Introduction

Good morning. Let us turn to Luke Chapter 23. Time flies; we are already at the penultimate chapter. Reading one chapter a week, these twenty-odd chapters are swiftly coming to a close. What do you think is the main theme of this chapter? Do you remember what Chapter 22 was about? Chapter 22 spoke of offering oneself to God as the key to victory.

Now that we are at Chapter 23, it is the moment of truly offering oneself. A question came to my mind: After Jesus was crucified and died, what exactly happened in the spiritual realm? Did Jesus go to Hades to fight a battle, or did He create a ruckus there? What exactly happened during this time? The Bible does not say, and Jesus did not mention it after His resurrection.

Today, let us consider: Was Jesus Christ's victory achieved after He went to Hades to fight a battle after being crucified, or was it achieved when He was crucified in Chapter 23? In reality, it was achieved at the moment of crucifixion. So, why is it that no one recorded what happened after Jesus was crucified and breathed His last, and why did Jesus not mention it? Because it is not important. Let me ask you, when do we, as brothers and sisters, achieve victory? It is actually at the moment you choose to offer yourself to God, that is called victory.

What is the theme of this chapter? It is about how Jesus Christ achieved victory! To each their own; I see Jesus Christ's victory, while some see Jesus suffering defeat, with two robbers beside Jesus Christ. We, as brothers and sisters, must know for sure, when you offer yourself to God, that is when you achieve victory! Victory is not about fighting a victorious battle and feeling great about yourself; that is not victory at all. Victory is about offering oneself. How difficult is it to offer ourselves? Actually, offering oneself is not that difficult. Anyone who feels they have had enough of life is willing to offer themselves, but some who have had enough of life choose to become monks instead.

Offering Oneself is Victory

How did Jesus Christ achieve victory? Jesus Christ was arrested and sent to the local governor, Pilate:

Then the whole company of them arose and brought him before Pilate. And they began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.” And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no guilt in this man.” But they were urgent, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee even to this place.” (Luke 23:1-5)

If this happened to you, what would you do? Those who accused Jesus were determined to push Him to His death, and Jesus also pushed Himself to His death. This is truly astonishing! This is how Jesus offered Himself, and this is how He achieved victory. If Jesus was constantly thinking about how to exonerate Himself, could He still have achieved victory? Impossible!

When Pilate heard that Jesus was from Galilee, and that Galilee was under Herod's jurisdiction, he felt that Herod should handle the matter if a capital charge was to be brought against a Galilean. Pilate thought, if Herod releases Him, it has nothing to do with me; if Herod crucifies Him, then let Him be crucified, it has nothing to do with me, Pilate. Pilate started passing the buck and eventually sent Jesus to King Herod.

King Herod had heard about Jesus and had long wanted to see Him, but had never had the opportunity. Now that he finally saw Jesus, he asked Him many questions. In fact, if Jesus had communicated with Herod even slightly, He might have been released, but Jesus did not answer at all.

And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say. (Luke 12:11-12)

Why did the Holy Spirit not give Jesus any words at this time? Because Jesus came to offer Himself. So, a person can die for sin, or they can die for God! Jesus' silence was actually the word the Holy Spirit gave Him, and that is called victory. There is an old Chinese song, Why Not Say a Word? Jesus was nailed to the cross; why did He not defend Himself? Can those who defend themselves today achieve victory? If people want to put us to death, we must not defend ourselves. Today, many people argue for themselves over trivial losses, which is what I despise the most.

Resolving to Offer Oneself Completely to God

A few days ago, during our ministry, a daughter-in-law had a bad relationship with her mother-in-law, and we taught her how to manage the relationship. As a result, she only spoke in her own defense, and even added, If I were not a Christian, it would be either her death or mine! Listen to that; can that achieve victory?

We should not constantly argue for ourselves for no reason. Can arguing bring us victory? Not to mention offering oneself for God and not defending oneself; even for worldly matters, it is difficult for you not to defend yourself! But Jesus did not defend Himself, nor did He try to save His life. Many of us argue for ourselves over trivial matters; a minor loss, a single word, can ruin a relationship between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Is that victory? No, that is defeat.

Should we not offer ourselves to God today? Offering ourselves to God means not defending ourselves even when facing death because there is no need to argue. You may think I am just talking, because when things happen to you, you do not know what it will be like. That is the truth.

But in my heart today, if I suffer a loss, so be it. When I encounter something that causes me a loss, I feel uncomfortable after thinking about it, and the more I think about defending myself, the more uncomfortable I feel. Then I want to sue, to take them to court and put them in jail! But the more I do that, the further I get from God's word. Later, I realized that worldly matters are just that; if someone takes advantage of me, so be it! If they take your coat, give them your tunic as well.

What is the mindset of offering oneself to God? It is coming into this world to offer yourself for God, which is the smartest thing to do. We come into this world not to live a life of mere survival, but to offer ourselves for Jesus! But some people, even after getting sick, still live very earnestly. Some time ago, someone was diagnosed with cancer and recovered after we prayed for them. However, to save her life, her daughter took her to Shenzhen for an injection, which cost tens of thousands of dollars. Why? To save her life! But after the injection, she developed shingles all over her body.

If people do not try to save their lives, many things become simpler. Many years ago, my friend and I had the same illness, with the same symptoms. He went to the hospital and was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer, but I did not get tested. I thought, if I die, I die, it does not matter. As a result, I did not take a single day of sick leave, and continued to work and do what I needed to do. Nine months later, my problem was resolved, but he was lying in a coffin.

Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Jesus' sake will find it. So, brothers and sisters, start thinking about this: What does it mean to offer oneself? How can one offer oneself? Think about it beforehand, not just when the situation arises. What do I do now? What is there to do? The matter should be settled before that day arrives, offering oneself.

Offering oneself to God, Jesus had already made the decision to offer Himself to God in Chapter 22. He came into this world to fulfill God's will in us. Let us also ask ourselves, why did we come into this world? Have you thought it through? If you have truly thought it through, you would have already begun preparing to offer yourself.

Some people are often uncomfortable, saying their head hurts, then their stomach hurts, then their buttocks hurt, and they want the pastor to pray for them. Of course, I do not object to you seeking prayer from the pastor, but what is the underlying logic? If you establish a good connection with the pastor, that is a good thing. But if you are just afraid of death and act neurotic, how can you offer yourself to God? Of course, you can seek the pastor when you have problems, but what is your motive? If it is to resolve the problem, that is good. But if your purpose in coming into this world is to offer yourself, to shepherd God's sheep, to keep and follow God's word, to love God, would our reaction still be neurotic?

I am not made of iron; I also get sick easily because I have a bad temper. When I see people being foolish, I easily discern good and evil. For many years, I have continued to serve even with a high fever. Once, I collapsed right after finishing a sermon on Sunday. Some brothers and sisters came over to ask what was wrong and offered to pray for me; I am very grateful.

But you should rarely see me stop serving because I do not care about life or death. If you cannot see through life and death, how can you offer your body to God? Constantly afraid of dying and leaving this world, how can you offer yourself to God? Even giving a little time to God, you haggle with God; how can you offer your life to God? We must begin to know that offering oneself is victory!

Some people are very concerned about me. We can seek the pastor when we have problems, but who do you seek, Teacher? Who can I seek besides God? Actually, I really hope to have a pastor to shepherd me, so that I can share my feelings with the pastor. But now, when I am wronged and feel very tired, I can only seek God. I am very grateful to God, and every time I offer myself to God, I hope that the brothers and sisters can be like me and offer themselves to God. Jesus also prayed with tears and sweat, offering Himself to God. Although this path is not easy, it is a path to victory. Is it really good to be a coward who fears death?

A few days ago, a pastor called me and said, We also want to learn from you about doing healing and deliverance! I said, That is good, but do you know? This is like touching a tiger's butt! If you touch a tiger's butt but do not try to hold it down, are you not courting death? This is like pulling the tiger's whiskers, like snatching a tooth from a tiger's mouth. This is not a trivial matter. Many pastors also do healing, deliverance, and exorcism, but they end up being chased away by the demons. You must offer your life to God!

Building a church is like pulling out Satan's teeth and whiskers. Building a church actually relies on a group of people who offer themselves to God. If you value your wife more than God and still think about exorcism, are you not courting death? If you are determined to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, today I will give you the best advice: fear nothing, because fearing is useless, so resolve to offer yourself completely to God.

Be Willing to Suffer Loss

Others asked Jesus, Are you the King of the Jews? Jesus answered yes, and Herod wanted to see Jesus perform a miracle, but Jesus remained silent. Even if you suffer great injustice, find comfort in God rather than seeking justice in this world. The Chinese Mingding Destiny speaks of victory, of pouring out our lives to God. As for whether this is salvation, we do not know, but we know the results of victory and defeat.

The advice for victory is to let go! Do not care about gaining any justice in this world. We do not worry about suffering losses because it cannot deprive us of the opportunity to love God. If you ask me to do some housework, it is no big deal; I can do it quickly. No one can stop me from serving God. I will offer myself to God; that is victory!

Be a resounding, victorious Christian; run a resounding business; be a resounding lawyer, forsake everything and offer it to God, that is victory. We will receive a hundredfold in this life and eternal life in the age to come. If we do not do this, we easily become nervous and afraid, not only of the high priest's family but also of everything.

What would happen if we feared nothing? If you look closely at the Gospel of Luke, Luke did not write about Peter's affairs; Peter's affairs are only recorded in the Gospel of John. Offer yourself to God, even if you die, die uprightly, and never be a traitor. That is called victory. I encourage everyone to be resolute in God's kingdom and offer yourself to God while you are alive.

I have met some Christians who cannot bear even a small loss, not even to the point of being afraid of death. When I first came to Singapore, I was cheated by Christians, and these people even had crosses hanging in their homes. I went to rent a room, and they took my deposit but did not let me move in. At that time, I did not know God and just thought that Christians were bad.

Later, after becoming a Christian, I saw even more strange things in the church, and the number of pastors I met who were afraid of death was countless. A lot of people cannot bear to suffer losses and argue for themselves, but they are unwilling to offer themselves to God. In fact, I really want to boast about our brothers and sisters because you cannot follow to this day without some tolerance.

The other day, I was driving on the road and mentioned a sister to my coworker. This sister came to us as a sixteen-year-old; she came to Singapore to study. I did the math, and after these years, she is now in her twenties; I am amazed at how quickly time passes. She used to be very casual and carefree about everything, but she can be nonchalant to this day! She really has a lot of personality, and no matter how her family persecutes her, she insists on following us to believe in the Lord.

There are many such people among us; you are all a group of very magical and unique people. Without these personalities, this road would be very difficult to walk. They are all people who do not argue for themselves and can bear to suffer losses. I do not like stingy people; I like to be friends with people who have some Jianghu spirit because these people can go through thick and thin for their friends. I think many of our brothers and sisters have that flavor.

We have been casting out the spirit of the dragon recently, and the words spoken after the spirit of the dragon manifests are very interesting: So-and-so among you was taken away by me! Actually, this is all the lust of the dragon. If you have not been taken away by the dragon, it means you are still a very unique person. Those who overcome the dragon are a group of people who are not afraid of death, who are victorious, who pour out their lives to God! Those who overcome the dragon are those who do not care about themselves, those who overcome the dragon are those who are victorious, and those who overcome the dragon are those who pour out themselves to God!

Let us give ourselves a round of applause because we are all imitating Jesus, offering ourselves and never arguing for ourselves. Even if people give us a pile of steaming dung, we will treat it as cake; if people humiliate us, we will treat it as praising us; if people want to put us to death, that is great! I want to put myself to death but cannot bring myself to do it and am waiting for this good opportunity! Come on, let me have it! This is the attitude of Jesus; victory begins at this time!

Brothers and sisters, do you want to do healing and deliverance? Do you want to be mighty warriors in God's kingdom? If you do, you must have this mentality, do not touch the tiger's butt without the mentality of offering yourself to God, how can you be victorious? In the church, you care about the number of people, you care about money, you are stingy, and you cannot bear to suffer injustice. If you have the ability, that is fine, but you have no ability and still want to quarrel for yourself, how can you live? I do not know how to live.

So, brothers and sisters, make a choice today in this world: One day, I will completely offer my life to God, even if I am crucified. Because I came into this world, my smartest choice is to offer myself to God and be a blessing to many people. This is my choice.

Make this choice today, while the days are still calm and peaceful. Today we cast out one demon, tomorrow we cast out another demon, and the day after tomorrow we cast out another demon. Today one person is delivered, tomorrow another person is delivered. It feels like victory, doesn't it? Actually, this is nothing, but there is one thing that is extraordinary, that is offering oneself, not caring about anything, and that is imitating Jesus.

So Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him. Then, arraying him in splendid clothing, he sent him back to Pilate. And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other. (Luke 23:11-12)

Herod sent Jesus back to Pilate, giving Pilate face. They used to be enemies, but now they have become good friends. We see that Jesus makes peace even before death, which is amazing. When a person offers himself, many things will happen.

**Pilate then

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## To Truly See That Jesus Has Indeed Triumphed

**That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. (Philippians 3:10-11)**

Therefore, those who crucified Jesus did not understand that this was not victory; in fact, this is precisely what victory is. Those women who were very familiar with Jesus wept for Him. Why do you weep? These women did not know that this is precisely what victory is. So, the women of Jerusalem were weeping there, and the women who followed Jesus were also weeping.

**But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck. Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us. For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry? (Luke 23:28-31)**

God will utterly overthrow and completely burn this world. Therefore, do not expect to gain anything in this world. I met some Christians who said to me, Teacher, we pray for world peace! I said, Good, then pray for world peace. Others said, Teacher, we pray for Singapore's economy! Good, pray for Singapore's economy. But in my heart, I thought, God is going to destroy this world, what are you praying for? You might end up falling on the mountain, stumbling on that rock.

Brothers and sisters, today we care about too many things. Sometimes I tell brothers and sisters to grow, but the growth becomes your bondage. If you care too much about growth, can you still grow? You cannot grow because growth has become your bondage. I urge brothers and sisters to shepherd well, but the shepherding becomes your bondage. Can you still shepherd then? You cannot shepherd because you care about too many things.

If we didn't care so much, we would live especially well and especially freely. Actually, I don't care much about the number of people in the church or the amount of money. I also don't care much whether my colleagues work hard or not. This is called offering oneself as a living sacrifice. So, I only do one thing: encourage brothers and sisters to offer themselves as living sacrifices.

If you can take one small step forward on your current stage, I will applaud and celebrate for you. Then, if you willingly and joyfully take another step upward on this stage, offering yourself a little more, I will celebrate for you again. I believe that in heaven and on earth, in the spiritual world, the angels will rejoice. On the road of offering ourselves, we will never retreat.

So, what can we wait for in this world? Wait for this world to be destroyed by God? If our hope is still in this world, what sorrow we will have at the last moment before we breathe our last. If our hope is still in this world, what a tragedy it will be to get a fatal disease before we breathe our last. Remove all hope from this world, and then have only one hope: to hope to triumph in Jesus Christ, to imitate Jesus Christ, to offer ourselves, not to defend ourselves, but to begin to learn to endure grievances.

## Start Having the Mind to Bear the Pain of Others

Sometimes I really feel it's very strange. Our pastors willingly serve our brothers and sisters, not expecting to gain anything from them. But if you say a few words to them, they act as if they have suffered a great injustice. People wanted to put Jesus to death, and Jesus was willing. People haven't even thought about putting you to death, and they just want to edify you a bit, so what are you complaining about? Why are you coming to me to complain? If a person cannot endure grievances, they cannot achieve anything; they can only achieve death, destruction, and suffering. Therefore, mold your heart; do not become a glass heart. You must mold your heart into a steel-like copper pea!

**And when they were come to a place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. (Luke 23:33-34)**

Jesus is truly amazing! If we truly have such a mindset, even if people do things to us, but they do not know why they are doing them, then what problem is there? There is no problem. Some people do not know that this is victory, so they mock Jesus.

In this world, we often experience things that are very confusing. Suppose you are standing below, watching Jesus being crucified, and there are two robbers next to Jesus. How deep is this curse! Would you think so? The two robbers are also crucified, and Jesus is also crucified. The same place, superficially looking like there is no difference, but in reality, the difference is too great.

When we read about the Apostle Paul, many people do not understand that Paul's ship was wrecked, and he drifted in the deep sea. It looks like a deep curse, escaping one calamity after another. He was whipped repeatedly. When someone sees this, they say, Oh, this person's curse is so deep! Many people say this. Paul was arrested and put in prison. Someone said, This person's curse is so deep! Jesus was crucified, and someone also said, This person's curse is so deep! Some people even said, Where is your God? Why doesn't your God save you? In fact, they are willingly offering themselves!

Therefore, I tell brothers and sisters that those who love the world may be rich, and those who love God may also be rich. Being rich does not explain anything. Some people love God, but they are very poor. Some people do not love God, and they are also very poor. Being poor does not explain anything. Some people suffer for the curses of the world, and some people suffer for God. Suffering does not explain anything either. Some people suffer because of their own suffering and say that they are Job. Don't you think this is very absurd? So, what can we see on the surface? But people in the world should hold on to one conviction: that everything in this world is no longer important, and offering ourselves is our only choice.

**And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God. And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar, And saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself. (Luke 23:35-37)**

Two criminals were crucified with Jesus Christ. They were晒着under the sun, slowly waiting to die, which would take five or six hours. One of the criminals ridiculed Jesus, Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us! People often like to say this, If you serve God and you heal and deliver people all day long, then deliver yourself! Let them say it. Anyway, I am a sinner. Why not let others say it?

**But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in paradise. (Luke 23:40-43)**

Sometimes my words are a bit sharp. Some people call me, wanting to share their hearts with me, but I say to them, Aren't you touching the tiger's backside by doing this healing and deliverance? When you have the mind to offer yourself, then you touch the tiger's backside. If you don't have the mind to offer yourself and you touch the tiger's backside, it's like pulling teeth in front of a tiger. Aren't you courting death? And you have a tigress in your house, what are you going to do? Dancing with wolves and tigers all day long. How fierce those tigers are!

Brothers and sisters, we must know that people's minds cannot be seen from the surface, so do not look at the surface. We don't care too much about others; we only care about whether we have completely offered ourselves. When you see that Jesus Christ has done nothing wrong, but He was punished for our curses and suffered for our transgressions, and He truly bore our sorrows and carried our pains, if it were you and I, would we have such a mind to bear the pain of others?

Imitating Jesus Christ, because of the grievances and hardships we encounter, and then making up for the deficiencies of the sufferings of Jesus Christ in us, isn't this the same mind, the same footsteps, and the same path of resurrection? Isn't this the same path of victory?

Some brothers and sisters may be confused, You were just talking about money钻往your pockets! Money also goes into Jesus' pockets! Jesus has so much money that He needs to hire a financial controller! Because there is too much money, Jesus entrusted it to Judas to manage. Judas took it out in handfuls, but the money didn't seem to decrease. If there were only two coins, if Judas embezzled them, who wouldn't know? It's just that there was too much money, so they didn't know even if a lot was embezzled.

We offer ourselves completely to God, so we never lack. You see some pastors who worry about money today and worry about money tomorrow, but they don't worry about not offering sacrifices to God. Wouldn't there be no confusion if you offered it to God? Offering it to God is called victory! I often encounter some pastors who come to me begging for money. I never give them these things, and I don't do these things. I feel very emotional when I see these things.

Don't think that pastors don't beg for money. I know you may be quite confused. There was a pastor studying theology in Singapore who came to me. I said, Where do you get your annual expenses of 200,000? He said, I live by faith. I wanted to give him the best thing I had here, but he didn't want it. His purpose in coming was to get money. He knew those speaking skills and knew how to say it. But I'm not stupid either, and I knew what he meant. I said this is called begging for money. He said this is called living by faith.

Why come to Singapore to study theology by faith? What could you not do with 200,000 in tuition fees? I find that if people take living matters so seriously, coming to Singapore is not to study theology, but just to find a pastor's job to do. How good it is to be a pastor, with several thousand in income a month, and not much work to do. Therefore, brothers and sisters, when such people breathe their last, heaven will shout for this person!

**And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost. (Luke 23:44-46)**

These are the days when darkness reigns, and these are also the days of victory. From then on, Jesus opened a path to the Most Holy Place. Jesus opened a path to God. This path is the path of offering oneself, and it is a path of victory.

**Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man. (Luke 23:47)**

We don't know if this centurion is the previous centurion who had experienced Jesus.

**And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counsellor; and he was a good man, and a just: (The same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them;) he was of Arimathaea, a city of the Jews: who also himself waited for the kingdom of God. This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid. (Luke 23:50-53)**

Even today, the name of Joseph of Arimathea is still proclaimed among us. What does it matter for a person who does not care about life and death to ask for the body of Jesus Christ? It doesn't matter if there is some danger; I just want to walk this path for Jesus.

## Summary

**And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on. And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid. And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment. (Luke 23:54-56)**

**The Passover is the Lamb of God offering Himself for us, redeeming us from death, and exchanging His life for our life. What a wonderful choice this is!** Many people do not know what victory is. They think it is going out to fight a battle, taking knives and guns to fight with demons, and fighting very hard. But in reality, as long as we are willing to offer ourselves and choose to walk the path of loving God, even if we are nailed to the cross, we are still victorious people.

Therefore, at the end, can we have such a mindset, no longer fearing people, no longer pleasing people, but simply offering ourselves, with a determined heart, imitating the mind of the Apostle Paul. There is nothing to fear, and there is no need to pretend, but simply offer ourselves. How wonderful this is!

I thank God for opening a path to the Most Holy Place for us, allowing us to choose this path, allowing us to choose to run this path to the end. Many of our brothers and sisters have the mind to serve God, thinking that doing something for God is called serving God. In fact, the mind to serve God is to offer oneself. If we have God, what else do we fear? We have decided to take this path, and we will absolutely not turn back. May God remember our declaration and resolve made before Him.

May God bless everyone!