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【Bible Study】Luke 22 – Offering Your Body to God is the Key to Victory!

2021-03-10 32,135 Luke Fearless in the Face of Death Holy Spirit Fear The Kingdom of God Timidity Victory

Introduction

Each time we delve into the Scriptures, I find immense joy, for God's Word once again invigorates us. Let us turn to Luke chapter 22, where you will discover that Luke has already addressed a crucial issue.

Consider this: Luke chapter 17 speaks of The Kingdom of God being within our hearts' choices, chapter 18, Choosing to believe in our hearts, chapter 19, The consequences of belief and disbelief, chapter 20, Believing that Jesus Christ is Lord, and chapter 21, Heaven and earth will pass away, but God's Word will endure forever. What then should chapter 22 address? I believe Luke crafted an outline, and then proceeded to fill in the details.

Each chapter consists of numerous major and minor headings, essentially forming an outline. If we grasp how Luke constructs his outline, we can seize the essence of his message. In chapter 22, Luke writes extensively. In fact, each chapter of Luke is quite lengthy and filled with content, making it rather challenging to pinpoint the central theme of each chapter.

Some singers or comedians might begin with a few lines, and the audience immediately guesses the song's title, as the opening lines are the song's namesake. This chapter is not so straightforward. It begins with the narrative of Jesus' arrest, Peter's three denials, and Jesus' trial in the synagogue. What is Luke conveying in this chapter? Luke is speaking about Offering oneself to God as the key to victory, or The beginning of victory.

Seeing Through the World, Offering Oneself Completely

Offering our bodies to God is of utmost importance. I will now elaborate on the content of this chapter, aligning it with the chapter's theme. Offering oneself to God is a decision Jesus made, and after making this decision, He instructed His disciples: You must also do likewise. How should they do likewise? By offering their bodies completely.

Jesus reclined at the Passover feast, with His twelve disciples joining Him. During the meal:

And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.' In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.' (Luke 22:19-20)

Consider this passage carefully. Is it about eating the bread to remember Jesus, or about offering oneself to God to remember Jesus? I believe even a child can discern the author's intended message. What is meant by do this? It means offering your body.

When a person offers their body, just as Jesus did, it means embracing death if necessary. Dying is simple, and living also becomes simple. Is celebrating Holy Communion merely about drinking the cup and eating the bread? No! It is about learning to offer our bodies, as Jesus did. You must understand that if you do not offer your body to God, the problems of this life become exceedingly complex.

The Consequences of Loving the World Lead to Corruption

Why do we keep struggling without progress? Because we never offer our bodies. When a person offers their body, just as Jesus did, giving their life to God, what problem remains?

Some might say, I cannot bear to see my parents grow old or my aunt fall ill. Why is this the case? It is because they have not yet offered themselves, placing too much importance on the affairs of this life. Suffering is inevitable! Some observe that others love the world and seem to do well, while their own love for the world is less prosperous, leading to anxiety and hardship. Some, when faced with slight difficulties, lament, I might as well be dead.

If one truly possesses the faith to embrace death if necessary, it simplifies matters. Saying you'd rather die, yet speaking falsely, indicates a desire to die but simultaneously clinging to life, creating turmoil. I have come to realize that when people lack insight into the matters of life, it truly becomes distressing.

Some time ago, I received a phone call from a lady who said, Teacher, I need to convert my driver's license to a Singaporean one. I replied, Congratulations. Obtaining a driver's license in Singapore can be quite challenging. This sister lived a very difficult life some years ago, and I have shared her story many times. When she first came to the church, we prayed for her together, and soon she found a job in Singapore, earning one thousand Singapore dollars a month, which later increased to over two thousand, a substantial increase!

Do not assume it was merely a doubling. When her salary was just over a thousand, she had no savings, but when it rose to over two thousand, she accumulated more than a thousand in savings, marking a significant increase. However, from that point onwards, this sister worked with great dedication, leaving her with little time for church. Eventually, she lost her job and had to return home. This sister has previously shared her testimony, which can be found on our website for those interested.

After returning home, this sister immersed herself in business, living solely for the sake of living. As a result, she fell ill and was diagnosed with an incurable disease, signaling her impending death! Consequently, the affairs of life became simpler. She ceased doing business and secretly purchased a plane ticket to see me. Facing death, she had no time for earning money, as it no longer mattered. Debts also became insignificant; upon death, all debts are absolved.

After I prayed for her, she recovered. A medical examination confirmed the disappearance of her illness, and the problems of life became severe once again. Why? Because she was once again burdened with the task of living, marriage, finding work, and engaging in various business ventures. I thought to myself, if Jesus could restore your life, would He not be able to resolve these issues? Why must you struggle on your own, marrying and bearing children, only to face the challenges of raising them and dealing with your husband?

As a result, this sister approached me in tears, her eyes swollen. I inquired about the matter, and she complained about her husband and children. Oh my goodness! A person who had narrowly escaped death was once again heading towards it. Living was originally a simple matter, but she had complicated it once more. She did not realize that offering oneself is the key to victory.

Trusting in God; Nothing is Impossible with God

Living is a simple matter when one trusts in God and offers oneself completely. How does one offer oneself? That is the crux of our struggle! People are unwilling to offer themselves, believing they must live on. If you constantly contemplate death, the problem diminishes, doesn't it? Which type of person faces a greater challenge? Those who live constantly think, I must live on, I must work, I must grow, I must pastor, I must build a victorious church. Such individuals lead a more strenuous life. But if one says, I will die tomorrow, I will die the day after tomorrow, the problem becomes smaller.

Try offering yourself to God today. Live for the Lord today, and all problems cease to be problems. Earning money is not a problem, business is not a problem, work is not a problem, and whether the boss likes you is not a problem either. Developing this system, pastoring this person, this ministry, that ministry—all problems immediately diminish, resulting in walking the victorious path of Jesus.

Someone threatened me: I will kill you. I thought, I wanted to die yesterday but failed. If you are here to kill me today, that would be wonderful! I must thank you. Hurry up and do it quickly. Who can harm you? No one can harm you. Who would bother to kill you, only to face imprisonment, and you would thank them? No one would do such a thing.

Fear of Death is a Manifestation of Worldliness

Once a person is no longer afraid of death, many problems disappear. However, if one fears death, they are bound to become a traitor if captured. Therefore, being a traitor is no easy feat! Someone turned traitor and was liberated within a few years, only to be executed in the end. They sought to live, but failed. Many others were captured but did not turn traitor, and they lived.

Only those who are not afraid of death can be faithful to God. In the church, when I see someone who is timid, fearful, afraid of death, and afraid of many things, I think they are almost a traitor, with the bones of a traitor in their body. If you were to ask me, I possess integrity, which means I would rather die than become a traitor; it is as simple as that. Isn't death a simple matter?

Speaking of this, let me digress slightly. During the Qianlong period, Emperor Qianlong wrote a book called Biographies of Traitorous Subjects. Do you know what a traitorous subject is? It refers to Ming Dynasty officials who were subdued by the Qing Dynasty. Emperor Qianlong's Biographies of Traitorous Subjects was written about these individuals, with the words revealing his disdain for them. Although Qianlong granted them official positions and titles, he looked down upon them and gave them the name traitorous subjects.

Do you know what we mean today when we say someone is quite foolish? The term is not pleasant and actually originates from the traitorous subjects, implying a lack of loyalty. Therefore, we must understand that if you are a citizen of God's kingdom and are suddenly captured by Satan one day, will you choose to surrender or choose to die rather than yield? I tell you that a person who chooses death rather than yield will be remembered by many.

Emperor Qianlong also wrote many other books to commemorate the Ming Dynasty officials who chose death rather than yield during the late Ming Dynasty. Isn't it strange that Emperor Qianlong did not commemorate these traitorous subjects, but instead commemorated those who remained loyal, the Ming Dynasty officials who chose death rather than yield, fighting to the end? What does this mean? Even Emperor Qianlong, who was your enemy, greatly admired those who chose death rather than yield.

Unyielding Resistance is the Key to Spiritual Warfare

Therefore, brothers and sisters, we must understand one thing: today, as we engage in spiritual warfare on this battlefield, unyielding resistance is the key to victory. If we are no longer concerned about death, what else do we care about? If I don't care about my own death, why would I care about the death of my parents? Even if my parents die, I wouldn't care, and I would care even less about your death. Why is this so? Because serving and fighting spiritual battles are only possible in this way.

Once we become Christians, we choose to be enemies with the most powerful enemy in the world, but even so, I do not want to be an enemy of God. Today, you must either be an enemy of Satan or an enemy of God. If you surrender to Satan, Satan will despise you, and God will also despise you. What should you do? Isn't this serious? Therefore, once we become Christians, we must walk straight into the light. So, this matter is very interesting to think about.

Look at these chief priests and scribes; they are very cowardly, fearing the people even when they want to arrest Jesus. Then Satan entered the heart of Judas Iscariot. What does it mean for Satan to enter Judas' heart? Judas thought, This is not good! If Jesus continues like this every day, he will die sooner or later! I don't want to die with him! If Jesus is arrested, I think this matter is a bit uncertain! If I am also arrested, wouldn't that be troublesome? My life is more valuable than Jesus' life. I should strike first and prepare a way out for myself!

Judas then consulted with the temple guards and chief priests to prepare a path for his future, as people often do. In reality, did Judas prepare a path for himself? No, he prepared a path to death! As a result, Satan entered Judas' heart. How did Satan enter Judas' heart? Those who are greedy for life and afraid of death will not fare well. What was the result? He went to betray Jesus, and Judas later became the shortest-lived of the twelve disciples.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, we must know that fear is a very evil thing. If a person is not even afraid of death and does not care about death, what else would they care about? I am a bold person because I am never afraid of death, and I always feel that death is better than living because death is simpler, and living is tiring and complex. Isn't it easier if you are not afraid of death? Therefore, I am bold.

Later, Judas hanged himself, and his intestines spilled all over the ground. How did his intestines spill all over the ground? I tell you that recently, we have been attacking the spirit of Satan, and many people have stomachaches. The spirit of Satan is somewhat related to stomachaches, and that's how it is. Therefore, brothers and sisters, you must know that people are inherently carnal and naturally prepared for the affairs of life.

For example, a few days ago, a sister's mother had cancer and was suffering a lot. Her mother reluctantly followed our sister and her pastor in prayer, and many of her illnesses were healed through prayer. Occasionally, there would still be some symptoms, but she could live a normal life without any impact! As a result, this sister's older sister took her mother to Shenzhen, saying that there were injections worth tens of thousands of dollars that would cure her with just one shot.

Although this sounded like a scam, her mother was not satisfied with her life, even though her cancer had been healed through prayer. She still wanted to live better, so she spent tens of thousands of dollars on an injection, which resulted in shingles all over her body, causing pain! If people were not so concerned about living, would they have taken that injection? No!

If a person has a lot of money and is afraid of death, it is the most fatal thing because they are often calculated by those who make money. As a result, shingles came, and do you think they would refund the money? No, they wouldn't refund the money. People just want to suffer that hardship because they are not satisfied with life. They just mess around, and as soon as they mess around, shingles come back! Mess around! It's okay, mess around! What can I say? If people were not so concerned about the affairs of living, wouldn't things be simpler?

Overcoming Carnal Thoughts, Constantly Refining and Growing

Even when Jesus was about to be crucified, the disciples were still arguing about who was the greatest. Carnal logic always feels that it is better to be the greatest. Why? Because I am great! I am the master! Go! Pour me some water! Why? Because I am too lazy to pour water myself. Go! Wash my feet! Because I am too lazy to wash my feet myself. Go! Give me a bath! Because I am too lazy to take a bath myself! What is that doing? It's like raising a fat pig, waiting for the time to slaughter it.

People like to be great because being great is more enjoyable for the flesh. When the sun comes out, they have someone hold an umbrella and fan them. Now, there is no need to do this, as air conditioning is installed. In the past, there were no electric fans, so servants had to fan their masters by hand. However, in the kingdom of God, being great is not comfortable for the flesh. Being great means serving people! Washing their feet, doing things for them.

Therefore, from a spiritual perspective in this world, serving people is greater, while from a carnal perspective, the person being served is greater. This is hard to explain. What does it mean to offer your body? It means becoming like Jesus, serving people.

You are those who have stood by me in my trials. (Luke 22:28)

Jesus often served people, exhausting Himself. Don't think that Jesus wasn't tired after serving; He was tired! Why? Because of trials, serving people all day long is offering your body. Because Jesus came into this world to offer Himself, but we are good at being uncomfortable with doing a little work and being uncomfortable with giving a little, as eating, drinking, and fattening ourselves are the easiest.

Emulate What Jesus Did, Offer Yourself

So today, let's start working hard to serve! Being in trials is itself offering yourself, and then you receive the kingdom of God, just as God has given His kingdom to Jesus Christ, right? God gives His kingdom to us, and there are no lazy people or those who indulge the flesh in God's kingdom. In God's kingdom, everyone is like Jesus, offering themselves. While living, they serve, and even when they die, they serve.

Jesus has opened up a path for us to offer our bodies to God. Although this kind of life is full of trials, our spirits are very happy and very comfortable. Do any of you brothers and sisters want to jump off a building? If you offer your body to God, then from now on, don't think about jumping off a building. What should you think about? Offer your body to God! Anyway, you're going to jump off a building. What are you saving it for if you don't offer it to God? You can't offer your body to the building, can you?

Serve! You're going to die anyway. You're tired of living anyway, right? Like me, right? It doesn't matter what's big or small. Let's just assume that we've already died and been resurrected. Today, it is no longer I who live, but Jesus Christ who lives in me. Today, let's live out Jesus Christ's determination to offer Himself.

Many people always want to be good people because there are many good people in our church, not just one or two. As soon as you want to be a good person, you attract ghosts! Everyone knows that the best person in the world is Monk Tang, and demons always want to eat his flesh because those who want to eat his flesh are demons. In fact, Monk Tang is also a fake good person. As soon as the demons want to eat his flesh, he quickly says, Wukong, save me! If you really want to be a good person, you would say, Hurry up and cook me! Whether you stew me, steam me, or boil me, hurry up and do it quickly! Don't wait for my eldest disciple to come. You won't have a chance.

If you're not going to be a good person all the way, then a good person cares about their own life and the lives of others. Today, I advise everyone to see through this matter. If you see through your own affairs, your family will not be able to put pressure on you. Like my mother, if she wants to put pressure on me, she can't.

Satan Will Sift Out Christians Who Fear Death

Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. (Luke 22:31)

I once preached a sermon titled Satan Wants to Get You. You must know that Satan sifts out those who fear death. Peter is a very interesting person. Do you think he has a determination to offer himself? It seems like he does, but it also seems fake.

But he declared, 'Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.' (Luke 22:33)

Peter only says nice things to comfort Jesus. Jesus already knows what Peter is like, just afraid of death. Don't think that Peter is big, with dark skin and a long beard, it's useless. Being big does not mean you are not afraid of death. Your determination must be strong. He said to Jesus, I am willing to die with you. If you are really willing to die with the

Lord, would you need to deny the Lord three times? In Northeast dialect, Peter is spinning in circles, becoming more and more circular.

Everyone must understand that if Peter denied the Lord three times, you might double it and deny him six times.

Jesus answered, 'I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.' (Luke 22:34)

Peter only says what sounds good because he doesn't have to take responsibility for what he says to Jesus. But after saying these words, can you do it? You can't do it. In fact, it is admitting to being in the same group as Jesus, and they don't want to kill you. They only want to arrest Jesus.

In fact, Peter is just afraid of death. Later, Peter got even worse, he was worse than anyone could imagine. Peter was afraid of his subordinates. At that time, Peter was the second in command of the church. The first in command was James. Shouldn't James' people be ranked after the third or fourth in line at most? How could James' people be ranked above Peter? But he was afraid of James' people! Does the second in command need to be afraid of the first in command's secretary? Is that strange?

Jesus was arrested, and Peter denied Jesus three times. What can James' people do to you? Nothing! Can they crucify you? No! It would be great if they could crucify you with Jesus! He's even afraid of James' secretary! How circular is that? Can such a person preach the pure gospel? This is very uncertain.

Peter denied the Lord three times. What if he admitted it? Peter came to Jesus and said, I am willing to die with you. It turns out he was playing a fake game. In a person's life, being afraid of death is very distressing. Today, many of us are afraid of our husbands, wives, grandfathers, and grandmothers, but in reality, we are afraid of death. You are afraid of things that won't lead to death, so how afraid would you be of something that could lead to death? We must see through these things and walk on a path of victory.

Jesus also knelt down to pray, was in great agony, prayed more earnestly, and His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. Then an angel came to strengthen Him. It wasn't easy for Jesus either. Anyone who walks this path is called victorious. Among us, there are brothers and sisters named Victory. Today, I congratulate you. You must become a victorious person. If you are a victorious person, you are not afraid of anything.

Among us, there is a sister who is afraid to go home because her parents force her to get married as soon as she returns home. There is also a brother whose parents are forcing him to get married. If you are not afraid of death, why are you afraid of these things? I don't understand. I haven't encountered such things. We must offer ourselves to God. Offering ourselves to God means offering our lives, and then no persecution will work.

Trusting in God, We Shall Not Lack

I want to offer myself to God. What a wonderful choice! All problems become simple immediately. In the past two Sundays, I tried hard to explain these things clearly. Actually, it is just one sentence: offer yourself to God, live for God. Serve God, do not care so much. Whether we die or live, we belong to God. What else do we need to care about?

If you offer yourself to God, what will you lack? You will not lack anything. If you offer yourself to God, if you are that little donkey, and you offer yourself to God, saying the Lord is using it, then the master will say: use it. Who knows what happened? I do not know. But the Lord said He wanted to use it, and the little donkey let the Lord use it. Then it said: go prepare the Passover feast, and it prepared. What is this all about?

It sounds like a fairy tale, doesn't it? Are the owners of those houses possessed? Actually, they are not possessed by demons, they are possessed by God. Suddenly, these things are not a big deal. They prepare the Passover feast when asked, and they prepare the little donkey when asked. Anyway, everything falls into place naturally. That is God's provision.

Could God not prepare the Passover feast? Absolutely! Could God not prepare the little donkey? Absolutely! Could God not prepare money? Absolutely! Could God not prepare work? Could God not prepare a place to eat? Could God not prepare things? He can do all of these! Wouldn't life be simple if people lived this way?

If Jesus said to offer yourself to God, is your finances a problem? Being cheated today, being cheated tomorrow? Why? Because you want to be greedy for money. Like Tang Sanzang, people want to eat his flesh, but he does not give it to them. Wouldn't it be great if everything was not for money? Like me, I do things for people, mostly for free. Because I trust in God, money is not a problem.

I met some pastors who spent money, took out loans, and borrowed money from church members to buy a so-called temple. Actually, the temple is not that building. They thought that building was the temple, and they felt particularly stressed after buying it. Then they started to collect money. If a church member left, they would be very upset. Why? Because one less person means one less offering.

Like us, we do not care about that. It is okay if one leaves, it is okay if two leave. As long as you are willing to let me serve you, I will serve you well. If you are not willing to let me serve you, then do whatever you want. Why? Because I only want to serve you, I do not want to get anything from you. God will supply everything I need. That way, things become simple.

Some people are confused, will God really supply everything? Take me for example, God has never let me lack anything. It is difficult for me to lack anything. I eat simply. If I cannot afford one meal a day, I will eat one meal every two days. My life is simple, but fortunately, I can basically afford two meals a day now. It is good to be like me, not lacking money, having everything you need.

Of course, I would not buy a plane for no reason, and then leave it there without flying it. Putting a plane there costs tens of thousands in parking fees every year. I do not need that, and I am not that stupid, making myself nervous and begging for money everywhere. Zhao Benshan told a joke, someone tricked him into buying a plane, and he hardly ever flew it himself, but he had to pay tens of thousands in parking fees every year. Do you think it does not cost money to park a car in your backyard? Can a plane be parked in your backyard? You can park a tricycle in your backyard, but you cannot fit a plane.

So our lives are simple. We can travel all over the world with just a suitcase. Do not be tricked into thinking that buying a plane is a good idea, only to end up with a rope around your neck. We do not need a plane to be happy. As long as we offer ourselves to God, we do not need to shout slogans like Peter, because life and death are not important anymore.

Once you find that living is meaningless, living becomes simple for you. I have no interest in traveling or eating and drinking. I only have one pursuit, which is to completely offer myself to God. If someone seeks my life, I will thank them!

Someone might say, I still cannot live like you, I still want to go out to eat, drink, and travel. This world is great, I still have many wishes to fulfill. In this way, the rope around your neck will become tighter and tighter. How can you be happy? Even if your wishes are fulfilled, you will find it boring. You think everything is good now, because you still need to see more of the world.

Be Someone Who Solely Pleases God

Why was Peter afraid of the people who came from James? Peter is a complicated person. We have not figured him out yet. But we have figured out the Apostle Paul. The Apostle Paul is truly someone who fears nothing and solely pleases God! He said something I really like:

Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. (Galatians 1:10)

I want to serve God in this way too! Luke actually followed Paul, and in his writing, he sometimes poked fun at Peter. The book of Galatians records Peter's affairs. Let us not shout slogans like Peter. We should be truly willing to die with Jesus, even when death is imminent, I am willing. If your flesh is weak, then pray to overcome it. Jesus tells us how to overcome the weakness of the flesh:

When he reached the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” (Luke 22:40)

We must know that the flesh is always a stumbling block that prevents us from trusting in God, always making us greedy for life and afraid of death. Jesus came into this world in the flesh, willing to offer his body, so that our bodies may be redeemed, so that we do not have to care about those strange emotions and evil desires of the flesh.

After Victory Through the Holy Spirit, We Overcome the Flesh

A carnal person is always afraid of death. When you are carnal, your whole body, including your brain, cannot follow the will of the Holy Spirit. Only through prayer can one avoid falling into temptation. When Jesus was about to be arrested, he prayed to God:

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” (Luke 22:42)

Did you see Jesus shouting slogans like Peter? The will of Jesus is obvious: according to my own preferences, I am unwilling, but I do not want to follow my own preferences, I only want to follow God's will. I know that my flesh is weak, but my Heavenly Father can accomplish His will in me and help me put to death the evil habits of the flesh.

So later, the Spirit of God will come to help, and angels will appear to strengthen him. Do you understand? Jesus was in the process of putting the flesh to death. The scene is described as sweat dripping on the ground. This is a very agonizing process. God knows that our flesh is weak, but at the same time, God is also the God who helps us, so let us stop shouting slogans and be practical.

These disciples fell asleep completely while Jesus was praying. I have had this experience. When I am serving, sometimes I really cannot resist and I fall asleep. One of our co-workers was doing healing and deliverance for a sister who was in menstrual pain. This co-worker was very uncomfortable, and the whole person was lying on the ground. I was wondering who was having their period. Yet, he was still persisting in serving.

When we face the feeling of drowsiness, we really cannot resist it. What should we do? We must get up and pray, so that we do not fall into temptation. Only prayer can overcome this drowsiness, because this kind of prayer is actually closely related to prayer in the spirit. Today, Jesus Christ has opened up a path of victory for us. This path is to offer ourselves, without shouting slogans or making promises. Shouting slogans is useless. As long as we pray, God will strengthen us, and you will surely be victorious!

I want to tell some of the carnal people among us that you can overcome the flesh. Overcoming the flesh is indeed not an easy thing, but with God, nothing is impossible. God will definitely give you strength! God will surely fulfill what you desire in your heart to offer to God! As long as you do not play games with God, do not shout slogans, but truly believe in the Lord, God knows your weaknesses.

May our hearts be strengthened again by the word of God and the Spirit of God. On the road to dealing with our carnal habits, let us start step by step, advancing steadily, dealing with the smallest problems first, not starting with the biggest, and then moving up another level. I tell you, God will surely make you victorious.

If you are worried that you still keep making the same mistakes, what should you do? It does not matter. If you used to make the mistake once every week, gradually changing to making it once every month, that is called victory! You may still make the mistake occasionally, but as long as you are willing to follow in the footsteps of God, no longer following your own flesh, but only following the Spirit of God, God will surely make you victorious.

When you follow the Spirit, you begin to be victorious! When you begin to follow your own flesh, you will be corrupted. Start imitating Jesus, no slogans, only practical actions!

Facing the Days When Darkness Reigns, Choose to Cross the Line Between Life and Death

We once faced the days when darkness reigned, and Jesus also faced them. Is this crossing the line between life and death? No! This is the starting line for victory. Even when they seized Jesus, Jesus did not shout loudly or call on God to save him quickly. Because he came into this world for this day. Whether we like it or not, we will all cross this line one day. This line is the starting line for victory.

Today, let us secretly make a decision in our hearts, no longer shouting slogans loudly, but believing: God, you are the God who makes me victorious. You once crossed this line, and today I will imitate you, offering myself and being set apart for God. I want to be a victorious person!

Many people do not care whether they are victorious, they only care whether they can go to heaven. Today I want to convey to everyone a concept of victory: if you are not willing to be victorious in this world, you may fall even if you go to heaven, because the angels fell in heaven. If you do not train yourself to be victorious on earth, what will you do when you go to heaven? If you fall, who can redeem you?

If we have this concept of victory on earth, we will continue to walk this path of victory with Jesus Christ when we go to heaven. No one can tempt us to fall again. Because we are victorious by nature. We are victorious in the flesh, and we will still be victorious soldiers when we go to heaven.

Conclusion: With Jesus, We Fear Not Death!

A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, “This man was with him.” But he denied it. “Woman,” he said, “I don’t know him.” A little later, someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” “Man, I am not!” Peter replied. About an hour later another asserted, “Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean.” Peter replied, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly. (Luke 22:56-62)

Crying is useless. The Peter who came later was afraid of the people from the high priest's house and the people from James. So, no matter when or where, let us no longer be timid people. Let us start training ourselves. All timidity comes from people's fear of death. People who are not afraid of death will not be afraid of anything. Living becomes a very simple thing.

If Peter at that time was not even afraid of death, I am with Jesus, arrest me too! I will be crucified with the Lord, that is my glory. We are determined in our hearts to die with Jesus Christ, to be resurrected with Him. Is there anything better than this?

When Jesus was arrested, he was not flustered, worried, or afraid. Today, we will die with Jesus Christ and be resurrected with Him, and together with Jesus Christ, we will receive the crown of glory. Even if we are flogged, mocked, and insulted, we are determined to walk this path! We want to deal with the face we have inside.

I often mention some people in Bible studies and sermons. A mother who had three children made living a complicated thing. She used to resist it after listening, thinking why do you have to talk about me? Now she doesn't care about me mentioning her affairs. I do it on purpose, I want to talk about it! If you care about this, how can you not care about life and death?

Some people say to me: Teacher, I want to tell you something, but don't say it in the sermon. I usually reply: then forget it, either you don't tell me, or you don't care about what I say. I must deal with your problem of loving face! Why wear a fake mask? You must deal with this problem of loving face.

Look at Jesus being flogged and insulted, did he cry out in pain? No! Was he afraid of death? He was not afraid of death! Now Jesus Christ, who was crucified for us, is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, and has opened a path of victory for us. So, we are determined to care about nothing. If you care about everything, how can you not be hurt? Your life will end with toil and trouble, not only without receiving the crown of glory, but also being controlled by the devil throughout your life, and finally being plundered by the devil.

Can we choose to dedicate our lives to God? No one can take us away. We are determined to choose to walk the path of Jesus Christ, which is to offer ourselves and serve the life of this generation! We will be great in the Kingdom of Heaven, and there will be a crown of glory reserved for us in the future. What a wonderful thing this is. May God bless everyone!

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