March 4, 2018_Jesus Received the Death Sentence

We are born-again by the will of God

God is perfect. We often hear people say, “If God exists, why do bad things happen to good people?” It is understandable that people feel this way when life is hard, but it is inappropriate to blame God for their suffering. Those who belong to Jesus Christ must believe that God is perfect.

God is not a man that He should act impulsively. His will has been established from eternity past and never changes. The Son of God prayed, “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not My will but Yours be done.” (Mt 26:39) God’s will is never frustrated, but it is accomplished just as He has purposed since before time began.

Mankind was doomed to destruction because Adam did not believe God’s word when He said that in the day Adam ate of the forbidden fruit he would surely die. So God initiated a plan to save mankind, not by annulling His word, but by sending Jesus Christ to pay the penalty for Adam’s sin, and everyone who believes in Him will be saved.

Baptism is the experience of a man who, having formerly ignored God’s will, has turned away from unbelief and toward Jesus Christ. People who were baptized by John could not experience this spiritual transformation because he only baptized with water. But those who are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ experience the truth that Jesus died for their sins as they submerge into the water, and they become God’s children when they are born-again by the Holy Spirit. Whoever has been baptized in the name of Jesus Christ has been completely disconnected from the past, has been justified by God, and has become a child of God.

Don’t waste your time distinguishing good and evil: Receive grace

Unfortunately, many people, even many who have been baptized, are bound by the law, unable to progress forward. Instead of recognizing that God bestowed grace to mankind through the Son, they remain focused on good and evil and their own conscience. But the more man focuses on the law, the more his conscience prevents him from going forward in accordance with the will of God. (1 Cor 15:56)

Those who have received grace are no longer sinners, but children of God. Their heart is full of happiness. And yet, once they begin to focus on the law, their happiness vanishes. This is a serious problem. Hebrews 6:4-6 says, “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.” And 10: 26~27 says, “For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.” It is such a difficult thing for a person who has fallen from grace to regain their happiness.

Grace is not subjective. Whoever receives grace will receive the Holy Spirit and experience all kinds of spiritual changes. Even demons will recognize this and will tremble and flee from them. When the sons of Sceva tried to cast out demons in the name of Jesus, the demons said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are You?” and the man who had the demon jumped on them, overpowered them and beat them. (Acts 19:14-16) This clearly shows that we who once lived under the judgment of the law have been made free and we now abide in Jesus Christ.

That which is dead and which is made alive on the cross

When Jesus hung on the cross, a sign over his head read, Jesus, King of the Jews. (Mt 27:37) When Pilot asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus replied, “It is as you said.” Joseph, the husband of Mary was from the lineage of King David. If the Babylonians had not defeated the Jews, the house of David would have remained on the throne. Joseph would have become king, and Jesus, as Joseph’s eldest son, would have become the king of the Jews as well. So in reality the one who died on the cross was indeed the king of the Jews. The king of the Jews died, but the Son of God was raised to life. He who saved us is not the king of the Jews; He is the Son of God.

The law also died on the cross. John 1:17 says, “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” The law can sanctify the flesh, but it cannot save the soul. That is why the law is referred to as ‘fleshly ordinances’. (He 9:10) The Israelites who were under the law were not spiritual people. They were set apart as holy by the law, and yet the law did not save their souls. Men’s souls can only be saved through Jesus Christ. The law was once very powerful, but it died on the cross. Jesus said, “For all the prophets and law prophesied until John.” (Mt 11:13)

The Ten Commandments are the core the Law and all of the countless ordinances which extended from them. When people think about what it means to live in accordance with God’s will, they usually think of the Ten Commandments. They believe that keeping the Ten Commandments is the way to live according to God’s will. However, breaking the commandments will not send you to hell. The Law died on the cross. So then it is not the Law that rules over us, but rather the truth. Jesus said, “I am the truth.” We must not let the law or conscience fill our souls, for our souls belong to Jesus. A life of faith has nothing to do with conscience. Grace and truth are supposed to rule over our souls.

The sin of mankind also died on the cross, and now the righteousness of God is in us. Although our sin is indeed great, God’s righteousness is greater. Anyone who does not recognize this and is instead obsessed with sin cannot receive God’s grace, nor can they become God’s children. It is only by the grace of God that we have become God’s children. If we are God’s children, we should have God’s righteousness in us.

Things to remember every time we come together

The purpose of the sacrament of Holy Communion is to remember the work of Jesus Christ. Baptism is a once-in-a-lifetime event, but the Holy Communion was traditionally observed every Lord’s Day. Acts 20:7 says, “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread…” What does it mean when it says, to break bread? 1 Corinthians 11:26 says, “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.” When we take Holy Communion, we ought to remember Christ’s death; by which the law has died, sin has died, and the first covenant has been abolished; and also remember that through His resurrection we have entered into the new covenant.

However, many people do not remember the true purpose of Holy Communion, and they use it as merely a means to obtain comfort for their hearts. Idolaters do the same thing: they pray to gods in order to be comforted. The Christian’s life of faith should be different. Remembering what Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross is essential for Christians. Whatever we do: worship, prayer, evangelism, etc., we must start with the blood of Jesus Christ.

The first Adam died just as God had commanded in the garden of Eden, and all of mankind died with him. But when we were baptized, we buried the old self (who was dead because of the first Adam), and were united with Jesus Christ. Now Jesus Christ, the last Adam, is living in us. We were the children of men, but now we have become the children of God by Jesus Christ who is in us.

The first covenant was abolished when Jesus Christ died on the cross. The first covenant is that which was established by God with Israel through Moses: The covenant was that if they obeyed the Law God would be with them. But they could not keep the law, and God did not remain with them. Jesus abolished the first covenant when He died on the cross, and He established a new covenant between God and man. The first covenant was established by the blood of an animal, but the new covenant was established by the blood of God’s own Son. As we drink from the cup, we affirm the fact that we are in the new covenant established by the blood of Jesus.

Abide in grace by the Holy Spirit

The moment Jesus was sentenced to death, we who were under the law were also sentenced to death; and the moment Jesus died, we who were condemned by the law died with Him. In the end, Jesus rose again. But the law did not rise with Him, but rather truth, which is the righteousness of God. Therefore, truth and righteousness abide in us. The Holy Spirit bears witness to this by grace.

Jesus lives in the church by the Holy Spirit. Before He suffered He said, “In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Because I live, you will also live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.” (Jn 14:19-20) Since Jesus has ascended into heaven, the world cannot see Him. And yet, because He sent the Holy Spirit and He is in us, we can experience Jesus. Faith without experience is despair.

Jesus must be the Lord of our homes. Everybody thinks differently. A husband’s thoughts and a wife’s thoughts are very different and can often be in conflict with one another. The mind of Christ must rule over all our families. The Bible tells us how the Lord behaved in various different situations so we can follow His example.

We must be men who are full of grace and of the Holy Spirit. Unless we are filled with the Spirit, we will be tempted to return to the law in spite of having received grace. It would be like a dog returning to his own vomit. (2 Pe 2:22) Galatians 3:3 says, “Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” Jesus was sentenced to death. Let us be filled with the Holy Spirit and acknowledge the will of God who appointed Him to die from eternity past before the foundation of the world.

In the whole span of my life, the year 2017 was the most humiliating year. That year was as graphic as in the past days when I used all my strength to save at least one more soul. So that I could preach the gospel, I traveled back and forth for long distances like a mad man. “Please give me just 10 souls! Please give me just 10 souls!”. Such prayers never stopped pouring forth out of my mouth.

There was even a time when I carried the corpse of a dead man on my back. I carried it to my church from a distance of 12 kilometers. The purpose was that I could save the souls of that man’s family. And I prepared the construction fee for constructing the worship center, and I sold the house that belonged to my mother. It was only a short period of 1 month and 5 days, but I had to take my mother out of that house. Even amidst those circumstances, every week I led revival crusade. If I received a salary, I contributed it for the maintenance of my church. The church desperately needed a large sum of money, so I even went to beg for money at the head office of ChoHeung Bank 21 times.

Every day they refused to let me in. But I did not give up. I prayed earnestly to the point that my eye lashes became white. At the beginning stages of founding the church, my wife studied at the theological seminary, but already worn out, went around to the families of the church members. She went to visit them, give them counsel and teach them. She was pregnant with twins but because of accumulated stress, she had a miscarriage. When the church membership grew, for the sake of the saints, 10 worship services were necessary on the Lord’s Day. With the determination to put work myself to death, every Lord’s Day I preached ten times. For my whole life I have ministered with inspiration. With a devotion that had no limits, I nurtured the church so that it would be truly a global church. And even now, I am continuing the ‘Return to the Word Berea Movement’ with my whole life dedicated to it.

From the first day of the founding of the church, I did not lay a hand on the offerings of the church. I always put a wall between pastoral ministry and finances. But there have been people who have been jealous of the blessings that I have received. They are even suing me, accusing me of abusing the church’s money arbitrarily. Because of this, I went under examination and investigation. I was discharged as free from almost all the charges. There are still proceedings that are being carried out. But I, Semuon, am confident that I will be fairly vindicated. I have already made the firm and determined resolution to confront the accusations to the end.

But in the past when there were those who truly loved the church and the overseer, there are now many who do not show their support. But I am running this race with the spirit that I had when I first started this church. The Holy Spirit is the one who established the church. Whilst the church faces these difficulties, the Holy Spirit has poured out His inspiration and truth abundantly to it. Therefore, our church has become stronger. For this I am thankful. I am very old, and it is as if I am at the very edge of life. But now, my soul sees a new road. I hear the vehement cries and prayers of the saints who still love the church and I, indeed, gain strength.

During the previous year, the time from March to April, was a time of curse for me. On the other hand, it was a time of blessing. At first, I was extremely shocked, but the Lord gives me the faith that comes from peace. The Lord has cleansed my soul and has given strength to my soul. My flesh and my honor have died, but my soul lives and continues to do God’s work.

As I see these people who are marching with banners and placards across the streets and are cursing the church on loud microphones. It is clear that they are hurling curses at the name of Christ. I ask myself if these people truly seek the kingdom of God? Because of their great disruption, it has become more difficult to spread the gospel. It has become difficult for church members to go around openly. Just whose offspring are these people? This year I, Semuon, will become more steadfast. Sungrak Church will become even more full of the Holy Spirit. And the saints will love the church abundantly.

Semuon

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Outline translated by Sarah Lee
Letter translated by John Kim
Interpretations by Daniel Hong
Korean Summary by Ki-Taek Lee