【June 6, 2018 Mandarin+Cantonese Bible Study】

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field... God is choosing treasures in this generation, and the treasures in God's eyes are those who tremble at God's words. God created man, and also created the devil. The kingdom of heaven is like someone casting a net, with angels picking out the good and the devil devouring the rest. The Holy City, the New Jerusalem, is the bride of Jesus Christ, and the victorious church is the bride. Those who build the victorious church are treasures in God's eyes.

The New Jerusalem Church is a group of victorious Christians, built by treasures in God's eyes, and the Spirit of God rests here. Those who overcome will shed many tears, and God will wipe away their tears, and there will be no more death. The key to overcoming is faith, faith that is great enough to see through life and death. In our generation, the victorious church is the key.

Reading the 《Bible》 is not like reading the 《Tao Te Ching》, but to understand what God's will is, and we must understand how to be God's treasure. Cowardice, unbelief, and lying are all problems with the foundation of faith. Cowardice is not an excuse; a person without faith will be afraid, but a person with faith will trust in God, and one who trusts in God will not be afraid. Jacob, Tamar, and Rahab may have seemed to lie in the eyes of men, but not in the eyes of God, because they trusted in God, and they risked everything to gain Mingding Destiny. They did so not out of selfishness but for the honour of God, to gain blessings in eternal life.

Let us look at Revelation 21 together, how can we become treasures in God's eyes?

Introduction: How to Read the 《Bible》

When we study the 《Bible》, we usually see a title. Brothers and sisters need to know how to read the 《Bible》. The most important thing is to grasp the most important point. If you don't grasp the most important point, you won't grasp God's heart. This morning, Sister YN showed me a sermon video of someone else, in which the pastor preached about the issue of Abel and Cain's offerings. God said, Abel's offering was accepted, but Cain's offering was not accepted. The preacher said that it was because Abel offered sheep and Cain offered grain, so Abel was accepted and Cain was not; and he said that offering sheep required bloodshed to atone for our sins. But God also said in the 《Bible》 that the first tenth of the harvest should be offered, so how should this be understood?

In fact, Abel and Cain's offerings were a matter of attitude. If there is a problem with the attitude, the offering cannot be accepted; God values our attitude. One of our sisters used to wash dishes at the airport, working long hours every day. In fact, she was a kindergarten teacher, but she came to the church crying and shouting that she wanted to leave because she felt that the job was too hard. Her sister and I took her to pray, and later she found a job as a kindergarten teacher. Thank God, her salary increased from over a thousand yuan to over two thousand yuan, but when I told this sister to tithe, she said, Isn't it just two hundred yuan? The way she spoke showed that there was a problem with her attitude. As a result, her work was not blessed, and she was fired six months later. With the tens of thousands of RMB she had earned, she returned to China to invest. Not only did the business not succeed, but she also lost all the tens of thousands of yuan she had earned, because there was a problem with her attitude. Later, she contracted a deadly disease, and the doctor said that there was no way to treat it, only to wait for death. Before she died, she came to see me, hoping to return to the church and see her sister before she died. We didn't know she had a deadly disease at the time. After returning to our midst, she followed us in prayer and was later healed by God.

Three months later, she shared her testimony, and we found out. Now, she doesn't agree if you don't let her give offerings, which shows that people's attitude is key. Now she has become a well-known Christian among us, and I thank God very much! Our offerings are not accepted, not because of the things we offer, but because of the attitude of the offering. I use this example to illustrate that reading the 《Bible》 requires grasping the key points, and the Pharisees always fail to grasp the key points when reading the 《Bible》.

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. (《Matthew》 23:23)

The Pharisees studied how to keep the Sabbath. Walking one mile was observing the Sabbath, and walking two miles was not observing the Sabbath. If a sheep fell into a well, it had to wait until after the Sabbath before it could be rescued. So today, we see that the Pharisees' way of reading the 《Bible》 is that they have not read God's heart. Today I teach you how to read the 《Bible》, which will have a profound impact on your work and study. If you don't grasp the key points, you won't grasp God's heart. Today we are studying Revelation 21, so what is the theme of this chapter? If we read carefully, we will find that God is choosing treasures.

People Who Are Treasures in God's Eyes

What is a treasure after all? In God's eyes, those who tremble at God's words are God's treasures! Today we read Revelation 21 carefully, and we find that God created man and also created the devil, so what is God doing? Because the kingdom of heaven is like someone casting a net, casting a net and picking out the good and throwing away the bad. The angels pick out the good into the vessels, and the devil throws away the bad. So reading this chapter, we will see the New Jerusalem, a glorious holy city, and the glory of this latter time will be greater than the former, which refers to the holy city.

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls; when he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. (《Matthew》 13:44-46)

In fact, building a church is a very dangerous thing. We often test people in the church. If it is real gold, then it will not be afraid of fire. As the Northeastern saying goes: “Whether it is a mule or a horse, you will know it by taking it out for a walk.” If it has diarrhea as soon as it comes out for a walk, Then it is not a good mule. In fact, this is also the case in the church today. It is not about trying to keep everyone in the church, but about picking out the good ones. When the devil takes away the bad ones, we should thank God.

When I was reading the New Testament, I discovered an interesting phenomenon: many people from the Pharisee sect entered the church, and they went to the church to promote circumcision. Today, we have a pure gospel, thanks to the Apostle Paul. Because of the Apostle Paul, we do not have to keep circumcision today, nor do we have to keep the law of Moses. It was because he wrote 《Romans》, 《1 Corinthians》, 《2 Corinthians》, etc. with an uncompromising attitude that we have a pure gospel today.

At that time, there was an apostle named Jacob, who was Jesus Christ's own brother. Many Christians from the Pharisee sect went to various churches in the name of Jacob to promote circumcision. When you read 《Galatians》, you know that there have already been many false brothers in the church. We are not surprised that the Jerusalem church failed later. The later Jerusalem church was very poor, turning God's church into a church full of Christians from the Pharisee sect. Many years ago, I met a pastor who was sued in court by members of the church. This pastor was very pitiful. He told his history of suffering on the stage with tears and snot. I was thinking under the stage, why is this happening? So building a church must be holy. If we leave all the bad things in the church, we will suffer in the end, and the church will suffer huge losses. So today we must bring treasures to the church and throw away the garbage.

Just like the scripture mentioned earlier, those who build the church are Taobao people, not collecting garbage. So when we read Revelation 21, we will see the Holy City, the New Jerusalem. The New Jerusalem is built entirely of precious things such as pearls, agates, and gold. These are the people whom God considers precious in the church. The New Jerusalem is the church, built by a group of victorious Christians, who are considered precious in the eyes of God. The Spirit of God dwells among us and works with us. A victorious Christian will shed many tears, but:

‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”(《Revelation》 21:4 )

Building God's Victorious Church

I thank God for giving us the Book of Revelation, which speaks so profoundly. The Lord Jesus is our Alpha and Omega, our beginning and our end. We, the victorious Christians, will inherit all things. He will be our God, and we will be His children. The key to victory lies in faith. How great should that faith be? It must overcome the devil, because of the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death (Revelation 12:11). In fact, the latter part of this verse is the most important. How great should that faith be? Faith must be so great that it sees through life and death; we are not afraid of death. Because in Jesus Christ, we have the hope of victory. In our generation, the victorious church is key, so in my heart, I am determined to build a victorious church.

The Book of Revelation begins by talking about the seven churches. God's message to the seven churches is what will happen to those who overcome.

Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? (Isaiah 66:1)

Why can't God find rest? Because He has not found the New Jerusalem. Our God is seeking His resting place, which is the victorious church. What is the victorious church? In fact, Isaiah 66 speaks of those who tremble at God's word.

Building the church is like building God's temple; it must be built with precious materials. How can God be pleased if just anyone remains in the church? I often teach brothers and sisters, including church leaders, to learn to bring treasures into the church and discard the bad. I thank God that the bad ones are directly dealt with by the devil, without me having to do it myself. The church is the bride of Jesus Christ; how can we do this carelessly? Moses built God's tabernacle according to God's revelation, and there could be no carelessness. Solomon built the temple according to God's revelation to David, and there could be no carelessness either. Today, we build the church according to the revelation of Paul in the New Testament. The entire New Testament speaks of how to build a victorious church. You and I read the Bible in black and white, but if you tremble at God's word, you will surely build God's victorious church.

One day I was studying Genesis, and a brother came to my church to study the Bible with me, because I don't like to measure Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob with moral concepts. He stood up and pointed at me and said, God will judge you. I told him directly, You don't have to come next time, I can't pastor you. He himself had kidney cancer and was covered in plasters; he was actually a very pitiful person. But he was very insistent on what he had received, and he seemed to be reading the Tao Te Ching when he read the Bible. Today, there are many in the church who criticize Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. But I never dare to criticize them; I can't even keep up with emulating them, because they are all people of faith and destiny. Thank God! Because Abraham opened up the path of faith, we can receive the blessing of Abraham. The blessing of Abraham is a blessing of Mingding Destiny, because what he sought was that all nations would be blessed through him.

Obtaining Destiny is the Key to Victory

I have written two books, Obtaining Destiny, which talk about obtaining destiny. Obtaining destiny is the key to victory; destiny is the meaning of our lives.

But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8)

When we read the Bible, we must all know one thing: cowardice is not an excuse. A person without faith will surely be cowardly. Jesus Christ criticized the little-faith and the faithless the most when He was on earth. Those who have Mingding Destiny know the meaning of life, and those who have Mingding Destiny emulate the faith of Abraham. Having faith means trusting in God, and trusting in God means not having to be cowardly. You can't say that you were born a timid person.

This afternoon I ministered to a sister who had a spirit of fear, and she trembled all over when she saw cats and dogs. Some people think this problem is a small matter and don't take it seriously, but cowardly people are not treasures in God's eyes. Those Israelites who came out of Egypt but could not enter the Promised Land were cowardly. Christians must remember the above verse. The most formidable person is one who is not afraid of death. If you are willing to give your life for God, what else is there to fear? Today, do you want to be a treasure in God's eyes, or garbage in God's eyes? I often tell people that living is a very simple thing; there is no need to be afraid of this or afraid of that. Don't just know how to work all day long, and be so afraid of the boss that your legs go weak. The moment the boss calls you, you behave as if a mouse seeing a cat. Today we must be people who fear God, and tremble at God's word!

Do not be someone who is afraid of everything except God. So today we must begin to understand how to be a treasure in God's eyes. This chapter speaks of two kinds of outcomes for people: one outcome is to become a treasure of God and be built into a new Jerusalem. There is the glory of God and the presence of God. The gospel we believe is a very precious gospel. Do not cheapen this precious gospel, and do not turn the church into a place for collecting rubbish. Today we must all be people of faith. Reading this chapter, our faith should be greatly enhanced. Especially those of us who have paid a heavy price to obtain God's destiny.

In fact, there is a perplexing thing in this passage, which is the last one: liars. Many people think that Jacob lied, and indeed he did lie. Because Isaac asked him, Are you Esau? Jacob said, I am Esau. What else is that but nonsense? But no one in the Bible says that Jacob is in the lake of fire and sulfur. No one criticized Jacob for lying like that. Rahab in the Bible also lied. The king of Jericho asked her, Where are the spies of Israel? She said, They are gone. But they were in her house. Tamar pretended to be a prostitute and deceived her father-in-law Judah and had a child by him. These people, in the eyes of men, told lies. But in God's eyes, they did not, because they trusted in God, and they risked everything to obtain their Mingding Destiny. They did not do this out of selfishness, but out of honor to God. They were not seeking blessings in this life, but blessings in eternal life.

Cowardice, unbelief, and lying all indicate problems with the foundation of faith. So today, brothers and sisters, when we read the Bible, we must begin to grasp God's heart. I have been a believer for more than twenty years, and I have never put work above God. There should be more than a thousand Sundays in twenty years. More than a thousand Sundays, divided by three hundred and sixty-five, should be more than three years. In these three years, I have not missed a single Sunday. You need to know how much I reverence God that I have not missed a single one of these thousand over Sundays! Because I want to be a treasure in God's eyes, I never fawn over anyone, but God is very gracious to me and has allowed my career to rise all the way.

We should not say to God about what He wants us to do, God, I'm taking a vacation. If we do that, when we have things to do, God will also take a vacation. I don't have too much hope for the matter of living, but only hope to find grace in God's eyes. I only want to be a treasure in God's eyes, like a living stone, building God's temple, the New Jerusalem, to become God's dwelling place. One day we will know that God's words are faithful. If you want me to prove it to you, I can't prove it to you, but God's presence is clearly visible. God has performed many miracles through my hands. It feels so good to have God's presence! Miracles and wonders follow me, and God is with me, which is clearly known. So my faith is not an empty faith, but a real faith.

Conclusion

God's most wonderful plan is to build God's victorious church. The church is the body of Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ is the head of the church. God's tabernacle is among men, the God of Emmanuel, who will be with us forever and ever. All this will pass away, and we will become eternal with Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us that in our days on earth, there are many tears, many sorrows, and pain, which are precisely the reasons for our victory. Let us have great hope that we are part of the New Jerusalem. There is no night there, only the glory and honor of God. Today we should have what fear and trembling at the word of God. We should obtain the Mingding Destiny of Abraham, build God's glorious church, and be a blessing to all the families of the earth. Our names are also written in the Lamb's book of life, and the second death has nothing to do with us.

May God bless everyone!