136-A-4 Sermons and Fellowship About God’s Word “In Your Faith in God You Should Obey God” (I)

Let us continue communicating God’s words, “All those who do not seek obedience to God in their faith oppose God.” Let me give you an example. There are some people in God’s family that have believed for 10–20 years but you cannot see any changes to their life disposition. What is the issue here? Where is the root of this issue? These people do not seek obedience to God in all things and they do not seek the truth in all things. They still rely on their own notions and imaginations to do things. They still rely on Satan’s philosophies to live. For these kinds of people, even if they believed for 100 years, they will not obtain the truth, not to mention believing for 10–20 years. Why? Their way of believing in God is incorrect. They do not seek the truth. They do not search for the truth. Isn’t it over for them? They are muddleheaded and careless all day. They do not seek the truth in any matter. In whatever situation they encounter they think, “I will do this according to my own thoughts. If I think it is appropriate, that is how I will do it. If it benefits me to do it in a particular way, that is how I will do it. I will do it in whatever way that minimizes loss for myself.” Isn’t this living according to Satan’s philosophies? Many people’s principle when they do things is, “If I do it this way, will I take a loss? Is it advantageous for me to do it this way? Is it appropriate for me to do it this way?” Aren’t these Satan’s philosophies? If they live according to Satan’s philosophies, then they are not people that seek the truth. They live according to Satan’s philosophies and they do not seek the truth. Externally, it does not appear that they have committed any grave evil nor have they clearly committed evil in any way. However, they are not people that obey God. Isn’t this true? Right now, you can see that in God’s family, there are quite a few people that do not have the reality of the truth. However, they are also not wicked people. They have not committed any evil. Externally, they are good and guileless. These kinds of people, externally, they are good people. When people see such a person, they say, “This person is not bad. He truly believes in God.” Now, why is it that he has believed in God for many years, yet he does not have the reality of the truth? Externally, he hasn’t committed any evil. Why does God say that he is not someone who obeys God but he is instead someone that opposes God? In this matter, you must understand God’s will. Why does God say this? What would you say is the difference between living according to Satan’s philosophies and putting the truth into practice? Externally, you have not committed any sin. But putting the truth into practice is more correct. It is in accordance with God’s will, it is a good deed and it is witnessing. If you live according to Satan’s philosophies, you are only concerned about whether or not you have anything to gain and whether you are taking any loss.
     Externally, you have not committed any evil nor any sins. So, why does God not approve this kind of implementation? Why does God instead say that this is a person that opposes God? Some people say that this person is not someone that obeys God. So, what are we referring to when we talk about someone that truly obeys God? We are referring to someone who puts the truth into practice and conducts affairs according to principles. If you put God’s words into practice, if you put things into practice according to the truth of God’s words, then God will say that you are someone that obeys God. If you do not put things into practice according to God’s words, then you are living according to Satan’s philosophies. God would say that you are not someone that obeys God, rather you are someone that opposes God. Now, we have segued into something that the Lord Jesus said during the Age of Grace, “Not every one that said to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in your name have cast out devils? and in your name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:21–23). Why would the Lord say that these people that have prophesied in His name, that have cast out devils in His name and have done many wonderful works in His name are not people that obey God’s will but are instead evil-doers? What is the reason for this? Even though they honor the Lord’s name when they do things, the things they do are evil because normally, they do not put the truth into practice. This type of people that experience God’s work presently also do not put the truth into practice. They do not put God’s words into practice and they only live according to Satan’s philosophies. So, regardless if you live according to Satan’s philosophies or you prophesy, cast out devils and do many wonderful works in the Lord’s name, God clearly says you are an evil-doer and that you oppose God. In this matter, if you do not seek the truth, then you will not have a path and it will not be easy for you to act in accordance with God’s will. Someone said, “Can God be so severe in His requirements for man?” This person is wrong. God’s words are the truth. Everything that God says must be honored and made real. The Lord Jesus said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away” (Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 21:33). This verse confirms the authority of God’s words! If you do not put things into practice according to God’s words, sooner or later, judgment and punishment will befall you. Can you accept this? If you see putting God’s words into practice as something that is not worthwhile or something to be disdained, then eventually, the person who will suffer is you!

Pertaining to the truth of believing in God, what does it mean to believe in God? Is this truth important? It is extremely important! If you do not grasp or understand this truth, then you will easily fail in believing in God! The people in the religious world are dreaming. What do they say? “God will not deny me. I spread the gospel, suffer and pay the price in the Lord’s name. Up till this day, I have not left the Lord. When the Lord comes, He will definitely bring me up to His kingdom.” They are dreaming. They will be flabbergasted the day when the Lord Jesus’ words befall them, “depart from me, you that work iniquity.” If someone dies, if a disaster befalls them and they die, would you say that this person will be able to go to heaven and sue the Lord? We all say that this person cannot. Why can’t this person do this? Religious people think that this can be done. They are preparing to sue the Lord, they want to go to the third heaven to sue Him. Would you say that the religious people are correct in their reasoning? We all know that they are not correct. What words confirm that they are not correct? Almighty God said, “Are you capable of delivering yourself to heaven to meet God on your own?” This sentence settles the matter. Can you go to heaven yourself? You can go try. You cannot even go up the height of an electric pole, right? If you die one day and you go to hell, would you be able to escape the burning lake in hell? Would you be able to leap out of the burning lake of hell? You even want to go to heaven and sue God? If you do not sincerely put things into practice according to God’s word, sooner or later, one day you will be cast into a place where you will be weeping and gnashing your teeth, you will be unable to object. Because God is the truth and you do not have the truth. God has spoken so clearly, if you do not follow His words, then you are just digging your own grave!

Let’s continue reading God’s words, “God asks that people seek the truth, that they thirst for God’s words, and eat and drink God’s words, and put them into practice, so that they may achieve obedience to God.” These words are the truth. Every word of God is the truth. This is amazing! There are a few aspects to God’s requirements for man’s implementation: First, people seek the truth; second, they thirst for God’s words; third, they eat and drink God’s words; and fourth, they put them into practice. God has these requirements for man. What is the purpose of this? The purpose is so that man can achieve obedience to God. He uses these requirements to train man, lead man and perfect man. If you can seek the truth in all things, thirst for God’s word in all things, eat and drink God’s word in all things and put God’s word into practice, gradually and unconsciously, you will understand the truth in all things. You will be able to rely on God’s word to live, accurately put God’s words into practice and act in harmony with God’s will. Once this result is achieved, you will be a person who obeys God. Now, is it easy to achieve obedience to God? Some people think it is not. In fact, it is easy. You can see that there are some people who have abandoned their family in order to fulfill their duties; they say, “God, let me fulfill whatever duty You want me to fulfill, I absolutely obey You.” Is there evidence here that they have put God’s words into practice? Do they have the intention to satisfy God? Yes. Therefore, if you can put some of God’s words into practice, then all you need to do is continue to seek. In the end, you will be able to achieve true obedience to God. Right now, there are some people who are compliant. Look at what happens when I deal with and prune them. They start reflecting on themselves in their heart. If they see that what they have done has in fact transgressed the truth and the principles, they repent and pray to God. They start crying and say, “I understand God’s intentions now. This is God dealing with me. God is dealing with me through the brother from above. This is from God. This is God’s love falling upon me. God! I see Your love. If You do not deal with me in this way, my life will grow too slowly. It will then be very difficult for me to be obtained by You and be perfected by You. Therefore, I must obey.” They choose to obey and not to complain. Some people, when they encounter dealings, they do not seek the truth. How do they pray to God? “God, I will obey You. I do not accept the way others deal with me. They are not the truth. Man cannot represent God. I will only obey God’s pruning and dealing.” These are two different kinds of people. Now, does the second kind of person obey God? We all say that he does not. There is a leader who has said, “I will not obey the arrangement of God’s family. They want us to gather in groups of 7 or 8. I will not obey. I will not accept. I will gather any number of people for meetings as I see fit. I will not listen to God’s family!” What kind of person is this? This is someone who opposes God. Now, how does God’s family deal with this kind of person? Did God appoint you as a leader? God did not appoint you, it was arranged by God’s family. If you do not follow the arrangements of God’s family, then God’s family has no use for you. You are a demon. Does a demon have the qualification to say these things: “I will not obey”? Whoever says these disobedient things is a demon! Why can’t you obey? Do you know yourself? If you dare say these things, then you overestimate your abilities! I will kick you out and that will be the end of that. I have no use for you. God’s family does not need your obedience. Get lost! Get lost immediately! Is it appropriate to say it like this? This is how you talk to demons and Satan. This is not how you talk to good people with transgressions. You talk to these people with a loving heart. This is how you talk to demons and Satan because people who say these things are demons and Satan. They are definitely not good people. Such a person does not have any sense. You actually said you could not obey, then what kind of person are you? Who let you become a leader? Was it God’s family that appointed you as a leader? God’s family will not acknowledge you. Who appointed you? I must pluck this person out, this person is a demon. If a false leader appointed you, that does not count. God’s family will officially abandon you and even abandon your master. See if God’s family has this power to end you with one sentence. If you sincerely seek the truth, you will not encounter this. Instead, you will encounter God’s blessing. God will bless you. If you are a demon or Satan, and you obstinately resist God’s family, God’s family will not be polite with you and will answer you in this way.

Let’s continue communicating God’s word, “so that they may achieve obedience to God.” All of our spiritual training, such as seeking the truth in all things, what is the final goal? It is to achieve obedience to God and in the end, be perfected by God into someone who truly obeys God. Today we can have a little bit of obedience to God. Tomorrow, we can also have a little obedience to God. The things we obey God in will gradually become more and more. In the end, we will be able to obey God in all things and we will be able to put the truth into practice. Now, this is a person that obeys God. This is how obedience to God is achieved. Therefore, a man who seeks the truth and who thirsts for the truth, this kind of man’s obedience to God grows more and more until it reaches a point where he becomes a man that obeys God. Isn’t this the case? You can see that there are people who obey God when they undergo dealing and pruning. This indicates a certain amount of spiritual stature. The majority of people that undergo dealing and pruning are persistently negative. They can be described with one word—negative. There is no other word. They are negative! They identify clearly with negativity. They believe that the best performance is negativity. If they are not negative, then it shows that they lack any sense. That is why they think their negativity is very reasonable. Some people, when they undergo dealing, are not only negative but they also develop a psychology of betrayal. What is a psychology of betrayal? “I am fulfilling my duties yet you still deal with me. Who would be willing to fulfill these duties? I am not going to fulfill these duties. Whoever wants to fulfill these duties can fulfill them!” What kind of words are these? These are words of betrayal! Once these words of betrayal come out, do you know what the consequence will be? Satan will be on the side clapping continuously and laughing. “How is it? Look, God, this is one of Your chosen people. He has betrayed You! Oh, once he went through dealing, then he betrayed You.” Remember, once this kind of words of betrayal come out of your mouth, then you are no longer bearing witness. Instead, you are humiliating God. God will secretly remember your words, He will record them in the book of life. If you can say these words of betrayal, then this is a loss for you! Do you understand? These words will be examined in the spiritual world! God will examine them, and Satan will also hear them. The whole spiritual world will be watching you! Once such serious words come out of your mouth, it is extremely grave. It does not matter if it was in the Age of Grace or it is in the Age of Kingdom, God’s words indicate that He examines the bottom of people’s hearts. God did say these things. There is also something else that He said, “That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment” (Matthew 12:36). That is why any person who is able to say these words of betrayal will suffer a loss. There are some people who have been captured by the great red dragon. Once they experience interrogation and torture, they cannot take it. They sell out and deny God. This is taking a loss. Some of these people’s humanity is very good, so God’s family does not expel them and they are given another chance. If God does indeed give them another chance, it is okay. However, I do not dare say that it is God that gives them another chance. It is only God’s family that has given them another chance. Whether or not God has decisions on this, I do not know. This situation, I do not dare say whether or not it originates from God. That is why I say, if you do not seek the truth in whatever situation you encounter, God will not acknowledge you as a person that obeys God. If you are able to say words of betrayal, then you will surely take a loss. Getting caught by the great red dragon, signing a letter of repentance and saying unbelieving things is a very serious situation. I do not know what the end result of this situation would be. Anyway, for some people, their outcome has been determined, and they will definitely be eliminated; but for those whose situation is not as serious, I do not know what their end will be. It’s best not to talk about it.