[For you are a holy people to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples who are on the face of the earth] (Deut. 14:2). [You are a chosen generation , a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people] who are ... [chosen and faithful] (1Peter 2:9, Rev. 17:14). [I chose you out of the world] (John 15:19).
It is written in Deuteronomy 14:2 that the Lord God chose us to be His holy people. We know well that the triune Gods- the Father, the Son, and the Spirit - are all termed "the Lord." Then who out of the three chose us among all peoples of the earth? This is the issue we would like to question.
And now I would like to present an argument through the Bible, that it is God the Holy Father, our real Father who has chosen us.
Most believers today think that Jesus alone chose them (John 15:16) and takes care of them while the Father is unconcerned about them, only searching for their faults and sins with sharp eyes, who is stingy with His love and pardon and always seeking to give judgment and orders.
But I would like to prove, through the Bible, that this conception of God is absolutely contrary to reality and that our Father is not at all who we think.
I say again that He is our real Father who is not in the slightest bit less concerned about His sin-polluted children than Jesus or the Spirit. He is rather so much more concerned that [the very hairs of [our] head are all numbered ] (Matt. 10:30) by Him. He draws near to every child of His with tender care and love for each one individually. It is our heavenly Father who has chosen us out of all the people of the earth and made us heirs to His everlasting kingdom.
Every child of His that lived on earth throughout the ages have been [predestined according to the purpose of Him,] the only true God, [who works all things according to the counsel of His will] (Eph. 1:11). [The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ ... has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will] (Eph. 1:3-5). [You are the Lord God, who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gave Him the name Abraham] (Neh. 9:7). And after that God also said to Moses, [Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you'] (Ex. 3:15). We can see that it was our Father who chose Moses, the leader of Israel. And [the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our father, glorified His Servant Jesus] (Acts 3:13), whom He had chosen to be the Savior of the world.
While I was preaching in a church regarding this subject one of the brethren asked, "But wasn't it Jesus who chose the Apostle Paul?" My answer to him was "No," and we opened the Bible. Let us now investigate this matter. Please find Acts 22:13-15 first. This is the word delivered by Ananias, a messenger of the Lord, [Brother Saul, receive your sight ... the God of our fathers (the Father) has chosen you that you should know His (the Father's) will and see the Just One(Jesus of Nazareth) and hear the voice of His (Jesus') mouth ; for you will be His (God's) witness to all men.] And later he praised the God of heaven in gratitude who had called and chosen him, [Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ... He chose us in Him before the foundation of the word] (Eph. 1:3, 4). He exclaimed [By the grace of God (the Father of Jesus) I am what which was with me] (1 Cor. 15:10).
Now let us find out about Jesus' twelve disciples. It seems as though they were chosen and called by Jesus Himself, but actually, our heavenly Father Himself chose them and committed them to Jesus His Son. What we must know first is that before Jesus chose and ordained the twelve, He had gone to His Father and spent a night in prayer. For it was a most profound and grave matter for Him to choose His disciples to whom would be entrusted the work of redemption of the world, that the Father and Son had begun with such great sacrifice, and upon whom the success or failure of it would depend upon. [In those days He went out to the mountain to pray; and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, He called His disciples to Him, and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles] (Luke 6:12, 13). These were the disciples whom God had given to Jesus in answer to His previous night's prayer, “Oh My Father who sent Me! Please choose for Me disciples who will take up the work of redemption that You have planned." And then He said, [No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him] (John 6:44). [All that the Father gives Me will come to Me; and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out] (John 6:37). [I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand] (John 10:28). In these words He pledged Himself to protect and steadfastly preserve those whom His Father had given Him.
Indeed, there is no one under heaven who can snatch us out of the mighty hand of Jesus Christ, our General, who has overcome the world and has always been victorious in the battle against Satan the great enemy. Our stray and fall is not by the force of the enemy but by our own choice. Unless we agree, Satan the devil cannot snatch us from the bosom of our Lord Jesus Christ. [He who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him] (1 John 5:18). He also guarantees us double protection, [My Father ... is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand] (John 10;29). What a mighty and thorough, undestroyable double-walled protection our Father and Eldest Brother, who neither slumber nor sleep, guard us with! Moreover, we are also surrounded by three, four-fold walls of protection - the Holy Spirit and the attendance of thousands and ten thousands of angels.
Now finally, who has chosen you, reader? Let us incline our ears to the Bible, the true witness of God. [God is faithful, by whom you are called into the fellowship of His son, Jesus Christ our Lord] (1 Cor. 1:9). [The Lord has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples who are on the face of the earth] (Deut. 14:2). [You are a chosen generation ... His own special people] (1Peter 2:9). We are His own children whom He has chosen and called out of the world. What a wonderful grace and love of our Father it is! If our Father had not chosen us out of the world and drawn us to Jesus, who could enjoy communion with Jesus and become His friend today?
[In this is love, not that we loved God,] [He first loved us] (1 John 4:10, 19).
[All we like sheep have gone astray] (Isa. 53:6), but He loved us so much and made us His children.
Hymn
1. The love of God is far greater than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star, and reaches to the lowest hell:
The guilty pair, bowed down with care, God gave His Son to win;
His erring child he reconciled, and pardoned from his sin.
Oh, love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure - the saints' and angels' song.
2. Could we with ink the ocean fill, and were the skies of parchment made;
Were every stalk on earth a quill, and every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole, though stretched from sky to sky.
Oh, love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure - the saints' and angels' song.
* Questions and Answers about the Doctrine of Foresight and Predestination
As I was traveling by train, a smart young man who was sitting in front of me asked me a question, "Excuse me, but are you not a pastor?" From this introduction, a conversation began with him asking, "In church I learned that because God has long ago chosen those whom He would save, it would be useless for those who are not chosen to believe in Him; meanwhile, the chosen ones would be saved by any means. Is this the true doctrine of the Bible?"
This is an issue that not only perplexed this young mind but is also disputed among many theologians today. The doctrine of foresight and predestination was first initiated by the words of Apostle Paul who said that God had chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world; and so a group of theologians assert that because God had chosen those who would be saved before the foundation of the world, none could be saved but them. Still others assert otherwise, based on the words of the Apostle John, "Since God so loved the world, He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him can be saved," therefore, the redeemed ones cannot have been fixed for salvation a long time ago. At this point I would like to say that both views are right. Though you may say, "What an absurd answer that is!" Let me have a moment to explain it.
There are about sixty students in a school classroom. The teacher in charge of the class is responsible for choosing the best student and giving that student a prize at the end of the year. Then can he not, being in charge of them all year round, foresee and predetermine who will win the first prize? It is easy for the teacher who has carefully watched his students, to foresee and predetermine who will win the first prize. And his foresight and predetermination is usually over 95% accurate, so at last, the one whom he foresaw and predetermined receives the first prize.
But there is an exception. If the one whom the teacher foresaw and predetermined unexpectedly deviates from his good conduct in the middle of the year and starts making bad friends, neglecting to study and going astray, while on the other hand, the unfaithful and mischievous pupil regrets his past and sets his heart to diligent studying, then eventually, the ends will somehow justify the means. This naughty and mischievous student will end up receiving the first prize upon evaluation of the final examination while the predetermined, expected winner will only lose out. In such a situation, can the teacher say to the mischievous student who got the highest grade, "Because you are not the one I foresaw and predetermined, I will not grant you the first prize. I will rather grant it to him whom I foresaw and predetermined at the beginning of the year, even though he got such a low grade by his negligence throughout the term?"
Perhaps there is no such teacher in the world who would judge so unfairly. Likewise, do you think our omniscient Father who knows everything from everlasting to everlasting, the past, present, and future, cannot foresee who are His faithful and obedient ones to be saved from a long time ago? Nothing is hidden from His sight. It is His responsibility and right to foresee and predetermine us, for He is our real Father who has begotten and brought us up. None can raise objection to His power. Who has the right to interfere with what He does as He pleases in how He brings forth and raises His own children or gives them rewards? Even parents in this world can bestow large fortunes upon the faithful ones while upon the reckless ones, they give no inheritance but rather drive them out; and yet, no one can interfere or question the parents' judgment.
We have seen in the Bible people such as Balaam the prophet and king Saul whom God had foreseen and predestined going astray to destruction. While on the contrary, people such as the burglar on the cross, who had led a degrading and corrupt life in the world, repent of his past sins and return to God, taking another's place and receiving the reward in heaven. Therefore, I do not believe in the theory that those whom God has foreseen and predestined from the beginning of the world will be saved at any rate. I believe that even the Gentiles who are not chosen will inherit eternal life and the kingdom of God if they only, though so late, like the burglar on the cross, return, repent and obey Him at anytime.
So I support both assertions that God has chosen those who will be saved since the beginning and that any one who believes in Him will be saved. Therefore, I am certain that both statements of Apostle Paul and Apostle John in the Bible are genuine truths that no one need misunderstand or doubt.
[When I say to the righteous that he shall surely live, but he trusts in his own righteousness and commits iniquity, none of his righteous works shall be remembered; but because of the iniquity that he has committed, he shall die. Again, when I say to the wicked, 'You shall surely die,' if he turns from his sin and does what is lawful and right ... walks in the statutes of life without committing iniquity, he shall surely live; he shall not die] (Eze. 33:13-15).
[As I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?] (Eze. 33:11).
Praise the Lord! Glory to our righteous heavenly Father!
Friday, February 27, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
6. Our Father Who Personally Answers All Our Prayers
[But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. But when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do ... for your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him] (Matt. 6:6-8).
It is so heart-breaking and embarrassing to see a great number of people think that our Father does not accept our prayers directly, but that when we pray to Jesus the Intercessor, He goes to the Father and tells Him what we prayed about; then, after He hears of our circumstances from Jesus, He bestows His gifts or His will upon Him, and He (Jesus) brings them to us.
But this is fatally wrong and a great misunderstanding. If there are any who have cherished this thinking among my brothers and sisters reading this book, I hope that you will, from now on come to the throne of our Father boldly with confidence, meeting Him directly and talking to Him openly of your desires, requests, and perplexing situations without any hesitation. This is an absolute privilege of the sons and daughters of the heavenly Father.
For instance, in these earthly nations, in order for cabinet ministers, congressmen or generals to meet their king or president, they must first get permission from the chief of the office of the presidential security. And as they draw toward the president, they bend their heads and approach with an awe-stricken heart. They cannot behave freely before their king. However, the king's real children, his princes and princesses do not act like this at all. However dignified, majestic and fearful the king may be, they are not in the slightest degree afraid of him because he is their real father who has begotten them; to be with him is their joy. As they come before the king, do they need any permission from the chief of the office of the presidential security? Who would dare to even inspect them? It is not because they are better looking than others, or higher in rank than ministers and congressmen. On the contrary, they are more plain-looking than those considered handsome or beautiful in this world, and they hold no respected position. It is solely because they are the kings' real sons and daughters that they behave and speak so freely and openly without the slightest apprehensions or fear in front of all peoples or officials of the court.
In the same way, as we who [received the right to become children of God] (John 1:12) draw near to our real Father who has borne and brought us up, we do not need any mediator in between. Though we are not generals or ministers, angels or archangels, we are real sons and daughters of the King of the universe, heavenly princes and princesses! We need neither formalities, procedures, nor any identification cards for inspection. Moreover, it is rather silly to have an interpreter or a mediator. Let us come boldly to our real Father who is so tender and loving, who has borne and brought us up. Let us leap into His bosom and talk to Him with our little lips, sharing with Him all our wishes, joys and delightful experiences. Let us be as happy children in the bosom of our wonderful Father.
The intercession of Jesus and the Holy Spirit mentioned in the Bible is similar to when in a family, a little baby learns to say, "mom" or "daddy." Because he cannot speak clearly, the mother and brothers intercede for the baby to his daddy. Likewise, Jesus and the Holy Spirit speak to the Father for us when [we do not know what we should pray for as we ought] (Rom. 8:26), not that They are making intercession between a deadly criminal and the king, begging for relief on his behalf, but rather in a family viewpoint.
Our Father in heaven, the King of the entire universe, declares to all the inhabitants of the universe today, [And to the saints who are on the earth, they are the excellent ones,] they are My sons [in whom is all My delight] (Ps. 16:3). He also speaks to us, [You are My son ... I have begotten you] (Ps. 2:7). [Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance](Ps. 2:8). [You will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you] (Jer. 29:12). [I will answer you] (Jer. 33:3). [You shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, 'Here I am'] (Isa. 58:9). [Before they call I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear] (Isa. 65:24). [And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart] (Jer. 29:13). And He kindly says to us al ways, [call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me] (Ps. 50:15).
Jesus also says, [Ask, and it will be given to you ... For everyone who asks receives] (Matt. 7:7, 8). [Ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you] (John 16:26, 27). [Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights] (James 1:17). [You do not have because you do not ask] (James 4:2).
[Let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him] (James 1:5). [He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?] (Rom. 8:32). [If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him] (Matt. 7:11). [Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them] (Mark 11:24).
Pray to your Father who is in the secret place] (Matt. 6:6).
We may come into God's presence with the confidence that children have in their parents. No man is needed to act as a mediator. In the secret place of prayer, where no eye but God's can see, no ear but His can hear, we may pour out our most hidden desires and longings to the Father of infinite pity, and in the hush and silence of the soul, that voice which never fails to answer the cry of human need will speak to our hearts. [The Lord is very compassionate and merciful] (James 5:11). He waits with unwearied love to hear the confessions of the wayward and to accept their penitence. He watches for some return of gratitude from us, as a mother watches for the smile of recognition from her beloved child. He would have us understand how earnestly and tenderly His heart yearns for us. He invites us to take our trials to His sympathy, our sorrows to His love, our wounds to His healing, our weakness to His strength, our emptiness to His fullness. Never has one been disappointed who came to Him. [Your Father who sees in secret will reward you] (Matt. 6:6).
Prayer is the opening of the heart to God as to a friend. Our Father waits to bestow upon us the fullness of His blessing. What a wonder it is that we pray so little! God is ready and eager to hear the sincere prayer of the humblest of His children, and yet there is much reluctance on our part to make known our wants to God. What can the angels of heaven think, of poor helpless human beings who are subject to temptation, when God's heart of infinite love yearns toward them, they pray so little and have so little faith?
Satan encloses those who neglect to pray. Why should the sons and daughters of God be reluctant to pray when prayer is the key in the hand of faith to unlock heaven's storehouse where are treasured the boundless resources (riches, power, wisdom, etc.) of Omnipotence.
Through sincere prayer we are brought into connection with the mind of the Infinite. We may have no remarkable evidence at the time that the face of our Redeemer is bending over us in compassion and love, but this is even so. We may not feel His visible touch, but His hand is upon us in love and pitying tenderness.
We should pray in the family circle, and above all we must not neglect secret prayer. Pray in your room, and as you go about your daily labor, let your heart be often uplifted to God. It was thus that Enoch walked with God.
My brothers and sisters! Spread out your wants, your joys, your sorrows, you cares, and your fears before God. You cannot burden or weary Him. He who numbers the hairs of your head is not indifferent to the wants of His children. [The Lord is very compassionate and merciful] (James 5:11).
His heart of love is touched by our sorrows and even by our utterances of them. Take to Him everything that perplexes the mind. Nothing is too great for Him to bear, for He holds up worlds. He rules over all the affairs of the universe. Nothing that in any way concerns our peace is too small for Him to notice. There is no chapter in our experience too difficult for Him to unravel.
No calamity can befall the least of His children, no anxiety harass the soul, no joy cheer, no sincere prayer escape the lips, of which our heavenly Father is unobservant, or in which He takes no immediate interest. [He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds] (Ps. 147:3). The relations between God and each soul are as distinct and full as though there were not another soul upon the earth to share His watchcare, not another soul for whom He gave His beloved Son.
Jesus says, [You will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you] (John 16:26). [I chose you ... that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He may give you] (John 15:16). Our God is a tender, merciful Father. Service to Him should not be looked upon as a sorrowful and distressing event. It should be a pleasure to worship the Lord and take part in His work. God would not have His children, for whom so great salvation has been provided, act as if He were a hard, exacting taskmaster. He is their best Friend. Let us with joy come before our Father, with [thanksgiving and the voice of melody] (Isa. 51:3).
Praise the Lord.!
It is so heart-breaking and embarrassing to see a great number of people think that our Father does not accept our prayers directly, but that when we pray to Jesus the Intercessor, He goes to the Father and tells Him what we prayed about; then, after He hears of our circumstances from Jesus, He bestows His gifts or His will upon Him, and He (Jesus) brings them to us.
But this is fatally wrong and a great misunderstanding. If there are any who have cherished this thinking among my brothers and sisters reading this book, I hope that you will, from now on come to the throne of our Father boldly with confidence, meeting Him directly and talking to Him openly of your desires, requests, and perplexing situations without any hesitation. This is an absolute privilege of the sons and daughters of the heavenly Father.
For instance, in these earthly nations, in order for cabinet ministers, congressmen or generals to meet their king or president, they must first get permission from the chief of the office of the presidential security. And as they draw toward the president, they bend their heads and approach with an awe-stricken heart. They cannot behave freely before their king. However, the king's real children, his princes and princesses do not act like this at all. However dignified, majestic and fearful the king may be, they are not in the slightest degree afraid of him because he is their real father who has begotten them; to be with him is their joy. As they come before the king, do they need any permission from the chief of the office of the presidential security? Who would dare to even inspect them? It is not because they are better looking than others, or higher in rank than ministers and congressmen. On the contrary, they are more plain-looking than those considered handsome or beautiful in this world, and they hold no respected position. It is solely because they are the kings' real sons and daughters that they behave and speak so freely and openly without the slightest apprehensions or fear in front of all peoples or officials of the court.
In the same way, as we who [received the right to become children of God] (John 1:12) draw near to our real Father who has borne and brought us up, we do not need any mediator in between. Though we are not generals or ministers, angels or archangels, we are real sons and daughters of the King of the universe, heavenly princes and princesses! We need neither formalities, procedures, nor any identification cards for inspection. Moreover, it is rather silly to have an interpreter or a mediator. Let us come boldly to our real Father who is so tender and loving, who has borne and brought us up. Let us leap into His bosom and talk to Him with our little lips, sharing with Him all our wishes, joys and delightful experiences. Let us be as happy children in the bosom of our wonderful Father.
The intercession of Jesus and the Holy Spirit mentioned in the Bible is similar to when in a family, a little baby learns to say, "mom" or "daddy." Because he cannot speak clearly, the mother and brothers intercede for the baby to his daddy. Likewise, Jesus and the Holy Spirit speak to the Father for us when [we do not know what we should pray for as we ought] (Rom. 8:26), not that They are making intercession between a deadly criminal and the king, begging for relief on his behalf, but rather in a family viewpoint.
Our Father in heaven, the King of the entire universe, declares to all the inhabitants of the universe today, [And to the saints who are on the earth, they are the excellent ones,] they are My sons [in whom is all My delight] (Ps. 16:3). He also speaks to us, [You are My son ... I have begotten you] (Ps. 2:7). [Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance](Ps. 2:8). [You will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you] (Jer. 29:12). [I will answer you] (Jer. 33:3). [You shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, 'Here I am'] (Isa. 58:9). [Before they call I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear] (Isa. 65:24). [And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart] (Jer. 29:13). And He kindly says to us al ways, [call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me] (Ps. 50:15).
Jesus also says, [Ask, and it will be given to you ... For everyone who asks receives] (Matt. 7:7, 8). [Ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you] (John 16:26, 27). [Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights] (James 1:17). [You do not have because you do not ask] (James 4:2).
[Let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him] (James 1:5). [He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?] (Rom. 8:32). [If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him] (Matt. 7:11). [Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them] (Mark 11:24).
Pray to your Father who is in the secret place] (Matt. 6:6).
We may come into God's presence with the confidence that children have in their parents. No man is needed to act as a mediator. In the secret place of prayer, where no eye but God's can see, no ear but His can hear, we may pour out our most hidden desires and longings to the Father of infinite pity, and in the hush and silence of the soul, that voice which never fails to answer the cry of human need will speak to our hearts. [The Lord is very compassionate and merciful] (James 5:11). He waits with unwearied love to hear the confessions of the wayward and to accept their penitence. He watches for some return of gratitude from us, as a mother watches for the smile of recognition from her beloved child. He would have us understand how earnestly and tenderly His heart yearns for us. He invites us to take our trials to His sympathy, our sorrows to His love, our wounds to His healing, our weakness to His strength, our emptiness to His fullness. Never has one been disappointed who came to Him. [Your Father who sees in secret will reward you] (Matt. 6:6).
Prayer is the opening of the heart to God as to a friend. Our Father waits to bestow upon us the fullness of His blessing. What a wonder it is that we pray so little! God is ready and eager to hear the sincere prayer of the humblest of His children, and yet there is much reluctance on our part to make known our wants to God. What can the angels of heaven think, of poor helpless human beings who are subject to temptation, when God's heart of infinite love yearns toward them, they pray so little and have so little faith?
Satan encloses those who neglect to pray. Why should the sons and daughters of God be reluctant to pray when prayer is the key in the hand of faith to unlock heaven's storehouse where are treasured the boundless resources (riches, power, wisdom, etc.) of Omnipotence.
Through sincere prayer we are brought into connection with the mind of the Infinite. We may have no remarkable evidence at the time that the face of our Redeemer is bending over us in compassion and love, but this is even so. We may not feel His visible touch, but His hand is upon us in love and pitying tenderness.
We should pray in the family circle, and above all we must not neglect secret prayer. Pray in your room, and as you go about your daily labor, let your heart be often uplifted to God. It was thus that Enoch walked with God.
My brothers and sisters! Spread out your wants, your joys, your sorrows, you cares, and your fears before God. You cannot burden or weary Him. He who numbers the hairs of your head is not indifferent to the wants of His children. [The Lord is very compassionate and merciful] (James 5:11).
His heart of love is touched by our sorrows and even by our utterances of them. Take to Him everything that perplexes the mind. Nothing is too great for Him to bear, for He holds up worlds. He rules over all the affairs of the universe. Nothing that in any way concerns our peace is too small for Him to notice. There is no chapter in our experience too difficult for Him to unravel.
No calamity can befall the least of His children, no anxiety harass the soul, no joy cheer, no sincere prayer escape the lips, of which our heavenly Father is unobservant, or in which He takes no immediate interest. [He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds] (Ps. 147:3). The relations between God and each soul are as distinct and full as though there were not another soul upon the earth to share His watchcare, not another soul for whom He gave His beloved Son.
Jesus says, [You will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you] (John 16:26). [I chose you ... that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He may give you] (John 15:16). Our God is a tender, merciful Father. Service to Him should not be looked upon as a sorrowful and distressing event. It should be a pleasure to worship the Lord and take part in His work. God would not have His children, for whom so great salvation has been provided, act as if He were a hard, exacting taskmaster. He is their best Friend. Let us with joy come before our Father, with [thanksgiving and the voice of melody] (Isa. 51:3).
Praise the Lord.!
7. Our Real Father Who Forgave Us Our Iniquity, Transgression, and Sin
[And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord God merciful and gracious, longsuffering and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity'] (Ex. 34:6, 7).
Scores of centuries ago, the heavenly Father, the King of kings who so loves and pities His children on earth, declared a surprising message which makes us doubt our ears. He granted an amnesty to all the sinners on earth who were doomed to death by transgression, trembling with fear and waiting hopelessly for the day of execution. This message was the best news that had ever been heard by all condemned criminals who were helplessly waiting for the day of execution, living in despair in the bar-less prison of earth. The general amnesty itself was for their lives.
But in spite of the fact that this acquittal has already been declared, which should fill this earth-prison with joyful exclamations and shouts of exultation, it is rather strange and even more surprising to see that no one has even attempted to take off their filthy garments. No one seems to run out of this prison to freely enjoy the already newly endowed life of glory and liberty even though thousands of years have passed now since the amnesty was declared.
Consequently, in the prison of this earth is a perpetuation of the same dark and miserable life amid oppressive silence without any response to the joyful message. What is all this about? What is the reason? The first reason is that most criminals have not heard the message as they themselves claim; and the second reason is that although a few have heard it, they do not understand what it implies. This is why this glorious message of joyful tidings has contributed nothing to anyone in the immense prison of this earth. What a heart-breaking, sorrowful reality it is! Their acquittal has already been declared thousands of years ago and they did not hear it! Even if they heard it, they did not understand it! Oh, what a sad story it is that they have all died in this prison for generations, transferring their prison garments from father to son, and from son to grand son, and from generation to generation! Now, we can fully understand the heart of our heavenly Father who sent the message, [My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge] (Hosea 4:6). Our Father sight, saying, "My children are dying away in this earth-prison without bars because they do not know!"
(1) I Forgive [Iniquity and Transgression and Sin] (Ex. 34:7).
We will now learn what the amnesty (declaration of their acquit¬tal means, and why most of the criminal on earth do not understand it.
[The Lord ... proclaimed, the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin] (Ex. 34:6, 7). This means, I the Lord, the King of the universe proclaim, I am the Lord: I am merciful, gracious and longsuffering who hates to punish. And so I proclaim to all prisoners under heaven, enjoy your freedom, live happily and freely from now on since I have forgiven your [iniquity and transgression and sin] (Ex. 34:7).
Our merciful Father proclaims that He has forgiven our iniquity and transgression and sin. Then what are the nature of these three sins that confine us so miserably? And what makes us enjoy such complete liberty when we are freed from them? Let us now learn, one by one.
(1) Iniquity: This is what sinful David sighed about when he said, [Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity] ( Ps. 51:5), and this is what we are born with from our mother's womb. We are helpless to change our evil inclinations. This is the source of our evil inclinations which have been so strongly rooted in us throughout six thousand years, and we are helpless to be freed from it. It is an evil trait that a sinner can neither overcome nor change, as God says in the Bible, [can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard it spots? Then may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil] (Jer. 13:23). But the merciful God proclaims that He will change it for us Himself.
(2) Transgression: This is a sin committed, not on purpose, but by a momentary mistake, as a converted soul who longs and strive to live according to the will of God, makes accidental mistakes along the way. As Apostle Paul says,[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] (Rom. 7:24, 7:19). For instance, it is likened to the guilt of an accidental homicide committed by the mistake of a fine driver.
Our heavenly Father proclaims that He understands all these mistakes and forgives us completely.
(3) Sin: This is the worst evil out of the three, like that which David committed when he killed an innocent man Uriah, under an elaborate plan to take Bathsheba, his wife. But as God forgave the dreadfully sinful David when he returned in heartbreaking repentance, so He also proclaims to us that He has already forgiven all our sins, even the ones we committed intentionally.
[`Come now, let us reason together,' says the Lord, `though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool'] (Isa. 1:18).
[I, even I am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins] (Isa. 43:25).
[I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, and like a cloud, your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you] (Isa. 44:22).
Now, besides the three evils - that which we were born with, that which we commit by mistake during our lifetime, and that which we commit intentionally with no sense of shame, can you search out any other unpardoned evil in you? Brothers and sisters! Your Father in heaven who has begotten and brought you up with such great love, has been exclaiming for scores of centuries now, earnestly again and again, that He has already forgiven all your sins through the blood of Jesus His Son. [I have redeemed you] (Isa. 44:22). He has been shouting, " I have freed you from the chains of death; therefore, live forever happily in freedom and peace."
[Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depth of the sea] (Micah 7:18, 19).
[Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it! Shout, you lower parts of the earth; break forth into singing, you mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! For the Lord has redeemed] (Isa. 44:23).
[What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us who can be against us? ... Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? ... For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord] (Rom. 8:31-39).
(2) He Will By No Means Clear the Guilty
Our grateful Father has cast our iniquity and transgression and sin into the depths of the sea. Then what does He mean when He says He "will by no means clear the guilty" but visit the iniquity? Perhaps there is some other kind of evil that cannot be forgiven. If so, what are these unpardonable sins and how many are there? Let us take time to find the answer.
Confucius who was once referred to as the Saint of the East, classified all evils committed by men into three thousand categories. Then how many do you think are numbered by our heavenly Father? How many will there be in the sight of the Almighty God? Let us direct our attention to His voice. [My people have com¬mitted two evils: (1) they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and (2) hewn themselves cisterns-broken cisterns that can hold no water] (Jer. 2:13). Therefore, in the sight of our real Father who has removed all our iniquity and transgression and sin, there are found only two evils.
First is that we have forsaken and departed from God, the Source of life; and second is that we have striven to live by ourselves apart from God, the Source of life which implies the same as the first. Consequently, in the sight of God there is only one kind of evil, that is to forsake and depart from our heavenly Father who is the source of eternal life.
The Bible refers to this kind of sinner as one whom God "will by no means clear his guilt but surely visit the iniquity." Then is our God one who kills and has vengeance upon those children on earth who depart from Him? I am sad when I see that many people misunderstand here.
Our heavenly Father is the one who so loved His sinful children on earth that He gave up His only Son for us. He came down with His Son to share His agony of Calvary. His Son who died for the sins of the world. Can this be the wicked God who kills and destroys so mercilessly those children who forsake and depart from Him? No, never. On the contrary, He has greater pity and compassion on them than those children who have returned to Him. He always thinks of them, yearning for them with love and tenderness. So the why does the Bible describe the sinner who commits this sin "unpardonable?" This is well illustrated in the parable of the vine. As the branch dries up under the sun when it is separated from the vine, so do earthly children die away exhausted when they forsake and depart from the Father who is the fountain of living water. Jesus prophesied that the soul-branches who depart from God would dry up and be thrown into the fire in the end, saying, [They gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned] (John 15:6). These are whom God represented as guilty, who cannot be forgiven but their iniquity will surely be visited.
Concerning this unpardonable evil, Matthew, one of the disciples, testifies that it is [the blasphemy against the Spirit and it [will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come] (Matt. 12:31, 32). This testimony is true and right. Only in the hands of our Father are the living water of the Holy Spirit and precious blood of Jesus found. And so our heavenly Father is running after His sinful children of Earth holding this living water of the Holy Spirit in one hand and the precious blood of His Son Jesus on the other hand, but these foolish children run away all the more quickly. How can they find a drop of sin-cleansing blood that can wash them clean, or the living water of the Holy Spirit which can quench their thirst, either in this world or in the world to come, if they keep running away from the Father who is the only One possessing the living water and cleansing blood? Wandering around endlessly in the vast desert, they fall exhausted and die, all dried up and parched. Therefore,[the blasphemy against the Spirit ...] that [will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come] (Matt. 12:32), does not mean that our Father of infinite love and mercy does not forgive, but that He cannot forgive.
Before the love of our Father greater and broader than the universe, and before the sea of the precious blood of Jesus our Brother surging with greater majesty that the Pacific Ocean, can there be found any sin too great to be washed? No, not one. If there is any, it is solely because he himself chooses to run away from the tender care of the Father and from the precious blood of Jesus. And so, without pardon he only perishes in his sins. This is the natural consequence of his own deed, as one must reap the harvest of his own sowing. For He [will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity] (Ex. 34:7).
What is the Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit? (Matt. 12:31, 32)
Since we are on the subject , let us find out more about the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit before we close this chapter.
Jesus told us, [It is the Spirit ( the Holy Spirit) who gives life ... the words ( the Bible ) that I speak to you are spirit (the Holy Spirit)] (John 6:63), and [the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart] (Heb. 4:12). This is the Holy Spirit. He also adds, [You are gods ... to whom the word of God came, (and the Scripture cannot be broken)] (John 10:43, 35).
Moses was a man just like us, but he became a god (Ex. 4:16, 7:1) because he received the word that came out of the mouth of God (the Spirit of God).
The Holy Spirit is the Author of the entire 66 books of the Bible. He abides in the Bible and the words of the Bible themselves are the Holy Spirit. Therefore blaspheming against the Spirit means to defy and reject the word of God in the Bible. This is the dreadful sin of [blasphemy against the Spirit] that [will not be forgiven either in this age, or in the age to come] (Matt. 12:31, 32).
We know quite well the reason why King Saul, the greatly favored of God and leader of His people, was forsaken. he perished by a horrible death because of no other sin (Iniquity, transgression or sin) but the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, that is, disobedience to the word of God (the Bible).
[But Samuel said to Saul ... `For you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel'] (1 Sam. 15:26).
Jesus said, [Therefore whoever hears these saying of Mine (the Bible) and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock, and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. Now everyone who hears these saying of Mine (the Bible ) and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand; and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on the house, and it fell. And great was its fall] (Matt. 7:24-27). [For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things (the words of the Bible), God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book,] [He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches] (Rev. 22:18, 19, 2:7).
The words of the Bible that proceeds from the mouth of God the Father, and of the Son, and of the Spirit are [Spirit and life] - the everlasting life (John 6:63). Jesus also says, [You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life] (John 5:39). [Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God] (Matt. 4:4).
Therefore, the [two evils] that [they have forsaken Me] and hewn themselves Cisterns] (Jer. 2:13) are, to abandon the Bible, or disobey it although they have it. In the Bible abide God the Father, Jesus the Savior, and the Holy Spirit - the living water for perishing souls. In the Bible are found the guarantee of forgiveness, the cleansing blood, the heavenly kingdom, eternal life, the living water, and the fruit of life. All these promises and rewards are granted not to those who listen and obey only one or two phrases or some parts of the Bible, but to those who obey [every word] (Matt. 4:4) of God from both the Old and New Testaments.
Dear brothers and sisters! Your real Father in heaven who has forgiven the tremendous evils of your life - your iniquity, transgression and sin - asks you for only one thing in turn, to obey and follow the Bible; for it is the earnest desire of He who so loves us, to give us eternal life and every reward that is promised in the Bible.
[My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commandments] (Pro 3:1). [Do not add to His words, lest He reprove you, and you be found a liar] (Pro. 30:6). [You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take anything from it] (Deut. 4:2).
[To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them] (Isa. 8:20).
[Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry] (1 Sam. 15:22, 23).
[My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commands; For length of days and long life and peace they will add to you. Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart] (Pro. 3:1-3).
Scores of centuries ago, the heavenly Father, the King of kings who so loves and pities His children on earth, declared a surprising message which makes us doubt our ears. He granted an amnesty to all the sinners on earth who were doomed to death by transgression, trembling with fear and waiting hopelessly for the day of execution. This message was the best news that had ever been heard by all condemned criminals who were helplessly waiting for the day of execution, living in despair in the bar-less prison of earth. The general amnesty itself was for their lives.
But in spite of the fact that this acquittal has already been declared, which should fill this earth-prison with joyful exclamations and shouts of exultation, it is rather strange and even more surprising to see that no one has even attempted to take off their filthy garments. No one seems to run out of this prison to freely enjoy the already newly endowed life of glory and liberty even though thousands of years have passed now since the amnesty was declared.
Consequently, in the prison of this earth is a perpetuation of the same dark and miserable life amid oppressive silence without any response to the joyful message. What is all this about? What is the reason? The first reason is that most criminals have not heard the message as they themselves claim; and the second reason is that although a few have heard it, they do not understand what it implies. This is why this glorious message of joyful tidings has contributed nothing to anyone in the immense prison of this earth. What a heart-breaking, sorrowful reality it is! Their acquittal has already been declared thousands of years ago and they did not hear it! Even if they heard it, they did not understand it! Oh, what a sad story it is that they have all died in this prison for generations, transferring their prison garments from father to son, and from son to grand son, and from generation to generation! Now, we can fully understand the heart of our heavenly Father who sent the message, [My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge] (Hosea 4:6). Our Father sight, saying, "My children are dying away in this earth-prison without bars because they do not know!"
(1) I Forgive [Iniquity and Transgression and Sin] (Ex. 34:7).
We will now learn what the amnesty (declaration of their acquit¬tal means, and why most of the criminal on earth do not understand it.
[The Lord ... proclaimed, the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin] (Ex. 34:6, 7). This means, I the Lord, the King of the universe proclaim, I am the Lord: I am merciful, gracious and longsuffering who hates to punish. And so I proclaim to all prisoners under heaven, enjoy your freedom, live happily and freely from now on since I have forgiven your [iniquity and transgression and sin] (Ex. 34:7).
Our merciful Father proclaims that He has forgiven our iniquity and transgression and sin. Then what are the nature of these three sins that confine us so miserably? And what makes us enjoy such complete liberty when we are freed from them? Let us now learn, one by one.
(1) Iniquity: This is what sinful David sighed about when he said, [Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity] ( Ps. 51:5), and this is what we are born with from our mother's womb. We are helpless to change our evil inclinations. This is the source of our evil inclinations which have been so strongly rooted in us throughout six thousand years, and we are helpless to be freed from it. It is an evil trait that a sinner can neither overcome nor change, as God says in the Bible, [can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard it spots? Then may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil] (Jer. 13:23). But the merciful God proclaims that He will change it for us Himself.
(2) Transgression: This is a sin committed, not on purpose, but by a momentary mistake, as a converted soul who longs and strive to live according to the will of God, makes accidental mistakes along the way. As Apostle Paul says,[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] (Rom. 7:24, 7:19). For instance, it is likened to the guilt of an accidental homicide committed by the mistake of a fine driver.
Our heavenly Father proclaims that He understands all these mistakes and forgives us completely.
(3) Sin: This is the worst evil out of the three, like that which David committed when he killed an innocent man Uriah, under an elaborate plan to take Bathsheba, his wife. But as God forgave the dreadfully sinful David when he returned in heartbreaking repentance, so He also proclaims to us that He has already forgiven all our sins, even the ones we committed intentionally.
[`Come now, let us reason together,' says the Lord, `though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool'] (Isa. 1:18).
[I, even I am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins] (Isa. 43:25).
[I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, and like a cloud, your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you] (Isa. 44:22).
Now, besides the three evils - that which we were born with, that which we commit by mistake during our lifetime, and that which we commit intentionally with no sense of shame, can you search out any other unpardoned evil in you? Brothers and sisters! Your Father in heaven who has begotten and brought you up with such great love, has been exclaiming for scores of centuries now, earnestly again and again, that He has already forgiven all your sins through the blood of Jesus His Son. [I have redeemed you] (Isa. 44:22). He has been shouting, " I have freed you from the chains of death; therefore, live forever happily in freedom and peace."
[Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depth of the sea] (Micah 7:18, 19).
[Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it! Shout, you lower parts of the earth; break forth into singing, you mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! For the Lord has redeemed] (Isa. 44:23).
[What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us who can be against us? ... Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? ... For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord] (Rom. 8:31-39).
(2) He Will By No Means Clear the Guilty
Our grateful Father has cast our iniquity and transgression and sin into the depths of the sea. Then what does He mean when He says He "will by no means clear the guilty" but visit the iniquity? Perhaps there is some other kind of evil that cannot be forgiven. If so, what are these unpardonable sins and how many are there? Let us take time to find the answer.
Confucius who was once referred to as the Saint of the East, classified all evils committed by men into three thousand categories. Then how many do you think are numbered by our heavenly Father? How many will there be in the sight of the Almighty God? Let us direct our attention to His voice. [My people have com¬mitted two evils: (1) they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and (2) hewn themselves cisterns-broken cisterns that can hold no water] (Jer. 2:13). Therefore, in the sight of our real Father who has removed all our iniquity and transgression and sin, there are found only two evils.
First is that we have forsaken and departed from God, the Source of life; and second is that we have striven to live by ourselves apart from God, the Source of life which implies the same as the first. Consequently, in the sight of God there is only one kind of evil, that is to forsake and depart from our heavenly Father who is the source of eternal life.
The Bible refers to this kind of sinner as one whom God "will by no means clear his guilt but surely visit the iniquity." Then is our God one who kills and has vengeance upon those children on earth who depart from Him? I am sad when I see that many people misunderstand here.
Our heavenly Father is the one who so loved His sinful children on earth that He gave up His only Son for us. He came down with His Son to share His agony of Calvary. His Son who died for the sins of the world. Can this be the wicked God who kills and destroys so mercilessly those children who forsake and depart from Him? No, never. On the contrary, He has greater pity and compassion on them than those children who have returned to Him. He always thinks of them, yearning for them with love and tenderness. So the why does the Bible describe the sinner who commits this sin "unpardonable?" This is well illustrated in the parable of the vine. As the branch dries up under the sun when it is separated from the vine, so do earthly children die away exhausted when they forsake and depart from the Father who is the fountain of living water. Jesus prophesied that the soul-branches who depart from God would dry up and be thrown into the fire in the end, saying, [They gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned] (John 15:6). These are whom God represented as guilty, who cannot be forgiven but their iniquity will surely be visited.
Concerning this unpardonable evil, Matthew, one of the disciples, testifies that it is [the blasphemy against the Spirit and it [will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come] (Matt. 12:31, 32). This testimony is true and right. Only in the hands of our Father are the living water of the Holy Spirit and precious blood of Jesus found. And so our heavenly Father is running after His sinful children of Earth holding this living water of the Holy Spirit in one hand and the precious blood of His Son Jesus on the other hand, but these foolish children run away all the more quickly. How can they find a drop of sin-cleansing blood that can wash them clean, or the living water of the Holy Spirit which can quench their thirst, either in this world or in the world to come, if they keep running away from the Father who is the only One possessing the living water and cleansing blood? Wandering around endlessly in the vast desert, they fall exhausted and die, all dried up and parched. Therefore,[the blasphemy against the Spirit ...] that [will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come] (Matt. 12:32), does not mean that our Father of infinite love and mercy does not forgive, but that He cannot forgive.
Before the love of our Father greater and broader than the universe, and before the sea of the precious blood of Jesus our Brother surging with greater majesty that the Pacific Ocean, can there be found any sin too great to be washed? No, not one. If there is any, it is solely because he himself chooses to run away from the tender care of the Father and from the precious blood of Jesus. And so, without pardon he only perishes in his sins. This is the natural consequence of his own deed, as one must reap the harvest of his own sowing. For He [will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity] (Ex. 34:7).
What is the Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit? (Matt. 12:31, 32)
Since we are on the subject , let us find out more about the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit before we close this chapter.
Jesus told us, [It is the Spirit ( the Holy Spirit) who gives life ... the words ( the Bible ) that I speak to you are spirit (the Holy Spirit)] (John 6:63), and [the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart] (Heb. 4:12). This is the Holy Spirit. He also adds, [You are gods ... to whom the word of God came, (and the Scripture cannot be broken)] (John 10:43, 35).
Moses was a man just like us, but he became a god (Ex. 4:16, 7:1) because he received the word that came out of the mouth of God (the Spirit of God).
The Holy Spirit is the Author of the entire 66 books of the Bible. He abides in the Bible and the words of the Bible themselves are the Holy Spirit. Therefore blaspheming against the Spirit means to defy and reject the word of God in the Bible. This is the dreadful sin of [blasphemy against the Spirit] that [will not be forgiven either in this age, or in the age to come] (Matt. 12:31, 32).
We know quite well the reason why King Saul, the greatly favored of God and leader of His people, was forsaken. he perished by a horrible death because of no other sin (Iniquity, transgression or sin) but the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, that is, disobedience to the word of God (the Bible).
[But Samuel said to Saul ... `For you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel'] (1 Sam. 15:26).
Jesus said, [Therefore whoever hears these saying of Mine (the Bible) and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock, and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. Now everyone who hears these saying of Mine (the Bible ) and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand; and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on the house, and it fell. And great was its fall] (Matt. 7:24-27). [For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things (the words of the Bible), God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book,] [He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches] (Rev. 22:18, 19, 2:7).
The words of the Bible that proceeds from the mouth of God the Father, and of the Son, and of the Spirit are [Spirit and life] - the everlasting life (John 6:63). Jesus also says, [You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life] (John 5:39). [Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God] (Matt. 4:4).
Therefore, the [two evils] that [they have forsaken Me] and hewn themselves Cisterns] (Jer. 2:13) are, to abandon the Bible, or disobey it although they have it. In the Bible abide God the Father, Jesus the Savior, and the Holy Spirit - the living water for perishing souls. In the Bible are found the guarantee of forgiveness, the cleansing blood, the heavenly kingdom, eternal life, the living water, and the fruit of life. All these promises and rewards are granted not to those who listen and obey only one or two phrases or some parts of the Bible, but to those who obey [every word] (Matt. 4:4) of God from both the Old and New Testaments.
Dear brothers and sisters! Your real Father in heaven who has forgiven the tremendous evils of your life - your iniquity, transgression and sin - asks you for only one thing in turn, to obey and follow the Bible; for it is the earnest desire of He who so loves us, to give us eternal life and every reward that is promised in the Bible.
[My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commandments] (Pro 3:1). [Do not add to His words, lest He reprove you, and you be found a liar] (Pro. 30:6). [You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take anything from it] (Deut. 4:2).
[To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them] (Isa. 8:20).
[Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry] (1 Sam. 15:22, 23).
[My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commands; For length of days and long life and peace they will add to you. Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart] (Pro. 3:1-3).
8. Our Real Father Who Personally Heals All Our Diseases
There are innumerable children of God on earth, over five billion in number today. But we see there are only a few among all of them who know and genuinely appreciate the heavenly Father's love and grace. For example, many of His children get sick and groan every day while others get well daily. There are of course some who die of old age, but there are none among the healed who have not received the touch of our Father's curing hands.
Among the variety of medicines that doctors or physicians prescribe, not a single drug is made of ingredients that are not given by God. Their hands and minds, and even the knives held in their hands, are all given freely by the God of heaven.
[God who made the world and everything in it ...He gives to all men life, breath, and everything] (Acts 17:24, 25), hands and feet, and wisdom in heart. He says to us, [Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me. Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding] (Job. 38:3, 4). [Who has put wisdom in the mind? Or who has given understanding to the heart?] (Job 38:36). [And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you glory as if you had not received it?] (1 Cor. 4:7).
[Thus says the Lord: `Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, exercising loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight, says the Lord] (Jer. 9:23, 24).
If a doctor in a hospital performs a surgical operation on his patient with all his knowledge and skill, putting stitches in the wounds and applying remedies on them, afterwards there is nothing more he can do for the patient. This is the limit of the human doctor. From then on, God's hand does all the work. He heals up fractured bones and makes them strong, binds up bleeding wounds so perfectly that not a drop of water can soak into the healed skin, relieves sharp pains and restores the skin as perfectly as it was before. This is the everyday work of the heavenly Physician.
And some of the cured patients give thanks and praise to Jesus and the Holy Spirit for such an abundant grace, but there are few who give sincere thanks to the Father. Of course, Jesus and the Holy Spirit heal our diseases too, but I would, in this chapter, like to highly praise the healing power of God, the Father. Most people with one accord speak much about the power of Jesus that healed all the sick on earth two thousand years ago. And yet in the Bible, the [two witnesses] [who stand beside the Lord of the whole earth] (Rev. 11:3, Zech. 4:14), testify that most of the power to heal the sick and raise the dead performed by Jesus actually was the power of the Father and His healing hands.
It is written, [Is any among you sick? Let him pray] (James 5:14). [As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him] (Ps. 103:13).
[Miracles, wonders, and signs ... God did through Him (Jesus) in your midst, as you yourselves also know] (Acts 2:22). With power of God, He (Jesus) [went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him] (Acts 10:38). [Now Jesus went about all Galilee ... healing... all kind of disease among the people ... And they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics, and He healed them] (Matt. 4:23, 24). And Jesus said, [When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know ... that I do nothing of Myself; but ... My Father] (John 8:28).
[I am in the Father, and the Father in Me the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me; or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves] - Healing the sick and the mighty works and wonders. [I can of Myself do nothing] (John 14:10, 11, 5:30). "The mighty works that I did in healing the sick, raising the dead, and calming the sea were not what I a man Jesus did, but the Father." Yes, as He had been a true God before He came to this earth, so was He a true human, Jesus of Nazareth, a son of carpenter. Therefor the human Jesus did not raise up the dead, remove the maladies that were afflicting His children, and rebuke and calm the sea. The mighty works and power that flowed out from Jesus were performed by the power of the Almighty God, the Father who was in Him: God Himself did all the works through His Son. That is why Jesus said, [Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself] (John 5:19). [My Father has been working until now, and I have been working] (John 5:17). [He is kind to the unthankful and evil] (Luke 6:35).
Truly it was God the Father who came in the form of a man, Jesus of Nazareth, two thousand years ago; who laid hands on the poor, pitiful children, rejected, forsaken and left comfortless. He healed them all, especially visiting the needy from village to village, from city to city, and from town to town.
Oh, what an amazing love of the Father for the world! So unbelievably wonderful is the love that caused Him, the Majesty of heaven, the King of the universe, to come down to this cursed ground, to visit every poor home, to lay His hands on His afflicted children and heal them. How sad it is that the world does not know, that it is a hidden mystery even today.
The Bible shows that the disciples had been taught by Jesus about the Father's healing of love for His children, and upon witnessing all the healings the Father performed through His Son, they prayed after His ascension, not to Jesus or the Spirit, but to the Father, asking for His grace and aid in healing the sick.
[They raised their voices together in prayer to God, `Sovereign Lord... stretch out Your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.'] (Acts 4:24, 30 NIV). And the God of infinite love answered their prayer. [And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit] (Acts 4:31), and went about to heal all the sick. Once on the way to the temple, Peter and John saw [a man lame from his mother's womb] (Acts 3:2) and healed him. [And all the people were ... filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him] (Acts 3:9,10). And seeing them glorify the disciples and not God, Peter exclaimed, [Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers] by healing this man in the name of Jesus,[glorified His Servant Jesus] (Acts 3:12, 13).
Truly our real Father in heaven healed us Himself two thousand years ago through His Son and through the disciples. He is also healing us today, in the hospitals and in our homes. [But they did not know that I healed them] (Hosea 11:3).
How many among all the children of God in this world are there who appreciate and praise Him for His grace and love, for curing and delivering them from their painful diseases, and for being constantly concerned and caring for them. Surprisingly, there are very few. How sad the angels must be at the sight! There are many among the healed who feel grateful to Jesus. But it seems that there are almost none who give sincere thanks to the Father who in reality deserves to receive the greater gratitude from His children. How lonely and deserted He must feel when He sees no response of love or thanks from us! But without the slightest look of complaint or displeasure, He still lays His healing hands of love upon you and me even today, caring for us with steadfast love and tenderness. He continues to say to us, [I am the Lord who heals you] (Ex. 15:26).
Dear brothers and sisters! Although it is late let us now give thanks to our heavenly Father.
[Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God] (Ps. 147:1-3). [Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits ... who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your mouth with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's] (Ps. 103:2-5). [Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Oh give thanks to the God of heaven! For His mercy endures forever] (Ps. 136:1, 26). He is our real Father who personally heals all our diseases.
Praise the Lord!
Among the variety of medicines that doctors or physicians prescribe, not a single drug is made of ingredients that are not given by God. Their hands and minds, and even the knives held in their hands, are all given freely by the God of heaven.
[God who made the world and everything in it ...He gives to all men life, breath, and everything] (Acts 17:24, 25), hands and feet, and wisdom in heart. He says to us, [Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me. Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding] (Job. 38:3, 4). [Who has put wisdom in the mind? Or who has given understanding to the heart?] (Job 38:36). [And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you glory as if you had not received it?] (1 Cor. 4:7).
[Thus says the Lord: `Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, exercising loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight, says the Lord] (Jer. 9:23, 24).
If a doctor in a hospital performs a surgical operation on his patient with all his knowledge and skill, putting stitches in the wounds and applying remedies on them, afterwards there is nothing more he can do for the patient. This is the limit of the human doctor. From then on, God's hand does all the work. He heals up fractured bones and makes them strong, binds up bleeding wounds so perfectly that not a drop of water can soak into the healed skin, relieves sharp pains and restores the skin as perfectly as it was before. This is the everyday work of the heavenly Physician.
And some of the cured patients give thanks and praise to Jesus and the Holy Spirit for such an abundant grace, but there are few who give sincere thanks to the Father. Of course, Jesus and the Holy Spirit heal our diseases too, but I would, in this chapter, like to highly praise the healing power of God, the Father. Most people with one accord speak much about the power of Jesus that healed all the sick on earth two thousand years ago. And yet in the Bible, the [two witnesses] [who stand beside the Lord of the whole earth] (Rev. 11:3, Zech. 4:14), testify that most of the power to heal the sick and raise the dead performed by Jesus actually was the power of the Father and His healing hands.
It is written, [Is any among you sick? Let him pray] (James 5:14). [As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him] (Ps. 103:13).
[Miracles, wonders, and signs ... God did through Him (Jesus) in your midst, as you yourselves also know] (Acts 2:22). With power of God, He (Jesus) [went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him] (Acts 10:38). [Now Jesus went about all Galilee ... healing... all kind of disease among the people ... And they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics, and He healed them] (Matt. 4:23, 24). And Jesus said, [When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know ... that I do nothing of Myself; but ... My Father] (John 8:28).
[I am in the Father, and the Father in Me the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me; or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves] - Healing the sick and the mighty works and wonders. [I can of Myself do nothing] (John 14:10, 11, 5:30). "The mighty works that I did in healing the sick, raising the dead, and calming the sea were not what I a man Jesus did, but the Father." Yes, as He had been a true God before He came to this earth, so was He a true human, Jesus of Nazareth, a son of carpenter. Therefor the human Jesus did not raise up the dead, remove the maladies that were afflicting His children, and rebuke and calm the sea. The mighty works and power that flowed out from Jesus were performed by the power of the Almighty God, the Father who was in Him: God Himself did all the works through His Son. That is why Jesus said, [Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself] (John 5:19). [My Father has been working until now, and I have been working] (John 5:17). [He is kind to the unthankful and evil] (Luke 6:35).
Truly it was God the Father who came in the form of a man, Jesus of Nazareth, two thousand years ago; who laid hands on the poor, pitiful children, rejected, forsaken and left comfortless. He healed them all, especially visiting the needy from village to village, from city to city, and from town to town.
Oh, what an amazing love of the Father for the world! So unbelievably wonderful is the love that caused Him, the Majesty of heaven, the King of the universe, to come down to this cursed ground, to visit every poor home, to lay His hands on His afflicted children and heal them. How sad it is that the world does not know, that it is a hidden mystery even today.
The Bible shows that the disciples had been taught by Jesus about the Father's healing of love for His children, and upon witnessing all the healings the Father performed through His Son, they prayed after His ascension, not to Jesus or the Spirit, but to the Father, asking for His grace and aid in healing the sick.
[They raised their voices together in prayer to God, `Sovereign Lord... stretch out Your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.'] (Acts 4:24, 30 NIV). And the God of infinite love answered their prayer. [And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit] (Acts 4:31), and went about to heal all the sick. Once on the way to the temple, Peter and John saw [a man lame from his mother's womb] (Acts 3:2) and healed him. [And all the people were ... filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him] (Acts 3:9,10). And seeing them glorify the disciples and not God, Peter exclaimed, [Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers] by healing this man in the name of Jesus,[glorified His Servant Jesus] (Acts 3:12, 13).
Truly our real Father in heaven healed us Himself two thousand years ago through His Son and through the disciples. He is also healing us today, in the hospitals and in our homes. [But they did not know that I healed them] (Hosea 11:3).
How many among all the children of God in this world are there who appreciate and praise Him for His grace and love, for curing and delivering them from their painful diseases, and for being constantly concerned and caring for them. Surprisingly, there are very few. How sad the angels must be at the sight! There are many among the healed who feel grateful to Jesus. But it seems that there are almost none who give sincere thanks to the Father who in reality deserves to receive the greater gratitude from His children. How lonely and deserted He must feel when He sees no response of love or thanks from us! But without the slightest look of complaint or displeasure, He still lays His healing hands of love upon you and me even today, caring for us with steadfast love and tenderness. He continues to say to us, [I am the Lord who heals you] (Ex. 15:26).
Dear brothers and sisters! Although it is late let us now give thanks to our heavenly Father.
[Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God] (Ps. 147:1-3). [Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits ... who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your mouth with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's] (Ps. 103:2-5). [Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Oh give thanks to the God of heaven! For His mercy endures forever] (Ps. 136:1, 26). He is our real Father who personally heals all our diseases.
Praise the Lord!
Friday, January 30, 2009
9. Our Real Father Who Works Diligently For Each of His Children
(1) Our Heavenly Father Who Works Diligently
Most of my brethren in the world seem to think that our heavenly Father is a God who does nothing Himself, but is always in a state of idle inactivity on His throne, requiring of all angels and men glory, praise and reverence. He is also looked upon as a stern, harsh and mean tyrant, who searches for the faults and wrong doings of sinners in order to punish them. But this is a most grievous misunderstanding and perversion.
Let us now listen to the testimony of our Eldest Brother, Jesus Christ, the very Son of the God who has been with Him from eternity and from the beginning of the foundation of the world.
It is written, the Lord Started [His works of old... while as yet He had not made the earth or the fields, or the primeval dust of the world. When He prepared the heavens, I was there when He drew a circle on the face of the deep when He established the clouds above, when He strengthened the foundations of the deep, when He assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters would not transgress His command, when He marked out the foundations of the earth, then I was beside Him as a master craftsman and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him] (Pro. 8:22, 26-30).
[My Father has been working until now, and I have been working ... Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner] (John 5:17, 19). [I can of Myself do nothing] (John 5:30).
Truly our heavenly Father has been working diligently for all His children in the universe since the beginning of the world and will never cease His work and service. He never becomes tired or weary. [Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth neither faints nor is weary. There is no searching of His understanding. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength] (Isa. 40:28, 29). [But I am the Lord your God, who divided the sea whose waves roared - the Lord of hosts is His name] (Isa. 51:15).
(2) Our Heavenly Father Who Supplies the Needs
Jesus specifically tells us of the works of His Father in detail. [Look at the birds of the air; for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them ... Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these] for He clothed them so beautifully ... [God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven] (Matt. 6:26, 28-30). Moreover, [who provides food for the raven when its young ones cry to God, and wander about for lack of food?] (Job 38:41). Your Father, your heavenly Father feeds them.
[Can you hunt the prey for the lion, or satisfy the appetite of the young lions when they crouch in their dens (in hunger)?] (Job 38:39, 40). Your Father also feeds them.
He [covers the heavens with clouds, (He) prepares rain for the earth, (He) makes grass to grow on the mountains] (Ps. 147:8). And He [causes the grass to grow for the cattle, and vegetation for the service of man] (Ps. 104:14).
And [this great and wide sea in which are innumerable teeming things ... both small and great ... these all wait for You ... what Your give them they gather in, You open Your hand, they filled with good] (Ps. 104:25-28).
[In this manner therefore pray: Our Father in heaven ... Give us today our daily bread.] And He will give [to all liberally and without reproach] (Matt. 6:9-13, James 1:5). [The eyes of all look expectantly to You, and You give them their food in due season. You open your hand, and satisfy the desires of every living thing] (Ps. 145:15, 16).
[O Lord, how manifold are Your works!] (Ps 104:24). No one can count or number them.
(3) Our Real Father Who Takes Unceasing Care of Us
[Then Jesus said to them again, `Peace be unto you'] (John 20:21).
[Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows] (Matt. 10:29-31).
[Now if God so clothes the grass of the field] with such tender love [which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you] (Matt. 6:30) whom He has Himself begotten and brought up with such great love? [O you of little faith ... do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things] (Luke 12:28-30) and provided them for you.
[But seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things (food, clothing, a home, treasures) shall be added to you] (Matt. 6:33).
[Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love for the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world -the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life -is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever] (1 John 2:15-17). Therefore [having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.
[As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him.] [As one whom his mother comforts, so [He] will comfort you.] He will [satisfy your mouth with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's] (Ps. 103:13, Isa. 66:13, Ps. 103:3, 5).
[He is not far from each one of us, for in Him we live and move and have our being ... for we are also His offspring] (Acts 17:27, 28).
Our Father in heaven is the source of life, of wisdom and of joy. Look at the wonderful and beautiful things of nature, think of their marvelous adaptation to the needs and happiness, not only of man, but of all living creatures. The sunshine and the rain that gladden and refresh the earth, the hills and seas and plains, all speak to us of the love of the Creator, our heavenly Father. It is God who supplies the daily needs of all His creatures.
[God is love] is written upon every opening bud, upon every spire of springing grass. The lovely birds making the air vocal with happy songs, the delicately tinted flowers in their perfection perfuming the air, the lofty trees of the forest with their rich foliage of living green - all testify to the tender, fatherly care of our God and to His desire in making His children happy.
Moreover, His power is revealed on the pulsation of the heart, on the movement of the lungs, and on the thousands of blood vessels of every organ in the whole body. Every passing moment of our existence and well-being we owe to Him. He takes care of us with greater pity than that of a mother hugging her baby groaning in sickness. His heart of love is touched by our sorrows and even by our utterances of them.
There is not a sigh breathed, not a pain felt, nor a grief piercing our souls that does not vibrate to His heart.
There is no family head as faithful, devoted, loving and kind as our heavenly Father in this whole world. He is also the most tender Caretaker of our universal family. Unlimited is His love for us.
[But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me my Lord has forgotten me. Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; your walls are continually before Me'] (Isa. 49:14-16).
You [who have been upheld by Me from birth, who have been carried from the womb: Even to your old age, I am He, and even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear: even I will carry, and will deliver you] (Isa. 46:3, 4).
Praise the Lord! Glory to our Father who takes unceasing care of us! Praise the Lord!
Most of my brethren in the world seem to think that our heavenly Father is a God who does nothing Himself, but is always in a state of idle inactivity on His throne, requiring of all angels and men glory, praise and reverence. He is also looked upon as a stern, harsh and mean tyrant, who searches for the faults and wrong doings of sinners in order to punish them. But this is a most grievous misunderstanding and perversion.
Let us now listen to the testimony of our Eldest Brother, Jesus Christ, the very Son of the God who has been with Him from eternity and from the beginning of the foundation of the world.
It is written, the Lord Started [His works of old... while as yet He had not made the earth or the fields, or the primeval dust of the world. When He prepared the heavens, I was there when He drew a circle on the face of the deep when He established the clouds above, when He strengthened the foundations of the deep, when He assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters would not transgress His command, when He marked out the foundations of the earth, then I was beside Him as a master craftsman and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him] (Pro. 8:22, 26-30).
[My Father has been working until now, and I have been working ... Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner] (John 5:17, 19). [I can of Myself do nothing] (John 5:30).
Truly our heavenly Father has been working diligently for all His children in the universe since the beginning of the world and will never cease His work and service. He never becomes tired or weary. [Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth neither faints nor is weary. There is no searching of His understanding. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength] (Isa. 40:28, 29). [But I am the Lord your God, who divided the sea whose waves roared - the Lord of hosts is His name] (Isa. 51:15).
(2) Our Heavenly Father Who Supplies the Needs
Jesus specifically tells us of the works of His Father in detail. [Look at the birds of the air; for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them ... Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these] for He clothed them so beautifully ... [God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven] (Matt. 6:26, 28-30). Moreover, [who provides food for the raven when its young ones cry to God, and wander about for lack of food?] (Job 38:41). Your Father, your heavenly Father feeds them.
[Can you hunt the prey for the lion, or satisfy the appetite of the young lions when they crouch in their dens (in hunger)?] (Job 38:39, 40). Your Father also feeds them.
He [covers the heavens with clouds, (He) prepares rain for the earth, (He) makes grass to grow on the mountains] (Ps. 147:8). And He [causes the grass to grow for the cattle, and vegetation for the service of man] (Ps. 104:14).
And [this great and wide sea in which are innumerable teeming things ... both small and great ... these all wait for You ... what Your give them they gather in, You open Your hand, they filled with good] (Ps. 104:25-28).
[In this manner therefore pray: Our Father in heaven ... Give us today our daily bread.] And He will give [to all liberally and without reproach] (Matt. 6:9-13, James 1:5). [The eyes of all look expectantly to You, and You give them their food in due season. You open your hand, and satisfy the desires of every living thing] (Ps. 145:15, 16).
[O Lord, how manifold are Your works!] (Ps 104:24). No one can count or number them.
(3) Our Real Father Who Takes Unceasing Care of Us
[Then Jesus said to them again, `Peace be unto you'] (John 20:21).
[Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows] (Matt. 10:29-31).
[Now if God so clothes the grass of the field] with such tender love [which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you] (Matt. 6:30) whom He has Himself begotten and brought up with such great love? [O you of little faith ... do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things] (Luke 12:28-30) and provided them for you.
[But seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things (food, clothing, a home, treasures) shall be added to you] (Matt. 6:33).
[Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love for the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world -the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life -is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever] (1 John 2:15-17). Therefore [having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.
[As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him.] [As one whom his mother comforts, so [He] will comfort you.] He will [satisfy your mouth with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's] (Ps. 103:13, Isa. 66:13, Ps. 103:3, 5).
[He is not far from each one of us, for in Him we live and move and have our being ... for we are also His offspring] (Acts 17:27, 28).
Our Father in heaven is the source of life, of wisdom and of joy. Look at the wonderful and beautiful things of nature, think of their marvelous adaptation to the needs and happiness, not only of man, but of all living creatures. The sunshine and the rain that gladden and refresh the earth, the hills and seas and plains, all speak to us of the love of the Creator, our heavenly Father. It is God who supplies the daily needs of all His creatures.
[God is love] is written upon every opening bud, upon every spire of springing grass. The lovely birds making the air vocal with happy songs, the delicately tinted flowers in their perfection perfuming the air, the lofty trees of the forest with their rich foliage of living green - all testify to the tender, fatherly care of our God and to His desire in making His children happy.
Moreover, His power is revealed on the pulsation of the heart, on the movement of the lungs, and on the thousands of blood vessels of every organ in the whole body. Every passing moment of our existence and well-being we owe to Him. He takes care of us with greater pity than that of a mother hugging her baby groaning in sickness. His heart of love is touched by our sorrows and even by our utterances of them.
There is not a sigh breathed, not a pain felt, nor a grief piercing our souls that does not vibrate to His heart.
There is no family head as faithful, devoted, loving and kind as our heavenly Father in this whole world. He is also the most tender Caretaker of our universal family. Unlimited is His love for us.
[But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me my Lord has forgotten me. Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; your walls are continually before Me'] (Isa. 49:14-16).
You [who have been upheld by Me from birth, who have been carried from the womb: Even to your old age, I am He, and even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear: even I will carry, and will deliver you] (Isa. 46:3, 4).
Praise the Lord! Glory to our Father who takes unceasing care of us! Praise the Lord!
10. Our Real Father who Gives His Holy Spirit to Us Sinners
As I travel to new areas during missionary work, I frequently ask fellow believers this question, "Dear friends! God has promised to pour His Holy Spirit upon us; then will He give it to the pure, holy and blameless ones or to the wicked, filthy, abominable sinners?' And most of them reply in unison, "of course to the pure, holy and blameless ones."
As I hear such replies from my fellow believers, I feel so sorry. And the discussion leads us to open the Bible. Let us look to the Bible now and see whether He has truly said that He would give it to the good and blameless ones. Let's open Luke chapter 11 and we will have a period of interesting Bible study.
In Luke chapter 11 Jesus said, [If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? ... How much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!] (Luke 11:11-13). [And I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened] (Luke 11:9, 10).
To whom did He say, " Ask and it will be given you?" Let's look this up in detail.
[If you then being evil ... your heavenly Father (will) give the Holy spirit to those who ask Him] (Luke 11:13). We are assured that He has promised to give His Spirit to the evil. Yes, it is true. When the Holy Spirit, the third God, comes to the sinner by grace, he realizes that he is a sinner and is led to repent of his past sinful life. Then his life becomes pure and regenerated, and he is sanctified into a spotless person.
On the contrary, if a sinner attempts to make himself pure and good enough to receive the Holy Spirit on his own before he comes to God first, he will never become good enough to receive it nor have an opportunity to receive it, ever. Trying to become holy without God is an absurd and presumptuous sin.
[For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters (Holy Spirit), and hewn themselves cisterns- broken cisterns that can hold no water (Holy Spirit)] (Jer. 2:13). Toward these people God says, [You fool!] [Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots] by themselves? [Neither can you do good,] without the help of the Holy Spirit, [who are accustomed to doing evil] (Luke 12:20, Jer. 13:23).
[O foolish man,] neither say in your heart, [Let us now fear the Lord our God, who gives rain, both the former and the latter, it its season ... Your iniquities have turned these things away, and your sins have withheld good things (the Spirit of the former and latter rain) from you.] [Therefore the showers have been withheld, and there has been no latter rain. You have a harlot's forehead, you refuse to be ashamed] (James 2:20, Jer. 5:24, 25, Jer. 3:3).
They at last become like those who have forever lost the opportunity to be saved and dry out, [The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved!] (Jer. 8:20). While they are spending foolish time in striving to make themselves pure and holy enough to receive the Holy Spirit, the merciful God is earnestly waiting for them to come to Him to receive the Spirit, allowing them so much time and opportunities with perseverance, but they persist and do not go to Him.
Therefore He says, [I will scatter them like stubble that passes away by the wind of the wilderness ...This is your lot, the portion of your measures from Me, says the Lord, because you have forgotten Me and trusted in (your own) falsehood] (Jer. 13:24, 25).
[And if you say in your heart, `Why have these things come upon me?' (It is) for the greatness of your iniquity] (Jer 13:22). [Woe to you, O Jerusalem! Will you still not be made clean?] (Jer. 13:27).
The greatest sin of those who profess to be Christians is that they neither seek the Holy Spirit nor open their heart to receive it. Desires for goodness and holiness are good as far as they go; but if you stop there and do not seek the Holy Spirit, they will avail nothing. Many will perish while only hoping and desiring to be true Christians.
[There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews] (John 3:1). He was truly a man who endeavored to keep the laws, to live a pure, holy, and pious life, trying to become a sanctified man all by himself. But contrary to his diligent efforts and aspirations, his life was only a succession of bitter disappointment, distress and disillusion resulting from continual atrophy and failure. At last He determined to meet Jesus of whom he had heard so much of through rumors.
As he came to Jesus one night, he did not expose his miserable state before Him but concealing his true heart said, [Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him] (John 3:2). But He who clearly knew the miserable state and sympathized with the agony of this desperate soul, did not respond to his meaningless speech but rather gave him the very answer to the cry from the deep of his heart - "Lord! What should I do to be sanctified and join the holy people of God's kingdom?" And so He answered, [Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God] (John 3:3).
To say again, "Truly I teach you aright: unless one first receives from God His Spirit to be born again by it, and becomes a regenerated person by receiving a new life from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God." But Nicodemus failed to comprehend Jesus' words and retorted with an absurd question unworthy of a well-informed Jewish ruler, [Nicodemus said to Him, `How can a man be born when he is old?'] (John 3:4). And more specifically [Jesus answered, `Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of ... the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God'] (John 3:5). That is to say, 'Truly I teach you again, unless a sinner receives from God His Holy Spirit to be transformed into holiness by His power, and becomes born again, all his efforts to become sanctified by himself and to enter heaven will avail nothing and prove impossible."
From that hour on, this struggling soul settled all is hidden problems after only one precious interview with Jesus, to become one of His most faithful disciples who from then on, began to live a regenerated life by submitting to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. And after His crucifixion, although all the other disciples had forsaken Him and run away, Nicodemus alone brought [a mixture of myrrh and aloes about a hundred pounds] (John 19:39) and bravely received Him with sorrow upon His death.
Many today lust for the Spirit, [and do not have; You murder and covet and cannot obtain ... you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spent it on your pleasures] (James 4:2, 3).
Truly the Spirit does not come by force or compulsion like the evil spirits do into the heart of those who neither feel need nor seek for it. It is a pure as a dove and only comes to those who invite it with kindness. The Holy Spirit is not given in answer to the prayers of those who seek to use it for display, show and other selfish motives, but only to those who are willing to obey it with the humility of a child.
Today, Jesus proclaims to the humble, [If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive] (John 7:37-39).
Isaiah exclaims, [Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters (Holy Spirit); and you who have no money, come, buy and eat... without money and without price] (Isa. 55:1).
Peter exclaims,[ ... everyone of you .. in the name of Jesus Christ ... shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call] (Acts 2:38, 39).
Apostle Paul exclaims too, [When the kindness and the love of God or Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life] (Titus 3:4-7).
The Holy Spirit itself exclaims, [The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!' And let him who hears say, ‘Come!' And let him who thirsts come. And whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.] [Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick... For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners] (Rev. 22:17, Matt. 9:12, 13) who are not yet sanctified.
Our heavenly Father is more willing to give the Holy Spirit to those who serve Him than are parents to give good gifts to their children. When the Spirit of God takes possession of the heart, it transforms the life. If all were willing, all would be filled with Spirit and have the experience of regeneration and attain to the state of sanctification.
[As the body without the spirit is dead,] [if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His] (James 2:26, Rom. 8:9).
The promise of the Holy Spirit is not limited to any age or to any race. Christ declared that the divine influence of His Spirit was to be with His followers unto the end of the world. From the day of Pentecost to the present time, the Comforter has been sent to all who have yielded themselves fully to the Lord and to His service. The lapse of time has wrought no change in Christ's parting promise to send the Holy Spirit as His representative. It is not because of any restriction on the part of God that the riches of His grace do not flow earthward to men. If the fulfillment is not seen as it might be, it is because the promise is not appreciated as it should be. If all were willing, all would be filled with the Spirit.
The children of God are not those whose hearts are sometimes touched by the Spirit, who yield to its, power now and then. It is only those who are led by the Spirit always that He acknowledges as His children. It is time to receive the Spirit today when whoever seeks for it can receive. Seek and pray earnestly for the blessing of the Spirit, and believe it. We must have it, and heaven is waiting to bestow it.
[And I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will our heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!] (Luke 11:9-13).
[He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not be with Him also freely give us all things?] (Rom. 8:32).
[Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full] (John 16:24).
Praise the Lord! Glory to our real Father in heaven who bestows His Holy Spirit upon us sinners!
As I hear such replies from my fellow believers, I feel so sorry. And the discussion leads us to open the Bible. Let us look to the Bible now and see whether He has truly said that He would give it to the good and blameless ones. Let's open Luke chapter 11 and we will have a period of interesting Bible study.
In Luke chapter 11 Jesus said, [If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? ... How much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!] (Luke 11:11-13). [And I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened] (Luke 11:9, 10).
To whom did He say, " Ask and it will be given you?" Let's look this up in detail.
[If you then being evil ... your heavenly Father (will) give the Holy spirit to those who ask Him] (Luke 11:13). We are assured that He has promised to give His Spirit to the evil. Yes, it is true. When the Holy Spirit, the third God, comes to the sinner by grace, he realizes that he is a sinner and is led to repent of his past sinful life. Then his life becomes pure and regenerated, and he is sanctified into a spotless person.
On the contrary, if a sinner attempts to make himself pure and good enough to receive the Holy Spirit on his own before he comes to God first, he will never become good enough to receive it nor have an opportunity to receive it, ever. Trying to become holy without God is an absurd and presumptuous sin.
[For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters (Holy Spirit), and hewn themselves cisterns- broken cisterns that can hold no water (Holy Spirit)] (Jer. 2:13). Toward these people God says, [You fool!] [Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots] by themselves? [Neither can you do good,] without the help of the Holy Spirit, [who are accustomed to doing evil] (Luke 12:20, Jer. 13:23).
[O foolish man,] neither say in your heart, [Let us now fear the Lord our God, who gives rain, both the former and the latter, it its season ... Your iniquities have turned these things away, and your sins have withheld good things (the Spirit of the former and latter rain) from you.] [Therefore the showers have been withheld, and there has been no latter rain. You have a harlot's forehead, you refuse to be ashamed] (James 2:20, Jer. 5:24, 25, Jer. 3:3).
They at last become like those who have forever lost the opportunity to be saved and dry out, [The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved!] (Jer. 8:20). While they are spending foolish time in striving to make themselves pure and holy enough to receive the Holy Spirit, the merciful God is earnestly waiting for them to come to Him to receive the Spirit, allowing them so much time and opportunities with perseverance, but they persist and do not go to Him.
Therefore He says, [I will scatter them like stubble that passes away by the wind of the wilderness ...This is your lot, the portion of your measures from Me, says the Lord, because you have forgotten Me and trusted in (your own) falsehood] (Jer. 13:24, 25).
[And if you say in your heart, `Why have these things come upon me?' (It is) for the greatness of your iniquity] (Jer 13:22). [Woe to you, O Jerusalem! Will you still not be made clean?] (Jer. 13:27).
The greatest sin of those who profess to be Christians is that they neither seek the Holy Spirit nor open their heart to receive it. Desires for goodness and holiness are good as far as they go; but if you stop there and do not seek the Holy Spirit, they will avail nothing. Many will perish while only hoping and desiring to be true Christians.
[There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews] (John 3:1). He was truly a man who endeavored to keep the laws, to live a pure, holy, and pious life, trying to become a sanctified man all by himself. But contrary to his diligent efforts and aspirations, his life was only a succession of bitter disappointment, distress and disillusion resulting from continual atrophy and failure. At last He determined to meet Jesus of whom he had heard so much of through rumors.
As he came to Jesus one night, he did not expose his miserable state before Him but concealing his true heart said, [Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him] (John 3:2). But He who clearly knew the miserable state and sympathized with the agony of this desperate soul, did not respond to his meaningless speech but rather gave him the very answer to the cry from the deep of his heart - "Lord! What should I do to be sanctified and join the holy people of God's kingdom?" And so He answered, [Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God] (John 3:3).
To say again, "Truly I teach you aright: unless one first receives from God His Spirit to be born again by it, and becomes a regenerated person by receiving a new life from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God." But Nicodemus failed to comprehend Jesus' words and retorted with an absurd question unworthy of a well-informed Jewish ruler, [Nicodemus said to Him, `How can a man be born when he is old?'] (John 3:4). And more specifically [Jesus answered, `Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of ... the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God'] (John 3:5). That is to say, 'Truly I teach you again, unless a sinner receives from God His Holy Spirit to be transformed into holiness by His power, and becomes born again, all his efforts to become sanctified by himself and to enter heaven will avail nothing and prove impossible."
From that hour on, this struggling soul settled all is hidden problems after only one precious interview with Jesus, to become one of His most faithful disciples who from then on, began to live a regenerated life by submitting to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. And after His crucifixion, although all the other disciples had forsaken Him and run away, Nicodemus alone brought [a mixture of myrrh and aloes about a hundred pounds] (John 19:39) and bravely received Him with sorrow upon His death.
Many today lust for the Spirit, [and do not have; You murder and covet and cannot obtain ... you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spent it on your pleasures] (James 4:2, 3).
Truly the Spirit does not come by force or compulsion like the evil spirits do into the heart of those who neither feel need nor seek for it. It is a pure as a dove and only comes to those who invite it with kindness. The Holy Spirit is not given in answer to the prayers of those who seek to use it for display, show and other selfish motives, but only to those who are willing to obey it with the humility of a child.
Today, Jesus proclaims to the humble, [If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive] (John 7:37-39).
Isaiah exclaims, [Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters (Holy Spirit); and you who have no money, come, buy and eat... without money and without price] (Isa. 55:1).
Peter exclaims,[ ... everyone of you .. in the name of Jesus Christ ... shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call] (Acts 2:38, 39).
Apostle Paul exclaims too, [When the kindness and the love of God or Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life] (Titus 3:4-7).
The Holy Spirit itself exclaims, [The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!' And let him who hears say, ‘Come!' And let him who thirsts come. And whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.] [Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick... For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners] (Rev. 22:17, Matt. 9:12, 13) who are not yet sanctified.
Our heavenly Father is more willing to give the Holy Spirit to those who serve Him than are parents to give good gifts to their children. When the Spirit of God takes possession of the heart, it transforms the life. If all were willing, all would be filled with Spirit and have the experience of regeneration and attain to the state of sanctification.
[As the body without the spirit is dead,] [if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His] (James 2:26, Rom. 8:9).
The promise of the Holy Spirit is not limited to any age or to any race. Christ declared that the divine influence of His Spirit was to be with His followers unto the end of the world. From the day of Pentecost to the present time, the Comforter has been sent to all who have yielded themselves fully to the Lord and to His service. The lapse of time has wrought no change in Christ's parting promise to send the Holy Spirit as His representative. It is not because of any restriction on the part of God that the riches of His grace do not flow earthward to men. If the fulfillment is not seen as it might be, it is because the promise is not appreciated as it should be. If all were willing, all would be filled with the Spirit.
The children of God are not those whose hearts are sometimes touched by the Spirit, who yield to its, power now and then. It is only those who are led by the Spirit always that He acknowledges as His children. It is time to receive the Spirit today when whoever seeks for it can receive. Seek and pray earnestly for the blessing of the Spirit, and believe it. We must have it, and heaven is waiting to bestow it.
[And I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will our heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!] (Luke 11:9-13).
[He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not be with Him also freely give us all things?] (Rom. 8:32).
[Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full] (John 16:24).
Praise the Lord! Glory to our real Father in heaven who bestows His Holy Spirit upon us sinners!
11. Our real Father Who Gave Another Fruit of Life to Us, His Fallen Children
(1) People Who Enjoy Foolish Adventures
In order for Adam and Eve who were the first children of God on earth to live a life of eternal happiness without death, our Father showed them the ways and conditions for everlasting life. He warned them of the terrible pit of destruction that they would fall into if they were to disregard His conditions and gave them precautions and instructions to be on guard, repeatedly.
The condition for an eternal life of happiness was,[The Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden] (Gen. 2:9). [Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it ... and commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat'] (Gen. 2:15, 16), and live forever.
As for the way that leads to the pit of death He clearly warned saying, [but of the fruit of the tree (of the knowledge of good and evil) which is in the midst of the garden you shall not eat it ... for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die] (Gen 3:3, 2:17).
And so they were well instructed regarding the ways and conditions for eternal life as well as for eternal death. But these first children of God fearlessly attempted to take a terrible and foolish adventure. They trifled with the words of their truthful Father and inclined their ears to the whisperings of the enemy, who had climbed over the wall of Eden to entice them into partaking of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which was full of the deadly poison of death. By trifling with the words of the Father, there immediately resulted in the rapid spreading of the deadly poison throughout their whole bodies and souls, and their immortality which was promised on the condition of obedience was forever forfeited. Who could have known the terrible consequences that would result from one wrong step taken against God's word, in following the enemy's suggestion in that deadly moment of temptation? How could they love adventure so recklessly as to dare doubt their Father's words?
But my brothers and sisters! Do not be astonished. For many more children than the first two, millions and tens of millions of God's children today are at this very hour enjoying the same dreadful adventure as did the first holy pair in the beginning, and all are falling into the great snare of death, into a vast field of corpses. Some may be perplexed and ask, "What do you mean by this?" But it is true that the whole human race, excluding a few, are continuously eating that very fruit of the forbidden tree that the first holy pair ate of and died, and they are all going down toward destruction.
Before we study the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, let me tell you about one more thing.
There is only one way to life or death, either in the garden of Eden, on this earth today, or in the future heavenly paradise: All who partake of the tree of knowledge become doomed to degradation and death by its poison. And all who forsake the forbidden fruit and only take the fruit of the tree of life become the heirs of an eternal life of happiness both on earth and in heaven. This is the only immutable law of life and death that the Creator our Father has established, who is the [Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End] (Rev. 1:8).
We well know that there were both the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in Eden, and that they will also be present in today's fruit of life or forbidden fruit which is extremely important to our survival today.
(2) The Fruit of Life That Even Fallen Sinners Can Eat and Live
Let us now learn about today's fruit of life. When Adam and Eve tried to hide their shame with fig leaves after having forfeited their robes of light which had enshrouded them before their transgression, our Father of infinite love and mercy provided them with a garment of sheepskin representing the garments of the Savior's righteousness, to replace their lost robe of glorious light.
Moreover, for His earthly children who are wandering even today, after forfeiting the fruit of life which sinners can no longer partake of, He provides another fruit of life that even the greatest sinners can partake of and live forever. This is the word fruit of life, the Bible, that proceeds out of the mouth of God who is the source of eternal life. As He said, [Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God] (Matt. 4:4). This is why Peter said, [Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life] (John 6:68).
Now by only taking the word of fruit of life, we sinners are able to restore the eternal life we forfeited in Eden. This is yet another form of the fruit of life that our Father mercifully bestowed upon us who are wandering about after having lost access to the fruit of life in Eden. Jesus also adds, [It is the Spirit who gives life ... the words (Bible) that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.] [You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life.] [Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God] (John 6:63, John 5:39, Matt. 4:4).
Oh, what a wonderful and precious gift our heavenly Father gave to His sinful children! We no longer need to be sorrowful over the fruit of life that we forfeited in Eden. The Bible, the new form of the fruit of life, is not in the slightest degree inferior to that of the one in Eden in giving us eternal life. On the contrary, it is more convenient to take and has the same effects. The only differences are in the way they look, in the way we eat of it, and in the location of the trees.
The former one was the fruit on the tree; we were able to see it with our eyes, pluck it with our hands, and eat it with our mouth, and it was in the midst of the Garden. But the latter one is made of letters which altogether constitute His Word that if filled with His Spirit and life; that we see through the eyes of the soul, and pluck with the hand of the heart, and eat through the mouth of the soul. It is located in the midst of the Bible. Anywhere in the world that the Bible is found, we can easily obtain it, eat of it and live. We need not attempt to go to Eden. Moreover, in the garden of Eden only the sinless ones were able to partake of it, but that which we have now sinners and anyone who chooses to can freely pluck it, eat it and live forever. Should we not praise and thank our Father for this?
In addition, He has given us the walking word fruit of life, that is, Jesus Christ His Son who says, [I am the bread of life.] [I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever] (John 6:48, 51).
Truly Jesus Christ is the fruit of life who brings us perfect eternal life which has been given from God; He is the Word that has been with God from the beginning (John 1:1). And this [Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory ... full of grace and truth] (John 1:14), and He was the word fruit of life.
(3) The Beautiful Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil
Now, let's turn to the story of the forbidden fruit. In the center of the Garden of Eden, the tree of knowledge of good and evil was standing in parallel with the fruit of life, as if in jealous competition with each other. [The fruit of life was also in the midst of the knowledge of good and evil] (Gen. 2:9). [But God has said, ‘You shall not eat it ... nor shall you touch it'] (Gen. 3:3).
As the tree of knowledge of good and evil was standing in parallel competitively with the fruit of life in the midst of the garden so is today's forbidden tree standing jealously in parallel with the word fruit of life in the midst of the Bible. Today's tree of knowledge is also a word tree like the word fruit of life. In other words, the word tree of knowledge is also found in the midst of the Bible.
Today, the fate of every member of the entire human race depends upon which tree he chooses to partake of ; either the word fruit of life, or the word tree of knowledge, both standing in parallel in the midst of the Bible.
As for the forbidden fruit in Eden, rather than being ugly in appearance as we think of a deadly fruit to be, it was not in the slightest degree inferior to the fruit of life in appearance, beauty, or in fragrance. It seemed peerless in all aspects. As Eve, a paragon of beauty beheld it, she was so fascinated by it that she could not remember the fruit of the tree of life standing right beside it; and standing aghast, she found it [good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, ad a tree desirable to make one wise] (Gen. 3:6). Then she was led to doubt her Father's words, murmuring to herself, "How fair it looks! I wonder why my Father has forbidden me to eat such a tender and beautiful fruit as this! I wonder why?" We can imagine it to be so mysteriously beautiful and fascinating as to surpass even the fruit of life.
Oh, the forbidden fruit so exceedingly beautiful in the sight of Eve! Who could have dreamt it to be poisonous enough to kill all of mankind!
Only those children who believe the words of the Father to the letter and obey Him without question can know and understand. As the forbidden fruit so bewitched man, so is the forbidden fruit today in the midst of the Bible bewitching and destroying all Adams and Eves of the world, for it is poisonous enough to destroy the human race. Who will expose this grievous fact before the world and warn everyone of its danger? Yesterday and today, everyday, millions and tens of millions of my brothers and sisters who partake of this dreadful fruit are setting their feet onto the path leading to destruction and death.
(4) Analysis of the Fruit of Life and the Forbidden Fruit
Now we will learn of what these fruits are made of.
a. The Fruit of Life
As the fruit of life in Eden was made up of God's pure love and His life without any poisonous foreign matter, so is today's word fruit of life made of nothing but His love, mercy and tenderness - the true doctrine of the Bible that God's whole self is love (1 John 4:8).
Love is the light and life of God. With Him is no evil and no poisonous character; His life and whole entity is love. If He could be deprived of His love, He would pass away immediately like the sun deprived of its rays. His whole heart and life is love; He Himself is made of love. He does not have even a shadow of evil but only goodness, mercy and steadfast love. The doctrines and truths that teach only the love of God as written in the Bible are today's word fruit of life. They give light and joy and everlasting life to the perishing children of earth. And from those who eat of this word fruit of life. They give light and joy and everlasting life to the perishing children of earth. And from those who eat of this word fruit of life, in their lives and characters they bear the various fruits of [love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control] (Gal. 5:22, 23). These are the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit, the peculiar fruits of regeneration that can only be produced by those who eat of today's heaven-sent fruit of life.
b. The Forbidden Fruit
As the fruit of knowledge was a mixture of good and evil in the garden of Eden, so is today's forbidden fruit a mixture of mostly good and a little bit of evil added to it. For instance, in our home when we try to catch rats, we make raticides with our grains, sweet potatoes or something and add a small amount of rat poison, disguising it to look beautiful. In the same way, the forbidden fruit in Eden was so beautiful, looked "good for food, delightful to the eyes," and fragrant, but it was mixed with a deadly poison.
Satan, the great enemy of today, has made in the midst of the Bible his fascinating forbidden fruit; the mixture of the truth of God's mercy, love, and tenderness, added to plausible, horrible doctrines and cunning suggestions. To be more specific, this forbidden fruit in the Bible apparently emphasizes that God is a God of love, mercy and goodness, but it also suggests that He is a strict and stubborn God who is reluctant to forgive sinners and takes pleasure in destroying them. He is so relentless that He finds satisfaction in giving fiery judgment, and is terribly fearful and dreadful in contrast to Jesus. These suggestions are the colorful doctrines devised by Satan to destroy all the children of God on earth. These are the forbidden fruits that Satan, the great adversary, has set up dauntlessly in the midst of the Bible so that he might destroy all the human race.
To be even clearer as to what the word forbidden fruit is, all the teachings and doctrines apparently seem to begin with God's character of love and mercy. However, upon analyzing the story a bit deeper, a plain, straightforward explanation or proof of why or how God is love cannot be made. Instead, it concludes with a fearful impression that He is a stern Judge who is cruel to sinners. All of these are fruits of the forbidden tree. And these are the fruits that are killing God's children today. All the children of God who partake of this forbidden fruit offer prayers and praises only to Jesus, and depart further and further away from the Father who is the source of life and love, who loved them [so much that He gave His only begotten Son,] who is the fountain of living waters] (eternal life), and they fall exhausted and parched, left to die in the vast desert of this world.
Our loving God and Jesus urgently exclaim to us, [You shall not eat of the fruit ... neither shall you touch it,] [for in the day that you eat of it you shall die] (Gen. 3:3, 2:17).
(5) Symptoms of the Souls Who Partake of Either Fruit
When I was a little boy, I had a clever puppy. He was so cute and clever that everyone loved him and he was my best friend. One day, as he became quite big, something strange happened. He had always taken kindly to me but suddenly he stopped recognizing me, and without any response to my calls, he started jumping all over the place with such wild eyes. I was too young to understand what was going on at that time, but my parents told me later on that he had eaten the raticide the neighbors had hidden to kill rats. His violent spasms were the symptoms of having eaten the poison. After a few minutes he died. If I had attempted to hug him out of pity as I normally would have, he would have bitten me, his master and friend, in a fury. Although several decades have passed, I still cannot forget the tragic death of my friend and the appalling fitful symptoms of my dog stricken by rat poisoning.
Similarly, if God's children are, through whatever agencies, led to take the forbidden fruit just once, its poison will contaminate throughout the body, mind, and soul; its symptom is more terrifying than that of a dog stricken by any poison.
The normal eyes of the soul and mind become completely deranged, and the loving and merciful heavenly Father is looked upon as a devil of appalling features. From then on, he only seeks to escape from His presence. We know because this was the case with Adam and Eve in Eden. No sooner had they eaten the poisonous fruit (the fruit of the forbidden tree) when the Father whom they had so loved and become so attached to, who had been their best Friend, suddenly began to look loathsome and dreadful. They should have run out to meet their Father upon His visiting call as before, but once they had eaten the forbidden fruit, His approaching sound led them to flee in horror and they sought to hide themselves. [And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden] (Gen. 3:8). But He called to them who were still His loving friends and children as always, in His usual tender voice, [Where are you?] (Gen. 3:9). And there came back an absurd answer, [I heard Your voice in the garden and I was afraid ... and hid myself] (Gen. 3:10). Alas! The Father grasped the situation and said, [Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?] (Gen. 3:11). This was the first symptom of insanity after the holy pair ate the fruit of the forbidden tree.
From then on until today, innumerable children of God have been deceived by the great murderer Satan, eating the forbidden fruit again and again, becoming madder and still madder, dying and perishing unceasingly to this day. Alas! Who will warn God's children of this appalling fact?
On the other hand, those who have partaken of the fruit of life of truth, which is filled with God's pure love, light, and vitality, their original mental power and eyes of the soul are restored, and they are able to behold their Father in the light of the true knowledge of His character and image of infinite love, mercy, and tenderness. Also, they are led to love and follow their Father more closely than Jesus. Like Adam and Eve before the transgression, they rejoice at cuddling up to their Father's bosom of love and cling to His arms of love as the little ones love to cling to their daddy's arms. They are again able to live a happy life on earth today and walk with Him as His close friends as Enoch walked with Him for three hundred years as His friend.
Our greatest need today is the life-giving fruit of the word tree of life. We need true shepherds who can impart this fruit of life to the people. On the pulpit, these true shepherds must not only teach the love of the Holy Son Jesus, but of the unspeakable love of the Father with great power, exclaiming as Apostle John did, "Behold the love of the Father!" And through their teaching, people must be drawn to the Father who is the fountain of living water, and be united with Him, abiding in His bosom. And the Father will impart to them eternal life and [every good gift and every perfect gift] (James 1:17), and at last the barrier that has separated earthly children from their Father for six thousand years will be broken down. This will be the day that [the hearts of the fathers are turned to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers] (Mal. 4:6) - an inspiring and glorious day of reunion.
From then on, whether awake or asleep they become immersed in the wonderful Father's love, their lives a succession of the greatest happiness and joy. they are led to love their Eldest brother Jesus more and more whom God has sent; they become as innocent lambs who follow Jesus the Lamb wherever He goes, and become real children of God who live only for the glory of God [whether [they] eat, or drink, or whatever [they] do] (1 Cor. 10:31), and become heirs to the life of God - which is eternal life. This is the path that He has designed for His children who partake of the fruit of the word tree of life, in order to cross onto the thresholds of eternal life.
But the churches and believers who partake of the forbidden fruit that Satan presents to them are different: the preachers on the pulpit can neither preach and testify the Father's love nor can they know about His love themselves, for they themselves are in deep darkness. They are always in a habit of speaking of Jesus but are not able to plainly explain of the greatness of the Father's love. And so their followers suffer from spiritual thirst and hunger for lack of the love of God who is the living water for their souls. They are on the verge of death, deprived of the knowledge of His love, and misunderstanding His character. The enemy Satan grasps this opportunity and represents God as a fearful, cruel tyrant; hence, separating forever earthly children from their heavenly Father who is the [fountain of living water] (Jer. 2:13).
Therefore, filled with false conceptions of God who is the source of love and life, they are unable to go to Him whose love is unlimited like the pouring rays of the burning sun that brightens the way of truth. They only become surrounded by the cloud of misapprehension and engulfed in the darkness of terror, to eventually vanish from this world forever. Therefore, the first purpose for Jesus in coming to this earth was to remove the darkness of the clouds of misunderstanding that kept the sunrays of God's love from shining upon us, to give us eternal life and light. [He, Himself, likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham] (Heb. 2:14-16). He also exclaims that eternal life is first to know and receive the infinite love of the Father [the only true God], and second, to know the love of Jesus Christ, following and obeying [Him whom He had sent] (John 17:3). If we only know the love of just one of have no knowledge of either, then the road to eternal life is as imperfect as a plane with only one wing or no wings at all! With such a handicap, the way to heaven is virtually impossible. As both wings are necessary to fly, so the knowledge of both the Father and the Son is needed in order to ascend to heaven.
Brothers and sisters! Let us search within ourselves and reflect upon our past belief. Have I been imparting to others the fruit of life or the forbidden fruit? The symptoms manifested in me can plainly tell me. Is mine a life of fear and escape from God or a life of overflowing joy, with as much love for the Father as for the Son whom He has sent?
If we have been taking something other than the fruit of life, we should escape from it immediately and wisely be warned, [Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, and like a bird from the hand of the fowler] (Pro 6:5). In order to be saved and cured from the poison of the forbidden fruit which spreads throughout the whole body, we must immediately come to the fruit of life and eat of it which is also standing in the midst of the Bible. As we partake of it, it will counteract the poison spread throughout our bodies like sunrays melting snow, and our heavenly Father will cure our souls completely. At the same time, our mind and eyes will be restored to see Him as He really is, who loves us so much. And we will exclaim, "Oh, He has been such a loving Father to me!" We will surrender ourselves wholly to His love, and never leave His bosom again. We will live as His sons and daughters, conforming to His perfect image and character, and we will become miniature Jesuses possessing His fine character, who was sent as an example for us by God, the heavenly Father Himself. And we will ascend to heaven to live with Him forever.
This fruit of the word tree of life that our real Father has once again made in boundless love for His fallen children on earth is yet another gift He bestows upon us.
We will now end this chapter with a summarized diagram.
The First Fruit of Life and the Forbidden Fruit in Eden
The Tree Of Life
Purpose of the Tree:
Eternal life for God's Children
Location:
In the Midst of the Garden of Eden.
Task:
To represent God, the King of life.
Shape of the Fruit:
Beautiful
Constituents:
Full of God's invigorating vitality.
Symptoms of Those Who Partake It:
(1) Have correct eyes and see Him as He truly is and follow Him as He truly is and follow Him with joy.
(2) Body mind and soul become filled with God's vitality, and live a life full of love, joy, and peace.
(3) Live a life a life transforming continually into His character and image.
(4) Live a life filled with joy and become good heralds of the fruit of life.
Result of Taking It:
Whoever takes it obtain eternal life.
The Forbidden Fruit
Purpose of the Tree:
Prevention of Satan"s power.
Location:
In the midst of the Garden of Eden.
Task:
To represent Satan, the king of death.
Shape of the Fruit:
Fascinating
Constituents:
Full of poison of the king of death.
Symptoms of Those Who Partake It:
(1) Go mad and lose one's head, looking upon God as a wicked God and a stern tyrant, and live a life of escape from Him out of fear.
(2) Body mind, and soul feel burdensome, tired, flagging, full of discomfort fretfulness without peace.
(3) Live a life transforming continually into the malicious character and image of Satan.
(4) Live a life filled with anxiety and fear and become evil agents of Satan by distributing the forbidden fruit.
Result of Taking It:
Whoever takes it eternally dies.
Today's Fruit of Life and
Forbidden Fruit
The Fruit of Life
The Purpose of the Fruit:
Eternal life for God's children.
Location:
In the midst of the Bible
Task:
Leads to God, the source of life, who gives eternal life.
Shape of the Fruit:
Undisguised simple truths of the Bible as it is revealed plainly.
Constituents:
The truth that the heavenly Father is love, His whole Being is love. Good tidings(message) from heaven that bring light, joy, forgiveness of sin, happiness, and eternal life for sinners.
Heralds of the Fruit:
God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the angels, true messengers led by God's Spirit.
Symptoms of Those Who Partake It:
(1) They have the clear mind and spiritual eyes to see the Father of love as He really is, loving and following Him with joy.
(2) Soul, mind and body become filled with vigor and the vitality of God, and live a life of peace, joy, and happiness, and love all mankind as they love their family and themselves.
(3) They live a life transforming continually into the loving character of the heavenly Father and the image of Jesus.
(4) They become faithful heralds who go forth with joy to impart to their brethren and kinsmen the word fruit of life.
Result of Taking It: They lead themselves and others to the everlasting kingdom where the heavenly Father is waiting for them.
The Forbidden Fruit
Purpose of the Fruit:
Destruction of God's children.
Location:
In the midst of the Bible.
Task:
Leads to Satan, the king of death who destroys.
Shape of the Fruit:
Complicated, plausible truth of various Scriptural words mixed with other adulterated cunning suggestions.
Constituents:
Fearful unpleasant theories from Satan giving heavy burdens to sinners, giving suggestions and impressions that God is love but He is a stern Judge who is reluctant to forgive sinners, who is pleased to punish with fire, and fills the souls with fearful conceptions of Him.
Heralds of the Fruit:
Satan the devil, evil angels, false ministers led by the evil spirit.
Symptoms of Those Who Partake of It:
(1) The spiritual eyes become blinded: heart and mind cannot accept the plainly stated Scriptural testimonies that God is love: they cannot believe it but rather doubt and distrust in their heart. God is looked as a dreadful God.
(2) After taking this fruit (false truth), their heart and soul at times feel momentary ecstasy and fanatical joy and happiness at first, but the aftermath is a greater sense of emptiness, discomfort skepticism, and disbelief in redemption. they reiterate the name of Jesus habitually and of the Father as a matter of formalism but have no love for Him in heart. They rather unconsciously seek to evade from His presence, and live a life with a restless, irritated heart and soul.
(3) As days go by, the true meaning of regeneration or sanctification become more difficult to comprehend; their characters become more and more self-righteous, proud, bigoted, and unconsciously live a life conforming to the mind and character of Satan.
(4) Become faithful agents of Satan who go forth in a hurry, blindly and fanatically
to impart the forbidden fruit to others.
Result of Taking It:
They lead themselves and others to the pit of desolation where abound countless evil spirits.
In order for Adam and Eve who were the first children of God on earth to live a life of eternal happiness without death, our Father showed them the ways and conditions for everlasting life. He warned them of the terrible pit of destruction that they would fall into if they were to disregard His conditions and gave them precautions and instructions to be on guard, repeatedly.
The condition for an eternal life of happiness was,[The Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden] (Gen. 2:9). [Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it ... and commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat'] (Gen. 2:15, 16), and live forever.
As for the way that leads to the pit of death He clearly warned saying, [but of the fruit of the tree (of the knowledge of good and evil) which is in the midst of the garden you shall not eat it ... for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die] (Gen 3:3, 2:17).
And so they were well instructed regarding the ways and conditions for eternal life as well as for eternal death. But these first children of God fearlessly attempted to take a terrible and foolish adventure. They trifled with the words of their truthful Father and inclined their ears to the whisperings of the enemy, who had climbed over the wall of Eden to entice them into partaking of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which was full of the deadly poison of death. By trifling with the words of the Father, there immediately resulted in the rapid spreading of the deadly poison throughout their whole bodies and souls, and their immortality which was promised on the condition of obedience was forever forfeited. Who could have known the terrible consequences that would result from one wrong step taken against God's word, in following the enemy's suggestion in that deadly moment of temptation? How could they love adventure so recklessly as to dare doubt their Father's words?
But my brothers and sisters! Do not be astonished. For many more children than the first two, millions and tens of millions of God's children today are at this very hour enjoying the same dreadful adventure as did the first holy pair in the beginning, and all are falling into the great snare of death, into a vast field of corpses. Some may be perplexed and ask, "What do you mean by this?" But it is true that the whole human race, excluding a few, are continuously eating that very fruit of the forbidden tree that the first holy pair ate of and died, and they are all going down toward destruction.
Before we study the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, let me tell you about one more thing.
There is only one way to life or death, either in the garden of Eden, on this earth today, or in the future heavenly paradise: All who partake of the tree of knowledge become doomed to degradation and death by its poison. And all who forsake the forbidden fruit and only take the fruit of the tree of life become the heirs of an eternal life of happiness both on earth and in heaven. This is the only immutable law of life and death that the Creator our Father has established, who is the [Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End] (Rev. 1:8).
We well know that there were both the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in Eden, and that they will also be present in today's fruit of life or forbidden fruit which is extremely important to our survival today.
(2) The Fruit of Life That Even Fallen Sinners Can Eat and Live
Let us now learn about today's fruit of life. When Adam and Eve tried to hide their shame with fig leaves after having forfeited their robes of light which had enshrouded them before their transgression, our Father of infinite love and mercy provided them with a garment of sheepskin representing the garments of the Savior's righteousness, to replace their lost robe of glorious light.
Moreover, for His earthly children who are wandering even today, after forfeiting the fruit of life which sinners can no longer partake of, He provides another fruit of life that even the greatest sinners can partake of and live forever. This is the word fruit of life, the Bible, that proceeds out of the mouth of God who is the source of eternal life. As He said, [Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God] (Matt. 4:4). This is why Peter said, [Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life] (John 6:68).
Now by only taking the word of fruit of life, we sinners are able to restore the eternal life we forfeited in Eden. This is yet another form of the fruit of life that our Father mercifully bestowed upon us who are wandering about after having lost access to the fruit of life in Eden. Jesus also adds, [It is the Spirit who gives life ... the words (Bible) that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.] [You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life.] [Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God] (John 6:63, John 5:39, Matt. 4:4).
Oh, what a wonderful and precious gift our heavenly Father gave to His sinful children! We no longer need to be sorrowful over the fruit of life that we forfeited in Eden. The Bible, the new form of the fruit of life, is not in the slightest degree inferior to that of the one in Eden in giving us eternal life. On the contrary, it is more convenient to take and has the same effects. The only differences are in the way they look, in the way we eat of it, and in the location of the trees.
The former one was the fruit on the tree; we were able to see it with our eyes, pluck it with our hands, and eat it with our mouth, and it was in the midst of the Garden. But the latter one is made of letters which altogether constitute His Word that if filled with His Spirit and life; that we see through the eyes of the soul, and pluck with the hand of the heart, and eat through the mouth of the soul. It is located in the midst of the Bible. Anywhere in the world that the Bible is found, we can easily obtain it, eat of it and live. We need not attempt to go to Eden. Moreover, in the garden of Eden only the sinless ones were able to partake of it, but that which we have now sinners and anyone who chooses to can freely pluck it, eat it and live forever. Should we not praise and thank our Father for this?
In addition, He has given us the walking word fruit of life, that is, Jesus Christ His Son who says, [I am the bread of life.] [I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever] (John 6:48, 51).
Truly Jesus Christ is the fruit of life who brings us perfect eternal life which has been given from God; He is the Word that has been with God from the beginning (John 1:1). And this [Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory ... full of grace and truth] (John 1:14), and He was the word fruit of life.
(3) The Beautiful Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil
Now, let's turn to the story of the forbidden fruit. In the center of the Garden of Eden, the tree of knowledge of good and evil was standing in parallel with the fruit of life, as if in jealous competition with each other. [The fruit of life was also in the midst of the knowledge of good and evil] (Gen. 2:9). [But God has said, ‘You shall not eat it ... nor shall you touch it'] (Gen. 3:3).
As the tree of knowledge of good and evil was standing in parallel competitively with the fruit of life in the midst of the garden so is today's forbidden tree standing jealously in parallel with the word fruit of life in the midst of the Bible. Today's tree of knowledge is also a word tree like the word fruit of life. In other words, the word tree of knowledge is also found in the midst of the Bible.
Today, the fate of every member of the entire human race depends upon which tree he chooses to partake of ; either the word fruit of life, or the word tree of knowledge, both standing in parallel in the midst of the Bible.
As for the forbidden fruit in Eden, rather than being ugly in appearance as we think of a deadly fruit to be, it was not in the slightest degree inferior to the fruit of life in appearance, beauty, or in fragrance. It seemed peerless in all aspects. As Eve, a paragon of beauty beheld it, she was so fascinated by it that she could not remember the fruit of the tree of life standing right beside it; and standing aghast, she found it [good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, ad a tree desirable to make one wise] (Gen. 3:6). Then she was led to doubt her Father's words, murmuring to herself, "How fair it looks! I wonder why my Father has forbidden me to eat such a tender and beautiful fruit as this! I wonder why?" We can imagine it to be so mysteriously beautiful and fascinating as to surpass even the fruit of life.
Oh, the forbidden fruit so exceedingly beautiful in the sight of Eve! Who could have dreamt it to be poisonous enough to kill all of mankind!
Only those children who believe the words of the Father to the letter and obey Him without question can know and understand. As the forbidden fruit so bewitched man, so is the forbidden fruit today in the midst of the Bible bewitching and destroying all Adams and Eves of the world, for it is poisonous enough to destroy the human race. Who will expose this grievous fact before the world and warn everyone of its danger? Yesterday and today, everyday, millions and tens of millions of my brothers and sisters who partake of this dreadful fruit are setting their feet onto the path leading to destruction and death.
(4) Analysis of the Fruit of Life and the Forbidden Fruit
Now we will learn of what these fruits are made of.
a. The Fruit of Life
As the fruit of life in Eden was made up of God's pure love and His life without any poisonous foreign matter, so is today's word fruit of life made of nothing but His love, mercy and tenderness - the true doctrine of the Bible that God's whole self is love (1 John 4:8).
Love is the light and life of God. With Him is no evil and no poisonous character; His life and whole entity is love. If He could be deprived of His love, He would pass away immediately like the sun deprived of its rays. His whole heart and life is love; He Himself is made of love. He does not have even a shadow of evil but only goodness, mercy and steadfast love. The doctrines and truths that teach only the love of God as written in the Bible are today's word fruit of life. They give light and joy and everlasting life to the perishing children of earth. And from those who eat of this word fruit of life. They give light and joy and everlasting life to the perishing children of earth. And from those who eat of this word fruit of life, in their lives and characters they bear the various fruits of [love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control] (Gal. 5:22, 23). These are the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit, the peculiar fruits of regeneration that can only be produced by those who eat of today's heaven-sent fruit of life.
b. The Forbidden Fruit
As the fruit of knowledge was a mixture of good and evil in the garden of Eden, so is today's forbidden fruit a mixture of mostly good and a little bit of evil added to it. For instance, in our home when we try to catch rats, we make raticides with our grains, sweet potatoes or something and add a small amount of rat poison, disguising it to look beautiful. In the same way, the forbidden fruit in Eden was so beautiful, looked "good for food, delightful to the eyes," and fragrant, but it was mixed with a deadly poison.
Satan, the great enemy of today, has made in the midst of the Bible his fascinating forbidden fruit; the mixture of the truth of God's mercy, love, and tenderness, added to plausible, horrible doctrines and cunning suggestions. To be more specific, this forbidden fruit in the Bible apparently emphasizes that God is a God of love, mercy and goodness, but it also suggests that He is a strict and stubborn God who is reluctant to forgive sinners and takes pleasure in destroying them. He is so relentless that He finds satisfaction in giving fiery judgment, and is terribly fearful and dreadful in contrast to Jesus. These suggestions are the colorful doctrines devised by Satan to destroy all the children of God on earth. These are the forbidden fruits that Satan, the great adversary, has set up dauntlessly in the midst of the Bible so that he might destroy all the human race.
To be even clearer as to what the word forbidden fruit is, all the teachings and doctrines apparently seem to begin with God's character of love and mercy. However, upon analyzing the story a bit deeper, a plain, straightforward explanation or proof of why or how God is love cannot be made. Instead, it concludes with a fearful impression that He is a stern Judge who is cruel to sinners. All of these are fruits of the forbidden tree. And these are the fruits that are killing God's children today. All the children of God who partake of this forbidden fruit offer prayers and praises only to Jesus, and depart further and further away from the Father who is the source of life and love, who loved them [so much that He gave His only begotten Son,] who is the fountain of living waters] (eternal life), and they fall exhausted and parched, left to die in the vast desert of this world.
Our loving God and Jesus urgently exclaim to us, [You shall not eat of the fruit ... neither shall you touch it,] [for in the day that you eat of it you shall die] (Gen. 3:3, 2:17).
(5) Symptoms of the Souls Who Partake of Either Fruit
When I was a little boy, I had a clever puppy. He was so cute and clever that everyone loved him and he was my best friend. One day, as he became quite big, something strange happened. He had always taken kindly to me but suddenly he stopped recognizing me, and without any response to my calls, he started jumping all over the place with such wild eyes. I was too young to understand what was going on at that time, but my parents told me later on that he had eaten the raticide the neighbors had hidden to kill rats. His violent spasms were the symptoms of having eaten the poison. After a few minutes he died. If I had attempted to hug him out of pity as I normally would have, he would have bitten me, his master and friend, in a fury. Although several decades have passed, I still cannot forget the tragic death of my friend and the appalling fitful symptoms of my dog stricken by rat poisoning.
Similarly, if God's children are, through whatever agencies, led to take the forbidden fruit just once, its poison will contaminate throughout the body, mind, and soul; its symptom is more terrifying than that of a dog stricken by any poison.
The normal eyes of the soul and mind become completely deranged, and the loving and merciful heavenly Father is looked upon as a devil of appalling features. From then on, he only seeks to escape from His presence. We know because this was the case with Adam and Eve in Eden. No sooner had they eaten the poisonous fruit (the fruit of the forbidden tree) when the Father whom they had so loved and become so attached to, who had been their best Friend, suddenly began to look loathsome and dreadful. They should have run out to meet their Father upon His visiting call as before, but once they had eaten the forbidden fruit, His approaching sound led them to flee in horror and they sought to hide themselves. [And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden] (Gen. 3:8). But He called to them who were still His loving friends and children as always, in His usual tender voice, [Where are you?] (Gen. 3:9). And there came back an absurd answer, [I heard Your voice in the garden and I was afraid ... and hid myself] (Gen. 3:10). Alas! The Father grasped the situation and said, [Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?] (Gen. 3:11). This was the first symptom of insanity after the holy pair ate the fruit of the forbidden tree.
From then on until today, innumerable children of God have been deceived by the great murderer Satan, eating the forbidden fruit again and again, becoming madder and still madder, dying and perishing unceasingly to this day. Alas! Who will warn God's children of this appalling fact?
On the other hand, those who have partaken of the fruit of life of truth, which is filled with God's pure love, light, and vitality, their original mental power and eyes of the soul are restored, and they are able to behold their Father in the light of the true knowledge of His character and image of infinite love, mercy, and tenderness. Also, they are led to love and follow their Father more closely than Jesus. Like Adam and Eve before the transgression, they rejoice at cuddling up to their Father's bosom of love and cling to His arms of love as the little ones love to cling to their daddy's arms. They are again able to live a happy life on earth today and walk with Him as His close friends as Enoch walked with Him for three hundred years as His friend.
Our greatest need today is the life-giving fruit of the word tree of life. We need true shepherds who can impart this fruit of life to the people. On the pulpit, these true shepherds must not only teach the love of the Holy Son Jesus, but of the unspeakable love of the Father with great power, exclaiming as Apostle John did, "Behold the love of the Father!" And through their teaching, people must be drawn to the Father who is the fountain of living water, and be united with Him, abiding in His bosom. And the Father will impart to them eternal life and [every good gift and every perfect gift] (James 1:17), and at last the barrier that has separated earthly children from their Father for six thousand years will be broken down. This will be the day that [the hearts of the fathers are turned to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers] (Mal. 4:6) - an inspiring and glorious day of reunion.
From then on, whether awake or asleep they become immersed in the wonderful Father's love, their lives a succession of the greatest happiness and joy. they are led to love their Eldest brother Jesus more and more whom God has sent; they become as innocent lambs who follow Jesus the Lamb wherever He goes, and become real children of God who live only for the glory of God [whether [they] eat, or drink, or whatever [they] do] (1 Cor. 10:31), and become heirs to the life of God - which is eternal life. This is the path that He has designed for His children who partake of the fruit of the word tree of life, in order to cross onto the thresholds of eternal life.
But the churches and believers who partake of the forbidden fruit that Satan presents to them are different: the preachers on the pulpit can neither preach and testify the Father's love nor can they know about His love themselves, for they themselves are in deep darkness. They are always in a habit of speaking of Jesus but are not able to plainly explain of the greatness of the Father's love. And so their followers suffer from spiritual thirst and hunger for lack of the love of God who is the living water for their souls. They are on the verge of death, deprived of the knowledge of His love, and misunderstanding His character. The enemy Satan grasps this opportunity and represents God as a fearful, cruel tyrant; hence, separating forever earthly children from their heavenly Father who is the [fountain of living water] (Jer. 2:13).
Therefore, filled with false conceptions of God who is the source of love and life, they are unable to go to Him whose love is unlimited like the pouring rays of the burning sun that brightens the way of truth. They only become surrounded by the cloud of misapprehension and engulfed in the darkness of terror, to eventually vanish from this world forever. Therefore, the first purpose for Jesus in coming to this earth was to remove the darkness of the clouds of misunderstanding that kept the sunrays of God's love from shining upon us, to give us eternal life and light. [He, Himself, likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham] (Heb. 2:14-16). He also exclaims that eternal life is first to know and receive the infinite love of the Father [the only true God], and second, to know the love of Jesus Christ, following and obeying [Him whom He had sent] (John 17:3). If we only know the love of just one of have no knowledge of either, then the road to eternal life is as imperfect as a plane with only one wing or no wings at all! With such a handicap, the way to heaven is virtually impossible. As both wings are necessary to fly, so the knowledge of both the Father and the Son is needed in order to ascend to heaven.
Brothers and sisters! Let us search within ourselves and reflect upon our past belief. Have I been imparting to others the fruit of life or the forbidden fruit? The symptoms manifested in me can plainly tell me. Is mine a life of fear and escape from God or a life of overflowing joy, with as much love for the Father as for the Son whom He has sent?
If we have been taking something other than the fruit of life, we should escape from it immediately and wisely be warned, [Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, and like a bird from the hand of the fowler] (Pro 6:5). In order to be saved and cured from the poison of the forbidden fruit which spreads throughout the whole body, we must immediately come to the fruit of life and eat of it which is also standing in the midst of the Bible. As we partake of it, it will counteract the poison spread throughout our bodies like sunrays melting snow, and our heavenly Father will cure our souls completely. At the same time, our mind and eyes will be restored to see Him as He really is, who loves us so much. And we will exclaim, "Oh, He has been such a loving Father to me!" We will surrender ourselves wholly to His love, and never leave His bosom again. We will live as His sons and daughters, conforming to His perfect image and character, and we will become miniature Jesuses possessing His fine character, who was sent as an example for us by God, the heavenly Father Himself. And we will ascend to heaven to live with Him forever.
This fruit of the word tree of life that our real Father has once again made in boundless love for His fallen children on earth is yet another gift He bestows upon us.
We will now end this chapter with a summarized diagram.
The First Fruit of Life and the Forbidden Fruit in Eden
The Tree Of Life
Purpose of the Tree:
Eternal life for God's Children
Location:
In the Midst of the Garden of Eden.
Task:
To represent God, the King of life.
Shape of the Fruit:
Beautiful
Constituents:
Full of God's invigorating vitality.
Symptoms of Those Who Partake It:
(1) Have correct eyes and see Him as He truly is and follow Him as He truly is and follow Him with joy.
(2) Body mind and soul become filled with God's vitality, and live a life full of love, joy, and peace.
(3) Live a life a life transforming continually into His character and image.
(4) Live a life filled with joy and become good heralds of the fruit of life.
Result of Taking It:
Whoever takes it obtain eternal life.
The Forbidden Fruit
Purpose of the Tree:
Prevention of Satan"s power.
Location:
In the midst of the Garden of Eden.
Task:
To represent Satan, the king of death.
Shape of the Fruit:
Fascinating
Constituents:
Full of poison of the king of death.
Symptoms of Those Who Partake It:
(1) Go mad and lose one's head, looking upon God as a wicked God and a stern tyrant, and live a life of escape from Him out of fear.
(2) Body mind, and soul feel burdensome, tired, flagging, full of discomfort fretfulness without peace.
(3) Live a life transforming continually into the malicious character and image of Satan.
(4) Live a life filled with anxiety and fear and become evil agents of Satan by distributing the forbidden fruit.
Result of Taking It:
Whoever takes it eternally dies.
Today's Fruit of Life and
Forbidden Fruit
The Fruit of Life
The Purpose of the Fruit:
Eternal life for God's children.
Location:
In the midst of the Bible
Task:
Leads to God, the source of life, who gives eternal life.
Shape of the Fruit:
Undisguised simple truths of the Bible as it is revealed plainly.
Constituents:
The truth that the heavenly Father is love, His whole Being is love. Good tidings(message) from heaven that bring light, joy, forgiveness of sin, happiness, and eternal life for sinners.
Heralds of the Fruit:
God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the angels, true messengers led by God's Spirit.
Symptoms of Those Who Partake It:
(1) They have the clear mind and spiritual eyes to see the Father of love as He really is, loving and following Him with joy.
(2) Soul, mind and body become filled with vigor and the vitality of God, and live a life of peace, joy, and happiness, and love all mankind as they love their family and themselves.
(3) They live a life transforming continually into the loving character of the heavenly Father and the image of Jesus.
(4) They become faithful heralds who go forth with joy to impart to their brethren and kinsmen the word fruit of life.
Result of Taking It: They lead themselves and others to the everlasting kingdom where the heavenly Father is waiting for them.
The Forbidden Fruit
Purpose of the Fruit:
Destruction of God's children.
Location:
In the midst of the Bible.
Task:
Leads to Satan, the king of death who destroys.
Shape of the Fruit:
Complicated, plausible truth of various Scriptural words mixed with other adulterated cunning suggestions.
Constituents:
Fearful unpleasant theories from Satan giving heavy burdens to sinners, giving suggestions and impressions that God is love but He is a stern Judge who is reluctant to forgive sinners, who is pleased to punish with fire, and fills the souls with fearful conceptions of Him.
Heralds of the Fruit:
Satan the devil, evil angels, false ministers led by the evil spirit.
Symptoms of Those Who Partake of It:
(1) The spiritual eyes become blinded: heart and mind cannot accept the plainly stated Scriptural testimonies that God is love: they cannot believe it but rather doubt and distrust in their heart. God is looked as a dreadful God.
(2) After taking this fruit (false truth), their heart and soul at times feel momentary ecstasy and fanatical joy and happiness at first, but the aftermath is a greater sense of emptiness, discomfort skepticism, and disbelief in redemption. they reiterate the name of Jesus habitually and of the Father as a matter of formalism but have no love for Him in heart. They rather unconsciously seek to evade from His presence, and live a life with a restless, irritated heart and soul.
(3) As days go by, the true meaning of regeneration or sanctification become more difficult to comprehend; their characters become more and more self-righteous, proud, bigoted, and unconsciously live a life conforming to the mind and character of Satan.
(4) Become faithful agents of Satan who go forth in a hurry, blindly and fanatically
to impart the forbidden fruit to others.
Result of Taking It:
They lead themselves and others to the pit of desolation where abound countless evil spirits.
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