Introduction

Good morning. Today, we will be discussing Matthew Chapter 22, titled The People Who Cannot Be Used by God. Matthew's Gospel is characterised by his consistent discourse on two systems: one of the world and one of God. Starting from Matthew Chapter 1, he speaks of two kingdoms, two pursuits, two foundations, and two outcomes. In Matthew Chapter 21, he just finished talking about the people who bear fruit for God, and in Matthew Chapter 22, he talks about the people who cannot be used by God.

When we study according to Matthew's viewpoint, we can grasp what Matthew is trying to express. Therefore, when reading the Bible, never take verses out of context, as this not only leads to incorrect interpretations but also yields no results. This is why the Pharisees, Herodians, and Sadducees had different views on the Bible, each stemming from their own system of logic.

If you have a slight understanding of Christianity today, you will find that the denominations are even more numerous than those we see in the Bible, so many that it's hard to believe. In fact, even now, it is still very difficult to thoroughly study and understand all the Christian denominations. However, one thing that can be clearly studied is whether the system within us is of the world or of God.

Worldly Systems Hinder People from Being Used by God

“They answered, “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time. (Matthew 21:41)

The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. (Matthew 22:7)

Why can't some people be used by God? Because they are largely filled with worldly systems, how can they be used by God? In the end, you will find that God is quite ruthless, because God wants to destroy those evil people. Today, if you are a good person, especially as nice as Santa Claus, it is difficult for you to accept God's ruthless practices.

In fact, in the Old Testament, God's actions were even more ruthless. God never left any room for worldly systems. In the Old Testament, God had the Israelites enter Canaan and wipe out or drive out all the people there. This practice seems very cruel and inhumane. So, did God do the right thing or the wrong thing? We are just tiny specks of dust. How can we be qualified to comment on what God should do?

But I have a logic: if God wants to destroy that kind of people, why would I want to be that kind of person? If there are people God wants to reward, why wouldn't I want to be that kind of person? I must be someone who pleases God, and we should do what God likes. Isn't it simple?

As for what kind of people those others want to be, that is their own choice! Do you want to be a person to be destroyed by God, or someone spared by God? Actually, a person's life is the result of his or her own choices. We must choose to remove the worldly systems within us and establish a Godly system.

Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’ “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless. “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ “For many are invited, but few are chosen.” (Matthew 22:1-14)

Jesus tells a parable here: The wedding feast for God's son is ready. The question comes up, the delicious food and drinks have been prepared, but why don't people want to go? Because we humans have an inherent idea: there is no free lunch in the world, and there is no such thing as a free gift from God. How can there be such a good thing as inviting me to dinner for free? Forget it! So some left. One went to his own field, and another went to do business.

Some people just didn't go, but what was hateful was that they killed the messengers of God. Who killed the messengers of God? It was the religious people. In fact, it was not Pilate who killed Jesus, but the Jewish Pharisees and chief priests. If someone preaches a pure gospel, those who first rise up to oppose it are the religious people.

Those worldly people went to their own fields to work or to do business and ignored God's messengers. This can be understood, but how could these chief priests, scribes, and Pharisees, who read the Bible every day, kill the God who came into this world? This is very strange.

A major characteristic of the Christian circle is that it is divided into different denominations. Actually, people in the world don't pay attention to these things. They can't be bothered and can't figure out what these people in the church are doing, but people in the church bite and fight each other. If people have a worldly logical system inside, plus a religious flavour, it's really deadly, because they are very certain about what they believe, believing that what they have in their hands is the truth. So they believe that Jesus is a heresy and that Jesus is a deceiver.

When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like sand on the seashore. They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been cast. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (Revelation 20:7-10)

Revelation records a very interesting thing: Jesus came into this world to reign for a thousand years, and Satan was thrown into the bottomless pit. After a thousand years, Satan was released from the bottomless pit. As a result, all the nations on earth were deceived, like the sand on the seashore, to attack Jesus and these disciples led by Jesus.

We are very surprised. Weren't these people ruled under the control of Jesus for a thousand years? How could they suddenly be deceived? Satan was released from the bottomless pit not long ago. How could people be so confused? Satan made these people believe that Jesus Christ, who reigned on earth for a thousand years, was a devil, and they thought they were fighting for justice.

There are many wars in this world, and you can't comment on whether they are just or unjust. In today's era, such as the war in Afghanistan, the war in Iraq, the war in Vietnam, and the Korean War, everyone thinks that their dispatch of troops is a just war, but is it really just? In fact, it's really not about justice or injustice, it's just a guise.

So I think, today, people feel that they are doing the right thing, but is it really the right thing? That depends on who you ask. Once they believe they are right, they believe that the prophets or Jesus Christ sent by God are disturbing the world, and they kill them. In the end, the king is furious and destroys those murderers.

All That Cannot Be Used by God Is Cursed

When Jesus was crucified, what did the Jews say? “His blood be on us and on our children!” As a result, it really fell on their descendants. The curse on those people's descendants is very deep.

“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless. “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ (Matthew 22:8-13)

What does this mean? These people who cannot be used by God are either destroyed or thrown into the darkness. All that cannot be used by God is cursed. Don't say that God is so unreasonable, but you reason with God. I dare not reason with God. I feel that my reason is not as good as God's reason.

I suggest that everyone reflect and see if we are in a similar situation. One goes to the field, and the other goes to do business, all to make money. Today, there are many Christians who value working and doing business more than God, and today's church is also contaminated with many worldly systems!

So what exactly is a worldly system? A worldly system is not about murder and arson. Behind murder and arson is a religious spirit; that thing is powerful. It attaches great importance to ideology, and the religious spirit is deadly, scary, and terrifying, because they firmly believe in their own beliefs and believe that what they have in their hands is the truth. So today we need to deal with this worldly system!

In the past year or so, I have made great progress in solving the worldly logical system in people's minds. There is a sister whose three children suffer from severe skin diseases, their hands and feet are rotten. Over the past period of time, we have worked very hard to deal with her worldly logical system.

She often said: If I believe in the Lord, who will take care of my work? Who will solve my problems? What about my children? But recently, she has changed because she began to understand the power of God! The gospel we believe in is a powerful gospel. This sister spent time praying, doing homework, taking notes, etc. As a result, the skin on her children's hands and feet is basically all healed.

Brothers and sisters must understand that what people need to live is not money, not work, but God. If people don't have God, how can they live their lives? I don't know how to live it, but people in the world always live their lives with worldly logic. In fact, what we have inside determines our state.

Today, God has revealed to us through the Bible that the worldly things within us must be removed! If the carnal, worldly, and knowledge of good and evil things are removed, you will become people who bear fruit for God. Of course, if you bear fruit for God, the fruit will still be yours.

Today, you come to God's feast, and God doesn't charge you any money. We must know that God's grace is free, but it is priceless. Many are called, but few are chosen. What does this mean? Everyone is called by God. Don't think God is stingy. God calls everyone, but how many people are willing to obey God? Willing to understand God's will? Willing to understand God's wonderful plan for us? Very few!

If people cannot be used by God and cannot become people who bear fruit for God, the end result is either being thrown into the darkness outside or being left behind to be destroyed. Therefore, brothers and sisters must constantly dismantle the worldly logical system.

Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are. Tell us, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away. (Matthew 22:15-22)

Why did these Pharisees ask Jesus these things? Because they are full of worldly things! Their spiritual eyes are blind. They value money very much. But what can money do? Today, we must know that worldly wealth, according to the logic of the Bible, is called unrighteous wealth.

We think that wealth is very important, but actually it is not! When people think that wealth is very important, a series of logical systems will be generated because of money. For example: I have to make money, I have to live, I have to go to the field, I have to work, I have to do business…

When it came to the Pharisees, they said to Jesus: You are not swayed by others. What is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? God doesn't care about paying taxes to Caesar. The Pharisees actually wanted to hear a very religious response because they thought Jesus was a religious person and that Jesus had the same confusion as them. If we are God's people, how can we pay taxes to Caesar? It is because they value money too much.

If you were asked to give a stack of ghost money to someone, would you care? If you were asked to give a stack of US dollars to someone, you would feel sorry for it. But in God's eyes, a stack of ghost money and a stack of US dollars are not much different. So how did God respond? Show me the coin used for paying the tax. Whose image and inscription is this? Today, if you take out a coin from the time of Jesus, it is an antique. The image and inscription belongs to Caesar. Later, didn't Caesar also die? He didn't live to this day! So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.

We must be clear about what God wants, that we are willing to completely dedicate ourselves to God and we have already looked down on everything in this world! If we look down on everything in this world, will we lack food and clothing? If we think that deducting taxes will make us rich, then we are wrong. Don't think that we don't want to pay taxes. We shouldn't pay less than a cent of taxes because we are wealthy people because we know the power of God, and we also know the power of God!

If you have the opportunity, you can watch last week's testimony. How many testimonies are there of brothers and sisters being blessed during the COVID-19 pandemic? Either their salaries increased or their subsidies and bonuses increased. It is really hard for us to imagine that in last week's testimony, a sister was healed by following the recordings on the website to pray! After being healed, she began to learn to love God because we have emphasized loving God a lot. She changed from a Christian who wanted to be healed to a Christian who wanted to bear fruit for God. Did she suffer a loss? No, she didn't suffer a loss. Although her income can't be said to have doubled, it also increased greatly.

What do we live on today? We live on the power of God. We know that God is a powerful God. How can we not have money if we have God? Many problems can be solved easily with God. This is true!

When Jacob went to his uncle's house with a staff, he didn't have a penny, but when he returned, he became a very wealthy man in the area! Is there any problem with trusting God? No problem! Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph were not poor people. David's offering was hundreds of tons of gold. If you have hundreds of tons of gold today, how much is that worth? So money is not a problem, but if you think money is very important, it is a worldly logical system.

That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. “Teacher,” they said, “Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for him. Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother. The same thing happened to the second and third brother, right on down to the seventh. Finally, the woman died. Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?” (Matthew 22:23-28)

These words are completely worldly words. If they don't know about the resurrection, what are they talking about… When she rises again, but they actually want to demonstrate that the resurrection is not established.

Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.” When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching. (Matthew 22:29-33)

Pharisees, Herodians, and Sadducees, they all have worldly logical systems, either fascinated by money, or confused by worldly affairs, such as taxes, or confused by the resurrection. It also means that these people's entire brains are confused. They can't explain many things, and they can't explain them clearly.

Brothers and sisters among us, if you are from different churches, you will find that many teachings are the same! Today, there are many churches that do not believe in the power of God. The reason for this widespread phenomenon is that they do not believe in or know the power of God. You must know that the power of God is far beyond human imagination!

Man Lives by the Power of God

The day before yesterday evening, I received a video. About two weeks ago, a sister's elderly father, in his eighties, had a car accident. His ear was torn off and completely mangled. You couldn't even tell it was an ear from the photos, because only the ear hole remained. He listened to our prayer recordings episode by episode online. The day before yesterday evening, he sent a video that utterly shocked me. Miraculously, the ear had grown back!

I had read some testimonies before, about a person whose foot was half blown off by a bomb. Although it healed, the foot was half shorter. A pastor held his foot and prayed, and heard a crackling sound inside. When he unwrapped the cloth around the foot, it had actually grown back. Although I thought it sounded a bit far-fetched at the time, I was willing to believe it.

We know that when Peter cut off the high priest's servant's ear with a sword, Jesus touched it and it was healed. We have all read this story in the 《Bible》, but it is still shocking to encounter such things in our lives. I believe that after hearing what I have said, you will feel the same way I did before, that it sounds a bit far-fetched, but that's okay.

Today, we must understand the power of God. Our God is the God of the living. Our God is the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. People like to discuss what happens after death. In fact, the entire 《Bible》 speaks of blessings in relation to when people are alive, because after death, people no longer need blessings. Our God is very real. He will bless the work of your hands. Therefore, you should often read 《Deuteronomy》 28.

If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the offspring of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. (《Deuteronomy》 28:1-4)

what does a person do when he goes to the field? Does he think that if he does not till the land, the crops will grow by themselves? This person is deeply bound by the worldly system. Some business people think that believing in the Lord will delay their business time. This is all worldly, because they do not know the power of God. In fact, the two most important things for people to understand in this world are blessing and curse. If a person has no blessing but only curse, no matter how you do business, no matter how you try, it will be very hard.

If a person has blessing, his land will be blessed, his business will be blessed, he will be blessed in the city, and he will be blessed in the country. It is so good that everything he does is blessed, just like the blessed brothers and sisters we see among us today. Are they not willing to be used by God and bear fruit for God? If a person does not love God and is not willing to become a people who bear fruit for God, is he not cursed? If a person does not love God, he is accursed, and it is impossible for him to prosper in what he does!

Brothers and sisters, begin to gradually turn back to God. You need to know one thing: God does not want the fruit we bear; in the end, God will still give the fruit we bear back to us. Today, we must know that while we are alive, we must completely dedicate ourselves, remove the worldly things inside us, become a people who bear fruit for God, and become a blessing to many people.

“Teacher,” they said, “Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for him. Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother. The same thing happened to the second and third brother, right down to the seventh. Finally, the woman died too. Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?” (《Matthew》 22:24-28)

In my past small group, people often asked such boring questions. In the past, some people would come and ask me, if people are created by God, who created God? If God can do everything, can God create something that he cannot lift? There were just a lot of nonsense questions, questions that were made up when people had nothing else to do. These people are good at making up nonsense, but they are not good at living like God, living prosperously. What is the use of that? Therefore, we must clarify the fact that people need the power of God to live.

Then another wave of Pharisees came. When these Pharisees heard that Jesus could silence the Sadducees, they gathered together: Wow, he can actually make the Sadducees speechless? One of the lawyers wanted to test Jesus. Lawyers are well-versed in the 《Bible》. If you say today, I have memorized the entire 《Romans》, I have memorized everything from 《Genesis》 to 《Revelation》, then you are probably a lawyer. They wanted to test Jesus and said, Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?

Jesus answered very seriously:

‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. (《Matthew》 22:37-40)

The lawyer asked a good question. Did he not know that Jesus could answer it? Perhaps this lawyer read the 《Bible》 in a muddled way and confused himself before asking Jesus.

Christians must learn to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. These two commandments are the sum of all the Law and the Prophets. Those Sadducees, Pharisees, and scribes had half of their minds on the worldly system and half on reading the Law, and they were full of confusion.

Because these are two completely irreconcilable logical systems. Two kingdoms, two pursuits, two systems will bear two different kinds of fruit. One logical system is, My God is everything to me, I want to love the Lord my God with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my mind, and with all my strength. The other is, If I spend my time loving God, how will I live? This sounds like a contradiction in the logical system. As a result, when this happened, it was Jesus' turn to ask him:

“What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?” “The son of David,” they replied. He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For he says, “‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.”’ If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” (《Matthew》 22:42-45)

This question stumped the Pharisees. Because these Pharisees were completely ignorant of the spiritual realm. If a Christian is ignorant of the spiritual realm, he will also be stumped by this sentence, because they look at problems with a carnal, worldly logical system.

But if you understand the spiritual realm today and know that the name of our Jesus Christ is powerful in the spiritual realm, is a victorious name, then you can rely on Jesus Christ to plunder the devil's enemies, and many signs and wonders will follow you. This is simply incomprehensible to a carnal person, and it is not something that conforms to natural laws. We do not need those natural laws!

If you listen to some pastors talk about natural laws, then you are a natural person. If you hear about God's laws, then you are a divine person. If we are all natural people today, then we all live according to the laws of the world. But if we are people of God today, how can we be confused by such things?

From the flesh, He is the son of David; in the spirit, He is the Lord who created all things. That is to say, a series of confusions will arise if we do not understand the spiritual realm. That is why we first talk about the spiritual world. What keeps us alive today is not natural law, but the power of God. We live not by food, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God!

If there are still some worldly logical systems inside us today, then we should use the word of God to replace the things that confuse us inside. That is why I call this chapter: People Who Cannot Be Used by God. A carnal person, a worldly person, is full of worldly things in his mind. If you are such a person, I can give you a prophecy: you will be full of confusion and hardship. Because everything that is carnal and worldly is cursed!

Conclusion: Building a Victorious and Glorious Church is Our Mingding Destiny

Our God wants to save us, so that we can obtain our Mingding Destiny, build His glorious church, and become the bride of Jesus Christ. This speaks of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, preparing a wedding banquet to marry the glorious church. We should not become guests, just sitting at the table. We must become the bride of Jesus Christ!

Remember, the bride of Jesus Christ is not an individual, but a victorious and glorious church, building God's powerful church according to God's word. That is the bride of Jesus Christ. In these last days, God will raise up His powerful church to pave the way for the second coming of Jesus Christ. Such a church is willing to offer itself completely, no longer living according to the worldly system, but living according to the power of God!

This may sound a bit empty, but we can gradually ponder why we live. If your vision is focused on these seventy or eighty years, you cannot live well. But if you put your vision in eternity, seeing the crown of glory that God has prepared for us, you will no longer live for this life. You will be willing to offer yourself, carrying the power of Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead to bless and serve this generation. This is our Mingding Destiny!

Remember, Chinese Mingding Destiny Theology uses spiritual words to explain spiritual things and is a theological system that strives to completely eliminate the worldly system. In this generation, God wants to accomplish His will in these last days through us. What an honor! May God bless everyone!