90 - Entering into Abundance#
90 - Entering into Abundance
(JP Text Group - Happy Angel Compilation)
The topic we are sharing today is called Entering into Abundance.
Let us read the Bible together, Mark 10:46-52:
And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.
Let us pray first:
Heavenly Father, we especially thank and praise you for your grace! Lord, today we, your children, gather here to seek Jesus. When we encounter you, our lives are changed. Every time we meet you, it is you who serves us, it is you who gives us strength, just like Bartimaeus. He came to Jesus to be served by Him because Jesus could heal him and give him power.
Today we sit here to enjoy your rest, Jesus, because you can supply us, you can heal us, and you can give us strength. Lord, at this moment, we look to you completely, laying down all our burdens. We solely look to Lord Jesus, may the Holy Spirit lead each of our hearts at this moment, allowing us to know you more deeply. In Jesus' name, we pray, Amen!
Entering into abundance refers to being in Jesus Christ. When you enter into Jesus, everything has an answer. We see a blind man in today's text named Bartimaeus, who is the son of Timaeus. In Greek, "Bar" means son, so Bartimaeus means the son of Timaeus. It seems his father was not very educated and did not know how to name his child, so he just called him my son.
There are many such examples in the Bible. The prisoner who stood next to Jesus at that time was named Barabbas. Can you guess what his father's name was? "Rabbi"! You are too smart; it was Rabbi. There is also someone named Bar-Jesus in the Bible, whose father's name was Jesus. This is why we need to add "Lord" before Jesus! In Israel, you will find many named Jesus, but not the Lord. There is only one Lord Jesus! Amen!
We do not know if Bartimaeus was born blind; in any case, he was a blind man who lived by begging. He had heard about Jesus in Jericho. That is, Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. Although many people followed Jesus at that time, some even touched Him, there were many who followed Him wherever He went.
Many people followed Jesus just to see what kind of miracles He could perform. Some said they followed Jesus because He was a celebrity, very famous, and popular wherever He went. Such people did not gain anything from Jesus. Instead, it was this blind man, the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament, who saw the Son of David and the abundance of Jesus. He wanted to enter into the abundance of Jesus.
Thank God! After our ancestor Adam sinned, God gave him a promise. Let us read Genesis 3:15 together:
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.
In this verse, the offspring of the woman refers to Jesus Christ, and your offspring refers to the offspring of the devil. The woman refers to Mary, and Mary's offspring refers to Jesus, indicating one person, not a group of people. The offspring of the woman is Jesus, who will bruise your head refers to the devil; the offspring of the woman will bruise the head of the devil, and the devil will bruise the heel of Jesus.
This is a prophecy about our Lord Jesus Christ. Bartimaeus in the Old Testament did not know this, but today we know. The Bible also mentions the offspring of Abraham, which also refers to Jesus. There is also a statement God made to David: I will establish your kingdom forever; your throne shall be established forever. He was not referring to Solomon or any other son. He was referring to Jesus!
There are many prophecies about Jesus in the Old Testament. Bartimaeus knew this; otherwise, he would not have cried out, "Jesus, Son of David." This proves that he had some understanding of the Old Testament. Therefore, what people hear is very important to their lives. Bartimaeus heard about Jesus and knew that the Jesus who was coming today was the descendant of David recorded in the Old Testament; he was the Messiah! What help did this bring him?
The Old Testament mentions that the Spirit of the Lord God is upon him. That person refers to the Messiah! When He comes, the world will change. What kind of change? The blind will see, the oppressed will be set free. Bartimaeus knew that if the Messiah came today, he would be able to see. He expected the Messiah spoken of in the Old Testament to be fulfilled in him. He was waiting for Jesus to come.
He may have heard many things about Jesus before. Have you ever thought about why Bartimaeus did not go to find the high priest? Why did he not go to the scribes? Why did he not go to the Pharisees? Why did he wait here for Jesus? Because he was a beggar, unclean. If he went to find the high priest, what would happen? The high priest would not receive him; he would think, "You, such a filthy person, coming to me will also make me unclean," so he would not meet him. He would be even less willing to let such a person enter the assembly. Bartimaeus knew this very well. He was sure that there would be no result in going to find the high priest.
But he heard about Jesus. What kind of person is Jesus? He heard that Jesus had accepted tax collectors, had accepted prostitutes, had accepted fishermen. Jesus had accepted many marginalized people in society. At this moment, he gathered his courage and said, "If Jesus can accept them, He can certainly accept me! Amen!" He was waiting here. When the crowd began to stir, it must be that Jesus was coming. Bartimaeus shouted loudly: "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" He was very clear that it was not another Jesus, but the Jesus of Nazareth. He knew that this Jesus was the Messiah, and He could certainly make him see. Amen!
Brothers and sisters, it was precisely because he had such a heart that he was very willing to seek Jesus. What happened on the way to seek Jesus?
Verse 48: Many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. What do you see? When Bartimaeus wanted to see Jesus, he encountered obstacles. What did the people do? They did not let him shout loudly, did not allow him to disturb Jesus like this. Why did this happen? Perhaps the people at that time would say, "You, a beggar, a blind man, what are you doing here? Do you not know who Jesus is? He is a revered person; what are you doing here?" It is very impolite to shout like this in public.
Brothers and sisters, have we ever thought that the disciples did something wrong? What did those who followed Jesus do? They wanted to separate God from people. The Pharisees in the Old Testament did such things; they always wanted to separate God from people. This way, they were the intermediaries. Let me give you an example, and you will understand. Every year, the adult men of Israel had to go to Jerusalem to worship God and offer sacrifices.
When they went, they had to bring offerings. Wealthy families would bring a lamb. The purpose was to offer this lamb before God so that their sins could be forgiven and their prayers heard by God. They had to do this three times a year. They brought the lamb. It was not that they could offer it whenever they wanted; when they got there, the priest would say, "Wait, I need to check if this lamb is qualified." The priest might take a magnifying glass and carefully examine it, saying, "This lamb is overworked; God will not be pleased." What should they do then? They would have nothing to offer to God.
The priest would say, "Don't worry, I have a qualified lamb here. Just buy my lamb. Sell your inferior one to me." In fact, this was the business of the Pharisees. Do you remember how Jesus acted when He went to the temple? He overturned the tables of the money changers and pushed over the lambs and doves. Because Jesus knew that such things had obstructed people from coming before God.
So later, the people no longer needed to bring lambs. Because they found that every lamb they brought was unqualified. Only the qualified ones bought from the priests. Did this not obstruct people from approaching God? They set many restrictions, saying that Roman money could not be taken directly to the church. It had to be exchanged for our money here, so there were money changers. They artificially set many restrictions to prevent people from going directly to God. Did the disciples not do such things?
I have been to some churches, and before the meeting, they always pray like this: Lord, please protect us, surround us with a fence to protect us, do not let the devil peek at your children, do not let the devil disturb us. Have you ever prayed like this? In fact, it is not just the devil that disturbs us; more often, it is ourselves.
You find that today, among those who follow Jesus, including the disciples, when the blind man Bartimaeus wanted to see Jesus, who obstructed him? Was it Satan? It was his disciples and those who followed him. Can we say that this group of people became devils? No, they just acted in the flesh. Not everything should be imagined as the devil's doing. Sometimes it is our own desires, our flesh that obstructs God's work.
Today, let us not do such things. Many places keep teaching that you must cleanse yourself before coming to the temple to be worthy of seeing God. Every time you come, you must first confess your sins to be worthy of praising God; every time you must clean yourself before praying to God. Otherwise, God will not hear your prayers. Brothers and sisters, such practices limit many ways for people to seek God. It means that I must pass one barrier, two barriers, three barriers... before I can see God.
Just like today with Bartimaeus, was it really that difficult for Bartimaeus to see Jesus? Did Jesus set restrictions for people? No! But they set many restrictions. They thought that God was still hiding behind the Holy of Holies; you could not see God directly. You must do this and that to see God. They forgot that was the Old Testament.
Now we are under the New Testament. What is our offering? Jesus Christ! Amen! I remember many people have told me that today you cannot abolish the law, you cannot abolish the Ten Commandments, you must keep the Sabbath. You must observe those Old Testament festivals. I said, "That's fine; if you want to keep them, I won't stop you. You can keep them all. Don't just take one to keep, going to Jerusalem three times a year, bringing a lamb each time." Right? That is in accordance with the Bible. You cannot say, "No, no, no, I just need to cover my head during the meeting, and that will do." If you want to do it, do it all.
Now, why do we not bring lambs and doves to see God? We have the perfect offering before God, which is Jesus Christ! Moreover, this offering is valid forever. After Jesus died on the cross, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. What does the tearing of the veil represent? Before, we could not see God directly, but when Jesus shed His blood and died for us, the way to God was completely opened. There are no more restrictions. Jesus became the precious offering, the eternal offering.
Brothers and sisters, do not let anyone obstruct you from seeing God. Jesus has opened all the roads; you can pray to Him at any time and in any place. Thank and praise the Lord! The coming of Jesus brings grace and truth. What kind of grace? In the past, people could not see God directly, but now they can see God directly. In the Old Testament, Moses was great, right? He was holy, right? But he did not have the opportunity to see God directly. He said on the mountain, "Lord, please let me see your glory."
What did God say? "No man can see my face and live, but I can give you a chance. I will hide you in the cleft of the rock, and when I pass by, you will see my back." Amen! Was it not that he could not see God? But do you know what happened today? Under the New Testament, Bartimaeus shouted from behind, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me." What did Jesus do? Jesus not only let him see His back but also stopped and said, "Let him come to me." Amen!
Under the New Testament, we are completely different from the Old Testament. They had long hoped to see God's face, and today they finally saw it. That is Jesus Christ! Moreover, no one can disqualify you from seeing God directly. Do not let anyone use any words to block you from seeing Jesus. What seven rules or eight laws; they are useless. Jesus has already fulfilled all of these. Today, His holiness is upon you. His righteousness is upon you, and you can see God at any time without any conditions or restrictions. The devil tempts people, using various ways to tell us that we cannot see God's face, that God is holy, that God is a consuming fire... Do you think you are worthy? Always focusing on yourself.
But let us not be such people; let us not obstruct others from coming before God. Why was Bartimaeus able to receive healing? It was because he had a heart willing to seek Jesus. That is all. Was he holy enough? Did he really clean himself up? No, he was a beggar. Brothers and sisters, Jesus does not care what you look like now; He only cares whether you want to seek Him. When Bartimaeus came to see Jesus, Jesus truly received him.
You must remember one thing: do not hypocritically come to see Jesus. "Oh, I have been so troubled these past few days; I am so sad. When I see people, I still have to wear a smile and praise God. I am in so much pain inside. If I do not praise God, He will not be pleased with me." You are wrong; come to God with your true self, just like Bartimaeus. Bartimaeus stood up from the dirt pile; so what? Come to God as you are.
Brothers and sisters, no matter what burdens you have now, perhaps your illness, perhaps your debts, perhaps your heavy burdens, perhaps your stress, bring that original self to find Jesus. Jesus says, "Bring your lack, bring your illness, bring your problems, and you can come close to me. Enter into my abundance. Because I can save you, this is our Jesus!" Brothers and sisters, in the Old Testament, there was a man named Joshua. I must emphasize again that the Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew, and the New Testament was written in Greek.
The Chinese we use today is all a translation. The Joshua mentioned in the Old Testament and the Jesus mentioned in the New Testament are the same person. Can you understand? Just like we say "man" in Chinese and "man" in English, we say "woman" in Chinese and "woman" in English. These are completely the same words; they are just different languages. The Joshua in the Old Testament and the Jesus in the New Testament are the same word, which shows that there are many types in the Old Testament.
Moses represents the law, so he could not enter the land of Canaan. The land of Canaan represents the land of abundance, the land flowing with milk and honey. Only Joshua could lead them in, meaning only Jesus can lead us into that land of abundance. Only Jesus! The law has no qualification to enter. Think about this; when you translate it, you will understand that Jesus led this group of unworthy Israelites, and under Jesus' acceptance, led them to fight and win until the end. He divided the land for them, which refers to our inheritance! Today, we are the same; Jesus leads us step by step into His abundance, storing up that abundant inheritance for us in the kingdom of heaven.
Let us look at a prayer:
Chapter 10:12-13:
When the Lord gave the Amorites into the hand of Israel, Joshua prayed to the Lord in the day, and he said in the sight of Israel, “Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and moon, in the valley of Aijalon.” And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day.
Is this Joshua's prayer? It is easy to imagine that the Father would surely fulfill Jesus' prayer. Thank God! The one who once stopped the moon, Jesus, today also stopped His footsteps. Why did He stop? It was for the blind Bartimaeus. Amen! Do you know why I am talking about this? Jesus came to the world to serve us! He does not care about the cycles of the sun and moon; there is nothing to boast about. God stops the sun and moon for His children. How much more for you! You are more precious than anything in this world, so God will stop for you. He will listen to your prayers. Do not worry, brothers and sisters; today we are under the New Testament, not under the Old Testament. Jesus has cleared all your sins.
Today, God will surely hear your prayers. Do not let anyone obstruct you from coming before Jesus, and do not let anyone tell you: "You are very far from God right now." Do not place God high in the heavens. He has already come to the earth. Amen! Just like He served Bartimaeus today, He is no longer the God in the Holy of Holies in the Old Testament; He has come among the people. He is very close to you. Today, the Holy Spirit is with you every day. Do not worry; He will hear your prayers and accomplish things for you. Amen!
Let us continue to look; he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth and began to cry out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Although many rebuked him, telling him to be silent, he cried out all the more, saying, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me." When we seek Jesus, you will find that there are always some obstacles, especially when we want to serve Jesus; there will always be some obstacles. What should we do in the face of obstacles?
Remember: Do not let anyone obstruct your steps in seeking Jesus. I have carefully looked at the Bible; those who disregarded everything to see Jesus all received healing. Let me give two examples: First, Bartimaeus did not care about others' criticisms. Do you think those criticisms were kind words? No. We can imagine Bartimaeus' situation; he rolled around in the dirt all day. Could his clothes be clean? No, they were not clean because he was blind. He shouted, "Jesus, have mercy on me!" At this time, we can assume the disciples said, "Don't speak."
Why did they obstruct him? Perhaps they thought his status was lowly, "You, a person like this, don’t bother; what are you looking for Jesus for? Tell me." "I want to see." "Oh, come on, stop making a fuss." Brothers and sisters, let us not discourage others' faith. Regarding your prayers, I never say, "Stop making a fuss; God will not accomplish it for you." Have I ever said that? No.
I just say, "Pray according to your faith." Just like today with Bartimaeus, he was born blind. If the disciples said, "You were born blind; you still want to see? Stop making a fuss; Jesus is busy; go play somewhere else," because the disciples thought it was impossible. Many teachings today also say, "You should not ask for your family matters; you should pray for the church often; do not always ask God for a lot of money. That is a vain request." Will God punish us? No. Since He will not, what are we afraid of? The worst that can happen is that He does not accomplish it for us. Are there any other conditions? "If you ask wrongly, I will deal with you! You are praying randomly!" If that is the case, we really need to be careful and pray cautiously. But God has no restrictions.
"Your vain requests are wasted on your desires." At most, God will not accomplish it. What is there to worry about? Just like Bartimaeus said, "I want to see." If you do not have that faith, do not obstruct others, okay? Amen! I will not obstruct your prayers of faith. Some say, "My child is sick; I do not want to go to the hospital; I want God to heal." I will not obstruct their faith in prayer; I cannot say, "Stop making a fuss; such words will lead you to madness." Is that a joke?
We have never said you cannot go to the hospital; we just say it depends on personal faith. Bartimaeus is one of them. No matter how others rebuked him or tried to silence him, he did not listen to the opposing voices around him. He insisted on seeing Jesus. There was another person; when Jesus was preaching in the courtyard, it was crowded inside, but a paralyzed man wanted to be healed. He could not walk over himself, so he asked four friends, "No matter what, you must bring me to Jesus today."
The four friends said, "Don't worry; we all want to fulfill your wish, even though you have no hope. Perhaps this is the only way we can help you; we will definitely bring you to Jesus today, as a way to fulfill your wish." But they found that there were too many people and could not get in. "Let’s forget it; we can talk about it next time Jesus comes." Perhaps the paralyzed man said, "No, today, no matter what, bring me to Jesus; I beg you."
Was there an obstruction? Was it a big obstacle to see Jesus? But these four friends really lowered the paralyzed man through the roof to Jesus, and the paralyzed man was healed. He did not come to see Jesus based on how good his behavior was or whether he had cleaned himself up or made himself holy. He just came with a heart that wanted to find Jesus, that is all! Jesus said, "Your faith has saved you," and is it not the same as Bartimaeus? Jesus said, "Your faith has saved you." What kind of faith is it? It is the faith that insists on coming before Jesus.
Today you are the same; you do not need to climb onto the roof and remove the tiles. You can easily go up to the third floor (our church is on the third floor) to see Jesus; you are a blessed group! Every time you come to seek Jesus, you say, "I have no faith," but it does not matter; Jesus has faith! I want to find Him today. God has not given us other punishments, saying, "If you do not come to the meeting today, next week your family will be ruined." If that is the case, you will not believe in Jesus. Why has God not punished today?
Many people say, "Oh, no, I saw the weather forecast last night; it will be minus seven degrees today; I better not go." At this time, they want to sleep, thinking about how comfortable it would be to take a nap after lunch. Going to the meeting is too much trouble. If you have such a heart, to put it harshly, it is contradictory for someone to think about the flesh while also wanting to receive God's blessings. Can you understand?
Whether it is the paralyzed man or Bartimaeus, they do not care about others' ridicule and criticism; they insist on seeing Jesus. Brothers and sisters, this is the faith we need today! You just need to say, "No matter what, I want to seek Jesus." Today you will surely receive! If you do not come to the meeting, there is no loss; God has no loss. But if you come, you will receive God's blessings! Because He will add strength to you, He will add supply to you. This week you will be different. We never say you must come to the meeting. We just tell you that if you are willing to seek Jesus, every time you come, Jesus will surely supply you. He will remove all your worries and burdens from your heart. Jesus will add peace to you. Hallelujah!
This is our God! He never forces anyone to do anything. Jesus just says, "If you are willing to seek me today, I will let you see my grace, my fullness, and let you enter into my abundance!" Amen! We look to Jesus, which means looking to His grace, looking to His glory. The Word made flesh came to the world, and it is no longer the same as the Old Testament.
In the Old Testament, people could not see God directly. Unless you are absolutely holy, you will surely die. The Old Testament has many restrictions; lepers cannot live with others because leprosy can infect anyone. But when Jesus came in the New Testament, why is He called grace and holiness? Because He is full of all God's power. Is leprosy stronger, or is Jesus stronger? Of course, it is Jesus!
Jesus said to the leper, "I will; be clean." What law did Jesus violate in the Old Testament? In the Old Testament, you absolutely cannot touch a leper because touching them will cause you to be infected. But now, the person in front of the leper is not an ordinary person; He is the Son of God! Jesus Christ! He is the Savior who bears all our sins. Imagine this situation; when Jesus touched the person full of diseases, He absorbed all the diseases into Himself.
When He touches you today, He absorbs all your uncleanness into Himself, and you are cleansed. So that leper was immediately cleansed. This is completely different from the Old Testament. This is the grace of Jesus Christ. Brothers and sisters, today the doctor's report is not the final result; Jesus is the final result.
The Old Testament also says, "Victory or defeat is not up to you, but up to God." Today, you can bring your inadequacies, your pressures, and your troubles before Jesus. You will find His abundance can supply your inadequacies. This is the faith you need! Thank the Lord!
In this world, we have many flaws and many problems. A person who loves to nag is unbearable for anyone. If there is such a person in the family, who does nothing but nag every day, saying you are not good at this and that. If you have such a friend at home, how long can you endure? You will not be able to stand it. But do you know? Even if you are such a nagging person, instead of nagging others, why not bring these matters before God? Our God can not only listen to your nagging but also heal your problems. If you annoy others, the more you talk, the more they will fall with you, and they will also get annoyed with you. Bring your problems before Jesus; Jesus will never be annoyed with you; He will hear your prayers!
Just like today with Bartimaeus, although so many people obstructed him from seeking Jesus, Jesus stopped and said, "Let him come!" Amen! Jesus did not rebuke him, saying, "Bartimaeus, do you not know who I am? I am God; can you not clean your clothes before coming to see me? Is there any condition?" No! I find that those who are willing to seek Jesus have no restrictions from Him. He is willing to freely give us all His grace!
Now the New Testament is different from the Old Testament; do not go back to the past because Jesus has accomplished everything for us! In the New Testament, He is full of grace and truth! When He healed the leper, He was telling him, "I am willing to heal you!" Brothers and sisters, I am not worried about you because you are not growing up in a law church; you are in grace.
After you go out, I am not worried that you will be polluted by this world. On the contrary, because you are in this world, the people around you will become different because of you. You are like a wastewater treatment plant; no matter how dirty the water is, as long as you go in, the water becomes clean. I mean you, brothers and sisters! The Bible clearly says, "You are the light, you are the salt." Although this world is dark, when you go there, you become the light.
The people around will see the brightness. You are the salt, the preservative; this world has already decayed terribly, but because you are salt, when you go in, you stop this decay. Just like Jesus, do not underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit within you. When you pray for others, they can be healed because of the power of the Holy Spirit within you. You will not be infected by them. Amen!
You must believe that the power of Jesus Christ is upon you! We are not striving to become holy; you already are. You need to carry this power and tell the good news to those around you. Let those on the brink of death know Jesus Christ. There are too many people in this world who need to hear such good news. In the Old Testament, it always emphasizes what you must do, what you must do... you must have good behavior. This is what the Old Testament emphasizes. If your behavior is not good, God will not be pleased with you.
Under the New Testament, it is different; it has been turned around. In the New Testament, it is no longer about doing, doing... On the cross, Jesus took our place. Amen! God today says you are righteous; you are righteous! What God says will not be wrong! God says you are my beloved; you can be sure you are beloved by God! What is the reason? God accepts us today for only one reason, based on the foundation of the cross! Why was God always angry and punishing the Israelites before Jesus went to the cross? It was because Jesus had not yet paid the price for sin!
When Jesus died on the cross for us, all your sins were paid in full. God did not turn a blind eye. It was because your sins were punished on Jesus. Jesus met the holy requirements of the law. He said on the cross, "It is finished." This word in Greek means a one-time completed tense. It means it only needs to be done once and never needs to be repeated! The effect is permanent!
Today is the gospel of receiving, receiving, and receiving again. What do you need to do? It is not that you do not need to have good behavior. How do good behaviors arise? It is by continuously receiving! You need to know what you need. Jesus asked Bartimaeus, "What do you want me to do for you?" You also need to think about what you want Jesus to do for you. Bartimaeus said, "Lord, I want to see." Jesus said, "Then you will see." Amen!
Jesus is willing to serve you! What do you want? You say, "I cannot love my husband; I cannot love my children. They are too annoying." Jesus says you need more love. When Jesus fills you with His love, you will be able to love. You say, "I always have a bad relationship with my colleagues; I like to pick on their faults and see their shortcomings."
When Jesus fills you with His forgiveness, you will be able to see their strengths. You will be able to forgive them seventy times seven. You say, "Lord, I have no strength; I always feel a lot of pressure every day." Jesus says, "I will fill you with my rest, and you will be able to do things with God's power." This is completely different. This is a gospel about receiving! You need to keep receiving from Jesus.
If you lack wisdom in your life, Jesus says, "I am wisdom! Come and receive from me." You say it is still not enough; Jesus says, "Keep receiving!" Amen! You say, "Lord, I lack joy every day; I cannot be happy." Jesus says, "Receive joy from me." You say, "I received it but still cannot be happy." Jesus says, "Keep receiving until you are joyful." This is why we gather repeatedly! Because we have needs, you come with this need to find Jesus, and Jesus wants to let you enter into His abundance! Everything you need has an answer in Jesus! Thank the Lord! Psalm 116 tells us something; let us look at the verse where David says:
What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord!
This verse means that when David faced so much grace from God, he said, "Lord, your grace to me is truly too much; what can I render to you?" In the end, David said to lift up your cup and receive from God again. Brothers and sisters, our God is the source of supply! Do not say that what God has given me today is enough; I must do something for God. This is self-righteousness! What can you do for God? If you do not come to the meeting, does God suffer loss? No! Today, if you do not give, does God suffer loss? No! If you no longer believe in God, does God suffer loss? No! The one who suffers loss is us!
There is never any lack with God! Amen! He is always full! No matter how much you receive, He is always full. The best way to repay God is to lift up the cup of salvation and receive from Him again! When you are truly filled, you will know how much power God has. If you do not let you preach the gospel, you will still be willing to go. Last week someone told me, "This prayer is so good; as soon as I say it, it is accomplished. I want to tell this good news to those around me." This is preaching the gospel! It is also telling others about the gospel of Jesus! You also hope others come to receive the gospel of Jesus! You also hope others come to receive the grace of Jesus Christ! This is how we enter into abundance! It is by continuously receiving from Jesus. Amen!
Jesus did not stop Bartimaeus from coming to Him; instead, He said, "What do you want me to do for you?" Bartimaeus said, "I want to see." Let us think; if at this moment Bartimaeus said, "Lord, give me a dollar." Would Jesus say, "Judas, give him two dollars"? Can you understand? Brothers and sisters, Jesus does not reject those who come to Him! Of course, this is just an example I gave. At this moment, Bartimaeus knew he did not seek for money; he only wanted Jesus to heal him so that he could see.
Today, I wish for you to have such a heart to seek Jesus! No matter how heavy your burdens are, how much pressure you have, bring it before Jesus. Do not look at the people around you saying this is inappropriate, illogical, or unreasonable; it does not matter. You need to pray to God because this is a relationship between you and God. This is a personal relationship. God served Bartimaeus because Jesus loved him! He wanted Bartimaeus to enter into His abundance.
You see so many people coming to find Jesus, but the number of those who receive healing is indeed small. Although Jesus has the power to heal, not all blind people in Israel were healed. It was those who disregarded everything to seek Jesus and were willing to receive abundance from Him who were healed! There was also the woman with the issue of blood; she spent all her money on doctors, but her condition worsened. She thought, "No matter what, I must find Jesus! I will touch the hem of His garment; I know that once I touch it, I will be healed immediately." This was her faith!
She abandoned those Old Testament rules; the Old Testament said, "You unclean woman cannot come among the crowd." But the woman thought, "I am not here to infect others. I am here to touch Jesus because once I touch Him, I will be healed." So she came into the crowd and touched the hem of Jesus' garment, and instantly she was healed. But the story does not end there.
After the woman was healed, she wanted to sneak away because she knew that if this matter was known, she would violate the law, so she wanted to leave. At that moment, Jesus turned around and said, "Who touched me?" Was Jesus trying to trouble her? No. When the woman saw she could not hide, she said, "Lord, it was me; I am the woman with the issue of blood. I know you can heal me, so I squeezed in to touch the hem of your garment. I have already been healed!" Jesus said, "Daughter, your faith has saved you; go in peace!"
Although she only saw Jesus' back, what did Jesus want her to see? He wanted her to see that Jesus fully accepted her; she did not need to sneak around to receive His blessings because He was willing to give them to her. So she turned around and said, "Go in peace! I do not blame you."
Brothers and sisters, I wish for you to receive the grace of Jesus Christ like this; do not let people tell you that receiving the grace of Jesus Christ requires this, this, and this. One rule after another. No need. As long as you are willing to seek Jesus, God will accomplish this matter! Thank and praise the Lord! In the Bible, there is a woman who was in debt; she was the wife of a prophet. The prophet served God in the Old Testament. After her husband died, the creditor came to her door, and she had no money to pay the debt. The creditor said, "Give me your son to be my slave to pay the debt." At this time, the woman cried out to God. She went to find the prophet Elisha. Elisha asked her what she had in her house. She said, "Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil."
Elisha said to the woman, "Go borrow vessels from all your neighbors; empty vessels, and do not gather just a few. Then go in and shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour into all those vessels; and when one is full, set it aside." Is this God's blessing? There are no other restrictions in between. Did He say to find five bowls to fill them? No restrictions; this is God's supply! Do not underestimate the supply of Jesus; God's supply is unlimited. Let us look at this verse, 2 Kings 4:5-6:
So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons. And as she poured, they brought the vessels to her. When the vessels were full, she said to her son, "Bring me another vessel." And he said to her, "There is not another." Then the oil stopped flowing.
What do you see? The reason the oil stopped was that there were no more vessels, not because God ran out of oil! Amen! Imagine if this woman had borrowed all the vessels in the village, could she have filled them? But she did not think there would be so many. So she only borrowed a little. She told her son to bring one and started pouring... She thought there would be more, but when her son said there were no more, she realized that when she said there were no more, God's supply stopped. It could not be poured on the ground.
What I want to tell brothers and sisters is that when you come before Jesus, when you seek Him, and when you enter into His abundance, do not worry that Jesus cannot supply. The only fear is that you do not believe. Many people, when looking for Jesus, say, "Lord, can you heal me?" Do you know what such a prayer means? You are questioning whether Jesus has this ability. That is what it means; do you understand?
But the one with faith says, "I just need to touch the hem of His garment, and I will be healed!" I just need to come before Jesus, and Jesus opens His mouth and says, "What do you want?" "I want to see." He did not say, "Jesus, can you let me see?" He did not ask like that. "He said, I want to see." Have you ever prayed like this? "In the name of Jesus Christ, I have already been healed!" Do not say, "Lord, when will you heal me?" That is a terrible prayer! Do not doubt God's supply, just like the oil. The amount of oil depends on people's faith! If your faith is just a few vessels, God can only fill that much.
Let us look at another verse, Matthew 14:19-21:
Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. He broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
What do you see? On what basis did Jesus supply to the people? It was based on people's appetite, not on the number of people! I have been talking for almost an hour; do you still not understand? If it were based on the number of people, it would be simple; five thousand loaves for five thousand people, and that would be the end. It is not based on the number of people; Jesus clearly knew they all ate and were satisfied. Do not think this group of people were skinny and could only eat one. Jesus did not limit men, women, and children to only one. This is God's blessing! This is the abundance of Jesus! You need to enter into His abundance!
What can God not do for you? Often, it is our hearts that limit God's supply. Forget all of this; do not limit God's supply through your theories and experiences. God is willing to supply you! He wants you to enter into His abundance! What exactly do we need to do? First, we need to recognize the power of Jesus.
If you say, "Oh, Lord Jesus, if you can turn five loaves into ten loaves, I will be very satisfied." If you think this way, would you dare to eat freely? The key is how much you recognize Jesus. Jesus can make blind Bartimaeus see, can cleanse the woman with the issue of blood, can fill all the jars of oil for the prophet's wife. God will surely supply your problems! And He can fill you! Just like those five thousand men, they could eat freely until they were satisfied. God's blessing only stops when they are satisfied! Amen!
You must strive to know Jesus Christ. You can read this passage; the purpose of reading the Bible is to understand how great Jesus Christ's power is, how much grace He has, and how much He loves you. What is the purpose of our gathering? You say, "I have no faith." You see the faith of your brothers and sisters; you see what God has done in their lives, and you will have faith! It does not matter whether you can understand the Bible or not. There are people here who specifically explain God's power. You listen and receive.
If you say, "I did not understand much this time," it does not matter; there is a recording you can listen to repeatedly when you go back. Know that you understand Jesus' power. Jesus is willing to heal you, and that is enough! When you know this message, you are receiving His healing! Thank the Lord! This is our Savior! His grace is sufficient for you! I wish brothers and sisters would gather often to know Jesus' grace more deeply. You are not here to keep a rule; you are just willing to draw closer to the Lord to know His power more deeply, to know His blessings more deeply, and to let Him supply you!
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise you for this! Lord, we truly know that you have always been supplying us! You want each of us to enter into your abundance! You are the source of abundance! You have always been supplying us, always supporting us. Your heart is always open to us. Today, you have opened the way for us to the Father. You tell us that we can come boldly to the throne of grace at any time and place. We come to seek God with your holiness and righteousness, and you cleanse our sins with your precious blood.
You are our great high priest; you have prepared abundant blessings for us. What you fear is that we know too little about you and limit your power. Lord, here we are willing to enter into your abundance, to know how much Jesus Christ loves us, how willing He is to heal us, and we do not doubt your supply. I believe Jesus Christ, you love me, and you will supply me in the work of my hands.
Since you can supply the woman with the issue of blood, supply Bartimaeus, supply the five thousand men, you will also supply me today. Because you do not look at my behavior; you look at my willingness to let you supply me. Because I have become your child, all the reasons you bless me are simply because I am your child, and you are my Father!
Lord, you exchanged your life for this great salvation for me and gave us eternal life. You did not come to bring more laws to us but to let us receive life and receive it more abundantly. Lord, this is a beautiful gift; this abundant life is a beautiful gift you give us. It is the inheritance we will inherit in the kingdom of heaven in the future. Lord, I thank you for this!
I believe this week will be an extraordinary week, a week blessed by God! Because I am in your abundance! Today, you still lead us every day like Joshua; you are fighting for us in front, and we are just following you. Lord, we also want to be channels of blessing; we do not obstruct people from coming to Jesus; instead, we are willing to bring more people to Jesus so that they can receive your blessings and receive your abundant blessings. Thank and praise the Lord! May all glory be to you! In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray! Amen!