four figures.
One was an eagle, another was a lion, one was a man's face, and one was the likeness of an ox. The four Gospels also describe our Lord Jesus Christ from these four aspects, four faces of Jesus Christ. One is the face of an eagle, which is the Gospel of John. The beginning of the Gospel of John does not mention the birth of Jesus Christ; it stands at a very high perspective because the eagle is the highest flying animal, surpassing us.
The Gospel of John tells us from a very high perspective what the Son of God is like, why He came to this world. He does not consult with anyone but directly tells us that in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Whether you believe it or not, I tell you this is the fact, this is the conclusion. If you believe, you will receive. It does not mention Mary's pregnancy; it just says four words, "The Word became flesh," and His name is Jesus, Amen. This is told to you from a very high perspective of God; it is the face of an eagle.
The Gospel of Matthew is the face of a lion, specifically written for the Jews. The Jews have twelve tribes, one of which is the tribe of Judah, which symbolizes the lion. And Jesus just happened to be born in the tribe of Judah. The Gospel of Matthew has a genealogy; you may not like genealogies, but they have very important significance.
The genealogy in the Gospel of Matthew does not start from God, nor from Adam, but from Abraham, recording Abraham. Why? Because Abraham had twelve children, and then there were twelve tribes, which eventually became a nation. This is how the genealogy of Jesus Christ is recorded. It tells us that He is the King, the King of kings, so it mentions David, Solomon, and many kings. Jesus is the King of kings.
The Gospel of Luke is about humanity; it portrays the likeness of a man. In the Gospel of Luke, you will find that Jesus Christ walks among the crowds with great grace and beautiful grace. He lives in the likeness of a man, therefore the Gospel of Luke also has a genealogy. The genealogy in the Gospel of Luke is different from that in Matthew; it starts from Jesus and traces back all the way to Adam, who is the son of God, the ancestor of all humanity. He is a man. So this is a Gospel of man, the face of a man.
And today we read the Gospel of Mark, which is the likeness of an ox, the face of an ox. When you mention an ox, what do you think of? No one thinks of an ox as smart; you think of an ox as very honest, very humble, and hardworking. It does not complain, so this is the likeness of an ox. When you mention a donkey, what do you think of? It has a bad temper, is very stubborn, and likes to bray. A donkey likes to bray a couple of times for no reason, not knowing whether it wants to attract the attention of a female donkey or a person. But does an ox bray? It is always working, always serving.
The face of the ox tells us that Jesus Christ is always serving in the Gospel of Mark. An ox is a strong and hardworking animal. In the Gospel of Mark, He is portrayed as an ox, telling us who Jesus Christ's identity is at the beginning; Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the beginning of the gospel. When did the gospel start? From whom did it start? It started from Jesus Christ.
Before this, there was a man named John the Baptist. The gospel did not start from John the Baptist; John the Baptist was preaching a baptism of repentance, a baptism of confession, but what was the purpose of their confession? It was to accept the gospel. So when Jesus came, He said, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand; you should repent." And He added three words, "Believe in the gospel." Who is the gospel? It is Jesus Christ. From Jesus Christ, the gospel officially began. The service of Jesus Christ also officially began.
Thank the Lord, the Gospel of Mark does not have a genealogy. Why? As mentioned earlier, Jesus Christ's identity was revealed by God as the Son of God. Right? But why is there no genealogy in the Gospel of Mark? Have you ever thought about this? Why is there no genealogy? Because He appears in the form of a servant.
On television, wealthy families have many servants. Do they include the names of the servants in the genealogy? They do not care about the genealogy of the servant; they do not care where you come from as long as they can buy you back with money. Your previous name can be ignored; you can be renamed as Ah Fu, Ah Gou, or Ah Mao, according to their wishes. In the past, that was how servants were, brothers and sisters. But why did Jesus Christ not record His genealogy? Because although He is the Son, He gave up the form of a son and came to the world as a servant.
Brothers and sisters, have you ever thought about why Jesus Christ had to become a servant? He was originally a son; why did He become a servant? The difference between a son and a servant is huge. What are the characteristics of a servant? First, a servant has no ownership, no property; everything is not theirs. If the master marries a wife for him, his wife also belongs to the master. Do you understand? So everything he earns belongs to the master; he has nothing of his own, including his life, which is not his but belongs to his master. When the master tells him to die, he must die. This is how servants were in the past.
Brothers and sisters, today, whose are all our things? They belong to Jesus Christ, Amen. Although a servant has nothing of their own, you must know that there is another aspect reflected: everything a servant has is also supplied by the master. In other words, the rise and fall of this servant are related to his master, right? If his master is promoted, the servant is also promoted. If his master's whole family is killed, he cannot escape misfortune, understand? His rise and fall are directly related to his master. We are all servants of Jesus Christ, Amen! Jesus Christ is always victorious, so you are also in victory. The benefit of this servant is that all provision comes from the master.
What other characteristics does a servant have? They act immediately.
The Gospel of Mark mentions many such words, such as immediately, at once, straightaway. How do these words appear? For example, someone says, "Teacher, my child is sick; you must go see him quickly." Jesus says, "I will go with you right now." Why does He add this word? It is because He appears in the form of a servant.
For instance, if the master says, "You, come here and pour me some water." How does the servant respond? "Master, wait a minute; I am busy right now." Is that acceptable? No matter what they are busy with, they must immediately run in to do things for the master; this is the characteristic of a servant. Brothers and sisters, think about it, what rights does a son have? Are sons and servants the same? Everything a son has, a servant does not have, Amen. A servant has no inheritance, but a son does. No matter how much a servant does, it is what they should do. But if a son does a little, the father immediately rewards him.
Was Jesus Christ a servant or a son at the beginning? He was a son. But why did He become a servant? Because we are servants. We were all serving the devil before, Amen. No matter how you struggle, you cannot escape the devil's grasp. Jesus gave up His identity as a son for us, came to this world, became a servant for our sake, so that we would no longer be servants but become sons. Hallelujah. Remember, you are no longer a servant; you are a son. The Bible tells us that you have not received a spirit of slavery, but you have received a spirit of sonship, so you can cry out, "Abba, Father," Amen. This is the change of your identity because someone became a servant for you, so you were removed from the identity of a servant and became a son because someone gave up the identity of a son. Although the Gospel of Mark begins with the Son of God, Jesus Christ, later He became a servant. Was He forced by God to become a servant?
Let us read Philippians 2:5-8 together.
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Jesus Christ has a very important characteristic: within Him, the son and the servant coexist; this is a special identity. He possesses the dignity and privileges of a son, and in this, the son becomes a servant, having both nobility and humility.
Our Lord does not say, "Son, I see that these people are really suffering; do you want to go down and save them?" Jesus says, "No, those people will not accept me; I will go to my own place, and they will not accept me; they will crucify me, so I will not go." Is that so? No, the Heavenly Father saw us in this state, saw us in pain and death, rolling and crawling without being able to get out. He willingly took on the form of a servant for us, becoming like a man.
If He did not have this flesh, Jesus could do anything, but because He has a body, He cannot be in Israel and China at the same time due to the limitations of the flesh. Think about it, a God who became a man for the sake of man inherently limited Himself.
He emptied Himself, took on the form of a servant, and having the likeness of a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient. Brothers and sisters, this is what we call Jesus Christ, the appearance of Him as a servant, having both nobility and humility; this is the beauty of Jesus Christ.
Brothers and sisters, when a person in power rises to a higher position, how do they usually become? Do they become more arrogant? Gradually forgetting who they are. Similarly, when a person's situation worsens, failing at everything, they may conclude that they are a failure. They may live in frustration and complaints, and various grievances; this is a characteristic of humanity.
But Jesus Christ is different; He has both nobility and humility, these two qualities coexist within Him. Although He has the identity of a king, He does not trample on people or seize from them. Although He humbly serves everyone like an ox, He does not serve in a flattering way; it is still a dignified service, Amen. Jesus Christ willingly came to the world to serve us, with the intention of saving us from our current state, making us sons, Amen.
He came to this earth to serve us, so the Bible says, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ." What is the heart of Jesus? It is a heart of service, Amen. If we are the supreme, the Son of God coming to the world, we might be arrogant, but Jesus is different. The heart of Jesus, when He came to this world, was to serve people; He became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Why did Jesus have to die on the cross? It was to save us. He is God and does not consider equality with God a thing to be grasped. He set aside the image of God, the glory of God, and served people. Who did He serve? In fact, Jesus came to the world to serve you, brothers and sisters. Jesus came to the world to serve you; you must remember that reading the Bible is not for others, nor is it for us to read; it is for you to read.
When you see Jesus, who is honored as the Son, yet came to the world as a servant. Who is He serving as a servant? He is not serving God; He is serving you. Thank the Lord, why? Because you need to be served. And the one who serves you has the identity of the Son of God but has now become a servant because He sees you as a son. So our identity has changed; now you have become a son, and Jesus has become a servant to serve you. Thank God.
What kind of people does Jesus serve? Sinners, failures, those who disappoint Him, right? Even so, Jesus is still serving us. Although we are unworthy, He is still serving us; this is our great and wonderful Savior.
Mark 1:10-11,
10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
When He came up out of the water, the Bible mentions that the heavens were torn open, and the Spirit descended on Him like a dove. The original text mentions, "I am well pleased with you." It means you are my beloved; I like everything about you, Amen. God does not only like your strengths or when you are young and beautiful; when you grow old, He does not push you aside. God's meaning is that He delights in everything about you. Even if you fail, I can take your failure and make you stand up again, Amen. Even if you are sick, I can heal your sickness; even if you are in sin, I have the power to make you not sin. God accepts everything about you to save you, telling you that He is pleased with you. Thank the Lord.
At this moment, Jesus had not performed any miracles, had not healed a single patient, nor had He comforted anyone, but our Heavenly Father already said, "I am pleased with you." This is a very important point in today's sharing; brothers and sisters must remember that God tells us He is pleased with Jesus, not because of what Jesus did, but because He is His Son. Similarly, it is not because of what you have done that He is pleased with you, but because you are His child, Amen.
Even if you fail, He still loves you, still delights in you; you are still God's beloved Son. This point must be remembered in your heart. Even if you have done something wrong, even when you are in a mess, God does not delight in you because of what you have done; He delights in you because you are His child. Because the worldview has been distorted, people also use this worldview to view God.
For example, if a child scores 30 points, they change it to 80 points, why? Afraid of being scolded. The innocence of a child (a child in the church answered this question) is directed at whom? Parents, think about how you measure your child, how you tell your child, "You did poorly; I have this face (angry expression)." If you score 80 points or 100 points, when the child comes home, you say, "Oh, son." The child may think, "If I scored 30 points, I might not be a son anymore. 60 points qualify to be a son, 80 points get a smile, 100 points are a real son..." Because of this kind of thinking, it creates a distance between the child and you. They will think that this score measures their relationship with their parents.
Many children, especially those preparing for high school or college, feel very nervous and under great pressure. Besides the pressure from school, there is another pressure from their parents because they feel that if they do poorly, their friends will look down on them, and their family has worked hard to raise them for so many years, hoping for a good result. In the end, they let them down, and they cannot pass this hurdle.
So brothers and sisters, with a biblical perspective, we must correctly guide our children, telling them that no matter how they perform, I still delight in you because you are my beloved son. When you tell your child this, they will be more willing to learn. It is not that if they score 100 points, I will like you; in fact, it is using the law to teach your child. You tell them that if they do not study hard, this will happen... Because I was taught this way when I was young, sometimes parents would take me to the roadside and point to someone with a broken bowl and say, "If you do not study hard, this will be your end! You will end up like him!" So when I did not pass, what did I think of? You all laughed; it really reminded me of that person!
You see how our God guides those who are about to serve. His Son is about to serve, and does He know how difficult the road ahead is? It is not easy, brothers and sisters! This group of people is hard to serve! Throughout history, the people of Israel have been hard to serve. The Heavenly Father knows how the journey ahead will be, so He first affirms His Son: "You are my beloved Son; I am pleased with you," meaning no matter how your ministry goes, please remember, I am pleased with you; you are forever my beloved Son. Hallelujah, Amen.
In fact, God said this twice: "You are my beloved Son; I am pleased with you." This was at His baptism; that is one time. Where is the other time? Jesus took three disciples to the Mount of Transfiguration, on Mount Hermon. The Jordan River, where Jesus was baptized, I checked the history; the Jordan River is 800 meters below sea level, the lowest point on Earth. At the time of Jesus' baptism, a voice from heaven said: "You are my beloved Son; I am pleased with you." And when Jesus took three disciples up Mount Hermon, which is the highest mountain in Israel, over 9,000 feet above sea level, brothers and sisters, at the lowest point, God said, "You are my beloved Son; I am pleased with you." At the highest point, God said, "You are my beloved Son; I am pleased with you."
The place where Jesus was baptized is the southernmost, while Mount Hermon is the northernmost, meaning from the lowest to the highest, from north to south, from east to west, no matter where you go, remember one thing: you are my beloved Son; I am pleased with you. This is the greatest encouragement to Jesus. For someone who serves, I also tell you this. Because this year I want to talk about scriptures regarding service. If you are willing to participate in serving Jesus Christ, first remember that you are God's beloved Son; He is pleased with you. It is not because I am a deacon or a teacher that I serve God, so I must do it, even if I do not want to do it, I have to do it. I tell you, you are willing to do it because you know you are God's beloved Son; He is pleased with you, and you are delighted to do so. Hallelujah. So for Jesus, this word indeed became His help.
Do you remember? In the Gospel of John, Jesus said several times that the sheep would be scattered because they would be dominated by evil forces, and you would all leave me and run away, leaving me all alone. But He immediately said, "Actually, I am not alone because the Father is with me." Do you remember?
John 16:32, Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me.
In other words, Jesus did not place His hope on these disciples. Although these disciples followed Him for about three and a half years, they could not provide Him with even a bit of support or help. Even when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, He especially hoped someone would pray with Him. He said, "You three, pray with me!" What did the three disciples do? They fell asleep. As a result, Jesus' sweat fell like drops of blood on the ground. Afterward, He woke the three disciples and said, "Could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation." What was the meaning of waking them? "Pray with me!" After Jesus said this, He went to pray again. What happened to the three disciples? They fell asleep again.
Brothers and sisters, do you see? This is the disciples whom Jesus served! Jesus did not place His expectations on this group of people He served; instead, He always focused on the Heavenly Father because He remembered the words of the Father, "You are my beloved Son; I am pleased with you," Hallelujah.
Take me as an example; I serve you, but I cannot look at you. Because if I look too much, I will also fall. I serve today because God has always been serving me, so I am willing to serve you. Because God continually gives me strength, I have the strength to serve you. No matter what response I receive, God will always give me the best return, Amen.
Today we want to learn about the most perfect service of Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us that Jesus began His ministry after the age of 30; before the age of 30, no one knew what He was doing. The Bible records very little about what He did before the age of 30; only when He was 12 years old, Jesus' service was a service of obedience, a servant-like service, which can be seen through His obedience to His parents.
Luke 2:49-52
49 And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?” 50 And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. 51 And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.
I particularly highlighted "and was submissive to them" as a significant mark. In fact, Jesus was very wise at the age of 12; He discussed the Scriptures with the Pharisees and posed many questions to them. They were amazed, saying, "Wow, how does a 12-year-old know so much?" This proves that His wisdom had already surpassed that of His parents because afterward, they did not understand what He was saying. Do you understand? Do not say you do not understand. His meaning was, "Should I not be concerned with my Father's business?" It means, "Why are you calling me home? Isn't this my home? Shouldn't I be serving here?" That is the meaning.
At that time, His identity was what? The son, the son of Joseph, the son of Mary. So He still chose to obey them. This is very important. It is conceivable that Jesus at 12 years old was a very likable child, right in his adolescence. His humility, His humble obedience, and respect for His parents show us the wisdom of Jesus Christ. At the age of 12, He was already very smart. Yet He obeyed His parents, which is very important. This is something we need to learn.
Generally, people think that if someone is more capable than me, I will listen to them. If this person has a higher position than me, I will listen to them; otherwise, why should I listen to them? Or if this person says, "I have believed for 60 years," you listen and think they deserve respect. But I just believed, "Hey, you just believed; what do you know?" People usually judge like this. But in fact, do you see? Even when Jesus Christ was filled with wisdom, He still chose to obey His parents, Amen.
Brothers and sisters, obeying those who are more capable than you, more powerful than you, has no glory. If you can obey someone who is not as good as you, then there is the glory of God. Hallelujah. We need to learn the perfect service of Jesus. When God declares to the whole world: Jesus is my beloved Son, He has received the Father's recognition.
I also want to say to parents, you must show recognition to your children, Amen. You must tell them, "No matter how you are doing now, you will always be my pride. No matter what happens in the future, I will always love you; you will always be my beloved son," or "No matter how your exam results are, you do not need to worry; you are always loved by me," Hallelujah. This way, children will be more eager to learn because they know their father loves them so much, and they will have strength, Amen.
Just now we read Mark 1:10, when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open.
Why were the heavens torn open at this moment? Because God spoke to Jesus Christ. You must remember one thing: when do the heavens open for you? When you discuss Jesus Christ, Amen. Last week, someone told me, "I am so afraid of ghosts now; when I go to that house, there are ghosts everywhere!" I said, "What are you afraid of? When you use the name of Jesus Christ, the heavens will open for you, and the demons will have long since fled!" Amen. It is not that I say, "In the name of Jesus Christ, all the demons here must go out." Just tell them one thing: "Now Jesus Christ is here; those who should go out, go out."
When it is dark at home, you just need to turn on the light. Do you need to negotiate with the darkness? You do not say, "Darkness, wait a minute; I want to turn on the light." You turn on the light, and the darkness disappears. This is how to use the name of Jesus Christ. When you discuss the name of Jesus Christ, the heavens open for you, and the demons flee because when you say Jesus, that is above all names.
Sinners, fallen people, those who have breath in their nostrils, when you use the name of Jesus Christ, the demons must flee, Hallelujah. You must remember, this is a very important thing. Another thing to share with brothers and sisters is that the Gospel of Mark records miracles three times more than the Gospel of Matthew. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus speaks less but does more. Why?
Because as a servant, there should not be too much nonsense; a good servant does not chatter in front of the master. The master prefers a servant who does more and speaks less; this is a characteristic of a servant. Jesus Christ also set an example for us, saying that the Gospel of Mark tells us He performed many miracles and did many works, emphasizing doing more than speaking, Amen.
Although the Gospel of Mark has only 16 short chapters, it records Jesus casting out demons 12 times, while the Gospel of Matthew only has 5 times. Casting out demons happened 12 times; this is the characteristic of a servant. The characteristic of a servant is to do many things. For the master, he looks at the results produced by the servant, not how much was said.
For those of us who are about to serve, you are blessed. We do not need to say more; we need to do more. Do not think that only teachers and deacons in the church are servants; everyone is a servant because everyone is a witness of Jesus Christ, Hallelujah.
We are all sent out by Jesus Christ, thank God. Each one is a servant of Jesus Christ, serving God. If you want your family to change, if you want your friends to change, remember, what you need to do is serve them, not just talk about how good Jesus is. This is one aspect, but on the other hand, what you do must exceed what you say, Amen. In your actions, let others truly see that you are a Christian. This is what a servant should do. Amen.
Continuing on, Mark 10:45, For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
We hope to serve Lord Jesus; many people regard serving the Lord as a kind of glory, but in fact, it is the Lord Jesus who is serving us. He has always been serving us until we are filled within. Let me give an example from the Bible and then break it down. Once, at noon, Jesus was at the city gate of Samaria, sitting there to rest; He was thirsty and hungry, and the disciples went into the city to buy food. At that time, a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus asked her for a drink. Do you remember this story?
In this story, it seems that Jesus needed this woman to serve Him, but what was the final result? Jesus served this woman. He gave her His living water, and from then on, this woman's life was transformed; she became a servant. She put down her past shame, let go of her terrible experiences, left her water jar, and ran into the city to become an evangelist, Amen. She became a servant, and as a result, that city changed because of this woman. It seemed that this woman was serving Jesus, but in fact, Jesus was serving her.
Many people always think they are serving God, but in reality, it is God serving you. Think about it, the healing power Jesus gives us allows us to heal others. Is it you who can heal others? Whose power is it? It is the power of Jesus Christ. When you comfort others, it is not you comforting them; it is God comforting them. Because the comfort you give others is always temporary. We help some people in various ways, but in fact, it is the Lord who helps them.
But I want to share another aspect with brothers and sisters. You must remember, where does the strength to help others come from? It comes from Jesus Christ. The Bible has a saying, "It is more blessed to give than to receive," meaning you must give out. If you have nothing, what can you give?
You say you should love people, but if you have no love, how can you love others? You cannot love. If you love people with your own love, you will regret it. Why? Because you did not receive a return; the more you think about it, the more wronged you feel, the more you love, the more wronged you feel, so you give up loving. When you think of the past, you get angry; when you think of the past, you feel wronged and complain. Why? Because you are not using God's power; you are using your own power. If it is God's power, the Bible says you should receive freely and give freely. Amen.
When you say, "I heal you in the name of Lord Jesus Christ," and this person gets healed, they say thank you. You say, "Do not thank me; thank Jesus Christ." Because it is His power, you received this power freely. Who did God first give this healing power to? To the servant. I hope more people in the church will stand up and serve with me. As a servant, you must first receive God's grace, Amen.
When you heal others, you must first receive the ability to heal; God must first heal you. When you supply others, God must first supply you so that you can supply others. When you comfort others, God must first comfort you so that you can comfort others. This is the blessing that a servant receives; the benefit they receive is that God must first fill them, just like a cup of water. Every person is like a water jug, Amen. You are a jug, not the source of water! You must connect this jug to the source; God must first fill your jug with water so that you can fill the cups of brothers and sisters.
So God must first fill you with grace; you become a servant, and God wants to let you experience His abundant blessings. This is what serving is about. Jesus Christ came not to be served but to serve, Amen.
Brothers and sisters, the Bible calls it servant leadership. Jesus also tells us that whoever wishes to be first among you must be your servant, Amen. What does this mean? God hopes you become a leader; He does not want you to be an unnamed person. The Bible tells us that you are all elite soldiers of Jesus Christ, but we forget that we are elite soldiers. I do not know when a famous preacher or a well-known theologian invented a term called layperson.
But many people use this term, "I am a layperson!" I say, "Look for it; is there the term layperson in the Bible?" Jesus Christ said very clearly, "You are elite soldiers of Jesus Christ." Are elite soldiers the same as ordinary soldiers? No, elite soldiers have various skills and abilities; you have them too. God has already placed His abilities, which are superior to ordinary people, upon you. So He says you are an elite soldier. You must remember you are an elite soldier, not an ordinary soldier, but the best of the soldiers. Do not think of yourself as an unnamed person! Do not understand it this way because if you lower your identity, you will have no confidence. You must see yourself according to God's way, Amen.
So Jesus means He does not prevent us from being first; He wants everyone to be first, Amen. In other words, God hopes you are first in your work, Amen. But when you become first, do not be arrogant; do not learn the world's bureaucratic ways. When you become an official, you are the boss, and everyone must listen to you. If there is something, you command this person to do this, and that person to do that, you become a Pharisee. Jesus says being first means becoming a servant to everyone and serving people. When you serve others, in Jesus' eyes, you are first. If you serve, you are in the first place, Hallelujah. This is the way of the Bible. God hopes you to be great, but He does not want you to elevate yourself; He wants you to do it His way, not the world's way. Amen.
Jesus Christ once highly praised John the Baptist, "Among those born of women, there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist." What did John do to receive such high praise from Jesus?
As we just read, John's ministry was very unique; he preached for a total of six months. In these six months, he performed no miracles and healed no patients, but his message was, in today's terms, the purest gospel ministry. Everyone should learn from John the Baptist. What did he say? "I am nothing; I am just a voice crying in the wilderness. The one who comes after me, I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the strap of His sandals. Who is He? The Lamb of God."
There is a very classic line in John 1:29, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" And he told his disciples, "Behold, the Lamb of God; you should follow Him!" This kind of ministry is what the world needs most right now. After you become a servant, it is not by your own power that you make this person stand up; it is not by your ability that you help this person once. If you help him, the next time he falls, he will come back to you. You must, like John the Baptist, point people to Jesus Christ.
You must tell them that Jesus Christ is the solution to all your problems. Today I can help you because of God; you should learn to seek God. If you do not know how, I will help you. This is our service; we help others and lead them to Jesus Christ, and this is what John the Baptist did. That is why Jesus said, "Among those born of women, there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist." The many prophets in the Old Testament did not achieve this, but John the Baptist did, Amen.
But Jesus mentioned that the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. Why? In the past, he only said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world." He did not see this day. We are different; we have already seen Jesus Christ, the Lamb, who has taken away the sins of the world, Amen.
As long as you believe, today your sins are forgiven. So this is the true gospel ministry; this kind of gospel ministry can lead people to Jesus Christ. When we lead people to Jesus Christ, that is what we call serving, Hallelujah.
Throughout our lives, we are doing this one thing: bringing the unbelievers to Christ, leading them to believe in Jesus Christ, bringing the weak to Jesus Christ so that they can stand strong again, bringing the sick to Christ so that they can be healed, lifting up those who are down on the ground and bringing them to Christ so that they can stand again.
Including when you listen to the word, you are not listening to what I am saying or how many years this person has been on stage or whether they are famous or graduated from which seminary. You should look at whether the words they speak come from Jesus Christ. If they do, they can bring you strength and help because only God's words are full of power. Human words may provide temporary help but are not necessarily effective in the long term.
We need to learn the servant-like service of Jesus Christ. He tells us that whoever wishes to be first among you must be your servant, and we must be those who serve God. Amen. How do we apply this in our lives? How do we serve Christ? Where is Christ today? He is around you; the people around you, your brothers and sisters, your family, your boss, your children, are all your targets for service. Amen.
In Matthew 25, it tells us the parable of the sheep and the goats. The Lord says to the sheep: "You who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world! For I was hungry, and you gave me food; I was thirsty, and you gave me drink; I was sick, and you visited me; I was naked, and you clothed me; I was in prison, and you came to me." These servants said, "Lord, when did we do these things? When were you hungry, and we gave you food? I did not do such things." The Lord said, "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." Amen.
Brothers and sisters, do not say, "Jesus, why do you not give me the opportunity to serve you? If you come out in a white light, we will definitely hold on to you and not let you go; we will serve you well." It is not like that. The true object you need to serve is in your home, which is your children. Do not treat your children as personal property; they belong to God. God has entrusted them to you for you to serve them. Do not hit them with a stick for no reason; do not say they are useless; do not say they are the dregs of the world. They are God's children, and you are to serve them. Amen.
Similarly, treat your boss as the Lord and serve him! When you do not receive a return, the Lord will reward you. Thank the Lord, so I wish brothers and sisters that this year, as you participate in serving, you will receive double blessings from God. Because God wants you to see that if anyone among you serves with me today, and we pray for the sick, and this person gets healed, does not your faith also increase? Everyone present will have their faith increased; this is what a servant does.
God must first restore his faith, increase his grace, let his eyes see God's wonderful works, and then he goes out to serve with this strength. Thank and praise the Lord! Brothers and sisters, we learn the service of Jesus Christ; He is a humble servant, an obedient servant, Amen. Although He knows that we are unworthy of His service, He still humbly serves us. Because He knows we need to be served so much. If we serve those who are stronger than ourselves, there is nothing to boast about. We need to serve those who are weaker than us because they need help, Amen. They need more of the love of Jesus Christ, and they cannot see the love of Jesus Christ; they can only see us. We must first receive God's love and then give it out, Amen.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we especially thank and praise you for your grace. Jesus, who was originally the Son of God, gave up His identity as a son and came to the world as a servant for our sake. So that we would no longer be servants, but you became a servant to serve us. You died on the cross for our sins, so that we could become children of God and enjoy all your blessings.
Today you are always serving us; you are at the right hand of the Father, praying for us every day. When we are weak, you still pray for us; when we fail, you still love us. Thank you for loving us so much because you have always been serving us. You know we need strength, so you supply us with strength. We need power, and you supply us with power. This is how you have always been serving me. I am willing to be a servant to serve more people. Thank and praise the Lord; all glory belongs to you. In the name of Lord Jesus Christ, we pray, Amen.