Introduction

Good morning. Today, I am sharing on the topic, When the Son of Man Comes, the Faith that God Seeks. Upon hearing this, you would know that it concerns the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Why this topic? There is a term here called Faith, which is translated from the English Bible as Faith. Why is it translated as 信德 (Xìndé, Faith) in the Chinese Bible? What is 德 (Dé, Virtue)? 德 (Dé, Virtue) is sustained Faith. If a person does good for only five minutes and then starts doing bad things, that is not virtue. Doing good and doing good deeds is not difficult; what is difficult is doing good and doing good deeds for a lifetime.

Many people's faith is not built on the Kingdom of God but on pursuing things of this world. Worldly faith is useless. For example, the Bible records some people uniting together to build the Tower of Babel. When God saw that these people had great faith, He destroyed it, and the people were scattered. This is the faith of the Tower of Babel. What can this kind of faith do before God? It can only build a Tower of Babel.

What I am going to talk about today is When the Son of Man Comes, the Faith that God Seeks. This is the faith that God desires, a pursuit and faith in God's eternal kingdom. Some people think this kind of faith is invisible and intangible. Is it really?

Recently, I have enjoyed discussing Sun Wukong (the Monkey King) with my colleagues. They shared a story about Sun Wukong that surprised me. When Sun Wukong was a small monkey in Huaguo Mountain (Flower Fruit Mountain), one day his companion, another small monkey, died. This greatly affected Sun Wukong. He was extremely sad, lost his appetite, and thought that one day he would also die, so he began to seek the elixir of immortality and learn from masters everywhere.

Even Sun Wukong, seeing his companion die, would ponder. But people, seeing life and death, have no reaction. A few days ago, I took my colleagues to attend a friend's funeral. He was lying in the coffin, and because he had died suddenly, his face had not changed much. All his pursuits in life, all his joys and sorrows, went into the coffin with him, and on the third day, he went into the furnace, and finally into an urn. His love and hate all disappeared into that urn. His life came to an abrupt end. It is terrifying to think about! Therefore, people must have a pursuit and faith in eternity.

When I was young, I was a poor boy, riding a bicycle around the Xizhimen (西直门) streets. In Xizhimen, there is a Gaoliang Bridge (高亮桥), which is said to have been built by Yao Guangxiao (姚广孝) of the Ming Dynasty when he was building Beijing. A Dragon King couple stole all the water from Beijing, and Yao Guangxiao sent the general Gao Liang (高亮) to chase them and retrieve the water, specifically instructing Gao Liang not to turn around no matter who called him. Gao Liang retrieved the water, but when he heard someone calling him, he turned back and was instantly washed away by the flood. To commemorate him, the famous Gaoliang Bridge was built.

At that time, I was wandering around Xizhimen, looking up at so many tall buildings, but not one was mine; the street was full of cars, but not one was mine, and I felt very lost and sad. Do not think I am a saint; I am often sad. When I pursue worldly things and feel that these things are important to me, such as buying a house, I will feel sad as I buy them. Later, I discovered that if a person lives very earnestly in this world, caring very much about cars, houses, business, money, and property, he will feel very sad if someone takes his things or takes advantage of him.

But I also found that once I have hope in eternity, I feel better. When I see people lying in coffins, I wake up because I think like Sun Wukong. One day I will die, and all my love and hate, everything I care about, will disappear into an urn. So, one does not shed tears until one sees the coffin; one does not know to pursue eternity until one sees the coffin, and one does not know what the future holds.

Many people are not as good as Sun Wukong. A monkey, seeing his companion die, even had a good thought and wanted to pursue eternal life. But many people do not think that way when they see life and death; they continue to pursue worldly things, continuing to be entangled in family matters, children, and various other things. Should we think about whether we are people of faith when Jesus comes again? If we are those with Faith, we are the ones God is looking for, and we will enter into eternity with Jesus Christ.

Recently, I have been deeply moved, hearing that several pastors have gotten cancer. I have discovered that I have a great advantage, which is that I enjoy working very much. Unlike some people, I do not feel bad when I work; the more I work, the more I enjoy it. I like to work all my life, and I am very involved in my work and service. Therefore, in the pastoral ministry, my output is very high, and people like me are not prone to illness.

So, what kind of people are prone to illness? According to my research, people who feel bad all day long are prone to illness. The reason for feeling bad is very simple: the work they do is not what they like! Some say that the most difficult jobs in the world are, first, the President of the United States, and second, the pastor. Pastors are difficult to be because the people and things they encounter are all very helpless, and the interpersonal relationships they face are extremely complex, so people tend to feel bad.

But I enjoy it. Why? Because I have only one pursuit in my heart, which is to come before God in the future and receive a crown in eternity. I am occasionally confused. When my face is black, bitter, and long, I know that I have entered a worldly logical system. If someone takes your coat, you fight for your coat; if someone takes your shirt, you fight for your shirt. You argue until your face is red and your neck is thick. After you finish arguing, you feel bad. What are you arguing for?

Sometimes my colleagues enlighten me, saying, Didn't you just tell us a few days ago to give your shirt to someone who takes your coat? Hearing this, I rejoice again. Why? Because I was confused before, and when I am confused, I feel bad. I have a philosophy that working with sadness is still working, and working with joy is also working, so why not work with joy? Similarly, living with sadness is still living, and living with joy is also living, so why not live with joy? Today, I will share with you a very simple way to get rid of these troubles, which is to build your faith on an eternal foundation. Your faith is no longer the faith of this world but the faith in eternity.

When I first drafted this topic, it was called Never Give Up Faith. Later, I thought about it and changed it because people also need never-give-up faith to do worldly things, but that kind of faith brings sadness.

I saw a video online about a football player leading his teammates in a death crawl, which is crawling forward on their hands and feet while carrying a person weighing more than 100 kilograms on their back, with their body not touching the ground. He crawled forward all the way, and I was moved to tears as I watched. But what he was pursuing was just a football. If it were me, I would just give everyone a ball. Why do so many people have to fight for one ball? Of course, this is just a joke.

Today, we use all our resources to run for election, only to end up feeling bad and making those around us feel bad. Is there any need for that? This kind of faith is not the faith that Jesus wants; the faith that Jesus wants is the faith in eternity. Today, if you want to live in this world without suffering, joyfully, and enjoyably, if you want to live out God's glorious image in the world, you must restore your faith in eternity and pursue the crown in the eternal kingdom of Jesus Christ.

Whether you like it or not, you will see others die, and others will see you die. Whether Jesus comes again or you leave this world, these two things are the same. Because when you leave this world, your life comes to an end; when Jesus comes again, it marks the end of all lives in this world. But for those of us who pursue the eternal kingdom, the end of our lives will never be marked because we will continue to enter into eternity with Jesus Christ.

Scripture

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’” And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith (信德) on the earth?” (Luke 18:1-8)

Prayer

Lord Jesus, today, put the hope of eternity in us, let this hope of eternity become a shining light within us, let our whole life be illuminated, and let us live out your glorious image. God, illuminate all the darkness within us, remove all the suffering and entanglement within us. Today, give us a determination that because we have received you, we have received the crown you have prepared for us in eternity. We despise everything in this world, and we regard everything in the world as dung, only to gain Jesus Christ as our treasure. God, speak to us today. Let those who have ears to hear, hear. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!

Scripture Background

The background of this passage is actually Luke's Gospel, chapter 18. If we read Luke chapter 18, you will find that Luke cares very much about the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus. Because when the Lord comes again, many people's lives will come to an end; and some who have faith will enter into eternity with Jesus Christ. In addition to eternal life, Luke also talks about several other things. Let us read a passage from chapter 17:

“Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. “It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it. (Luke 17:26-33)

When the Son of Man comes, it will be the same as in the days of Noah. The Lord Jesus will not be polite. When He comes, if you are not a person of faith, your life will come to an end. Therefore, we must remember Lot's wife, because when Lot's wife looked back, she immediately turned into a pillar of salt. Today, on the shore of the Dead Sea, there are many pillars of salt that look like people. This is a very miraculous revelation. Is looking back that important? Because she looked back to see her property, and as a result, she turned into a pillar of salt. Are we entangled in worldly things today?

“Where, Lord?” they asked. Jesus replied, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.” (Luke 17:37)

Where there are dead people, evil spirits will gather on those who are being destroyed. So Luke went on to write today's passage, When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth? He used the parable of the widow and the unjust judge because the widow had a kind of faith, which was to keep asking the unjust judge to avenge her.

“There was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’” And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Luke 18:3-8)

If you are a person of Faith, God will surely avenge you quickly. If you are not a person of Faith, then slowly become a person of Faith. In fact, the Lord Jesus does not care about your grievances in this world, but He cares about whether He can find people with Faith like the widow when He comes into the world.

A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’” “All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said. When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy. Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” Peter said, “We have left all we had to follow you!” “Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.” (Luke 18:18-30)

The rich man felt very sad and worried when he heard Jesus' words, because what he had to give up was real money, it's all Dollar! To what extent does Faith have to go? This Faith is Faith in eternity, because Faith in eternity requires leaving behind houses, wives, brothers, parents, and children for the sake of the kingdom of God, and there is no one who will not receive a hundredfold in this age and eternal life in the age to come. Therefore, if you are pursuing some benefits in this life, then go after this life; if you are pursuing God's righteousness in eternity, then suffering some grievances in this world is nothing great. Today, let us ask ourselves, is the Faith within us a Faith that pursues eternity, a Faith that pursues God's righteousness?

Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him and spit on him; they will flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.” The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about. (Luke 18:31-34)

These disciples did not understand what Jesus was saying, but do we still not understand after reading this passage today? The Son of Man looked down upon earthly righteousness. People should not pursue earthly righteousness, for there is no righteousness in this world, only righteousness in eternity. People often ask me very worldly questions, such as those who do not want to pay tithes because they lost a large sum of money in P2P. All these people's pursuits are only in this world, and all their faith is but a worldly faith. Even the Monkey King Sun Wukong knew to grieve when other monkeys died, but your eyes are only on P2P. If you don't lose money, who will?

Many people pursue eternal glory, but we pursue only temporary things in this world. What God considers dung, we consider treasure; what God considers treasure, we consider dung. Everything is reversed. When my mother was alive, she told me that ghosts can turn excrement into Jiangmi bars (a type of glutinous rice snack), and many people in the world are eating it. But today, I want to bring you out of your distress, and I want to enter with you into the pursuit of eternity, no longer distressed by worldly things. Those things may seem important, but they are just Jiangmi bars transformed by the devil. This is the background of today's passage, which tells of our pursuit in eternity.

Worldly Grievances Are But Trials

Why would Jesus use the parable of a poor widow wronged seeking justice from an unjust judge? Because the grievances we suffer in this world are but a test. For example, if someone snatches the Jiangmi bar made of excrement from your hand, would you snatch it back? Probably not. But if a dung beetle had its dung ball snatched away, that would be unacceptable, because the dung ball is all the dung beetle's property.

When we suffer grievances in this world, we either seek justice ourselves or ask God to avenge us. If we take worldly grievances too seriously, we will seek justice for ourselves, and our belief in Jesus will be in vain. Is my God not a God of justice? Is He not a God who vindicates us? Is He not a God who avenges us quickly? If we do not know that the things of this world are vanity of vanities, we will take the things of this world too seriously, and we will be hurt when we suffer grievances. Why do people get hurt? Because others have touched what they value.

For example, there was a brother whose advisor had an affair with his girlfriend, and he took this matter very seriously and became mentally ill. He came to me, and I cast out the demons from him, but his problem was still not resolved because he still took this matter very seriously, so sooner or later he would fall back into this pit. Why are people distressed, why do they get mental illnesses, this disease, that disease? It is because they take things too seriously. I am the same. When I am clear-headed, I do not take these things seriously; when I am confused and take these things seriously, I will be distressed. Later, I woke up and realized that my Heavenly Father has abundant possessions. Why should I care about these things?

When we encounter trials in this world, do we have that faith, do we have the pursuit of eternity, do we have the pursuit of relying on God to avenge us? Everyone can carefully examine the《Bible》, especially 《Genesis》. Joseph in 《Genesis》suffered injustice, being sold into slavery in Egypt by his brothers. Joseph overcame his inner pain by relying on the hope of eternity. Joseph no longer belonged to himself, becoming someone else's slave and property, and those who sold him were his own brothers. That was such pain, making one feel distressed just thinking about it.

Later, Joseph named his first son Manasseh, meaning God has made me forget my pain. It is because of God that he forgot the pain inside himself. When I cling to God, I am joyful; when I grasp the hope of eternity, I can overcome the pain inside; when I grasp the world and take worldly things too seriously, I will be in pain.

Joseph named his second son Ephraim, meaning God has caused me to prosper in the land of my affliction, and God placed Ephraim above Manasseh. What does this mean? It means are you willing to prosper in the land of your affliction, are you willing to prosper in God's kingdom? If you are willing to forsake everything in this world for the sake of God's kingdom, can you not gain it? How could God possibly treat us unfairly?

Hoping for Righteousness in God's Kingdom

Hoping for righteousness in God's kingdom is the best cure for the grievances we suffer in this world. Do you trust the Lord or trust yourself? Do you rely on the Lord for vindication, or do you rely on yourself for vindication? For example, if a certain president hires lawyers to litigate, recounting votes in various states, isn't that very distressing? Are we willing to entrust all that we have to God? With the hope of eternity, let worldly houses, wives, brothers, parents, and children not hinder us from obtaining the eternal crown.

Our God is a just God, so don't be confused and pursue worldly righteousness and our own righteousness. We should seek God's kingdom and God's righteousness. Why seek God's kingdom and God's righteousness? Because seeking God's kingdom and God's righteousness will keep us from being distressed. When we look forward to the day when the Lord Jesus returns, we will regard many things in this world as dung.

We are easily deceived. For example, buying a house requires real money, maybe hundreds of thousands, millions, or millions. If we keep thinking about these things, we will eventually fall into the trap of real money, and that's trouble! Today, if we have even a little of Sun Wukong's mindset, we will pursue the hope of eternity. If we seek righteousness in this world, we cannot seek righteousness in God's kingdom. When someone takes our coat, we should give them our inner garment as well. This seems unfair, but what you lose in this world today will be repaid to you double in God's kingdom.

Jacob in the 《Bible》, from a spiritual perspective, was originally the eldest son and could have received Isaac's inheritance, but it was all taken by his brother Esau. But he did not fight back, because those plundered properties had already been attributed to Jacob's name according to spiritual laws. Jacob esteemed everything in the world lightly, so he would spare no heavy cost for the sake of destiny and the eternal covenant!

If viewed with worldly eyes, Jacob suffered no less hardship, and Esau seemed to have a more blessed life. But if viewed with spiritual eyes, the entire heaven and earth until today, whether angels or believers in the world, all extol the name of Jacob, because our God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In the future, I also hope that many people will say: God is my God! My name will be linked to God's name, because in our hearts, there is a heart like Jacob's!

What I hope for is the righteousness of God's kingdom, even if I suffer a lot of hardship and many grievances in the world, it is nothing great. God will make me forget all the pain, God will cause me to prosper in the land of affliction, and Jesus has set an example for us! Performing miracles like Jesus is not difficult, but Jesus was mocked, insulted, scourged, spat upon, wronged, and killed. Can we also bear the same? At that time, Jesus' disciples were arguing about who was the greatest, and Jesus answered:

You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized? And they said to him, We are able. And Jesus said to them, The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized. (《Mark》10:38-39》)

The path we are walking today is not only to be like Jesus in healing and deliverance, but to offer all that we have to God, including property and life. If the house is bought with real money, it doesn't matter. Forsake it for the sake of God's kingdom. The house cannot hinder us from obtaining God's kingdom. Many churches today are popular in talking about family, wives, brothers, parents, and children, but have they really obtained them? Very few pastors talk about forsaking everything in the world to obtain God's kingdom, because they simply can't talk about it, they themselves care very much about all of this.

For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (《Matthew》16:25》)

We should recall Lot's wife. Whoever wants to preserve his life will lose it; whoever wants to preserve his family will lose his family; whoever offers everything for Jesus will obtain everything; whoever offers his life for Jesus will obtain life. This is the righteousness in God's kingdom. When we see the Lord Jesus coming on the clouds, all righteousness will be fulfilled, and God will bring back all the grievances for you.

Will Jesus find faith on earth when He returns? This faith is the value system inside people, that is, what is important to us and what is not important to us? Today, let us have the hope of eternity, looking forward to the day when the Lord Jesus returns.

I have a very strong belief that I would like to see the Lord Jesus return while I am still alive in this world. We must regard everything as dung; nothing is more important than the kingdom of God. The real money in the eyes of the world is just dung in the eternal kingdom. But have we really regarded everything as dung? If we are not sure, we can try to let others move something that we consider most important inside, and see how we react. Then we will know if we have really regarded everything as dung.

What is the use of houses, wives, parents, brothers? Can they accomplish God's kingdom? No! Can we accomplish God's kingdom by taking good care of our families, wives, sons, and parents? No! In the 《Bible》, Jesus never said: Take care of your family first, and then follow me! If someone says that, then they are distorting God's words. What Chinese Mingding Destiny pursues is to keep and follow God's words.

And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. (《Matthew》19:29》)

What God values is eternal blessing. The grievances in this world are but a test, testing whether you can bear them. The Lord Jesus was mocked, insulted, spat upon, scourged, and killed, but He did not argue for Himself, because these things were nothing great, just a test, a test to obtain the crown of glory.

There is a very interesting story in history about a person named Zhao Taihou. When the Qin State attacked the Zhao State, the Zhao State was on the verge of collapse, so they went to the Qi State to move troops. The Qi State told the King of the Zhao State: You must put one of Zhao Taihou's sons in the Qi State as our hostage, and then we can send troops. But Zhao Taihou resolutely refused to let others touch her son. Whoever touched him would be turned away. Seeing that the Qin army was about to attack, and the Zhao State was about to be destroyed, Zhao Taihou still refused to send her son to the Qi State as a hostage.

There was a very wise minister named Chu Long who went to see Zhao Taihou. Zhao Taihou said that she wasn't going to talk about her son being a hostage. Chu Long talked about family matters. As he talked, he said, In the future, your son will definitely inherit the throne. Taihou said, Yes, my son will definitely inherit the throne. Chu Long then said, It is not difficult to inherit the throne. The difficulty is that after you pass away, your son's throne can still sit for a long time. You see, in our Zhao State, which king didn't rely on his achievements, but relied on feasting to sit on the throne? Your son has not contributed to the country and has not performed military exploits. Who will honor him?

Zhao Taihou asked Chu Long how to let her son make contributions. Chu Long immediately said, Now sending your son to Qi State is the best opportunity to make contributions! Your son will risk his life to be a hostage in Qi State, and make great contributions to our Zhao State, and then he will be able to rightfully sit on the throne. When Zhao Taihou heard this, it was this truth! So she happily sent her son to Qi State, and Qi State then sent troops to defeat the Qin army, and Zhao State defended its country and territory.

This story tells us that people must have some military exploits in order to be king, otherwise how are they qualified to manage the country? If you are a loser king, then you cannot be king. Today, if we want to enter God's kingdom and reign with Jesus Christ, what military exploits do you have to say to God: God! I want to reign with you. God! I want to obtain the crown of glory. Is it not that you suffer a little grievance in this world, so that you can pursue the kingdom of God and His righteousness? Is it not to forsake real money for God? Isn't it forsaking all obstacles that hinder you from obtaining the eternal crown? Would we be like Zhao Taihou, forsaking our sons and sending them to the Qi State?

If we are willing to forsake everything for the sake of God's kingdom to imitate Jesus, can you be unlike Jesus? Today, all the brothers and sisters who have been healed among us, you owe me a favor. Why? The reason is very simple. You can be healed, of course, because your faith has saved you, just as those people came to touch Jesus, and Jesus turned around and said to them, Your faith has saved you.” But what if those people touched someone else? Or touched an elephant or a big tree? Could they be healed? No. Why? Because that is not Jesus!

Today, if you and I have become like Jesus, that is, being mocked, insulted, scourged, and killed, and we do not spare our own lives, I tell you: How is it possible that you are not like Jesus? If you and I are like Jesus, if the people around us touch us, they will be blessed. Won't we become people who bless others? Do you desire to pay any price for Jesus today? Do you desire to become a person with Mingding Destiny? Do you desire to become a person with military exploits before Jesus, in the kingdom of God? This military exploit is faith.

Conclusion

The day of the Son of God is near. Are you and I people with faith? Today, hope for righteousness in God's kingdom, hope for the day when the Lord returns, regard everything as dung, and forsake everything for the sake of God's kingdom. Imitate our Jesus Christ, that is, offer all that you have, not to mention houses, money, and life. You may say: Who can do this? How can those who pursue eternal glory not do it? Today, let us resolve to become people who pursue eternal glory, and we will receive a hundredfold in this life, and eternal life in the age to come.

Now, please put your hand on your chest and tell yourself: I want to pursue the kind of faith that God wants, the kind of confidence that God wants. I have regarded everything as dung, and only obtaining Jesus Christ as the most precious. I am determined to become a blessing to many people.

May God bless everyone!