Introduction

Good morning. Today, we will continue our study of the Book of Lamentations. Why Lamentations? Because we have never thoroughly examined this book over the years. I want to use this time on the Lord’s Day to complete our study of Lamentations. We have a dream to go through the entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, covering both the Old and New Testaments. Over the past years, we have been very serious about studying God’s Word in the Bible.

Recently, we have been studying Lamentations, and this week we will cover Chapter 2, "The Lord has done what he purposed." What does this mean? Jerusalem was trampled by enemies, by the iron hooves of Babylon. The Babylonian cavalry was formidable, besieging the city for one year and four months, during which time the city ran out of food.

Do you know what happened when the food ran out? It was tragic. People would say, "I gave you my son, and you ate him like pork." "I gave you my son, and you ate my son." It was that terrible. Why? Because people wanted to survive. Everyone wants to survive, right? Like the wild dogs on the African plains, people lived like dogs.

When Babylon entered the city, it was a massacre. The Japanese invasion of Nanjing was similar to the Babylonian invasion of Jerusalem. War is cruel. Jeremiah wrote Lamentations, Chapter 2, in response. Was he gloating? No.

Jeremiah was a weeping prophet, constantly weeping. He wept because he watched God’s curse come upon Jerusalem, saw God turn His anger into wrath. What was accomplished? The curse that the Lord had purposed. It was tragic, hence the name Lamentations.

There are no natural disasters in this world, only man-made disasters. Everything is man-made, isn’t it? Where are the natural disasters? Natural disasters are God’s anger. Does God’s anger still exist? It is always present. We see it in the news. Once, at an airport, I saw news footage of a plane crashing into a building. Then another plane came and crashed. People in the planes died, and people in the buildings died.

Think about how many tons of aviation fuel those large planes carry. Boom! Then the two towers collapsed. It was shocking. I was also taking a flight. If my flight had coincided with 9/11, I would have disappeared into the blue sky. It would have been a terrible tragedy.

Those people were happy, their stocks had risen 20% the day before. Many financial workers were in those financial district buildings. They were fine one moment, and then gone. Where were they? Where were their bones? Gone. You couldn’t find them. The stocks were still there, but the people were gone. It shows how fragile life is.

It was tragic. Why did it happen to them? Who directed it? Terrorists directed it. Who directed the terrorists? God directed it. God’s anger came upon people. We see it as a natural disaster, but it is a man-made disaster.

Then there was the tsunami in Southeast Asia. Everything looked like matchboxes. The buildings, the industrial complexes, were huge, but in the face of the tsunami, they looked like matchboxes on the camera. The cars were tossed around. Who directed it? God directed it.

Many people try to explain God, saying, "Our God is not like that." But I tell you, we see it happening again and again. People cannot see the truth. Why? Because God wants to awaken people. Your life is short. You can be gone in an instant.

After the tsunami in Southeast Asia, there was the tsunami in Japan. Can you imagine people playing on the beach, having fun, and then suddenly disappearing? Living people turned into pieces of meat. And then there were the Tangshan and Sichuan earthquakes. I tell you, God accomplished what He purposed. Don’t try to explain God.

Everything under heaven is under God’s control. Why are there so many natural and man-made disasters? God has ordained it since ancient times. You think a person is good, but they are gone. Do you think you are good? Have you asked God if He thinks you are good?

In the days of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, the Israelites were the same. We often ask why, but there is no why. It is because people live in a worldly system of logic. What God has purposed will surely be accomplished. We should have more reverence in our hearts.

Every day, people are diagnosed with terminal illnesses, and every day, people die. It is ordained by God. People are confused, wondering why it happened to them. Don’t be surprised. When I minister, I gradually realized a pattern: the more severe the illness, the dirtier the heart. You need to ponder this.

The other night, a sister had a bowel obstruction and was in great pain. The small group leader I oversee was ministering to her. It confirms what I said: when you can eat, defecate, and urinate is not up to you. My small group leader was ministering to her, and I felt compassion. I came in and led her in prayer. My ministry always starts with cognitive prayer.

I asked her what happened. She said she had ovarian cancer in 2021, caused by arguing with her husband. I tell you, diseases of the female reproductive system are always related to family issues. I asked if her husband was having affairs and she was angry at home. I have never understood this. Her husband is having fun outside, and she is angry at home. What is the connection?

I said, "Your husband was born to his mother, and you were born to your mother. What does it have to do with you? He is having fun outside, and you are getting angry at home, to the point of getting ovarian cancer. Is that meaningful?" I asked if she was maintaining the family for the sake of the children. She said yes. I asked if she thought she was great, great enough to get cancer.

She still thought she was a good person, even with cancer. Then she got a bowel obstruction, had surgery, and had a section of her intestine removed. Now, three or four years later, it happened again. This sister has bad relationships with her parents, colleagues, and everyone else. Why? Because of discerning good and evil. Can she get better?

Adam ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. She eats baskets of it every day. Can what God has purposed not be accomplished? It is tragic. I have ministered to several critically ill patients, all the most severe cases. A few years ago, a sister I had ministered to passed away. Her husband was having fun outside, and she was angry at home, to the point of getting stomach cancer.

After the stomach cancer was healed through prayer, her husband had another affair, and she got angry again, and the cancer recurred. I was puzzled. What was going on? He was born to his mother, and you were born to your mother. You are not related. He is not yours, and you are not his. Why are you getting angry?

After she died, her family bought her a burial plot. She was kept at the crematorium for a while. I happened to be in the area and went there. They cared about this stuff. I am not afraid of the living, but I am afraid of the dead. The funeral was a Christian ceremony. The emcee’s words were like a song, and it was very heavy.

If we can understand in our hearts and sing more of Lamentations, we will have fewer tumors, less stomach cancer, and less suffering. It is heavy.

The history of the Israelites fulfilled what God had purposed. The Lord has done what he purposed. Does this shake something inside us? Many things inside us need to be shaken. That is why I like to attend funerals. Every time I attend a funeral, it is a wake-up call. The things I cared about, I no longer care about. The things I couldn’t let go of, I let go of.

When we had a physical church, I almost put a coffin on the stage. Why? Because many people couldn’t see through things. They lived for money, for this, for that, but not for God.

The history of the Israelites was tragic. The iron hooves of Babylon trampled Jerusalem. That was God’s will. The things in the Temple in Jerusalem were emptied. That was God’s will. Do you think God really cared about those things? God didn’t care about the gold. God destroyed the Temple. God did it.

The Israelites were miserable. What did God purpose? Do you want to know what God purposed? You are uncomfortable, this and that. You need to know that God is sending you signals. We hold on to too many things. You have to let go. If you don’t, God will add some "spice" to your life, adding more of His anger.

In the time of Adam and Eve, God said, "You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die." Eve looked at the tree and thought it looked good. It smelled good, better than expensive tea. The serpent said that after eating it, they would have wisdom and be able to distinguish good and evil.

They forgot that they would certainly die. It looked good, smelled good, and tasted sweet. But after eating it, they died. Eve ate it, and Adam watched. He thought, "She is still breathing. God was wrong. What does it mean to die? She didn’t foam at the mouth or roll her eyes. She looks fine."

Eve gave the fruit to Adam. Adam thought, "God is wrong." Are we thinking wrong now, or was God wrong? We still often think God is wrong. Adam took a bite, and that is how the apple came to be. Who bit the apple? Adam bit it. He bit off a trillion-dollar company.

Adam bit the apple, and nothing happened. He lived for over nine hundred years. Did God’s word come true? It did. The Lord has done what he purposed. You think nine hundred years is long, but to God, it is like a day. I wonder why it was over nine hundred years, not one thousand nine hundred years. In God’s eyes, they died that day. God’s word is powerful.

God said to Cain, "If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door." Cain looked outside and didn’t see it. He thought God was wrong. Was God wrong? No. Cain killed Abel. God said, "Can I let you off easy? I won’t let you die, but I will make you suffer, living in a state of mental illness."

What is the most painful thing? Mental illness is the most painful. Cain sat in his house, and his head would ring, and he would tremble. It was extremely painful. Later, this illness was passed on to Lamech, who lived in constant pain.

Brothers and sisters, you must know that Cain killed Abel, and living was painful. What are you living for? Many people are desperately climbing, climbing, and climbing, only to become mentally ill. Babel is full of mentally ill people. People don’t understand. Cain killed Abel. How could God let him live? Shouldn’t he be sentenced to death? This is worse than a death sentence.

God’s word will surely come true. People became mentally ill. By the time of Noah, everyone was mentally ill, full of violence. When the flood came, did God’s word come true? It did.

Teacher, can you talk about something good? I am scared when you talk about this. That is the point. If you are not scared, you will become Cain and Lamech. We should fear God.

Finally, there was a wise man named Abraham, who proved God’s word. The Israelites lived under God’s anger from Moses to Jeremiah. It was tragic. The Israelites became God’s word. The Lord has done what he purposed, like in the time of Adam and Eve and Noah.

Later, in Jeremiah's time, what Moses wrote in Deuteronomy was fulfilled. What did Moses write in Deuteronomy? He said that the people of Israel would be scattered among all nations. I must tell you, whether being God's chosen people is a blessing is really a question mark. Israel became God's chosen people, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but ended up being scattered among all nations. It was too tragic, too tragic. God said: Everything written in the Book of the Law will be fulfilled, not one thing will be left undone, not one thing will be left undone.

So until now, what has fulfilled such a thing? What has made the Israelites a model of curse? What has made God's people a model of curse? The worldly logic system. This worldly logic system is too powerful. During Jeremiah's time, they actually watched the Israelites running in this worldly logic system with their own eyes.

A person is born without having to do anything, and naturally is under God's wrath, born as a fleshly and worldly being. So the Israelites, in the era when Jeremiah wrote Lamentations, couldn't figure it out no matter how hard they tried. What did I do? What did I do? Everyone, if you were in that situation, you wouldn't understand either. Whether you understand it or not, what God said will still be fulfilled.

Then who made you not understand, right? If you don't understand, you're out of luck, who do you blame? Who made you walk the path of Adam and Eve? Who made you walk the path of Cain and Lamech? Right? Who made you so stubbornly hold on to the worldly logic system, who made you live so seriously, who made you take living so seriously, isn't that the case?

God has set two paths, one is to carefully observe and obey, and the other is not to carefully observe and obey. Those who carefully observe and obey will surely be blessed, and those who do not carefully observe and obey will be cursed, but whether you carefully observe and obey or not, it is closely related to the logic system inside a person. You won't do what you think is wrong! You won't do what you yourself think is wrong! Everything you do, you think is very reasonable, very reasonable.

So where did these Israelites die? The Israelites died in their own worldly logic system. As soon as you hear it, you know that Jeremiah's Lamentations was an era of great outbreaks of curses. For example, in human history, the Japanese occupied Taiwan and killed many people, but now it's forgotten. The Mongols occupied China and killed many people. The Japanese occupied Nanjing and killed many people. Babylon occupied Judah and Jerusalem and killed many people. You say, God, why don't you care?

Once, a classmate asked me a question. He said, "Let me ask you a question. Why does God allow the Israelites to kill so many people in Gaza?" Did you think I would be confused? Ha! Die at ten, die at twenty, die at fifty, die at a hundred, any way of dying is fine, killed, died by doctors, died by themselves, died by tsunami, died by earthquake, it's all the same. Why? Because I have my own views on these things.

I must tell you, people live very seriously in this world, but in the end, they become infamous for leaving a name in history. What's the point? There's no point. The Jews in that generation loved their country, right? They wanted to protect the temple and didn't want to be slaves of a conquered nation, was that wrong? God, I'm here to protect your temple. I can't allow people to take things from the temple. But does God really care about this? He doesn't care.

This time, I remind everyone again, if what we care about is what we care about, then there's trouble. If what we care about is what God cares about, then that's right. Does God care about that temple? Does God care about the gold in the temple? He doesn't care, he doesn't care. He never cared. What God cares about is whether there is a heart that loves God in people. That's what God cares about.

So there are two paths, one is to carefully observe and revere, and the other is not to carefully observe and revere. I tell you, whether you carefully observe and revere or not, Jehovah will surely accomplish what He has determined. Not one thing He has determined will be abolished. You say, then I'll just go this way, then you go that way. You will definitely experience one thing, that is, Jehovah has accomplished what He has determined.

So when we look carefully in the Bible, the disasters that Jehovah has accomplished are more than blessings. When we look in the Bible, this ratio is too small. God Himself tore down His own temple. God Himself tore down all His festivals and sacrifices. God wants to tear down the temple made by human hands.

So I think what conclusion can we draw when we read Lamentations? The conclusion is that fearing God is very dangerous, you must fear God. Don't wait until Jeremiah writes a lament for you, and you say, "God, my eyes are a fountain of tears, I want to pour out my heart to you like water." It's miserable, too miserable, right? Well, it's useless.

What were people doing earlier? Jeremiah was shouting in Jerusalem every day, shouting for decades, did anyone listen? No one listened. There were piles and piles of people who hated Jeremiah. Those people who hated Jeremiah, they were all patriotic generals, generals who loved Jerusalem very much.

Scripture

The Lord has done what he purposed; he has carried out his word, which he commanded long ago. He has overthrown without pity; he has made your enemies rejoice over you and exalted the horn of your foes. (Lamentations 2:17)

Prayer

Let us have a heart of reverence, and never ask God why, these are all man-made disasters. Let us pray together. God! Give us a heart of reverence now, so that we can completely tear down the worldly logic system inside us. God, let us see clearly what living is all about. Let the path we walk in our lives be the path of living out your glorious image.

Let us live our lives by every word that comes from your mouth, let us have more reverence. Let us learn a lesson from the Israelites. Let us be able to revere you. Let us be able to stay away from your wrath. God, save us from your anger, save us from your wrath. Let us come before you with a heart of reverence. Completely tear down the worldly logic system, the fleshly logic system inside us.

Let us be able to stand here and declare to this world that this world has nothing in us. We are here in this world to live out the image of God. It is to live out the victory that God has given us. May the days on this earth be to be pleasing to you. May your words be fulfilled, may the words you have blessed be fulfilled in our brothers and sisters. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Scripture Background

Let's continue the story, let's talk about the background of this scripture, what happened to Jerusalem and the Kingdom of Judah? This matter is very interesting. Babylon did not completely destroy the Kingdom of Judah. But it was conquered and became a colony. Jeremiah was in this Kingdom of Judah, proclaiming his stuff every day, this is the Book of Jeremiah.

If I have the opportunity, I will definitely take everyone to finish reading the Book of Jeremiah. Then, a king was established for the people of Judah, and this person was called Zedekiah. This king began to manage the place of Judah. He was not a king, but actually a governor. The Babylonians were still very open, allowing them to worship God in this place. They were also allowed to raise an army in this place.

As a result, this Zedekiah was thinking about the restoration of Judah and wanting independence every day. Then you can be independent, this is called being angry. This Zedekiah was discussing with these military leaders all day long, and one day he started to rebel. Then you say he rebelled, thinking from our logic system, do you think it's very great? Did Zedekiah know God? He knew God.

He knew God, and he often consulted Jeremiah to discuss national policies. Jeremiah also told him that you can't do this, but this Zedekiah started to rebel. The King of Babylon was a very powerful king, and he sent troops to surround the city of Jerusalem three layers inside and three layers outside, airtight. After about a year and a half, the city was breached. After the city was breached, oh, the misery!

Jeremiah was in this city, but the King of Babylon also knew Jeremiah, knew this person Jeremiah, and knew that Jeremiah was with the King of Babylon. In fact, Jeremiah was not with your King of Babylon, Jeremiah was with God. It's not that you King of Babylon are powerful, it's that God brought you here to destroy this Kingdom of Judah, to destroy this group of people who are full of worldly logic systems.

So we all need to know that it is not a simple matter for God to destroy a worldly person. Who told you to disobey God's word? You do not serve Jehovah your God with joy and gladness of heart, so God will make you serve the enemies who come to attack you. Isn't this what God says? So that's the background.

As a result, Zedekiah's eyes were dug out by the King of Babylon, and later he was taken to Babylon. I'll let you rebel! All those who wanted to rebel were killed. This history has been going on for more than ten years, and several waves of people have been taken captive to Babylon. Why? Because they don't want the people in this place to rebel, the people in this place always want to rebel.

In fact, I tell you, the restoration of the Jewish state was not God's will at that time. Destroying Judah was God's will, but people didn't listen. The worldly logic system in people is too powerful, so God is angry. I have a logic, I have to tell you, that is, don't offend God no matter who you offend. You can offend anyone, but you can't offend God.

But in Judah, from King Zedekiah to the military leaders below, no one could figure it out. Hey, why did God do this? They were stunned, stunned. I still want to protect our temple, God will definitely help us, we are God's people. You are God's people, so God will help you? You are God's people, but your heart is not with God at all, it's in the world, so God destroyed these people in a daze.

Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, also asked Jeremiah, are you going to Babylon? Or are you staying here? This Jeremiah is very interesting, I'm staying here. As a result, what did he do later? Those who betrayed the King of Babylon took Jeremiah to Egypt, to a place called Tahpanhes. As a result, Jeremiah was saying words received from God all day long, but they didn't like to hear them, because they had their own set of ideas.

After Zedekiah, a person named Gedaliah was appointed as the governor of Judah, but he was killed by these people who wanted to restore the Jewish state. Anyway, these are the things, people don't think they are doing wrong. Those people, they all thought they were helping God, but God didn't care. Through Jeremiah, he told these people of Judah that God didn't care about this.

So after reading the Book of Jeremiah and Lamentations, I have a logic, brothers and sisters, listen carefully. If you are a preacher and you happen to hear me talking about Lamentations, then you must listen carefully. Remember, God doesn't need your help very much. If you always want to help God, I think you will incur God's wrath, be careful, be especially careful.

The lament that Jeremiah wrote, oh, it's too miserable. What's the problem? The problem is that people are filled with worldly logic systems, and they can't figure it out no matter what. Later, they didn't know what happened until they died. So I tell you, the most hateful thing about people is living in a worldly logic system. That worldly logic system sounds like it's a matter of course, including loving the country, but which country are you loving?

Once I went to Heixiazi Island, which is the Sino-Russian border. In fact, the places on the border were originally part of China. The Russian side erected a statue, saying that he was a hero of their Russian nation. On the Chinese side, seeing that statue, they said he was an invader. Does everyone understand? To one nation, he is a hero, to another nation, he is a murderer. Is this reasonable? This is called a worldly logic system.

So we Chinese say that one general succeeds and ten thousand bones wither, how many people have been killed? Right? So I think our worldly logic system is quite corrupt. That's why there are so many natural and man-made disasters now. Natural and man-made disasters are all caused by worldly logic systems. Later, the Apostle Paul said in his letters that none of the powerful people in this world knew about this gospel. Isn't that powerful? Very powerful.

Okay, let's see this, this is the background of this scripture, the background of this scripture. Jeremiah wrote a lament. Why? The iron hooves of Babylon trampled Jerusalem. Jeremiah said at the beginning: "How the Lord in his anger has set the daughter of Zion under a cloud! He has cast down from heaven to earth the splendor of Israel; he has not remembered his footstool in the day of his anger. The Lord has swallowed up without pity all the habitations of Jacob; in his wrath he has torn down the strongholds of the daughter of Judah; he has brought down to the ground; he has profaned the kingdom and its rulers."

Walls and Fortifications Cannot Protect You

You know, people really want to protect themselves with walls. Can walls protect you? Walls can't protect you. Then you say, why did Nehemiah build the wall? Nehemiah built the wall to build people's hearts. Everyone has to slowly figure it out, the wall is not important. People's hearts for God are very important.

So in the day of God's wrath, he overthrew the strongholds of the daughter of Judah and brought them down to the ground. He has profaned the kingdom and its rulers. Why? Because these things are all called worldly logic systems. The Israeli military officers and leaders, and the Israeli king, the king of Judah, they put all their hope on the walls. Because the walls were very strong, they confronted the Babylonians for a year and four months.

In that one year and four months, they were quite formidable. Eventually, the city walls were breached by the Babylonians. How did the Babylonians manage to break through? It was because God was angered and overturned the protection of the people of Judah. The city walls were of no use. But in the eyes of the Israelites, the Judeans, those within the walls, how could the walls be useless? Weren't they quite strong? We withstood the Babylonians for over a year; without these walls, we would have been finished much sooner.

During this time, Jeremiah advised Zedekiah, the king of Judah, to surrender, saying that surrender would save him. But he refused. He wanted to surrender but dared not. Why? Because the leaders of his army did not want to surrender. It was similar to the Japanese Emperor wanting to surrender, but the Japanese ministers, the Prime Minister, did not want to. Therefore, the surrender decree had to be carried out in secret.

Zedekiah was bound by the political system, the worldly political system. This illustrates how difficult it is for people living in this world to escape the worldly logic system. It is extremely difficult, especially if you are a politician. Whether you are at the top or at the bottom, it is very challenging. There is a worldly political system that binds people tightly, trapping them so that they cannot escape.

Once a person enters that system, it is truly difficult to get out. Isn't that so? It is very hard. You want to rely on God, yet you are still within the worldly logic system. That is why the old serpent of this world claims to have hardly ever lost a battle. Why? Because to overcome the old serpent, to overcome this world, one must completely dismantle the worldly elements within oneself.

Your Ability Cannot Preserve You

Your ability cannot preserve you. Consider what it says:

"He has cut off in fierce anger every horn of Israel; he has drawn back his right hand from before the enemy. He has burned like a flaming fire in Jacob, consuming all around." (Lamentations 2:3)

The horn represents a person's ability. Even now, the worship of ability is still very common. Do you not admire ability? Look at those who are truly capable, aren't they impressive? When we mention the richest person, we are filled with envy, aren't we? They casually mention a hundred million as a small goal.

A hundred million is an astronomical figure for us, but a small goal for them. Now, they are getting further and further away from their small goal. So, this world worships ability, but ability cannot preserve people. In Judah, there were many capable people, many with great martial skills. But they relied on these things and could not rely on God.

You either rely on God or rely on your own ability. Therefore, those who rely on ability will be cursed. Esau's ability was stronger than Jacob's, but Esau carried this worldly logic system, and his entire nation was cursed by God. Esau could run faster than a wild boar. He was a hunter, and his legs were very strong. But those who worship ability are cursed; that is the worldly logic system.

Do we have this system within us? This system sounds very reasonable, and indeed, there are many very capable people. We might say, "Their artificial intelligence and self-driving cars are amazing." They are truly impressive, but that is still worshipping ability. No matter how capable you are, once you start worshipping human ability, you live under a curse.

We do not know when this curse will be fulfilled. This world is like a revolving door; you do not know if it will be east or west of the river in thirty years. You will only know when the time comes.

The Temple, Gatherings, Festivals, and Priests Cannot Preserve

"He has violently taken away his shelter like that of a garden; he has destroyed his place of meeting. The Lord has caused the appointed feasts and Sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion, and in his fierce indignation has spurned king and priest. The Lord has scorned his altar, disowned his sanctuary; he has delivered into the hand of the enemy the walls of her palaces. They made a noise in the house of the Lord as on the day of an appointed feast. The Lord determined to lay in ruins the wall of the daughter of Zion; he stretched out the measuring line; he did not restrain his hand from destroying; he caused rampart and wall to lament; they languish together." (Lamentations 2:6-8)

This is too tragic. Before the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, gatherings continued as usual. People prayed, gathered, kept the Sabbath, and priests served. But God did not care about any of this. The altar, the sanctuary, and the palace were all scorned by God. Why? Because people carried the worldly logic system.

These things—the temple, gatherings, festivals, and priests—were merely their political tools. This is true; they were political tools of Jerusalem. You had to operate within this system, and you had to abide by the rules of this system, which served their political purposes. Therefore, it was just a political tool.

These things are false. Remember, once something is tied to politics, there is a risk. Many things can be said but not done, and many things can be done but not said. In Jerusalem, it was the same. It was tragic, and God Himself destroyed it.

Many years ago, I preached a sermon about God destroying His own temple. Why? Because the temple was not important; the games people played within it were not important. What was important was the logic system in people's minds. If people are filled with a worldly logic system, what good is it to have a godly appearance? The political struggles within the church are deadly.

A pastor built his own church. After he built it, the political struggles within the church were intense. They were constantly using worldly methods to manipulate things. He described these political struggles as a dragon-tiger fight. If you, as the founder of the church, carry a worldly logic system, you will be torn down.

Later, he contracted COVID-19 and recovered quickly. I was envious. I was also going through COVID-19. But then, he suddenly died a few days later. I was deeply moved. Through COVID-19, I dismantled many of the worldly logic systems within me. If you do not dismantle them, you will not survive.

God does not like gatherings or sacrifices; He likes people to carefully keep and follow His words. Now, we place our hope in our God. God will surely cause us to prosper in this generation. We often read Lamentations to revive our souls and enable us to walk the path of righteousness through God's word. May God preserve us.

We often feel that we have not done things right. Why? Because we have cleared some of the larger worldly logic systems within us, but there are still medium and small ones. This worldly logic system is quite detestable. You can never completely clear it, but it is a serious problem if you do not clear it at all.

The Vision of the Prophets Cannot Preserve

The vision of the prophets cannot preserve. Verse 14 says, "Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions; they have not exposed your iniquity." If the vision of the prophets does not expose people's iniquity, it is useless. The vision of the prophets cannot preserve. Why? Because the prophets see visions within the system. The king wants to see a certain kind of vision, and the prophet sees that kind of vision.

Once, I took a brother to minister to someone who was in a terrible state. My brother did not have much knowledge. He just looked and said, "I see Jesus standing behind you." I thought, "How come I don't see Jesus standing behind him? I see a ghost standing behind him."

The young man rolled his eyes at him. The brother was still looking at the vision with his eyes closed. I thought, "Stop it. If Jesus were standing behind him, how could he be living like this, in such misery?" I realized that people like to see visions according to people's desires, especially in front of those in power.

This is something to be careful about. Eventually, all the prophets became court prophets. The visions of court prophets are useless. Why? Because they have to say what people want to hear, not what God says. Jeremiah was different. Even if you put me in prison, standing in the mud, I will still say what the Lord says. But these prophets, their visions are nonsense.

So, brothers and sisters, do not get involved in these things, do not get involved in prophets seeing visions. It is useless. It is better to expose our iniquity. If you have the ability, expose your own iniquity and repent before God with a pure heart. That is the key to preserving you. What vision of the prophets? Jesus is standing behind you, I see Jesus standing beside you. Stop it. It is better to talk about our iniquity.

How much of what we have is from God's word? How much is based on our own ability, our own wealth, our own city walls, our own horses, our own weapons, our own religious rituals? None of it is useful. How important is the worldly logic system? If you dare to say that God has revealed a vision to you, what the prophet sees must be the exposure of people's iniquity.

Some people ask me, "Teacher, why did you get COVID-19?" I am a sinner. I am not a model of a saint. I am a model of a sinner. I need to repent of many things. I am not the embodiment of truth. What about the Chinese Mingding Doctrine that you founded? That is not the embodiment of truth either. It is just taking the words from the Bible and talking about them.

We still have a long way to go on the path of humility and repentance. If you want to inherit the Chinese Mingding Doctrine, remember this: "This is not right, that is not right, fix them one by one." Do not say, "This is right, that is right." Just leave it at that and look at the iniquity within us, how much worldly stuff is inside us.

Relying on city walls, relying on weapons, relying on ability, relying on religious behavior, relying on false visions, and not seeing our own iniquity. If we could see it, we would not have to sing Lamentations. Because of Lamentations, we see our problems and repent before God with humility.

Conclusion: Humble Repentance Before the Lord

"Their heart cried to the Lord. O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears stream down like a torrent day and night! Give yourself no rest, your eyes no respite! Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the night watches! Pour out your heart like water before the presence of the Lord! Lift your hands to him for the lives of your children, who faint for hunger at the head of every street." (Lamentations 2:18-19)

This is the best advice I can give you, and the best advice I can give myself. We dare not say that we have the truth. We are just constantly climbing the peak of truth. Never be complacent, those who think they are good will surely have disaster. Those who think they are good will surely have trouble. You will see God sing a song of Lamentations for you. Everything God says will be fulfilled. God will fulfill what He has determined.

Those who are careful will be blessed, those who are not careful with the truth will be cursed. Is this generation an era of curse explosion? I guess it is. Is God tearing down His temple? I guess He is. God is tearing down many churches. Should we not have a heart of fear and trembling? We should have a heart of fear and trembling. We should not be confident in ourselves before God, thinking that we have the truth. We should strive to pursue it.

At this time, we come before God with reverence. If we are like the Judeans, God will surely tear us down. We come before God, asking Him to take back the worldly things within us, so that this world has nothing in us. Let us, in the blink of an eye, when we turn to dust, still be pitied and remembered by God.

At this time, do not think that tithing is a great thing. Do not think that giving is a great thing. God does not need money, God needs our hearts.

At this time, offer ourselves up. If we are to rely on anything, let us rely on our God. God has given you warnings again and again, letting you know that God is not pleased. Do not wait until Jerusalem is destroyed. Do not wait until the city walls are destroyed. Do not wait until the temple is torn down.

Come before God now. What God wants is not sacrifice. What God wants is not offerings, not cattle and sheep, God wants our hearts. The days when our hearts are far from God will surely experience God's warnings. Jeremiah reminds us again and again. If we hear it, do not wait until God is angry, it will be too late. God allowed the Judeans to be exiled for seventy years before returning. In seventy years, everyone died.

Our sermon ends here, may God bless everyone.