Introduction

Good morning, everyone. Today, we will continue our study of the Book of Lamentations. Why are we examining the Book of Lamentations? Because we have never studied this book in all these years. I will use this Sunday time to complete our study of the Book of Lamentations. Therefore, we have a dream within us: to study the entire Old and New Testaments from Genesis to Revelation. Over the past years, we have been very serious about God's Word in the Bible.

During this period, we are studying the Book of Lamentations. This week, we will discuss Chapter 2, "The Lord has done what he purposed." What does this mean? Jerusalem was trampled by enemies, by the iron hooves of Babylon. The Babylonian cavalry was formidable, besieging the city for one year and four months. During this year and four months, the city ran out of food.

Do you know what happened after the food ran out? It was terrible. You gave me your son, and I ate him as pork. I gave you my son, and you ate him. It was that tragic. Why? Because everyone wanted to live. Who doesn't want to live, right? The hunting dogs and wild dogs on the African savanna are like that. People lived like dogs.

When the Babylonians entered the city, look, oh my goodness, I asked you to defend the city, kill, kill many people. The Japanese devils entering Nanjing and the Babylonians entering Jerusalem were quite similar, so that war was very cruel. Jeremiah wrote the Book of Lamentations there, this Chapter 2. Do you think he was gloating? No.

Jeremiah was a weeping prophet. He cried every day. He cried when he had nothing to do. Why? He watched God's curse come, watched God turn His anger into wrath, and descend upon Jerusalem. What was accomplished? The curse that the Lord had purposed was accomplished. It was tragic, hence the name "Lamentations."

There are no natural disasters in this world, only man-made disasters. All are man-made disasters, right? All are man-made disasters. Where are the natural disasters? Natural disasters are God's anger, right? Is there still God's anger? It's there every day. We watch the news. Once, I saw news footage at the airport while waiting for a flight. A plane crashed into a building, boom, and then another one flew in. Oh my goodness, the people in the plane died, and the people in the building were gone too.

Think about how many tons of aviation fuel that big plane must have carried. Boom, and then those two buildings, whoosh, collapsed. Oh my goodness, think about it, isn't it shocking? I was also taking a flight. If the plane I was on had coincided with the 9/11 plane, I would have disappeared into the blue sky. Oh my goodness! You could say it was a terrible sight.

Those people were originally happy and carefree. The stocks they bought yesterday rose by 20% today. There were many financial people in the financial district buildings. They were fine, but how did they disappear? Where are the people? Where are the bones? They're all gone. Where can you find them? They're gone, right? The stocks are still there, oh, the people! Boom, gone. Thinking about it, people are really too fragile.

I tell you, isn't it tragic? Tragic. Then you say, how did it happen to them? Who directed it? Terrorists directed it. Who directed the terrorists? I tell you, God directed it. God directed it. When God's anger comes upon people, we feel it is a natural disaster, but it is actually a man-made disaster.

Then there was the tsunami, the Southeast Asian tsunami. Wow, oh my goodness, it happened again when I was taking a flight. You say, how come you're always taking flights? He just happened to encounter it a few times. I saw the tsunami at the airport. Oh my goodness, everything looked like matchboxes. The buildings, the industrial buildings, were very large, but in that camera, in front of the tsunami, they looked like matchboxes. Oh, the cars, clanging and banging, clanging and banging. Who directed it? God directed it, right? God directed it.

Do you know that many people explain for God? Actually, our God is not like that, is like that. I tell you, we see one after another. People just can't see the door inside. Why? Because God wants to wake people up. Your lives are not long. Without anything else, boom, you're gone.

As a result, do you know what happened? This tsunami, the Southeast Asian tsunami, was followed by the Japanese tsunami. Oh my goodness. Can you imagine? Playing by the sea, playing and playing, very happy, right? Playing by the sea, hey, people disappeared, gone. Oh, living people turned into pieces of meat. And like the Tangshan earthquake and the Wenchuan earthquake, I tell you, God accomplished what He had purposed. Don't explain for God.

I tell you, nothing under the heavens is not under God's control. Then why are there so many natural and man-made disasters? Since ancient times, God has determined it this way. You say this person is good, how did they disappear? You think they are good? Or do you think you are good? Ask God if He thinks you are good.

If you look, the Israelites in the days of Jeremiah and Ezekiel were the same. Jeremiah and Ezekiel, we people often ask why. There is no why. It is because people live in a worldly logical system. People live in a worldly logical system. Then what God has determined will surely be accomplished. Think about whether we should have more reverence in our hearts.

Every day, there are terminal patients diagnosed, and every day, some people die, right? It is God who determines it. People still feel very confused, right? Very confused. Oh, how did it happen to me? Hmm. It happened to you. What are you surprised about, right? Don't feel strange. Actually, later when I ministered, I gradually began to summarize a rule. How serious the disease is on a person's body, how dirty the heart is. You have to slowly ponder this matter.

The night before yesterday, a sister had intestinal obstruction and felt uncomfortable all over. The small pastor I am responsible for pastoring was ministering to her. Isn't this fulfilling what I said? When you can eat, whether you can defecate, whether you can urinate, you don't have the final say. Then my small pastor was ministering to her. Hey. Oh, when I saw it, I felt compassion. I came in, and after I came in, I led her in prayer and ministry. My ministry starts with understanding prayer.

I asked her what was going on. She said she had ovarian cancer in 2021. How did she get it? She got it from being angry with her husband. I tell you, this female reproductive system has a disease. It must be inseparable from the affairs of this family. Later, I asked: Is it that your husband is messing around outside, and you are angry at home? This matter is also difficult for me to understand. Why? Her husband is having fun outside, and she is angry at home. I have never understood what the relationship is.

I said: This husband was born to his mother, and you were born to your mother. What does it have to do with you? He messes around outside, and you get angry at home, getting ovarian cancer. Do you think this is meaningful? I said: Are you maintaining this family for the sake of this family, for the sake of the children having a father and a mother? She said: Yes. I said: Do you think you are very great? Then you get cancer, great enough to get cancer.

Then she still thinks she is a very kind person? She still thinks she is kind even though she has cancer. Later, she got intestinal obstruction again, and then opened a hole in her stomach and cut off a section of her intestines. You say, oh my goodness, now three or four years have passed and it has happened again, intestinal obstruction again. Oh, this sister has a bad relationship with her mother, father, colleagues, and everyone. Why? Because she discerns good and evil. Can she get better?

Adam took a bite of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. She eats basket after basket of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil every day. Can what God has determined be accomplished? Can it not be accomplished, right? Too tragic. Oh, I have ministered to several critically ill patients, all of them were the most serious. A few years ago, a sister was buried. I happened to be there, and I went. I had ministered to her before. Oh, she went into the urn. Her husband was having fun outside, and she was angry at home, angry to the point of stomach cancer.

After the stomach cancer was prayed for and healed, her husband went outside to have fun again, and she was angry at home again, and then the cancer recurred. I was very surprised. What is this situation? He was born to his mother, and you were born to your mother. The two of you have nothing to do with each other. He is not yours, and you are not his, right? What are you angry about, right?

After the person died, her family bought her a cemetery. It was stored in the crematorium for a while. I happened to go to that place, so I went inside. They still care about this thing. I am not afraid of the living, I am afraid of the dead. The funeral was done with Christian rituals. At the burial, the master of ceremonies' words were like a song, sung like a song, and it was very heavy to listen to.

If we can understand in our hearts and sing more of the Book of Lamentations, and understand a little more, then I tell you, there will be fewer tumors, less stomach cancer, and less suffering, right? Heavy!

The history of the Israelites fulfilled what God had purposed. What the Lord had purposed was accomplished. Now, is it going to shake the things inside us? There are many things inside us that need to be shaken. That's why I like to attend funerals. Every time I attend a funeral, it is very sobering. Oh, the things I care about, I don't care about anymore. The things I can't let go of, I let go of.

Before, when we had a physical church, I almost put a coffin on the stage. Do you know why? There are too many people who can't see through it. Living for money, living for this, living for that, but not living for God.

The history of the Israelites was tragic. The iron hooves of Babylon trampled Jerusalem. That was God's will. The things in the Temple of Jerusalem were emptied. That was God's will. Do you think God really cares about those things? Gold. God really didn't care about this thing, didn't care. God destroyed this temple. Do you understand? God did it.

The Israelites were very miserable. What are the things that God has determined? Do you want to know what the things that God has determined are? You are uncomfortable here, uncomfortable there, this thing, that thing. You need to know the signals that God is sending you. God has sent you many signals. There are too many things that we people can't let go of. You can't let go, but you have to let go. If you don't let go, God will add some "seasoning" to your life, just a little more of God's anger.

In the time of Adam and Eve, God said: The fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil cannot be eaten. If you eat it, you will surely die. You say: This is evil. It says you can't eat it. How come I can eat it? Eve looked left and right at this tree. This tree is very good. She smelled it, oh, it smells good, oh, it smells better than Da Hong Pao tea. It looks good. Hey, the snake said, after eating it, you will have wisdom and be able to distinguish good and evil. Very good, very good.

She forgot that if she ate it, she would surely die. It looks good, it smells good, right, it tastes sweet. But after eating it, she died. Eve ate it, and then Adam was watching there. Hey, how can she still breathe? Hey, God's words are nonsense. What does it mean to die after eating it? I didn't see her foaming at the mouth, right? I didn't see her rolling her eyes. I saw that after she ate it, her mouth smelled good, hey, very good.

Eve gave this fruit to Adam. Adam looked at it, hey, God is talking nonsense, God is talking nonsense. Are we thinking nonsense now, or is God talking nonsense? We still feel that God is talking nonsense many times. As a result, Adam took a bite, isn't this the apple now? Who bit that apple? Adam bit it. Adam took a bite. As a result, he founded Apple Company. By the way, the person who founded Apple Company is dead. This bite created a trillion-dollar company.

Adam took a bite of the apple, and there was no problem. He lived for more than nine hundred years. Has God's word been accomplished? God's word has been accomplished. God, the Lord, has accomplished what He has purposed. You think nine hundred years is very long. To God, nine hundred years is like one day. I was wondering why it was more than nine hundred years, not more than one thousand nine hundred years. In God's eyes, he died that day. Oh, God's word is powerful.

God said to Cain: If you do well, will you not be accepted? If you do not do well, sin is crouching at your door. Cain opened the door and looked. Where is it in front of my door? I didn't see it. Really didn't see it, right? Talking nonsense, talking nonsense. I ask you, did God talk nonsense? He didn't talk nonsense. As a result, Cain killed Abel. God said, can I give you a discount? Right? Let you die, you can't die. Let you live and suffer, living in a state of mental illness for the rest of your life.

I tell you, what is the most painful thing? Mental illness is the most painful. Cain was sitting in the house, and when his head rang, he trembled all over, right? When his head rang, oh, it was extremely painful. Later, this disease was passed on to Lamech, who lived in pain every day.

Brothers and sisters, you must know that Cain killed Abel, and living is pain. What are you living for? Now many people are desperately climbing up, climbing and climbing, and climbing out of a mental illness, right? Babel Tower is full of mental illnesses. People don't understand. You killed Abel. How can God let you live? He didn't sentence you to death? This is more powerful than a death sentence.

God's words will surely be accomplished. As a result, people, whoosh, the whole world became mentally ill. In the time of Noah, they were all mentally ill, all Lamechs, all full of violence. Oh, when the flood came, was God's word accomplished? It was accomplished.

Teacher, can you talk about something good? When you talk about this, I feel scared. That's right, it's to make you scared. If you are not scared, then you will become Cain and Lamech? I can tell you, we should really fear God.

Later, there was finally an understanding person named Abraham. Abraham finally proved God's word. The Israelites began, from Moses to Jeremiah, to live under God's anger. Too tragic, too tragic. So the Israelites became God's word. The Lord accomplished what He had purposed. This is comparable to the time of Adam and Eve and Noah.

Later, in Jeremiah's time, what Moses wrote in Deuteronomy was fulfilled. What did Moses write in Deuteronomy? He said that the people of Israel would be scattered among all nations. I must tell you, being God's chosen people, whether it is a blessing is really a question mark. Israel became God's chosen people, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but ended up being scattered among all nations. It was too tragic, too tragic. God said: Everything written in the Book of the Law will be fulfilled, not one thing will be missed, not one thing will be missed.

So until now, what has accomplished such a thing? What has made the Israelites a model of curse? What has made God's people a model of curse? The worldly logic system. This worldly logic system is too powerful. During Jeremiah's time, they actually watched the Israelites running in this worldly logic system.

A person is born without having to do anything, and naturally is under God's wrath, born as a fleshly and worldly being. So the Israelites, in the era when Jeremiah wrote Lamentations, could not understand no matter how they thought about it. What did I do? What did I do? Everyone, if you were in that situation, you wouldn't understand either. Whether you understand it or not, what God said will still be fulfilled.

Then who made you not understand, right? If you don't understand, you're out of luck, who do you blame? Who made you walk the path of Adam and Eve? Who made you walk the path of Cain and Lamech? Isn't that right? Who made you so stubbornly hold onto the worldly logic system, who made you live so seriously, who made you take living so seriously, isn't that the case?

God has set two paths, one is to carefully observe and follow, and the other is not to carefully observe and follow. Those who carefully observe and follow will surely be blessed, and those who do not carefully observe and follow will be cursed, but whether you carefully observe and follow or not, it is closely related to the logic system inside a person. You won't do what you think is wrong! You won't do what you yourself think is wrong! Everything you do, you feel is very reasonable, very reasonable.

So where did these Israelites die? The Israelites died in their own worldly logic system. Just hearing it, you know that Jeremiah's Lamentations was an era of great outbreaks of curses. For example, in human history, the Japanese occupied Taiwan and killed many people, now forgotten. The Mongols occupied China and killed many people. The Japanese occupied Nanjing and killed many people. Babylon occupied Judah and Jerusalem and killed many people. You say, God, why don't you care?

Once, a classmate asked me a question. I said, ask away. Why does God allow the Israelites to kill so many people in Gaza? Did you think I would be confused? Ha! Die at ten, die at twenty, die at fifty, die at a hundred, any way to die is fine, killed and died, cured by a doctor, or died on your own, or died in a tsunami, died in an earthquake, it's all the same. Why? Because I have my own views on these things.

I must tell you, people live very seriously in this world, and as a result, they become infamous for leaving a name in history. What's the point? There's no point. The Jews in that generation loved their country, right? They wanted to protect the temple, they didn't want to be slaves of a conquered nation, was that wrong? God, I'm here to protect your temple. I can't allow people to take things from the temple. Does God really care about this? He doesn't care, he doesn't care.

This time I remind everyone again, if what we care about inside is what we care about, then there's trouble. If what we care about is what God cares about, then that's right. Does God care about that temple? Does God care about the gold in the temple? He doesn't care, he never cared. What God cares about is whether there is a heart that loves God inside a person. That's what God cares about.

So there are two paths, one is to carefully observe and revere, and the other is not to carefully observe and revere. I tell you, whether you carefully observe and revere or not, Jehovah will surely accomplish what He has determined. Not one thing He has determined will be abolished. You say, then I'll just walk this way, then you go ahead and walk that way. You will definitely experience one thing, that is, Jehovah has accomplished what He has determined.

So when we carefully look in the Bible, the disasters that Jehovah has accomplished are more than blessings. When we look back and forth in the Bible, this ratio is too small. God Himself tore down His own temple. God Himself tore down all His festivals and sacrifices. God wants to tear down the temple made by human hands.

So I think what conclusion can we draw when we read Lamentations? That conclusion is that fearing God is quite dangerous, you must fear God. Don't wait until Jeremiah writes a lament for you, and you say, God, my eyes are a fountain of tears, I want to pour out my heart to you like water. It's miserable, too miserable, isn't it? It's useless.

What were people doing earlier? Jeremiah was shouting in Jerusalem every day, shouting for decades, did anyone listen? No one listened. There were piles and piles of people who hated Jeremiah. Those people who hated Jeremiah, they were all patriotic generals, generals who loved Jerusalem very much.

Scripture

The Lord has done what he purposed; he has fulfilled his word, which he commanded long ago. He has overthrown without pity; he has made the enemy rejoice over you and exalted the horn of your foes. (Lamentations 2:17)

Prayer

Let us come with a heart of reverence, never asking God why, these are all man-made disasters. Let us pray together. God! Give us a heart of reverence now, so that we can completely tear down the worldly logic system inside us. God, let us see clearly the matter of living. Let the path we walk in our lives be the path of living out your glorious image.

Let us live our lives by every word that comes from your mouth, let us have more reverence. Let us learn a lesson from the Israelites. Let us be able to revere you. Let us be able to stay away from your anger. God, save us from your anger, save us from your wrath. Let us come before you with a heart of reverence. Completely tear down the worldly logic system, the fleshly logic system inside us.

Let us be able to stand here and declare to this world that this world has nothing in us. We are in this world to live out the image of God. It is to live out the victory that God has given us. May the days on this earth be to become people who please you. May your words be fulfilled, may the words you bless be fulfilled in our brothers and sisters. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Scripture Background

Let's continue the story, talking about the background of this passage, what happened to Jerusalem and the Kingdom of Judah? This matter is very interesting. Babylon did not completely destroy the Kingdom of Judah. But it was conquered and became a colony. Jeremiah was in this Kingdom of Judah, proclaiming his stuff every day, this is the Book of Jeremiah.

If I have the opportunity, I will definitely take everyone to finish reading the Book of Jeremiah. Then, a king was established for the people of Judah, this person was called Zedekiah, this king began to manage the place of Judah, not a king, but actually a governor. The Babylonians were still very open, allowing them to worship God in this place. They were also allowed to raise an army in this place.

As a result, this Zedekiah was thinking about the restoration of Judah every day, I want independence. Then you be independent, this is called being spiteful. This Zedekiah was discussing with these generals all day long, and one day he started to rebel. Then you say he rebelled, thinking from our logic system, do you think it's very great? Did Zedekiah know God? He knew God.

He knew God, and he often looked for Jeremiah to discuss national policies. Jeremiah also told him that you can't do this, but this Zedekiah began to rebel. The King of Babylon was a very powerful king, and he sent troops to surround the city of Jerusalem three layers inside and three layers outside, airtight, for about a year and a half, the city was breached. After the city was breached, oh, the misery!

Jeremiah was in this city, but the King of Babylon also knew Jeremiah, knew this person Jeremiah, knew that Jeremiah was with the King of Babylon. Actually, Jeremiah was not with your King of Babylon, Jeremiah was with God. It's not that you, King of Babylon, are powerful, it's that God brought you here to destroy this Kingdom of Judah, to destroy this group of people with worldly logic systems in their heads.

So we all need to know that it is not a simple matter for God to destroy a worldly person. Who told you to disobey God's word, you do not serve Jehovah your God with joy and gladness, God will make you serve the enemies who attack you. Isn't that what God says? So that's the background.

As a result, Zedekiah's eyes were dug out by the King of Babylon, and later he was taken to Babylon. I'll let you rebel! All those who wanted to rebel were killed. This history lasted for more than ten years, and several waves of people were taken captive to Babylon. Why? Because they didn't want the people in this place to rebel, the people in this place always wanted to rebel.

Actually, I tell you, the restoration of the Jewish state, this thing was not God's will at that time. Destroying Judah was God's will, but people didn't listen. The worldly logic system inside people is too powerful, so God was angry. I have a logic, I have to tell you, that is, don't offend God no matter who you offend. You can offend anyone, but you can't offend God.

But in Judah, from King Zedekiah to the generals below, no one could figure it out. Hey, why did God do this? They were stunned, stunned. I still want to protect our temple, God will definitely help us, we are God's people. You are God's people, so God will help you? You are God's people, but your heart is not with God at all, it's in the world, so God destroyed these people in a daze.

Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, even asked Jeremiah, are you going to Babylon? Or are you staying here? This Jeremiah was quite interesting, I'm staying here. As a result, later he did another thing, those who betrayed the King of Babylon took Jeremiah to Egypt, to a place called Tahpanhes. As a result, Jeremiah was saying words received from God all day long, and they didn't like to listen, because they had their own set of things inside.

After Zedekiah, a person named Gedaliah was appointed as the governor of Judah, but he was killed by these people who wanted to restore the Jewish state. Anyway, it's these things, people don't think they are doing wrong. These people, they all thought they were helping God, but God didn't care. Through Jeremiah, he told these people of Judah that God didn't care about this.

So after reading the Book of Jeremiah and Lamentations, I have a logic, brothers and sisters, listen carefully. If you are a preacher and happen to hear me talk about Lamentations, then you must listen carefully. Remember, God doesn't need your help very much. If you always want to help God inside, I think you will incur God's wrath, be careful, be especially careful.

The lament that Jeremiah wrote, oh, it's too miserable. What's the problem? The problem is that people are filled with worldly logic systems, and they can't figure it out no matter what. Later, they didn't know what happened until they died. So I tell you, the most hateful thing about people is living in a worldly logic system. This worldly logic system, it all sounds like common sense, including patriotism, which country do you love?

Once I went to Heixiazi Island, which is the Sino-Russian border. Actually, the places on the border were originally part of China. The Russian side erected a statue, saying that this was their Russian national hero. On the Chinese side, seeing that statue, they said he was an aggressor. Does everyone understand? To one nation, he is a hero, to another nation, he is a murderer. Does that make sense? This is called a worldly logic system.

So we Chinese say that one general succeeds on ten thousand corpses, how many people were killed? Isn't that right? So I think our worldly logic system is quite corrupt. That's why there are so many natural and man-made disasters now. Natural and man-made disasters are all caused by worldly logic systems. Later, the Apostle Paul said in his letters that none of the powerful people in this world knew this gospel. Isn't that powerful? Very powerful.

Okay, let's see this, this is the background of this scripture, the background of this passage. Jeremiah wrote a lament. Why? The iron hooves of Babylon trampled Jerusalem. Jeremiah said at the beginning: How the Lord in his anger has set the daughter of Zion under a cloud! He has cast down from heaven to earth the splendor of Israel and has not remembered his footstool in the day of his anger. The Lord has swallowed up without pity all the habitations of Jacob; in his wrath he has broken down the strongholds of the daughter of Judah; he has brought down to the ground; he has profaned the kingdom and its rulers.

Walls and Fortresses Cannot Protect You

You know, people really want to protect themselves with walls. Can walls protect you? Walls can't protect you. Then you say, then why did Nehemiah build the wall? Nehemiah built the wall to build people's hearts. Everyone has to slowly figure out that the wall is not important. People's hearts for God are very important.

So in the day of God's anger, he overthrew the strongholds of the daughter of Judah and brought them down to the ground. He profaned the kingdom and its rulers. Why? Because these things are all called worldly logic systems. The Israeli officers and leaders, and the Israeli king, the king of Judah, they put all their hopes on the walls. Because the walls were very strong, they confronted the Babylonians for a year and four months.

In that one year and four months, they put up quite a fight, but in the end, the Babylonians breached the city walls. How did the Babylonians manage to do it? It was because God was angered and overturned the protection of the people of Judah. The city walls were of no use. But in the eyes of the Israelites, the people of Judah, those inside the walls, how could the walls be useless? Weren't they formidable? We held out against the Babylonians for over a year; without these walls, we would have been finished long ago.

During this time, Jeremiah advised Zedekiah, the king of Judah, to surrender, saying that surrender would ensure his safety. But he refused. He wanted to surrender, but he dared not. Why? Because the leaders of his army did not want to surrender. It was like the Japanese Emperor wanting to surrender, but the Japanese ministers, the Prime Minister, did not want to. So the surrender edict had to be carried out in secret.

Zedekiah was bound by the political system, the worldly political system. This is why it is so difficult for people living in this world to escape the worldly logic system. It is extremely difficult, especially if you are a politician. Whether you are at the top or at the bottom, it is very difficult. There is a worldly political system that binds people tightly, trapping them so that they cannot escape.

Once a person enters that system, it is truly impossible to get out. Isn't that right? Ah, people are so weary. You want to rely on God, yet you are still within this worldly logic system. It is too difficult. That is why the old serpent of this world claims to have hardly ever lost a battle. Why? Because to overcome the old serpent, to overcome this world, one must completely dismantle the worldly things within oneself.

Your Ability Cannot Preserve You

Your ability cannot preserve you. See what it says:

"In his fierce anger he has cut off every horn of Israel. He has drawn back his right hand at the approach of the enemy. He has burned in Jacob like a flaming fire, consuming all around." (Lamentations 2:3)

The horn represents a person's ability. Even now, the worship of ability is still very prevalent. Do you not admire ability? Look at those who are truly capable, aren't they impressive? When we mention the richest man, we are filled with envy, aren't we? Ah, when they speak, a hundred million is just a small target.

A hundred million is an astronomical figure for us, but for them, it is a small target. Now, they are getting further and further away from their small target. So, I think this world worships ability, but ability cannot preserve people. In Judah, there were many capable people, many with great martial prowess. But they relied on these things, and they could not rely on God.

You either rely on God or rely on your own ability. Therefore, those who rely on ability will be cursed. Isn't that a powerful thing? Esau's ability was stronger than Jacob's, but Esau carried this worldly logic system, and Esau's entire nation was cursed by God. Esau could run faster than a wild boar. That is not a joke; he was a hunter, and his legs were very strong. But those who worship ability are cursed; that is the worldly logic system.

Is this the kind of thing we have inside us? This sounds very reasonable, and indeed, there are many very capable people. We might say, "Ah, their artificial intelligence, their self-driving cars are truly amazing." They are truly amazing, but that is worshipping ability. No matter how capable you are, once you start worshipping human ability, you live under a curse.

As for when this curse will be fulfilled, we do not know. We truly do not know. You see, this world is like the wheel of fortune; you do not know if it will be east of the river or west of the river in thirty years. You will only know when the time comes.

Temple Gatherings, Festivals, and Priests Cannot Preserve

"He has violently taken away his shelter like that of a garden; he has destroyed his place of meeting. The Lord has caused the appointed feasts and Sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion; in his fierce indignation he has spurned both king and priest. The Lord has rejected his altar; he has spurned his sanctuary; he has delivered into the hand of the enemy the walls of her palaces. They made a noise in the house of the Lord as on the day of an appointed feast. The Lord determined to lay in ruins the wall of the daughter of Zion; he stretched out the measuring line; he did not restrain his hand from destroying; he caused rampart and wall to lament; they languish together." (Lamentations 2:6-8)

Ah, this is too tragic. I tell you, before the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed, gatherings continued as usual. They prayed there, they gathered there, they kept the Sabbath there, and there were still priests serving. But what happened? God did not care about any of this. The altar, the sanctuary, the palace were all despised by God. Why? Because people carried the worldly logic system.

These things—temple gatherings, festivals, and priests—were merely their political tools. This is true; they were the political tools of Jerusalem. You had to operate within this system. You had to abide by the rules of this system. But these rules served their politics. Therefore, it was just a political tool.

So, these things are all fake. Remember, once something is tied to politics, there is always a small risk. Many things can be said but not done, and many things can be done but not said. Isn't that courting death? It was the same in Jerusalem. It was terrible. In the end, God Himself destroyed it.

Many years ago, I preached a sermon about God destroying His own temple. God destroying His own temple? Why? The temple was not important; the tricks people played in the temple were not important. The logic system in people's minds was very important. If people are filled with the worldly logic system, what good is it to have a godly appearance? The political struggles in the church today are deadly.

A pastor built his own church. After he built the church, the political struggles within it were fierce. The political struggles were constant, all controlled by worldly things. And I tell you, he described these political struggles in the church as a dragon-tiger fight. Aren't you the founder of this church? If you founded this church with the worldly logic system, if you are not overthrown, if you are not destroyed, who will be destroyed?

Later, he contracted COVID-19, and he recovered quickly. I was quite envious. I was also in the midst of COVID-19. But what happened? A few days later, he suddenly died. I was very moved. In fact, through this COVID-19, I dismantled a lot of the worldly logic system within me. If you do not dismantle it, it will not work.

God does not like gatherings, does not like sacrifices, but likes people to carefully keep and follow His words. Now, let us put our hope in our God. God will surely cause us to prosper in this generation. Here is Lamentations. We often read Lamentations to revive our souls and enable us to walk the path of righteousness through the word of God. May God preserve us.

You know, there is something within us that often makes us feel that we have not done things right. Why? Because the worldly logic system within us has cleared some big ones, some medium ones, and some small ones. This worldly logic system is still quite hateful. You can never clear it all, but if you do not clear it, it is still a serious problem.

The Vision of the Prophets Cannot Preserve

The vision of the prophets cannot preserve. Verse 14: "Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions; they have not exposed your iniquity." I tell you, if the vision of the prophets does not expose people's iniquity, then the vision of the prophets is useless. The vision of the prophets cannot preserve. Why? Because the prophets see visions within the system. Whatever vision the king wants to see, the prophet can see. Do you all understand now?

Once, I took a brother to minister to someone. This person was very miserable, very miserable. My brother, whose methods were not based on learning, began to look and said, "Ah, I see Jesus standing behind you." When I looked, I thought, "Good heavens, how come I don't see Jesus standing behind him? I seem to see a ghost standing behind him."

As a result, the young man rolled his eyes and glanced at him with the whites of his eyes. Of course, the brother was still there with his eyes closed, seeing visions. I thought, "Stop it. If Jesus were standing behind him, how could he be living like this, in such a mess?" Later, I thought, "People really like to see visions according to people's wishes, especially in front of the powerful."

This is something to be careful about. In the end, all the prophets became court prophets. The visions of court prophets are useless. Why? Court prophets have to speak according to people's preferences; they do not speak what God says. But what about Jeremiah? Jeremiah was amazing. Even if you put me in prison, standing in the mud, I will still say what the Lord says. But these prophets, their visions are all nonsense.

So, brothers and sisters, do not engage in these things, do not engage in what prophets see in visions. That stuff is useless. It is best to expose our iniquity. If you have the ability, expose your own iniquity and then repent before God with a pure heart. This is the key to preserving you. What vision of the prophets? "Jesus is standing behind you. I see Jesus standing beside you." I say, "Stop it. It is better to talk about our iniquity."

How much of what we have is from the word of God? How much is based on our own ability, how much is based on our own wealth, based on our own city walls, based on our own horses, based on our own weapons, based on these religious rituals? It is all useless, useless. How important is the worldly logic system? If you really dare to say that God has revealed a vision to you, then what the prophet sees must be the exposure of people's iniquity.

So, some people ask me, "Teacher, how did you get COVID-19?" I am a sinner. I am not a model of a saint. I am a model of a sinner. There is much that needs to be repented of, isn't there? I am not the embodiment of truth. Then you say, "What about this Chinese Mingding Doctrine that you founded?" That is not the embodiment of truth either. It is just taking the words from the Bible and talking about them.

The road of humility and repentance is still very long for us. If you want to inherit the Chinese Mingding Doctrine, remember my words: "Ah, this is not quite right. Ah, that is not quite right." Correct them one by one. Do not say, "I have corrected this. I have corrected that." If you have corrected them, so be it. Still, look at the iniquity within us, how much worldly stuff is inside.

Relying on city walls, relying on weapons, relying on ability, relying on religious behavior, relying on false visions, just not seeing one's own iniquity. If we could see it, we would not have to sing Lamentations, would we? Because of Lamentations, we see our problems and then repent before God with humility.

Conclusion: Be Humble and Repent Before the Lord

"The heart of the daughter of Zion cried to the Lord: 'O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears stream down like a river day and night; give yourself no rest, your eyes no respite. Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the night watches! Pour out your heart like water before the presence of the Lord! Lift your hands to him for the lives of your children, who faint for hunger at the head of every street.'" (Lamentations 2:18-19)

This is the best advice I can give you, and it is the best advice for myself. We really dare not say that we have the truth. We are just constantly climbing the peak of truth. Never be complacent, thinking that you are good. There will surely be disaster. There will surely be calamity. You will see God sing a song of Lamentations for you. The words that God speaks will all be fulfilled. God has accomplished what He has determined.

Obedience will surely be blessed, and disobedience to the truth will surely be cursed. As for whether our generation is an era of curse explosion, I guess it is. Is God destroying His temple? I guess He is. God is destroying many churches. Shouldn't we have a heart of fear and trembling? We should have a heart of fear and trembling. We should not be confident before God, thinking that we have the truth. We should strive to pursue it.

At this time, we come before God with reverence. If we are like the people of Judah, God will surely destroy us. We come before God, asking God to take back the worldly things within us, so that this world has nothing in us. Let us, in the blink of an eye, when we become dust, still receive God's mercy and remembrance.

At this time, do not think that tithing is a great thing. Do not think that giving alms is a great thing. God does not need money; God needs our hearts.

At this time, offer ourselves. If we are to rely on anything, let us rely on our God. God has given you warnings again and again, letting you know that God is no longer pleased. Do not wait until Jerusalem is destroyed. Do not wait until the city walls are destroyed. Do not wait until the temple is torn down.

Come before God now. God does not want sacrifices. God does not want offerings, not bulls and sheep. God wants our hearts. The days when our hearts are far from God will surely experience God's warnings. Jeremiah has reminded us again and again. If we have heard, do not wait until God is angry. It will be too late. God let the people of Judah be exiled for seventy years before returning. In seventy years, everyone died.

Our sermon ends here. May God bless you all.