I. Introduction
Good day to all! Today, I will be speaking on the topic of casting out demons, entitled Be Careful Not to Be a Lazy and Wicked Servant. Where are the demons? There are no demons; it is only yourself. However, humans and demons are difficult to deal with, the unity of human and demon is vastly different from the unity of heaven and man. Therefore, the ultimate vision and goal for a person coming into this world is the unity of heaven and man, which we Christians call the unity of man and God, unity with God, how wonderful! Today, our exorcism has entered deep waters; although the word demon is not explicitly mentioned, it is still an exorcism. Recently, while studying this subject, I came across the topic of laziness. Is laziness a demon? There is something to be said about this. My research work has entered a new stage. Some people say, Is researching this still considered exorcism? Yes. Today, we are talking about the demon of laziness.
You should know that my understanding of demons began many years ago. Demons are quite interesting. Like the demons in the Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio (聊斋), we think of them as foxes, weasels, snakes, and other creatures that have acquired supernatural powers. We also have the Journey to the West (西游记). The author of Journey to the West is remarkable for being able to create such a story, with little demons named Come and Go, Back and Forth, and all sorts of names. Believe it or not, I actually encountered a demon named Come and Go during an exorcism; this little demon was quite tricky. Do demons take the form of animals or other shapes? Is there any biblical basis? People are full of misconceptions about these things. Why are they full of misconceptions? Because they do not perform exorcisms, they only ask, Teacher, is there a biblical basis?
Regarding this matter, let me explain with an analogy. The rocket developed by Elon Musk is called SpaceX, which is quite crude. Can you find anything about it in Newton's three laws of motion? If you look for SpaceX in Newton's three laws, is it there? No. It is a specific application of Newton's three laws. The shapes of artificial satellites launched are countless. Therefore, engineering is the application of science to solve specific problems. My exorcism is an engineering application. The theory is in the Bible, so exorcism, in practical operation, uses the logical system of the Bible.
Regarding the logical system in the Bible, for example, the knowledge of good and evil. The knowledge of good and evil attracts demons, but Adam and Eve never saw a demon until their deaths. Isn't that strange? Cain never saw a demon until his death either. Why? Because they were too united with demons. Humans are demons, and demons are humans, neither fully human nor fully demon. In practice, a demon is actually a feeling. Spiritual energy is very powerful. When I was leading prayer earlier, someone typed that they had anxiety. During the prayer, they discovered a surge of energy in their chest. When they pressed it, it ran around. Then they continued to pray, and the energy came out of their mouth as a burp. You ask me, is there a biblical basis for burping? Really, no. But once that energy was released, the anxiety was gone. Wouldn't you say that God is miraculous? Very miraculous.
Later, I realized that this was quite interesting. For example, a headache—what is its name? Is it a weasel or a fox? I do not care. Is it a small crab, a shrimp soldier, or a snake? I do not care much. I am very creative. A headache is the spirit of a headache, a throbbing pain is the spirit of a throbbing pain, an ache is the spirit of an ache, an itch is the spirit of an itch. You must know this. Look how simple I have made it? You definitely cannot find fault with it. These things are so interesting; human feelings and the spiritual realm are united seamlessly. Later, I discovered that depression is the spirit of depression, anxiety is the spirit of anxiety. Many people have pressure, which may be the spirit of pressure. Fear is the spirit of fear, and laziness must be the spirit of laziness. Is there biblical basis? Actually, yes, for example, being deaf and mute is called the spirit of deafness and muteness. This is also a measure of expediency because if I told you what it was, I would never finish speaking!
My mother is quite interesting. Do not think she has Alzheimer's; it is just that older people and children are sometimes connected to the spiritual realm. One day, my mother saw many crabs in the house. She said, Look, there are many small crabs. I could not see them. Then I led her in prayer. Ah, the house was filled with a seafood market smell, a pungent odor. Strange, is it not? I could not see the crabs, but I smelled the fishy smell of crabs. My mother was in pain all over, which was related to the spirit of crabs.
Then I prayed for the fire of the Holy Spirit. My mother stamped her feet on the ground, saying, Did you hear that? The crunching sound of the crabs being crushed. Heavens, hearing that made my hair stand on end. We prayed with the fire of the Holy Spirit, the fire of the Holy Spirit, and my voice changed. Why? Because the smell was pungent. You can take this as a story. It is not theology; it is a very miraculous thing. After praying for the fire of the Holy Spirit, the fishy smell in the house turned into the smell of cooked crabs. Several people present could smell it. For a long time afterward, I felt nauseous whenever I smelled that crab smell.
What are these things? They are actually a feeling within a person that is closely related to the spiritual realm. Laziness is both a lie and a feeling. Laziness is closely related to thoughts, and thoughts are closely related to the spiritual realm. How can a person accumulate so many demons? By indulging the flesh. Later, I discovered that indulging the flesh is quite evil. For example, when an evil spirit comes, and I see it, what should I do? I am ruthless. I am very good at dealing with the flesh. Snap, I grab it. On the surface, my mother is screaming, but actually, the demon is screaming, and the demon will leave soon. To put it bluntly, it is asking for a beating. So later, I invented two terms: one is asking for a beating, and the other is asking for work. My father whipped me with his belt, and my mother did not stop him. He whipped me into a prestigious university. I have to thank my father for whipping me; is this not asking for a beating?
Later, I felt that the summarized rule was excellent: asking for a beating, asking for work! Someone said, Teacher, I am uncomfortable. I said, Asking for a beating! When I was young, my mother often said, What? Do you need a skinning? It means to suffer physically. When we were young, my family was very poor. My younger brother said, Mom, I want two liang (100g) of biscuits. We were so poor that we could barely make ends meet, but he still wanted two liang of biscuits. My mother pinched his cheeks with two fingers and said, This is two liang of biscuits. Do you still want it? Asking for a beating! Many people say, Teacher, my legs hurt. I said, What's wrong? He said, I worked yesterday, and today my legs hurt. Pray for me. I said, No need to pray. He said, Then what's wrong? I said, Asking for work! What I invented is good.
You should know that a few days ago, a sister just realized her laziness. Actually, I have been aware of her laziness for a long time. You must know what I do; I study this stuff, but I cannot say anything because if you say someone is lazy, they will not agree. Wouldn't that be offensive? But I have a trick. A few days ago, she went back to work. She said, Teacher, these few days of work have been more than all the work I have done in my life. I said, No, you have only done a few days of work in your life. Only then did she realize her laziness. So over the past few decades, she has only done a few days of work. How could she not be foolish? Has she ever solved problems? No. Does she attract demons? Definitely! I tell you, when you get old, you will definitely live out the appearance of a demon. Even if you are a Christian, living out the appearance of a demon is definitely the work of the demon; the demon loves it most.
Regarding laziness, I have studied it extensively recently. Laziness is a lie. It makes up many reasons to explain. Lazy people talk a lot; lazy people do not think they are lazy. They say, Ah, there is so much work! When can it be finished? It is too tiring! As soon as I hear that, it is laziness! You cannot see laziness, but you can see the results of laziness. You will find that lazy people have poverty and disease. Some people say, I do not. I am lazy, but I am fine. Then you have not been lazy enough. Wait until you are lazy enough, then you will reap the consequences!
Now people say there is a lot of work: Ah, I do housework every day. I said, What housework do you do? She said, Washing clothes. I really do not understand. Who washes clothes without a washing machine these days? I have not seen you using a washboard. Does anyone still use a washboard? In our era, Chinese people used washboards. If you wash clothes, it is a physical job. Koreans, that is, Koreans, use sticks to beat clothes. Later, Chinese people also learned to use sticks to beat clothes. Beating makes clothes cleaner than rubbing. Later, we liked to call Koreans Korean sticks. Actually, later I found that Chinese people are also sticks, but now they are not Korean sticks or Chinese sticks, but Korean washing machines and Chinese washing machines.
What do you do? You cook. You buy semi-finished products from the supermarket and use microwave ovens, induction cookers, and electric ovens. Who still burns firewood or coal? Has anyone seen people using bellows? If you have not, you are a new-era person. We who have seen them are from an older generation. One person is cooking there, and there must be someone pulling the bellows underneath. It is wonderful. If you want to cook a meal, you have to do a lot of work. Is there so much work now? No. You feel like there is a lot of work, but that is just a feeling. You are being deceived. You are lazy!
Think about it. What happens if Christians do not do much work? When someone mentions who did what work, they think, I have to do something too. They engage in hypocrisy, making a show, making up stories, telling lies, and making excuses. All of a sudden, it all comes out. So when a person is lazy, they become poor, and when they are poor, they become wicked. Later, someone helped me look up an English word, which is lazy and wicked. The English word for wicked is wicked. I tell you, anyone who does not enjoy working is lazy. Are there many lazy people? Are there many people among us who do not enjoy working? In this life, I am a bit like my father. My father loves to work. He cannot stay idle. During the May Day and National Day holidays, he starts cleaning up at home. I have inherited all the good habits of my father. He cleans up nicely and enjoys working. I did not enjoy working before; I only started to enjoy it later, after getting beaten up once. Is it hard work? Yes, it is hard work, but it is very enjoyable!
So later, when I ministered to people, I really wanted people to be healed from diseases. Later, I discovered that many diseases are related to laziness. Recently, I feel that I should find solutions to problems, but there is still a gap in implementation. There is a cancer patient whom I used to minister to. Her disease was cured, but last year her disease relapsed. Why? Because she is really quite lazy. Is there so much work to do these days? She does nothing but stay at home. Staying at home, she is always overthinking, and then her husband is having affairs outside. She feels uncomfortable at home. How can her cancer not relapse? After the relapse, I ministered to her and encouraged her to work. Even if cancer patients relapse, they can still walk around and work. Ah, she is just lazy. She has been lazy for so many years. In the past years, I have encouraged her to work, but she does not.
Actually, my understanding of this theory comes from personal experience. If you are a cancer patient, do not exercise. It is useless. Just do some work. When I was young, a neighbor of mine had liver cancer. The doctor said he had three months to live. In those days, we were poor. As a result, he repaired bicycles for free at the intersection where I went to school. People would give him ten cents if they wanted to, or twenty cents if they wanted to. Anyway, he repaired them for free. In those days, repairing bicycles was still a viable job. Three months passed, six months passed, a year passed. Ah, how is he still alive? When he went to the hospital for a checkup, the cancer was gone. Wouldn't you say that working is good?
Later, when he saw that he was alive again, he needed money, so he started charging for repairing bicycles. That is how people are. When people are alive, pressure comes again. When people are about to die, everything is fine. So often treat yourself as if you are about to die, and your pressure will definitely be small. If you feel that you can live a long time, such as another sixty years, how much money will you need for those sixty years? Then you start making money, and then the pressure is definitely great. So working is a grace! I deeply understand this principle. In this world, I really feel that I am qualified to teach you how to live because I deeply understand this matter, so I like to work.
Think about it, in those years, I had no money and no people. Building a church was a transition. I had a small number of members, and I did not know when I would lose one. Other people have ninety-nine sheep, and they go to find the one that is lost. I had three sheep, and if I lost one, thirty-three percent was gone. It was upsetting, often very helpless. Our small church had no money and no people, and the meeting place was not as large as other people's stages, but it did not matter. It would be a lie to say that it was not difficult. It was difficult, so I worked. So I developed the habit of working. When I worked, I forgot the feeling of difficulty. Otherwise, everyone can try it. If you work, you will forget the difficulty. Has anyone experienced that? If you have not, you are lazy.
Later, I contracted COVID-19. This time, I had the opportunity to practice the working theory. Actually, I was hardly idle. My body was very weak. I had a high fever, night sweats, and difficulty breathing. I steamed and cooked fritillary bulbs and pears for myself. One day I recovered. After I recovered, they told me that it would take half a year to recover from COVID-19. At that time, I did not care about recovering. I started working. Because when I had COVID-19, my home was a bit messy, so I started cleaning up. I threw away what needed to be thrown away because the things I used when I was sweating were smelly. I threw them all away and then cleaned and reorganized. People said, Are you not resting? I said, No resting. I not only cleaned up my own place, but a coworker also had COVID-19, so I went to his house to see. When I saw how messy his house was, I cleaned up his house too. In three or four days, I fully recovered, practicing the working theory.
Working is living. I fully recovered in a few days. Some people cannot recover for months. Some people have insomnia—work! Some people have just recovered from COVID-19 and are physically weak—work! Do not rest. Resting is not good. Some time ago, a brother contracted COVID-19 and was very weak. I said, Come over. He said, What for? I said, Work! He said, I am very weak. Let me rest for two more days. I said, No, come over and work! So he came over and started working. I asked him, Are you still weak? He said, I am not weak anymore. Some people have weak bodies and rely on medicine. A few days ago, I received the father of a sister. His body was so weak that he was constantly sweating. When he had nothing to do, he liked to take medicine. I think the prescription for work that I prescribed is better than his medicine.
Today, we must begin to recognize that laziness is the root of disease. A demon releases a lie, making you lazy, and then releases a disease, making you rest. Resting and resting releases more diseases, and then you have to spend money to take medicine. As a result, taking medicine damages this thing and damages that thing. It is troublesome. This thing of laziness is powerful! Lazy people are very interesting. Sometimes they are selectively lazy. A few days ago, I ministered to a sister. She said, Teacher, I am just this kind of person without enthusiasm. I am lukewarm. Ah, I know you very well. You are very enthusiastic at work. So it turns out to be selective laziness. Yet she still pretends in front of me, discussing prayer and reading the Bible, acting very spiritual. Wouldn't you say this is courting death? If we were to classify this, wouldn't it be classified as hypocrisy?
Therefore, God detests laziness. We can check the Book of Proverbs, which talks about laziness, and the Book of Ecclesiastes also mentions it. All the wisdom books in the Bible talk about laziness. God hates laziness, God hates foolishness, and God hates arrogance. Foolishness, arrogance, ignorance, and laziness are all deadly, especially laziness in service. Are there any among us who are lazy in service? That's selective laziness, isn't it? Actually, I tell you, if you are lazy in service, it will be difficult for you to enjoy your work because laziness is the root. What does God say as a result? A wicked, lazy servant. Today, the topic we are discussing is Be Careful Not to Be a Wicked, Lazy Servant. You must know that laziness is the root of evil. Let us examine ourselves to see if we are lazy or not.
Our Chinese Mingding Destiny is a theology of service, definitely not a theology of grace, although there is grace, but definitely not the kind of grace that is freely received. We serve and pay the price, even if he is the least of the brothers, we serve with our hearts. Serve the rich brothers well and serve the poor brothers well; serve those who have just arrived well, and we also want to serve those who have not yet arrived well, but people don't allow it. This is a serving church, why? I want to train everyone to be faithful and good servants in God's eyes. In the future, God will send you to manage ten cities, God will send you to manage five cities, and God will send you to manage one city. Then you are the feudal king of that city, that is a royal command! If I give you a city, can you manage it? Don't say give you a city, you can't even manage three or five people, and if I give you three or five sheep to manage, in the end only sheepskins are left. Where is the meat? Eaten. Wouldn't you say that this is deadly?
Be attentive in service, because in the future you will be sent by God to be a manager. Brothers and sisters must know that Adam and Eve in Genesis were created to be managers. Can a lazy person manage? No. In the years of the Lord Jesus, Matthew chapter 25 also mentioned being a manager. Will you be sweeping the floor in heaven in the future? No, heaven is swept by robots. So what will you do? You will manage. Management is extraordinary, you have to know how to manage. If you don't know how to manage and are just lazy, isn't that a waste? Like some people who do pastoral work, there used to be one person who could pastor, but recently I asked, How is that person doing? He said, There isn't even one left. It wasn't ninety-nine sheep, just one sheep, and now there are none left.
If I am talking about you, then is that laziness? How did you do it? How did you manage to have none left? This is taking away even what little you have and giving it to those who have more. Then haven't you become a wicked, lazy servant? Deceived by the lies and evil spirits behind you. Today, brothers and sisters must know, where do those lies come from? They are sent by God to test us. You say, Is God so bad? No. Does a company have performance evaluations? Every company has them. If the board of directors wants to promote you, wouldn't they have to test you? If they see that you are no good at anything, how can they use you? So don't blame God, God wants to reward you, so He has to test you. After talking for so long, actually, in the end, I am only talking about one problem: you need a beating, you need to work!
Two. Scripture
“Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 25:24-30)
Three. Prayer
God, I pray that You give me a wise heart. Let me be able to open my spiritual eyes and see the problems in me. God, I pray that Your light shines on me, so that I can know the filth in me. Lord, give me strength today, so that I can overcome this feeling of laziness. Lord Jesus, help me to bring me out of this lazy and wicked situation, bring me out of the situation of sickness, and bring me out of the situation of poverty. God, remove this spirit of laziness today, remove this bondage and lies of laziness. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!
Four. Scripture Background
You must know, when the Lord Jesus spoke these words, was it when He had just called the disciples, or was it when He was about to finish His service? It was when He was about to finish, what was He talking about? Talking about the kingdom of heaven. What surprises me is that when He talked about the kingdom of heaven, He didn't talk about anything else, He talked about money! Does the Lord Jesus love money very much? The Lord Jesus doesn't love money very much. But money can really test a person, so the Lord Jesus made a metaphor: The kingdom of heaven is like this, and that. At the beginning of chapter 25, He talked about ten virgins, five wise and five foolish. What did those five foolish ones do? They dozed off and fell asleep. Were they lazy? You see, a lazy person hugs his knees and sleeps for a while, sleeps for a while more, opens his eyes and sees, Wow, there's so much to do, and sleeps for a while more. When they get up in the morning, their bodies ache, and they feel uncomfortable, so they sleep for a while more. When they open their eyes again, their bodies ache again, so they sleep for a while more. Let's sleep!
Why is this? A lazy person always has reasons. As a result, poverty will catch up with you, this is what the Bible says, a lazy person will definitely be poor. Jesus spoke about the ten virgins as a metaphor for the kingdom of heaven; and He spoke about giving five thousand talents, two thousand talents, and one thousand talents as a metaphor for the kingdom of heaven. So to what extent does our understanding of the kingdom of heaven remain? I feel that Chinese Mingding Destiny has already come out of this place, but many Christians are still stuck in going to heaven or hell. I was thinking, what are you going to do in heaven, can you even get there? He said, I can. I said, What will you do when you gnash your teeth if it's not like that? He said, It doesn't matter, that darkness is also very good. I have met many Christians who feel that darkness is also very good, they even explain that darkness is part of heaven, isn't that nonsense? Very nonsense!
I lamented that what Jesus said was too harsh, He didn't talk about anything else, just talked about this laziness, that laziness is deadly. You say sleeping for a while, sleeping a little more, can it kill people? I didn't kill anyone, didn't set fire, I'm sleeping in bed, isn't that a sin? Is laziness a sin? Laziness is considered a sin. Do not be slothful in zeal, but serve the Lord with diligence, because you must live with hope in eternity, you cannot be lazy. Jesus talked about what kind of person can enter into His glory, that is, a faithful and good servant. This sentence gave me a deep spur. Don't think that I was born diligent, when I was a child, my mother said, This kid, he won't even pick up a fallen oil bottle. But that was then, later I learned to be good, learned to be smart. I thought, I can't be lazy. Besides not picking up the fallen oil bottle, I was also dealing with reading carelessly, and my dad would whip me awake with a belt, that was laziness!
What kind of person can enter into His glory? Don't think that everyone who believes in Jesus will enter into His glory, many people who believe in Jesus believe in a distorted way, believing into darkness. Believing in the Lord for a lifetime, believing into a curse, isn't that a tragedy? This curse is laziness, do not be slothful in zeal. Believing in the Lord into a curse; believing in the Lord into eternal punishment; believing in the Lord into the punishment prepared for demons. Is there this in this passage? Yes. Don't think that it's just weeping and gnashing of teeth. So, God is describing this in this passage, who is He describing this to? Listening to those of us who believe in the Lord in this generation. So what happens as a result? As a result, we have to analyze this passage clearly to see how we should be as Christians.
You see, the one who received five thousand earned five thousand; the one who received two thousand earned two thousand. I ask you, how much work did they have to do? They had to do a lot of work. It is no joke to earn five thousand from five thousand, and it is also a lot of work to earn two thousand from two thousand. That money wasn't given to you to spend, and the one with five thousand didn't even have one thousand left, what did he do? He spent it all. I once came into contact with some poor people in Singapore who couldn't afford medical treatment, so I gave them money for medical treatment. Later, I found out that the government had given eight hundred dollars to the poor, and then I said, What did you do with it? He went to Thailand. I said, What did you go to Thailand to do? He smiled and said, Went to prostitute. Do you think his illness can be cured? Poor, deadly!
So this matter is very interesting, there is a set of very evil things in this person. This person who received one thousand, he actually didn't spend this one thousand, didn't spend it in Thailand. You say, did this person who received one thousand kill anyone? No. Did he set fire? No. As a result, he buried this one thousand in the ground, and gave it back when the master came back. You say, did he commit a big mistake? No, he just buried the one thousand in the ground, and as a result, he became a wicked and lazy, useless servant who was thrown into outer darkness. If you read further down, you will find that there are quite a few people who God doesn't know. He said, Lord, I have come. The Lord Jesus said, I don't know you. Later, there is another passage of scripture, some people cast out demons, and the Lord Jesus said, I don't know you. It's not because he cast out demons that the Lord doesn't know him, it's because he's lazy! How is he lazy? Let me explain to everyone.
For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these my brethren, ye did it not to me. (Matthew 25:42-45)
Because the Lord Jesus was hungry, they didn't give Him food; was thirsty, they didn't give Him a drink; was a stranger, they didn't take Him in; was naked, they didn't clothe Him; was sick, they didn't care for Him; was in prison, they didn't visit Him. Then they said, When did we not see You? When did we not do these things? Then the Lord Jesus said, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these my brethren, ye did it not to me. You say, is this a challenge to all of us, especially our pastors? Pastors among us need to re-examine themselves, to examine whether you say when you serve, Why are you so stupid? Be careful, is that our laziness? Have we really served wholeheartedly? It seems not necessarily.
Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these my brethren, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. (Matthew 25:41-46)
Scary? I think it's very scary! So I often remind myself, am I a wicked and lazy servant? Am I a faithful and good servant? Recently, I have been thinking about this matter, daring not to not think about it. How do I shepherd God's flock so that they are more valuable? Because I want to win people like catching fish, not win people over and squeeze them dry to the last drop of blood, no; I am not winning these people over and letting them sell their houses and donate them, and then we eat, drink, and play, that is completely finished! I want to bless him, my pastoral care is to make people become more valuable, and in the future I will give an account before Jesus and say, God, look, the five thousand you gave me have now become ten thousand. Why? Because the people I shepherd are all valuable, they have doubled!
Are there many among us whose value has doubled? Many! What if five thousand becomes twenty thousand? That's even more amazing. What if the one thousand is taken away and given to me? Then that's even more, and then I become a faithful and good servant. I can tell everyone that some people will find my way of life tiring, because they can't do it, they really can't do it. Why? It's because this passage of scripture often spurs me, these words that the Lord Jesus spoke were spoken to us, not necessarily to others, definitely spoken to me, that's true, so I often remind myself, be careful, don't be a wicked and lazy servant.
I thank God! God is constantly adding treasures to us, why? Because treasures can also reproduce treasures. I am earning people! And then the people I earn become even more valuable people, that can't be bought with money. What was the person who buried the one thousand talents in the ground thinking? Why did he become a wicked and lazy servant? Was he a servant? He was a servant, but he was thrown into darkness. What did the person who received one thousand say?
Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. (Matthew 25:24-25)
The word hard here means harsh, which means very fierce. How fierce? Reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered. I said, Is God such a God? You see he said, So I was afraid. What are you afraid of? Aren't you afraid of being thrown into darkness in the future? You will be described as a wicked and lazy servant in the future, what will you do then? Not afraid of that, afraid that this one thousand talents will be gone.
I know some church pastors are very interesting, God gives him a few little sheep, and he has to hug them tightly, they can't be lost. If one is lost, then thirty-three percent of the sheep are lost. If someone has ninety-nine sheep and one is lost, then only one percent is lost. If you are only given one sheep? It's gone, and then what? Then one hundred percent is lost, then he can't wait to bury them in the ground and lock them with chains. Can people be locked up? When they hear about the sermons and Bible studies of Chinese Mingding Destiny on the Internet, they are so good that they can't listen to what he's preaching, oh well, forget it. You can't bury him, you have to turn him into something more valuable.
So are the brothers and sisters who come to us blessed? Because there is no such mentality of a wicked and lazy servant in me. Know that laziness and wickedness are very common, I have met several pastors, not just one, they said to me, Pastor Liu, actually being a pastor is very simple. I said, How is it simple? He said, I prepare one hundred and four sermons, then repeat them every two years. And there are some very evil ones, they prepare fifty-two sermons and repeat them once a year. My God! If you stay there for three years, you will have heard each sermon three times.
You are blessed to be among us. I am truly a diligent pastor. Everything I have is still constantly being used for research to understand what God says. How could one prepare fifty-two sermons during theological studies and recite them repeatedly without getting bored? Even I would find it annoying. They are afraid, why? Because they are lazy. And what happens after laziness? They develop a wrong understanding of God, feeling that God is not good, too fierce, and then they become afraid. If the co-workers among us have a wrong understanding of me, it would be disastrous. Some say: Be careful, don't get caught by the teacher and get scolded. Look at these words! Fear, resulting in dodging left and right, and the awkward work they do is seen by me. I say: What kind of work is this? Then I scold them. After the scolding, I conclude that they are still afraid.
For example, when someone is installing a switch, when installing the switch in my room, they don't look at the switch, but look around to see if the teacher is coming. As a result, after installing it, they find that the wires are connected reversely, so it certainly cannot run. This kind of thing is fatal! The lazy person took a thousand taels of silver and buried it in the ground. What did he do later? Because he was a servant, he went to pray, kneeling in the temple until his knees developed calluses like a camel. The thousand taels of silver remained a thousand taels. Their logic is simple: God, I have returned the thousand taels You gave me. Is that management? Look, the work God told him to do, he returned it to God, and God returned it to him, and he returned it to God again. What are you doing? Playing ping pong? Kicking a ball.
Everyone should know that in companies, many people are playing ball and doing Tai Chi all day long, entrusting it to God. It sounds great. God gives it to you, and you give it back to God? That is your responsibility! When our church was very small, we knew that every sheep that came was served as a treasure. Later, even if they became ingrates, it didn't matter. I served and I grew. Later, after summarizing again and again, I gave myself a deep comfort, because serving is grace! Will God harvest where He has not sown? Will He gather where He has not scattered? Look how evil this person is thinking. If a person thinks like this, God will say that he is a lazy and wicked servant, why? Because you have to explain your lazy behavior. The words of the Lord Jesus penetrate deep into the bone marrow and are deeply imprinted in our minds.
For example, Peter, I have some opinions about him, why? He built the church and ruined it. He was given the title of a great apostle, but as he worked, he lost his job. What did he do? I don't know what he did, really don't know. And then he wrote 1 Peter and 2 Peter, but where is the church? The church was ruined. What to do after it's ruined? He still has to eat, so he went to the churches built by Paul and wandered around, and he wandered to the Corinthian church。The Corinthian church gave offerings to him because he was a great apostle. Doing gigs, annoying! As a result, he was scolded by Paul. In our Northeast dialect, he was severely criticized by Paul. What did you do? How did you become like this? It's terrible!
V. What God Wants Is a Manager
What God wants is a manager. In Genesis, the creation of Adam and Eve was for them to be managers. The Garden of Eden was just an incubator, originally meant for them to fill the earth, govern it, manage the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and the beasts on the earth. As a result, they were managed by the serpent and did not manage themselves well. In the time of Jesus, this purpose still has not changed. I think that until today, this is not much talked about in many theological systems. Many theological systems talk about sanctification, prayer, and inner life, these kinds of things.
But our Chinese Mingding Destiny's theological system is that God wants you to become a manager, you know? You know. What do you manage? Manage yourself first. If you manage yourself well, you can definitely accomplish things. Not to go to heaven to play, always saying Hallelujah. I just don't think that stuff is very good. Wow, Holy! As a result, some people sang four Holys, and some people were not satisfied, because there were only three Holys. Heavens! Just entangled in these things. What God wants is managers. At that time, God will give you ten cities. God is not short of cities.
Let's just say, how many planets are there in the universe? How many fixed stars are there? There are many fixed stars like the solar system. Looking from the earth to the sky, there are so many. The things on this earth must be well managed. If you want to become a manager, you must first learn to manage yourself, then manage things, then you can manage people, then you can manage money, manage time, and create value. This is the will of God, which has not changed to this day. Everything must return to Genesis to align with it.
God is such a God, so if you want to be a manager, can you manage without worrying? I worry a lot. If you want me to stop, it’s very difficult. Some people do less and less as they work, but for me, the more I work, the more there is to do. Have you all noticed that many people in companies do less and less work, and things go on the same way without them? Eventually, after managing for a while, they go home. So dealing with people's laziness is a very serious matter.
What I talked about some time ago about Adam and Eve, as soon as they worked, they complained: Ah, how come there is so much work? How come there is no wisdom? Wisdom must be learned little by little. Thinking: Ah, it would be so good to have wisdom all at once like God. As a result, eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil made them like demons. Annoying, isn't it? Just always wanting to do things all at once. God is the God who helps us, solving what? Solving the fact that when we manage ourselves, manage others, manage these things, manage this money, and manage this time, you are working with God in it. When you do these things, God is with you!
I tell you, this set of pastoral theories did not come out of thin air. How could that be? It is moving forward step by step with the rigorous spirit of a scientist! People are so lazy that they don't even want to move. What do you do in pastoral care? It's the same. Pastoral care is management, and management is pastoral care. Corporate management is pastoral care, so many companies, in fact, their bosses are pastors, so their companies can do well because they are doing pastoral care. Pastoral care makes people more valuable, rather than draining every drop of their blood.
What God wants is a manager, so what are you? There was a child of eight or nine years old. I said: What do you want to do? He said: I will just do a job in the future, earn a salary, and be an ordinary person. If you want to be an ordinary person, then you will end up being a mediocre person. What to do if you slide down to the third class? You won't be ordinary, and you'll slide to the worst. So why are these things like this? It's because of a wrong understanding of God. We must eventually readjust and know what God's will is. God has chosen me among all nations. What does He want me to do? To be a manager.
VI. Wrong Understanding of God Leads to Life's Tragedy
A wrong understanding of God leads to life's tragedy, especially for Christians, who are afraid, wanting to reap where God has not sown and gather where He has not scattered. The most important thing for pastors to open meetings is to collect offerings. What can you reap if you haven't sown? Have you shepherded well? No proper shepherding. Gathering where there has been no scattering. I guess the person who received a thousand taels of silver must have encountered a relatively bad pastor, or he himself was a bad pastor. It's troublesome to have a wrong understanding of God. Especially since some people are spreading a concept that it is good even in the darkness.
I once met a pastor who explained to me about the ten virgins, where the other five virgins were thrown into the darkness. He explained that the darkness was in a dark corner of heaven. I don't think this is very consistent with the Bible, is it? Going to heaven and finding a dark place, without gnashing of teeth or weeping, wouldn't that be great? This is a wrong understanding of God. The person who received a thousand taels didn't even do anything bad, but he became a lazy and wicked servant. This is a huge reminder, a very serious and earnest warning!
Didn't do anything? What did he do? He was lazy! Not creating value, people gave him a thousand, and he will return it to them in the future. He thought in his heart: You can't say anything about me, I didn't make a mistake. Yes, he didn't make any mistakes, but he made a very serious mistake, becoming a lazy person. Terrible, isn't it? He said: I didn't do anything, you can't say anything about me, I'm afraid of making mistakes if I do something. Then why don't I take this thousand taels to earn another thousand? What if I lose it? He doesn't know that God is the God who helps him. I tell you, in the business of Christians, if you have faith in God, you will definitely earn a thousand for every thousand, and two thousand for every two thousand. Some people earn ten thousand for every thousand. A person who does not believe in God will become an evil person.
Like the brothers and sisters among us, they come to me and say: Teacher, someone has invited me to be a partner. I say: Go ahead. He says: Ah, it's still not good enough. I say: It will be okay when the time comes. Faith! How is it now? He has become a partner and has a lot of free time. It's great. So this kind of lie, a wrong understanding of God, is fatal! Are you tired? Tired! Is it uncomfortable? Uncomfortable! Can you overcome it? Yes! That's great. When you get tired, you think: Ah, God didn't want me to be this tired. God wanted me to enjoy life. Is that so? It is to enjoy in labor, to enjoy in creation, and to enjoy in solving problems!
You should know how lazy people get. They are too lazy to put the cake in their mouth even when their hand is on the plate. This sentence doesn't mean really putting your hand on the plate and putting the cake in your mouth. The meaning is that the grace that God has given you is already on the plate. You just need to take it out and put it in your mouth to get it. How simple! How lazy can you be? The hand has already touched the cake on the plate, but he doesn't put it in his mouth. If you don't put it in your mouth, what are you going to do by continuing to press the cake on the plate? That won't do. It just feels too tired. Is there so much to drawing on Gods grace?
VII. A Warning from God to the Disciples
Are these people servants? They are servants. But the lazy and wicked servants are like those who are not servants. As a result, they are thrown into the darkness, thrown into the eternal punishment prepared for the devil. You become impatient as soon as you serve. You start to get a little temperamental when people don't reach your goals. Serving is your job. God let you manage, letting them become more valuable. How can they become more valuable? You have to teach them. So lazy people don't know they are lazy, and stupid people don't know they are stupid. But they will definitely see their results, poverty plus disease! Poverty and disease is the end. No matter how many excuses you give for laziness, you can't stop poverty, and you can't stop disease !
Like some people, when they meet their relatives, they complain about the company treating them unfairly and this and that unfairly. In fact, they have been unfair to the company for a long time, never creating value, and finding fault with everything. Which company needs this kind of person? Does God's kingdom need this kind of person? No, God's kingdom needs a manager. God will send you to manage a city, ten cities, a hundred cities!
VIII. Be Careful Not to Be a Lazy and Wicked Servant
Be careful not to be a lazy and wicked servant. Be careful of what? Be careful of a lie! Like when I got sick, tested positive, I just recovered, and after I got better, I have to rest. That's a lie! Like when serving people, saying: Ah, he's not a brother. How do you know? Even if he's not, although you are serving an ingrate, you still serve as if you are serving God. Repair what should be repaired, manage what should be managed, and in the end, serving is your growth!
In fact, giving you a thousand taels of silver, or giving you a sheep, or three sheep, is just God giving you a small test. Are you serving people wholeheartedly? Are you serving God wholeheartedly? What should you do? Some people say: Ah, he has this problem, he has that problem, there are so many problems! I know, but what problems have you solved? If you haven't solved the problem and you still point out other people's problems, I'm not just talking about the little pastors among us, I'm talking about the brothers and sisters among us. Because you grow in serving. Work is a platform. How could we solve these problems without that platform? How could we grow?
Start to have a clear understanding of laziness, want to find a way, create conditions, and constantly improve yourself. Don't make up stories and say: Ah, isn't improving yourself very selfish? If you don't improve yourself, who can you serve? Even if you give someone a cup of water or a piece of clothing, you have to have the resources. If you say: Give him a cup of water? I don't even have a cup of water myself. Give him a piece of clothing? I don't even have that piece of clothing myself. How poor are you? Who can you bless? So start to overcome the spirit of laziness, there's no fear in encountering God. A manager is able to manage the problems, solving problems is the key to management. What do you resolve? Where can you escape to, today?
Overcome the spirit of laziness, no longer accept the lies released by the spirit of laziness, no longer make excuses, and no longer explain. You may have all kinds of noises and voices inside you, but it doesn't matter. Look at the results you have produced. When you see that you have not solved the problem, start to think of a solution. In the process of thinking of a solution, God will definitely help you. Why did five thousand earn five thousand? Because God is helping him. Two thousand earned two thousand, why? Because God helped him. If you and I both become faithful and good servants, how could God not help us? Have faith in God. If it doesn't feel good, walk another mile. You'll get used to it, so stop believing the lies.
So brothers and sisters, you really have to be careful. Don't wait until the time comes to stand before the Lord Jesus, then the Lord Jesus says: I don't know you. This sentence resounds in my ears. I often think of these words. When I am tired, when I am working hard, when I am injured, this sentence becomes my spur. I came into this world in this life, whether as a Christian or as a pastor, I think one day, even if I persevere in this world with tears in my eyes, I have to persevere until I see the face of the Lord, persevere until God gives me a compliment, a faithful and good servant! I hope that my brothers and sisters will be like me. Don't wait until the end for a tragic ending. Although there are tears on the earth, you will receive praise in Jesus Christ. May God bless everyone!
Let us sing a hymn to prepare for today's offering. If you do not understand the meaning of offering, please do not give. This place is a place of blessing, not a place of collecting wealth. When the Lord Jesus comes in the future, we can all receive praise. God, may You remember us and be gracious to us. God, may You mold us and always shine Your light on us, so that we can wake up. God, we who have received Your grace in the past, let us no longer receive it in vain. God, raise up our brothers and sisters, no longer be lazy servants, may each of our brothers and sisters be able to satisfy Your will, may Your will be accomplished in our lives, so that we may be faithful and good servants before You, give us an alert heart, and no longer be a timid and fearful person, but be a vigilant and watchful person. In Jesus' name, Amen!
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen!
God bless you all!