Introduction

Without spiritual eyes, one cannot understand why some people suffer. In fact, the reason for suffering becomes crucial. The suffering of some does not explain anything, nor does the lack of suffering of others. Jesus Christ suffered on the cross to fulfill God's plan of redemption, while the two robbers beside Him also suffered. One of the robbers hitched a ride with Jesus into God's paradise. The other was pathetic, being crucified and not even knowing that he was suffering for his own wickedness. Suffering in itself does not explain anything, but the reason for suffering is very telling.

Who has believed our message, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. (Isaiah 53:1-12)

Jesus' Suffering Accomplished Salvation

Five to six hundred years before Jesus was crucified, God had already prophesied through the prophet Isaiah that Jesus would die for sinners. Jesus was crushed for our sins. By his wounds we are healed; by the punishment he bore, we have peace. This is a spiritual principle.

To know that our sins were placed on Jesus, we must begin to learn to love God because He died for us while we were still sinners. If you have back pain today, I will pray for you. I will certainly pray that you be healed by the wounds of Jesus. Without the wounds of Jesus, you cannot be healed.

We should revere our God with a grateful heart. Our God has accomplished a particularly wonderful salvation for us. The peace you often experience in Jesus Christ is because of the punishment He bore that we might have peace. Once, in Adam, we all became dead people, and then in Jesus Christ, we were revived again. If sin entered the world through one man, Adam, we gain victory through one man, Jesus Christ.

When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (John 19:30)

This salvation was accomplished at the moment Jesus breathed His last on the cross. Why was it accomplished at that moment? Because through death, Jesus destroyed the power of death.

Today, when we read Isaiah 53, you will discover the wonder of God's accomplishment, the salvation that Jesus Christ accomplished for us. As Christians, does our belief in Jesus Christ, through which we gain peace and healing, come to an end? No. As Jesus Christ did, so should we do. As Jesus Christ overcame death, so should we overcome death. As Paul said, always carrying in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. (Colossians 1:24)

Salvation has been accomplished, but the path of salvation still requires us to continue walking. If a person does not have a willingness to suffer, it is difficult to follow Jesus. Jesus said, The works I have been doing you shall do also. Does this mean that we do not need to be crucified like Jesus? We must also crucify the passions and desires of our flesh. Why did Paul say that he filled up what was still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions? Jesus Christ suffered and was crucified two thousand years ago. Later, Paul began to serve God a few decades after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Paul suffered in the flesh, and that was imitating Jesus.

A person who believes in Jesus and is peaceful and has a smooth and blessed life, is not the path that Jesus walked. Salvation is what God accomplished in Jesus Christ. Today, we must know that if you suffer for the sake of Jesus Christ, you still must hold on to your faith in God.

Not everyone who is crucified is Jesus Christ. There were two robbers beside Him who also suffered. Their suffering was worthless. Only suffering for the sake of Jesus Christ is valuable. Do not confuse this matter. Jesus suffered to accomplish salvation, and Paul suffered to build God's glorious church. This is glorious suffering. There are some who also suffer, but there is no glory in it because they suffer for their own sins, like the robbers beside Jesus. Whether or not you suffer does not determine whether you are within or outside of God's plan, but suffering for God's glory is certainly within God's plan.

Peter was crucified, and Paul was beheaded. Do you think it was a pity for them? But only in this way can it be proven that the gospel they preached was written with their lives, that they truly believed in Jesus Christ. They laid down their lives for the sake of Jesus Christ. What better proof could there be? No one would lay down their life for a lie.

They paid the price of their lives to testify to the gospel, and both 2 Peter and 2 Timothy were the last letters they wrote before their deaths. They told their disciples that the time of his beheading was near and that he had kept the faith. They followed the path of paying the price of their lives, just like Jesus. Only those who are willing to lay down their lives can be used by God to preach the pure gospel out of salvation. You are blessed if you suffer in Jesus Christ for the sake of Jesus Christ's glorious church.

Did Pilate Sentence Jesus to Be Crucified, or Was God's Salvation Accomplished in Jesus Christ?

In the whole story, it seems that the chief priests and Pilate sentenced Jesus to death. But in fact, Jesus Christ sentenced the world to death. It is difficult for us to understand that the crucifixion of Jesus Christ accomplished a wonderful salvation, completely defeating the devil, our enemy.

When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, and he went back inside the palace. “Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” (John 19:8-11)

The concept of authority must be understood. In the process of serving God, you may experience some suffering; you may experience some grievances; you may experience some things that you don't want, but that is the fulfillment of God's plan. Whether it was the judgment of Paul, Peter, or Jesus, the authority comes from God. Therefore, today we must preach the gospel of respecting authority. Our church will never march in the streets nor confront the government. Like Jesus Christ, our church: Our kingdom is not of this world, our kingdom is in heaven, and what we preach is the kingdom of Jesus Christ.

A few years ago, there was a church in Beijing that was banned from meeting by the government, so they ran to the park to meet, confronting the government and causing a lot of trouble

Recently in Zhejiang, the crosses were everywhere, and the government felt uncomfortable and began to demolish them, and many churches protested. Today, we must know that simply putting up a cross has no meaning.

St. Paul's Cathedral is very majestic, and some people say that as soon as they go in, they feel so solemn, so quiet, and so moved by the Spirit of God. I am very surprised, does this building have so much power? Many people travel to churches in the UK, which are extremely desolate, with only a few buildings left. Today, we must come out of this false myth and have a concept of authority. We must respect authority. If you ask me not to believe in the Lord, that is not possible. The right to believe in the Lord cannot be taken away. If we suffer a little persecution, we must not resist. Our church will never resist, our church will always be good citizens, and our brothers and sisters will always respect authority.

Unless it is from God, this authority cannot be exercised. Today, we must have the concept of obedience, obeying the authorities in the world. Do you know what Paul is saying? If you are still a slave, continue to be a slave, because the outward appearance of a slave cannot restrain your inner freedom. We must know that the salvation accomplished by Jesus Christ is by no means a rebellious salvation. Jesus never rebelled, and Paul did not take his disciples to march in the streets, nor did he take believers like Spartacus to start a rebellion, picking up knives and guns to fight.

In Chinese history, there was a man named Hong Xiuquan, who used the Christian faith to establish the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, which was later tragically destroyed. We are not establishing a kingdom in the world, we are establishing the kingdom of God. Paul did not resist, nor did Peter resist, even though their trials were unfair. Today, we still choose a concept: even if we die in this world for Jesus, it will never happen to us unless God allows it. Amen!

The One Who Betrayed the Lord Is Guilty of A Greater Sin

Maybe some people betrayed Jesus, crucified Jesus, or judged Jesus. Those who shouted, Crucify him, crucify him, are guilty of a greater sin. We belong to Jesus, and those who judge or persecute us, do not think that God will stand idly by. Their sins will be greater. Later, Judas, who betrayed Jesus, hanged himself because his sin was greater. The sin was pressed upon them, and no one bore it for them. Since Jesus was crucified, in the subsequent two thousand years of history, those chief priests and descendants of the Jews have suffered humiliation. They themselves shouted, Let this sin be on us, and the sin really fell on them.

It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned. (Hebrews 6:4-8)

Let us share this concept, never think that if you know God and then abandon God, your end will be better. I once served some people who came to the church with all kinds of problems. I served them and brought them out of that situation, and then they began to return to normal life. After returning to normal life, they immediately fell into that pit again, and began to be busy with work, putting all the things of knowing God and worshiping God behind them. Later, I did an incomplete survey to understand their living conditions, and they lived very miserably. There are some people who are fine for a short period of time, but after a long enough time, you will find that their lives are very miserable. These people know God and betray God, and their sins are greater. We must begin to have such a concept.

God is the King of Kings

Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.” Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.” (John 19:19, 21-22)

Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews, Pilate, with such a revelation in his spirit, wrote that Jesus was the King of the Jews. It was precisely recorded in the Bible to proclaim that Jesus is indeed the King! The chief priests said, do not write that He is the King of the Jews, but write that He claimed to be the King of the Jews. Pilate said, what I have written, I have written. When we walk on this path, even those who persecute us, they know one thing: we are kings. We begin to know for sure that God is the King of Kings.

When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. (John 19:26-27)

Mother, this is your son; son, this is your mother. This is a very interesting instruction. When Jesus was being crucified, His own brothers were not around, only Mary and John were there. Today we must know who your brothers and sisters are, who your mother is; it is those who do the will of my Father in heaven. We begin to recognize a fact: this actually has little to do with the flesh. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit, and that which is born of the flesh is flesh.

How God's Salvation is Accomplished

“Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.” This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said, “They divided my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.” So this is what the soldiers did. (John 19:24)

The Roman soldiers had nothing to do with Jesus Christ, but what they did was recorded in the Bible to fulfill the scriptures. Today, in the salvation of Jesus Christ, we build a glorious church, becoming part of God's plan. Those around you who persecute you, who nail you to the cross, who torment you, those who are unjust to you, may well be predestined by God according to His plan for you.

Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,” and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.” (John 19:28, 30, 36-37)

There is a book called “The Bible Code.” In ancient times, before computers could analyze, a Jewish mathematician took the Bible and analyzed it. How did he analyze it? He took a character at certain intervals. He did a lot of mathematical research on three or four hundred pages of the book. What did he research? He researched Newton’s law of universal gravitation. When he searched for it in the text, using computer coding, he found on the same page that taking a few characters at certain intervals spelled out Newton’s law of universal gravitation. It was shocking. The Bible, in addition to being textual information, is also coded information.

Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.” (Revelation 5:1-5)

What does it mean to break the seven seals? The seals are like computer passwords, the locks on encrypted books. After encryption, all you see is gibberish. Only with the key can you turn it into readable text. Jesus has the key to break the seven seals because He has overcome. Today we are still in these seven seals. The history of mankind is propelled by the seals broken by Jesus.

How does Jesus break these seals? Because when Jesus breaks a seal, changes occur on earth, and history moves forward. Who moves forward? It is the church. The body of Jesus is the church. The churches of different eras, in Jesus Christ, break these seals together with Jesus Christ. As we come to this era, God is constantly giving us revelation. When we become the body of Jesus Christ, we can break these seals, which is the church.

The first four chapters of Revelation are letters to the seven churches, with seven churches, seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls. When will God's salvation be completely accomplished? It will be when the Kingdom of God comes completely upon this earth, that is, the coming of the last days. Jesus Christ accomplished salvation two thousand years ago by being nailed to the cross. Today we begin to follow Jesus on this costly path and can open a new chapter in human history. I firmly believe that establishing an online church is not accidental. I never thought about establishing an online church; it is God's leading step by step. This is a new chapter in church history. Any new chapter in church history comes through God's continuous revelation, a brand new revelation.

These three sections all speak of fulfilling the Scriptures. That is to say, there are still hidden words in the Scriptures, as well as explicit words. The explicit words belong to us humans, and the mysteries belong to the Lord. The mysteries belonging to the Lord God must be done through the revelation of the Holy Spirit. That is, the faith of Jesus Christ is a faith of revelation. Our faith is a transcendent faith, a faith of revelation. God is constantly doing the work of revelation among us, which is exciting.

God constantly reveals Himself, allowing more people to know Him. Today we begin to enter into God's will through prayer. Why do we want to build a praying church today? Because only by building a praying church can we receive revelation. When people's prayers reach God, human history will move forward.

The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake. (Revelation 8:4-5)

When human history moves forward, there must be thunder, lightning, and earthquakes, and natural disasters continue to intensify. So today we begin to learn to pray. Because of our prayers, human history has moved forward a big step, until Jesus comes again.

Be a Smart Person

Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there. (John 19:38-42)

This is amazing. He was afraid of the Jews before and secretly became a disciple, but now he asked Pilate to take away the body of Jesus. When Nicodemus went to see Jesus, he explored something with Jesus called eternal life. If a person is not born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God. These people are smart. According to our human logic, He was nailed to the cross; if you are God, you should come down from the cross yourself. This is our human logic. Nicodemus and Joseph must be familiar with the Book of Isaiah. They must have seen that He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed (cf. Isaiah 53:5). Today, when we read the Bible, we must have a spiritual perspective.

I called a sister who brought her child to church. Her child was tormented by demons and suffered a lot. He had ADHD since he was little, and now it is difficult for him to concentrate. If a person has difficulty concentrating on doing things, what will happen after he is in his twenties? A sister who has been a believer in a traditional church for many years suddenly realized the situation of her child and wanted to seek answers. We read the same Bible, but she rarely heard what I said.

She heard very little about messages on ability, authority, exorcism, deliverance, about Jesus Christ, about imitating Jesus, and imitating Paul. They think it is normal for the church not to be like Jesus and for the pastor not to be like Jesus or Paul, but I tell you, this is not normal. She clearly told me that her pastor does not exorcise demons. But the Lord Jesus clearly tells us in Luke that these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues (cf. Mark 16:17).

We must begin to learn from Joseph and Nicodemus. They pieced together Jesus' life, especially Jesus' ministry. This is the Savior, and God's salvation is being accomplished. So they risked their lives to ask for Jesus' body and then used myrrh and aloes to bury Him. I believe that these two people will also be persecuted in Jerusalem during the Jewish era. Their persecution will definitely not be an accident; it is the accomplishment of God's grace. Nicodemus longs for eternal life and the coming of the Kingdom of God. Joseph of Arimathea was also once afraid of the Jews and secretly became a disciple. Now he wants to be a disciple openly. All his previous fears are put down because God's grace is about to be accomplished in them. This is a smart person.

If today you see God's grace upon us in our midst, and something a little wrong happens, you must look at the whole picture. Don't be confused by that one thing. What does it matter if people suffer a little? God's salvation is accomplished in this way.

Summary

When you see Jesus die on the cross, Jesus says it is finished. If you are persecuted and you don't know that it's grace, and you feel wronged, salvation cannot be accomplished. If you are persecuted like Jesus and then say: it is finished, then you will overcome. If you overcome, you can break these seven seals, then human history, including your personal history, will move forward, so this is a smart person. You must have a spiritual perspective to see. Joseph was sold to Egypt, and he thought it was the accomplishment of God's salvation. If we suffer a little grievance, we also think that God's salvation is being accomplished, what grace that would be.

Someone once told this joke: One day the devil came and said to a person, 'Come, let me show you what hell looks like.' As a result, they found it was a very beautiful beach. Strolling on the beach is very comfortable, with sunshine, rain, dew, and spring breeze! It's just so beautiful. Looking down at the sea water, it looks like crystal clear. The person thought, 'So this is what hell is like, this is good.' As a result, one day when this person died, he went to hell and found it was a lake of fire and brimstone, with immortal worms desperately biting, and the devil constantly tormenting this person. He said to the devil, 'You showed me it wasn't like this.' The devil said, 'That was just a demo.'

Outwardly it looks like death on the cross. Outwardly it looks like we have been persecuted. But you must know that the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt for four hundred years before God brought them out. It's hard for you to understand. In Jesus Christ, this is called salvation!