A messenger is one who has been sent and one who honors the calling. Who can become a called messenger? One who does not retreat or escape can be a called messenger. There were these men who could not enter the city because they were lepers. They lived outside the city. People in the city were dying of starvation, not to mention those outside the city. The Syrian army was camped not far from the city gate.

Since these four men living outside the city had no means to survive and were on the brink of death, they discussed what to do. If they enter the city, there is no food there either. If they leave the city and go to the Syrian army, they will be killed. But they had nothing to lose. These men had nothing in the city, they did not have a home, and all their families abandoned them. Since they were going to die either way, they set off towards the Syrian camp. Thus, they became the missioners with a calling. If we still have any attachment to the world, we will keep looking back with regret. However, these men had nothing to look back to.

As I have been living my faith life and devoted myself to doing God’s work, there were a number of moments when I could have looked back. But what kept me strong and secure in those times was the fact that there was nothing to look back to. Because I knew all too well who I was before.

I knew where I came from. Although I mentioned this the other day, I came from being that sinner, who never met God, under a curse, weeping, and considering taking my own life because my life seemed to be meaningless. That is where I came from. Compared to then, what have I lost? Even if it seems like I am dedicating and sacrificing a lot right now, it is honestly not a sacrifice. Compared now to back then, I am happy. I gained so much more, I have so much more, I am enjoying much more. I am happy. I have not lost anything compared to the past. There is so much I have gained and am thankful for.

However, people do not measure it that way. They look back on the days before they came to Jesus when they were on a roll – when they were good-looking, well-off, and popular – and complain that they have not got anything now. They begin to grumble and even resent the church. Their values are worldly.

Especially when I was heading over to China, I did not really have anything. Of course, I did have money, but I already knew that money is like leaves that get blown away by the wind and disappear. Hence, it was as if I did not have anything. I was able to go if I was told to go.

But for people who feel that they own much or there is much to enjoy, they cannot leave, just like the people within the city of Samaria could not because there was so much to lose. Even though everyone was starving to death in the city, because of everything they had in the city – their house, workplace, and people close to them – they could not leave the city despite the possibility of them starving to death in a couple of days. They were struggling to hold on to what they had and owned. How foolish!

But for these lepers, they had nothing to lose. They knew that their lives were as good as dead. So they set off. Obviously, the lepers thought it was by their own initiative that they headed to the Syrian camp. And because of this, when they found the steaming hot foods, the animals, and everything that was left behind by the Syrians, they believed they had met with such good fortune thanks to their wise decision. But was it really?

When those four men walked towards the Syrian camp, the Syrians heard the noise of a great army, of horses and chariots. How could that be possible by their strength? It was God’s doing. God used those weak men, who surrendered their lives, so that their footsteps were heard by the Syrians as the noise of a great army. This was not possible by their own doing but by God’s.

If others were in those lepers’ situation, they could have said to themselves, ‘Those people inside the city got what they deserved! They always shunned and rejected us because of our leprosy. Now, we acted wisely. We acted valiantly!’ However, these lepers did not think like that. They realized it was not by their own merits but solely by the grace of God. Because they acknowledged it was God’s grace and not their own power, they had a different attitude.

At first, when they were starving, they could not think of anything else. But once they had their fill and were satisfied, what came to their mind? If they were shown such favor to find all that food and treasures, was it because there was something about those four lepers that was favorable and pleasing to God that He did that? Whoever thinks so is mistaken.

But do you know who thinks like that? People who are ungrateful. People who rely on their own works and righteousness believe that everything is the outcome of their “right” decisions. Hence, such people can never have a sense of calling.

People who have not received grace cannot have a calling. So then, what kind of person receives much grace? People who have been called to ministry. Others might wonder why they work so hard and selflessly, but it is because they have received grace abundantly. I can also confess this before God. I received boundless grace.

I experienced what it was like before receiving grace – the horrible, wretched and hell-like days. And because of that, when I met Jesus, His grace was overwhelmingly great. It is by that grace I am doing God’s work.

However, when people do not receive grace, they start to have ulterior motives and become greedy because they do not remember the time when they were sinners. Instead of looking back on who they were in their past sinful state, they start to grumble against the church, have an aggressive attitude towards the church, and even look upon their fellow brothers and sisters with judgmental eyes as if they were their enemies. What is the reason for that? They failed to receive grace. Therefore, such people should first receive grace before thinking about serving God.

These lepers later realized that they were shown favor – God’s grace. At first, they thought it was because they acted wisely or were lucky. So after they ate enough, what did they do? They went inside each tent and took the treasures and hid them. After that, they did not have anything else to do. And that is when they realized it was not by chance or coincidence that they were in the Syrian camp. They began to feel fearful of God and think about why all of this happened to them.

Then one of them came to his senses and said in verse 9. “We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, and we remain silent. If we wait until morning light, some punishment will come upon us. Now therefore, come, let us go and tell the king’s household.”

Inside the city, people were eating up their own children. So would it be reasonable to tell them to wait until evening? If they were able to wait, why would they even eat their children in the first place? “Today, let’s eat your son. Tomorrow we will eat my son.” This is what the people were doing. They had lost all humanity. Hence, there was not a moment to lose. Who knows how many people were dying every hour? So one of them said, “If we wait until morning light, some punishment will come upon us.” Thus, this was their calling.

A messenger with a calling cannot choose between whether or not he will do the work he is called for. If he was shown God’s favor, there is definitely a reason for it.

One needs to understand the difference between favor and reward. If someone works and gets paid for his work, that is a reward. But what is a favor (grace)? It is a gift. A gift is freely given. It is an unmerited gift. Yet we must understand that every gift has a reason. Imagine someone gave you a gift. Why would they give you a gift? There is a motive. There is something they want. They have an expectation. They give a gift, hoping to be well looked after.

I once received a laptop as a gift from someone in 2002. I do not even know who it was from, but someone gifted it to me through another person. When I received it, I thought, ‘Why did he give this to me? Out of all the people out there, why did he gift it to me?’ And because of that gift, I began to record and transcribe the Lord’s Day sermons and sent them to others. I do not know if the gift-giver had such an intention when he gifted me the laptop, but there must be a definitive reason behind God inspiring that person to do that. If I were shown some favor, there is clearly a reason for it.

Sometimes missionaries from the United States visit us and bring us chocolates and other gifts. Why do you think they do that? They are showing their gratitude for the sermons we have sent them, but also hoping that we will continue to send them sermons. One person even gifted us an iPad. What was the reason for their gift? They were indirectly requesting that we keep sending them sermons. We are making good use of that iPad for translation work.

In this way, a gift is given not because there is anything favorable about a person, but it is unmerited. Parents feeding their children is not a gift. It is because they are their beloved children that they feed them. But when it comes to a gift, it is given to someone for a special reason. People give gifts to their lovers. It is intentional. It is not without reason that they give gifts. One reason might be to captivate the other person’s heart.

Similarly, if God has given us a gift, if He bestowed His grace upon us, it may be unmerited, but there is a reason for it. God bestows His grace that we “may proclaim the praises of Him.” “That you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you.” This is written in 1 Peter. We have to understand that God’s gift is given for a reason. We should always have that in mind. If you are thinking, ‘Why is God so gracious to me?’ that is because God has an expectation.

It does not mean that one is obliged to do what God expects just because He was gracious to them. Since a gift is voluntary, the recipient is not obligated to do anything. However, God has an expectation when He grants His gifts.

It is written in 1 Peter 2:9, “that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” In this way, there is a reason when God bestows His grace. We are not obligated when we receive His gift. There is no obligation. However, the giver has a great expectation. Hence, when great grace is given, there is a great expectation. God wants us to know what His expectations are and act accordingly. He does not want us to do it reluctantly. That is why He did not make it a law but a gift.

So only a wise person who is sharp-witted and loves the Lord will get into action when he receives God’s grace. Whoever does not love has no clue about the Lord’s expectations. Only the ones that love the Lord can do what He expects.

Yesterday morning, the Overseer said, “Now is the time for us to do such and such. You need to be sharp-witted and quickly sense what to do. You have to be quick to catch on and follow. Those that fail to catch on will naturally be eliminated.” He is right in saying that. We need to quickly catch on and follow the lead. He cannot be chasing after people telling them, “No, you can’t do that. We don’t need that. Why aren’t you listening to me?” That is not how we can get the work done. If we receive grace, we have to quickly catch on and figure out what His expectations are and act accordingly.

That leper we read about came to his senses pretty quickly compared to the others and told them, “We are not doing right. If we wait longer, some punishment will come upon us.” That is why they went to tell the news.

Paul said the same. In 1 Corinthians 9:16 he says, “For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is lain upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!”

Even if we eagerly teach the Berean teaching and make disciples, we have nothing to boast about. Why? Because we are doing what ought to be done. If we do not do it, woe is us! We received a gift so valuable, yet if we think it is by our own merits, woe will be on us, for it is not right. Therefore, we have to spread this news in haste. Likewise, the lepers had to act fast before another person died of starvation.

The king’s officer, who did not acknowledge the grace of God from the beginning, did not get to partake in the glory and died because he said those faithless words. It is very easy for us to react in the same manner as the officer. The response given by the king’s officer can easily be our response to situations. For example, when a person speaks words of faith about what they are planning to do, it is easy for us to laugh it off and say something like, “Hey, don’t be ridiculous!” or “That won’t happen in a million years!” or “Not anyone can do that. Only people like Pastor Ki-Dong Kim can!” It is very easy for us to utter such words in response. Even when those words are at the tip of our tongue, we have to put a muzzle on our mouths. Otherwise, regardless of how well we did at other times, we will not be allowed to partake in God’s glory because He will remember those words we uttered.

When Pastor 000 in China told me he was going to build a church building and was raising funds, words were at the tip of my tongue. I thought, ‘How did he build a church building? His church is only a home church, not a Three-Self Patriotic Church. And when will they ever get the building finished?’ These words were at the tip of my tongue. I almost laughed at it. But in that moment, I remembered this scripture and that I should not laugh at his words. “With man’s logical reasoning, this is impossible. But it can be done by your faith Pastor 00”, I told him. I overcame that hurdle. “You will be able to achieve it. I haven’t seen any home churches building a worship place in the city, but pastor, you will be able to do it.” I was thankful that I could say that. If I had relied on my own experiences and said to him, “No, you won’t be able to build it. Home churches can’t build a worship place in the city,” I would not be able to attend the dedication service of their church building. I might get invited, but I could not allow myself to attend. Someone else will have to go in my place.

So, let us not utter faithless and idle words. The reason we utter them is that we look down on others. We easily blurt out comments like “How can he possibly do something like that?” because we believe we are superior than them and underestimate them. However, God’s servants whom He uses should not be underestimated. We do not know what they are capable of doing. They are people with vast potential and should not be looked down upon.

We must not say anything to others like, “Are you sure you can get it done properly?” Because if God uses them, we do not know what they will be capable of doing.

The gospel we received is grace. Let us remember that God has expectations of those who received His grace, and pray that we can fulfil our calling.

God our Father, we thank You for allowing us to receive grace. Help us to realize more deeply how great the grace we have received is, and through that, may our hearts be filled with happiness and joy. We have come to know the mystery of knowing God—something we dare not even imagine—and now we know it fully. We have received Your name, received the Holy Spirit, and gained this amazing power and authority to participate in God’s work through the Holy Spirit. So please help us quickly recognize what our God expects of us. We pray with gratitude, in the name of Jesus, Amen.