Introduction

Good morning, everyone. We will be discussing Chapter 3 of Zechariah, where the theme is "For, behold, I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day."

When You Build God's Temple, Satan Will Oppose You

When you build God's temple, Satan will oppose you. The logic behind this is not difficult to understand. Because you are building God's temple, God is with you; when you turn to God's kingdom, you must come out of Satan's kingdom, just like the Israelites leaving Egypt. This will move Satan's "cheese," affecting its core interests, which it will certainly not allow.

It is interesting to note that it is not Satan opposing God, but God's people opposing Satan. Once you start building God's temple, Satan will stand beside you and oppose you; this is a matter of course.

Once, I received a sister who shared her observations with me. She noticed that many people who build churches do not end well and are in poor condition. On the contrary, some people who run their own businesses and occasionally help out in the church seem to be doing alright. This sister was very moved! At the same time, Zechariah revealed the essence behind her views and logic.

Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. (Zechariah 3:1)

From this passage, we know that Zechariah saw a vision in which the angel showed him Satan standing at the right hand of Joshua the high priest to oppose him.

During the Persian Empire, the Persian emperor sent Zerubbabel, Joshua the high priest, and the Israelites of that time back to Jerusalem to build the temple. However, sixteen years passed, and they did nothing, inexplicably encountering a lot of problems and hardships! I tell you, these are all the works of the devil. Everyone can ponder this matter.

I remember when we first started establishing the church, a sister followed us to believe in the Lord. However, her father came all the way from afar to Singapore to talk to me, saying he did not want his daughter to follow us in believing in the Lord. I asked him, "Why don't you want your daughter to follow us in believing in the Lord?" He said, "One of his uncles was fine before he believed in the Lord, but once he believed, he started living a very unlucky life."

Do you all feel the same way? Actually, the logic is very simple: do not be afraid of Satan opposing you, because God will make us victorious. Remember, being a Christian and not being victorious is simply a tragedy in life.

You can continue to observe and see if this is the case. This is why Chinese Mingding Doctrine is a victorious theology. No matter what, you must trample Satan under your feet, because God's will is for us to trample the devil and put all things under our feet.

But here comes the problem: people think that as long as they build the church, they will become holy, but that is not the case! For those who are already building churches or want to build churches, I give you a suggestion: be victorious no matter what!

People must rely on God's grace and the precious blood of Jesus Christ to overcome Satan when building God's temple in this world. However, there are not many churches that overcome Satan! Chinese Mingding Doctrine is a theology of building victorious churches, so brothers and sisters receive grace among us.

After that sister's father talked to me, I explained to him, "Whether it is building a church or being a Christian, you need to be victorious! Because ghosts will come to mess with you and oppose you!" Therefore, being a Christian will definitely attract Satan, attracting the most powerful ghosts, which is very deadly.

I explained it to him, but he did not understand and was still very opposed! But it does not matter; we do not have to force his daughter to be among us. Wherever he wants to take his daughter, we do not hinder him at all. Not only do we not hinder him, but we also cooperate very well with him, "pushing" his daughter out.

The High Priest as a Brand Plucked from the Fire

The Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?” Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and standing before the angel. (Zechariah 3:2-3)

"Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?" Everyone ponder this sentence. Some people build churches and God's temple with wood, hay, and straw; some build with gold, silver, and precious stones; some mess around blindly; some build according to God's word.

Later, as I read the Bible, I received a very miraculous revelation: David built God's temple based on the drawings God gave him. God drew the drawings by hand for him, and then David collected these drawings. Solomon built the church according to the drawings God revealed to David, so God's temple was filled with God's glory. Of course, we have no chance to see these drawings.

Later, I read that David built God's temple three thousand years ago. Three thousand five hundred years ago, Moses built the tabernacle, and God instructed him on how to build it, which is recorded in the Bible. After reading it, I was very shocked. It turns out that people must build God's church according to God's revelation! This is why we value Bible study so much.

We Chinese Mingding Doctrine are not extreme charismatics. We also cast out demons, and we cast them out better than the "charismatics." We do healing and deliverance and speak in tongues more than the "charismatics," and the effect of healing and deliverance is particularly good! Moreover, we study the Bible more deeply and clearly than the "evangelicals"!

When studying this chapter of Zechariah, I feel that others do not explain it clearly, but I explain it more clearly. Do not nitpick me. If you do not agree, it does not matter! I will not argue with you.

I feel that Joshua the high priest and Zerubbabel lacked God's revelation in building the temple. Zechariah received revelation from God. Can you imagine? The high priests in Zechariah's time read the books of the Law of Moses all day long, but did they understand them? No! They just followed the books of the Law of Moses, and as a result, they put on "filthy garments."

Why do we need to put on Jesus Christ? Because putting on Jesus Christ is holy! It is not that we ourselves are holy, but that God considers us holy, because it is the blood of Jesus that has covered our transgressions.

So what did the high priest receive? The books of the Law! However, the books of the Law confine people in sin. Being confined in sin means that you are a filthy person, with no cleanliness from head to toe. Moreover, Zerubbabel and the Israelites thought they were doing a great work for God in building the temple. Isn't this very dangerous? This is like a brand plucked from the fire.

Brothers and sisters, we must know that the New Testament briefly mentions "the high priest is like a brand plucked from the fire." Who plucked it out? God! God originally wanted to burn it, because they were building the temple according to the books of the Law and according to human behavior, but they felt that they were making a great contribution to God. If people have such thoughts, they are ruined.

So whether it is people who build churches or people who serve among us, please listen to my advice: never think that you have done a great thing for God. I often say to my colleagues, "Do you think you are great? Do you think you have made a great contribution to God?" This is said with irony.

In fact, serving by oneself is definitely filthy and cannot cleanse oneself. This is why Chinese Mingding Doctrine can rebuke Satan, because we put on Jesus Christ, because we build God's church and God's temple according to God's revelation.

"Like a brand plucked from the fire" means building a church with wood, hay, and straw. What about building a church with wood, hay, and straw? The scripture says that although his work is burned down because the temple is not good and cannot resist the devil and the enemy, this person will be saved.

This is a bit of comfort, but "like a brand plucked from the fire" means that if you build God's church according to the logic of Joshua the high priest, you are "like a brand plucked from the fire," almost burned!

So what should we use to build the church? Use treasures! Chinese Mingding Doctrine has a very important logic, that those in the church are treasures, and the church cannot take in garbage! But some pastors are anxious when they see that there are no people in the church, and then they bring garbage into the church. Isn't this courting death?

Later, in the process of building the church, I discovered a magical thing: never think that the people in the church are brought by God. Satan also brings people into the church. He brings people in to do corrupt work. If you rely on your own skills and your own carnal logic system, you cannot build a holy church!

The church only takes in treasures. This is why Chinese Mingding Doctrine can work with God. What does working with God do? It cleanses God's church.

In the church, you suddenly find that some people are gone. You may ask, "Teacher, did you kick him out?" Actually, I didn't kick him out. He wanted to leave on his own. God kicked him out. If we have filth on us, it is because we rely on behavior, but God wants to use the blood of Jesus Christ to cover our transgressions.

Anyone who serves in the church, you must prepare to fight a difficult battle, that is, to oppose the devil Satan and make him your footstool. We are to make our enemies our footstool, trampled under our feet.

God Will Take Away Our Filth

Everyone must know that you cannot solve the problem of filth by your own behavior. Human nature is dirty, because human nature is selfish! The church must constantly solve the problem of human nature and transform people into having God's attributes.

Then he spoke to those who were standing before him, saying, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” Again he said to him, “See, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with festal garments.” Then I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments, while the angel of the Lord was standing by. (Zechariah 3:4-5)

Reading this passage, do you take off your filthy garments yourself? No, God takes them off! How does God take them off? God lets Jesus Christ cover our transgressions. Of course, I am now talking about the content of the New Testament, and Zechariah did not know.

God will raise up a descendant of David, Jesus Christ, who died for us and died on the cross. He shed His blood and sacrificed for us, rose from the dead, and opened a holy path for us, so that we can put on Jesus Christ, put on God's splendor, and put on the helmet of salvation. This is the path of cleansing, so we must thank God! The reason for this is because of trusting in Jesus Christ.

Zechariah said, "God will take away our filth." But how does He take it away? He did not say, because he did not know! But we should know, because we have believed in Jesus Christ, and God, because of our faith, has washed away our transgressions. But what kind of faith is this? This is worth pondering. It is the faith of Abraham! Abraham's faith can cleanse us and remove the iniquity and evil in our hearts.

The gospel has a very important component, which is that by the Holy Spirit putting to death the deeds of the body, people will become holy. This is the work of the Holy Spirit. God will take away our filth. "Put a clean turban on his head and clothe him with garments." This sentence means that by Jesus Christ, we can live out God's glorious appearance.

So when you build God's temple, do not be afraid of Satan opposing you. You must use gold, silver, and precious stones to build the church. In this way, God's temple will be filled with God's glory, and God will be with us. He will take away our filth.

How simple is this logic! But I read it for several days before I understood it. I was dizzy when I read it at the time! Prophetic books like Zechariah are not easy to read. There are many chapters in front of us, full of challenges. Thank God, by the Lord Jesus who loves us, we are more than conquerors!

Never rely on behavior, but rely on faith, justification by faith, that is, taking off filth by faith. It is such a simple truth. A victorious church is so good! Building a church means building a victorious church.

Brothers and sisters must be fully acquainted with God in their understanding. Now many pastors like to build churches with human behavior, and in the end, they build churches with wood, hay, and straw. Wouldn't that be troublesome?

A sister got cancer, and her pastor hoped that I could serve her. I was thinking: why don't you bring the donating members and give the donations to us? I thought, that's impossible for him. He would only bring people with cancer to us. I don't really like that.

But I said this as a joke, to prove that human nature is very selfish. You think, can such a selfish person build a church? No! But I can't be like them. I see it more clearly.

I said to this pastor, "I have no problem serving, but you can't just dump her here! Can I serve her with you?" He said, "Yes." I said, "If I spend an hour serving her, you will spend an hour serving her with me." He said, "That won't work! I don't have time." I thought: what kind of brain is this? Even a one-to-one ratio is not okay? For example, some companies apply for government subsidies, that is, the company contributes one dollar, and the government contributes one dollar, a one-to-one subsidy.

Then I said, "This sister needs to repent," and the pastor told me, "This sister's life is so good!" I found it strange! I said, "How do you judge that this person's life is so good?" He said, "She always comes early to every meeting." I thought: Is that all it takes to be good? Satan comes even earlier than her to every meeting, so is Satan also good? The key is, do you know what she comes for? This is building the church based on works.

This pastor also said, "She especially likes to help those poor brothers and sisters." Oh my goodness! I said, "What does she use to help people?" He said she uses money to help. Listen to that, isn't it detestable? Can money solve people's problems? The answer is no! Now it's her turn to have problems, and in the end, it's all a system based on works.

But I didn't have the opportunity to minister to this sister because her pastor almost blacklisted me and didn't bother with me anymore, because my words always had a barb. Some people might say, "Teacher, why are your words so harsh?"

But I really hope this sister can be healed. I don't care if her pastor can spend an hour ministering to her, but if she comes to me for ministry, I will really minister to her.

A gospel based on works is everywhere. Before, my mother went to the local church. At that time, I was still working and not building a church. I asked her, "Mom, what did you hear at church?" She said, "Our pastor tells us not to hit people or curse people." I thought: Then just bring out the "Three Main Rules of Discipline" and "Eight Points for Attention," but is that the gospel? No.

God's Intention is for Us to Manage His House

God has removed our filth, made us holy, saved us, given us strength, allowed us to build a victorious church through His revelation, and then manage God's house.

The angel of the Lord admonished Joshua, saying, "Thus says the Lord of hosts: If you will walk in my ways and keep my charge, then you shall manage my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you the right of access among those who are standing here." (Zechariah 3:6-7)

Don't ever think that because I don't base things on works, I deliberately disobey God's word. There's no such thing! Some people think that keeping and obeying God's word is basing things on works, with a bunch of "嘎嘣" in their heads. I say, "Don't base things on works," and they understand it as not keeping and obeying God's word. What kind of logic is that?

We come before God by faith, clothed in Jesus Christ. God has washed away our sins through the precious blood of Jesus Christ, so that we can manage God's house, build God's glorious church, and keep and obey His commands!

Some people don't quite understand, but you need to know that people cannot keep and obey by relying on works, because you can't keep and obey by relying on works, and then you will live under a curse, and Satan will trample you under its feet. How can you live like that?

God has opened a way of faith, not that you don't keep and obey God's word, but that you couldn't keep and obey before. Now that you have faith, you can rely on Jesus Christ to live out God's word, and even surpass the law. Can everyone understand this logic? You can't do it by basing things on works; you can not only do it by basing things on faith, but also surpass the law.

The difference between the New Testament and the Old Testament is this: With the power of the Holy Spirit, the ability of the Holy Spirit enters us, mortifies the evil deeds of our flesh, and we receive the promised Holy Spirit within us by faith in Jesus Christ, becoming our strength. You can try it. Some brothers and sisters can't control themselves because they don't have faith.

You must remember that a person without faith is definitely not a treasure. I say this very seriously. You must be a person of faith no matter what. Is it that difficult to be a person of faith? Does it cost 100,000 yuan? No! It doesn't even cost 10,000 yuan or 1 yuan! Just choose to believe.

Some people get tangled up as soon as they do things. Why? Because they believe they can't do it well. But I have faith. It doesn't matter if I don't do well. I'll do a bad one first, but I will definitely make a good one, and I'll fix it step by step. With faith, I persevere from bad to good. As long as I have faith, Jesus Christ will become my strength.

Everyone try it. It's not that you can't control yourself, but that you don't have faith. Now, no matter what you do, learn to say one sentence: "You little thing, I can't fix you?"

When we were building the church, Satan opposed us. It was very hard. So what? Nothing happened! Although it was difficult, in my faith, I had already seen a victorious and glorious church, because I had faith. I knew I was not good, but God would definitely use me. Although I am not good, dirty and filthy, God will surely cleanse me. I do not rely on my own ability to do it.

Many people say, "Teacher, you are so smart, you are so capable." I feel a sour smell in these words. When have I relied on myself? I never dare to rely on myself at any time. I have not relied on myself since the first day I believed in the Lord!

Some people are silly. They were about to jump off a building, but I released them from the bondage of jumping off a building, and then they felt they were great. I tell you, it is those "half-baked" people who are especially prone to relying on themselves.

We can rely on the strength of God in us, and firmly believe that God will shape us into treasures in His eyes. This is His work. He wants to carve this stone, so that our spirits may come alive, so that we may mortify the deeds of the flesh by the power of the Holy Spirit, remove our filth, and then keep and obey the way of God, so that we can manage God's house and keep His courts.

"I will give you the right of access among those who are standing here." Originally, these people standing before God were all coming and going among them. Thank God, there is a deep hope in me that one day I will come before God and God will say, "Come in, share your master's glory, you good and faithful servant."

I hope to be God's good and faithful servant, because in my days on this earth, I feed God's flock with food at the proper time. I don't talk nonsense! The reason is simple, because I think the most important Mingding Doctrine for me to come to this world is to build God's church, manage God's house, and serve God's people, turning people who are originally worth one yuan into people who are worth ten yuan. This is managing God's house.

I build God's church with gold, silver, and precious stones, and remove the garbage from the church. I also have a "servant" named "Old Ma." He helps me collect garbage. When he has nothing to do, he takes the garbage away. He happily comes to take the garbage on time, because the garbage belongs to him. The garbage belongs to Satan and Old Ma. Don't think Old Ma is bad. After we subdue him, he becomes our "white glove," doing dirty work for us.

Once, Old Ma said to me, "I am helping you build the church." I said, "How are you helping me?" He said, "I remove the garbage from among you." I said, "How do you help me remove the garbage?" He said, "Look, who and who from many years ago were all taken away by me." He told me a long list of names, all of whom were taken away by him. Only then did I understand what was going on.

Brothers and sisters, rest assured, when you choose to leave the church, I will never make harassing calls. I am not like many church pastors. I don't want to snatch back what God took away through Old Ma.

I find it strange that some pastors do this. They think the members are very important, because they get offerings from the members, and what they have in their hearts are very human things. Managing God's house and building God's glorious church are the most important Mingding Doctrine.

God Will Raise Up a Branch of David

God will raise up a branch of David. Originally, salvation came from the branch of David. All the prophets have said this.

Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your colleagues who sit before you: for they are men of good omen. Behold, I will bring my servant the Branch. For behold, upon the stone that I have set before Joshua, upon one stone are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave the inscription on it, declares the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in a single day. (Zechariah 3:8-9)

The branch of David will die for us. "The branch of David" refers to Jesus Christ. Of course, Zechariah knew the branch of David, but he didn't know who the branch of David referred to. It was not until our generation that this revelation was clarified: Jesus Christ is the branch of David. That's why there is the genealogy of Jesus Christ, which records who Abraham begat, who begat whom... all the way to David, and finally to Jesus Christ.

God will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day. We who live in this generation really need to thank God, because God has already raised up a Jesus Christ, who has indeed borne our transgressions, carried our curses and sins, and borne our sorrows. "By his wounds we are healed, and by his precious blood we are redeemed." This sentence is very important and vital for Christians!

But some Christians don't like to listen to my sermons. There is also a Christian who leads a small group. He often listens to our Bible studies. After listening, he sends a message to one of our pastors, saying, "Based on the teacher's Bible study, I have organized a mind map. The teacher's method of Bible study is very good, but there is one point I don't agree with, which is 'all are healed'."

"By Jesus' wounds, we are healed," which means that those who believe are all healed. I didn't say, "By Jesus' wounds, some are healed and some are not healed." This sentence is very clear, so we speak according to God's word, not according to our logic. Although he often listens to my sermons, I want to "pour some cold water" on him, because there are still "嘎嘣" in his head.

Why don't people believe God's word? God's word is absolute, and God's truth is absolute and exclusive. Do you understand? For example, if you buy a computer that sometimes works and sometimes doesn't, it's a broken computer! If this gospel sometimes works and sometimes doesn't, it's not called the gospel.

So we must remove the "嘎嘣" in our heads, because God will raise up the branch of David to remove our sins. The Lord of hosts declares, "Behold, I will engrave the inscription on it." What does this mean? It means that this stone is a gem, and their spiritual eyes must all be opened. Have your spiritual eyes been opened? Can you see how abundant and glorious the grace of Jesus Christ is?

Everything that we believe Jesus has accomplished for us is ours, without exception! God's grace and promises are all in Jesus Christ and will surely be fulfilled in us! So I have the courage, not by my own ability, but by God's ability.

I have the courage to declare: the captives will be released, the oppressed will be set free, the poor will become rich, and the sick will be healed. This is the gospel. We must rely on God to raise up the branch of David throughout our lives. How good is that! And then become a blessing to many people.

The Vine and the Fig Tree Will Become a Blessing to People

In that day, declares the Lord of hosts, every one of you will invite his neighbor to come under his vine and under his fig tree. (Zechariah 3:10)

What do you do when you invite your neighbor to sit under the vine and the fig tree? Invite them to sit under it to enjoy the shade, lest they be exposed to the sun, which is to bring these people to receive the blessing of the vine and the blessing of the fig tree. In the Old Testament, reading about the fig tree refers to the people of Israel, and reading about the vine refers to the church.

Because we believe in the branch of David, Jesus Christ, we have become Israelites, so we are both fig trees and vines. The promise God gave to Abraham comes to us through Jesus Christ. How good is that!

The church says: The Lord is the vine, and we are the branches, and the branches are connected to the vine. There is also this sentence in the Bible, so the vine refers to the church, and the fig tree refers to Israel. These are all God's house, God's church, God's temple, God's holy city, which is full of God's glory, in order to become a blessing to people.

We build the church with selfish human nature. Everyone must know that human nature is selfish. If you study business management, you must understand human nature in order to manage it. Sometimes I do this too, but the most important thing is still the word of God.

We must gradually transform ourselves from very human, extremely selfish people into people with divinity, extremely unselfish, and who just want to be a blessing to others. We just want to give freely, and the church must become a place where we give freely! If you come to church with a selfish heart, just to be blessed, then you are ruined.

If you want to be blessed in the church, the best way is to bless others. If you come with the mentality that I just want to be blessed, you will not be blessed, and you may become the firewood that has not been pulled out and will be burned by the fire.

The third chapter of Zechariah is really well written. God will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day. This is God's work. People cannot be saved by themselves. I hope everyone can receive such grace from God. Amen!

We will share this here. May God bless everyone!

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