The Lord Jesus Is the Answer We Seek
Abstract: For thousands of years, our Chinese people have been arduously seeking and pondering, ultimately ending up with a sense of Qu Yuan's Li Sao. But today, we must know that the Lord Jesus is what we seek. The charisma of the Lord Jesus far exceeds my imagination. The lyrics of a song can serve as an abstract for this sermon: There is no sorrow Jesus cannot bear, no pain Jesus cannot carry. I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; my help comes from you, full of abundant love, given to all who call upon Your name. Your love never abandons, Your mercy flows like a river, You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; my cup overflows. Your love never abandons, always surrounding me, You will forever remember Your covenant with me, enabling me to receive abundant grace.
1 Today's Topic: The Charisma of the Lord Jesus!
Seeking Spiritual Truth in Confusion
Real estate tycoons Pan Shiyi and Ren Zhiqiang转发a passage from Qu Yuan's Li Sao on Weibo. In it, Qu Yuan expresses his distress. One line has become a timeless quote: The road ahead is long, I will search up and down. They are both asking, what is Qu Yuan seeking? Some say that Qu Yuan is seeking freedom. I went back and read Li Sao again; it is very well written. It is a search for the meaning of life in the midst of confusion and pain! When people are in pain, they like to think about spiritual things. In the latter part of Li Sao, Qu Yuan seeks spiritual truth. He uses the words witch and god very directly. I wanted to follow the lucky divination of the spirit, but my heart hesitated and doubted. Witch Xian will descend in the evening; I hold pepper and offerings to meet him. A hundred gods obscurely descend, and the nine doubts welcome them in droves.
In such pain, Qu Yuan searched high and low, his heart filled with confusion! Who can bear my pain? Who can save me from this sorrow?
Why has Qu Yuan's Li Sao become a timeless masterpiece? Because Qu Yuan's feelings often resonate with an inexplicable sorrow in people's hearts! Even today, when we look up and look around the world, sorrowful stories echo everywhere. Against the backdrop of China's rise, large and small Li Sao feelings are expressed in the hearts of Qu Yuans everywhere! Whether they are real estate tycoons, celebrities, or literati, in the depths of their hearts, in the midst of a busy world, they are all releasing the feelings of Qu Yuan's Li Sao. Perhaps that is the essence of our Chinese culture!
Chen Xiaonan of Phoenix TV is a media person. In her Cold and Warm Life series, she made a program called Leaving the AIDS Village. It describes a father who, for the sake of his children's education, did not hesitate to sell his blood to support their studies and leave the village! As a result, the father contracted AIDS from selling blood. Chen Xiaonan interviewed this father ten years ago. A simple and honest farmer. His only hope was to raise his son, educate him, get him into university, and get him out of the AIDS village! In the blink of an eye, ten years have passed, and the father has left the world. Chen Xiaonan contacted the child who was studying at the time, named Xiong Changdong. But after many contacts, Xiong Changdong was unwilling to meet the media. Finally, he agreed to meet the media. On camera, Xiong Changdong was nearly thirty years old. He told the media that he was unemployed after graduating from university, could not find a job, and was even caught and imprisoned by a pyramid scheme gang. In desperation, he used his last skill and told the pyramid scheme people that he was a child from an AIDS village. As a result, the pyramid scheme gang released him because of the words AIDS village. Leaving the AIDS village was what his father had hoped for, but what was the result? Not good! His face was full of sorrow. His heart was full of guilt. Sorry to his father, sorry to the elders of his hometown. Climbing out of the AIDS village turned out to be a confused life. In the city, in the bustling crowd, he was just an ordinary university graduate! In my opinion, he must have a strong resonance in his heart when he reads Qu Yuan's Li Sao!
When I say this, I am thankful that I know the Lord Jesus! I have the treasure of life in my arms. I also sigh at how confused those who do not know this treasure are! How many people are still living like Xiong Changdong!
The Lord Jesus is the Supreme Treasure of Life
A reporter asked Chen Xiaonan, you have been doing the Cold and Warm Life program for ten years, what do you think has changed and remained the same in these ten years? Chen Xiaonan said: When using the eyes of Cold and Warm Life to look at the world, we should choose what kind of characters to present the era, and there must be adjustments in this regard. In the very short initial period, we liked those very sensational stories, but later we found the direction of the program. What has changed are some technical adjustments, but the entire spiritual temperament has not changed, that is, the focus on individual life, hoping to see a group of people, a society, and an era behind the huge and complex humanity within seemingly small individual lives. I said that what we have been doing for the past ten years is the word living. The various flavors and ways of living in this era are worth recording. Different life situations combined together are the true flavors of this era. - This is Chen Xiaonan's narrative. Inside and out, it also reveals the feelings of Qu Yuan's Li Sao. Doing such sisters every day,
Cold and Warm Life is a good title. I like watching this program very much. In the program, I often see my own shadow. I don't know, if I didn't have the Lord Jesus, this treasure of life, would I be the same as the interviewees in Cold and Warm Life today?
I often have a strong urge to introduce the Lord Jesus, this treasure of life, to the protagonists who live in the cold and warm life! Our Lord Jesus is a treasure! He can bear all our sorrows and carry all our pains. How can people not know? A cancer patient had several fingers amputated in order to save his life. After reading it, I added a comment below, encouraging them to seek the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus is the supreme treasure in our lives!
I also used to live in the helplessness and depression written by Qu Yuan in Li Sao. I also used to live in a bit of the guilt of Xiong Changdong after leaving the AIDS village in a foreign country. But because I knew the Lord Jesus, I knew that the Lord Jesus was my pursuit in life! If you have a bit of Qu Yuan's feelings, and also a bit of Xiong Changdong's confused guilt after leaving the AIDS village, I want to tell you that the Lord Jesus is a way to solve our problems!
Today's topic is: The Lord Jesus can attract all people to Himself!
2 Today's Scripture: John 12:31-32
Looking Up to Jesus Nailed to the Cross
Jhn 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. Jhn 12:32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.
3 Prayer – A Prayer for All People to Turn to the Lord!
Pray in the name of the Lord Jesus, Amen!
4 What Is This Passage Saying?
The passage we read is when the Lord Jesus was praying in front of His disciples before He was crucified, and He heard the Father speak to Him. The voice was like thunder. What did God the Father say in heaven? God the Father said that He had been glorified and would be glorified again. The Lord Jesus then told His disciples that this voice was for them. Then He said this: Jhn 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. Jhn 12:32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.
In fact, when the Lord Jesus just started His ministry, He said similar things. That was in John 3:14-16. Jhn 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, Jhn 3:15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. Jhn 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Here, the Lord Jesus mentioned an allusion, that is, how Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must also be lifted up.
What was the matter with Moses lifting up the serpent? The Israelites all got a fatal disease. And the plague was still rampant. God told Moses to make a bronze serpent. Lift it up, and whoever looked up to the bronze serpent would be healed and could live. The Lord Jesus said, when I am lifted up from the earth, that is, nailed to the cross, I will attract many people to turn to Him! Before that sentence, the Lord Jesus said that this world would be judged, and the ruler of this world would be driven out. We often say that the winner is king and the loser is the bandit. The defeated will be judged. Then the ruler of this world will be abolished. Who is the ruler of this world that the Lord Jesus is talking about? Refers to the devil who controls this dark world.
Originally, our looking up to this Jesus who was nailed to the cross is like the dying Israelites in the wilderness looking up to Moses' bronze serpent, and the problem can be solved! Why? Because the devil who created these problems for us, that is, the ruler of this world, has been driven out by the Lord Jesus! Amen!
In the past, we often fought with the devil. When the devil is driven out, the problem is solved. It's not by ourselves, it's by looking up to this Jesus who was nailed to the cross. When we look up to Jesus nailed to the cross, our sins, our curses, and the handle of the devil controlling us all belong to Jesus on the cross! The Lord Jesus bears our sorrows and carries our pains, the devil is driven out, and our problems are solved! That's what's going on behind those testimonies.
Therefore, the Apostle Paul repeatedly said, I don't know anything else, I only know the Lord Jesus and His crucifixion! This gospel of the cross is the power of God to save everyone who believes!
Originally, what attracts people to the Lord Jesus is that He can bear our pain and carry all our sorrows!
5 We Must Look at This World From a Brand New Perspective - The Root of Tragedy in the World – The Devil
Knowing the Truth of the Spiritual World
I want to tell everyone an important concept. This world is controlled by spirits. This world is controlled by the biggest devil, Satan. Each region is controlled by devils in each region. Below them, there are many little devils in charge of various things. That is to say, this world is completely controlled by the hands of the devil group. If you open your spiritual eyes, what do you see? What you see is that behind all the problems is the manipulation of the devil. It's all a farce directed by the devil. People still don't know. They think this is how things are. Just helplessly wait for the disaster to come. Can't do anything!
The evil spirits on that land, through human sin, began to run rampant. Create all kinds of incidents. When you see a car accident, you have to see the devil behind the car accident. When you see a person trapped in pain, you have to know that the root of the pain is the devil. When you see someone committing suicide, you have to know that behind it is the spirit of death. When you see a child having problems with learning, you have to know that there is control of evil spirits behind it. When you see family members trapped in the bad habit of gambling, you have to know that behind it is the gambling ghost. When you see school principals having immoral relations with female students, you have to know that behind it is the lustful ghost.
This is a new way of looking at problems. You may not be used to it. But you need to know that this is what the Bible says, and that is why believing in the Lord can fundamentally solve our problems.
Later, the facts also confirmed that this view is effective!
When we see a doctor, the most important thing is diagnosis. Correct diagnosis, coupled with correct treatment, will see effective results. The same is true for the problems in our lives. Diagnose with spiritual principles and treat according to the teachings of the Lord Jesus, and what we see is the solution to the problem!
In last week's New Year's Eve prayer meeting and New Year's Day prayer meeting, brothers and sisters shared many wonderful testimonies. Those testimonies are not saying anything else, but saying how the Lord Jesus bears our sorrows, carries our pains, and solves all our problems. Those who have experienced the Lord Jesus know that He is the answer to all our problems. What doctors can't solve, our Lord Jesus can. What money can't solve, our Lord Jesus can. What power, fame, status can't solve, our Lord Jesus can. I don't need to reason, these testimonies are the best proof.
Brothers and sisters, if you missed those testimonies, I have edited some of them and put them on our website. You can listen to it. Under the Pastor's Sermon column, the Post on December 31, 2013. That is one confirmation after another of a truth: the Lord Jesus is the answer to all your problems. A sister asked me, pastor, look, I have something to go to the bank for, how can I attend the prayer meeting? I thought to myself, how can you not know that being close to the Lord is a great grace? Listen to these testimonies! May the God we have experienced also enable you to experience these.
People's understanding of this world is very important! That determines what kind of life you will live in your life. Listen carefully, your understanding of this world is very important.
Some people just can't see clearly. They think that work, money, status, fame, and connections can solve their problems! In fact, they are not. Because the root of the problem is that this world is under the control of the devil. These things cannot stop the devil from doing corrupt work in people.
Many interesting jokes and sketches have become representative works of the values and worldview of our era. Let me tell you a joke. After listening, don't stay there, you have to wake up and see the truth of the world!
Re-examining the Truth of the World
There is a joke about a blind date: Do you have a three-bedroom apartment? No. Do you have an Accord? No. The woman stands up and says, I have something to do, I have to go. The man says, I have a villa, why would I live in a small apartment? The woman stops. The man says, I drive a Mercedes, there's no need to switch to a Japanese car... The woman sits down and continues the blind date. The man says, I mortgaged my car and villa when I started my business, I don't have any cash on hand. The woman is furious, I have many things to do, I must go. The man says, Luckily, I got angel investment from Japan, and the company went public. The woman turns around and sits down, continuing the blind date. However, the company faces intense competition, and the stock price has fallen to a trading halt. The woman doesn't say a word and stands up. The man says, Fortunately, we were acquired by Microsoft and have hundreds of millions in cash. The woman says, You're so bad, always teasing me. At this moment, two men in white coats walk over and take him away. How did you sneak out of the hospital again, kid?
Even the mentally ill are trained to be like this, so you can imagine what it's like for those who are not! This girl thinks money is the most important thing. Nothing else matters. In fact, without needing a fortune teller, I can tell that her life will be miserable! Because she doesn't understand how the world works. She thinks that having money solves all problems.
6 Nothing Can Overcome the King of This World (Money, Status, Fame, Connections)
The Lord Jesus is Our True Reliance
If the problems of this world all come from the dark forces that control it, that is, the devil, then we must know that money, status, fame, and connections cannot overcome the king of this world! If you cannot overcome it, the problems it gives you cannot be solved.
People are really strange. They clearly know that there are many problems that money cannot solve. But they still keep chasing after it. They clearly know that status and power are unreliable, but many people still chase after them. They clearly know that connections are built on relationships of interest, and when you lose your bargaining chips, your connections are worthless. But many people still spend time managing relationships. But there is a Jesus Christ, freely given to us, who can block all disasters and solve all our problems, but people are unwilling to seek Him!
I can give a few examples. Does anyone want to give an example?
Problems that money cannot solve. Money cannot stop fierce events. Money cannot stop disasters. Money cannot stop diseases. But our Lord Jesus can! Because those bad things come from the devil. As long as we please God, walk in His ways, and use our spiritual authority, we can block them!
Although Leslie Cheung was very successful in the eyes of people, the pain pressed on him, and no one was willing to bear it for him. Although he knew the Lord Jesus, he was unwilling and jumped off the building. Ending his life, returning to the king of this world.
Money cannot bear our worries or carry our pain either.
Status cannot bear our worries or carry our pain either.
Connections cannot bear our worries or carry our pain!
But the Lord Jesus can! Because He was lifted up, nailed to the cross, for the sake of bearing our pain and carrying our worries.
Recently, the media interviewed the famous Jack Ma. Talking about his children and family. In the past, in order to start a business, his children were not taken care of and became addicted to computer games. When we get close to many of the leading figures of this era, when we interact with them up close, we find that the things we thought were important cannot bear our worries or carry our pain!
If Qu Yuan were alive today, and he discovered that the Lord Jesus could bear his worries and carry his pain, I think he would think it was a treasure. Do you know how painful Qu Yuan was? That was an indelible pain. No one bore it for him, no one carried it for him. He had to carry it himself. Relying on human ability, no matter how smart, knowledgeable, or rich you are, your pain and worries cannot be removed. But because Jesus was lifted up, because Jesus is the Son of God, when anyone looks up to Him, He bears their pain and carries their worries. The released Qu Yuan, the Lisao he wrote would definitely not be a Lisao that vents his dissatisfaction and is full of melancholy and sorrow. I believe that it will be verses full of praise and songs in the Psalms of the Bible!
7 Only the Lord Jesus Overcomes the Devil Who Rules This World
The Abundant Life Brought by the Lord Jesus
Someone asked me, Pastor, what is life? Life is eating and living. After ten years of Cold and Warm Life, Chen Xiaonan concluded with two words: Living. But there are different ways of living! The way of living with the Lord Jesus as a treasure is a way of enjoying life. Without this treasure, although you eat and live, because no one bears his pain or carries his worries, that life is really not easy!
The devil is the root of human suffering. The Lord Jesus came to drive the devil out.
Live in Peace
During World War II, when the fighting was fierce, a large British steamship crossed the Atlantic to the United States. That ship sailed with a great mission, and there were German warships everywhere on the route. This was a very dangerous voyage. Before the British steamship set off, it was waiting for instructions from superiors. The superiors said: No matter what happens, keep moving forward. They also instructed: If there is a problem, contact by radio and wait for instructions. The captain must never arbitrarily change course. The British steamship crossed the Atlantic and began to head towards the United States. A few days later, enemy ships were found nearby, and they immediately contacted by radio: Enemy ships are nearby, what should I do? So they replied: Don't be afraid, just keep moving forward. The navigators' faces were sweating. But the superiors had already instructed this way, so although they were uneasy, they continued to sail towards the United States. After going through many life-threatening situations, when they arrived at the port in the United States, the captain went to the deck, wiped his sweat, and breathed a sigh of relief. But in front of him, a black object floated up. He was startled, and upon closer inspection, it was a British submarine that had been following him all along. The steamship was sailing, and the submarine was closely following underneath, so the superiors told them not to be afraid and to keep moving forward. But the captain did not see the submarine and was trembling with fear all the way. When crossing the Atlantic, the submarine was always following under the steamship.
With the Lord Jesus following you, you no longer need to be afraid.
Live with Wisdom and Efficiency
The habit of observation. Don't be silly and mess around. Don't know that death is...
The founder of disinfection science, Joseph Lister, at the beginning of human surgery in the 19th century, 90% of people died after surgery. At that time, the existence of bacteria was not known. So a knife used by one person was used on another person, and a blood-stained knife was used on others, bringing the bacteria over. As long as surgery was performed, 90% died. And Joseph Lister, this doctor, was a person who believed in God. He prayed, God, as soon as a patient has surgery, they die. Surgery was originally intended to save people, how can it kill people instead? In silence, he heard a voice of wisdom in his heart: Look, there are bacteria on this knife, which can be used to spread the disease. Disinfect the knife. Although others laughed at him, Joseph disinfected the knife in the fire before the surgery. After putting the knife in the raging fire and disinfecting it, he performed surgery on people. 80% of the people Joseph operated on survived. So later everyone realized that when performing surgery, the knife must be disinfected. And the first person to tell him was God. It was God who gave him wisdom and saved many people. Even if the wisdom of this world cannot solve the problem, those who are chosen by God can pray to God and ask for God's help, and God will enlighten him and enable him to solve the problem wisely.
Taking the university entrance exam – Testimony
Live with power, live with glory, live with joy, live with health, live with victory
Qu Yuan died. He wrote a poem that has been passed down through the ages. But the melancholy in Qu Yuan's heart
There is no worry that Jesus cannot bear
There is no pain that Jesus cannot carry
I will lift up my eyes to the mountains
My help comes from you
The Love and Grace of the Lord Jesus
Full of abundant love
Given to all who call on your name
Your love is always inseparable
Mercy flows like a river
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Your love is always inseparable, always surrounding me
You will always remember the covenant you made with me
So that I may receive abundant grace
8 is to Preach the Gospel of the Lord Jesus – The Gospel of Bearing Our Pains and Carrying Our Worries!
Attracting People with the Charm of the Lord Jesus
Why talk about this topic? Because many Christians do not know that the Lord Jesus can attract people to come to Him. The charm of the Lord Jesus far exceeds everything in the world. This is a very regrettable thing. I passed by a place where a church was hanging a portrait of an actor. It said that a church was holding a New Year's Eve party. Using an actor as a gimmick to attract people. They hope to use a celebrity, actor, or entrepreneur to attract people to believe in Jesus. I myself used to agree with this idea. But later I discovered that the Lord Jesus is the truly charming Lord, His charm far exceeds the whole world. It is best to use the Lord Jesus to attract people! The Lord Jesus has enough charm!
Later, I found that if you use delicious food to attract people to believe in Jesus, in the end you attract foodies. If you use entrepreneurs to attract people to believe in Jesus, in the end you don't attract people who believe in Jesus, but people who believe in entrepreneurs and believe in interpersonal relationships. You catch whatever fish you bait with. You have to remember this principle. Some girls dress very sexy, with low-cut breasts, short skirts, and lustful eyes, what kind of boyfriend do you attract? It shouldn't be a good person. To build a church and bring God's blessings down from heaven, if you want to attract people who are willing to be soldiers of the Lord Jesus, you must use the Lord Jesus Himself to attract people to come to the church.
Slowly, I discovered that only by using the Lord Jesus to attract people can people come to believe in Jesus. Even if they come with problems to seek the Lord Jesus, even if they desire to get benefits from the Lord Jesus, they are better than coming for the food we have prepared, better than seeking to establish relationships with me and use me, better than coming to find boyfriends and girlfriends! Those who truly come to believe in Jesus will receive the benefits of believing in the Lord Jesus! That benefit far exceeds anything else in the world! It is something that this world cannot give you!
A Christian businessman asked me, you build churches, where do people come from? I said the Lord Jesus will bring them Himself. This is true. Aren't all of you here brought by the Lord Himself? People who ask such questions basically don't know that the Lord Jesus is the true and living God! He can raise up Abraham's descendants from stones!
Later, we changed our approach, that is, through prayer and more prayer, and then we saw God leading us step by step. The anointing of the Holy Spirit came down, the Spirit of God moved, and miracles and wonders happened naturally. God brought people, and when people came, they experienced a transformation in their lives. People began to see that the Lord Jesus was the treasure they needed most. Their problems were solved one by one! The Lord Jesus became the one who bears our pain and carries our worries! How real does that feel? That's very real.
If there are still people who don't think so, who think your work is important, your family is important, your business is important, your interpersonal relationships are important, I advise you to repent. Those are all unreliable, and cannot bear your pain or carry your worries! If we brothers and sisters are willing to give our time, pray, read the Bible, and worship, not because we have time, but because we squeeze out time to do so, we have all experienced grace and seen life begin to get better, problems begin to disappear, savings begin to increase, health begins to improve, and interpersonal relationships are also being restored. I believe that when you do this, you will also experience this grace. How we overcome our weaknesses, you will also overcome your weaknesses.