Reading the Bible to discern its System, Outline, and Framework

Let us turn to Matthew, chapter 4. We can divide this chapter into two parts: verses 1 to 11 as the first part, and verse 12 to the end as the second. Matthew chapter 4 speaks of the victory and ministry of Jesus Christ. Matthew's writing is very interesting; he omits many details, focusing only on the crucial outlines, because he wants to quickly present the ministry of Jesus Christ. A characteristic of Jesus Christ's ministry is to teach and heal all kinds of diseases.

We can see that several chapters in the entire Book of Matthew describe Jesus teaching and healing all kinds of diseases. For example, chapter 4 speaks of Jesus Christ's ministry, which is just a general statement. Chapters 5, 6, and 7 describe the teachings of Jesus Christ. But did Jesus just keep teaching continuously? No, these teachings were interspersed within each day's ministry. Chapters 8 and 9 describe Jesus Christ's ministry, healing all kinds of diseases.

When we read an article, we find that it has paragraphs. Some of our brothers and sisters have not received training in this area, so they find it very difficult to read. Why? Because there is no system, and even if they finish reading, they cannot remember it. What constitutes a system? A system is made up of a framework plus details. The ministry of Jesus Christ is to teach, preach the gospel of the kingdom of heaven, and heal all kinds of diseases among the people. Chapters 5, 6, and 7 are all about teaching, while chapters 8 and 9 are about healing all kinds of diseases. Chapter 10 talks about Jesus choosing the twelve apostles. In fact, Jesus choosing disciples is also a key component of His ministry.

With such an outline, we know how to minister. What we do today is also very simple: to teach, to heal all kinds of diseases, and to train disciples. Among all these things, the most important is to overcome temptation and be victorious. I have given a general overview of the entire Book of Matthew so that everyone can remember the victory and ministry of Jesus Christ.

The victory of Jesus Christ needs to be further divided into victories in several areas, which we will discuss one by one below. The ministry of Jesus Christ is to choose disciples, train disciples, teach, preach the gospel of the kingdom of heaven, and heal all kinds of diseases. What we do today is basically following this model. Some time ago, a sister asked me: How should I preach the gospel? I felt that this was really an ancient yet modern question! Can we rely on braised beef to preach the gospel? No! Can we rely on Happiness Groups? It seems yes, but also seems no.

Whether it is yes or no is not important. What is important is whether this is what Jesus did. Did Jesus start Happiness Groups? No. Did Jesus have braised beef? No. Some people object, saying that Jesus also ate and drank. But the issue is that those things are not the main axis! The main axis is what Matthew summarized: to teach, preach the Gospel of the Kingdom, and heal all kinds of diseases among the people. Before that is training disciples, and before training disciples is to be victorious.

Everyone should begin to learn to discern the system when reading the Bible, that is, its outline, framework, and details. If people only read the details, they will be very confused. When I was in school, I often heard teachers talk about paragraphing the text. At that time, I never knew what this was for. Some might wonder, if you didn't know, how did you get into university? Although I didn't know what paragraphing was for, I understood the other subjects. When did I learn to paragraph? I gradually learned it during my service in the church.

If you are reading the Bible in a disorganized, chaotic state today, then you need to sort out these contents and begin to learn to paragraph. We look at it section by section, understanding what this section is about and what that section is about, gradually building up its framework.

Carefully Obeying God's Word and Establishing a Complete System of Belief

Next, let's look at the victory of Jesus Christ. The victory of Jesus Christ is very interesting. I think if you can understand Matthew chapter 4, verses 1 to 11, you can know in your understanding how people gain victory. It is tragic for a person to never be victorious in their life. For example, when the Eight-Nation Alliance entered Beijing, they defeated the government, and after the defeat, they had to cede territory and pay reparations. This world is like this: the victor is king, the loser is a bandit. If you want to be king, you have to win battles. This is very cruel.

How did Jesus Christ achieve victory? Some people don't want to know how Jesus Christ achieved victory; they just think: Anyway, I am not Jesus, and I cannot possibly be victorious. I will just be like this. Ah, God can understand my weakness. God actually does not really understand this kind of weakness. What kind of weakness does God understand? He understands that since we know our weakness, we closely rely on God to be victorious. In this way, God can understand our weakness because God wants to show strength in our weakness.

Some people think that if they are weak, then God is also weak, and in this way, they shame the name of God. God could have helped you to be victorious, but you did not believe. So, from now on, we must learn to be victorious Christians no matter what! Today, there are countless Christians who are not victorious! Recently, a sister from Singapore sent me a message saying that she was ministering to a pastor who was in a terrible situation, having trouble even getting food, and asked me how to help him.

I am really touched. In Singapore and Malaysia, it is rare to have problems with getting food! You can earn money by doing anything, but he just can't earn money. The victor is king, the loser is a bandit! When people are not victorious and are defeated, they become slaves in the hands of the devil, being disciplined. In this situation, he even says that he wants to serve God and that he is a pastor! I think what he needs most is the Word of God.

How should we interpret this problem when we encounter it? It is because of a lack of victory. What is the reason for a lack of victory? It is because of not carefully obeying God's Word, resulting in being cursed. When the devil comes, everything you do goes wrong; others can do it, but you just can't. This is very tragic! I told this sister that when people are in this state, being concerned about face and self-righteous, we may not be able to help them. This sister said that she had contact with this pastor, and he was very self-righteous. What will be the final result? He may be saved by God out of Egypt, but later he will fall in the wilderness because he does not listen to God's word and his heart becomes increasingly hardened.

Why are people not victorious? Actually, the reason is very simple: it is because they do not act according to God's word. Some people say that there are too many words of God, and they do not know how to follow them. We must form God's words into a system. One of the most important reasons why Jesus Christ could overcome the devil, the enemy, is that Jesus Christ could infer other things from one instance of God's word. Inferring other things from one instance is to form a system. It is very important for a person to truly understand God's word and form a system of belief. Without a system of belief, you will be defeated in a dialogue with the devil, and you will not have good fruit to eat. I don't want to be defeated in the hands of the devil; I would rather be defeated in the hands of God. This is my ambition.

As our church has grown to this day, we have found that many people are not transparent in their understanding. There is a relationship between a lack of understanding of many things and spiritual oppression. I will tell you good news. We have fought spiritual battles against the huangpizi, that is, the spirit of religion, the spirit of witchcraft. The spirit of religion is very powerful. It can confuse a person's understanding. It is an opium that numbs people. Then some people will ask, do you believe in religion? Behind religion is the spirit of religion. I do not believe in religion, but in the words of life.

Some brothers and sisters who come from other churches have found that their original churches are not victorious. There are many reasons for not being victorious. The most serious reason is the spirit of religion. They have been defeated in front of the spirit of religion and are about to become Pharisees. When we get rid of the spirit of religion, a person's understanding will become transparent. Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, people can build a complete system of belief based on God's word. It is very difficult if a person does not understand God's word. Some people cannot read the Bible. Once, a sister came to the church, and although she also believed in the Lord, she was very poor, and she could not read the Bible. I really wanted to release her, but I did not release her at that time. Later, this sister was deceived by the huangpizi to another very religious church. Only when a person is released by God can they build a divine system in understanding.

Recently, we have more good news to share with you. What good news? We can release even more difficult evil spirits! These evil spirits affect children's learning. All those related to understanding and the mind are this type of evil spirit. After these evil spirits are driven out, children will learn better and better.

The First Thing to Overcome: The Lusts of the Flesh

Let's look at this passage in Matthew:

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘They will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. (Matthew 4:1-11)

After Jesus was baptized by John, the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus. The Holy Spirit led him into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. This is strange. Aren't we told not to encounter temptation? How did the Holy Spirit lead Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil? Because Jesus did not have much time. It may take us many years to be victorious, but Jesus only had a little over three years of ministry. He had to be victorious quickly! Why did the Holy Spirit lead Jesus to be tempted by the devil? To allow Jesus to be victorious.

Jesus went into the wilderness and fasted for forty days and nights. As for what Jesus did during these forty days and nights, Jesus must have been praying. After the fasting and prayer ended, his whole spirit was thriving. When a person deals with his flesh, his spirit is very prosperous and very clear. I tell everyone that stupidity is related to eating too much. Some time ago, one of our brothers in the church ate one meal a day at home. His family said that he had become stupid from believing in the Lord. How could he eat just one meal a day?

Why don't people see if they are healthier after eating one meal a day? The fact proves that people become healthier! Those who eat things when they have nothing to do, becoming obese, weighing two or three hundred pounds, cannot possibly study well because they have eaten themselves stupid. Now is an era of surplus food. Children eat large bags of fries and potato chips, drink large cups of Coke, and eat while watching TV, unknowingly becoming obese, and people become more and more stupid. Jesus fasted and prayed for forty days and nights, and not only did he not die, but his spirit became even more prosperous. Whether a person studies well depends on whether his spirit is thriving. One of my advantages is that I am not greedy for food. This is a key factor in my good studies, which proves that pampering the flesh will make you stupid.

Jesus was hungry after fasting for forty days and nights, and the devil came to tempt Jesus, saying: If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become food. This devil is very powerful. Can Jesus turn stones into food? Of course, he can! The Bible says that God can raise up children for Abraham from stones. Then turning food into bread or Hainanese chicken rice is even easier for Jesus.

But Jesus did not do this. Jesus said a word: Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. This is very well said! Do you really know what people live on? If you don't know in your understanding what people live on, you might really turn stones into bread or Hainanese chicken rice. The key is that your understanding must be transparent! If your understanding is not transparent, you will not know that people's lives have nothing to do with those things. People live on every word that comes from the mouth of God!

Chinese Mingding Destiny speaks of living according to every word from the mouth of God! All these words form a divine system of belief. Once God's logic system is formed within us, you will surely be victorious! If the devil comes to you and says, If you are the Son of God, turn these stones into bread, we may all answer, Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God! But the logic system inside us may be different.

Why? If you really turn stones into bread, the logic inside is not consistent. But today, the logic inside me is consistent because I know that I do not live on work, food, or money, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God! It is not that people rely on every word that comes from the mouth of God after they die, but that people do not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God!

Did Jesus live on? He lived on. Did he turn stones into bread? No. Then the problem comes. Some people ask: Can you tutor my child when he goes to school? Can you help me complete the tasks assigned by the boss at work? Can you help me solve the problems I encounter? Why do they say these things? Because their understanding is not transparent. The people who ask these questions are actually very foolish. Some people always think that their ways can solve problems. Then why do you come to me? You are working hard, but aren't you just creating a bunch of problems? You are creating a bunch of problems and about to die, so you come to me. I pray for you, and then you go back to doing the same things you did before. I advise you not to do this, but you say, how can I not do this? If I don't do this, how can I live? And so on.

Some people just want to be stubborn and do things according to their own ways, but as they do it, they are about to fail again and come to me again! I ask them, didn't I tell you not to do this? Then they say, if I don't do this, how can I live? I am very surprised. What kind of brain is this? Some people say, can you help me pay the rent? People live on every word that comes from the mouth of God. Wouldn't they be able to pay the rent? Would they starve to death? Would they live a poor life? What kind of brain is this? Today, you can boldly try it. If you live by every word that comes from the mouth of God, it will be hard for you not to live prosperously!

The other day, one of our sisters, whose IQ is frankly not up to par, faced company layoffs. In the end, only two people were left, and the boss actually gave her a raise. What do you make of that? This sister lives by every word that comes from the mouth of God! Conversely, once, I went to church with a pastor and asked about his children. He said they couldn't come to church because they had to study for university. I asked if they got in, and he said no. I thought, how could they? It's better to fill your head with God's words than anything else. Jesus is so powerful! He triumphs no matter what!

If people fill their heads with thoughts like, I have to rely on my salary, on this or that, then when it's time for gatherings or to read God's word, they always have something else to do. Some people toil for a year and lose a million; they toil again and lose half a million. Others toil for a year and lose tens of millions, even hundreds of millions, and end up in a state where they are immune to any setback, just existing. It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is of no avail! Every word that comes from the mouth of God is Spirit. The first thing we must overcome is the flesh! We must conquer the flesh! We can do without eating. One meal a day, two meals a day, even one meal every two days—it's no big deal; we still live fine.

Some people think I mistreat my mother because I only give her one meal a day. I've noticed that when my mother eats one meal a day, she's clear-headed, but when she eats two meals a day, she gets confused. So, which is better, confusion or clarity? Clarity, of course! When I was young, I met a preacher whose testimony didn't sit right with me. He was an old preacher, and he said that one day he really wanted to eat sausage but didn't have any money. So he prayed to God, asking to eat sausage. The next day, when he opened the door, a sister brought him the exact brand of sausage he wanted, and he said, Thank God. I thought this was different from the Jesus in the Bible. Why ask for such things? Wanting to eat sausage is indulging the flesh, so I thought, I will never ask for anything that does not please God.

So, I was very moved by this preacher's testimony. Today, many people ask for things that indulge the flesh, and perhaps some get them, and some don't. But should we really be asking for these things? We should overcome our carnal desires and know for sure that it is the Spirit that gives life, that it is every word that comes from the mouth of God that gives life. To triumph, you must establish a godly logical system. Once you establish a godly logical system, you won't ask those foolish questions or have those foolish confusions.

The first trick of the devil failed, and Jesus won. As a result, the devil used a second trick. We overcame the devil's first trick long ago, which was overcoming the old horse. The old horse is the white horse, red horse, black horse, and pale horse in Revelation. Things like the coronavirus basically don't work well here. In fact, the devil only has those two tricks, and both are recorded in Matthew chapter 4, verses 1-11. Now we will talk about the devil's second trick.

The Second Thing to Overcome: The Spirit of Religion

Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. If you are the Son of God, he said, throw yourself down. For it is written: 'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.' (Matthew 4:5-6)

The devil quoted Psalm 91. In this era of the rampant novel coronavirus epidemic, many Christians take this chapter out to read, and the devil also takes it out to read. But it has different effects on different people: on those who overcome, it has the effect of overcoming; on those who do not overcome, it has the effect of not overcoming. The devil also quotes, Do you think that just bringing out this passage of scripture will work? Not necessarily. For those who do not overcome, what Psalm 91 declares has nothing to do with you.

Brothers and sisters, if we are determined to overcome, we can quote Psalm 91, but if you do not overcome, it is useless. If you are an overcoming people, then it is useful. Because Psalm 91 also has a sentence, God said: Because he loves me devotedly. Do we truly love God devotedly today? If we are devoted to loving other things, then there is trouble. The devil quoted the scriptures of Psalm 91 to tempt Jesus. If Jesus accepted the devil's temptation and jumped down from the temple, with his arms spread out, making a gliding motion, his feet stepping on clouds, and then landing smoothly on the ground, wouldn't the people below, seeing this, cheer and rejoice and all believe in the Lord? That would be great, but Jesus didn't do that.

Jesus answered him, It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' (Matthew 4:7)

If people don't understand, they often test God. The devil uses the words of the Bible to tempt Jesus. Psalm 91 can be used to tempt people, isn't that interesting? In fact, taking out any passage from the Bible to tempt people is enough for them to suffer. If a person cannot establish a complete system of faith like Jesus, taking out a few passages at random will fall into the devil's trick.

What is this passage talking about? The devil's first temptation was the spirit of the old horse; this is called the spirit of religion. The spirit of religion tempts people and likes to lead people into religion. Religious people like to use some things to prove God. Testing God is not God's will. If people test God and jump down from a high place, if God does not reach out to catch them, then falling down will only turn them into minced meat. Even if they don't turn into minced meat, breaking a leg is enough to suffer. People like to explain in front of a large crowd, and as a result, they twist God's word. We brothers and sisters must be careful. What we do seems like faith on the surface, but in reality, it is testing God.

For example, some brothers and sisters do business after praying, and as a result, they lose several million. Then they come and ask God: Wasn't it peaceful when I prayed? Didn't you give me an inspiration at the time? This doesn't work; this is called testing God. Christians don't do this. Christians don't live by business. Whether there is business or not, it doesn't matter! People must have a Mingding Destiny. People must seek God's kingdom and God's righteousness, and God will add what you need to you. We don't need to jump off a building and use landing safely or breaking a leg to prove anything. We don't need to prove that we are Christian masters to be followed; Jesus did not do this.

Religious faith is called testing God because religious faith is not imitating the faith of Jesus Christ. The faith of Jesus Christ and religious faith are completely different. All the things Jesus Christ did were very real, really solving people's problems. What can you do by jumping off a building? Can you prove whether God's hand is holding you? Using this to prove whether God's hand will hold you is called testing God. If we do a business, thinking that making money is God's blessing and losing money is God's unblessing, that's not how it is.

If we read the entire Bible, especially the stories of Jacob and Joseph in Genesis, you will find out what it is all about! You will gradually understand the faith system of Jesus Christ, that is, the faith system revealed by God in the Bible. In the end, the devil was defeated again, defeated by the fact that the faith of Jesus Christ is a complete faith system. Although the devil took out a passage from the scriptures, the scriptures say, Do not put the Lord your God to the test.

The scriptures say:

Jesus answered him, It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' (Matthew 4:7)

Let's learn God's word and establish a complete faith system. Our Chinese Mingding Destiny is a systematic faith. If you ask how this faith system is, I think this system is constantly improving and developing. We are working very hard to abstract the faith system in the Bible. As for whether we are doing it right, I think the Spirit of God will guide us. How do we know if it's right? We look at the results. This faith system is effective and can solve problems. It's not just showing off and explaining. In fact, explaining is not a good habit. For example, if a church is infected with the coronavirus, it keeps explaining, but the explanation has no effect. It's better to cast out the demons of the coronavirus, and the brothers' and sisters' illnesses will be cured. Isn't this what disciples of Jesus Christ should do?

The Third Thing to Overcome: The Pride of Life

After the devil was defeated, he took Jesus to a high mountain. The scripture says:

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. All this I will give you, he said, if you will bow down and worship me. Jesus said to him, Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.' (Matthew 4:8-10)

This sentence is good! This sentence represents why we live after all. Chinese Mingding Destiny talks about why people live. What is Mingding Destiny? It means I live for this, I was born for this, I came into this world for this, and I also lay down my life for this. You say this is too outrageous, but this is indeed what the Bible teaches. If the devil gives you all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, and what you want in your heart is to be the richest man in the world, it's exactly what you want. Then the opportunity comes, and you will worship the devil. With this worship, although you gain the glory and wealth of the world, so what? You are defeated by the devil. Even if you gain glory and wealth, it is ultimately fleeting and empty. What is this for?

Therefore, the Mingding Destiny we are talking about is a Mingding Destiny that is clear in understanding. We are very clear in our understanding that people's lives in the world are nothing but vanity of vanities. It is because people are ignorant that they don't think it is vanity of vanities, and they cling to some things, and as a result, their hands hurt. Then they come to the church and say, Please pray for me quickly. There are many such things now. People are nervous about a small matter at work and are about to collapse, and all they talk about are work problems.

The other day, I saw a sister open WeChat, and it was full of sisters asking her about work matters. How is your work so important? Work problems are endless! We will help brothers and sisters solve work problems, but work problems are not your Mingding Destiny. I have plenty of tricks to tell you how to do your job and how to do career planning, but that's all useless. If that is your Mingding Destiny, you will definitely collapse.

Our Mingding Destiny is the Mingding Destiny of Jesus Christ. What did we come into this world to do? God finally let us come into this world for this trip. We must walk out of victory! Originally, all the things in this world are real in the eyes of seventy or eighty years, but after more than a hundred years, after people step over the coffin, they are all vanity of vanities. If we cannot destroy the worldly logical system inside and re-establish the godly logical system, we will not say this: People should worship your God and serve Him only.

Someone asked, Can you live well by serving God only? Of course, you can live very well. Aren't we all living well? Many brothers and sisters are nervous about everything. If you often listen to my sermons, but you are still nervous about something, then you have to reflect on it! Of course, I will still tell you well that these things are not important. Because of the spread of the novel coronavirus, many schools have become online learning, and parents and teachers are collapsing and becoming nervous. What's so nervous about? That's all it is, learning or not learning is not our life.

Someone asked, If children don't study hard, will they have a future in the future? If you love God well, you will definitely have a future! If you don't love God, even if you fix all those things, it will still not be good in the end. I must tell you for sure that God's will is prosperous in us. If we worship our God and serve Him only, no matter what the situation, we put down our things to serve God, will there be a problem? If our God can hold up the universe with His almighty hands, can He not hold up these little things in our lives? Definitely can!

The devil was defeated again. The devil was defeated, not killed the devil. The devil is still useful! Without the devil, how can we overcome? Are we going to overcome God? With the devil, we will overcome?

Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. (Matthew 4:11)

Jesus Christ became flesh and came into the world, and when he overcame, angels came to serve him. When you and I overcome, angels will also come to serve us. We must know that it is good to overcome. Even the angels serve us. All the angels in heaven will cheer and rejoice for the victory of God's people in heaven. We must overcome these. First, we must overcome the lust of the flesh; second, we must overcome the lust of the eyes, that is, the spirit of religion; third, we must overcome the desire for power, or the pride of life.

John, who wrote Revelation, was very familiar with the matter of overcoming. He said that we must overcome the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. We have established a godly logical system, and these things are clear at a glance. The devil will be defeated in your hands, you will be good at casting out demons, and you will become the light of many people. The people sitting in darkness will see the great light of God, because the light of God will be found shining on you.

Is overcoming good? Overcoming is incomparably good! I wish you all to overcome in these three levels, and life will become a very simple thing. The winner is king and the loser is thief. When we overcome, we become noble princes before God, and we will have extremely abundant grace and glory! May God bless you all!