Introduction

Good morning. Let us turn to Luke Chapter 9. We have studied the earlier chapters of Luke very well, and in each chapter, we have striven to grasp the themes that Luke expounds. Luke writes with great skill. He does not simply list a bunch of things together and talk about issues he himself does not understand. Assuming that Luke wanted to make certain things clear, then Chapter 9 must be connected to Chapter 8, because the entire Gospel of Luke is about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

So, what is the Gospel of Jesus Christ talking about in Chapter 9? It is about the price to be paid for this Gospel. If we slightly adjust the topic, using words suitable for what Luke wants to say, it would be: What price do we pay today for the kingdom of God, the word of God, and the Gospel of the kingdom of God? This price determines what we will receive in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

There is no such thing as a free lunch. Some people ask: Isn't the Gospel of Jesus Christ free? The Gospel of Jesus Christ is free, but if you truly want to receive a hundredfold return, you still have to pay a price. If the Gospel of Jesus Christ is portrayed as a Gospel that requires no price, then that is problematic; it becomes a great fallacy.

Let us clarify this chapter section by section. If we really want to be like Jesus, can you pay the price that Jesus paid? If we want to be like Jesus, healing the sick with a touch, or if we hope that the words we speak carry the same power and authority as Jesus, then you must pay the same price as Jesus. The problem is that although we can perform miracles like Jesus, we cannot seem to live out the character of Jesus Christ. Why is that? Because there is a story here that also appears in Matthew.

And it happened on the next day, when they had come down from the hill, that a great multitude met Him. Suddenly a man from the multitude cried out, saying, Teacher, I implore You, look on my son, for he is my only child. And suddenly a spirit seizes him, so that he suddenly cries out; it convulses him so that he foams at the mouth, and departing from him with great difficulty, it shatters him. So I entreated Your disciples to cast him out, but they could not. Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here. And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him. Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father. And they were all amazed at the majesty of God. (Luke 9:37-43)

We will find that the power of Jesus Christ far exceeds that of His disciples. What is the difference between the disciples of Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ Himself?

Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. (Luke 9:1-2)

When these disciples went out to preach the Gospel, many demons obeyed them, but this time, the disciples could not handle this particular demon. After Jesus dealt with the demon, He lamented this faithless and perverse generation. Are the disciples believers, or are they not? The difference between the disciples' faith and lack of faith lies in one thing: Jesus Christ laid down His life as a price, but these disciples could not.

However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting. (Matthew 17:21)

This kind of demon requires you to pay a price. Fasting means that we do not care about death and keep praying until the demon is cast out. The disciples of Jesus Christ paid a different price than Jesus, and their mindsets were different, so they could not cast out some demons. If you want to be like Jesus, you must have the same mindset as Jesus. What is the mindset of Jesus Christ?

saying, The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. (Luke 9:22)

Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men. (Luke 9:44)

The disciples did not understand because they thought paying such a price was not a good thing. But Jesus paid this price, and then accomplished salvation. Moreover, our Jesus has ascended into the heavens and become a great high priest, receiving glory. We must begin to gradually understand one thing: the Gospel of Jesus Christ is a Gospel of paying a price. Only by paying the price can you see the power of God's kingdom.
If you want to overcome Satan, you must not care about death. If we want to overcome Satan, we need the blood of the Lamb, which is the blood that Jesus Christ shed when He was killed; secondly, the word we testify to, which is the Gospel with power; and thirdly, we must not love our lives, even unto death. Since it is useless for us to cherish our lives, let us simply offer our lives to God. How did Jesus offer Himself?

saying, The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. Then He said to them all, If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? (Luke 9:22-25)

Therefore, Jesus' logical system is very clear: if I gain the whole world but lose my life, ending up in hell, it is of no use. Once we establish this way of thinking, how can we not pay the price? The previous chapter said that this Gospel has a hundredfold return, but some people say they have not seen it. To this day, how many of our brothers and sisters are filled with the world's logical system? I do not blame you because it is useless to blame you. Even the disciples Jesus Christ Himself led were like that. When the Lord Jesus was about to be crucified, they were still arguing about who was the greatest, filled with the world's logical system.

The Logical System of Jesus Christ is Complete Dedication to God

The logical system of Jesus Christ is to offer His life as a price to God. Everyone must know that when we offer our lives to God, it means we must lose our lives for God. Because we know that by offering our lives for God, our lives will be saved. That is to say, if we want to emulate the Jesus Christ we believe in today and gain power, merely praying for a short time or even for 72 consecutive hours is not a big deal. It is only the beginning. Therefore, when we believe in Jesus Christ today, for the sake of God's kingdom and God's word, the price we must pay is to completely dedicate ourselves and emulate Jesus Christ.

Once Jesus Christ decided to dedicate Himself to God, He was determined to completely dedicate Himself. So he told his disciples: I am going to suffer many things, and be beaten by the scribes and chief priests, and be killed, and on the third day be raised to life. He says this many times, but the disciples do not understand. Why do the disciples not understand? Because they are filled with worldly logic. You may not understand the words of god that I speak because you do not listen to something that aligned with your logical system..

You might be thinking: How can that be? But when a person is willing to offer their life for God, you will see God's glory in them. Let us think about it. Jesus spoke about being killed and being raised on the third day. The fact that he would lay down his life for God is no comfortable thing, it involved being crucified.

In chapter nine, it is recorded that Jesus took Peter, John, and James up a mountain to pray. While praying, they saw that Jesus' appearance was changed, and they saw Moses, Elijah, and Jesus together, discussing Jesus' death. We may find this difficult to understand. When a person is willing to dedicate themselves to God, they begin to have God's glory. God's glory will bring power that can subdue all kinds of demons. Once this power begins to have God's glory, no matter what kind of demon it is, it can be subdued. Demons are actually quite powerful, causing the child to convulse severely and foam at the mouth, harming the child every time. But Jesus only said one sentence: Come out! And the demon came out.

Earlier, a sister called me, feeling like she was about to die, her tongue stiff, and her head dizzy. This is the work of the devil Satan. Later, I led her through deliverance for a while, and now she is better. If you are willing to die for Jesus, there is no demon you cannot cast out. So, brothers and sisters, let us make a decision and tell God: I am willing to die for You! I will no longer cherish my life! I no longer care about everything in the world! I regard everything in the world as rubbish! From now on, I will live for Jesus Christ, and I will completely dedicate myself. If you do this, I tell you, there will be no more demons you cannot cast out. Even Satan himself will be trampled under your feet because you are a person who emulates Jesus Christ.

The Gospel of the Kingdom of God is Closely Related to Healing and Casting Out Demons

I think this is what Jesus Christ talked about. Why does Chapter 9 talk about paying the price? In fact, everything in Chapter 9 talks about paying the price. Once you have the stature and the mindset of Jesus Christ, you will find that Jesus called the twelve disciples, gave them power and authority to heal all kinds of diseases, and sent them out to preach the word of the kingdom of God and heal the sick. I once asked a question: Why is the word of the kingdom of God that Jesus spoke related to healing the sick? It is because healing the sick is fighting against the spirits behind the diseases in the spiritual realm. Therefore, the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the devil are irreconcilable, and the battleground is in the matter of healing the sick.

Everyone must know that a Gospel that cannot heal the sick and does not have power is not the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am not afraid of people scolding me because the Bible does say so:

He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. (Luke 9:2)

So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere. (Luke 9:6)

But the crowds, knowing it, followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing. (Luke 9:11)

We must know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is accompanied by healing and casting out demons. If there is no healing and casting out demons, I myself would feel that it is a Gospel that is not quite the same as the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If it is a different Gospel, is that not a problem? Is a Gospel that cannot devastate the kingdom of the devil still called a Gospel? That should be a Gospel that is not very useful.

Learn to Forsake All and Follow God

We must understand that Jesus called the twelve disciples to proclaim the kingdom of God and heal the sick. As they followed Jesus Christ for three and a half years, have we ever asked: What about their families? What about their wives and children? They forsook everything—abandoning their boats, leaving their nets, and forsaking all, even seemingly neglecting their wives and children.

When does the Bible ever say they went back to care for their wives and children? In reality, everyone should know that these twelve disciples truly forsook their homes and livelihoods to preach the gospel and cast out demons. If their wives were to sue them, according to Singaporean law, a divorce could be reasonably and legally justified after three years of separation. Throughout the three years the disciples followed Jesus, why didn't Jesus say: Go back and take good care of your wife, be considerate of her feelings? Jesus did not do this.

As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” (Luke 9:57-58)

Jesus meant: What are you following me for? What will you gain by following me?

He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:59-60)

Is this reasonable? It is not. But it is what Jesus said, and no one dared to say: Jesus, you are wrong! If someone said to me: Let me go back and bury my dead first, I would quickly tell them to go back. I wouldn't say, Let the dead bury their own dead, or else many people would criticize me when it's posted online, and wouldn't I become a heretic? But this is indeed what Jesus said. Although I haven't said it that way, I think the same way in my heart: Let the dead bury their own dead; you just go and proclaim the kingdom of God! This is the road of paying a price.

Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:61-62)

They weren't looking back; they just wanted to go back and tell their families: I am following Jesus! Isn't it okay to just say hello? Isn't this too much? If they go back and discuss it with their families, would this person still return? In reality, what this means is, you cannot afford this price. Many pastors go home to discuss it with their wives, and if their wives disagree, the pastor will listen to his wife. This situation is quite common.

If you have accepted the gospel of Jesus Christ, are you someone who has put their hand to the plow? Will you go back to say goodbye to your family first? Saying goodbye to one’s family is called putting a hand to the plow and looking back. We find it difficult to accept what Jesus said, but indeed, Jesus said it. After reading the entire Bible, I didn't see Jesus going back to say goodbye to his family in advance, nor did he tell us to take good care of our families, to get along well with our family members first. Jesus never said that. If you want to go back, Jesus would only say: Forget it, no one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.

The twelve disciples paid a heavy price to follow Jesus. For example, a disciple's wife might say to her husband: You're not fishing anymore, you've abandoned your net and boat, what exactly do you want to do? Are you looking for death? Today, are you willing to pay the price for the glorious Mingding Destiny in Jesus Christ? Although the reward for this price will be a hundredfold and is free, it still requires paying a price. You must pay the price of your life. It's not just family; everything we have must be dedicated to God in order to receive a hundredfold return. The twelve disciples did not bring food or money. If they entered someone's house, they had to eat and drink there, and that family also had to pay a price.

Those Who Pay the Price of Their Lives for the Kingdom of God Will Receive Great Power

The gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel that requires paying a price. When I first started building the church, I reversed the order, and the result was attracting a group of gluttons. But when it came time for them to pay a price, let alone pay a price, they would be unhappy if I didn't pay a price for them. Previously, a couple from another church cried when they came among us, saying that they made dumplings for the people in their church, but an elderly sister said: Pastor, these dumplings are very difficult to eat. Can you make them with fish filling? This couple was already poor, but they made dumplings for others, and they were still嫌弃. They were hurt, but who told you to do that?

In the past, I also did things this way. Later, I changed the church's feast into box lunches, then gradually into fruit, and later, even if you wanted to take a bottle of water, you had to pay for it. Because the church is a place to train people to pay the price. Our church is full of brothers and sisters who pay the price. They are willing to pay the price for Jesus. They are not here to take advantage or to be nominal members. If you turn a large group of people into those who come to church to take advantage, isn't this deadly? Is this what God wants? No matter which family you enter, as long as you are a responsible person, no matter what incurable disease you encounter, you can solve it, and you can feed five thousand people with five loaves and two fish.

Like Jesus, a person who is completely dedicated, money is not a problem, and food will not be lacking, because our God is a God who creates something out of nothing. You can carefully ponder this matter. At that time, the sun was about to set, and there were still five thousand people following Jesus. The place was a wilderness, and Jesus had to take care of the food for those five thousand people. How could this be packed? There were no cars at that time. Would each person have to carry a bag? As a result, Jesus' approach exceeded our imagination. Five loaves and two fish suddenly fed five thousand people, and even the leftovers that were collected filled twelve baskets.

I experience God's miraculous provision every day. For a person who is willing to offer himself, money is not a problem, houses and cars are not a problem. There is only one problem: are you willing to offer yourself for God? Are you willing to pay this price? Although the logical system of these twelve disciples still needs to be dealt with, because they were arguing about who was the greatest and discussing who would sit as prime minister when Jesus’ kingdom came. When Jesus saw this, he said, what are you doing? Jesus took a little child and said, the least among you is the greatest, and the person who serves everyone is the greatest. It is not the one who oppresses the people and acts arrogantly who is the greatest. That is the concept of the world.

Our concept in God's kingdom is that in God's kingdom, the one who serves everyone is the greatest. We must all slowly clarify the logical system here. Did we come into this world to take advantage, or did we come to pay the price? I came into this world, and I don't think it's interesting to take advantage, because even if you take advantage, you can't take it into the coffin. Therefore, paying the price in this world is our Mingding Destiny. This is the meaning of our coming into this world, to pay the price for Jesus, to serve this generation like Jesus.

Those who are of the flesh are quite bad. Jesus was going to Jerusalem to be crucified, to offer himself completely and accomplish his great work of redemption. When passing through Samaria, the people there did not receive him. Jesus' disciples James and John said: Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and destroy them, as Elijah did? This person's logical system is still problematic. As a result, Jesus said, you do not know what kind of spirit you are of, for the Son of Man did not come to destroy people's lives, but to save them. Jesus came to pay the price to save people's lives, not to destroy people's lives. That is to say, I did not come to take advantage or get benefits. I came to pay the price.

Are you going to emulate Jesus Christ? If so, if someone offends you, let them offend you! If they take advantage of you, let them take advantage of you! Because we came into this world not to gain advantages, but to pay the price. This is the logical system of Jesus Christ. If you also have this logical system, willing to pay the price, you can also feed five thousand people with five loaves and two fish. In this way, you can drive out the demons that others cannot drive out.

If you also have this logical system, willing to pay the price, to dedicate your life, so that it is no longer I who live, but Jesus Christ who lives in me, you can surpass Jesus' twelve disciples and follow Jesus to the end. If you want to follow Jesus and walk the path of Jesus, you will let the dead bury their own dead and go to proclaim the kingdom of God. If we follow Jesus, we will not say: I will say goodbye to my family first. Jesus said: If you go back, don't come back. No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God. Who can bear these words? Unless you are fascinated by the kingdom of God.

Summary

We must preach according to the Bible, but today's gospel has been changed beyond recognition, such as establishing family altars and family camps. Some time ago, someone told me that their church was organizing family camps, and there were many testimonies. Did Jesus organize family camps? No! Shouldn't brothers and sisters think carefully about these things? I am wondering, why can't today's Christians do what Jesus did? Because their minds are full of worldly logic systems.

The worldly logic system sounds very reasonable, but we must come out of this so-called gospel, because this is not the hardcore teaching of Jesus Christ. The hardcore teaching of Jesus Christ is unacceptable, but I accept: Whoever wants to save their life, such as valuing family, business, or work, must lose these, but those who lose their lives for Jesus will gain life.

Brothers and sisters, carefully consider what kind of Christians you want to be. Do you want to be a Christian who can feed five thousand people with five loaves and two fish? Do you want to be a Christian who is free of demons that cannot be driven out? Do you want to be a Christian who receives power and authority to subdue all demons and heal all kinds of diseases? Do you want to be a Christian like Jesus, who completely dedicates his life, completely offers himself, and lives and dies for God? If you are willing to do this, you are walking on the path of Jesus Christ. Before you taste death, you will surely see the kingdom of God. You will see the kingdom of God descend upon you. Wherever you go, the kingdom of God will descend there. This is the hardcore doctrine of Jesus Christ.

Stop twisting God's words, stop creating another gospel, because that is not the gospel at all. Those things are not what God said. I don't know where they invented so many gospels that are not the gospel. We must return to the truth of the Bible. If the teachings of Jesus Christ are truly implemented, there will be no demons that cannot be driven out. You carefully examine Luke chapter nine. What Jesus Christ said is the gospel of paying a price.

May God bless you all!