The Whole Earth Belongs to God, We Are But Stewards

Good day to you all. Let us delve into the ninth chapter of Exodus. I often encourage everyone to try and identify the theme before a Bible study, as proactively seeking to understand others' intentions is a good habit. If two individuals wish to communicate, both must be willing to understand each other's intentions; otherwise, it is like talking at cross-purposes. To study the ninth chapter of Exodus, I have been reading it daily and have diligently pondered it for weeks. I believe the theme should be: The whole earth belongs to the Lord God.

Why did Pharaoh refuse to let the Israelites leave Egypt? Because he believed this land was his. If the Israelites left Egypt, what would become of Egypt's economy? Not only would Pharaoh obstruct God's people, but each of us also carries the shadow of the Egyptian Pharaoh, hindering us from leaving the world and becoming the army of the Lord God. If I encourage you to become mighty warriors of the Lord God, you might worry: Will you cover my water and electricity bills, and next month's rent? Such a reaction reveals that people do not know that the whole earth belongs to God.

Look at those around us; which servant of God cannot afford rent? Which person who wholeheartedly loves God is not blessed? Then look at those who hinder God's people from becoming God's army; what benefit do they gain? I have never seen any. The Egyptian Pharaoh thought he was the king of Egypt, and this land belonged to him. But today, in Egypt, you can only find pyramids; Pharaoh is nowhere to be seen.

Brothers and sisters, why do we feel pressure in this world? For example, if a boss asks you to manage a store, and you think this store is yours, that you must manage it diligently, and that you can put everything else aside except this store, wouldn't the pressure be immense? If the boss then asks you to manage several clients, and you think these clients are yours, that no one can touch your clients, and you are ready to fight to the death if anyone does, wouldn't that be foolish? Some people even foolishly argue with their boss, but can an arm ever twist a thigh? We often forget that these things are not ours. If we truly understand that these things are not ours, wouldn't the pressure vanish? Because we are merely temporarily managing these affairs in this world.

If we obstruct God's will, hinder God's people from becoming God's army, aren't we courting death? Do you think the whole earth is yours? No! The whole earth belongs to the Lord God! From the Lord God's creation of heaven and earth to this day, the earth endures. People of every dynasty have passed away. So, brothers and sisters, if you feel pressured today, it is because you think this is your job, something you must do, that everything is yours. But which of these things truly belongs to you?

Some might say: According to you, should we do nothing? I say: No, do not misunderstand. I mean that the whole earth belongs to God. God says, "Let my people go, that they may serve me," but your response is no. You are mistaken, still thinking you are the Egyptian Pharaoh, that you can decide everything. But the truth is, not only does your word not count, even Pharaoh's word does not count: God's hand is upon the Egyptians, bringing heavy plagues. Everyone must know that these plagues come from God. The Bible says:

"And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matthew 10:28)

Brothers and sisters, release your pressure, for the whole earth belongs to the Lord God! Therefore, when people obey God, they prosper; when they disobey God and play games with Him, whether hindering themselves from becoming the Lord God's army or hindering others from becoming the Lord God's army, heavy punishment from God will come.

Our faith must be genuine; never play games with God! Moses was remarkable; he did exactly as the Lord commanded. Even facing the Egyptian Pharaoh, who held the power of life and death and could take lives on the spot, Moses did not retreat. He did as God instructed. In the end, Moses was unharmed because the Egyptian Pharaoh did not dare. If he had truly tried to harm Moses, Moses might not have survived the next day.

I can testify to this. Once, I ministered to a Taekwondo master, a large man weighing two hundred pounds and standing at one meter ninety. As I ministered, the demons within him began to manifest. He immediately tried to strike me; his large hands were terrifying! In my small frame, he could have crushed me just by sitting on me. My colleagues can attest that the moment his claws reached out, an invisible force pushed him to the ground with a loud crash.

I feared he might have injured his head. But did God care about that? If anyone tries to harm God's servant, try it and see! So, Moses had confidence. After the Taekwondo master got up, I felt somewhat bad, but who told him to strike first? I am a servant of the living God; that is the consequence of joking with God's servant.

Another time, there was a sumo wrestler studying where I worked. He was a massive man weighing two hundred and fifty pounds, with fingers as thick as carrots. One day, the demons within him manifested, and he came to me, saying: "Teacher, you must help me; I cannot control myself." I asked: "Control what?" He said: "There is an evil force in my hands that wants to strike someone; if my fist goes out, someone will die."

It turned out he had a criminal record and had fled to study here, but now he was about to cause trouble again. I grabbed him and prayed, his large hands flailing in front of me, trying to strangle me. Then, there was a "bang," and he fell to the ground. I prayed for him for a while, and he woke up. I asked him how he was. He told me the demon had left.

I continued: "What were your hands doing, flailing in front of me?" He said: "The demon inside me wanted to strangle you." I asked: "Then why didn't it?" He said: "He felt an invisible force stopping him; he couldn't strangle you." I thought, wow! Amazing! Actually, I was quite scared too. But it doesn't matter; I have God! It is good to have God!

Because the whole earth belongs to the Lord God, God told Moses to go to Pharaoh and say: "Let my people go, that they may serve me." The Egyptian Pharaoh always felt this place was his; if these Israelites left, who would work for him? So, God reached out and sent plagues, killing all the livestock in Egypt. When reading the Bible, do not mistake God for Santa Claus. I tell you, I fear no one in this life except God, and even then, I sometimes offend Him. If people do not fear God, how much more will they offend Him?

Plagues come from God. The current COVID-19 pandemic also comes from God. People are too proud, so proud that COVID-19 is rampant. To what extent must people be proud before they are willing to submit to God? Looking back at historical records of plagues, everyone reaches a common conclusion: They do not know how they came, nor do they know how they left. Like SARS in 2003, they do not know how it came, nor do they know how it disappeared. We must understand that if the Lord God had not shown mercy, the plague would have wiped out humanity long ago! Yet people still think they are great. They do not know they have become so corrupt that they are forcing God to attack them with plagues.

Everyone must know that our God controls the plagues of this world. Even including myself, if people do not carefully keep and follow God's word, they are truly taking risks. Do not think I am a model of carefully keeping and following God's word; I am just a sinner, a model of a sinner. May God have mercy. But I am tender-hearted and quick to repent.

Actually, our God has abundant grace and mercy, just as all the livestock in Egypt died from the plague. If God used the same plague to attack people, they could not bear it. Even for someone like the Egyptian Pharaoh, God repeatedly gave demonstrations to let him know that the whole earth belongs to God. If he did not know, he would have to learn the lesson.

Some might say: Why is God so cruel? Letting all the livestock die. We must understand that the whole earth belongs to God. God raised a few chickens and killed a few chickens; what is it to you? Is it yours? If you think it is yours and want to fight for it, you are mistaken. We must completely destroy the illusion within us, the illusion that always feels this is mine, and that is mine. If people always think this way, wouldn't the pressure be immense? Wouldn't they be like the Egyptian Pharaoh? Why are you stubborn? Because you think these things are yours. If you think these things are all God's, the concept is completely different.

For example, when I built the church, I did not want to extend my hand too far, not wanting to control anything. I only wanted to do one thing, to build according to God's word; this is my duty. Once, one of my colleagues told me he did not want to serve recently. I told him: "Then don't serve." He said: "Then what should I do if I don't serve?" I told him: "Even if you don't serve, God will still work! You are not holding up the universe; God is." He said: "Teacher, are you digging a pit for me?" I said: "What pit? Do it if you want to, don't do it if you don't want to; rest if you want to, work hard if you don't want to rest."

Some people do not understand why I work so hard. Because I am just a servant of God, not the owner of this church, just a manager. I have never asked our pastors to increase the number of people or increase the offerings. I only want to do one thing well, to shepherd God's flock well.

Yesterday, an old pastor passed away from COVID-19. Before he passed away, he wrote a passage expressing his dissatisfaction with the church's operation and many expectations. After reading it carefully, I thought, didn't you build this church? You have been serving in the church for forty years; haven't you figured out how to run the church? Actually, he knew. But once people feel this is theirs, they will build according to their own ideas, and that is trouble. Know that the church is God's; build according to God's ideas! The whole earth is God's, and I am God's; I want to live according to God's word!

Many people work hard to build a company, enduring a lot of pressure, but are eventually kicked out of the company. They always feel this company is theirs. If they had known that none of it was theirs, wouldn't the pressure have vanished? What I want to say is: I have no pressure building the church, and no pressure working, because I know the whole earth belongs to God. I only have one thing to do, to act according to God's word; this is my duty.

The whole earth belongs to God, and God will never make a mistake. The livestock of the Egyptians all died, but the livestock of the Israelites did not die. Do you think God's eyes are blind? God's eyes are very clear! But as an Israelite, do not be proud, because this is God's grace and mercy. Everyone must always remember that God has abundant grace and mercy! God attacked the Egyptian Pharaoh to awaken him, to let him know that the whole earth belongs to God. If he did not know, he would have to learn the lesson.

In Chinese history, whether it was Qin Shi Huang, Emperor Wu of Han, or Genghis Khan, they have all turned to dust. It would be good if people could understand their end. During the Han Dynasty, they advocated "Wu Wei governance," not doing nothing, but not interfering too much, meaning people should not mess around. Emperor Chongzhen of the late Ming Dynasty worked very hard, but still ruined the Ming Dynasty. It would have been better not to mess around, because the whole earth is God's. Even if you do nothing, God will still uphold the universe.

"Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 'Take for yourselves handfuls of ashes from a furnace, and let Moses scatter it toward the heavens in the sight of Pharaoh. And it will become fine dust in all the land of Egypt, and it will cause boils that break out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.'" (Exodus 9:8-9)

Even if the livestock died, it did not matter; people were still alive. So, the Egyptian Pharaoh still did not allow the Israelites to leave; his heart hardened again. What was the result of hardening? Boils broke out on people and even the Egyptian magicians could not resist, because it came from God. You are stubborn? I will give you boils. Blisters grew on people's bodies, making them feel numb. Across three thousand years, I can still feel the pain. God repeatedly reminded them: What? You are still stubborn? You still think this place is yours? You cannot even control the boils on your body!

We know that a toothache is not a disease, but it can be excruciating. We cannot control a toothache! We cannot control a stye on the eye or chickenpox! Even a small COVID-19 virus can take lives! How insignificant are people! You grab this, grab that, and when you cannot grab it, you get upset, always feeling these are mine.

Brothers and sisters, if your heart can understand that the whole earth belongs to God, then what are you grabbing? Besides looking up to God's grace and mercy, I can do nothing, but God knows our needs. So, I live in this world to become the army of the Lord God. I want to, in the name of the Lord God, in the name of Jesus Christ, trample on the devil and the enemy in this spiritual world. What will we lack? We will lack nothing!

Never think that the company you built is yours, never think that the money in your account is yours. You are just a steward! A steward must manage according to God's will. We can only look up to God's grace and mercy. God created Adam and Eve and placed them in the Garden of Eden. The Garden of Eden was also God's, not Adam and Eve's! Never think this is mine, and that is mine.

If you have such thoughts, I will give you a nickname: Puppy. Just like my dog, I give it a chicken bone, and it eats it very happily. But when I try to take the chicken bone out of its mouth, it immediately shows its fangs, baring its teeth, looking very ugly. It thinks the chicken bone is its own, not knowing that I bought the chicken bone. If you are a little wise, I will not give you the nickname Puppy. Do not be as foolish as an animal.

The Most Important Thing Is to Have a Good Relationship with God

If we know the whole earth belongs to God, we should not worry. The key is to have a good relationship with God, to act according to God's will, and to become elite soldiers in the army of the Lord God. Why become elite soldiers in the army of the Lord God? Because to establish God's kingdom, the most important thing is to build the army of the Lord God. If you do not want to fight spiritual battles, do not want to build the army of the Lord God, and know nothing about the spiritual world, and then you start a church, won't the demons ride on your neck and punish you? Shitting and pissing on your neck, you will become a tool of the devil.

Brothers and sisters, understand that you should not grab these things so tightly. When your body is covered in boils or attacked by plagues, you will understand that these worldly things cannot help you. I tell you, if people know the whole earth belongs to God, the most important thing is to obey God's will, have a good relationship with God, build God's army, and establish God's kingdom.

Where there is no army, where is the country? When China was not strong, how miserably was it bullied by foreign powers! Paying reparations here, paying reparations there, how much money was enough to pay? Because the army was not strong, they lost battles. Sometimes it sounds embarrassing, that the Eight-Nation Alliance, with only ten thousand troops, reached our Beijing, which is completely unbelievable. This is all because the country was weak!

So, we must build God's kingdom, no longer be weak Christians, but become people who came out of Egypt and live to serve God. Whoever hinders God's work will die, and you will see disasters fall upon them. Whoever hinders God's people from coming out of Egypt will surely encounter disaster. Never oppose God in your life!

The Egyptian Pharaoh also had boils, but he still did not know that the whole earth belongs to God, still did not know that opposing God leads to death. Why was his heart so stubborn? Because he felt that everything was his. Brothers and sisters, never learn from Pharaoh, never feel that this is mine, and that is mine. If someone touches you, you will freak out and bare your teeth. Your emotions will not be good. Know that we are just stewards. Once the idea inside is adjusted, the pressure will immediately disappear.

Removing the Erroneous Logic System of Loving Money and Greed

I once preached a sermon titled "The Heavenly Father Knows Our Needs," so we must first seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to us. Brothers and sisters, don't get this wrong, don't try to grab onto the things of this world, because you can't hold onto them anyway. There was a very powerful man, the famous Alexander the Great, who, when he died, had holes dug on either side of his coffin and his hands extended out.

Alexander the Great did this to tell the world that when a person dies, they leave with empty hands, unable to hold onto anything. When you came into this world, you weren't even wearing diapers. No one has ever come out of their mother's womb wearing clothes; they are all naked. So what are you trying to grab? It is most important for people to see through this matter of living.

There was a church with over ten thousand people, and the senior pastor passed his position on to his son. One day, I shared this with a sister in our church, and what she said shocked me. She said, "How glorious!" Look, how glorious, it's best not to become gloriously crazy! If you're naked and go crazy, that's troublesome.

In the Bible, there was a man named Nebuchadnezzar, who became the king of Babylon. Later, because he was proud and thought that everything he owned was his, God made him like a beast, eating grass in the field like an ox. If people don't understand and insist on opposing God, it's vexing! Can everyone take this in? If not, it doesn't matter, God has other disasters. I tell you, God's discipline of me is very severe! So I fear no one, only God! Everyone must take this in!

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning, confront Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me, or this time I will send the full force of my plagues against your heart, against your officials and against your people, so you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth. For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth. But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. You still set yourself against my people and will not let them go?’” (Exodus 9:13-17)

Pharaoh of Egypt already had boils on his body, but he was still stubborn, thinking that everything was his and that these people could not leave Egypt. What kind of mind is this? Because he hasn't suffered enough, hasn't toiled enough. Remember! If it weren't for God's mercy, these Egyptians would have been wiped off the earth long ago. But even though Pharaoh of Egypt was so stubborn, God still had abundant grace and mercy.

The most deadly things in the world are money and wealth. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The most foolish thing a person can do is to love money, and the most intelligent thing is to love God. Those who always think that everything is theirs and that they have the final say are very stubborn before God. But such people are at most just like an Egyptian Pharaoh. Never exalt people or exalt yourself; always remember that the whole earth belongs to God, and God will reveal His great power to us.

Even today, nothing can stop natural and man-made disasters. Never believe the saying, "Man will conquer nature!" Conquer what nature? Can you conquer yesterday or tomorrow? You can't even touch the shadow of heaven! You don't know the immensity of heaven and earth! You always think you can conquer something? What can you conquer by fighting against heaven? When hail falls from the sky, you go out and stand in the hail, shouting for the hail to come and strike you dead! What kind of mind is this?

I'll tell you a story. Years ago, because of God's blessing, I found a job. My boss told me about his experience: he had two sworn brothers. One day, these three brothers ran to a cemetery at two in the morning and shouted, "Are there any ghosts? Come out and show yourselves!" They didn't see any ghosts and went back. Because they didn't believe in God, they were very arrogant. One of them, during a heavy rainstorm with thunder, stood in the rain and shouted, "If there really is a God, let thunder strike me dead!" What kind of mind is this? Fortunately, he wasn't struck dead. Later, the fate of these three brothers was worse than the other, all reaching the point of wanting to jump off a building to commit suicide. This is because ghosts were messing with them.

When I found this job, my boss had just believed in the Lord for a year, and had just come out of the miserable state of wanting to commit suicide by jumping off a building. So he told me this spiritual story. It's too amazing! If people don't know the immensity of heaven and earth, they're just a hundred or so pounds of flesh. Weigh it on a scale, what can you weigh out? Still competing with God, what is there to compete about?

Pharaoh of Egypt was at least a king, and he wasn't qualified to compete with God, let alone you and me! If God stretched out His hand and struck us with a plague, He would have wiped us out long ago! God has mercy on you and me, allowing us to live, to show God's great power. God either shows negative great power or positive great power. Those who obey God prosper, and those who defy God perish! Never joke with God!

Now send word to bring your livestock and everything you have in the field to a safe place, because hail will fall on every person and animal that has not been brought in and is still out in the field, and they will die.’” Those officials of Pharaoh who heeded the word of the Lord hurried to bring their slaves and livestock inside. But those who disregarded the word of the Lord left their slaves and livestock in the field. (Exodus 9:19-21)

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that hail will fall all over Egypt—on people and animals and on everything growing in the fields.” When Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, the Lord sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down to the ground. So the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt; hail fell and lightning flashed back and forth. It was the worst storm in all the land of Egypt since it had become a nation. Throughout Egypt hail struck everything in the fields—both people and animals; it beat down everything growing in the fields and stripped every tree. (Exodus 9:22-25)

Before, God deliberately told Pharaoh of Egypt to let his officials' servants and livestock not be in the fields. But some people were not convinced and just didn't believe. So why did they have to let his servants and livestock work in the fields? It's all because of money! So I tell you, money is a bastard, because people die for wealth, and birds die for food.

Think about it, do you worry a lot about money? Money has killed many people! Although God had told the Egyptians long ago that hail would fall from the sky tomorrow, people, for the sake of money, just didn't listen and had to let their workers and livestock go to work in the fields. As a result, when the hail came down, all the livestock were struck dead. China has long studied the matter of comprador capitalism thoroughly. When I was a child, I knew about the evil capitalists. Capitalists are those who play with money.

If the medical system is for making money, what will happen? That would be very troublesome! If education is also for money, that would also be quite vexing! So money is a bastard! If everyone is focused on money, they can do anything bad, which is very deadly! Look at those corrupt officials, they dare to do anything. Those flies and tigers who have been caught, for the sake of money, where is their morality?

Why don't I trust the medical system very much? I only trust God! Because whether it's the Putian system hospitals or any other hospitals, they are all for money. Everything that is for money must be careful. Do you think it's for curing diseases? Is it for solving people's problems? No, it's all for making money! So everyone must have a clear understanding of the essence of things. If people are for money, they will become very evil. These Egyptians, for the sake of money, pushed their servants into the fields, and as a result, they were struck dead by the hail.

Some time ago, I asked Old Ma, "What have you been doing lately?" He said, "I went to the hospital." I asked him, "What did you go to the hospital for?" He said, "I went to collect money!" This Old Ma has collected a lot of money in the hospital! I asked him, "Why do you keep going to collect money?" He said, "I lost the battle to you, so I have to pay you back, right?" So you must have an essential understanding of this thing called money.

In the New Testament, Jesus said, "You cannot serve God and mammon." This "mammon" refers to wealth. See what you are pursuing. If you are pursuing wealth, you will become an evil money-maker. The problem with people is that they think everything is theirs, and that's the end of them! Actually, I often think, what are you going to do with so much money? Tie the money into bundles and stack them into a mattress, hard and uncomfortable to sleep on!

So brothers and sisters, people don't live for these things in the world. People live to serve God! What does it mean to serve God? It means to be a blessing to many people! Not to take, but to give! We must learn a lesson, learn to take these things lightly, and not be like Pharaoh of Egypt, with an erroneous logic system, suffering so many natural and man-made disasters. People live a lifetime and don't need much money and resources, especially since our God is the one we serve, and everything belongs to Him, and also belongs to us! How can we lack anything?

No matter what system it is, the most difficult thing to deal with is people's greed. We must deal with greed! I know some people are very anxious that they can't become officials. Why? Because being an official can be corrupt. What kind of mind is this? My mother once said, "If I had an education back then, I would have become a high-ranking official long ago!" I asked her what she would do as a high-ranking official. She said she would be greedy for money. I asked her what she would do if she was greedy and ended up in prison. Fortunately, she was just a commoner and didn't become a high-ranking official, but the greed inside her is still there!

People Live to Serve God

Whether it is anyone, if you want to have a heart to serve God, what we need to do is not to try to grab something from God, but to give out! The most important thing for people is to deal with the greed inside us. What is greed? It's thinking that everything is yours. Take a closer look, do greedy people have good results? No! So never have greed. The most important thing is to know that the whole earth belongs to God! If you know this, you won't be as stubborn as Pharaoh of Egypt, and you will understand that serving God is our duty.

Having said so much, do you understand in your heart? If you really understand, you will feel very relaxed in your heart. Many people are either greedy for their parents' houses or greedy for their parents' money, which will incur God's wrath. Let us once again wake up in the presence of God, become people who serve God, bring God's blessings down from heaven, and bless this generation.

God is our boss. Everything of God is ours! God has entrusted all things to us to manage, and we will flourish and prosper, manage well what God has entrusted to us, become good and faithful servants of God, build God's army, be able to trample on the devil and the enemy, remove the lies and deceptions released by the devil, and it will be difficult not to prosper! Brothers and sisters, we will share to here! May God bless everyone!