1155 - Complete Through the Once-for-All Sacrifice of Jesus#
1155 - Complete Through the Once-for-All Sacrifice of Jesus, you are made whole
(JP Text Group - Dove Organization)
Hebrews Chapter 10:1-10
1 For the law, being a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. 2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? Because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. 3 But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. 5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, “Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me. 6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.
7 Then said I, “Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me) to do thy will, O God.” 8 Above when he said, “Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;” 9 Then said he, “Lo, I come to do thy will, O God.” He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. 10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Let us pray together:
Loving Heavenly Father, we thank and praise you for allowing us to gather in your house during this special time. You said that where two or three are gathered in your name, you are in the midst of them. We believe that at this moment, you are among us. The Holy Spirit is working in our hearts, and this is our moment of blessing, a time when you bestow your abundant grace upon us. We lay down all our burdens at your feet, receiving strength, healing, and power from you. May the Holy Spirit guide the time ahead, and we are willing to open our hearts to listen to your words. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray, Amen.
After we believe in Jesus, we are without blemish in God's eyes. When we pray, do we need to ask Jesus to shed his precious blood again to cleanse our sins? Many Christians pray, “Lord, please shed your precious blood to cleanse me,” which is repeatedly nailing Jesus to the cross. Such teachings have caused many Christians to lose the power they should have.
After believing in Jesus, the Holy Spirit within you and the Holy Spirit within me are the same; however, some Christians do not manifest this power because they limit God's ability. Just as when Jesus went to Nazareth, was it that Jesus lacked the power to perform miracles? No, it was the local people who limited Jesus.
If we still feel the need to ask Jesus for his precious blood to cleanse us before we can pray to him, then we are blocking God's power from working in us. Such teachings have made us lose the ability to overcome sin because the continuous process of confessing sins is repeating the wrong things we have done. We are not looking to Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us that in everything we should pray and look to Jesus Christ; this is the teaching of the Bible. Therefore, God hopes we live a holy life, and we also desire to live a holy life. What should we do? We will find the correct answer in the Bible.
Let us share the first point, The Once-for-All Sacrifice of Jesus Cleanses Your Sins
The scripture we just read says that the law is a shadow, and Jesus Christ is the substance. Therefore, we believe in Jesus Christ, who can give us strength, who is our salvation, who is our healing. What shortcomings does the shadow of the Old Testament have? What flaws does it have? It is that it cannot make those who come near perfect by offering the same sacrifices year after year; we cannot be made perfect through sacrifices. Today's topic is called, the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus Christ makes you perfect.
You do not need to strive to become perfect or holy; when you accepted Jesus, you were already perfect. We will find the correct answer through the Bible. What does the Bible mean by perfect? It does not mean you no longer sin. Many times, we understand holiness and perfection as no longer sinning or making mistakes. In fact, that is not the case. Here, perfection refers to the completeness of your conscience. What kind of completeness is the completeness of the conscience?
Hebrews Chapter 9, Verse 9,
Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience.
Even under the Old Testament, when worshiping God, even if you offered gifts and sacrifices, was your conscience perfect before God? No, because it is clearly stated here. Even if they brought gifts and sacrifices, it could not make their conscience perfect. When the priests entered into the presence of God, their conscience was not bold and fearless but fearful and trembling.
No high priest entered the Most Holy Place saying, “Don’t worry! I will definitely come out alive.” Their conscience was not perfect; they were uncertain whether they could come back alive after entering because it was not based on their feeling of being perfect or holy. God is the standard. God does not evaluate you based on your standards but according to His standards.
When the high priest entered the Most Holy Place, God judged whether the high priest would be struck dead based on His holiness. If God found any impurity in him, he would be struck dead on the spot. They had no assurance before entering. Therefore, their conscience was not perfect, but our conscience is perfect. Did you come to this gathering worried about being struck dead by God?
We, like them, gather and worship God, but our conscience is perfect. God says you can come boldly before Him to worship and ask for mercy and grace, to find help in time of need. Why can you come boldly? Because of Jesus Christ; it is because of the salvation He completed for you on the cross. Your conscience is perfect.
In the Old Testament, the Israelites worshiping God was like you having a meal with your creditor. If you owe someone a hundred thousand or a million, no matter what you say in your heart, the debtor is the one who feels the burden. When he eats with this person, he always feels indebted. This is called an imperfect conscience. When can one come boldly?
Just like today, when you and I have a meal together, and you do not feel sad or indebted, why? Because you owe me nothing. Therefore, we can come boldly before God to pray and ask Him. Your heart should be bold because you no longer owe God anything. Jesus has fully paid it all. When you come here to worship, your conscience should be a perfect conscience.
Let’s look at Verse 2, For then would they not have ceased to be offered? Because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.
It is clearly stated here that if your conscience has been cleansed, you should not feel guilty when you come to worship God. The reason is not that you no longer sin, but that your sins have been laid upon Jesus Christ; He has already paid the full price for all your sins.
When I come before God, I no longer feel guilty. This is the direct word of the Bible; I do not need to explain it. You can understand it directly. The sin offerings and guilt offerings in the Old Testament could not make a person's conscience perfect. This is why they had to offer sacrifices every year.
Why did they have to do it every year? Because the efficacy of that sacrifice lasted only for a year. In Israel, they had the Day of Atonement. On that day, the high priest would enter the Most Holy Place to atone for the sins of the people, and this had to be done once a year. The efficacy of that blood lasted for one year.
Look at the scripture we just read, Chapter 10, Verse 11, And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
The priest stands there ministering to God. Why is he standing there? Because his work is not finished. If one day you find me sitting down, it means my sermon is finished. When I preach, I stand here, which proves that my work is not yet complete. Under the Old Testament law, God's priests stood before God daily to minister because their work was not complete. But look at Jesus Christ; Jesus Christ offered once.
Verse 12 says, But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God.
In the Old Testament, the high priest stood before God continually, standing until the moment Jesus Christ offered Himself as a sacrifice on the cross. Before that, the priests were always standing to serve God until the true sacrifice came. It is like your wife going to Korea, and you miss her very much. Every day you hold a photo; this is a shadow. Until one day she returns, do you still need to look at the photo? You can put it down and look at the real person.
The priests were continually offering sacrifices, using the blood of bulls and goats to atone for sins until the true sacrifice (Jesus Christ) offered Himself on the cross, offering His body as a sacrifice. Because the worshippers' conscience has been cleansed, they no longer feel guilty. This phrase, in the original text's tense, both in Hebrew and Greek, has a tense called the passive perfect participle in the direct object case. First, this is a verb in the passive perfect tense. In Hebrew, there are two tenses: one is perfect, and the other is imperfect. The phrase we just mentioned, the worshippers' conscience has been cleansed, is in the passive perfect tense.
What does passive perfect tense mean? It means it is done today. There is no need to repeat it a second time. For example, when Jesus was on the cross, He said, “It is finished!” That word is a passive perfect verb; its tense means you only need to do it once, and from then on, there is no need to do it again. Jesus only needed to go to the cross once! When He said it is finished, He completed all sins at once. This is the tense.
To give an inappropriate example, if a certain wealthy man dies and is buried, does it need to be repeated? Because it cannot be repeated, this event is once. Do you understand what the Hebrew is trying to express? When Deacon Liu's grandson is born, he has already been born; can he be born twice? This can only happen once in a lifetime, right? You say he was born; it is impossible for him to be born twice. Do you understand what this word is trying to express?
When a person's conscience has been cleansed, it refers to that one time when a person's conscience was cleansed. You should not feel guilty anymore. However, there are some words that are in the passive imperfect tense. The passive perfect tense we just talked about. There is also a tense called the passive imperfect tense. What is the imperfect tense? It means it has ongoing efficacy. Let me give you a biblical example, and you will understand.
In Mark 11:24, therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
The word pray is a passive tense word. Anytime you come before God, you can pray. Moreover, the latter part says, “as long as you believe you will receive,” which is in the passive imperfect tense. Anytime you are willing to come before God to pray, the imperfect tense continues; as long as you pray, you will receive.
Do you understand the meaning of these two words? It is ongoing. It can happen anytime. Therefore, this matter does not need to be repeated continuously. It is not that after believing in the Lord, you pray once and never need to pray again. It is necessary to keep doing it repeatedly. Moreover, God has a promise that as long as you pray, I will fulfill it. Both of these words are in the passive imperfect tense; you just need to understand the meaning of these two words.
We see that this phrase is in the passive perfect tense, meaning it only needs to be executed once and does not need to be repeated. This is the work that Jesus has already completed for us on the cross; we do not need to do it again; it is already finished. Therefore, because of His once-for-all sacrifice, the efficacy of sin removal is eternal. So when you believe in Jesus, the efficacy of sin removal is eternal; when you come to worship, you should not feel guilty because your conscience has already been cleansed.
If you understand the true meaning of this statement, the latter part will be explained clearly. When the conscience is cleansed, you no longer feel guilty. How many people can understand such teaching? If you are still continuously confessing sins, it proves that this statement has no effect on you. Many erroneous teachings do not make you feel less guilty; instead, they make you feel more guilty. The Bible tells us that when you come to worship, you should not feel guilty. Nowadays, many teachings make you feel more guilty after you listen to them; this is problematic. This denies the work that Jesus completed for us on the cross.
Truly knowing the grace of Jesus Christ will not lead one to sin casually. Because everyone wants to stay in grace, do not say that someone knows God, believes in Jesus, and yet their behavior is so terrible. Can such a person enter the kingdom of heaven? Do not judge them; what you need to do is your own business. You cannot manage or save them. Salvation is a relationship, a personal relationship between us and God. Whoever believes will be saved, so the Bible tells us clearly.
Romans 6:14 says, For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Why can a person not sin? Because he is under grace; sin can no longer be his master. Who is our master? Jesus Christ. Grace and truth come by Jesus Christ. We should teach others this way, helping believers break free from the bondage of sin, helping those around you who do not truly know Jesus Christ to break free from the bondage of the law. Do you know? All those who do not believe in Jesus Christ are under the law, in bondage, under sickness, and under death, unable to escape unless they believe in Jesus Christ.
Therefore, when your conscience is cleansed, you no longer feel guilty. When there are no sinful thoughts in your conscience, how can one sin?
You say you do not want to sin anymore, but if you have sinful thoughts in your heart, can you avoid sinning? One day, when the thought of sin is taken away by Jesus, you will be completely in grace. Therefore, Jesus' method thoroughly eradicated the spread of sin. When there are no sinful thoughts in your conscience, how can you sin? You have accepted Jesus Christ, and your heart is filled with God's love. Why do you feel no longer guilty? Because Jesus Christ has already sacrificed for your sins on the cross.
We look at the third verse, which says that the sacrifices are a reminder of sins every year, for the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sins. Here, remembering sins and no longer feeling guilty are not opposites; they are the difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament. In the Old Testament, sacrifices were made with bulls, sheep, and doves to remind them of their sins.
In the New Testament, when you come before God, your conscience has been cleansed, and you no longer feel guilty. These two things are entirely opposite. This is what the Bible tells us, making you understand that Jesus Christ has paid the price for your sins. You are no longer considered a sinner; you are a justified person before God. The sacrifices were meant to remind people of their sins every year. If you are constantly confessing sins, you are constantly reminded of your sins. You need to truly understand what kind of teaching you are accepting: is it a teaching that reminds you of your sins or a teaching that makes you no longer feel guilty? What did Christ come to do?
Verse 5 says, Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, “Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me.”
Verse 7 says, Then said I, “Lo, I come to do thy will, O God.”
What did Jesus Christ come to do? He came to do the will of God. Should we do the will of God? Of course! We believe in Jesus Christ and are willing to do the will of God. What is God's will? In Verse 9, we see, then said he, “Lo, I come to do thy will, O God.” The latter part is, He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.
The first refers to the law, and the first and the second are two different things. One is the New Testament, and the other is the Old Testament. Therefore, the first refers to the law of the Old Testament. Why does it need to be taken away? What characteristics does the first have? Its characteristic emphasizes that you must obey me, you must follow my statutes and commandments, and I will bless you. Conversely, if you do not obey, you will receive a curse. This is the first, so God made it very clear in the law that if you obey all of God's statutes, He will heal you, protect you, and bless you. You will be blessed when you go out and when you come in. Is this conditional? His condition is that you must obey God and follow all of God's commandments.
The Israelites were under the law for 1500 years. Did they receive more blessings or more curses? If you start reading from Exodus to the end of the Old Testament, you will see that the Israelites suffered greatly. Because no one can follow God's statutes, breaking one is equivalent to breaking them all. Therefore, God said, “This is not what I want.” Doing it this way always leads people into curses. The history of the Israelites has fully proven this point. Therefore, God wanted to solve this problem legally. Jesus Christ came for this purpose. With His sinless life and His sinless body, remember, there is only one person in this world who is sinless, and that is Jesus Christ. Amen. Therefore, He legally redeemed us from under the law!
What does redemption mean?
It means paying all the necessary costs. The wages of sin is death, so Jesus died for us, and because of Him, we can live. This is how He legally redeemed us from under the law, allowing us to stand under grace. We rely on Jesus Christ, looking to Jesus Christ, to directly receive His blessings and grace because of all that Jesus Christ has accomplished in His redemptive work. He has brought us into this covenant of grace, which is the New Testament!
As long as you accept Jesus Christ today for all that He has accomplished for you, you can receive God's blessings freely. Therefore, you are blessed by God. It is not because of your good behavior, nor because you have followed the law, but because of Jesus Christ! What He has accomplished for you! What He did for you on the cross makes you worthy of such blessings. His once-for-all sacrifice makes you eternally perfect.
Verse 14 says, For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
Is that you? Yes, it is you! Brothers and sisters, do not doubt; it is you! After He completed all this,
Verse 12 says, But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God.
Why did Jesus sit down? Was it because He was tired? It was because His work was finished. This is a very important characteristic. Jesus Christ offered one sacrifice for sins forever; its efficacy is eternal. After Jesus completed all this, He sat down at the right hand of God. Why at the right hand of God? Why not sit on the left? Because the right hand represents victory, holiness, and righteousness. It is the glory of God! Therefore, Jesus Christ sits in a position of victory! Waiting for all of us to see Him, He will stand up to welcome us.
So Hebrews Chapter 1, Verse 3 also tells us, let us read it together loudly, especially the latter part. He must be in your heart at all times!
Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.
Why did He sit down? Because He has already cleansed people's sins, including your brothers and sisters. It is stated very clearly here that He has cleansed people's sins, representing all past, present, and future. Therefore, He sat down not because He was tired but because He completed the redemptive work, having already cleansed your sins. Your conscience should be perfect; do not be afraid to come before God.
How much God loves Jesus, He loves you just as much because you are clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Therefore, the Old Testament Jews brought bulls, sheep, and doves to offer sacrifices. Today, we come before God based on what Jesus Christ has accomplished. If you feel that your sins have not been cleansed, you are denying Jesus' right to sit down. Because in the Old Testament, the priests stood to serve because the work was not finished, Jesus Christ, His once-for-all sacrifice has eternal efficacy. Hallelujah!
Let us share the second point: Cleansing Our Hearts by Continuously Hearing the Word
Some may ask, what if a Christian sins? If you sin, you need to return and meditate on the work Jesus Christ has accomplished for you. Why do people sin? Because they forget God's grace, forget what God has done for them, and gradually drift into sin. If you want to correct this problem, return to the place where you originally stood because where should you stand? You should stand in God's grace.
If you are in the wrong position, come back and return to God's grace. The original meaning of the Hebrew word for “repent” is to return to grace. This is repentance. Therefore, you cannot reduce your sins or remove them by doing good deeds. You also cannot say that participating in church service will reduce your sins; you cannot do that. God will not allow you to do that. You cannot redeem yourself. Jesus has already completed it.
Salvation has nothing to do with our behavior. It means your behavior does not need to be involved; Jesus has already done it for you. Therefore, God has already cleansed our sins and has sat down. Many people worry that if we keep talking about grace, people will easily sin on purpose. Did Jesus not realize this problem?
Let me give brothers and sisters two examples. In the New Testament, there was a woman caught in adultery, brought before Jesus. What did Jesus do with this woman? When the woman said, “No one condemns me,” what did Jesus say? Jesus knew how to overcome this sin, so He said, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
In fact, anyone would cut off the first half and directly say the last half. When a brother or sister sins, we tell them, “Do not sin anymore!” It is useless because you have not given them a way to overcome sin. Jesus is different; He gave her a way to overcome sin, which is, “Neither do I condemn you.” Amen. Later, this woman followed Jesus and served Him. She changed.
Let me give you another example. Peter made a fatal mistake in his life; he denied Jesus three times, effectively betraying Jesus three times. “I do not know Him; I swear I do not know Him.” If you say, “If you say I know Him, I will get angry…” Would you want to deal with such a person? Would you entrust burdens to him? Just like I once asked our deacon, if you have many people working for you in your company, and one person has betrayed you three times, running off with your money, would you hire him again?
Our human thinking is that this person has betrayed me three times; he is a habitual offender and cannot be entrusted again. But look at what Jesus did. Peter returned to his old profession. Jesus had painstakingly trained him for three years, and after three years of seminary, he went home and went fishing again. If it were us, we would definitely not hire Peter again; he is unreliable. But look, when Peter was fishing and caught nothing, Jesus came. When Peter heard Jesus' voice, what was his reaction? He did not even have time to put on his coat and ran directly to Jesus. Jesus did not require him to confess his sins before accepting him.
It was as if this incident had never happened.
Jesus, through His grace, enabled Peter to overcome this sin. What kind of grace? Jesus asked Peter, “Peter, do you truly love me? Do you love me more than these?” “Do you really love this fish?” When Peter heard this, he said, “Lord, you know I love you.” Jesus asked him three times. Because Jesus asked him three times, Peter was grieved in his heart. This is our human nature; Jesus did not intend to blame him.
Through these three times, Jesus repeated His love for him, affirming, “No matter how you behave, I love you.” So the first time Jesus used Agape. I translate it into Chinese as double love. Only God can love like this. Unconditionally, without seeking a return, no matter how you treat Him, He loves you. Only Jesus can give us that kind of unconditional love.
What Jesus meant was, “No matter what you do, I love you, and I will entrust my great mission to you.” Does Jesus lack vision? His vision is better than ours. We think this person is unusable; Jesus says this is precisely when He can use him. This is our God. God's grace continually gives me (you), and my (your) soul will awaken, never to betray Him again.
You will find that from that moment on, Peter never denied Jesus again because he truly understood the love of Jesus Christ. He understood His grace, and this grace became his strength, the strength for his lifelong service to Jesus. What we need to understand is not to make Peter repent every day. He did deny Jesus. If the disciples constantly mocked Peter, could he have the strength to stand up? Think about it; if Matthew saw Peter and said, “Peter, you denied Jesus three times,” Peter would say, “Lord, what should I do?” Then Mark would come and say, “Peter, you denied Jesus three times.” Could Peter stand there with confidence to preach and lead three thousand to repentance? If he thought about his sins, how could he stand there and lead three thousand or five thousand to repentance? He would have no strength.
Today, we need to pay attention not to your past mistakes, errors, failures, or betrayals but to look up to the resurrected Jesus Christ standing before Peter, who accepted Peter and accepts you. The reason people cannot overcome sin is that they focus their attention in the wrong place. If they focus on sin, they become weak and discouraged. Now you need to turn away your gaze, placing all your focus on Jesus Christ, and you will be able to overcome sin.
When we evangelize, we should not preach a man-centered gospel; that is not the gospel. We should proclaim Jesus Christ and the salvation He accomplished on the cross for us. This is also the purpose of our church. We will continue to proceed according to this purpose. Here, we do not preach anything else but Jesus and the salvation He accomplished on the cross for us. Because when people look to Jesus on the cross for what He has done, their hearts will be filled with God's love. This love will enable them to overcome sin, Hallelujah!
In Leviticus, we know there are five major sacrifices that the Israelites frequently offered before God: burnt offerings, grain offerings, peace offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings. However, in Numbers Chapter 19, there is another kind of sacrifice, which is special, but God did not list it in Leviticus; instead, He placed it separately in Numbers, called the ashes of the red heifer. Many may not understand what the ashes of the red heifer are for. Why did He not place this after the five sacrifices, making it the sixth sacrifice? God did not acknowledge it; He only allowed the Israelites to do this.
Only this sacrifice needs to be done daily; the five major sacrifices do not. When selecting the red heifer, it must be without defect, without blemish, and then the entire red heifer is burned, turned to ashes, and the ashes of the red heifer are placed in water. This water, in the Old Testament, in Numbers Chapter 19, is called the water of purification.
Why does this water have the function of purification? Because the selected red heifer represents, in fact, foreshadows Jesus Christ. The first five sacrifices also represent Jesus Christ and the redemptive sacrifice He accomplished on the cross. Amen. He completed those five sacrifices, and the latter represents another work that Jesus Christ accomplished for us.
This work needs to be done daily. The unblemished heifer represents no bondage, no burdens. Jesus Christ was never bound and had no burdens upon Him because there was nothing that made Him feel unable to overcome. The unblemished heifer also represents no sin. Therefore, when the red heifer is burned to ashes, although the heifer is no longer there, the ashes remain. These ashes are for purification, called the water of purification.
When is this water used?
Whenever the Israelites touched something dead, whether it was the corpse of an animal or a human, they needed to use the water of the red heifer to sprinkle on themselves. For example, if you wake up in the morning to cook and accidentally touch a dead lizard, have you touched a dead thing? Are you unclean? God has already stipulated that this is called unclean; washing your hands is no longer effective. You need to go to the priest and say, “I touched something dead today.” The priest would say, “Okay, look, the ashes of the red heifer are sprinkled in the water.” This water of purification sprinkled on you cleanses you.
This is something that needs to be done regularly. What does it represent? What relationship does it have with us today? If you understand that many things in the Old Testament foreshadow the New Testament and what Jesus Christ has done for us, you will be more willing to draw near to God. Amen.
Touching death represents what? In your daily life, especially while working in the world, you are very likely to encounter dead things. Have you encountered any today? Some may say, “No! I haven’t seen anyone buried, nor have I touched any dead lizards.” I tell you, today we are talking about how your thoughts are influenced daily by negative, death-related things. This is called touching dead things.
For example, in the morning, you open your phone and see a message saying that someone has died. Isn’t that about death? You see someone sending you a message that scares you; isn’t that about dead things? Because these negative thoughts fill your mind, if you do not clear them away, they will affect your life. Amen.
For example, you see a plane flying and suddenly disappearing, and you think about it. Can a plane just disappear while flying? This is called being influenced by that thought. This is not even the worst; especially today with WeChat, many messages are sent about what the symptoms of heart disease are, what the symptoms of diabetes are, and you look at your current situation, and you think, “Oh my God! Many of these apply to me.” Isn’t this about death? Because all of this is negative, gradually leading you toward death.
What do you do at this time? How do you clear these things away? You say, “My head hurts; it is related to something.” In reality, it has nothing to do with it because you are disturbed by that information. How can you remove it? We cannot find a red heifer! But what if there is no such thing?
Brothers and sisters, many of the foreshadows in the Old Testament ultimately point to Jesus Christ in the New Testament. Although Jesus died, rose again, and returned, He left us the Holy Spirit and the Bible. If you can read the Bible and see Jesus Christ in it, no matter what negative news you encounter, if you return to the Bible and read the words aloud, today the worshippers' conscience has been cleansed, and you will no longer feel guilty. You should think, “Because of Jesus Christ's redemptive work on the cross for me, I am healthy in God, and by His stripes, I am healed.”
So when you believe this, those thoughts will go away; they will be washed away. This is equivalent to the past ashes of the red heifer; its efficacy is the same. How often do we need to read God's word? Many people only pray when they encounter illness or troubles, saying, “Lord, hear my prayer!” It is really a bit late. To be honest, you should read it every day. When this happens, you should immediately stop it. Therefore, God hopes that when we hear these negative, death-related messages, we remember what Jesus Christ has accomplished for us on the cross. Every time you come to hear the word, at that moment, He is cleansing your thoughts. You say, “He that is in me is greater than he that is in the world.” Hallelujah!
What do you have to fear? In our God, there is nothing difficult to accomplish. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. When you place this word in your heart, those negatives cannot stop you because the Bible tells us, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” No, nothing can separate us from God's love.
Therefore, the Lord Jesus does not want us to just know His name; God hopes we understand the immense power contained in that name. He wants you to use that power. So you need to understand these things. You need to reflect on what Jesus Christ has accomplished for you on the cross. You need to seek to understand all of this more, continuously hearing the word because the person on the platform has no other specialty; he knows Jesus Christ a bit more.
You take all the negative, death-related information you have heard in the past six days in this world and read it in the words of Jesus Christ. God will wash it all away, filling your heart with the words of grace. If you find that your friends around you are still under condemnation, still in bondage, let them look to Jesus Christ with you for the completed work. Today, you can declare every day, “Through the word of God, I have been cleansed. Through the word of God, I know that all negative thoughts will not take root in me because Jesus Christ will uproot them and cast them into the sea!”
I am not relying on my own efforts; it is my God who blesses me. Through the precious blood of Jesus Christ, I am forever cleansed. I receive the supply of Jesus Christ through continuously hearing the words of grace. Because of this power, the strength I receive from Jesus Christ enables me to overcome all temptations. Therefore, do not care how terrible your situation is now; open your eyes to see the perfect work of Jesus Christ. Through Jesus Christ, you can overcome this problem; you can overcome your environment. Amen!
Let us pray together:
Loving Heavenly Father, we thank and praise your grace. We are your children. Because of the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus Christ, you have made me eternally perfect. In the continuous process of hearing the word, you are cleansing me of the negative, death-related things from the world, washing them away through the word of God. The Old Testament law is a shadow; Jesus Christ is the substance. God sent Jesus Christ into the world not to condemn us but to save us through Him.
Sin cannot be our master because we are no longer under the law but under grace. The Lord Jesus is my strength, my help, enabling me to overcome this world in the next six days through your words. Because I know that He who is in me is greater, I no longer feel like a guilty person because my sins have all been laid upon Jesus Christ. God has given me His righteousness. God has called me righteous. In the Old Testament, the sacrifices reminded people of their sins every year, but today, through worship, we are no longer guilty.
Lord, thank you for supplying me every day. I know the next six days will be different because God will be with me every day, giving me strength. You are my shepherd; you will help me in all that I do. Everything I do will be blessed by God. Bless every brother and sister who seeks you today. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray, Amen!