Introduction

The central theme is consistent with the context. For instance, when reading someone's article, we must understand what they are discussing. When we read the Book of Romans, we are not just looking at what a single chapter discusses. Instead, we need to know that each chapter is written following the content of the previous chapter.

When reading the Bible, it is essential to understand what the author wants to express. If I explain something to you for a long time, and you understand it in a completely different way, that is truly bizarre! It's like I say something to you, and when you explain your understanding, I tell you: That's not what I meant. But you reply, No, that's exactly what you meant. Isn't that strange?

If you listen according to your own understanding, then there is no way to continue the communication, right? If I say, I didn't look down on you, and you say, No, you did look down on me, it would be quite exhausting to continue communicating like that.

There are many wonderful things in the world, and the most wonderful thing is faith. Therefore, we must have a clear understanding of faith. Why do many churches lack miracles and wonders? Because today, in this generation, many churches do not do what Jesus did, and instead do many things that Jesus did not do. Isn't that strange?

Actually, I tell you, no matter where you go today, you must return to the fundamentals. And what fundamentals are those? That is, you must clearly know who you believe in. If we believe in Jesus, but act like Sakyamuni, isn't that strange? Isn't it? If we believe in Jesus, then we must ask ourselves whether we resemble Jesus.

If you don't resemble Jesus, then what are you doing? Today, we must know who we resemble. There is only one way to pursue resembling Jesus, and this is the way I have practiced. It is also the only way I have discovered and practiced after reading the Bible. Why do many churches today not resemble Jesus? Because they have not walked the path of faith. Why am I becoming more and more like Jesus? Because I am walking the path of faith.

Wherever I go, I like to tell stories. A few days ago, I went to a sister's house, and her two children surrounded me. I didn't use a single religious term. Why did this sister's children like to surround me? Because they liked to hear me tell stories, and the stories I told were all about the things God had done through my hands.

From Faith to Faith

Today, the theme I have set for Romans Chapter 4 is to imitate the faith of Abraham. Chapter 1 speaks of the gospel as the power of God, and the righteousness of God is from faith to faith. That is to say, in our pursuit of becoming like Jesus, everything is from faith to faith. I have found that people's faith grows little by little. In the process of experiencing God, everything starts from a tiny bit of faith.

One day at noon, I was eating. An elderly sister, who had toiled all her life, was experiencing stiff and painful shoulders and back pain. I asked her if she wanted to be healed, if she wanted to be healed. This sister said, Yes! I released only a mustard seed of faith to her. I told this sister, Let me lead you in prayer! As a result, her shoulders and back relaxed a lot.

Faith Accomplishes Trends

There are also people who do not see things in terms of trends. In fact, not seeing things in terms of trends is a kind of foolishness. Sometimes, when I lead people in prayer, their physical condition improves a lot, but they still say, My physical condition hasn't changed much. I can see that their pain has lessened a lot, so I ask them, Is it better than before? They say, It is indeed much better than before. I continue to ask them, Then why do you still say there's no change? They tell me, The pain is still there. Because in their minds, there is only one concept: either complete healing or no healing at all.

Today, I am here to teach you to learn to see trends, and your faith will grow little by little. For example, if you are raising crabs or oysters, when you look at them today, they may still be the same size as yesterday, but are they not constantly growing? Therefore, we must see things in terms of trends, from faith to faith. Today, there are many carnal people who, because of their unbelief, live like beasts. That is to say, when people do not believe, they have no concept of eternal life. All their purpose is to live for this life. I describe this state as living like beasts, because how beasts live, so do people live.
The Bible says:

For what happens to the sons of men also happens to beasts; one thing befalls them; as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath, so that man has no preeminence over beasts; for all is vanity. (Ecclesiastes 3:19)

But a spiritual person is not like this. Why does a person become a spiritual person? Because of their faith. Why do I perform so many miracles and wonders? Because I am a person of faith. Because I have faith, I can draw on the power of God, because our God is a God of power. This gospel is the power of God, and as long as we have faith, we can draw on it. So what are we still afraid of today? We have God, we have nothing to fear.

Man Looks Only at the Surface, God Looks at the Heart

In Romans Chapter 2, in discussing from faith to faith, we often see that God judges people according to their behavior. Even people in the world know to see the effects of retribution, but many people think that this is judging people by their actions. Why does God judge people by their actions? You must know that what we see is only a superficial appearance. In fact, as a man thinks in his heart, so he is. Therefore, judging people's actions is actually just an appearance. God judges according to what people think in their hearts.

Some people just don't believe in the spiritual realm. When you talk to them about Jesus, they don't listen, and only think about their own carnal things.

God judges people essentially according to what they think in their hearts. If people think only of evil in their hearts, then they will be judged according to what they think in their hearts. If you want to live well in this generation, you must solve the problem of your thoughts and intentions. But in the end, it is still a matter of faith, because belief and unbelief determine how a person's life will be. This is what Chapter 2 discusses.

Chapter 3 speaks of faith as the foundation. People are very fond of grasping appearances, but those who grasp the essence and those who grasp the appearance are two completely different kinds of people. We must learn to grasp the fundamentals. God wrote some confusing options in the Bible, causing us to read astray, and as a result, where do people read? They read into the appearance.

I really like to lead everyone to grasp the essential things in the Bible. We have a difficulty in reading Paul's epistles, which is that they are too difficult to read. Every word seems familiar, every sentence can be recited, but after reading, we don't know what Paul wants to express, and as a result, many different interpretations arise.

So what does the author want to express in Chapter 4? We must grasp the fundamentals, we must know that behavior is a result. Some people have such behavior, which is the result of faith; some people have that kind of behaviour, which is the result of unbelief. For example, if a person wants to be corrupt, they do not believe that the police will catch them. Because of their inner unbelief, they are caught one day, and they sigh, How did I get caught? When they are caught, they still have a侥幸的心 (侥幸的心: a lucky mindset). You say, how strange is this person? Didn't they think about the consequences when they did this thing?

To give another example, one day a person ran a red light. They saw that it was okay to run a red light today, and then they tried again, and it was okay to run a red light tomorrow. They ran three red lights without incident, and they thought it would be okay the fourth time, and it would be okay the fifth time, but one day they were hit and lost their lives. If we calculate the speed of the car that hit them at 60 kilometers per hour, two cars colliding together at 60 kilometers per hour will result in loss of life. Some people say, I want to buy a Volvo, because Volvo is a car made of the hardest steel in the world. I tell you, such steel cannot protect you either. If you keep running red lights, it won't work. That day, I saw a video of a Volvo car being cut into two pieces in the middle. The scene was too tragic!

In the process of my believing in the Lord, I personally sent off two Christians who died in car accidents. One was a young pastor from my previous church, and the other was a very loving couple. This is also the result of judgment. What I'm saying may be harsh. If someone holds a funeral and I say on stage that this is God's judgment, then the people below would throw stones at me. I wouldn't dare to go up and talk nonsense. But in fact, what is not in God's control? I am too familiar with them. They love cars like their lives, and as a result, they were destroyed together with their cars. This is the result of unbelief.

People cannot boast about external things, but must rely on the essence of the inner heart. Therefore, the Bible says to be concerned with the spirit, not the letter. If you engrave the letter in your mind, the most important thing to engrave is what God said in Genesis 12:1:

Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”(Genesis 12:1-3) You must be like Abraham. Don't just use a branding iron to brand the letter on your forehead. You must brand it on your heart, because this matter is about the spirit, not the letter.

Learning to Imitate Abraham's Faith

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, and Chapter 3 speak of faith as the root. What kind of faith does Chapter 4 speak of? It is called imitating Abraham's faith. If you read it carefully, is this more appropriate? Actually, what I am talking about is imitating Abraham's faith. The word imitate really needs to be imprinted in your mind.

Everything we do is through imitation. Recently, I have been practicing calligraphy. Now the tools for writing calligraphy are particularly easy to use. You write with white water, and the characters turn black, and it can be reused. This thing is very clean, and you don't have to use a bottle of black ink, which can easily get everywhere.

This is imitation. If we write in the Liu style, we have the Liu style calligraphy copybook. If we write in the Ou style, we have the Ou style calligraphy copybook. If we write in the Yan style, we have the Yan style calligraphy copybook. Why do we need a calligraphy copybook? If you don't have a calligraphy copybook and just give you a blank piece of paper to practice hard, can you practice it? You can't practice it, because there is no imitation.

If you start learning from drilling wood to make fire, you will still be in the Stone Age when you are old. In your life of seventy or eighty years, you may still be on all fours. What do we not learn from others today? Everything is learned from others. When we learn mathematics, we cannot start from tying one knot with one rope and tying two knots with two ropes. We must learn from the teacher. Chinese characters were invented by the ancients, but we all learn how to write from the teacher. Practicing calligraphy is the same. I don't think it's shameful to trace other people's characters. In life and work, if you don't know the word imitation, you will be very sad!

So, who should you imitate? Where does this path of faith begin? It starts from imitating Abraham. Abraham is very powerful. He pioneered a path of faith and has been continuously promoted. His son Isaac surpassed him, Jacob surpassed Isaac, and Joseph surpassed Jacob.

Imitate to the Root

Recently, we have been organizing the Bible Overview. Today, we live in an era called instant noodles, where everything needs to be fast; if it's slow, it won't work. The other day, I was rushing to catch the subway in Hong Kong. The people in Hong Kong walk fast. I have never walked this fast before. I walked so fast that I saw stars in the daytime.

This path is the path of faith that began with Abraham. We must return to the root. After Abraham, neither Moses, Samuel, David, Solomon, Peter, John, nor Paul can replace Abraham. The faith of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph has been passed down from generation to generation, so we must return to the root. From the beginning, we must imitate to the root, and this root is Abraham.

Faith or Behavior

Our God has dug many pits. For example, when some people read the Bible, they will say, Abraham was not only justified by faith, but also by works. This is very interesting. Moses did not write this way, nor did God say this way. What does the scripture say?

Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.(Romans 4:3)

This is interesting: I was originally a sinner, but today God counts me as righteous because I believe in God. Believing in God and doing God's will are completely different. Everyone must know that if I believe in God, can I live out the image of Jesus Christ? No, if I believe in God and God has not counted me as righteous, I am still living in a state of curse. Living in a state of curse, I cannot live out God's image.

That is to say, if I have the faith of a mustard seed, it is useless. My whole heart must be faith. What are these people writing? It is the concept of Sakyamuni. Today, we believe in Jesus, not Sakyamuni. If you say that the Buddhist scriptures are written that way, then you should read the Buddhist scriptures carefully and imitate Sakyamuni. I believe in the Bible, so I will read about Abraham carefully. The Bible does not write that Abraham was justified because of faith plus works.

To say that Abraham was justified not only by faith, but also by works, is a bit misleading. I am not afraid of people criticizing me for saying this. This is just my opinion. My opinion is not important. The Bible's opinion is important. You should read the Bible carefully.

Preach the Gospel That Paul Preached

Some of the things I say are what Paul said. Later, when I read the Book of James, people said it that way, and I was a little confused. I said, God, this pit is too deep. Should I listen to James or should I listen to Paul? Later, I found that Paul built glorious, God-powered churches. As for the things James said, I don't want to explore them anymore. I just specifically imitate Paul.

Paul gave me a simple path. For example, if I face an elderly sister who says that she is not in good health because she has worked hard all her life, what should I do at this time? I say, Do you want to live healthily? She eagerly says, Yes, who doesn't want to live healthily? Wanting to is a sign of having the faith of a mustard seed. I say, I will lead you to start praying.

For example, I have a classmate. I ask him if he has any religious beliefs. He says, I don't believe in anything. When he invites me to dinner, his arm is outstretched, and his muscles have atrophied. That arm has no strength and cannot even pick up a bottle of mineral water. I say, Do you believe that if I pray for you, your arm will return to normal? Do you want your arm to return to normal? I specialize in doing this kind of work. I am quite capable of boasting, but don't say that it works after boasting. I grabbed his arm and prayed for five minutes, and his strength returned to normal. Because he had the faith of a mustard seed in him, he received grace. Do you think our God is good? Our God is so good! You don't need to walk from the foot of Mount Tai to the top of Mount Tai, with your forehead touching the ground every three steps and kowtowing every five steps, and then your head will be kowtowed into a bloody gourd. These people also say, Ah, I'm not pious enough! That piety is really hard work, but they don't know that our God is full of grace.

So we brothers and sisters should start trying today. These past two days, I have been living in a sister's house, and her mother is always giggling. I am very burdened, so I say, Sister, from now on, don't ask your parents, 'Mom and Dad, do you want to believe in the Lord?' If they reply, 'I don't believe,' the topic may end there and cannot be pushed forward. You can try saying this: Mom and Dad, do you see that your bodies are so uncomfortable now? Do you want to be better? They will say, Yes. Then you lead them in prayer. God will remember our family because of us. See how good God is!

From faith to faith, we must return to the fundamentals and imitate the faith of Abraham. This faith is probably like a mustard seed. I often say that my faith is about to die, but even if it is about to die, it still works. As long as I don't let it die, there is still hope through faith.

So I think the Bible that Paul wrote is better. Paul quotes Abraham, and those who oppose Paul also quote Abraham's faith. Paul quotes the original text of Genesis: God counted Abraham as righteous because Abraham believed in God. But some people insist that it was because Abraham believed in God and also had works, so God counted him as righteous.

Have the Faith of a Mustard Seed

Abraham brought his family to the land of Canaan, and God said, This is the land I have promised you. The result was a famine. Do you think Abraham would think this way: Ah, God, did you make a mistake? You just told me that this is the promised land, and then there's a famine. Should I stay or should I not stay? If I stay, there will be famine and hunger. If I don't stay, it seems like it won't work. As a result, Abraham didn't take it seriously at all. Abraham went to Egypt all at once, and God didn't criticize Abraham. Because his wife was taken away by Pharaoh, Abraham earned a lot of money from Egypt. Because God gave Pharaoh a dream, asking him to return Sarah, Pharaoh dared not offend God. When he returned Sarah to Abraham, he also gave them cattle and sheep. You say, what's going on? Actually, this is the faith of a mustard seed.

Those who oppose Paul often look at the words in the Bible out of context. I like to read the Bible. I really want to know what's going on, because when I see contradictions, I am also very confused and troubled, but I can continue to dig deeper and find that Paul's words are still good. Not only does Paul do well, but he also speaks very well. So, not only should we look at what people say, but we should also look at what the Bible says. We should read the Bible carefully. Don't have your own ideas first, and then use the Bible to discuss your ideas, because your ideas may not be God's ideas. When we read the Bible, we must read to the root. Today, we will start to imitate Abraham's faith.

Learn Abraham's Astuteness

Today, there are many interpretations of faith, but there are also many pits, because everyone interprets faith differently. Today, a brother is very sad because he failed his driving test. I called him and said, If I were you, I would have changed my track long ago. I wouldn't bother with this matter. Either change the place to take the test, or take the automatic transmission test. A sister next to me asked, Teacher, you usually teach everyone to persevere with faith. Why don't you persevere at this time? I said, Changing tracks started with Abraham. I am imitating Abraham. He went to Canaan, and God said to him that this was the promised land, but there was a famine. As a result, Abraham changed tracks and went to Egypt.

Today, we need to be a little smarter and understand what we should persevere in. What Abraham persevered in was God's promise: God's promise will never be abolished. Even if I go down to Egypt, when I return to Canaan, this is still mine. Jacob persisted in the birthright. He didn't care about deceiving his father at all. This is actually flexible persistence. So when should we persevere and when should we not? This matter is definitely very confusing, so we must return to the fundamentals and understand what Abraham's life was all about. Our brothers and sisters must know that everything must be astute. Abraham, this old man, is very astute. He knows how to calculate a bill: I persist in Canaan, but the price of food is as expensive as gold. I might as well go to Egypt to transport some food back.

As a result, he went down to Egypt. In fact, Abraham calculated a return, and our God calculates returns. You took the driving test, and the money you spent was the amount that others spent on several driving tests. Don't you think there is a problem with this? I also have to pay him a salary. If he delays for an hour, I have to pay him for an hour of driving. Then if he delays an hour of work, wouldn't I be giving him the money for nothing? One hour is 200 RMB, so if he takes the test for 300 hours, 60,000 RMB will be lost like this. He himself paid more than 10,000 RMB. Others spent more than 2,000 RMB to pass the driving test, but he spent more than 70,000 RMB. We have to calculate the return. We imitate Abraham's method. I can't teach you this. You can only learn it slowly.

Climbing Continuously on the Spiritual Mountain

If boasting is based on deeds, then you are not considered righteous. You were originally a sinner, but because you believe in God, God reckons you as righteous, but only reckons. Understand? You were not righteous to begin with, but God reckons you as righteous. If it is only based on deeds, then there is no way to reckon, because it will never pass the test, even Abraham would not pass.

If it is based on deeds, then grace is not grace, but our God is a God of grace. Brothers and sisters, you must learn a lesson, which is to never make deals with God. For example, you say: God, I will burn incense for you, please help me with something. Those who are reckoned according to deeds live under a curse. We cannot make deals with God, for the universe and everything in it belongs to God. What qualifications do we have to make deals with God?

We only have one thing to do, which is to believe in God and simply receive our portion. Serving God's flock is also for us to receive more of God's grace. Today, our God is a God who gives life. We must not misunderstand this. What will happen if Abraham is reckoned as righteous? Once you are reckoned as righteous, things become easier, because sinners live under a curse, and the devil can legally corrupt them. Many of us brothers and sisters begin to have a tiny bit of faith, and the devil no longer has the authority to corrupt us. We Christians can then destroy this devil, our bodies will be liberated, and our faith will grow day by day, until one day we grow into the likeness of Jesus Christ. Some people say: How can you be like Jesus? I say: It is entirely possible. I am more like Him this year than last year, and more like Him last year than the year before.

This is a process of growth. No matter which stage you are standing on, you must move to the next stage. In this process, you will find that life is full of excitement, and you experience new things every day. Our God knows very well how we should live. If people live the same every day, then living one day is enough. We must be different today than yesterday, and different tomorrow than today. Every day is new, and our God is a God who does new things. This is why we must begin to emulate Abraham, constantly experiencing God every day and constantly climbing spiritual heights.

Righteousness Declared Before Circumcision

Paul argues about when Abraham began to believe. Paul takes up an issue that the Jews often boast about – circumcision. Actually, what is there to boast about in circumcision? Simply put, it is a minor surgery done on the male genitals, which sounds like a filthy thing. But the Jews like to boast about this circumcision. They have been a fallen nation for hundreds of years because they did not believe in God and disobeyed God's word. God destroyed the nations of Israel and Judah, and they are still talking about circumcision. In Paul's time, the Christians in Rome also practiced circumcision, because the entire Jewish nation felt very proud because they felt they had circumcision and the law. But Paul argues that circumcision and the law are not worth boasting about, what we should boast about is that we believe in the God whom Abraham believed in, and we emulate the faith that Abraham possessed.

But the Israelites did not have Abraham's faith, nor did they have Abraham's character, only his physical descent. Abraham did receive circumcision, because God had Abraham circumcised. In the time of Moses, God had Moses circumcise his son, but Moses refused, and God almost took his life. So, is circumcision important or not? After reading this, we all feel confused, and the Christians in the Roman church at that time were also in this confusion. What is Paul arguing? Did God reckon Abraham as righteous before he was circumcised, or was he reckoned as righteous after he was circumcised?

In fact, God reckoned Abraham as righteous before he was circumcised. Before circumcision, Abraham walked the path of faith, and after circumcision, he continued to choose to walk a path of faith. So, whether or not to be circumcised is not the key, faith is the key. Today, we must begin to be people of faith, that is the foundation. In fact, performing circumcision is also an expression of faith. Even if you have circumcision, but without faith, it is useless, it is equivalent to doing a superficial thing, just doing surgery on the skin. If only those who are circumcised are considered righteous, then how was Abraham reckoned when he was not circumcised?

Today, we also feel very strange, including the Book of James in the Bible. I think many of the words in it criticize the rich people like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. So, never talk nonsense. If only those who are circumcised are considered righteous, then is Abraham excluded when he was not circumcised? God reckoned Abraham as righteous before he was circumcised, just to give Abraham another test of faith on the path of faith. God had Abraham circumcised. Abraham was old at the time and did not care, so he did the circumcision. But God also required all the male members of Abraham's family to be circumcised.

Abraham announced to all the males that they would have circumcision performed on their genitals, and everyone obeyed and agreed, which is really hard to imagine. Today, if we promote some things at home, many people will object. For example, implementing a new policy for children's learning is difficult to implement because what you say does not count. But Abraham believed that God would accomplish it, and Abraham's faith made everyone in the family agree. Although the surgery prevented them from moving for a few days, they did not care.

Circumcision is an expression of faith. Since Abraham was reckoned as righteous by God before he was circumcised, and he was also counted as righteous after circumcision, then how should the result be calculated? That is, whether or not you have been circumcised, you are considered righteous, which is reckoned according to faith. Superficial things do not count, only the essence counts. Today, all of our brothers and sisters must learn to grasp the essence.

Which Is Greater, the Law or Faith?

Confusion arises again, someone asks how to reckon the law of Moses? Genesis was written by Moses, there was no Genesis before Moses.

Today, the author of the Book of Genesis that we read also wrote the legal books Leviticus and Deuteronomy. When you read Deuteronomy, it mentions that you must carefully observe and follow the statutes, ordinances, and commandments of the Lord, one of which is circumcision. The function of this law suddenly becomes troublesome. Do we have to obey it or not? Today, we are still confused. How can the Jews in Paul's time not be confused when they read the law from childhood? They knew from a young age that Abraham was circumcised, which was God's command. The Bible also mentions a very strict rule that if you are not circumcised, you will be cut off from the family.

There was no Book of Genesis before Moses. We now read that the Pentateuch of Moses, Deuteronomy, says so. The law says: If you carefully observe and follow the statutes, ordinances, and commandments of the Lord your God, then this actually includes circumcision. So, how do you explain it? The function of the law here becomes complicated and difficult to explain. Even the Jews in Paul's time were very likely to be confused about the conflict between circumcision and the law. They learned the books of the Law from childhood, knew from childhood that Abraham was a circumcised man, and regarded it as a command. What does the law say? If you do not receive this circumcision, you will be cut off. The consequences are really too serious.

Together, we see that the mysteries of God are really deep. When some people do not understand, Jesus becomes a stumbling stone. Therefore, we must be clear about what Paul is saying here. The function of the law must be made clear, so Paul made the law clear here. The law is to make people aware of sin. If the law is the foundation, then the promise that God gave to Abraham four or five hundred years before the law appeared would be void. Which is the root and which is not the root?

We know that Abraham's faith is the foundation! Then why don't we emulate his faith? In fact, the law of Moses later cannot replace the promise God gave to Abraham. The promise is because of Abraham's faith, so the promise is because of faith, which is grace freely received. Before God, we cannot become perfect people if it is not by His grace. If we cannot be perfect in our actions before God, then we only have a portion to receive. Until today, we see the salvation accomplished by Jesus Christ. Do we still rely on our flesh to perfect it?

We rely on the Spirit of God to work in us to make us holy. That is to say, believing in the Lord means constantly receiving in faith, not receiving grace by works.

So, what exactly did the law do? The law drew a bottom line. Those under the law will be cursed, but faith goes far beyond the bottom line. Are we relying on keeping the law or faith to transcend the law today? We must know that faith can draw on God's power. All our needs in life are met in Jesus Christ through faith. Then do people still need to play some tricks? Actually, no. Those who believe in the Lord should live honestly and uprightly.

Paul says that those who belong to the law and those who are outside the law, all who emulate the faith of Abraham, share in the promise.

What Paul means is that if you are given the law, but you do not have faith, you still cannot keep it. If you are given the law and you have great faith, you can transcend the law. Therefore, those who belong to the law and have faith can receive the promise, and those who do not have the law but have faith can also receive the promise. So, Abraham can be the father of many nations.

Who You Resemble Is Important

What is the father of many nations? Conversely, we are all children of Abraham, and we must have Abraham's character. Abraham is to be the father of our faith. In this generation, who you resemble is a very important matter. If someone sees your child and says: Your child looks like someone from the next-door neighbor's house! If they say that, you will definitely be unhappy after hearing it!

So, if we do not resemble Abraham, but resemble the old Wang next door, is that not troublesome? Then who knows whose children you are? If you resemble the old Wang next door, you can still survive, but if you resemble Satan, is that not troublesome? So brothers and sisters must know that Abraham is the role model we emulate, and we must emulate his faith.

So, how did Abraham believe? He believed before he was circumcised. He was the believing, faithful Abraham before and after circumcision.

Then, more than four hundred years later, the law came out again. Can the law replace Abraham? No, God destined him to be the father of many nations. God made him hopeful when there was no hope and said to him: Your descendants will be like this. As descendants of Abraham, we must become hopeful when there is no hope.

That's a good saying. We often face hopeless situations. So, when there is no hope, what do we do? Look at the environment, wanting to become Jack Ma, Pony Ma, or other entrepreneurial giants, it seems that we do not have the conditions. Recently, I feel that not having the conditions is not important, the key is that you must have the faith of Abraham.

Some people feel that my studies in junior high school were not very good, and neither were they in high school. My time in college was spent playing. What am I going to do in the future?! In fact, if you are still hopeful when there are no conditions, you will see that those who believe in Abraham receive the promise. (Chinese Mingding Destiny)

Hope Allows Us to Continue to Believe

Today, some of our brothers and sisters in our church were all moonlight clan (spending all their salary each month) when they came, but now they are living very well. Some say that what the teacher is talking about is the theology of success. I think success is better than being a moonlight clan. If you think it is not good, that's okay. I think we must emulate the faith of Abraham and draw on God's promise, that is, when there are no conditions and no hope, we are still hopeful. This is a very good situation. People are living in hope. If people have no hope, then living one day is no better than the other, and they feel that living is worse than dying.

Today, we must learn one thing, to remain hopeful under any conditions. We Chinese are very remarkable. In the 1960s, we had no rockets, no missiles, and no satellites, but we Chinese said: If we have the conditions, we will go ahead. If we don't have the conditions, we will create the conditions and go ahead. That phrase is also appropriate for you today. Today, we want to emulate the faith of Abraham and know that the Book of Genesis was written not only for Abraham but also for us. This book was completed hundreds of years after Abraham died.

Abraham believed that God could raise people from the dead. This kind of faith is very powerful. Speaking of faith, Abraham is an expert. We also believe that God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. What does this mean? That is, we still have hope in God when we have no conditions. In this world, we emulate Abraham, constantly building faith. On the road to practicing faith, Jesus has given us a very good example.

Regarding the matter of presumptuous faith, Jesus said to a fig tree that did not bear fruit: You will wither. Did Jesus have presumptuous faith? If you ask some pastors, they may think that this question is difficult. Jesus cursed the fig tree, and the fig tree died. Then the disciples felt strange, and Jesus said that if you have faith like a mustard seed, you can move this mountain into the sea, and it will be done. Another example is when Peter met Jesus walking on the water, he said, Lord, I also want to walk on the water. If it were today, many people might say: Don't overestimate your capabilities. Walking on water is difficult, but why is this recorded? Because the Bible wants you to be a person who practices faith.

Let me give you an example. In the 1960s, there was a pastor who wanted a bicycle with gears, and later he really got it. That requirement was actually very difficult in that era, just like driving a Lamborghini today. I have told this example before. Some people want to try asking God for things like this, but they forget one thing, which is that if they only ask God for things, not beginning with faith and leading to faith, then it is difficult for them to get it.

Are You Praying for the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness?

In the matter of praying and asking God, I often emulate Jesus, seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness. So, whenever someone who is sick comes to me, I also think about what Jesus would do for him. I often ask myself, if I saw someone with mental illness coming to Jesus to seek healing, Jesus would heal him. If such a person comes to me, I also want to heal him.

We see lepers and cripples coming to Jesus, and Jesus heals them all. If Jesus does this, I will emulate him, although the effect was not very good at first, but I do it today and tomorrow, until God accomplishes this thing. This kind of faith is believing that God raised Jesus Christ from the dead and that nothing is impossible for God. Jesus was nailed to the cross, taking the place of our sins. Reading the Book of Romans, we see that Jesus has already been nailed to the cross for us. If you believe, you do not need to keep confessing your sins to God. I see some people confessing their sins all the time, as if Jesus has not yet forgiven them.

My prayer has two characteristics. The first characteristic is saying: Lord, I believe that Jesus has died on the cross for me. For example, if someone is sick, they ask Jesus to heal him, as if Jesus is reluctant to heal him. Can they be healed? If they are unwilling to believe that they have already received forgiveness, can they receive true forgiveness? Because the path we are walking is the path of emulating Abraham's faith. The second characteristic is saying: I believe that I have already received forgiveness, and Lord Jesus has already blotted out my sins. In the name of the Lord Jesus, I command the devil to retreat! You are an illegal resident in my body. My body is to be the temple of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus was nailed to the cross and has already borne our sins. Therefore, when we pray, we should not act as if Jesus has not forgiven our sins. Jesus rose from the dead, which can justify us. What does this mean? Knowing that Jesus rose from the dead is the foundation of our faith. Knowing that all things are possible with God, we begin to run in faith.

If your illness is because of years of toil, that is okay. This cannot replace that God is a God who raises the dead, nor can it replace that all things are possible with God. When everyone comes to Jesus, do not feel that our God cannot do it. If we feel that we cannot do it, we do not believe in God's power. In fact, there are many people who are stronger than ourselves, let alone the God who created us?

We must know that our faith has a foundation because Jesus Christ has risen from the dead and has already triumphed for us. If we believe, let us be justified, and all curses can be removed from us. With this faith, beginning with faith and leading to faith, we continue to grow in Jesus day by day, so that we continue to be sanctified and grow into the likeness of Jesus. (Mingding Destiny)

Today, we must begin to fight against the devil and the enemy. Even if we have not obtained it, we must affirm it as if we have obtained it. We must affirm it in all things. If we affirm it in this way in the kingdom of God, we are a person who draws upon God's promises. To receive promises, we need to rise up to fight and overcome, to possess the promised land. This is the truth that the Bible reveals to us.

Conclusion: Become Descendants of Abraham in Faith

Therefore, we begin today to emulate the faith of Abraham. His faith, at a glance, sees thousands of years into the future, until Jesus Christ was born and accomplished our salvation. We emulate Abraham four thousand years ago, David three thousand years ago, and Jesus two thousand years ago. What are we still afraid of? Even if we are surrounded on all sides, there are still paths of faith everywhere. Even if we are surrounded by enemies, we will not be trapped. If we have such hope and expectation today, what are we still afraid of? In our view, today we are afraid of this and afraid of that. In fact, compared with God's affairs, they are nothing.

God's hand can hold up the universe and all things. Can it not hold up a small you and me on the earth? May our brothers and sisters become descendants who emulate the faith of Abraham, may God's will be accomplished in you, and may God bless everyone!
```