Carnal Disciples

While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head. Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly. (Mark 14:3-5)

How can we tell that these disciples were carnal? It was because the woman broke the alabaster jar and poured perfume worth more than thirty denarii on Jesus. It is hard for us to understand how precious Jesus is! Is He not worth thirty denarii? Those who are carnal mind the things of the flesh, but those who are spiritual mind the things of the Spirit. If the spiritual realm is so real, then today I want to challenge everyone, are you still using worldly concepts to look at problems?

If you use worldly concepts to look at problems, what problems can you solve? You cannot solve any problems. I ask you, thirty denarii? Even thirty billion denarii, what problems can they solve? Thirty billion denarii cannot solve man's weaknesses, nor can they solve the weaknesses of the flesh. Helping the poor sounds good, but it is a bottomless pit. Using carnal methods cannot solve the problem of poverty. Using spiritual methods to break the curse of poverty on them, to release them from the curse of poverty, will make them rich. Let me share a testimony: My younger brother was over forty years old. Before 2012, no matter what job he did, he did not make money and it was very hard. After 2012, after he believed in the Lord with me, his life began to completely turn around. I broke the chains of poverty on him. The same person, the same IQ, but he began to be blessed!

Being blessed is a spiritual matter. Can you buy blessings with money? You cannot. I often encounter young people among us who falter when it comes to the college entrance examination, which is deadly. Spiritual things cannot be solved by carnal methods at all. Our flesh is very weak. When we have a carnal view, we only see thirty denarii, but we do not see that it is anointing Jesus for burial. People are really foolish. Don't think that people will do things they think are wrong. Would you do something you think is wrong? You would not! It is all because you think it is right in your heart that you make the decision. Only after making the decision do you realize that you have made a mistake and keep regretting it. Because without spiritual vision, relying on carnal vision, the things that are made are very bad.

A Stark Contrast Between a Woman Who Paid the Price and a Group of Disciples

This woman was not a disciple of Jesus, but the disciples of Jesus valued the thirty denarii. But this woman who paid the price was very powerful, she had spiritual vision. Were those thirty denarii important to this woman? Perhaps that was the most precious thing she had. When a person offers his most precious things to the Lord, it is a spiritual vision. In other words, you must never offer something to the Lord that you yourself despise, that is Cain. Cain's offering will not please God.

So today, if you are going to offer something to the Lord, and you feel particularly challenged and struggle inwardly, then that is right, because you value it very much. You must offer what you value to the Lord, and God will surely bless you. Some of our brothers and sisters are unwilling to pay the price in terms of time. Today I tell you, you must pay the price in terms of time. Paying this price is worthwhile. If all the time spent in hospital beds is saved and put into prayer, to worship the Lord and draw near to God, it will definitely be worthwhile! And you will not suffer.

“Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”(Mark 14:9)

Jesus is saying, you must know that this woman is not carnal, she is a spiritual person. She knows to offer her most precious things to God. Today, Jesus requires us, you and I must pay the price! If you are not a Christian who pays the price, you are basically not a Christian, you are a carnal Christian; if you have seen through carnal things, and have seen through life and death, you say: I live my life for God! If you offer your life to the Lord, what is there to keep? God does not want anything from you, God just wants your attitude. Why was Cain's offering not accepted, because the attitude was wrong. Why was Abel's offering accepted, because the attitude was right.

A person with the wrong attitude, no matter what he offers, is useless. So I do not encourage everyone to say after offering: Why am I still not blessed? This attitude is problematic. Do you think that offering will make you blessed? No, it is the attitude of offering within you that makes you blessed.

Why are some people's offerings not blessed? Someone once said to me: Pastor, a friend of mine, in a meeting, got excited and offered all his money, and suddenly became poor. So, he asked 'Why is God not faithful?' One day, I met a PhD, he said that he met a friend in a certain church, this friend offered but was not blessed, and later his business went bankrupt, so he asked God: God, I tithe every time, why did I go bankrupt? This is because there was a problem with the attitude.

I ask you, did Joseph trust in God? He trusted. When he was sold into slavery, did he ask 'God, why was I sold into slavery?' Do you understand? Then I think today, not everyone has the opportunity to experience this kind of test. When you experience the test, can you say: God, I thank you! You made me bankrupt. Because he valued that money very much, so he went bankrupt and asked: God, why did you make me bankrupt? In fact, what does bankruptcy matter? What does being sold into slavery matter? God, I thank you.

If you are precious in God's eyes, God will definitely pull you out from there. It is because there is a problem with the attitude in people's hearts, those who are carnal are carnal, those who are spiritual are spiritual. If a person does what is carnal, he cannot be blessed. The flesh is very weak.

I tell you, in this world, do not be bound by anything, because being bound by anything is basically a carnal person. Someone once said: Pastor, there is a couple in our church who have been Christians for over twenty years, and every year when the end of the year comes, before the New Year, in December, they become mentally ill. I said: He is possessed by a demon. How can Christians be possessed by demons? There are carnal Christians and there are spiritual Christians. Carnal Christians are not even considered Christians. But I think, the lesson of your life is: to constantly transform from a carnal Christian into a spiritual Christian. Finally, transform into a woman like this, wherever the gospel is preached, this woman must be remembered, that is, paying the price.

Carnal Judas

Judas followed Jesus for more than three years. You say that he had no feelings for Jesus? No! He had feelings. But Judas looked at things with a carnal eye. He had his own set of ideas in his heart. His ideas were different from the set of ideas that Jesus said. He did not agree with Jesus' set of ideas, and then he would say, I do not agree with Jesus' ideas. When he did not agree with Jesus' ideas to the extreme, he sold Jesus. Brothers and sisters, I tell you, if the ideas in your heart are different from Jesus', that is very dangerous.

So, later in the church, I am also particularly careful. What am I particularly careful about? Pastor, I do not agree with you on this. So I have to be very careful, whether you will be a Judas in the future, I do not know. So, whether a person thinks what he does is right or wrong, from a carnal perspective, it is right (including the thirty denarii), but in the spiritual realm it is wrong; what is right in the spiritual realm is not necessarily right in the carnal realm. So, we humans are in this kind of trouble. Today, to be a Christian, no matter what, you must be a spiritual Christian.

So, whether we can get rid of Judas' trap is very important. What is this Judas' trap? It is carnality. If you look at problems from a carnal point of view, you are basically a cursed person. It is difficult to be blessed! A carnal person cannot be blessed. You see, to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. (Romans 8:6) I really want to encourage you, there is an extremely glorious path set before you, but you must be a spiritual person. If you look at a spiritual thing from a carnal point of view, it will make people feel very confused. You either be Judas or be Jesus, this is our choice. So, I encourage brothers and sisters to start learning one thing: Be careful of this carnal trap.

Woe to Those Who Are Carnal

The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”(Mark 14:21)

If you want to be a carnal person, you are Judas, you do not even have to think about it, you are basically a Judas. Because a carnal person is inherently an enemy of God. So the Bible writes in the New Testament, For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God. (Romans 8:7) You see, wasn't it Judas who nailed Jesus to the cross? So, you must never think that being carnal and minding the flesh will bring any effect, what it brings is woe. Never be a carnal person.

Jesus Offers His Own Body

Jesus instituted a Holy Communion, which is for Christians to eat His flesh and drink His blood. He offered His own flesh. (See Mark 14:22-26) In other words, Jesus was a spiritual person and did the most amazing thing. He offered His flesh and blood as our sin offering. We eat the sin offering, and we share in God. What does it mean to eat the offerings on the altar in the Old Testament of the Bible? Because only priests could eat. We eat Jesus' flesh and drink Jesus' blood, we are His priests, and we share in Him.

Look, Jesus offered up His flesh, while those people indulged in their flesh. Those who indulge in the flesh are weak, but Jesus, by offering up His flesh, accomplished the salvation of mankind. He said, Take this and eat it; this is my body. Why? Because Jesus offered His body for us. In the New Testament, Paul said, Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service (Romans 12:1). Will you imitate Jesus? It is not just about offering the expensive perfume worth thirty shekels of silver to Jesus, but offering your life and body completely to Jesus, so that you may become holy and pleasing to God.

Jesus' Prophecy: The Weakness of Those Who Rely on the Flesh

Jesus said to them, You will all fall away, for it is written: 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.' But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee. Peter said to Him, Even if all fall away, I will not. And Jesus said to him, Assuredly, I say to you that today, even this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times (Mark 14:27-30).

Today, you must know that Jesus had long prophesied that those who rely on the flesh will stumble. But Jesus accomplished something: after He ascended to heaven, He bestowed the Holy Spirit. That is to say, a Christian without the Holy Spirit is a very weak Christian. Some may say, No, the moment I accepted Jesus, I already had the Holy Spirit within me. The Holy Spirit that Jesus spoke of is the Holy Spirit filling you. A person filled with the Holy Spirit gains power.

Therefore, we must understand one thing in the future, which is to know that those who rely on the flesh will stumble. Today, there are many people who serve in the flesh. Why kneel down to pray? Because it is a spiritual matter; you cannot serve with your fleshly abilities. You must serve with the power of the Holy Spirit. Why was Peter's ministry so powerful? Because he spent a lot of time in prayer. Why was Jesus' ministry so powerful? Because Jesus was a prayerful person. Even though He was God, He still served through prayer. That is to say, a person who serves in the flesh has no way to solve problems. Peter was one of the most zealous in following Christ in the flesh, but he denied the Lord three times. So today, no matter what, we must not serve in the flesh.

Peter and the Disciples Who Relied on the Flesh

People who rely on the flesh are very interesting. Peter said, Even if all fall away, I will not (Mark 14:29). Later, Peter vehemently declared, Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You! And all the disciples said the same (Mark 14:31). Later, when Jesus was arrested, tried, and crucified, all His disciples disappeared within a few hours. Although only Peter followed, he mingled with the crowd, watching Jesus from a few meters away. Among these disciples, Peter was the most capable. But even being much stronger than others, relying on the flesh is useless!

The Weakness of the Disciples Who Relied on the Flesh Was Immediately Revealed

The weakness of the disciples' flesh was immediately revealed. Jesus took three of His most capable disciples—Peter, James, and John—to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. As a result, after Jesus prayed three times, He returned and found them all asleep. Then Jesus said, Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak (cf. Mark 14:33-41). The weakness of the disciples' flesh is reflected in you and me. Our spirit is willing, but the decisions we make are not according to our will. That is to say, what you are willing to do is one thing, but what you actually do is another.

Therefore, in the New Testament, Paul said, O wretched man that I am! For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice (cf. Romans 7:19). This kind of thing is very common! Why? Because it is a person who is in the flesh! It is very hard. Do you think Peter wanted to deny the Lord three times? No, he didn't. But when the time came, his mouth was a little out of control, and his legs were shaking. I think people in the flesh basically have these fleshly symptoms. That is to say, a Christian must deal with the weakness of the flesh throughout their life. For example, a brother was very lovely, saying, Pastor, I'm sorry. I know it's wrong to leave you, but I still have to. I believe Peter's feelings were similar at the time: Jesus, I know I'm sorry, but I still have to deny You.

Relying on your willpower is also useless. Relying on your willpower is only useful in the Holy Spirit. God adds strength to you to overcome your flesh. Therefore, the life of a Christian is to put to death the deeds of the body through the Holy Spirit.

Jesus Was Also Weak in the Flesh

Then He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch. He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. And He said, Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will (Matthew 14:33-36).

I know that Jesus at this time was a person with the Holy Spirit within Him, and the Holy Spirit filled Him without limit. Yet He was weak in the flesh and extremely painful. Who would want to be crucified, hanging there so painfully? Hanging on the cross for several hours before taking that last breath is extremely painful. Jesus was afraid when He thought of it, and He asked the Father to take this cup away. Our flesh naturally dislikes suffering; no one in the flesh likes suffering. He said, Nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.

No one is without pain. Joseph was sold into slavery in Egypt and was extremely painful, but God made him forget the pain. Even with the Spirit of God, one must constantly watch, pray, and seek God's will. It is a contest of willpower. A person's faith is reflected in their willpower. Don't think that willpower is useless; with the Holy Spirit, you still have to choose. Choose to honor the Father's will. That is to say, in your understanding, you must be fully aware of God's will for your life. Today, no one wants to suffer, but do you have the faith to say, God, these are all lessons You are teaching me in my life. The lessons You teach me, Lord, I am willing! If you suffer, then suffer, it doesn't matter. Continue to rely on the Spirit of God, seeking God's will through watching and praying.

Faith Plus Prayer is Exercising Your Willpower

You know, when Jesus was on trial, He didn't answer anything. As a result, the high priest asked Him, Do You answer nothing? You need to know that not answering anything and not defending yourself is an expression of willpower. He could have defended Himself and perhaps escaped this, but He knew that going to the cross and completing the grace of redemption was the Father's plan. So He did not defend Himself. Then Jesus remained silent and did not answer a word. This is about Jesus exercising a choice and decision within Him. I tell you, once you make a choice and decision within you and persevere in it, you watch and pray. You clearly know your choice, plus prayer, that is called faith plus prayer. A prayer without faith is useless.

Therefore, I teach you, you must pray with faith. One must be determined. Determination illustrates the choice of willpower. He will surely be healed. Or when you pray for him, I will not give up until I prevail. Once you have this attitude, and then you pray, God will add strength. But if you have willpower but do not pray, it is difficult for you to prevail. So Jesus said in this place, Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak (Mark 14:38). What is spiritual warfare? It is the Holy Spirit fighting against your flesh. The Holy Spirit is not fighting against the devil, but against your flesh.

Peter Accomplished Nothing by Relying on the Flesh

Peter relied on the flesh, no matter how confidently he said, Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You! (Mark 14:31) As a result, before the rooster crowed twice, Peter denied the Lord three times. So today I encourage everyone to know one thing: completely abandon the use of fleshly methods. I tell you, using the willpower in your heart is a spiritual method; prayer is a spiritual method; reading God's word is a spiritual method. Fleshly methods are of no use.

Conclusion

Rely on the Holy Spirit, not on the flesh. This is the key. You need to know that the devil's most powerful trick is to rewrite the gospel, to rewrite the part that can help you prevail the most. Therefore, before 1900, many churches actually lived in weakness, from the Middle Ages to that era, very weak. So God began to restore the grace of being filled with the Holy Spirit, to restore such teaching in our time. This teaching can enable us to overcome through the Holy Spirit. So, brothers and sisters, continue to imitate Paul, praying in the Holy Spirit (Jude 1:20). If you read the books of Genesis and Revelation carefully, you will find that the generation we are in today is a generation of great movement of the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit will do very wonderful works in us.