Introduction

Good morning. Today, I want to share with you a very, very important principle: "Give me understanding, that I may live." You must understand that the Chinese Mingding Doctrine places special emphasis on living. Do you think living well simply means eating well, sleeping well, and having good bowel movements? No. If you lack this understanding, you cannot live well, can you?

Today, we must recognize that the Chinese Mingding Doctrine is a theology for the living, not a theology of dying and going to heaven. Think about it; the difference is significant. Now, let's continue with Psalm 119. The theme is "Give me understanding, that I may live." The outcome of a person's life will not exceed their understanding. Let me repeat that: The outcome of a person's life will not exceed their understanding. Do you understand? I will explain this understanding to you later.

I tell you, the difference in people's perception of things in this life is vast. The difference is so great that some are beautiful, some are ugly, some are handsome, and some are not. For example, how does a person live their life like this? Isn't it the path they have walked?

I can give you an example. I have an older cousin who is one year older than me and a younger cousin who is one year younger than me. You would think they would get along well, but no, they are like enemies. Why are they like enemies? Can you understand? Stupidity! They became enemies over trivial matters.

How trivial? One day, my uncle died. His two sons were at his grave. The elder son said, "Dad, I bought you a pack of cigarettes." The younger son objected. Why? Because he bought the cigarettes himself. So, the younger son said, "You can't say that; you didn't buy them." The brothers argued back and forth, punch for punch, grabbing arms and hair, fighting at the grave.

With such minds, how can they be well? They are brainless! Their father is lying in the coffin, watching his two sons fight. Whether the dead can see or not, we don't know. We just lament, don't we? Is this kind of thing common in the village? Yes. Why? All because of poor understanding. Understanding is the perception of people and things.

Later, when there was a wedding in the village, people knew these brothers would fight, so they arranged for the older brother to sit at a table far away on one side and the younger brother to sit at a table far away on the other side. But no, they each grabbed a bottle and went over to fight again. Oh my goodness, they are enemies. What kind of life is that?

The outcome of a person's life will not exceed their understanding. I did not come into this world to quarrel; I did not come into this world to be an enemy. I came into this world to live out God's glory joyfully, isn't it? That's good, isn't it?

We are discussing Psalm 119, "Give me understanding, that I may live." Without understanding, one is dead. Living, you see these two legs and two arms, jumping and kicking, but the heart is dead, isn't it? When you see the wicked prosper and do not fret, understanding is lacking, isn't it? Meditating on God's word day and night, that is understanding.

Do we have anyone among us who meditates on God's word day and night? I count myself as one. For Bible study, the phone is playing all night. I listen all night, and when I wake up the next morning, the phone is still going. If meditating on God's word day and night is still not enough to understand, how can one understand without it?

In the past, we talked about Psalms, "Blessed is the man," "Fear God," "A broken and contrite heart," "Do not fret because of evildoers," "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom," "You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good," isn't it? "A broken and contrite heart you will not despise," "Those who seek the Lord lack no good thing," "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want." Which one is not understanding? All of them are understanding.

Today, let our understanding be opened, let us begin to know God's word, do you hear? Be a blessed person. So, understanding is very important. The Chinese Mingding Doctrine is a theology of understanding, do you know? If a person's understanding is not clear, they will say things like, "Oh, you've confused me; I'm bewildered." Bewildered and still talking so much? Who is speaking? It is the devil speaking, isn't it? Thinking they are very reasonable, but it is all foolish reasoning, twisted reasoning.

So, people must know that everyone is born naked. Was anyone born with clothes on? Who among us was born with clothes on? Luckily, we weren't wearing clothes; who knows if the clothes would have strangled us. People come into this world naked, knowing nothing. For example, when a child is born, you hold up one finger. How many is this? They don't know anything, they don't even know one finger. How many fingers is this? Two, they don't know either. They really don't know anything, they don't understand anything. Which one is not learned later? All are learned later. If you put a little black child in a Chinese family, they will learn to speak fluent Chinese, won't they? How one learns is how one's life will be.

So, I want to tell you, what exactly is understanding? It is not Wukong or Wuneng. What is understanding? It is a deep understanding of things. Remember, understanding is a deep understanding of things. I will share three words with you. Do you want to learn English? Because this is a bit difficult, and I can't really match it with Chinese. Three words: one is knowing, one is understanding, and the other is essence. These three words: knowing, called "I know"; understanding, called "I understand"; what is essence called? Insight. Let's learn some English: know, understand, insight. These are three very important levels of understanding.

This understanding is very important. Going from not knowing to knowing is one stage. Going from knowing to understanding is another stage. Going from understanding to grasping the essence is another stage. Isn't it? Think about this. Living is this. Not knowing is ignorance. So, living is understanding. From the naked little fat baby who is born, looking very cute because they are ignorant, they won't argue with you, they don't know anything, and then they look very cute. Many people play with their children, but the children's understanding is not clear.

Remember, people are like that their whole lives. Although they are very old, their minds are still like a naked fat baby, called a "giant infant," which is troublesome. So, ignorant people will perish. Ignorant people only argue, are arrogant and uncomfortable, and live a life of discomfort and loneliness. A person who loses understanding is a dead person.

So, to live, one must learn. Learning is the essence of the Chinese Mingding Doctrine. Really, I wish everyone could bring their children up to be top students, how wonderful. If they become underachievers, oh my goodness, what will the underachievers do? They will leech off their parents until the parents have no meat left, and then they will gnaw on the bones. People without understanding cannot live, so it is really a matter of life and death. If a person lacks understanding but doesn't know they lack it, that is a tragedy, not knowing they lack it.

So, this poet, the author of Psalm 119, do you know? Psalm 119 is the longest psalm. The author of Psalm 119 actually has understanding, but he still asks God to give him understanding. Doesn't that seem strange? He feels he doesn't know much in terms of understanding. Knowing God is endless, do you know that knowing God is endless?

So, today I tell you, the tragedy of a person's life is because they think they have understanding when they don't, and they take out their own murky set of ideas, their innate set of ideas, and treat it as truth. Living and living, it becomes a tragedy. So, stubborn people are stupid. Stubborn people are stupid. Let me say that again: Stubborn people are stupid. Look at how stubborn people say, "Who wouldn't do this? Who wouldn't do this if they were in my situation?"

Oh my goodness, they think they are the world standard, but Indians don't do that, Malaysians are different, aren't they? White foreigners are different. They think they are the world standard. We think many things are standard, and if we don't do it this way, how else can we do it? They are stubborn, they don't investigate, they don't learn, they just believe what they believe.

Do you know what learning is? Learning is learning from others. They spend their whole lives only learning from themselves. Their whole life is foolish because they only learn from themselves. Their own stuff is not good, and in the end, they become "not good." Living is living out an understanding. Remember, living is living out an understanding. But understanding, wisdom, and knowledge all come from God; the flesh is naturally without it.

It's okay to have no understanding, but if all that's left is sex, that's troublesome. If you have no understanding, all that's left is sex. Oh dear, if all that's left is sex, I advise you to go to school and learn about sex education, and be careful not to get AIDS. Do you understand? Isn't that just an animal? So, many people are in this state today; they are in this state.

The Chinese Mingding Doctrine is a theology of understanding, a theology for the living. A theology for the living, do you know? In our time, the Chinese Mingding Doctrine will bring about a profound change. Why? Because we want to turn the theology of the dead into the theology of the living.

I was serving a friend, just taking him to the airport, and we were talking very congenially. I said, "Let me treat you to something." We sat down to eat, and he felt uncomfortable breathing, suffocating, lacking oxygen. When he lacked oxygen, I prayed for him, and he was fine.

He said to me, "Do you know? I know many pastors, I have many friends who are pastors." When I heard that, I knew there was trouble. He knows many Christian pastors, and they all preach to him. What do they preach? That all things in the universe come from God. What use is that? No use at all. So, they say if you believe in God, you will go to heaven, and if you don't believe in God, you will go to hell. This scared him. Then he asked them what he should do. Nothing. Because he is also a person with some education, a PhD.

They talk about how all things come from God, how God created the universe and all things, but they don't talk about how to do it, they just don't talk about how to do it. He said, "This is all well and good, it sounds reasonable, but how do I do it?" It can't be done. So, it is not a theology of understanding, it is something about dying and going to heaven. That is quite hateful.

Why do I say that the Chinese Mingding Doctrine will have a profound impact on future generations? Because the God we believe in is the God of the living. The theology we believe in is the theology of the living, not the theology of "all things in the universe are created by God." Of course, all things in the universe are created by God. We are talking about how a person can improve in understanding while they are alive. Those Christians say they will go to heaven when they die, but have they gone up there? We don't know if they have gone up there.

I basically don't proselytize much. What do I preach? I preach the God of the living, I talk about the affairs of the living. I said to him, "I haven't been to heaven or hell, what can I say? Saying it would be nonsense."

In the future, when you meet people who say, "I saw Jesus yesterday," ask, "Do you have a photo?" "No photo." "Why didn't you take a photo? Take a photo with Jesus and let me see it." How do you know it was Jesus? Actually, they don't know either, just making up these murky things.

Later, I said to him, "I'll tell you, if you live out the likeness of Jesus Christ while you are alive, you will go to Jesus Christ when you die. If you are neither human nor ghost while you are alive, you will go to a place that is neither human nor ghost." So, the question is, how important is understanding? Understanding is very important. The way I interpret it is quite convincing.

People must live out dignity, live out glory, live out ability. Live out the understanding, statutes, and ordinances that God has given us. Live out the creation that God has given us, live out the understanding that God has given us, so that we truly understand. Let us truly grasp the essence of God's word, let us truly understand how we should live. So, "Give me understanding, that I may live" means this. God is the God of the living.

Understanding is very important. No matter what you do, understanding is very important. For example, if you are an accountant and your understanding is not clear, you cannot do accounting well. If you build a bridge and your understanding is not clear, you cannot build the bridge well. If you are a carpenter and your understanding is not good, you cannot make the cabinet well. So, let our brothers and sisters begin to clear up their understanding. If people's understanding is not clear, they focus on one experience, two experiences, and talk about a lot of experiences. Later, I said that is not theology.

"Teacher, what's wrong with me hiccupping this time? Teacher, I prayed all day yesterday and didn't hiccup, what's wrong?" Actually, the Chinese Mingding Doctrine is not a theology of hiccupping and farting, the Chinese Mingding Doctrine is a theology of understanding. Someone asks, "Teacher, that time I prayed and he got better right away, this time I prayed and he didn't get better right away." The Chinese Mingding Doctrine is not a theology of getting better right away or not getting better right away.

This time I am explaining this, and everyone must understand that we must study God's word thoroughly. God, please give me understanding! Let me know so that I can learn your commands. Let me know your laws, isn't it? Let me keep and follow them with all my heart. Let me live in blessing all my life, and not accidentally step into a curse. This is the key.

I think understanding is very important. For example, when a couple quarrels, just listen. Have you seen couples quarrel? As they quarrel, if you listen carefully, it's all about trivial matters. I am very moved.

There was a sister who asked her pastor, and after asking, she added, "Anyway, you're not married, so you wouldn't understand." Understand what? Marriage? It's just the basic things for men and women. Why? People think it's something mysterious, but it's nothing much. "Oh, Pastor, our marital sex life isn't harmonious." We don't solve that problem. Are we supposed to teach you how to have sex? Isn't it? The Chinese Mingding Doctrine doesn't teach that. Let's talk about your growth instead. Isn't it? Let's talk about your personal growth. With your level of understanding, what else can you study besides sex? Annoying, isn't it?

Mothers and daughters get angry over trivial matters, all the time. Why? Lack of understanding. It's all back and forth, tit for tat, isn't it? All this nonsense. I'm amazed. Some people are confused. "My tooth, one doctor says pull it, another says do a root canal. Should I pray, get a root canal, or pull it? Sometimes it gets better after prayer, but then it comes back." This is a lack of clear understanding. I must say, a person lacking understanding easily gets agitated. Agitation leads to internal heat, and the heat attacks the tooth, causing pain. Do you understand? In the end, it's still a problem of lacking understanding.

So, I tell you, put effort into understanding today, meditate day and night, and then you'll become enlightened. You'll be blessed. You won't get agitated or angry. Understand? So, to be blessed, figure this out. How did the teacher figure it out? I don't know if I've told you this before. Isn't it? You must learn from Nehemiah. You must learn from Daniel. You must learn from Joseph, who was sold into Egypt. You can also learn from David, but don't learn from Saul.

For example, with child education, can you figure it out a bit more clearly? Many children, I tell you, are ruined by their parents. Why? Because they know nothing about education, thinking sending them to an international school is enough. Whether it's an international school, an interstellar school, even sending them to Mars, it's all the same. Isn't it?

Some of our sisters were sent to New Zealand by their parents? What did they learn? Nonsense. Then the child is sent to Australia, more nonsense. Then they run to Singapore. That's useless, even in "Old Singapore." Isn't it? Even "Singapore New" is useless. Learning isn't done that way. To this day, the child's mother still places all her hopes on the school. Isn't it? Can the school guarantee your child will do well? No. Why? They neither know nor understand, grasping only the surface.

So, good learning comes from understanding, do you understand? Poor learning comes from being confused by the teacher. Enrolling the child in this class, that class, the child gets confused, with no time to understand. Listening to this lecture, that lecture, no time to understand. Look how well the Bible teaches, meditate day and night, that's good. It's not about throwing money at the problem. Throwing money doesn't solve it, you must understand.

As for whether you can understand the Tao, whether you can understand the principle, that depends on your creation. No time to understand, only throwing money, throwing money, throwing money. Have I hit a nerve? If you're the type to just throw money, I'm talking about you, you fool. Understand?

So, we ask God to grant us understanding, to open our minds. Is learning important in life? Learning and attending classes are vastly different. Learning is learning, attending classes isn't necessarily learning. Have you seen children sitting there, not understanding from the first word to the end of class? Then the second class comes, not understanding from 8 to 9, not understanding from 9 to 10, sitting there all day. Sitting there again the next day, a week passes, two weeks pass, then a year, two years, three years. This nine-year compulsory education is too compulsory, isn't it? All wasted.

So, regarding the understanding of things, this matter of living, I tell you, ask God to grant us understanding, and we will live. I tell you this: First, understand education. Second, understand illness. If a person understands illness in their lifetime, that's powerful. Illness is closely related to the spiritual realm. The "evil qi" of traditional Chinese medicine and the evil spirits of Christianity are the same thing. So, you slowly begin to understand.

Do you know our 102 course? I understood it, and you have to understand it again. You say, "Teacher, is that like a hen hatching chicks?" Almost. You just stay there and understand. Not eating, not drinking, lying on a few eggs to understand. Our 103 course, it's really important. It's the basic theory of Bible study, how to understand the Bible. And whatever we do, to succeed, that's in Genesis. Misfortune and blessing are two completely different paths.

So, learn to understand blessing, understand it. Understand curses, understand them. That's life. So, what is God's word for? It's the essence of living, the laws of living.

People face all kinds of situations, don't they? Facing all kinds of situations requires understanding. When we see the wicked, we shouldn't be upset. Even if the wicked have affected you, don't be upset. I want to lead everyone on a practical path. A practical path is much better than pretending. Right? Constantly hitting those bricks, but they're all fake bricks. Fake bricks break easily. Someone brings a real brick, and you can't handle it. One day you'll be exposed.

A person without understanding has a bad temper. Remember, without understanding, you're helpless. Helplessness leads to despair. Despair brings out the temper. So, when you see someone yelling and screaming, their mind is still like a naked baby.

Scripture

Okay, let's read the scripture, Psalm 119, verse 144. We must say, this is well said. "Your testimonies are righteous forever; give me understanding, that I may live." Let's just use the second half: Give me understanding, that I may live!

A person lives when their heart is alive. If their heart is dead, they are dead. Isn't a dead heart just a walking corpse?

Prayer

Lord, have mercy on us, that we may live, that we may carefully keep and follow your word. Open our eyes, that we may see the wonders in your law. My life is returned to dust, but I ask you to revive me according to your word, so that I may live out your glorious image.

God, open my mind today, so that I may live out your image. Let me gain wisdom, gain understanding, gain knowledge, gain insight, and grasp the essence. Enable me to understand your statutes and ordinances, enable me to understand your commandments, and let my hope be in you. God, there is no knowledge, no wisdom in me. May you open my mind, open my understanding. Let me understand how to live, how to live out your glorious image. God, save me from death, save me from destruction. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Scripture Background

Isn't today's topic good? It's a good topic. Don't be living dead people, hear me? Be a living person, living out God's image. This is the most core view of salvation in the Chinese Mingding Doctrine. I tell you, when you're alive, live out God's image, and when you die, you'll go to God? Isn't it? If you live like God, like Jesus, you'll definitely go to Jesus.

If you live looking like an old horse, and then it turns out the old horse is a fake, it's an old donkey. Then you see, oh, it's an old pig. Oh, this life is long, living out the image of a pig, you go to the pigs. Living out the image of a cow, you go to the cows, right? Living out the image of a snake, you go to the snakes. Living out the image of God, you go to God.

Okay, let's talk about the background of this scripture. The background of this scripture, who wrote Psalm 119? There's no place to investigate. But through the Psalm 119 he wrote, we can probably speculate. Speculate what? Speculate that these are the people returning from exile. These people returning from exile came back to Jerusalem with great hope. But what did they find when they returned to Jerusalem? They found a group of Israelites who had fallen back into their old ways.

For example, Nehemiah, Zerubbabel, the high priest Joshua, and the prophets Malachi, Haggai, these people, and Zechariah. These prophets and leaders of that generation, I tell you, what feelings would Nehemiah have? Many feelings. "What's wrong with your brains?" Isn't it? "What's wrong with your brains!" Have you heard me say this often? Oh, I say, "What's wrong with these brains!" It's about understanding. What kind of understanding is in these brains? Is your brain a watermelon or a winter melon? Oh, anyway, they're all the size of a pig's brain. But is the thing inside the brain a pig's brain or understanding?

So, Nehemiah, Zerubbabel, Haggai, Malachi, Zechariah, all found that the Israelites' brains were broken. How can you live with a broken brain? How easy is it to live under a curse? I'm under a curse. I guess the author of Psalm 119 was one of those God-loving prayers. A God-loving person returning from exile. He had suffered. I'll read it to you. He said, "Before I was afflicted I went astray," verse 67, "but now I keep your word."

Why? The reason is simple. Before suffering, they didn't think understanding was important. Right? Three full meals a day, getting up in the morning to stretch, and getting a massage chair at night, isn't that great? I don't owe anyone money. A cup of coffee in the morning, a mutton soup at night, oh, that's great. Look at Israel, polygamy, that's good, three wives and four concubines, that's great, life is good! Eating delicious food, drinking spicy drinks, and a glass of wine at night. Oh, life is so good!

This poet was probably in that kind of situation. He must have been a rich man, otherwise he couldn't have been educated. This rich man couldn't get out of bed in the morning. Why? He went to bed too late last night. If you ask me, the Japanese devils would make him get up. Do you believe that? The Japanese devils would definitely make him get up.

This poet lived a very comfortable life. Carefully keeping God's word, asking God to grant me understanding, my understanding is pretty good. Is that good understanding? That's not good understanding. Oh, the Babylonian devils are coming. Do you know? The Babylonian devils really came! Bang, bang, bang, Jerusalem was flattened. Bang, bang, bang, Judah was flattened. Then these guys who were living well, with three wives and four concubines, their hands were tied, and they were tied to the tails of camels, a string of Jews.

Oh, all the way to Babylon. Did you think they were taking the high-speed rail? They walked all the way to Babylon. Oh, with every step. What happened? The devils are coming! The devils are coming! The Babylonian devils and the Japanese devils are about the same. Right? Or the Mongol devils of the Song Dynasty, the Liao, the Jin, the Liao, they're all the same. They tied the emperor of the Great Song, tied his hands, and followed behind the horse. Isn't it?

How about it? Remembered? Oh, how ignorant I was. Oh, in this brain, what can you think of at this time? Ask God to grant me understanding. Look at what he said, "It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes."

The Japanese devils came, do you want to learn? I want to learn. Thank the Lord, I came through it that way too. The devils didn't come, but unemployment came, a mid-life crisis. Do you know what a mid-life crisis is? A mid-life crisis is having no money but having time. Before, you had money but no time. Now that you have time, you kneel there and pray.

This author went to Babylon, he was still a child at that time. After being exiled for seventy years, they had enough. They came back with Zerubbabel. They came back. In summary, God, it is good for me that I was afflicted. Before I was afflicted, I went astray.

I tell you, what we're saying to everyone today is very accurate, very accurate. Isn't it? Yes. Eating delicious food, drinking spicy drinks, it's hard to learn. Only when the devils come can you learn. You have to suffer a bit, be a slave or something. You say, "God, have mercy on me, don't let this happen." What are you afraid of? Isn't it? How does this understanding come? It comes like this. From a human perspective, I don't want these things to happen to me. But from God's perspective, if these things don't happen to us, can we learn well? Isn't it? Oh, what a feeling.

So, it's good, where is it good? I didn't understand before. Today I ask God to grant me understanding. Today I ask God to treat your servants kindly, so that I may carefully keep and follow your word. My life is almost returned to dust, I ask you to revive me according to your word. Before, when I went to church, I sat there on Sunday and listened, and Psalm 119, what does it mean? Anyway, I don't understand. I only say Amen when the sermon is over. What understanding? I understood a big sleep. So, brothers and sisters, before you were afflicted, you went astray, that's how people are.

So, what do we do now? Ask you to grant me understanding. Ask you to grant me understanding. Ask you to grant me shrewdness and knowledge. Come, I'll read three sections, these three verses. First, verse 73. "Your hands have made and fashioned me; give me understanding that I may learn your commandments." Do you understand? That I may learn your commandments. Second, verse 125, "I am your servant; give me understanding that I may know your testimonies!" Third, verse 34, "Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart." Fourth, verse 144, "Your testimonies are righteous forever; give me understanding, that I may live."

This poet, after much summarising, arrives at this: it's all about discernment. Isn't it? So, brethren, the essence of what you make of this life hinges on your discernment. Therefore, brothers and sisters, if you aspire to live, and to embody the image and glory of God, then labour in discernment. Not only in discerning the Word of God but also in your actions, for our God is a God of action. Our God is a God who accomplishes.

Alright, I believe that sets the backdrop for today's scripture. I've barely scratched the surface, yet already spoken for over fifty minutes; I'm rather long-winded. Very well, let us pick up the pace. How is it that when we get to the meat of the matter, the pace quickens so? All that came before was mere seasoning, mere condiments. When the substance arrives, it is somewhat difficult to swallow. First, we listen to some stories, yes? But having said that, the fundamental logic is all here.

Affliction is Beneficial, That I May Learn God's Statutes

Affliction is beneficial, can you now comprehend? One truly needs to endure some hardship; a toothache signifies a lack of discernment. A student says, "Teacher, my stomach aches." I inquire, "Why the stomach ache?" "My period has started," indicating a lack of discernment. Alas, unemployment, a lack of discernment. Therefore, if one does not suffer in this life, can one learn the Word of God? It is exceedingly difficult. You say, "Ah, I shall rely on self-discipline." Remember this, I instruct you: if you are a business manager, never trust that people will be self-disciplined, and never believe that people are self-motivated. People require discipline; there is no such thing as self-motivation, none.

Thus, God profoundly understands the disposition of man, profoundly understands the nature of man. And man's nature being as it is, God is left with no choice but to allow him to suffer a little. Is it not so? What is to be done? Let him suffer a little; it is beneficial to him. I tell you, God can be ruthless. God is often ruthless, capable of harsh measures. Even if it is bloody, God does not particularly care. Why? Because you do not study God's statutes. You are all base, as am I. Upon losing my job, ah, I began to study the Bible, discovering Chinese Mingding Doctrine. Where was this discernment before? It was absent.

Praise God, affliction is beneficial to me, that I may learn God's statutes. Consider this: today I tell you, if you say, "Teacher, I cannot control myself," it is not that you cannot control yourself, but that the "devils" have not arrived. Whether the devils of Babylon, the Japanese devils, or the German devils, any devil will suffice. Even the arrival of the devil is a good thing.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, affliction is beneficial to me, why? All for the sake of learning God's statutes. Is it not so? Job said, "I had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear," and considered himself righteous. Job was like that. Praise God, God created devils to deal with him, and one dealing was all it took.

We have among us a sister, a sister who held a management position, a president, or at least a "general" of some sort. Later, this "general" was gone, unemployed. About my age, forty-something, alas. Before, strolling through the campus or the company, she was greeted sweetly as "General" this and "General" that. Later, it turned out her head was swollen, her brain had holes; she was unemployed, facing a mid-life crisis.

Give God a round of applause; she lived! "Grant me discernment, O God, and I shall live!" Affliction is beneficial to me, and I shall live! Is God not good? This affliction is a very good thing; after suffering, one realises that there is no one to rely on but God.

Back then, when I was in that state, oh my heavens! Everything was dark, utterly devoid of hope, unable to see the future. But these are God's people, and God acts in this way. Why? Because the attitude towards learning was incorrect. Before, when I spoke to her about her attitude towards learning, what was it? "What if my attitude is incorrect? I am still a 'General'!" Now, she is truly swollen. Alas. I should not say that, but thankfully, she is not beyond redemption. We must truly thank God. The arrival of the Babylonian devils is something to be thankful for; the arrival of the Japanese devils, even the devils from hell, is something to be thankful for. Learn, yes? That I may learn God's statutes.

Some people are exceedingly arrogant, feeling that they understand everything the teacher says. They know the next sentence before it is uttered. Of course, you know, because I am speaking within a consistent framework. But when illness strikes, near death, the pain so intense that their faces turn pale and their bodies convulse, they realise how inadequate they are.

But I tell you, as a pastor, no matter who they are, you must serve them with all your heart, hoping that they will not forget the pain once the scars have healed. How detestable it is to forget the pain once the scars have healed! Like the old man who wrote Psalm 119, surely an old man, who, upon returning to Jerusalem, resumed his old ways, a terrible state of affairs.

Grant Me Discernment, That I May Learn Your Commandments

So, what does it mean to "ask"? It means that he does not possess it. Why do we not ask? Because we believe we already have it. If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

Coming to Chinese Mingding Doctrine, you are not here to play; you are here to learn. I compel you to learn. This is my management philosophy; I believe that you inherently possess the nature of a slave and need to be pushed. If you succeed, praise God, you too can become an author of Psalm 119. If you fail, you can go to Psalm 120.

Very well, grant us discernment, that we may learn your commandments. Where is this found? This is in verse seventy-three: "Give me understanding, that I may learn your commandments." Why? Because affliction is what enables you to learn. Can you learn without suffering? Can you learn without being tormented by devils? Now you have learned. God, upon learning, everything hurts except the hair. Is it not so? The moment you open the Bible, you cannot read a few verses. Is this not the case? The moment you engage in something worthwhile, you start procrastinating, scrolling through Douyin, and your mind becomes incredibly alert.

Grant Me Discernment, That I May Know Your Statutes

The author of Psalm 119 says, "God, grant me discernment; I truly cannot understand this." I deeply empathise with this, deeply empathise. Do you know why I empathise so deeply? Because we began reading the Gospel of Matthew much later, as it was incomprehensible. If it were easily understood, would you need to read it? Ah, grant me discernment.

Do you all know? I tell you, when learning God's commandments, you will agree with some and disagree with others. I thank God that I have no right to disagree. Unlike some who readily disagree with God, your disagreement with me is normal; I do not need it. But if you disagree with God, that is problematic.

The most crucial thing when learning is the attitude towards learning. I tell you, without the right attitude, your head will swell. Why? Because without the right attitude, you will learn only about yourself, spending your life focused on your own ways, which is disastrous.

Therefore, when learning God's commandments, why? There is no why. Do you understand? Do not learn a multitude of whys, or you will confuse yourself. When learning God's commandments, God's commandments are simply commandments; do not seek a why, there is no why. Asking why indicates an incorrect attitude towards learning. Instead, ask, "God, how should I implement your commandments?" Therefore, Chinese Mingding Doctrine is a practical theology, practising the Word of God. Upon doing so, ah, this is good. Upon doing so, ah, that is good; never be self-righteous.

Grant Me Discernment, That I May Know Your Decrees

Initially, it is commandments, yes? I simply do as I am told. Then, it becomes decrees! What are decrees? This is powerful; this is a higher level. "That I may know your decrees." Initially, it is learning; later, it becomes knowing. This is in verse 125: "I am your servant; give me discernment, that I may know your decrees." Decrees are the laws of things. Decrees are extraordinary, a level above commandments.

Can you summarise and elevate God's commandments to a level called decrees? And then explain it clearly to the people, "God, I am your servant. I want to speak your words as a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Once your words are unfolded, they give light, and people can implement them." This is what I do; I tell you, decrees are a high level. Decrees are the inherent laws within these commandments. Ah, this is truly good. "God, you are helping me, saving me from stepping into pits, saving me from stepping on the cursed red line."

Grant me discernment, that I may know your decrees. Knowing, understanding, and grasping the essence are still some distance away. How can I reach understanding? How can I comprehend? How can I grasp the essence? You must wholeheartedly obey; this is God's commandment, this is God's decree. Therefore, the author says again, "God, grant me discernment, that I may wholeheartedly obey."

Now you understand why Chinese Mingding Doctrine is so powerful, yes? The operability of Chinese Mingding Doctrine is exceedingly strong. It is something that can be put into practice. So yesterday, a friend came, and despite many people preaching the gospel to him, he was not convinced. But after I spoke to him, he almost became my fan.

Why? Because once we awaken, we understand. Why? The reason is simple. For example, if you cannot write software, the things you write will have bugs everywhere, and the entire program will be full of errors. But once you fix your errors, the bugs in the computer, the bugs in the software, ah, you realise what it is all about, and writing becomes quick and easy.

In the past few years, what have I been? I have been hoping to grasp the essence of everything I do. In customer service, grasp the essence. In networking, grasp the essence. In server management, grasp the essence. In software writing, grasp the essence. In woodworking, grasp the essence. I tell you, it is quite a feeling, is it not? I praise God that I am quick at everything. Why? Because grasping the essence makes it quick.

I tell you, go and do it, put it into practice, and you will understand. Therefore, Jesus said to his disciples, "Do you understand?" They said, "We understand." Jesus looked at them and thought, "Understand what?" I am speaking somewhat coarsely, but that is truly the feeling. Jesus looked and thought, "Understand? Nonsense. When I am hung on the cross, I will see you all run away." What is happening? Still arguing about who will be the prime minister on the left and the prime minister on the right? Nonsense, what do you understand?

Later, I tell you, when people build the church of Jesus Christ, when people come to the teachings of Jesus Christ, and build his church according to his theological system, then you see the glory of God filling the place. Then you say, "This is right." Before, reading and reading without understanding, but today I understand, this is what it means. Why? Because I have put it into practice. Therefore, Chinese Mingding Doctrine counts only when it is done, not just spoken.

Do you understand this time? Your decrees are righteous. Have you summarised it? Your decrees are always righteous, whether I agree or disagree is unimportant. I have no right to agree, and I have no right to disagree. "God, grant me discernment, and I shall live." Have you lived? Chinese Mingding Doctrine also asks God to grant us discernment.

I can tell you, when I was writing the 101 course, oh my heavens, I was going crazy. Why? Because I did not understand. It was difficult to summarise my theological knowledge and the Word of God from the past years. I copied this and copied that, but I did not understand their things. I did not have the ability to write it myself. For three months, some people saw me there, working so hard, and asked, "Teacher, are you alright?" I said, "I am alright." After three months, when I wrote our 101 course, the first book, I was quite satisfied, and I was no longer in pain. I not only lived but also felt great.

A few months later, I started writing the 201 course. Oh my heavens! What was that? Without discernment, it is very difficult. But after writing it, I lived again. It is truly good. Therefore, brothers and sisters, this is how Chinese Mingding Doctrine came about. Following the Word of God, we are still far, far, far away. I know we are far away; today, we still need to ask God to grant us discernment, so that we can speak the Word of God clearly.

Therefore, each Sunday's sermon peels off a layer of skin. Each weekly Bible study is a thirst for God, "God, grant me discernment so that I can understand and implement, and I shall live." Therefore, Chinese Mingding Doctrine is a theology for the living. We can live out the glorious image of God while we are alive. We can implement the Word of God, know God's decrees, and grasp the essence of God's decrees while we are alive. This saying, "Knowing God is like the sea filling the ocean," in the vast ocean of God's words, never be satisfied. We are merely one hair of nine oxen, one drop of seawater.

Conclusion

Very well, I would like to make a conclusion; there is no point nine, point nine is the conclusion. Do you want to live? Obtain discernment. Very well, from now on, let every brother and sister begin to thirst for discernment from God. Discernment is very important. Without discernment, it is very difficult, very difficult. Let us continually grow in our discernment. Knowing God is endless; never be complacent. And never be satisfied just because you have received a healing. That is far from enough.

Do not pursue something all at once. "Ah, my prayer for him was good, and for her too, but why is my prayer for this one not good?" "Ah, I am very confused, I am bewildered." You were bewildered to begin with; you have not truly lived. Having achieved a little bit, you think you are great, thinking you can go to heaven. I think you should go to the west.

"Teacher, why do you say that? Do not discourage my enthusiasm." No, I am discouraging your laziness; I want to encourage you to tidy yourselves up from today. Take your time away from Douyin and put it on the Word of God, so that we may obtain discernment. Whatever we do, let us do it in the image of God. Amen? Amen.

May God bless you all!