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HOW TO EXPERIENCE THE OVERCOMING LIFE

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I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. Galatians 2:20

NO LONGER I BUT CHRIST

Galatians 2:20 is a very familiar verse to us. This afternoon we will speak more about it. In the last message, we covered the meaning of an overcoming life. We know that the overcoming life is Christ, and we know that the overcoming life is Christ living in us. The question is how can we enter into the experience of this life. Christ wants to be our life and He can make us victorious. But how can Christ be our life? How can Christ live out His life within us? We have heard the gospel and know that Jesus is the Savior, but how do we take Him as our Savior? We know the salvation of the cross, but how can we be joined to the salvation of the cross? The question we will address in this message is how to be joined to Christ, including what we should do before Christ can become our life and before He can live within us. This afternoon we need to look at Galatians 2:20.

We will not consider the beginning of this verse or the end of this verse. We will begin with the middle of the verse. There is a wonderful expression in this verse: “It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me.” We can say that it is no longer I but Christ. What does “no longer I…but…Christ” mean? These five words mean victory. They speak of the overcoming life which we have been talking about for the past few days. The overcoming life is simply (1) “no longer I” and (2) “but…Christ.” This is the overcoming life. As long as it is “no longer I” and as long as it is “but…Christ,” there is victory. “No longer I” plus “but…Christ” is victory, and all problems are solved.

We saw in the last message that the meaning of the overcoming life is no longer I but Christ. But some questions remain: How can a Christian be no longer himself but Christ? How can one attain such a life? What way should one take before he will become no longer himself but Christ? This is why we have to study Galatians 2:20 carefully. According to Galatians 2:20, “It is no longer I…but…Christ” is in the middle. Before this portion there is a sentence, and after this portion there is another sentence. We have to see Paul’s starting point from which he experienced “no longer I…but…Christ.” If we see this, we can take the same way, and we will also be “no longer I…but…Christ.” Hence, we have to pass through what Paul passed through and follow the same way that Paul took. His way must also be our way.

HOW TO BE NO LONGER I BUT CHRIST

Now let us find out how one can be “no longer I…but…Christ.” We have to start from the first sentence of this verse. “I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me.” How did Paul reach the point where he could say that it was “no longer I…but…Christ”? This is a very familiar word. “I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live.” The “I” is out; it is on the cross. The “I” has passed away. Hence, I can say that it is no longer I. However, brothers and sisters, the truth concerning crucifixion with Christ on the cross is not being preached for the first time among us. We have known for a long time that we are crucified with Christ. Why has the doctrine of our crucifixion with Christ not worked with us? Brother Lu, how many years have you heard about the doctrine of crucifixion with Christ? You have heard about it for over ten years. Is it working in you? Please be honest with us. How much has it worked in you? Not much. I would ask Brother Chi the same question. How much has the doctrine of the cross guided you? How effective is it in you? Do you have the power of Paul? Brother Chi said that he felt that he was beginning to have more power in the last few days. We have known the doctrine of crucifixion with Christ for over ten years, but it has not worked in us. We may say that it has worked a little, but it has been so little that it amounts to almost nothing. We cannot say as Paul said, “I am crucified with Christ,” and we cannot follow with the words, “It is no longer I who live.” It seems as if the doctrine has not produced much effect in us. I am not merely repeating the doctrine of the cross this afternoon; we know too much already. We want to see the extent to which this crucifixion with Christ should work in us and what we should do before we can say that we are crucified with Christ.

Brothers and sisters, when the Lord Jesus was crucified on the cross, we did not put Him to death, nor did we put ourselves to death. Christ Himself died there, and God included us in His death. We are all familiar with this. Yet I would ask one thing: While it is true that God has crucified us, what should we do and what process should we pass through before we can say in reality that we are crucified with Christ? In the past we saw what God has done for us, but we did not see where our responsibility lies. We have seen that God has crucified us, but we do not know how we should view our own crucifixion. This afternoon we want to consider the responsibility that we must bear in our crucifixion with Christ.

ACCEPTING GOD’S VALUATION CONCERNING US

Why did God crucify us with Christ? My intention is not to give a sermon this afternoon but to have a talk with you. This is something that concerns all of us; it is not just something for me. Every one of us should consider this carefully. Why did God want to crucify us with the Lord Jesus? I can illustrate this point with a story. A robber was found guilty before a judge. Since the crime was not too serious, he was sentenced to only ten years of imprisonment. Another robber was also found guilty and was told by the judge that he would be executed. Why was one executed while the other was only imprisoned for ten years? There was still hope for the one who was to be imprisoned. The judge still had hope in him, and the nation still had hope in him. There was still the possibility that this man would become a good citizen. After he was imprisoned for ten years, he would be released. But the nation had no hope in the other robber; he had committed too serious a crime. The nation had no need of such a person, and the only way to deal with him was to execute him. How does God see us today? God has crucified us on the cross. Why did He do this? This may not be a complimentary word, but it is the truth: God has no further hope in us. He has lost all of His hope in us. God considers us as being hopeless and impossible. The flesh is corrupt to the uttermost, and there is no other way for it except death. The work of the Lord Jesus does not change our flesh. God’s power cannot change our flesh, and the Holy Spirit cannot change our flesh. Reading the Bible and prayer cannot change our flesh. That which is born of the flesh is flesh. There is no hope, and the flesh can never change. God considers death as the rightful destiny of the flesh. God has lost hope in us. Therefore, He included us in the crucifixion of Christ. There is no hope with us; the only solution is death. As a consequence, the first thing that God requires from a Christian after he is saved is baptism. Baptism is a declaration that God has given up hope in a person and has crucified him. It is also our declaration that we deserve to die and that we ask others to move us out of the way and bury us. Have we seen that baptism is God’s declaration and our acknowledgment of our death? It is saying “amen” to God’s valuation of us. God says that we deserve to die, and we take a further step by burying ourselves. I have lost hope in myself. There is absolutely no hope in me any longer. I deserve only to die, and I am standing on the ground of death today.

Many Christians have forgotten what they did at the time of baptism, and many have forgotten God’s valuation of us. What is God’s valuation? His valuation is that we should die. We deserve only to die. There is no other way to take. It is useless to try to repair or mend. There is no possibility of progress, and we cannot change ourselves. We are completely useless, and there is nothing we can do except die. Consequently, God included us in the death of the Lord Jesus. His putting us on the cross is an indication of His valuation of us. Please remember that the cross is God’s appraisal of us. God has shown us that we deserve only to die and that there is no hope with us.

But do we accept this fact? Human beings are often self-contradicting, and they often have contradicting thoughts. On the one hand, we have been saying for years that we are crucified with Christ. But on the other hand, we are still full of hope for ourselves. On the one hand, we feel that we are not able, yet on the other hand, we hope that we can become able. We keep stumbling and failing, yet we still hope to overcome.

I once saw a picture of a woman who put the coffin of her dead husband in front of her door for thirty years. She would not allow anyone to bury her husband. She said that her husband was only sleeping, and she was waiting for him to resurrect. We have the same hope concerning ourselves. On the one hand, we believe that we deserve only to die and that we are dead in transgressions already. But on the other hand, we think that as long as there is a breath in our mouth, we can still be of some use. We think that we have failed because we have not been strong enough in our determination and that we will overcome if we do better the next time. We think that we have failed because we are not watchful and that we will be able to stand up to temptation if we are watchful the next time. We think that we have failed because we have not rejected temptation and that we will overcome if we reject the temptation the next time. We think that we have failed this time because we have not prayed enough and that we will overcome if we pray enough the next time. Have we seen what we are doing? God has crucified us on the cross and told us that we are dead. But we have not seen that we are dead; we have not acknowledged that we are dead. We keep hoping that the flame that has been extinguished will flicker again if we give it enough fanning. This is why we are still fanning all the time.

What does it mean to be crucified with Christ? In order to experience this truth, there is one necessary condition which we must fulfill on our part. We must say to God, “You have lost hope in me, and I also have lost hope in myself. You consider me as being hopeless, and I also consider myself as being hopeless. You think that I deserve to die, and I also think that I deserve to die. You consider me as being powerless, and I also consider myself as being powerless. You consider me as being useless in doing anything, and I also consider myself as being useless in doing anything.” We have to stand on this ground all the time. This is the meaning of being crucified with Christ. What God has done can never be overturned; they are accomplished facts. But on our side, we have a responsibility that we must fulfill, which is accepting God’s valuation of us. God has lost hope in us. We also have to lose hope in ourselves. Whenever we lose hope in ourselves, we will see that “it is no longer I.”

The trouble today is that most Christians have refused to open their eyes. They have not seen that God has lost hope in them and given up all demands on them. He considers us as being absolutely useless. I am not afraid of offending Brother Lu here. I can declare this in front of everyone: “Brother Lu is an absolutely useless person.” This is putting it in a polite way. Putting it in a less polite way, I would say, “Brother Lu, you are corrupt to the core; you are utterly wicked.” But thank the Lord, I can say this not only about Brother Lu but also about myself. We are all corrupt to the core. We are absolutely useless. We are not useful for anything except death. The only way for us to take is to die. We can never change, and there is no hope in us. We are utterly wicked, and we deserve only to die. This is God’s valuation, and we should not have any other kind of valuation before God.

We have many concepts about ourselves. We are full of hope for ourselves. Therefore, we have to see in this message how we can appropriate the reality of the fact that we have been crucified with Christ. God has given up hope in us, but what should we do? We should tell God that we also have given up hope in ourselves, and we have to go one step further. For now we will put aside Galatians 2. Let us now look at Luke 18:18-27.

THE PRINCIPLE OF STILL LACKING ONE THING

I personally treasure this portion of the Word very much. It shows us the first condition for victory. I hope that you will bear with me and consider what this passage is really speaking of. There was a ruler who came to Jesus and asked for eternal life—God’s life. This eternal life includes salvation as well as victory. Therefore, in the following verses both salvation and the entry into God’s kingdom are spoken of. We see that the sphere includes both salvation and victory.

The ruler came to the Lord Jesus and asked what he should do to inherit eternal life. The Lord listed five very severe conditions: “Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your father and mother.” No young ruler could keep these commandments. It would be impossible for a young ruler not to commit adultery, not to murder, not to steal, not to bear false witness, and to honor his parents. No young ruler could fulfill these five conditions. Yet this young man amazingly said to Jesus, “All these things I have kept from my youth.” He had not broken any of these commandments even once. It was as if he were saying, “Master, are there any more conditions? If not, I should inherit eternal life. I am qualified to have the eternal life.” But the Lord Jesus told him that he still lacked one thing. “Still you lack one thing: all that you have, sell and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in the heavens; and come, follow Me.” Do you realize that you still lack one thing? What does it mean to lack one thing? The Lord Jesus said that he still lacked one thing and that he could not get by without having that one thing. Does this mean that everyone who comes to the Lord has to sell all that he has or that everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus has to give up everything? No, we admit that many rich people can receive eternal life. But why do we not see very many of them? Why are there so few of them? Some have said, “I cannot sell all that I have.” Verse 26 indicates that some who heard this word murmured, “Then who can be saved?” In verse 27, however, the Lord Jesus said, “The things that are impossible with men are possible with God.” The Lord was proving to the young ruler that salvation is impossible with man, but the young man would not admit that it is impossible with man. He thought that he could refrain from adultery, murder, stealing, and bearing false witness and that he could honor his parents. The purpose of the Lord’s word was to prove to him that salvation and victory are impossible with man. Salvation is impossible with man, and victory is impossible with man. Yet the young man thought that it was possible. Therefore, the Lord laid out one more condition before him. He was saying, in effect, “Since you say that you can fulfill these five conditions, I will put one thing more before you. I may even add another thing and another thing to see if you can fulfill them all.” When the young ruler realized that he could not fulfill the Lord’s conditions, he became sorrowful and left.

If you try to be saved or if you try to overcome, God will often put “one thing” in front of you. We often feel that we have done a good work. We were quick in our temper, but now we can control it. We were proud, but now we can humble ourselves. We were jealous of others, but now we are not that jealous. We were talkative, but now we are no longer that talkative. We think that we are not far from victory and that we have overcome a considerable amount. But even though we may not be impatient, proud, jealous, or talkative, we still have one thing, one flaw. It seems that everything else is taken care of, but we are still short of this one thing. It may be a very small thing. It may be a fondness for eating, or it may be that we cannot get up in the morning before eight or nine o’clock. It seems so strange that we can overcome many other sins, but that we are unable to overcome this one sin. We are helpless in this matter. We spend all our effort to overcome it. We may ask others to wake us up, or we may use an alarm clock, but we still cannot wake up. We cannot explain it. We can overcome many other things, but we cannot overcome this one thing. This is the principle of Luke 18, the principle of still lacking one thing. God is proving to us that we are not able. Eventually, we will have to concede that we are not able. The Lord may allow us to become able in something, but He will show us that we still lack one thing. He has to show us that there is at least one thing which we are not able to do. In order for God to bring us into victory, He must first show us that we are not able. Victory is a gift from Christ; we cannot overcome in ourselves. Consequently, God leaves behind one or two things which are impossible for us to overcome. He is trying to show us that we “still…lack one thing.”

THE FIRST STEP TOWARD VICTORY BEING A REALIZATION THAT WE ARE NOT ABLE

The young ruler might have been able to fulfill five, fifty, or even five hundred conditions, but God put one thing in front of him to show him that he was not able. Friends, the first step toward victory is to realize that we are not able. Once we realize that we are not able, we have passed the first step. Everyone who is sitting here has one thing that he is not able to do. It is so strange that we always fail in that one thing. With some it is their temper, their unclean thoughts, their talkativeness, their inability to get up early in the morning, their inordinate suggestions, their jealousy, or their pride. We do not know why, but always there is one thing which a person cannot overcome. Everyone who intends to overcome has to find out before God the one thing that he lacks. Everyone has his particular “one thing.” At least he has “one thing.” Sometimes there are more. When we are before God, He will show us that we are not able.

One sister desired very much to overcome. She dealt with many things before God. Every day she wrote letters to others apologizing for her wrongdoings, and every day she went up to the mountain to pray. Every time she came down from the mountain, I asked whether she had overcome her hurdle. She would tell me that she had dug another grave on the mountain and had buried something there again. When I asked her the next day, she would tell me that she had found some more sins and had buried and dealt with them. For over twenty days, she dealt with her sins. At the end I asked her, “Are you almost done?” She answered, “After so many dealings, I think I have almost overcome.” I then told a co-worker sister in private, “Just wait and see.” One day I went to her house and saw her very sad. I did not ask her for the reason. It is always good to be sorrowful, and it is not always a good thing to stop a person from being sorrowful. I did not say anything. This went on for six days. Every day she appeared to be very sad.

After six days a brother among us invited everyone to a meal. The sister was also included in the invitation. She attended the meal but ate hardly anything. She was sitting in front of me and was smiling, but actually, she was very sad in her heart. There were over twenty brothers and only three sisters there on that day. I had written a new song, and after the meal I asked her to play it on the piano. After playing two stanzas, her tears began to roll down. I let her cry and did not do anything. After a while I asked, “What is the matter?” She said, “It is hopeless! I cannot overcome one thing, no matter how hard I try.” She was a shy sister, but she wept right there in front of twenty or more brothers. She could not contain herself, and she continued to weep. I asked about what she was not able to overcome. She said that she had been dealing with one matter for a week but was still unable to overcome. She said, “Brother Nee, during the past few weeks, I have been dealing with my sins every day. I have dealt with all my sins.” I could testify that she had indeed dealt with her sins. She continued, “But despite all that I did during the past week, I have been unable to deal with this one sin.” I thought that it must have been a very serious sin. I asked her what it was that she was not able to overcome. She said, “It is a very small matter. But I cannot deal with it. I have had this habit since my youth. I like to eat snacks. After breakfast I like to snack on something here and there. Before lunch time, I have a craving for some snacks again. After lunch I want something, and before going to bed at night, I again look for a snack. During the past few days, I felt that I had to deal with this matter. I should not be eating snacks constantly. I began to deal with this matter. However, I tried for six days, and I failed every day. I am worse than my three children. As soon as I see some snack food, I put it in my mouth. I cannot stop eating.” While she was speaking, she was weeping. But when I heard this, I became very happy. I laughed. I was very happy. As she was weeping, some brothers walked away, and some sisters tried to avoid the scene. She was weeping bitterly, but I was laughing heartily. While she was weeping, I was laughing. She asked me what I was so happy about. I said, “I am very happy. My heart is leaping. Mrs. So-and-so, are you clear that you are not able? Have you realized your inability only after these twenty or more days? Thank God that you have finally learned that you are not able to do something. Let me tell you: Once you are unable, He becomes able. Herein lies the principle of victory.” An hour later she had a breakthrough and fully entered the overcoming experience.

The way to overcome is to be lacking in one thing. You may think that you are right in this and that matter. You may think that you can do something or that you are capable of doing something, but God has to prove to you that you cannot do anything. Brothers and sisters, everyone who wants to overcome must first find out the one thing that he is not capable of doing. He can discover his inability only through that particular thing. Do you have a particular sin? Do you have a sin that you cannot overcome? Those who are too general can never pass the gate of victory. You must know your own specific weakness. This will serve as a demonstration to you that you need to overcome. With some it is pride. With others it is jealousy. With still others it is gullibility—any slight change affects them. With some it is unclean thoughts. With others it is talkativeness. With still others it is fastidiousness. Some people like to speak behind others’ backs and pass words around. Some people are unable to control their body. There is always one thing which a person cannot overcome. After this afternoon’s meeting, I hope that you will go home and write in your Bible the words: “Still you lack one thing.” You have to find out what that one thing is.

The young man in Luke 18 lacked selling all that he had. I am afraid that some among us are also unable to let go of their money. With some people the problem may not be money, but they still have one thing that they lack. If it is not money for you, what is it? You have to write down the sin which you find impossible to overcome. If you know where your sickness lies, you will be specific before God in overcoming such a sin. Every person has to know where his specific sickness lies. Every person has his specific weakness, and he must ask God to enlighten him and show him his weakness. Every person has at least one thing that he cannot overcome. With some people there may be more than one thing. You have to find the very thing that you cannot overcome. Once you see that you are unable, you will see that God is able. If you do not see your own weakness, you will not see the power of Christ.

Brothers and sisters, why did God leave one or two unsettled things in our life? It is to show us that we are not able to do anything by ourselves. This is a general scriptural principle; it is also a most important principle. When we declare that the Lord Jesus was crucified on the cross for us, it is very easy to forget that this very principle is at work at the same time. God knows that you are powerless, and God knows that I am powerless. He knows that no good thing comes out of the flesh. He knew this a long time ago, but we do not know it. We do not know that there is no good thing from the flesh. As a result, we keep hoping and trying our best to please God.

God knows that our flesh is useless. But we do not know it. Therefore, He gave the law to us. The purpose of the law is to prove to us that man is sinful and powerless. The law was not given for us to keep; God knows that we cannot keep the law. The purpose of the law is for us to break it. It was not given for man to keep but for man to break. God knows that we will break the law, but we do not know it. Therefore, He gave the law to us and allows us to break it. In this way we will come to know what God already knows, and we will become aware of our powerlessness. As Christians, we claim that we are beyond the law. We think that the Ten Commandments are the law. But we forget that all of the New Testament commandments are also the law. Through these commandments, God demonstrates to us that we cannot make it. God has to bring us to the point where we confess that we cannot make it. Only then will we acknowledge God’s wisdom in crucifying us on the cross. Only then will we realize that we are useless, and only then will we realize that the only way to deal with us is death. Otherwise, we would consider it a mistake for God to crucify us, because we would still think that we could do something.

This is why Romans 7 is so precious. The person in Romans 7 was constantly struggling. Why did he struggle? He struggled because he was still filled with hope in himself, even though God had lost hope in him. He tried to please God and keep the law. But the result was total failure. In the end he had to acknowledge God’s wisdom in crucifying him on the cross. It was right for God to crucify him. God said that he should die, and he conceded that he should die.

Many Christians do not overcome because they have not failed enough. Many Christians have not committed enough sins yet. Therefore, they have not overcome. If they committed more sins, it would be easier for them to overcome. If they saw the corruption of the flesh, it would be easier for them to overcome. The person in Romans 7 was so desperate that he eventually sighed and said, “Who will deliver me from the body of this death?” He saw that he could not make it, and he asked if there was anyone who could deliver him from the body of this death. Once he realized that it was a matter of “someone,” he was on his way to victory. Once he saw that there was “someone,” that someone could come to his rescue immediately. Therefore, brothers and sisters, the first thing we have to see this afternoon is that according to God’s view, we are absolutely useless before Him. God sees us as being absolutely useless. We must likewise see ourselves as being absolutely useless. If we have not seen our absolute uselessness, we will never accept the appraisal of the cross, and we will never be able to say that we are crucified with Christ or that it is no longer we who live. If there is still hope in us, it means that we think we are still useful, and we will not say that it is no longer I.

UNABLE AND NOT INTENDING TO BE ABLE

I think we have to go one step further to consider something more. Many brothers and sisters already know that they are not able to do anything. Perhaps you know that you are not able to do anything. But I must ask once again: Are you able, or are you not able? Brothers, have you died to any hope in yourself? Do you still think that you can overcome? We saw objective facts yesterday. We are seeing something subjective for the first time this afternoon. There is no doubt that Christ will overcome for you, but there is a condition for His overcoming for you: You must not consider yourself able. Are you able or not? God has allowed you to fail many times in the past, but your heart is still not dead. Are you able or not? Everything hinges on this crucial question. Whether or not you will advance in the future hinges on this. If you continue to say in your heart that you are able and that you can make it in yourself, Christ cannot live for you. Christ can live only for those who are absolutely unable. Victory awaits only those who have completely failed. Only those who have completely failed can overcome. If a man has not failed completely, God will not overcome for him. This is the first condition. The first condition is to confess that we are not able.

It is one thing to say that we cannot make it, and it is another thing to give up trying to make it. Have we seen that there are these two things? We cannot make it, and we should not try to make it. Many times, we know that we cannot make it, yet we continue to try to make it. The first condition to victory is to realize that we cannot make it, and the second is to give up trying to make it. If we will admit that we cannot make it and give up trying to make it, we will overcome. The problem is that although we know that we cannot make it, we try our best to make it. We want to use our own effort and strength. We think that if we prayed more, we would make it, or if we made more resolutions, we would stand. Even though we cannot make it, we try to make it.

Suppose that there is an object weighing three hundred catties [a Chinese unit of weight]. Suppose further that you know you can lift only two hundred catties. There is no way for you to lift a weight of three hundred catties. However, many people try to lift a weight that they know very well they cannot lift. They say, “I know I cannot make it, but why don’t I give it a try?” They cannot make it, yet they want to try. It is one thing for a person to be unable to make it, and it is another thing for him to give up trying to make it. Since we cannot make it, we might as well not try to make it. “Lord, I cannot make it, and I do not intend to try to make it. I will not try anymore.” Your hands have to let go completely. Letting go is a big thing. Since you know that you cannot make it, you should stay in that position and not try to make it. Recently, I have met many brothers who have repeatedly committed some sins. They confessed that they could not overcome. But I asked whether they were still trying to overcome. Eventually, they conceded and said, “What more can we do? We give up.” God has crucified you on the cross and has given up hope in you. But you must also admit that you cannot make it. You must also acknowledge this.

Unfortunately, we still try to make it by ourselves. What does it mean to try to make it? Let me take temper as an example. Suppose you are a quick-tempered person, and you cannot control your temper. The more you try, the more you fail. You admit that you can do nothing about your temper. What should you do? You know with certainty that there is no way to control your temper, yet you still try to control it. Then what do you do? You try to be more careful when you speak with others. You try to avoid those with whom you cannot get along well, and you try to talk to those with whom you can get along well. You avoid fellowship with those who agitate you and run away from their face. Every time you are about to lose your temper, you try your best to suppress it. You try to suppress it with more prayers. What is this? This is being unable, yet at the same time trying to be able. You cannot make it, yet at the same time you try to make it. You cannot make it, yet you exert some effort in an attempt to make it. This kind of person will never overcome. He will never be able to say, “I am crucified with Christ.”

Brothers and sisters, please remember that the condition of victory is acknowledging that we are unable, and the greatest barrier to victory is trying to be able. Victory is from Christ; it is Christ who is living on our behalf. The overcoming life requires that we take a stand and declare, “I cannot make it and I do not intend to make it. Please make it for me. I will not fabricate my own victory.” If we do this, we will overcome. God cannot deal with people who always try to make it. God can do nothing for them. If we try to make it and if we resolve to make it, God will stop as soon as we start. Christ lives within us in order to live Himself out of us. The problem is that we try to preserve the wholeness of our own work. We must completely deny our own work before Christ can express His life through us. If we try to help Him a little and try to bring in man’s work, God’s grace will go away. If Christ does not overcome for us, whatever victory there is will be our own victory. Christ’s power is not for the purpose of making up our lack. Christ’s life is not for the purpose of patching the holes in our lives. He wants to live instead of us. If we want Christ to live instead of us, we ourselves must not live. We must first know that we cannot make it, before God will have His way. Do not try to linger on in the battle. The minute we fight, we will lose. We hope to make it, and we think it would be wonderful if we could make it. But while we are struggling, Christ is not living within us.

In human endeavors there is always the possibility of overlapping. I have a servant in my home. When he quits, I have to hire another one, but I ask the first servant to stay for another two weeks and teach the new servant all the chores before he quits. There is always the need for overlapping with man. Before the first servant can go away, the new servant has to come two weeks prior to his departure. But Christ will not do this. If we do not go away on our part, He will never take any step on His part. Whenever we stop, He begins. If we think that He will do something while we are still doing things, it will never happen. Whenever we stop our work entirely, Christ will begin His work. Whenever we are still doing something, Christ will not move an inch. Yesterday we saw that “it is no longer I…but…Christ.” But when will it be “but… Christ”? This will happen only when there is “no longer I.” If we hope to see some overlap between Christ and us, it will never happen. We must not make it, and we must not try to make it. Our hands must let go completely. Everything must be in the Lord’s hands; we have to hand over everything to Him. We cannot make it, and we should not try to make it. If we do this, we will overcome.

But this is not enough. Many people realize that they cannot make it; they weep and cry. Of course, it is good to weep. Many times, our sins can be washed away only by our weeping; they can be washed only away with tears. We often shed too few tears before the Lord. But we should also realize that many Christians follow the example of the young ruler by going away in sorrow when they try to overcome, because they see only their problems and see only that they lack one thing. Since they cannot make it, they think that God cannot make it either. They think that they are therefore without hope because they cannot distribute all their possessions to the poor. No, there is still hope.

I often consider it very significant that Luke 18 is followed by Luke 19. Do you know what is spoken of in chapter nineteen? Chapter nineteen is the story of Zaccheus. Who was Zaccheus? He was an old man. The ruler in chapter eighteen was a young man. The young man was rich, and Zaccheus was also rich. Humanly speaking, a young man should be more generous, while an old man should be more stingy. But when Zaccheus came down from the tree, it is amazing that he volunteered to restore four times as much as he had taken from others by false accusation and also to give half of his possessions to the poor, even though the Lord did not ask him to give away his money. He gave away his money immediately. The Lord Jesus asked the young man to give away his money, and he could not do it. But this old man was never asked by the Lord to give away his money, yet he did it on his own. Why was there this difference? It is because the things that are impossible with men are possible with God. With the young man, we see that it is impossible with man. With Zaccheus, we see that it is possible with God. It is possible with God to do what? The Lord Jesus said that Zaccheus was also a son of Abraham and that salvation had come to his house. This means that God had saved him. The young man knew that it was impossible with him. But he did not ask for God’s salvation. With man it is impossible, but with God it is possible.

What does a Christian do when he realizes his temper, unclean thoughts, or carnal or spiritual sin? He aspires for the day when he will be free from these problems. I have heard a few sisters who remarked to me, “Brother Nee, it would be wonderful if my temper could improve a little.” I always tell them, “You have to thank the Lord for your quick temper. It is wonderful for you to see that you cannot make it. You should rejoice in the fact that you cannot make it.”

BOASTING IN ONE’S WEAKNESSES

Second Corinthians 12:9 says, “He has said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness. Most gladly therefore I will rather boast in my weaknesses that the power of Christ might tabernacle over me.” Have you seen this? Weakness is not something that one should lament over or weep about. Weakness is something that one should boast in. You may have said, “Thank and praise the Lord because He has made me overcome,” but have you ever said, “Thank and praise the Lord because He has made me fail miserably”? You thank and praise the Lord for giving you patience, but have you thanked and praised Him for your impossible temper? Have you thanked and praised Him for your pride? Have you thanked and praised Him for your jealousy? Have you thanked and praised Him for your uncleanness within and for your sin? If you have these problems, you should thank and praise the Lord for them. The first thing you must do is realize that you cannot make it. The second thing you should do is give up trying to make it. The third thing you should do is thank and praise God for not being able to make it. Hallelujah! I cannot make it. Hallelujah! I cannot make it!

Why did Paul say, “I will rather boast in my weaknesses”? The word “boast” is “glory” in the original language. Paul said that he considered his weaknesses to be his glory. This is because his weaknesses afforded Christ the opportunity to manifest His power and the opportunity for this power to tabernacle over him. Christ’s power cannot tabernacle over those who do not have any weaknesses. Only those with weaknesses can experience the tabernacling of Christ’s power. I would rather boast in my weaknesses because my weaknesses afford the Lord an opportunity to work in me. They afford the Lord an opportunity to manifest His power and to do something in me.

Brothers and sisters, do you have a sin which you cannot even confess? Do you have something which you cannot consecrate to God? Do you have a hindrance which you cannot remove? Is there any grace which you miss before the Lord? What are you going to do? Are you going to be sorrowful? If you are, you are a friend of the young man. He was sorrowful, and you are sorrowful as well. In the end, you will take the same way he did. He went away in sorrow, and you also will go away in sorrow. But you do not need to be sorrowful. The mistake of the young man did not lie in his realization of his impossibility but in his failure to realize God’s possibility. The mistake of the young man did not lie in his own inability but in his failure to apply God’s ability. It is not a sin to discover one’s own weakness, but it is a sin to refuse to believe in God’s strength. It is not a sin to be unable to give away one’s money, but it is a sin to refuse to believe that God can enable a person to give away his money. It is not a sin to have a bad temper, but it is a sin to refuse to believe that God can become one’s patience. It is not a sin to have an insurmountable sin, but it is a sin to refuse to believe that God can overcome such a sin for a person.

It is a glorious thing for a man to realize that he is helpless. The Lord’s purpose was to show the young man his helplessness. But when the young man returned home, he was not happy but sorrowful. Once the Lord shows you that you cannot make it, He will immediately show you that God can make it. The Lord does not show you your inability in order to discourage you. He shows you your inability in order for you to believe that He has an excellent opportunity to work in you. You should say, “Lord, I cannot make it and I do not even want to try to make it. Thank and praise You that I cannot make it.” When you see that you cannot make it and that you are totally incapable of doing anything, and when you see that only the Lord can make it, you will thank and praise Him. You will realize that it is very natural to thank and praise the Lord. In the past, you might have grieved over your weakness or wept over your sins. But today, you can boast and praise. You can say, “Lord, I thank You because I cannot make it. I thank You because I have no way to overcome. I am not able. I rejoice because I am not able. I rejoice because I cannot do anything. Only You can do everything.” If you do this, you will overcome.

THE LORD JESUS TAKING UP ONLY IMPOSSIBLE CASES

Once I met a brother in Chefoo who was going through the overcoming experience. This brother came from Manchuria and had been an army doctor for over ten years. Some brothers brought him to the Lord when he was in Manchuria. After he believed in the Lord, he moved to Chefoo, where he practiced medicine for over a year. When I was in Chefoo for a one-week conference, he was also there. During that conference I spoke on the subject of overcoming. One day he came to me in a desperate manner and asked if he could have a time with me the next morning. I told him that I was busy the next day and that it would be better if he came to see me that evening. He said that it was something very important and that there was not enough time that evening; he needed a long time to talk about his problem. Subsequently, we made an appointment for the next day. He reminded me that he would come at 9:00 a.m. and that I should not have any other appointments that morning so that I could give the whole morning to him because his problem was serious. He looked very much like a military man; he was tall, strong, and husky. We made an appointment to meet each other at Brother Lee’s house. Before 9:00 a.m. I arrived and found him already waiting for me there. Immediately after we sat down he said, “Brother Nee, I have a long story to tell!” He proceeded to tell me about his days in the army, how he came to know the Lord, and how he moved to Chefoo. He told me how he had overcome many sins and how he had stopped all the sins he used to commit when he was in the army. But there was one thing which he was unable to overcome. When I heard this, I was overjoyed again. Here was the “one thing” again. There is always one thing. No one can say that he does not have one thing. I asked, “What is this one thing?” He showed me his hands and told me that it was cigarettes. He said that he had overcome all kinds of serious and gross sins. But he could not overcome this one sin. He had been smoking for ten years and had been a Christian for three to four years. He came to Chefoo over a year ago. During those three to four years, he had tried seven to eight times every year to quit smoking but could not make it. He complained, saying, “It is a big suffering for me to smoke here. Chefoo is such a small place, and there are so many brothers and sisters. If they found out that I smoke, it would be disastrous. Therefore, I can smoke only in secret. I cannot smoke at home because my wife is also a sister in the Lord and constantly watches over me. If I smoke outside of my home, I am afraid that the brothers and sisters will see me. I cannot smoke openly and have to put my cigarettes inside of my pocket. If I am in the hospital where I work, I can smoke in my office. But I cannot smoke openly; I can do it only when I stand by the door. Whenever someone comes, I secretly try to put out the cigarette. I am afraid that the nurses in the hospital will find this out and tell the brothers and sisters about it. If my wife sees me smoking, there will be trouble. It is a big suffering for me to smoke. The brothers and sisters are all very warm, and they come to see us all the time. If they come while I am smoking, I have to put herb pills in my mouth so that they will not detect the smell of cigarettes on my breath. During the past year in Chefoo, I have suffered so much from cigarettes. I do not like to smoke, but I cannot quit, no matter how hard I try.” He was sitting in front of me, his great and husky stature giving a perfect image of a soldier. But while he was speaking, he was crying like a little boy.

I told him that this was something to rejoice about and that he should thank and praise God for it. He answered, “You do not understand. Others can quit smoking, but I cannot. If you had seen how I tried to quit, you would have realized my suffering. Once I succeeded for three days. I did not smoke, and I did not carry any cigarettes with me during that time. But my mind and my brain were filled with cigarettes everywhere I went. Eventually, I gave in and smoked again. I hate myself, but I cannot help it.” I said, “This is a happy thing. This is something worth rejoicing about.” He asked what I meant by this. I answered, “Dr. Shi, you are a doctor, and you have earned a great name in your profession. However, you have nothing to do with me because I am so healthy. You are the best doctor in Chefoo, and I am the most healthy person in Chefoo. I have no need of you, and you have no need of me. If you could quit smoking today, you would be to the Lord like I am to you; you would not need the Lord. But if I am weak and sick and no doctor can heal me and if you are a famous doctor and I come to you, you will have the opportunity and the chance to demonstrate your skill. Dr. Shi, would you dare to put up a sign outside of your clinic that said, ‘Terminal Cases Only’?” He said, “Of course not. What if I could not take care of them?” I said, “Yet the Lord Jesus will not take any case unless it is terminal. The Lord Jesus will heal only the impossible cases. Are you an impossible case today? For you, quitting smoking is an impossible case.” He agreed that it was an impossible case. “For four years, I have tried seven or eight times a year to quit. But I have not succeeded. If this is not an impossible case, what is it?” I said, “Very well. In that case, the Lord can heal you. Is that not something to rejoice about? You should thank the Lord because you are qualified to be His patient. Your case is a terminal case. You have to tell the Lord Jesus, ‘Lord, I cannot quit. I have no way to quit. Lord Jesus, I commit myself to You.’ The Lord will accept such a patient. This is why you have to rejoice.” He told me, “Brother Nee, don’t make fun of me. You have to realize that I am completely helpless.” At that point, he broke out in tears again.

Later I opened 2 Corinthians 12:9 and read to him. I asked, “What should you do about your weakness? Should you weep? There is no need to weep. What then should you do? You should rejoice in your weakness. You should boast in your weakness. You should be happy to boast about your weakness because when you are weak, Christ’s power will tabernacle over you.” Then I challenged him, saying, “Can you go to the Lord Jesus today and say, ‘Lord Jesus, I have been smoking for over ten years. I thank You that I cannot quit smoking. Lord Jesus, I have tried to quit smoking for four years and have completely failed. I thank and praise You because I tried to quit seven or eight times last year without success. I thank You because I can do nothing. I thank You because I am weak. I thank You because I cannot make it. Lord Jesus, I thank You because I smoke. From now on, I cannot quit smoking, and I do not intend to quit smoking. I pray that You will quit for me. If You do not quit for me, I cannot quit by myself. I will not use my own strength to quit anymore. I simply let You quit for me. Thank and praise You, because Your power is perfected in my weaknesses.’ What if we kneel down to pray right now?”

He agreed and said, “All right, let’s pray.” He acted like a soldier and dropped abruptly to his knees. First I prayed, “Lord, I thank You because this is another opportunity for You to manifest Your power in a terminal patient. Here is a helpless person, and we want to see You perform a miracle on him.” After I prayed, he also prayed. His prayer was excellent. He said, “I praise You because I smoke, and I cannot quit smoking. This is why I am coming to You. Lord, from now on, I will no longer try to quit. You quit for me. I will not try to quit anymore. I commit everything into Your hand. Thank and praise You. You are able.” After the prayer, he was very happy. He got on his feet, picked up his hat, and was about to leave. I said, “Wait a minute. I have something more to say to you. Will you still smoke from now on?” He gave me a very good answer: “I will. Of course I will smoke. I, Tsai-lin Shi, will smoke. But the Lord Jesus will quit for me.” At that word, he left.

The next evening, he came to the meeting again. He testified that he had told his wife, “For over a year, you have been complaining and have been telling me that smoking is wrong. But I could not quit. Yesterday morning I went to God, and in half an hour, I quit. There is no need for you to complain anymore. All that I needed was to go to God for half an hour.” I asked whether he would still smoke. He said, “Of course I will.” I then asked what he would do. He said, “I will always smoke. I, Tsai-lin Shi, will always smoke, even five or ten years from now. It is the Lord Jesus who will quit smoking for me.” When I heard this, I became peaceful. I knew that the matter was settled. This man knew himself, and he knew God. He knew that the change did not come from him but from the Lord Jesus. Two months after I left Chefoo, I learned that he had not smoked even once. All the brothers testified that he grew and advanced in a quick way.

WE CANNOT MAKE IT, BUT GOD CAN

I must say that God can make it. If we want to have the realization that we are crucified with Christ, we must realize that we cannot make it, and we must not try to make it. Finally, we should thank and praise God that we cannot make it. Our weakness will not hinder us, our failure will not hinder us, our thoughts will not hinder us, our habits will not hinder us, and our temper will not hinder us. The Lord Jesus is able. I repeat, He is able. This afternoon the Lord Jesus will perform a miracle for everyone who acknowledges that he cannot make it. We must see that we cannot make it and must stand on the ground that God has placed us on. God has shown us that we cannot make it. In God’s eyes we are worthy only of death. We should say, “Lord, I am worthy only of death. I do not intend to change or improve myself. I come to You just as I am with my weaknesses. I thank You because I cannot make it.”

During the past few months, Satan has come to me and has spoken to me many times. He never gives up. He always asks, “Have you overcome? I see that you are still the same.” I answer him by saying, “If it were up to me, I would worry. But the Lord is my victory.” The devil tells me that I am no good in this and that matter, but I only say, “Thank and praise the Lord, I am no good.” He tells me that I am weak, but I only say, “That is wonderful, now Christ has the opportunity to manifest His power.” Here we see the preciousness of being weak. What a joy it is to be weak! We are not afraid, and our hearts are filled with thanksgiving and praises because we realize that we are not able in ourselves.

Brothers and sisters, our inability is not a hindrance but a help. The more we cannot make it, the more Christ will have the opportunity to manifest His power. He specializes in dealing with our inability and weakness. The more we become destitute, the more we fail, the weaker we become, and the more we cannot make it, the more opportunity there is for our Lord to manifest His power in us. Hallelujah! Jesus is the Savior! Hallelujah! He is our Lord. Hallelujah! He is our life. Hallelujah, His power is given purposely to tabernacle over our weaknesses. Our eyes should see Him and not ourselves.