Introduction: Warfare Relies on Obeying the Word of Jehovah God

Good day, everyone. Let us delve into the nineteenth chapter of Exodus. I have observed that everyone has developed a habit of proactively identifying the theme. The theme of this chapter is found in the sixth verse: You shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Why is the theme of this chapter a kingdom of priests and a holy nation? Because this statement is particularly well-articulated, and the other sections revolve around priests and holiness.

In the third month after the Israelites left Egypt—on the very day—they came to the Desert of Sinai. After they left Rephidim, they entered the Desert of Sinai, and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain. Then Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation to me.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.” (Exodus 19:1-6)

Does the army of Jehovah God wage war with swords? With guns? Or with what? The army of Jehovah God wages war by heeding the word of Jehovah God and keeping His covenant. If you are a people of Jehovah God, in the army of Jehovah God, serving as His soldier, a member of His army, warfare relies on heeding the word of Jehovah God and keeping His covenant. This is of utmost importance.

Those Israelites who perished in the wilderness were not killed by demons. They all died under the hand of God because they did not heed the word of Jehovah God. It was a terrible fate. The whole earth belongs to God. As the army of Jehovah God, as long as you heed God's word and keep His covenant, that is victory. In this passage, there is an interesting phrase: "This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob." What does "descendants of Jacob" mean? It refers to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, these three generations. The last one was Jacob, who was later renamed Israel. After that, there were the twelve sons born to Israel, which are the twelve tribes of Israel today.

At the beginning, God instructed the Israelites: "You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself." What was the situation in Egypt at that time? Egypt was the strongest nation in the world. Did the Israelites leave Egypt by taking up swords and guns, like Chen Sheng and Wu Guang, rising up in rebellion? No. The Israelites left Egypt without expending a single soldier, a single sword, or a single gun. God led them to victory. At that time, they did not carefully observe and follow God's words. It was because God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

We need to know whether we possess the character of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, or whether we have inherited their logical system. If you have truly inherited the house of Jacob, you will have the likeness of Jacob. However, the group that came out of Egypt was somewhat problematic. Although they were all descendants of Jacob, they did not quite resemble Jacob. But God still brought them out of Egypt, carrying them on eagles' wings and bringing them to God. If a person is chosen by God for a lifetime, but they do not heed God's word or keep His covenant, is that not a tragedy?

Have you seen what God did to the Egyptians? God's actions were ruthless! I tell you all, the first and most important characteristic of being in the army of Jehovah God is to truly heed the word of Jehovah God, keep His covenant, and then be God's people among all nations, because the whole earth belongs to God. Can you imagine that the whole earth belongs to God, and you are God's people? Are you not above all the people in the world? This is for the purpose of being a kingdom of priests, to be a holy nation.

Is this all that the army of Jehovah God does? Previously, Moses gave a demonstration. Moses and Joshua fought against the Amalekites. Joshua led the Israelites in battle with real swords and guns below, while Moses raised his hands on the mountaintop. Whenever Moses' hands came down, the Israelites would be defeated. Whenever Moses' hands were raised, the Israelites would be victorious. It was very clear. You might ask, what does Moses raising or not raising his hands have to do with winning the battle? Because this is a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.

I just want to tell everyone, what do we rely on for warfare? Not just solely on intellectual prayer and speaking in tongues! The army of Jehovah God relies on heeding God's word, keeping God's covenant, and being God's people among all nations. You will surely be above all the people in the world. The purpose is to be a kingdom of priests! Priests offer sacrifices to God. What does that have to do with warfare? What we are doing is God's will.

So what exactly is God's will? Because the corruption on this earth all comes from people's worldly logical systems. God wants to rebuild a heavenly logical system and manifest His glory among the Israelites. God wants to touch His own throne with their hands and tread on the earth with their feet through the Israelites as a kingdom of priests, as a holy nation, bringing down God's power, and then manifesting God's glory through this kingdom of priests, this holy nation. We must know that we rely on heeding God's word, keeping His covenant, being a kingdom of priests, and being a holy nation. This is called victory. In the New Testament, it says:

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4)

Have we truly followed God's word? We still want to be the army of Jehovah God, to be a kingdom of priests, a holy nation. We wage war, not by relying on swords and guns or taking to the streets to protest. We do not do these things. We rely on heeding the word of Jehovah God. How God speaks, we will do. How God says to build His church, we will build. God is in our midst, and we become God's priests, becoming a holy nation. This is God's goal. God brought the Israelites out of Egypt, and God redeemed us from the world with the precious blood of Jesus Christ, carrying us on wings like eagles to bring us to Himself, so that we may heed His word and keep His covenant.

Some time ago, I preached a sermon called "Humble and Contrite, Trembling at God's Word." Let us reflect on where we have heeded God's word. I often teach everyone not to discern good and evil. We are not qualified to discern good and evil, but people just do not listen. After discerning good and evil, are you not swallowing the bitter fruit yourself? I remind everyone again that as a Christian, if you do not heed God's word and do not keep His covenant, how can you be God's people among all nations? Doing so is not being God's people, but God's enemies, and you cannot return to God to be a kingdom of priests.

For Christians, prayer is also a difficult matter. Some time ago, there was a young man studying for a doctorate who was so confused by his studies that he was on the verge of depression. He was a Christian in a church. He asked a brother in our church how long he prayed each day. This brother replied that he prayed for at least two hours each day. This brother asked him how long he prayed, and he replied that he prayed for ten minutes each day, which was when he prayed during meals.

Listen to that. If you do not get depressed, who will? We Christians live not only by every word that comes from the mouth of God, but everyone must live by every word that comes from the mouth of God! Either you violate God's word and receive a curse, or you heed God's word and receive blessings. I can tell you all, being God's people is such an honor, being a member of God's army is such glory. Since God has chosen us, giving us the opportunity to know Him, the opportunity to see God in our midst, and the opportunity to be priests who can pray to God, yet many people see prayer as a burden. Is that not troubling? Prayer is grace!

Therefore, the victory of the army of Jehovah God depends entirely on heeding God's word! The destruction of the army of Jehovah God is entirely because of not heeding God's word and not keeping His covenant! From Exodus to Numbers to Deuteronomy, you will see that this statement is indeed correct. The Israelites did not die at the hands of others, but at the hands of God, all because they did not heed God's word and became a rebellious people.

I remind everyone again, are you willing to be humble and contrite? Are you willing to tremble at God's word? God's word cannot be violated! I have served one person after another. All I can do is tell you that what you are doing and saying is not God's word. Why insist on talking about those principles? What is the use of those principles? Do you live by those principles? I heard a saying when I was young: "With reason, you can travel the world; without reason, you cannot take a single step." Can reason really allow you to travel the world?

In fact, God's requirements are very simple! Truly heed God's word, keep His covenant, and be God's people among all nations. Because the whole earth belongs to God, what are you afraid of if you trust in God? You shall return to God to be a kingdom of priests. Priests offer sacrifices, relying on prayer to wage war. When we speak, God will accomplish it for us. When we pray and command the demons to retreat, God's power will be manifested, and the demons must retreat. This is all based on keeping God's word. If we truly heed God's word, we must understand God's word. If we understand God's word, we must explore and seek God's word. If we have explored and sought and also implemented it, God will tell us if there are deviations.

When we open a door, recognize a part of the truth, and discover that we can deal with a part of the demons; when we recognize another part of the truth, open another door, and can deal with another part of the demons, these two things are related. We seek God's word and are eager to keep God's covenant. We have come to this day, still constantly seeking and exploring. Have you noticed that another large group of demons has been trampled underfoot? The demons on many people cannot be hidden and will manifest. These demons reveal their true forms and are knocked down.

Removing the Bad Habit of Being Ability-Based

The demon we are dealing with now is ability-based. Being ability-based means relying on one's own hands, living by the sword, and being self-righteous. I do not understand where people get so much confidence. What can people do? A small coronavirus has brought people to the brink of death. People need to know that they are not capable and must live by God's word. But you will find that people like to rely on themselves.

Later, there was Jacob, also known as Israel, whose brother was Esau. Esau's descendants are the Amalekites. God will be at war with the Amalekites for generations and will blot out their name. God wants to curse Esau and deal with the Egyptians in this way. What can you do? The whole earth belongs to God. Who are you going to argue with? Are you going to tell God that He should do this and should not do that?

Who are you? We only have one qualification. When we see God dealing with the Egyptians, the Amalekites, and Esau in this way, cursing these people, we realize that God does not care about the lives of these people at all. One more death is not too many, and one less death is not too few! Do you not say that God is full of grace and mercy? God's grace and mercy are for those who turn to Him. God wants to destroy this world! Read the Bible carefully and see if it is true. I do not know how some people read the Bible, actually saying that they want to transform this world.

What are you transforming? Can you transform it? God does not want to transform it. Can you? They want to transform the government, education, and many other things. How can they transform them? Those worldly things, I think, forget about it! Brothers and sisters must know for sure that God in the New Testament only cares about one thing, which is to build His glorious church, bring His people into the church, bring them into the body of Jesus Christ, to be a kingdom of priests, to be a holy nation, to heed His word, to keep His covenant, and to let God's glory be manifested through us on this earth. It is that simple.

I am surprised that many things that churches do cannot really be found in the Bible! How difficult is it to heed God's word and keep His covenant? Every time we seek, we open a door to truth, and God gives us that string of keys. The treasures inside can subdue many demons. Thank God, recently we have been dealing with the evil spirit of being ability-based. Many people have symptoms of colds, diarrhea, and many people have symptoms of pain and so on.

That is the devil's lie. Recently, many people will be released. Think about it, being ability-based means worshiping one's own ability. If you have the ability, will you become a treacherous hero like Cao Cao? If you have the ability, will you cause widespread suffering? If you have the ability, will you become a corrupt merchant? If you have the ability to worship these things, coupled with the love of money, it will be completely bad!

Carefully Observing and Following God's Word

So Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people and set before them all the words the Lord had commanded him to speak. The people all responded together, “We will do everything the Lord has said.” So Moses brought their answer back to the Lord. (Exodus 19:7-8)

Therefore, brothers and sisters, you must know that we go to war by keeping God's covenant, heeding God's word, being a kingdom of priests, being God's people, becoming a holy nation, and God will surely fight for us. God will begin to manifest His glory and His power in our midst. Did they really listen? If they had really listened, they would not have died in the wilderness!

I often tell everyone not to discern good and evil, but many people turn around and discern good and evil with me, and they also present facts and reasons to me. It is like Moses summoning the elders of the people and setting before them all the words the Lord had commanded him to speak. The people all responded together, "We will do everything the Lord has said." Did they really understand? Did they know what they were agreeing to? People just like to be hypocritical! They agree with their mouths, but the things they are carrying in their hearts have not changed.

Many people have taken notes, done their homework, and listened to the sermons, but what exactly is the thing in their heads? Do you really understand what a glorious blessing it is to be God's people? Do you know what a glorious hope we have in this calling? Do you know what a glorious crown of glory is prepared for us in the future, how honorable and how noble? Do you know that being God's people, being God's people among all nations, being a kingdom of priests among all nations, being a holy nation, heeding His word, keeping His covenant, what a blessing this is! This is definitely not a burden!

People often say to me: Teacher, I cannot do it! How can you not do it? If I said there was ten thousand dollars there, would you go and get it? You would definitely rush over! How can you do it then? If there were a hundred thousand dollars, would not more people rush over? Not to mention a million or ten million. Is following God's word more difficult than going to get these things? That is because of unbelief! Even when curses and destruction come upon them, they may not believe! Because the thing they are thinking in their heads is already deeply rooted.

It is too difficult to change what is in a person's head. Many times, how many times do I have to be rebuffed by others to change people's thinking? The people I serve are very capable of rebuffing me. If they really had that ability, they would go and rebuff the demons! If we have that energy, we will go and follow God's word, keep God's covenant, be a kingdom of priests, be a holy nation, specialize in releasing those who are oppressed by evil spirits, and become a mighty warrior who casts out demons. How difficult is that?

Seeing Through the Emptiness of Life

When faced with the trivialities of daily life – livelihood, firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, and tea – what does the word of God count for? A kingdom of priests? A holy nation? Can these things fill your stomach? I say, a mere glutton cannot truly be part of a kingdom of priests or a holy nation! How can one achieve this? Do you all know that all problems revolve around a fundamental core: do we truly believe in our hearts what we say with our mouths? Isn't that hypocrisy?

As a result, God not only reminds these Israelites of what He did to the Egyptians but also warns them not to become like the Egyptians. Go visit the cancer ward and talk to the patients there; you'll understand what fills their minds. Let us return to obeying God's word! But when we obey God's word and agree verbally, do we truly know and understand it?

Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.’" (Exodus 19:3-4)

Therefore, recently I preached a sermon titled "Do You Still Not Understand?" This question was asked by Jesus to His disciples. In reality, His disciples truly did not understand! They spoke one thing but their logical system in their hearts still belonged to the world. I challenge everyone: dare to try living by God alone and see if we can survive? We certainly can! Did He bring us to Himself to die or to live? It is to make us a kingdom of priests, a holy nation! But these people said, "All that the Lord has spoken we will do." However, the following chapters of Exodus reveal the chaotic actions of these people.

The Lord said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you.” Then Moses told the Lord what the people had said. (Exodus 19:9)

Why does God still need to speak to Moses at this time for the people to believe? Why is it so difficult? Moses was originally chosen by God; with a wave of his staff, the Red Sea parted; with a word, plagues fell upon Egypt. What more do you need to see? Do you still not understand? In fact, these Israelites were muttering in their hearts: "This is a bit risky! We have food now, but we don't know when we'll starve to death. If manna doesn't fall tomorrow, we're finished. In the wilderness, we'll run out of water one day and be left to die. Sooner or later, we'll exhaust our resources, then what?" These people were thinking only about this, about the matter of survival.

I remind you again, as a Christian, if you do not see the things of this life as vanity, you cannot succeed. If you do not see through the emptiness of life, if you think everything is real gold and silver, if you insist on your twisted logic, and live by discerning good and evil instead of carefully obeying God's word, how can you be the people of the Lord? How can you be of the house of Jacob? To be of the house of Jacob, you must have the character of Jacob. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph were all very powerful; they are models we can never finish learning from in our lifetime.

They saw through this life and valued eternal life immensely! They all believed that living and dying is meaningless, and I agree! If you believe that this life is vanity of vanities, what are you entangled in? They are all trivial matters. Not only our brothers and sisters, but even pastors and co-workers, are sometimes empty and sometimes not; sometimes they understand, and sometimes they don't. What is the foundation within us? After a trip to death's door, everything becomes clear. God repeatedly spoke to the Israelites with powerful evidence, allowing them to see how awe-inspiring God is. Our God is powerful, great, and awesome; the whole earth is His!

And the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes and be ready by the third day, because on that day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful that you do not go up the mountain or touch the foot of it. Anyone who touches the mountain is to be put to death.’ They are to be stoned or shot with arrows; not a hand is to be laid on them. No person or animal shall be allowed to live.’ Only when the ram’s horn sounds a long blast may they approach the mountain.” (Exodus 19:10-13)

On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him with thunder. (Exodus 19:16-19)

Did these Israelites see it? They did! Have our brothers and sisters seen God's works? We have! But why, having seen, are we still unwilling to obey God's word? Why must we rush towards the path of death? The Lord God is a holy God, our God is a consuming fire, so Moses went down the mountain to tell them.

The Lord descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses went up and the Lord said to him, “Go down and warn the people so they do not force their way through to see the Lord and many of them perish. Even the priests, who approach the Lord, must consecrate themselves, or the Lord will break out against them.” (Exodus 19:20-22)

Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up Mount Sinai, because you yourself warned us, ‘Put limits around the mountain and set it apart as holy.’” The Lord replied, “Go down and bring Aaron up with you, but the priests and the people must not force their way through to come up to the Lord, or he will break out against them.” So Moses went down to the people and told them. (Exodus 19:23-25)

To be sanctified is extraordinary; it can lead to death! Don't ask me why it leads to death, because that's what God said! God is a holy God, and if we are not clothed in Jesus, aren't we seeking death by coming before God? Therefore, we seek the covering of the precious blood of Jesus Christ, so that we have the opportunity to approach God, to be a kingdom of priests, to be a holy nation. Don't be like a fraud fighter, coming to Mount Sinai with a camera to see if it's real. I think you shouldn't expect to return! You may not expose the fraud, but you'll lose your life.

How can unbelievers see God's power and glory? We are to be a kingdom of priests, a holy nation. I emphasize again, I have repeated it many times: truly listen to God's word, keep His covenant, and be His people among all nations. The whole earth is God's; you must return to God, be a kingdom of priests, a holy nation. You must be true Israelites, with the blood of Jacob flowing in your veins. Your thoughts and intentions must emulate and inherit the logic of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; that is the logic of blessing.

Don't be hypocritical, just going through the motions, like these Israelites. Moses told them to listen to the word of the Lord God, and they said they would listen and obey, but did they truly obey? Did they truly understand? If you know what a glorious Mingding Destiny this is, if you know that you will suffer a great loss if you don't obey, who can stop you from obeying? Everyone must know, do not do foolish things!

Summary: Implement as Much as You Receive

To be a priest of the Lord God, you must listen to the word of the Lord God. Start from Genesis chapter one and read carefully, be sincere, don't play games with God! We implement as much as we receive. God knows that there are many things you cannot yet receive, but that's okay. If you cannot even obey what you have already received, how can you obey what you have not received? Therefore, God has prepared many doors of truth on His holy mountain of truth. Each time a door opens, we see God's grace, God's power, and God's glory again.

When we open a door, the grace and treasures given to us by that door can be used to deal with the corresponding demons. Brothers and sisters, we are still far, far away! Know that even though we have obtained one or two treasures, we must continue to explore. Therefore, listening to God's word is both simple and complex, because do we truly understand God's word? When we are casting out demons, God's word opens up His truth.

Therefore, each Sunday sermon and Bible study constantly accompanies our knowledge of God. We are constantly advancing our understanding of God's word and the spiritual world. We are beginning to see God's glory continuously manifested, with waves of brothers and sisters being delivered, including those who were not delivered before now beginning to be delivered, and demons that could not be cast out before now beginning to manifest and be cast out! It's amazing! May God bless everyone!