Review:
Last time, the pastor spoke about being a wise person. Do you remember the scripture we looked at together last time? Matthew 7:24-27: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” It turns out that whether a person is wise or foolish has a profound impact on their entire life. I consider myself a relatively wise person. When I shared some of my personal experiences, some people commented that I was glorifying my own name. Actually, that’s not what I meant at all. Today, during my sermon, I will incorporate some of my personal experiences.
Scripture:
Deuteronomy 32:28-29: For they are a nation without sense, there is no discernment in them. If only they were wise and would understand this and discern what their end will be!
A Wise Person’s Life Has Roots – God’s Grace
- Forgetting the Rock of Life.
In fact, the biggest problem with the Israelites was that they often forgot their Rock. Deuteronomy 32:18: You deserted the Rock, who fathered you; you forgot the God who gave you birth. I am extremely saddened by people’s memories. Why do people forget so quickly? This group of Israelites was the group that God brought out of the land of Egypt. In Egypt, God performed ten miracles. Then, when they were in the wilderness and had no water to drink, God gave them water to drink. When they had no food to eat, God prepared manna for them. Then, for decades in the wilderness, their shoes did not wear out, nor did their clothes tear. There was a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. But what is perplexing is that every time they encountered a little difficulty, this group of Israelites complained, “Were there no graves in Egypt?” I am really puzzled as to why people forget so easily. Why, when faced with a little challenge, do they forget the grace that God has shown in their lives?
As more and more people serve in the church, although I still cannot understand why people forget so quickly, I am beginning to realize that there are indeed many people like the Israelites. Once, I served a sister from whom I cast out many demons. The demon would often run around on her body while she was sleeping. The parts of her body it ran to would swell up, which often prevented her from falling asleep. She was also controlled by a spirit of laziness and could not do anything, not even basic housework. Then I led her to cast out the demons. Every time I prayed, she felt many demons leaving her body. I also began to ask her to do things in her life. When this sister was at her best, she could sleep peacefully at night, and during the day, she could not only do housework but also do some software programming work. She also participated in the church’s writing ministry. I have seen her edited manuscripts, and her writing is actually quite good. Then, one day, she suddenly told me that she was going to leave the church because she had been in the church for a long time and had not yet been completely delivered, and there were many meetings in the church. She decided to go to her local church. But the problem was that she came to us in the first place because the local church could not solve her problems. Later, when I learned that this sister's condition was very bad, I was actually very saddened. I heard that she was standing alone on the roof, shouting to the sky, I am the driver of the heavenly kingdom. Dad, hurry up and get in the car. I want to drive you to the heavenly kingdom. She was in a state of madness. This was the condition I received half a year after she left. I often lament why people are so quick to forget and be negative. Since God can make people so much better, would He abandon God and abandon the church just because there are still some areas that have not been transformed?
I think the key is that these people have no roots in their lives! If Jesus Christ is the Rock, then the church is the body of Jesus Christ. We often sing a song called Dwell in You. If you want your life to have roots, you must dwell in the church and be connected with the brothers and sisters. In fact, God rarely mentions the connection between individuals and God, but more often mentions the church. Our 201 course will also mention more about the view of the church. A person without a view of the church is not a wise person because their life has no foundation.
A Wise Person is a Teachable Person
- The Example of Moses
In Deuteronomy 4:21, The Lord was angry with me because of you, and he swore that I would not cross the Jordan and enter the good land that the Lord your God is giving you as your inheritance. In fact, before Moses wrote the scriptures we just read, God judged Moses. Because in Kadesh, when the Israelites had no water to drink, Moses struck the rock with his staff according to his previous experience, instead of proclaiming it in faith as God had commanded. So God judged Moses and did not allow him to enter the promised land.
When I read the Bible, I often like to put myself in the shoes of the person involved and try to feel their emotions. I think Jesus was a man, and Moses was also a man. Can you imagine how Moses felt when he heard God speak to him like that? I think if I were Moses, I would feel very wronged. These Israelites are so rebellious, and there are tons of problems to solve for them every day. In leading this group of people, I have to deal not only with external troubles but also with internal worries. Often, I am risking my life. Am I to endure such judgment just because of one mistake of not acting in faith?
But fortunately, I am not Moses. If I were Moses, I might lose even more. But when Moses heard God's judgment, his reaction was this: In Numbers 27:15-17, Moses said to the Lord, May the Lord, the God who gives breath to all living things, appoint someone over the community to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the Lord’s people will not be like sheep without a shepherd. This was Moses' first reaction to accepting God's judgment. The Bible does not record Moses' mood, but regardless of Moses' mood, through Moses' reaction and what he did, we can see that Moses was not negative, or Moses chose not to be negative. His first consideration was that the sheep should have a shepherd. This week, I was teaching a group leader in my pastoral district. I hadn't even criticized her yet. I just asked her a few questions and asked her to answer a few of my questions. The feedback I received was that I was going to argue with her. There are many things that this group leader said that I cannot say publicly. Not only that, but this group leader also secretly called the mother of one of our sisters and spoke badly about the church, the pastor, and me, with the result that the sister's mother was also corrupted. Not only is she negative and does not think about her own sheep, but she also corrupts the spiritual lives of the sheep. Not having a teachable heart is an absolutely unwise reaction.
Moses said that the people of Israel have no plans and no wisdom in their hearts, which means that this group of Israelites is a group of unteachable people. Time and time again, Moses disciplined them, God promulgated laws to discipline them, and the first thing they did when things happened was to complain about Moses and complain about God. How many Israelites are dying in the wilderness in the church today? How many of you, when your small group leader says a few words to you, your small family leader says a few words to you, your pastoral district leader says a few words to you, or your pastor says a few words to you, your first reaction is not that they want to build you up, but that they want to harm you? Moses here urges the people of Israel to think about their end. Do many people think that Moses' end is not the same as the end of those who died in the wilderness? Is it really the same? I think Moses was much smarter than these Israelites. He knew that his end was in heaven, while this group of Israelites really died in the wilderness.
- My Personal Example:
I am a teachable person, and being teachable is actually a practice of character. When I was a student, I once worked part-time at a headhunting company. Once, my boss got very angry in front of me because I made a mistake in the report I gave her. The scene was quite terrifying. The boss even overturned the table and threw the report in my face. I think many people would probably never see each other again if they encountered such a boss, but I didn't. Later, I took the initiative to find my boss. Instead of walking away in a fit of anger, I found my boss and asked her exactly what my mistake was. My boss also told me that she was in a bad mood that day because of family reasons. Later, my boss never got angry at me again. When I left, she even gave me some extra money.
It turns out that being angry is not wise, but learning to be teachable is wise. That's even more the case in the church. You can imagine that there is still a tug-of-war of interests between you and your boss in the workplace. But in the church, your small family leader, your small group leader, your ministry leader, your pastoral district leader, and the pastor have no conflict of interest with you! So if your leader teaches you a few words, would he harm you? What good would it do him to harm you?
The Wise Man is a Man of Action
Lately, I have been reading the Book of Deuteronomy. The most frequently mentioned word in Deuteronomy is to observe and to do. The word to do appears nearly 300 times throughout the Bible, emphasizing that taking action is key.
- Examples of Innovation in Israel
Ecclesiastes 11:6 states, Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good. I want to say that we should not think we are more capable than the Israelites. The nation of Israel remains a remarkable nation to this day. Despite having only 30 days of rainfall per year, Israel is a water technology powerhouse that does not lack water. Two-thirds of its land is desert, and it does not produce oil, yet it has developed leading alternative energy technologies. Many say Israel is a country with inherent flaws, but it has managed to overcome its deficiencies by ensuring it does not lack water despite little rain, and does not lack food despite lacking oil. Moreover, it packages the tools developed to solve its own problems into advanced technologies and sells them worldwide. This is the character of Israel – surviving stubbornly and creatively in inescapable situations. Israel is a desert nation, yet its urban greenery rivals that of Europe.
- The Example of the Olin School
The Wise Man Values Outcomes
- An Example of Ministry:
This week, I ministered to a sister, a friend of Sister Ruwei. She was facing significant challenges at work. As an educator, she was being ostracized by the school leadership and forced to leave her position. Furthermore, after leaving the school, she was being threatened with the possibility of not being able to work in educational institutions in the future. This happened because she had uncovered corruption within the school and sought to expose it, which harmed the interests of many, leading to her expulsion. When this sister came to me, she was in deep pain, unable to move past the fact that she had worked diligently in the school, her teaching abilities were stronger than many, and she had been upright and courageous in exposing the school's corruption, yet the result was that she was being driven to such a state.
This sister had also visited many religious organizations and seen psychologists, but none could solve her problem. When I prayed for her, she had a voice inside her saying she hated me intensely, and even felt extreme dislike when seeing the pastor remotely. I continued to pray with her, and she saw a figure in a black robe inside her mind. As we continued to pray, the figure began to disappear. In the past two days, this sister has been enthusiastically following our Bible studies and prayers. However, her confusion has not been completely resolved. She keeps grappling with the thought that she was doing righteous things! Why is it that the educational institution where I was is becoming more and more prosperous, but I am becoming more and more decadent? I have done nothing wrong, so why is this happening?
Later, I guided this sister step by step. I asked her, Sister, are you in great pain now? She said, Yes. Do you feel that everyone has let you down? She said, Yes. Do you feel that life has no meaning at all? She said, Yes. But I asked “if you continue to think this way, what will the result be?” The sister had no answer, because the consequences of continuing to think that way were unthinkable. It turns out that even if you think you are doing the right thing, even if we don't assess whether it is really right, even if it is really right, but if the result is not good, should we still persist?
Ecclesiastes 7:16-18 says, Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. Why should you die before your time? It is good that you take hold of this, and from that withhold not your hand, for the one who fears God shall come out from both of them. God tells us not to be overly righteous or overly wicked, because the results are not good. Why do people fear God? Those who fear God are the people who care about the results.
- A Personal Example
When I was in junior high school, I was responsible for managing the creation of the class blackboard newspaper. Once, I was erasing the blackboard when someone suddenly rushed up to me and kicked me in the chest. I was immediately stunned and didn't know what had happened. This child was known for his bad behavior and was always causing trouble at school. At that time, I was very angry because there was no reason for it! Even today, I don't know when I offended him. But I thought, Don't be angry, don't mess with people like this. People like this don't bother to study and simply give up on themselves. They have nothing to lose, but I have to protect myself. If I get involved with him, he can make trouble for me every day, but I don't have time to waste on him! As a result, many classmates couldn't stand it anymore and surrounded him and found a teacher. The classmates were shocked by my calmness. Later, this classmate came to apologize to me and express his gratitude, because he had been getting into a lot of trouble recently, and if I had argued with him at that time, it would have been a lose-lose situation for him. After all, he was in the wrong. Later, this person still did not change his habit of causing trouble, and I later heard that he had been in juvenile detention for aggravated assault. But every time he saw me, he smiled.
I think I am a wise man, and this wisdom has helped me a lot in my work.