God’s Work, God’s Disposition, and God Godself (3)

 The next is about loving the Lord and loving your neighbor as yourself. Were these words directly expressed in divinity? Obviously not! These words were all spoken in the humanity of the Son of man. Only man will say such words as these, “Love my neighbor as myself, and care for others as my own life.” Only man speaks in this way. God never speaks in this way, and at least in God’s divinity, there are no such words. This is because God does not need such a creed as “Love my neighbor as myself” to standardize his love for mankind, for God’s love for man is the natural manifestation of what he has and is. When have you ever heard God say such a word as “I love mankind as myself”? It is because love is in God’s substance and in what he has and is. His love for man, the way he treats man, and his attitude toward man are the natural expressions and manifestations of his disposition. He does not need to make a conscious effort to do anything or follow a certain way or a moral norm so as to be able to love others as himself; rather he naturally possesses such substance. What do you see here? When God does his work in humanity, many of his manners, many of his words, and many of the truths are expressed in human ways, while at the same time God’s disposition, what God has and is, and God’s will are also expressed for man to understand and know. What man understands and knows are exactly God’s substance and what God has and is, which represent God’s own original identity and position. That is to say, the Son of man incarnated in the flesh expresses God’s own original disposition and God’s substance to the utmost in a most accurate way. The humanity of the Son of man is not the hindrance and obstacle to the association and communication between man and the God in heaven, but instead is the only channel and bridge to connect mankind with the Creator. At this point, don’t you feel that the nature and way of the work the Lord Jesus did in the Age of the Grace are similar to those of this stage of work now in many aspects? In this stage of work, God also uses many words of humanity to express his disposition and uses much of everyday language or many words and ways of human knowledge to express his own will. Once God is incarnated, no matter whether he speaks in the position of humanity or in the position of divinity, many of his words or expressions are spoken in human language or human way. In other words, when God is incarnated, it is the best opportunity for you to see God’s almightiness and God’s wisdom and know all aspects of God’s practicalness. When God is incarnated, in his growth he knows, learns, and grasps in humanity some knowledge, common sense, and words or expressions from man. When the incarnated God equips himself with these things from the created mankind, they become a tool by which he expresses his disposition or expresses divinity in the flesh, so that when God works among men in the position of a man and with human language, he can do the work more appropriately, truly, and accurately, easier for man to approach and understand, thereby achieving the working results he desires. Isn’t it more practical that God works in this way in the flesh? Isn’t this God’s wisdom? When God was incarnated and his flesh was adequate to undertake the work he aimed to do, it was the time God’s disposition and God’s work would be expressed practically. At that time, that is, when the Son of man could formally begin to perform his ministry, it meant that there would no longer be the “generation gap” between man and God, it meant that God was about to stop the work of messengers conveying messages for him, and God Godself could personally express in the flesh all his words and works he aimed to express, and it also meant that the mankind God was saving became closer to God, meant that God’s management work entered a new realm, and meant that a brand new age was about to face the whole mankind.

EasternLightning | TheChurch of Almighty God came into being because of the work of the returned Lord Jesus—the end-time Christ, “AlmightyGod”—in China, and it isn’t established by any person. Christ is the truth, the way, and the life. After reading God’s word, you will see that God has appeared.

God’s Work, God’s Disposition, and God Godself (3)

Next, let us look at the last word in this passage, “For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.” Does this word have its practical aspect? Can you see the practical aspect of this word? Every word of God is expressed from his heart. Why did he speak this word? How do you understand it? Now you may be able to understand its meaning. But at that time, not many people could understand it, because people of that time had just come out of the Age of the Law. To them, it was a very difficult thing to come out of the sabbath day, much less to understand what the true sabbath day is.

The word “the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day” tells people that God’s everything is non-material. Although God can supply all your material needs, when your material needs are satisfied, can the satisfaction these materials bring you substitute for your pursuit of the truth? Obviously, it cannot! God’s disposition and what God has and is we fellowship about are all the contents of the truth, and you cannot measure them by any material of great value, nor can you measure their value by money, because they are not material, and they are supplying what everyone needs in his heart. To everyone, the value of these non-material truths should surpass the value of anything you consider good. Can it be said so? You need to savor this word slowly. The important point I speak about is that what God has and is and God’s everything are most important to everyone, and they cannot be substituted by any material thing. Let me give you an illustration: When you are hungry, you need to take some food. The food can either be good or bad; as long as you fill yourself up, the unpleasant feeling of hunger in your stomach is gone and disappears, and you can quiet down while sitting there and your body can be in rest. You can solve the hunger in your stomach by food. However, when you, in following God, feel that your knowledge of God is nil, how can you solve the feeling of emptiness in your heart? Can you solve it by food? Or when you follow God but do not understand God’s will, what can you take to fill this hunger in your heart? In the course of your experiencing God’s salvation and when you pursue the transformation of your disposition, if you do not know God’s will, do not know what the truth is, and do not know about God’s disposition, you feel very worried, don’t you? You feel very thirsty in your heart, don’t you? These feelings cause you to have no rest in your heart, right? What can you take to fill this hunger in your heart? Do you have any way to solve it? Some went shopping, some went to several good friends to have a chat, some went to take a good sleep, and some spent more time reading God’s word or exerted more effort and strength in performing duty. Can these solve your practical difficulties? You all have much experience of these practices. When you feel you cannot make it as you wish and when you feel very thirsty for God’s inspiration so that you can understand the reality of the truth and understand God’s will, what do you need the most? What you need is not a good meal or some considerate words, much less the temporary ease and satisfaction of your flesh, but that God can directly and clearly tell you what to do and how to do it and let you understand clearly what the truth is. When you understand these, even bits of them, doesn’t your heart feel more satisfied than after having a good meal? When your heart is satisfied, doesn’t your heart or your whole being have a true rest? After I draw an analogy and analyze this thing like this, have you understood now why I let you look at the word “the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day”? The meaning of this word is that what is from God and what God has and is and God’s everything are greater than anything else, including the thing or the person you have regarded as most dear to you. In other words, if one cannot gain the words from God’s mouth or understand God’s will, he cannot possibly have a rest. In your future experience, you will understand why I let you look at this passage today, which is very important. Everything God does is the truth and the life. To man, the “truth” is an indispensable thing in his life and is something man cannot leave at any time, and it can be said to be the greatest thing. Although your eyes cannot see it and your hands cannot touch it, its importance to you cannot be neglected, and it is the only thing that can bring rest to your heart.

EasternLightning | TheChurch of Almighty God came into being because of the work of the returned Lord Jesus—the end-time Christ, “AlmightyGod”—in China, and it isn’t established by any person. Christ is the truth, the way, and the life. After reading God’s word, you will see that God has appeared.

God’s Work, God’s Disposition, and God Godself (3)

The Lord Jesus came, and he told mankind by his practical act: God had come out of the Age of the Law and begun a new work; this new work no longer required people to keep the sabbath day; and “coming out of the sabbath day” was only a foretaste of God’s new work, and the real great work would go on. When the Lord Jesus began to work, he already went out of the “restriction” of the Age of the Law and broke the decrees and principles specified in the Age of the Law. Anything related to the law did not have any trace in him, and he discarded all of them and no longer kept them or required people to keep them. So, here you see that on the sabbath day the Lord Jesus went through the corn, and he did not have rest but worked outside, without a rest. His such an act countered man’s notions, telling people that he no longer lived under the law and he went out of the sabbath day and appeared before people and appeared among people with a completely new image and in a new way of working. His such an act told people that he brought a new work, which began with going out of the law and out of the sabbath day. When God did a new work, he would no longer cherish the old one or care about the decrees of the Age of the Law, nor would he be affected by the work done in the former age; rather he worked on the sabbath day all the same, and when his disciples were hungry, they could pluck the ears of corn and eat. All these were very normal in God’s eyes. With God, many works and words he aims to do and speak can have a new start. When he makes a new start, the old work he did before will no longer be mentioned or go on. This is because God works by his principles. When he wants to do a new work, that is, when he wants to bring people into the new stage of work, and when his work enters into a higher stage, if men continue to practice and keep the old sayings or decrees, God will not remember or approve it, because he has brought a new work and entered into a new working phase. When he brings a new work, he will appear to all people with a completely new image and in a completely new position and way, so that people can see his disposition and what he has and is in other different aspects. This is one of the purposes of his doing a new work. God does not hold on to old things or walk the old path. When he works and speaks, he does not, as man imagines, keep this or that prohibition. With God, everything is released and free, without any prohibition or restriction. What he brings to man are all freedom and release. He is a living God, and he is a God who exists truly and practically; he is not a puppet or a clay sculpture, and he is completely different from the idols enshrined and worshiped by men. He is fresh and living, and his work and word bring man solely life and light and freedom and release. Because he has the truth, the life, and the way, he does all the work he aims to do without any restriction. No matter what men say and no matter how mankind looks at his new work or comments on his new work, he will do the work he aims to do without any hesitation. He will not mind anyone’s notions or anyone’s critical views about his work and word, even man’s extreme opposition and resistance against his new work. No one among created beings should expect that he can measure what God does, circumscribe what God does, or slander, disturb, or wreck God’s work by man’s doctrines, man’s imaginations, man’s knowledge, or man’s moral concepts. When God does things or works, he is free from any prohibition, and he is not restricted by any person, matter, or thing and is immune to disturbance from any hostile force. As far as his new work is concerned, he is the King triumphing forever, and all the hostile forces and various kinds of human evil sayings and fallacies are trampled under his footstool. No matter which stage of new work he does, his work will surely be carried out among men, will surely be spread among men, and will surely be carried out without hindrance in the entire universe and crowned with success. This is God’s almightiness and wisdom and also God’s authority and power. So, the Lord Jesus could go out to work on the sabbath day in an open way, for in his heart there was not any regulation or any knowledge and doctrine from man. What he had was God’s new work and God’s way, and whatever work he did was the way that could set man free and released, could let man live in the light, and could make man alive. However, those who worshiped idols and worshiped false gods lived in satan’s bondage every day and were bound by various kinds of regulations and rules. They kept this prohibition today and that tomorrow, living without any freedom. They were like prisoners locked in cangues and chains, without any happiness. What does “prohibition” represent? It represents restriction, bondage, and evil! Once a man worships an idol, he worships a false god and an evil spirit, and prohibitions follow with that: This cannot be eaten, and that cannot be eaten; this day he cannot go out, next day he cannot cook, and the following day he cannot move; even the day for wedding and funeral has to be chosen, and even the day for giving birth. What are these? These are prohibitions, are bondages to man, and are shackles with which satan and evil spirits control man and restrict man’s spirit and body. With God, are there these prohibitions? When God’s holiness is mentioned, you should first think of this: With God, there is not any prohibition. God works and speaks by principles but without any prohibition, because God Godself is the truth, the way, and the life.

EasternLightning | TheChurch of Almighty God came into being because of the work of the returned Lord Jesus—the end-time Christ, “AlmightyGod”—in China, and it isn’t established by any person. Christ is the truth, the way, and the life. After reading God’s word, you will see that God has appeared.