Walk the Path Opened by Jesus

Before examining Matthew Chapter 3, let us first review Chapters 1 and 2. Chapter 1 speaks of Immanuel, God with us, which is a very important attribute of God. We must know that God loves us very much and desires to be with us. God being with us is rest for God, and also rest for us; it is a very wonderful thing.

Chapter 2 speaks of the miraculous and humble Jesus Christ. Where is the miracle? We know that in ancient China, there were many myths about human destiny being closely related to celestial phenomena. When Jesus came, there were many incredible phenomena such as wise men and astrological signs. For example, all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity were killed because of the birth of Jesus Christ. We might think, could not God have avoided this? Actually, He could have. The problem is that when Jesus Christ came, it truly produced a very miraculous yet humble situation.

God's plan was not to save these children from death, but to save all of humanity, so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. Then Joseph had to take the young Jesus and flee to Egypt, and then flee from Egypt back to Nazareth. This seems very troublesome, but this is God's will. Jesus Christ became flesh and came into this world and still had to flee to avoid being killed by King Herod. He was born in a manger, which is our humble Jesus Christ.

Speaking of the theme of Chapter 3, let me first teach everyone how to write an essay. There are several key points in writing an essay. First, there must be a good beginning and ending; second, irrelevant things should not be written or written sparingly, and relevant things should be written well. Matthew wrote a good essay. He very briefly discussed the birth of Jesus Christ. Why? Because his focus was on discussing the years Jesus Christ preached, what Jesus Christ preached, what He did, and how He was crucified. Compared to the Gospel of Luke, the Gospel of Matthew lacks many details. Luke argues in detail, while Matthew omits these. In Chapter 3, Matthew also omitted many things about John the Baptist, writing only a little, and all of it related to Jesus Christ.

Chapter 1 speaks of Jesus Christ becoming flesh, God with man; Chapter 2 speaks of the miraculous and humble Jesus Christ; Chapter 3 speaks of Jesus Christ fulfilling all righteousness. Today, the Jesus Christ we believe in has opened a path for us, and we must walk this path of Jesus Christ.

To Walk the Path of Jesus, Start with Repentance

Matthew Chapter 3 speaks of John the Baptist coming out and preaching in the wilderness. The purpose of his coming was to prepare the way of the Lord, to make His paths straight, and to prepare the way for Jesus Christ. In fact, John the Baptist did many things, but why is so little written? Because the purpose of his coming was to prepare the way for the Lord Jesus, to make an introduction and foundation for Jesus Christ, which is the baptism of repentance.

When many people read this passage, they like to study John the Baptist wearing camel's hair clothes, with a leather belt around his waist, eating locusts and wild honey. Why did Matthew write these things? Probably because the story is interesting. But this is not the focus. The focus is that some Pharisees and Sadducees also came to be baptized. They felt it was good; everyone wants good things. At this time, John the Baptist said:

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” (Matthew 3:7-12)

What John the Baptist did was to pave the way for the Lord Jesus. This is the baptism of repentance. The baptism of repentance is an example for us. Brothers and sisters must know that a Christian, from not believing to receiving the grace of Jesus Christ, must start with repentance. A person who does not want to be a Christian does not need to repent, but if he wants to be a Christian, he must repent, which is the baptism of John the Baptist. When Jesus came, John the Baptist saw that Jesus was not an ordinary person, but the One who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire, with great power.

But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” But Jesus answering said to him, “Allow it now; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him. After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.” (Matthew 3:14-17)

What is this chapter about? It is about how our Lord Jesus, although the Son of God, must fulfill all righteousness. First, let us talk about repentance. John the Baptist came out and said, The kingdom of heaven is at hand, you should all repent. Without repentance, one cannot receive the benefits. It is the same after Jesus Christ came out.

From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17)

Repentance is a very good start. What I want to discuss is that the kingdom of heaven is at hand, and you should repent! This is an important part of fulfilling all righteousness. The righteousness that Jesus fulfilled includes the baptism of repentance. Jesus did not need to repent, but He still went through the baptism of repentance. Then what qualifications do we have not to repent? Repentance is a very important start for Christians. If people do not repent, it is difficult for them to receive God's grace.

Why do people come to church to seek healing? Because they are out of options. Being out of options means they did not do things right in the past. If they had done things right in the past, they would not need to come to church to find Jesus. If they did things right, or they think they did things right, they would not come to find Jesus. Like the Pharisees and Sadducees, they also came to find Jesus, but only as a backup plan. These people do not really want to repent. They want everything, but they do not want to repent. If people do not repent, then every tree that does not bear good fruit will have the axe laid at its roots, be cut down and thrown into the fire, and the result is death. So we must know whether we are really doing things right or wrong.

For example, if you have cancer, arthritis, kidney stones, gallstones, joint pain, skin eczema, often feel uncomfortable when under work pressure, or feel uncomfortable when you are idle, then you are not doing things right. If you can do things right, you do not need to come to find Jesus. Among us, there are many brothers and sisters who, facing the problem of illness, feel that they are not doing things right, but they feel that they are doing everything else right. Or, if they are not doing things right themselves, they think everyone is like this.

Anyone who does not repent and does not think that they are doing things wrong cannot turn back to God. Brothers and sisters should know what repentance is. Repentance means that I did things wrong in the past, and now I want to find a right way or turn around. For example, if a car goes the wrong way, it must turn around; it cannot continue driving down, otherwise it will drive further and further away.

If you want to walk the path of Jesus, you must start with repentance. But many Christians have been stuck at the beginning stage, spinning around in the same place, and then entering a vicious cycle, constantly repenting. If it is a different field, different aspects, different places, and we realize that we are not doing things right, repentance is also good. But some Christians are not like this. If you ask them what they are repenting for, they do not know. This kind of repentance is not very useful.

Bear Fruit in Keeping with Repentance

If the baptism that Christians receive is only the baptism of repentance, it is useless. Only the baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire is useful. Later, Jesus Christ baptized people with the Holy Spirit and fire. Some people think that it is enough to receive the baptism of repentance, but it is not. John the Baptist did not just complete a baptism of repentance for people. That was just the beginning. Next is the baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire.

Why do this? Because there is a secret here. We must know what God is doing. God is not just having people baptized and making a show of it. Many Christians are like this, just making a show. But actually, making a show of it is useless. In the end, you must bear fruit in keeping with repentance.

If you truly repent, know that you are really not doing things right, you will truly regret it. For example, if we invest 3 million and put the 3 million in P2P, and the website is shut down and the money is gone, you will really feel sad and regretful in your heart, and you will reflect on why you put the 3 million in P2P. People make many mistakes in their lives. To repent, you must be in keeping with repentance. But some people just say they repent, and then continue to commit the same mistakes. Isn't this stupid? If we want to repent, we must truly repent. Don't invest 3 million this time and lose it, and then invest another 3 million the next time. Isn't that stupid?

People are very strange. I have met quite a few people who do not truly repent. They repent today, and start again tomorrow, repenting and starting again, endlessly. This is like a pig being washed clean and then rolling in the mud again, or a dog eating what it has vomited up. It sounds disgusting! Some time ago, I ministered to a sister who was uncomfortable all day long. What was she uncomfortable about? She was just idle and could always find fault to be uncomfortable. Fortunately, I knew how to deal with this matter. It was not easy to help her get out of it, but recently she started finding fault again and started being uncomfortable again. She always felt that people were letting her down, should not have said that to her, should not have treated her that way, should not have looked at her that way, should not have given her that kind of look, and so on. If you want to be uncomfortable, who can stop you? If you like being uncomfortable, then continue to be uncomfortable.

Like when I minister to children, I am not afraid of them crying, but many parents are afraid of their children crying. When children cry, they give them whatever they want. In the future, when children want something, the first thing they think of is crying. When a mother hears a child cry, she gets anxious and starts sweating, giving the child this and that. Can this solve the problem? Once, a child cried in front of me, but that was okay; I had plenty of tricks. I made him stand in the corner and said to him, You keep crying. I really want to hear you cry next to you. The child cried for five minutes, then glanced at me with his eyes. I ignored him and continued to do my work. After a while, I looked at him and said, You keep crying.

After a few more minutes, the child realized that crying was useless and stopped crying. I said, Why aren't you crying anymore? Keep crying, cry hard! It's not okay not to cry! He didn't want to cry anymore. I said, Don't want to cry anymore? Have you cried enough? He said he had cried enough. I said, Is it uncomfortable inside? Do you want to be uncomfortable? Even a child knows that he doesn't want to be uncomfortable. I prayed with him for a while, and he felt comfortable and liberated in his heart. Next time, this child will not use the crying trick, because it doesn't work. Knowing that crying is uncomfortable, he will change this habit.

Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. (Matthew 3:8-10)

What kind of Christian are you? Are you a Christian that God wants to cut down, or a Christian that God wants to bear more fruit? If you do not bear good fruit, you will often feel uncomfortable, always feeling that the whole world is letting you down. You cannot go on like this. We must be careful not to be cut down. You say you are a Christian, but you do not have the faith of Abraham. Even if you are a descendant of Abraham, it is useless.

God does not really need Christians who are not like Abraham. We know that Ishmael was the son of Abraham, and Esau was the grandson of Abraham, but that was useless. Only people like Isaac and Jacob were given grace by God. Do ordinary people have grace? Yes, but not the grace of God's people.

Today, we must really know that we are not doing things right, and really know how to repent. When do we know that we are not doing things right? When we feel uncomfortable, we are not doing things right. When we have cancer, stomach pain, or joint pain, it is easy to know that we are not doing things right. If we are not doing things right, we must do things right. This is a very simple principle! But some people are self-righteous, thinking that they are just like this. Then no one is stopping you. Just hold on tight to the things that make you uncomfortable. If you do not repent, what else can you do?

Every time at the prayer meeting, I encourage everyone to repent well, turn back to God, and receive Mingding Destiny. Everyone has this disease and that pain. We must know that repentance is very important, and we must also know what God is doing. We are not Christians just because we put a sticky note on our heads saying we are Christians. Nor are we Christians just because we sit in church every week. These are useless. We must really bear fruit.

God Elects Precious Possessions

God baptizes with the Holy Spirit and fire. Water baptism is acceptable; everyone can soak in the water. But what happens after being baptized by the Holy Spirit and fire? We must understand that God does not collect chaff and weeds, but wheat. God collects good treasures and discards the bad.

His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” (Matthew 3:12)

Some say God has abundant grace and mercy, but God’s abundant grace is for the wheat. If you are true wheat, then you will be gathered into the kingdom of God.

“Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. (Matthew 13:47-48)

Have you ever seen someone cast a net, discard the good fish, and collect the bad ones? Never! Those who establish churches in this world are interesting; many do not understand such a simple principle. They cast a net, discard the good ones, and collect the bad ones. Is that establishing a church? If you are a pastor and want to establish a church, you should seek outstanding Christians like me. If you don't know whether someone is an outstanding Christian, baptize them with the Holy Spirit and fire, keep the good ones, and burn the bad ones.

We need to understand what God is doing. Casting a net, those who repent are good and those who do not repent are useless and must be discarded. After repentance, we must bear the fruit of repentance; those who do not bear fruit are discarded, and those who do are kept. The baptism of the Holy Spirit sifts out one group, and the fire of the Holy Spirit sifts out another. We must know that to be a Christian is to be an outstanding Christian, one who has overcome many obstacles and been sifted over and over.

God does not collect garbage; the devil does. If people are garbage, they are taken away by the devil; if they are treasures, they are taken away by God. Whether we are treasures or garbage depends on our choice. We must choose to live according to the word of God.

Emulate Jesus by Keeping the Rules and Fulfilling All Righteousness

Many things in life are ceremonial. For example, water baptism is a ceremonial matter. Some people simply refuse to be baptized, but God does not need you. We must know that even Jesus fulfilled all righteousness. What does this mean? Jesus did not want to eliminate this matter, not wanting to omit anything. He did not think that being the Son of God, Emmanuel, and the incarnate Jesus Christ meant He did not need to be baptized by John the Baptist.

Jesus Christ did not do that; He was truly great and set a very good example for us. We must keep the rules when we should keep the rules, and we must know what these rules are. The rules are to be baptized with water, baptized with the Holy Spirit, and baptized with fire. So, what happened after Jesus received the baptism of repentance? The Holy Spirit immediately descended upon Jesus.

Why didn't the Holy Spirit descend upon Jesus first, and then He be baptized with water? This question is useless to ask because the fact is that Jesus was baptized with water, and then the Holy Spirit descended upon Him. In fact, God's ways are not always rigid; God is very flexible. Some people are baptized with the Holy Spirit first and then baptized with water. But some Christians feel that being baptized with the Holy Spirit is enough and there is no need to be baptized with water. This is a very confused practice because it does not keep the rules. Keeping the rules is fulfilling all righteousness. Our Lord Jesus kept the rules, but Jesus kept God's rules.

We begin to ponder, Do not cut corners. I do not like to cut corners. Once I commit to something, I commit to it. For example, the Bible says not to forsake assembling together, so the Lord's Day is immovable for me. Some say you go to church even when you have a cold? Of course, I go! If I really cannot go, I will still use my time to worship God properly. But thank God, I have never stopped attending church in the past few years.

I keep the rules of driving when I drive, and I keep the rules of being a Christian when I am a Christian. Keeping the rules is called fulfilling all righteousness. Those who keep the rules bear good fruit; there is no need to mention those who do not keep the rules. We must know that keeping the rules is a good habit. Jesus wanted to fulfill all righteousness. Even though Jesus did not need the baptism of repentance, He still underwent the baptism of repentance. When the Holy Spirit descends upon us, we begin to pray in tongues. Do not cut corners in this process.

Jesus became flesh and walked for several days to reach the Jordan River. In fact, Jesus could have reached the Jordan River in an instant, but He still walked step by step. We little people must imitate Jesus' example because Jesus opened up a path for us to fulfill all righteousness. This matter itself is a sieve; whether you are sifted in or sifted out depends on your own destiny.

This matter is actually that water baptism brings the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Many Christians either omit this step or omit that step during baptism. Now, water baptism has changed from the Jordan River to soaking in a small puddle, then from a small puddle to a jar at home, from a jar at home to a bathtub, and from a bathtub to a faucet, and then to a basin, a bowl, or a small gourd. This cutting corners is simply too much! It's all shoddy work. I admire people's creativity, but can you use this creativity to cut corners?

Even more people have omitted the step of the Holy Spirit descending upon us. After Jesus ascended to heaven, the first thing that happened was the Pentecostal descent of the Holy Spirit. As soon as the Holy Spirit descended, the Christians began to pray loudly in tongues, like drunkards. This opened up a new era of the Holy Spirit. The era of the Holy Spirit is the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and many people take this for granted. It's good that the car has changed from manual to automatic, but the filling of the Holy Spirit has also changed from manual to automatic. How can this work? At the Pentecostal descent of the Holy Spirit, the Christians all spoke in tongues. Some say that speaking in tongues can be optional. This is strange. Tongues were spoken when the Holy Spirit first descended, so why not later? Later, even the fullness of the Holy Spirit is not needed? Did it automatically come? Did the Holy Spirit indwell? People simply don't want to fulfill all righteousness.

We must know that first, people must repent; second, they must be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and they will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, because this promise is for us and our children, and for all who are far off. These are all very important things! Everyone should know the steps of believing in the Lord: first, repent; second, accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior; third, receive water baptism; fourth, receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Many people turn the baptism of the Holy Spirit into something automatic. How can there be anything automatic? The Bible never speaks of anything automatic. If it is automatic, then you cannot fulfill all righteousness. Once it is automatic, then nothing moves. In the end, there is no power of the Holy Spirit, and it does not look like Christians, which stumbles many people. Many Christians do not look like Jesus at all; they look like ghosts, but they shout hallelujah very loudly.

In fact, what is even more miraculous in the Bible is that when the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus, Jesus was filled with power. Being filled with power is the gospel of Jesus Christ; without power, it is no longer the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our Jesus Christ became flesh, and although He was the precious unique Son of God, He chose not to cut corners! So, do not cut corners as a Christian! For example, some people do not come to church on Sundays, either because they have to work overtime or because they have nothing to do and want to cut corners. What is this? If you are always cutting corners as a Christian, can the result be good? For example, if there is an exam on Monday, and you do not come to church on Sunday, can you do well on the exam?

There was a time when the church was particularly desolate. One Sunday after the service, I told everyone that there would be a prayer meeting afterward. As soon as I said amen, someone grabbed their bag and rushed out impatiently. I asked and found out that she was afraid of staying to pray. I said, You don't have to be afraid, walk slowly, don't fall! A few weeks later, she tearfully told me that she had not done well on the exam and was going to fail all subjects. I asked her if she wanted to pray, and she said yes! As a result, although she did not do well on the exam, God had mercy on her and allowed her to pass every subject.

After that, I didn't ask her, but she wanted to come to pray. Why? Because not praying is not worth it! Why should we cut corners on things that are beneficial to us? We used to not be a praying church. It was particularly difficult to pay rent and find jobs. Later, we became a praying church, and everyone came to pray. We used all our public holidays to pray for a long time. After praying, we did other things, and nothing was delayed, and we did everything particularly well! Because the power of God was greatly manifested among us.

Forge Your Character to Become an Outstanding Christian

Recently, God’s power has manifested in a new round among us. Everyone’s jobs are getting better and salaries are getting higher. Everyone really needs to believe in the Lord properly and not cut corners, and in the end, this project will stand firm before the fire of God! God will surely send down His fire to burn on us, to see whether you can stand firm or not. If burning reveals wood, hay, and straw, then it is over; if burning reveals gold refined by fire, then it is gathered into His kingdom.

Brothers and sisters, do you want to be gathered into God’s kingdom? If so, start forging yourself into a person of great character. If you are going to believe in the Lord, believe in Him as an outstanding Christian! Nothing will be delayed! Jesus Christ also wanted to fulfill all righteousness, so how should you and I fulfill all righteousness? The gathering itself is not important, but the character at the core of what the gathering represents is very important! I hope that everyone can become a person of character!

May God bless everyone!