Date: November 20, 1941Place: 7 Jordan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong Scripture Reading: 2 Cor. 1:8-10
The verdict of death that we are speaking of here does not refer to death itself; rather, it refers to the reality, inevitability, and unavoidability of the work of death in man. This verdict removes man's trust in himself and turns him to God alone. But we have two questions: How do we know whether we have received this light, and how do we know whether God has done this work in us? We have to know what is doctrine and what is light. If someone tells us about something and then we have to do it ourselves, we have received a doctrine. But when revelation and light touches us, it produces an immediate effect. For example, if the doctor says that you are seriously sick, he will immediately take you to the operation room. God's word is powerful, because when He says, "Let there be light," there is light. God does not say, "Let there be light," and then ask us to go and find light or create light. It is a characteristic of spiritual things that as soon as God says something, it is done. We do not have to worry about how God does a work; we only need to worry whether God has spoken. It is wrong for the ears to pick up something and for the hands to try to act upon it. As soon as Paul saw God's great light, he asked, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" (Acts 9:6, KJV). God did not preach to him, yet he was able to ask such a question. Much of our problem lies in the fact that we do not know what we should do. There is no short cut, and no doctrine can substitute for light.
A brother from Mongolia once stayed in Shanghai for eight months. When he was ready to leave, he asked me to lay hands on him and to send him out for the work. I did not do it. Later he went to Tientsin and wrote a letter to me telling me all the things he had seen while he was in Shanghai. After I read the letter, I became very angry and tore the letter apart. I said in my heart, "What do you really know?" If someone says that he has fallen from a seven-story building and tells you exactly what was going on every second during the fall, he must be lying. The most skillful liars will say the same thing every time. Paul related his story three times, and every time it was different. This is because the light confused him. Before he received the light, he was able to ride a horse; but afterwards, he could only proceed by allowing others to hold his hand. He could no longer tell the east from the west or the north from the south. One characteristic of being enlightened is becoming unclear. Abraham's virtue rested in his ignorance; he could not do anything but wait for God's instructions. The first result of all spiritual revelation is confusion. This is absolutely opposite to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil makes one clear. But one begins to trust in God when he is in a state of confusion.
Spiritual matters have nothing to do with doctrines; they have to do with facts. Mental apprehension, anxiety, or concern have no place in spiritual things. What counts are the facts. All that matters is whether or not there are the facts. The more a person asks questions, the more it proves that he is in darkness. When a man has the light, he will see. He sees because he is in the light. All problems will go away when he sees. But if he does not have the light, he will ask all kinds of questions. He will ask about the color or shape of an object. But these questions will disappear once he has the light and sees. Spiritual confusion does not lead to doubt, but doctrines lead to questionings. We need a fundamental dealing, a genuine shining, and a thorough blow from the cross. Only the verdict of death will result in the genuine denial of the self; only then will we trust in God, not in ourselves.
