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加福音7:1-35 你期望的是什么?
Good morning brothers and sisters. Welcome to another update on the mainland Taoism. Today, the theme of Taoism is, What are you expecting? The Bible is recorded in the book of Luke 7, verses 1 to 35.
What are you expecting? Now, you are expecting Taoism. If I record a video, or sing a poem, or meditate for 30 minutes, you may feel very uncomfortable, because this is not what you are expecting. What you are expecting now is the right path.
Then, sing a poem, receive the blessing of the pastor, after worship, have dinner with everyone, then go home. Maybe someone will go back to work. Tomorrow, everyone will go to work or school as usual.
Day after day, year after year, there will be no major changes in life, or major changes. All these operations are exactly what you are expecting. Although this kind of life is boring, it is much better than facing different things every day.
Do you have any expectations for yourself or your life? I have no expectations at all for some people, especially young people, I have no expectations at all for their lives. I feel disappointed with them.
For them, the higher the expectation, the greater the disappointment. So, they don't expect anything. They don't have any goals in life, and they don't have any expectations for life. I think their lives are bleak, uncertain, and uncertain.
I think I would rather be disappointed than have expectations. This is better than having no goals in life. Then, do you have any expectations for others? Do you have any expectations for others? When you understand them in depth, you can be sure of your expectations for them.
In our group, you can count on Wayne to help you. You can also count on Joyce or Nancy to prepare charity for us. You can count on them to help us. Or you can count on Joe and George to drive and pick us up on Sunday night to attend the prayer meeting.
You can count on Justin to lead us to sing. You can count on Howard Turns to lead us to sing. They will not forget our expectations for them. They will not let us down. What about the others? Do they have any expectations for our church?
Do they have any expectations for our hymns, our sermons based on the Bible, our prayers, and so on? Do they have any expectations for our church? Do they have any expectations for our church? Our prayers, and so on?
These are not their expectations. Do they have any expectations for our church? I think that in today's society and culture, they expect that the church will not impose rules on them, and will not pay much attention to the church's hymns.
Our expectations for the church are based on our expectations for God, Jesus. In this scripture, one of the big questions in our hearts is, what are your expectations for Jesus? Let's look at the first to the tenth chapter.
Do you expect Jesus to be your Savior? Is He your Lord? At this time, Jesus came to Babylon. There was a bishop who was in charge of the Roman army. He asked the elders to pray to Jesus to heal his people.
This bishop was respected by the local people. The elders pleaded with Jesus, and asked Him to do this. This is what he deserved. Because this bishop loved his people, he built this church for us. In the fourth and fifth chapters, Jesus agreed and went with them.
Before Jesus reached the house of the bishop, the bishop immediately sent someone to Jesus, Lord, please don't torture me, because you are under me, and I don't want to be your servant. I don't think we would expect a Roman officer to treat Jesus so humbly.
At this time, he even said, I thought I didn't deserve to see you. Because the bishop knew he didn't deserve it, he was a sinner, so he didn't want to torture Jesus. He also didn't want Jesus to be under him.
Brothers and sisters, many times we are blinded by our own expectations, and we have covered up our expectations of Jesus, and even increased our expectations of ourselves. But the bishop didn't think so.
He clearly saw that he didn't deserve to be in front of God, because he knew that Jesus was the Lord, and this was the Jesus Christ he was expecting. On the seventh day, he said, As long as you say to me, my servant will receive the will of God.
He knew that Jesus' words had power and power. He was able to do what he said. The bishop knew that his own power came from the Roman Empire. He knew that he was in front of people, and there were also soldiers under him.
He had the power to call on the soldiers under him, to come and go, and call on them to do things for him. The bishop poured out Jesus' power everywhere, which was given by God. The illness of the old bishop was also under the control of Jesus.
He had to call on the illness. This was the will of the people. The bishop's expectations of Jesus were completely unexpected. So, on the eighth day, Jesus absorbed what he had said. On the ninth day, he said to his followers, Such great confidence, even among the Israelites, I have no objection.
The bishop believed that Jesus was in control of everything, including the illness. Therefore, Jesus did not need to call on the soldiers under him, or even Jesus, who was not far away, to call on him.
This was the will of the people. Brothers and sisters,.
Friends,.
Is this the Jesus you have been expecting? If so, at this time, you have to let him take over everything, and be the master of your life. Let his whole army lead you to the land of eternity,.
The kingdom of heaven.
Today, many people's expectations of Jesus are like the friends of the spirit. They regard Jesus as pure, loving, and friendly. They are willing to be friends with Jesus, but they are not willing to be under the control of Jesus.
There is even such a saying, a divine saying, they let you accept Jesus as your Savior, but you do not need to submit to his control. You are still the master of your life. Dear brothers and sisters,.
This is credible, but such a master is not the Lord Jesus. Pastor White knows that Jesus must be his master. What about you?
Second,.
Let's look at the 11th to 17th chapters of the Bible. Do you expect Jesus to be the master of your life? At this time, Jesus and his disciples and people came together to the city of Nain. At the gate of the city, someone carried a dead man out of the city.
This dead man was the only son of a widow. Many people followed the widow out of the city. In chapter 13, the Lord Jesus saw the widow and saved her. Dear brothers and sisters,.
When we talk about Jesus bringing people back from the dead, what we usually see is Jesus' authority over death.
Of course,.
This is true, so please don't misunderstand. In this chapter, Jesus saw the widow, not the dead son. Jesus saw the widow in grief, and saved her. Jesus said to her, don't cry. At this time, if you were this widow, or the people around her, what would you do to Jesus for this widow?
I think what everyone is looking forward to is Jesus' reconciliation. But Jesus knew what this widow was really looking forward to was the future. Who can provide economic and personal security for me?
Because in that society, the status of a widow might not be as good as it is now. In chapter 14, Jesus came forward, holding a stick, and the people on the platform stood up. Jesus said, young man, I command you, get up!
The dead immediately got up and spoke. In the widow's eyes,.
No,.
This is not what they expected, that is, the resurrection.
Also,.
This is not what they expected, to call upon the true Lord, Jesus. So in chapter 16, they were all surprised. Of course, if something unexpected happens, you will also be surprised. So they gave glory to Jesus.
This is what Jesus was looking forward to. We must give glory to God and Lord Jesus.
In this chapter, we usually skip this small chapter, which is recorded in chapter 15. Let's see what the last chapter of chapter 15 says. It says here, Jesus gave him, that is, this young man, to his mother.
Jesus is the Lord. He is the dead young man. This young man was resurrected, and was given a new life. He is the owner of this young man's life. At this time, he gave this young man to this widow, because this widow needed her son.
Because of the mercy of Jesus, she regained her son. This is what we, that is, all of us, are hoping for. Because of the mercy of God, Lord Jesus gave his son, God gave his only son, Jesus, to us, so that those who believe in him will not perish, but will live forever.
Thirdly, this is recorded in the 18th to 35th chapter of the Bible. Are you expecting Jesus to be the Savior? At this time, the God in prison, the priest in prison, John, sent two disciples to Jesus, and asked, Are you the one who is coming?
Or are we waiting for someone else? From the priest, John, in the temple of the river of the dead, he called people to repent, and to intercede for them, including Jesus Christ. I think he knew that Lord Jesus was the Savior whom God had chosen.
He knew that Jesus was the Lamb of God. He knew that Jesus was the Son of God. When Lord Jesus was the Savior they hoped for, they hoped for the Savior. But what they hoped for was the coming of the kingdom of God.
Perhaps, like many Jews, they hoped for the coming of the kingdom of God that they had been waiting for. Because the Son of Man, Lord Jesus Christ, had already come. Would their hopes be fulfilled? Jesus said, My time has not yet come.
This is recorded in John 7, 6. A man must act according to his talent, and not according to his hopes. Jesus used his words and actions to restore the hopes of John. In John 21, when Jesus healed many sick people, those who were afflicted, those who were possessed by the devil, and those who were called by the name of Cain, these were all the works of the Savior whom God had chosen.
But the time had not yet come. On the 22nd, Jesus sent a disciple to John and said to him, You must tell John what you have heard.
That is,.
The blind man saw the cripple walk close to the wind. The deaf man heard the dead come back to life. The poor man heard the voice of the dead. The Savior whom John had hoped to save was doing his work.
So Jesus encouraged and encouraged him on the 23rd, including us,.
Saying,.
Those who do not fall because of me will be blessed. Brothers and sisters,.
Do you remember last week's sermon? Jesus said to his disciples, Those who are evil, those who are rejecting, those who are cursing, those who are rejecting, you will be blessed. Because on that day, you will be happier and more joyful.
Because the test in heaven is great. This is what the disciple John should hope for. When Jesus was saved, when the time came, John's test in heaven was great. It was not about money, fame, material pleasure, or even death.
When John's disciples left, on the 24th, Jesus said to them, John said, What did you see in the wilderness? Did you see the dragon's tail in the cave? That is to say, the same thing as the world? Or did you see people wearing soft clothes?
Wrong. What you hoped for, those who wore soft clothes, those who enjoyed the sun, were in the palace. Is this the way of life that Jesus' disciples hoped for? They only stood on the stage, only spoke in soft language, empty words.
Did you hear the echo?
No.
If this is what you saw, what you hoped for, then these people are not the saints you want to see, want to know. So Jesus said, Now the great John,.
Who was baptized,.
Is locked up in prison. He is the true servant of God, the name of God. He will prepare the way for Jesus, and the path for him. Luke 3 .4 Jesus told the people, John the Baptist is greater than John the Baptist.
Luke 7 .26 On earth, there is no one greater than John the Baptist.
Luke 28.
Because the people and the taxpayers heard the words of John the Baptist, and were moved by them, they were moved by God. This is the work of John the Baptist. He has done it, so he is great on earth.
Brothers and sisters,.
The so-called religious leaders we hope for, such as the law-abiding people and the law-abiding priests, will they also accept the baptism of John like the common people? I think our expectations will certainly be disappointed.
Because these law-abiding people and lawyers have not received the baptism of John, but have abandoned the commandment of God. Luke 3 .4. So, in Luke 3 .11 and 32, Jesus compared them to ungrown children, still sitting on the street, still playing, only knowing how to preach, speaking in vain.
These people are unstable, have no understanding, do not know what to do. When it is time to rejoice, they are not willing to dance. When it is time to grieve, they do not know what to do. So, when John came, they told John not to eat cake or drink wine.
They accused John of being possessed. But when the Son of Man came, he ate and drank. They accused the Son of Man of being possessed by a sinner and fell into sin with them. This is not true. That is not true either.
So, what do they expect? In Luke 3 .15, Jesus pointed out that.
God's job as Savior.
Will not stop because of their resistance. Because the Son of Wisdom, the Son of God, has already revealed the way of God, which is wisdom. This is what they expect. Brothers and sisters, friends,.
No matter what,.
If we follow this expectation, I think we will lose our center. Our center is Jesus Christ. This is the kingdom of God. We are sinners. We have neglected that Jesus is the Lord, or He is a God full of mercy.
We, in Hunan, do not have the ability to satisfy Jesus' expectation of us, which is holiness and justice. Instead, because of our sins, we suffer the wrath of God and the death of our sins. This is a matter of course.
We deserve it.
However,.
This amazing and wonderful Jesus Christ will become our Savior. This is completely unexpected. This is not what we expected. Therefore, we should keep this and never delay accepting our long-awaited God, that unparalleled grace, and accept Him wholeheartedly.
Thank you for listening.