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Scripture Reading: Luke 15:1-24; 2 Cor. 4:5
In addition to the problems of emptiness, sin, and man’s life, the human life also has the problem of its destination. The human life needs to have a destination — a home to return to and a person to whom it should return.
There is a saying in Chinese that everything in the universe has its owner or master. Although man is rich in emotions, thoughtful, and purposeful, he may not know who his master is. We need to consider whether human beings have a lord, or a master, someone to whom they belong and to whom they live. Many wives consider their husband as their lord, and children often consider their parents as their master. Hence, some mothers think that their children belong to them. However, we need to consider who our lord is, the one to whom we ultimately belong, the one to whom we can tell our troubles and from whom we can receive comfort in times of sorrow. We need to consider whether our husband can be our genuine comfort, whether we can genuinely speak to our wife concerning all things, whether our parents can bear all our problems, or whether our children can meet all our needs. We need to consider whom we ultimately belong to.
On the surface, husbands may seem to be the lord of their wife, and wives may appear to be the lord of their husband. However, when difficult circumstances arise, such as a life-threatening illness, a husband will realize that his wife has no way to be his lord, and a wife will realize that her husband cannot be her lord. Children will realize that they cannot always take refuge in their parents, and parents will realize that they cannot necessarily rely on their children. When something important happens to us, we will realize that although many people are dear to us, we may not be able to find anyone whom we can turn to or rely on. This means that without a destination, in his practical experience man is completely helpless while living on the earth. He does not know whom he belongs to or whom he should live to.
When the Lord Jesus was on the earth, He went about to many cities and villages preaching the gospel, and when He saw the crowds coming to Him, He was moved with compassion for them because they were harassed and cast away like sheep not having a shepherd (Matt. 9:36; Mark 6:34). These people were like lost sheep. Sheep belong to a shepherd, and the shepherd is the master of the sheep. The shepherd solves all the problems of the sheep and meets all their needs. When the Lord Jesus saw the people wandering about like sheep without a shepherd, with no place to go and no one to belong to, He was moved with compassion for them. Today human beings are like sheep without a shepherd, and thus, they have no destination.
Many people have no quick answer to the question of what the direction of human life is and where man is going. We need to consider where we are in our human life today and where we are going. We also need to consider what our destination is, whom we belong to, and to whom we live our lives. These are serious questions. The actual condition of human life is that it is not only empty and sinful but also corrupt and fragile. Man does not know where he came from, nor does he know where he is going. Hence, he does not know where he is, to whom he belongs, and to whom he should live. Everything in the universe has its owner, but man does not know who his master is (Isa. 1:3). This shows that human beings are lost, like sheep without a shepherd. The Bible uses many parables to describe man’s lost condition. One of these parables shows that God is man’s Shepherd.
The three parables in Luke 15 speak of God’s desire to be man’s destination. The first parable speaks of the Lord Jesus coming like a shepherd to seek a lost sheep, which signifies a lost sinner (vv. 4-7). The second parable speaks of the Holy Spirit coming like a fine woman to carefully sweep the house until she finds her precious coin, which signifies man as the treasure of God (vv. 8-10). The third parable speaks of the Father God eagerly awaiting the return of His prodigal son, signified by the son who left his father’s house to wander in the world and became lost and without a destination (vv. 11-24). These three parables show that man should have a master.
The Bible tells us that man was created by God (Gen. 1:26-27). God is our Creator, and in this sense He is our Father (cf. Luke 3:38). He is also our Lord, and we belong to Him. Therefore, we should return to Him, just as the prodigal son returned to his father and his father’s house in the parable in Luke 15. A son who leaves his father’s house to become a prodigal has no peace in his heart. He may gain much wealth, have a high position, and enjoy many material pleasures, but whenever he considers his situation, he will have an uneasy feeling within. However, once he returns home to be reconciled to his father, he will have a sense of peace within. Thus, no matter how prosperous we are in our human life, how high a position we attain, or how rich we are, if we do not come back to our Creator, we will remain as prodigals wandering away from home and having no peace within. This is because we are not in the right position and have not set aright our relationship with God the Father.
God is our Creator, and He is the Lord who shepherds us. Although we may not have much realization of His shepherding, in His divine authority God is caring for us and shepherding us every day. We are the sheep in His pasture, and He is the One who shepherds us, feeds us, and cares for us. However, we do not know Him, and we often do things behind His back, conduct our lives apart from Him, speak evil of Him, and even deny His existence. How terrible this is!
During World War II, Mussolini became the dictator of Italy, and due to his great power, he became proud. It was reported that when one missionary, with the expectation that Mussolini would fear God, spoke to him about God, Mussolini boasted that if the eternal Father were to speak to him, he would punch Him with his fist. In essence, he was saying, “Where is this God, this eternal Father? If there is such a person, I will punch Him if He speaks to me.” When I read his words, I felt that he was too bold. Eventually, a few years later he died a shameful and pathetic death. This shows that God is not mocked (Gal. 6:7).
Many people say that God does not exist, because no one has seen Him. However, if there were no God, where did man come from, and how could man exist? We need to consider why our eyebrows do not grow underneath our eyes, and why our teeth do not grow inside our nostrils. Everything in the universe, including the human body, is part of the Creator’s wonderful work. Thus, we cannot say that there is no God. None of the things in the universe came about by coincidence or were naturally formed. Rather, the heavens are above our head, the earth is beneath our feet, and our nostrils breathe in the air created by God. We need to lift up our heart to revere and love this God who loves us. We should never despise God or mock Him by speaking evil things. Rather, we need to stand as a creature before our Creator, bow our head in humility, and say to Him, “O God! I am one whom You have created and shepherded. I revere You, and I belong to You. I desire to be a proper person, to do Your will, and to please You.” As creatures, we should have such an attitude. This is the way we begin our return to God and correct our relationship with our Lord and Father. When we return to Him, we will be happy, and we will have peace within.
When we are in the right position, it will not matter whether we are outwardly poor, destitute, or seriously ill; deep within our spirit we will have peace and happiness because we have a destination for our human life. We will be people who have the Lord as their destination and will not be like those who have nowhere to take their problems and no one on whom they can cast their burdens. We will be peaceful and satisfied within because we know that the Creator of all things is our Father and our Lord. This is sweet and glorious.
Jesus is our Lord and the destination of our human life. He came to be our Savior because He is our Master. The Bible tells us that He is our Shepherd and that we are His lost sheep (Gen. 48:15; Psa. 23:1; Isa. 53:6; Mark 6:33-34; John 10:14-16). There is no shepherd who does not seek his lost sheep (Luke 15:4). The Lord as the Shepherd came to seek us, the lost sheep. He came from the heavens to the earth to seek and to save those who are lost (19:10). Although He is the great God, He did not come with glory and majesty; rather, He became a small man. He was God who became flesh (John 1:1, 14; Phil. 2:5-8; Isa. 53:2-3). Within, He was God, and without, He was a man. He was God putting on humanity, God in man. This man was called Jesus.
The past two thousand years of history prove that Jesus is a wonderful person. He came from a humble origin. He was born in a manger and grew up in a poor carpenter’s family in Nazareth, a small town despised by people. In the eyes of the world, He did not receive much education. He never attended a university or received any degree. He lived on the earth for thirty-three and a half years and was crucified on a cross. However, even though this One grew up in poverty, received little education, did not attain to a high position, did not live long on the earth, and was eventually crucified on a cross, the past two thousand years prove that He is the most wonderful person in the history of mankind.
Many people who have believed in Jesus know the preciousness of His name, and today thousands call upon His name, bow their knees to Him, proclaim Him as Lord, and revere Him in their heart. When Napoleon was about to die, he said, “O Jesus of Nazareth! You have defeated me. I have fought many battles, yet You did not fight a single battle. However, tens of thousands of people exalt You as King. Although You were a mere Galilean who lived only thirty-three and a half years and was crucified on the cross, there are people everywhere on the earth who exalt You as King.” It is not a coincidence in history that Jesus was crucified on the cross. Jesus of Nazareth was crucified because He was not merely a man but a man with God within Him.
The Lord Jesus was a young man at the age of thirty when He began His ministry on the earth. However, He was able to declare before many people that He and God were one (John 10:30; 17:22), that when they saw Him, they saw God (14:9), and that when they believed into Him, they believed into God (v. 1). He was not speaking wild or boastful words, nor was He telling lies. His mind was clear, His person was proper, and His words were honest and trustworthy. The whole world acknowledges His human life. His words recorded in the Bible were great, high, and full of wisdom. He said to people, “I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall by no means walk in darkness”; “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall by no means hunger, and he who believes into Me shall by no means ever thirst”; and, “Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall by no means thirst forever” (8:12; 6:35; 4:14a). These words are simple yet full of wisdom.
In the past six thousand years of human history no philosopher or wise man, whether in the East or in the West, has ever spoken such words. They had neither the boldness to speak such words nor the mind to conceive them. No one can say that he is the light of the world, the bread of life, and the living water of life. In six thousand years of human history, only Jesus of Nazareth has ever spoken such words. He could speak such words because God was in Him. Actually, He is God (Rom. 9:5; Heb. 1:8). He is God manifested in the flesh so that man can come near to Him and believe in Him (1 Tim. 3:16).
Jesus died for us and bore our sins on the cross (1 Pet. 2:24). This is a marvelous thing. Many people do not have peace in their conscience when they consider God, because they think of God’s righteousness, the eternal judgment, and their hidden life filled with many secretive, unspeakable, defamatory, and immoral things. Thus, they cannot help but be fearful. Their efforts to cultivate their moral character cannot comfort them, abstaining from meat cannot soothe the uneasiness in their hearts, and doing good deeds cannot give them rest. However, if they hear the gospel, believe in the name of Jesus, know that on the cross He shed His blood and bore their sins, and call on His name to receive Him, they will immediately have peace in their hearts, and the heavy burden of sin will immediately be cast off. Their condemning conscience will become a clear conscience, their anxiety will become peace, and their pain within will become joy. This is not a psychological phenomenon. If it were merely psychological, man would have no peace within. In many religions, when people are before their religious leaders, they still have no inner peace. However, once a person comes to Jesus and believes that He shed His blood on the cross and bore his sins, he has peace in his heart, his burden is lifted, and he feels released and joyful. This is marvelous.
Once there was a man who lived in Manchuria and who had done a great deal of business. One day, while he was sick and lying in bed, his conscience began to bother him. He felt that he was full of sins and trespasses. Thus, he beat himself on the chest, cried bitterly, rolled around in his bed, and even fell onto the floor. He had no inward peace. However, as he was crying, he recalled the gospel that he had heard in the past, which told him how Jesus, the Lord of heaven and earth, bore up man’s sins on the cross, and how man’s sins would be forgiven if man would believe into Him. In the midst of his pain, this man prayed to God, saying, “O Jesus, if You are the Lord of heaven and earth and if You have died for me on the cross, please forgive my sins.” Not long after he prayed in this way, he sensed an inexplicable joy like a burning fire within him. His crying turned into happiness, and he got up from the floor, joyfully and prayerfully giving thanks to the Lord. On that day he was saved in his hospital room.
Many believers have had similar experiences of a dynamic salvation, and many have experienced in their conscience the effectiveness of Jesus’ redemptive work on the cross. This is because Jesus is the Lord. He came to be man’s Savior and bore man’s sins on the cross. He resurrected from the dead and is now the Spirit who can be with man in any place (Acts 2:32; 1 Cor. 15:45). Whenever a person turns his heart to Him, calls on Him, and believes into Him, He enters into that person and reaches him as the Spirit (Acts 2:21). If such a person is condemned in his conscience, once he receives the Lord, He will give him the peace of forgiveness. If he is in agony, the Lord will be unlimited comfort to him. If he is darkened within, He will be light to him. If he has no direction, He will be his way. No matter what difficulty man has, the Lord Jesus is the solution, and He has promised to be with man always (Matt. 28:20).
Therefore, it is difficult to find a sorrowful believer. Originally, many people were idol worshippers, but after they believed in Jesus, others could see the difference that had been wrought in them. Many idol worshippers have sad countenances, whereas the faces of believers, regardless of their age, are always happy and full of smiles. Believing in Jesus is a promising way, and to take any other way is to inflict pain on oneself. When a person calls on the name of Jesus and prays to Him, his pale face turns rosy, and his sad face becomes happy.
If a brother gets up in the morning with a frowning face, it indicates that he has not prayed to Jesus. However, if he is full of joy, it shows that he has prayed in the morning and has met Jesus. Because I am often busy giving messages, when people meet me, they are surprised to see that I am becoming more vigorous, and my complexion is getting rosier. I respond by telling them that the more I speak, the rosier my face becomes and the more vital I become, because Jesus is in me. My face looks healthy not only when I speak on the podium but also when I kneel down to pray to Him at home. I often feel like a piece of steel burning in the fire. I have no way to avoid being heated up by Him. Jesus is real. He is God, He is the Lord, He is the Spirit, and He can reach us to become our Savior.
The Lord Jesus is our good Shepherd who came to seek us out. On the cross He shed His blood and died for us so that He might save us from our sins. He rose from the dead (1 Cor. 15:3-4), ascended into heaven (Mark 16:19; Acts 1:9), and was made by God the Lord of all (2:36), including the universe and mankind. Today He is our Lord. We have no other lord but Him. This is a glorious matter. People in religion do not believe in the Lord. Neither Muslims nor Buddhists say that they believe in the Lord. Only those who believe in Jesus say that they believe in the Lord. No one will call a microphone, a stand, or a fan a person. Only a human being can be called a person. In the same sense, only Jesus is Lord. Buddha is not the lord, and Tao is not the lord. When we believe in Jesus, we believe in the Lord, because Jesus is Lord. We cannot apply the word Lord to any other person. We can use it to refer only to the Lord Jesus because only He, Christ Jesus, is the Lord.
That Jesus is Lord is a clear word in the Bible (Rom. 10:9; 1 Cor. 12:3; 2 Cor. 4:5). We all need to proclaim, “Jesus is Lord!” We need to pray that the Lord will bless our country and our government so that our relatives, friends, and loved ones may have the opportunity to receive Jesus as their Lord (cf. 1 Tim. 2:1-4). Today we have the freedom to listen to the gospel because Jesus is the Lord. We worship Him, take refuge in Him, and belong to Him. If we stand on His side, He will stand on our side. We should have faith that He has overcome the devil (John 14:30; Rev. 5:5) and that He has come to save our souls (John 3:17; 1 Tim. 1:15). Whoever is willing to turn to Him must confess that Jesus is Lord and proclaim before Him that he belongs to Him and that he will return to Him. He is my Lord, and He is also your Lord. He is our Lord.
