Introduction

You will find that our God works in very interesting ways. He did not write the Ten Commandments in millions of words but used only a few hundred, a very short passage, to describe the basic principles for people to live well and have a long life. If we want to understand something today, we must understand the Ten Commandments. If you say, The Ten Commandments are in the Old Testament, and we are living in the New Testament, you must not be mistaken. The Old Testament is the word of God, and the New Testament is also the word of God. The Old Testament embodies the principles by which people can live well and be blessed, and the New Testament also embodies the principles by which people can live well and be blessed.

Being blessed is the key to living well. I don't know if you have observed one thing: some people are blessed, and some are not. Blessed people can live well without too much effort, while those who are not blessed struggle all day long but cannot live well. A person's life is simply too strange. You may not be able to understand it no matter how you look at it unless you read the word of God. Some people inexplicably keep and follow God's principles for living well, while others inexplicably violate these ten principles, and as a result, you see people living well or not living well. Let's, brothers and sisters, begin reading Deuteronomy Chapter 5, about the Ten Commandments. I ask you, Are the Ten Commandments applicable today? Many people say they are not applicable, but in fact, the Ten Commandments describe a person's most basic principles for living. To practice and live this out is, at best, at the very low level of not being cursed. In fact, today, we brothers and sisters must know for sure that you are living in the New Testament, not the Ten Commandments, but living like Jesus. If you cannot even keep the Ten Commandments, then living like Jesus is far from possible.

Don't think that the Ten Commandments are something very profound. The Ten Commandments are the most basic principles, at best just a passing grade. If you want to live out the glory of God, that is far beyond the Ten Commandments. Today, brothers and sisters, you must know that in the New Testament, you will consciously or unconsciously live within the norms of the Ten Commandments in any case. You must know that you must hear, learn, and diligently observe and follow God's word.

We Must Hear, Learn, and Diligently Observe and Follow

First Thing: Hear

Moses said, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your hearing today, that you may learn them and be careful to observe them. (Deuteronomy 5:1)

It is sad when a person cannot hear. Some people say, I just don't understand. In fact, they never don't understand. It is just that what they hear does not match what they want. What they want is this, and then they feel, God, you should listen to me. But God says, I want that, and then they say, I don't understand. In fact, whether you understand or not is very subjective.

Later, I discovered that I don't understand, I can't is a very good excuse. For example, in a conversation between a husband and wife: Cook the meal, I can't, you can't blame me. It's solved all at once, If you can't, then I won't bother you, I'll find someone else to do it; Can you help me iron the clothes? I can't, If you can't, then never mind. There are many such situations.

Today, we must hear! In fact, God's word is not difficult to understand. You shall not murder, do you understand? You understand, how can you not understand? You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor, how can you not understand? But some people just say they don't understand.

Second Thing: Learn

You must hear, learn, and diligently observe and follow. So what if you don't understand?

If you don't understand, then learn. Later, I discovered that many people just don't understand. I don't understand. In fact, it's not that they didn't understand. They understood 10%, and then they understood 20%. As long as they don't understand 10%, they say, I didn't understand. In fact, they don't know that they understood 90%. In fact, even if you didn't understand most of it, you still understood some. So what is left for you to do? For you to learn.

You must know that our God wants us to learn very much. Learning is very important. A person who does not learn cannot understand God's will. Then you say, Is it okay not to learn? It's not okay not to learn. Brothers and sisters must know one thing: you can get about 5% by hearing, you can reach 95% by learning. In the process of learning, you diligently observe and follow and practice. So today, brothers and sisters, you must develop these three basic attitudes toward God's word.

Third Thing: Diligently Observe and Follow God's Word

Hear, constantly hear. Second, constantly learn. Third, constantly practice. This is the core concept of our church, and this is also the core value of our church. Some time ago, I mentioned the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed, and as a result, someone said, The pastor does not agree with the Nicene Creed, and the pastor does not agree with the Apostles' Creed. I'm leaving the group.

In fact, I have never opposed it. I just pointed out a key element. You read the Apostles' Creed, and you read the Nicene Creed, do you know what they are talking about? Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, incarnate and came into the world, died, was buried, and resurrected. I believe in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I just feel that this matter is a bit incomprehensible to me. This is just lip service.

I'll take you to search the Bible. Have you noticed a characteristic? It is to combine it with yourself. If you read the Apostles' Creed, then what can you do? I don't know what I can do. Nothing can be put into practice in life. You can only talk grandly. Today, our brothers and sisters must get rid of this bad habit of talking grandly, because this behavior of talking grandly is very bad. Didn't the Lord Jesus say: Let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' Anything more than this comes from the evil one.

A Wise Person is One Who Reads God's Word and Then Goes and Does It

Reads God's word and then goes and does it, such a person is a wise person. That is to say, from today on, brothers and sisters, you must begin to change from this perspective. Some time ago, I had a conversation and discussion with my mother. I must say that my mother is a person with personality. I led her to believe in the Lord. For so many years, she has never missed a Sunday gathering. I think the personality that I have not missed a gathering for more than 20 years is inherited from my mother. But my mother has a shortcoming. Once, I saw her and the co-workers of the church studying Exodus. She told a lot of the story of Exodus. After she finished speaking, I found that she had a small shortcoming, so I told her: What you said cannot be implemented. At best, you are just telling a story in the Bible. It is not wrong for us to tell stories in the Bible itself, but how can we interpret these stories into things that can be implemented? If nothing can be done after the interpretation, then it is a waste of speaking. Brothers and sisters must know that God speaks to us to make known to us His statues and judgements. We must hear, learn, and diligently observe and follow. This is the first point.

The Words God Reveals to People are Said to the Living

The Lord did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, those who are alive here today. (Deuteronomy 5:3)

Have you ever heard of God making a covenant with Abraham after he died? Or making a covenant with Isaac and Jacob after they died? No! They were all made with them while they were alive. That is to say, the things recorded in the Bible are about the things of our life. Our title is also Basic Principles for Living Well and Having a Long Life.

If it is about going to heaven after death, then at least in Genesis, I did not see God saying to Abraham that he would go to heaven. God did not say that. You must know that whether we live well or not is related to whether we have blessings or not. Having blessings or not having blessings is about the affairs of the living. So I don't like to say Believe in Jesus and you can go to heaven. I prefer to say: When people are alive, they can have God's presence, and God will continue to be with us after the death of the flesh. If there are ghosts with people when they are alive, then ghosts will definitely be with them when they die. Today, brothers and sisters, you must know that the Bible includes the Old and New Testaments. The New and Old Testaments are just telling people the principles of living well.

The Law of Thriving and Receiving Blessings

The law of thriving and receiving blessings is of utmost importance. Brothers and sisters must know for sure that if you find yourself merely scraping by, then you are not doing things right. You must understand that the Ten Commandments are a fundamental law established for the living, not for the dead. This covenant with the living was made clear during the time of Moses. It is crucial to live out God's glory while we are alive; this is the most important Mingding Destiny we have in this world.

If we live out God's glory in this world, you will not need things of the world. Some time ago, a brother asked me, If a person breaks their leg, do they need to go to the hospital to set it? I said, Yes, of course! He was very satisfied with my answer, and then he began to say, Then I don't quite agree with the deliverance ministry you do. I also said, That's okay. If a person often breaks their legs, their back, and their neck, then they really need a doctor. In fact, if a person thrives and is blessed, that person doesn't need doctors so much.

Two Kinds of People in the World

Brothers and sisters must understand today that there are two kinds of people in this world: those who are blessed and those who are cursed. Later, I discovered that those who are blessed live very well, so well that it can enrage those who are not doing well and are cursed. People who are not doing well can always find one or two good things about themselves and tell themselves that they are doing okay. In fact, they have seven or eight things that are not good, but they insist on using those one or two things to numb themselves.

People's hearts are very clear; they know whether they are blessed or not. If people are not blessed while they are alive, then I would advise them with one sentence: there is a better path to take, and that is the path to thrive and receive blessings for a long time. We can say that people have an account in their hearts of whether they are doing well or not, and don't just look at the outward appearance of wealth. It's good to be rich, but there are many people who are rich but not doing well. Some time ago, I went back to my hometown and visited a very famous temple there. Before, there was a family that I helped break the idols in their home, but in the end, they sent the idols back to this temple.

In fact, the people in the temple are all very wealthy people. Why did these wealthy people become monks? Because they had experienced quite a bit of trauma. At first, a person was very rich, and then they encountered some things and became a monk. Then another person was very rich, then encountered disasters, then saw through the vanity of life and joined this temple. Later, there was another group of people who did this, and as a result, this temple became very large. What do I mean by these things? It means that when people encounter bad things and don't live well, they will look for other answers. Becoming a monk is a choice, but if becoming a monk allows you to live well, then I hope you live well.

The Ten Commandments

As Christians, we must know that the Bible says the Ten Commandments are the basic laws for people to thrive, receive blessings, and live long. Some time ago, when I was in Singapore, I met a student from the school where I worked. This student came to me because she was heavily oppressed by evil spirits. I prayed with her, and later I found out about her family background. Her aunt's family had a god enshrined in their home, and her mother went to her aunt's house to play, and as a result, she died suddenly in the shower room. Her aunt saw that her sister was dead, so she committed suicide by cutting open her abdomen. Fortunately, she was rescued later. There are many tragic things in this family. In fact, they just don't know this basic law. Someone tells you: If you follow me in cultivation, you can gain eternal life, and after death, you can do this and that... Don't believe this too much.

The Bible says that we experience the blessings of the living God while we are alive, and it is most important to thrive and receive blessings. We may have violated the Ten Commandments to some extent. Violating the Ten Commandments directly enters into the curse. A person with a curse cannot live well. That's why the Lord Jesus was nailed to the cross to bear our curses and carry our sorrows, so that we can live well. But if we believe in the Lord and still violate the Ten Commandments, we cannot treat the precious blood of the Lord Jesus like a doormat.

First Commandment: You Shall Have No Other Gods

I am the Lord your God. (Deuteronomy 5:6)

God is our God, not only the God of those who believe in Him, but also the God of those who do not believe in Him. This God created the universe. Some people accept it, and some do not. Don't deny the fact that He brought us out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. He brought us out of all kinds of oppressions we have suffered in the world. You shall have no other gods besides Him.

Some time ago, a sister said to me, The religion of China embraces all rivers, but why is Christianity so exclusive? I also think being exclusive is not good, but my opinion is not important. We have to see what the Bible says. In fact, truth is exclusive. Look, the wrong answers are all the same. 1+1=3 or 1+1=4 are both wrong, but 1+1=2 is correct. Even if these answers accept each other, they cannot deny that 1+1=2 is correct.

For another example, if I recognize many mothers, they certainly won't have any opinions between them; they certainly won't care if I have a few more mothers or a few less mothers, but my biological mother certainly won't allow it. This matter is a bit fatal. In fact, our God is also like this. Besides our God, there can be no other Gods. If there are other gods, they must be false gods. You say: God, why are you so tyrannical? It won't work if you are not tyrannical!

If you have other gods, you will surely be cursed. Yesterday I heard a very interesting testimony. The husband of a sister's entire family almost all have mental illnesses. Mental illness is actually a curse. After several months of prayer and warfare, he suddenly received a revelation: the male head of this family and his uncle had built a small temple. They did not know the true God. This violated the first of the Ten Commandments. As a result, the whole family lived under a curse. Some time ago, their family was very busy. What were they busy with? Looking for this small temple everywhere, looking for it in the deep mountains and forests, searching and searching, but they couldn't find it. They prayed to God, and the Spirit of God revealed that they found it in the third valley. They destroyed it, and after they came back, everyone's mental illness greatly improved. That meant that it is very important for us to break idols.

You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God (Deuteronomy 5:8)

He immediately tells us, first, not to carve idols or any images, and not to kneel down to those idols. As for whether carving idols and kneeling before idols should be spoken of together or separately? I think it is good to speak of them together or separately like carving idols for worship. The things to be worshipped, shaping idols for yourself and carving idols are the same thing. After carving, kneel down and treat them as gods. The front says that if there are other gods or a carved thing being treated as an idol, you will be cursed because our God is a jealous God.

punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. (Deuteronomy 5:9)

You cannot have other gods. Why do people carve idols? Because idols will obey you. If you say you want something, they will give it to you. The true God is different. If He gives you something, you can't refuse it. You cannot pick and choose. It's like a child wanting to play with fire. Would you let your child play with fire?

Brothers and sisters must know that our God is a God who loves us, a God who protects us, and will not let us do some dangerous things. These are the basic laws of thriving, receiving blessings, and living long. First, you cannot have idols. What does idol mean? If work becomes your idol, you live for work, then work becomes your idol. Why do people carve idols? Because they don't understand spiritual operations. When people carve idols and kneel down to idols, evil spirits will enter your life, and it becomes a curse. A curse is when evil spirits legally corrupt you. Brothers and sisters must know that only worshiping the true God can solve the problem. In fact, there are many idols in life, such as money, relationships, heroic figures, all kinds of things can become our idols.

Just like the bronze snake that Moses made, the Israelites would be healed if they took a look at it. Gradually, they treated it as an idol and didn't know that it was God who solved their problem. Finally, during the reign of King Hezekiah, the snake was destroyed. You cannot have other gods; you can only worship the true God. You cannot treat the Bible as an idol; it is just a book. Some people use the cross to cast out demons. It's useless. Only the true God can solve the problem. Obeying and practicing God's word is more important than hanging a cross. The cross is just tradition. It's useless. You cannot treat the cross as an idol. So brothers and sisters, today we must reject the evil habit of idol worship and not fall for the devil's tricks. No family that worships idols lives well.

This covenant is not with our ancestors, but with us, with all who are here today, now alive. (Deuteronomy 5:3)