May 6, 2018_Ears that Can Hear the Voice of the Lord

God Appoints Jesus as the Righteous Judge

   God is righteous. What is righteousness?  The answer lies in the answer to the question of sin, for it is sin to oppose righteousness.

   People usually think of sin as a specific act that makes them feel guilty.  The reason people commit sin is because it is in their nature.  This is called intrinsic sin.  Condemnation comes both from intrinsic sin and specific sinful acts, but the root of all these is the original sin.  The original sin is the sin of Adam, the first spiritual being.

  Adam’s sin was not a violation of any generally understood ethics or morals.  All he did was eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which God had commanded him not to do.  But when he disobeyed, he became a sinner, and so did all of mankind with him.  God commanded Adam saying, “Of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you will surely die”(Genesis 2:17). There was an inherent warning in the commandment because with the knowledge of good and evil comes the knowledge of sin, and there would be no way to avoid judgment and the penalty of sin which is death(Romans 6:23).

  Thankfully, God sent Jesus to pay the penalty for Adam’s sin and for the sins of all mankind who had become sinners because of Adam.  Nevertheless, those who do not believe in Jesus have already been judged, but those who believe in Jesus have already been saved.  John 3:18 says, “Whoever believes in Me is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is already condemned because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

   God has established the name of Jesus as righteousness.  Therefore, even the most ruthless murderer is saved if he believes in the name of Jesus; and even the most morally upright person cannot escape judgment if he does not believe in Jesus’ name.  “That’s not fair,” you say? “Someone who hasn’t committed any sin will go hell because they don’t believe in Jesus but a man that has committed sin all his life will go to heaven because he believes in Jesus?”  “It doesn’t sound fair.”  Nonetheless, no one can escape or surpass the righteousness of God.

  The very name of Jesus is righteous, and so are the works that Jesus did on the earth by the name ‘Jesus.’  Why did Jesus Christ die on the cross?  To redeemed us. We have been forgiven because of what He did.  Some people do not like the idea of sinners being forgiven.  But no one can come to God without being forgiven.

   The righteousness of God must abide in us.  Those who have lived with a clear conscience may have a tendency to trust their own conscience rather than in the righteousness of God, but they will not be able to avoid the judgment.  Jesus Himself said, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.”  (John 17:3) He who wants to have eternal life must believe in Jesus.

Jesus Spoke of Three Signs of a Believer

   So what does it mean to believe in Jesus?  There are many explanations, but the only one that matters and the one we should absolutely accept is what Jesus himself said about it.  These are the things Jesus Himself said would characterize those who believe in Him.

   First, they must be baptized in the name of Jesus(Mark 16:16).  The baptism of John was a baptism of repentance and it was performed with water.  But the baptism in the name of Jesus is done with water and with the Holy Spirit, and through it people can be united with Jesus Christ.

   Second, the Holy Spirit comes to the believer and spiritual gifts are manifested in abundance.  Jesus described it this way, “Whosoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, out of him will flow rivers of living water.”  (John 7:38)

   Third, there must be signs that accompany those who believe in Jesus’ name.  Jesus said, “And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents; and if they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover(Mark 16:17-18).

   The same Jesus who said that whosoever believes in Him will be saved also said, “these signs will accompany the believers.”  How can anyone who has not experienced these three things be sure of salvation?

   These three experiences are at the heart of the Berea Movement.  The word ‘Berea’ comes from Acts 17:3 which says, “Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures daily to see if what Paul said was true.”  However, the Berea Movement is much more than merely examining the Bible every day.  Any church or individual that ignores these three experiences that Jesus spoke of, ignores the very values at the heart of the Berea movement.

   I began my life of faith in the Methodist Church and I studied theology at the Presbyterian Theological Seminary.  But when the time came to plant a church, I joined the Baptist denomination because I knew the spiritual value of baptism.  It wasn’t until later that I discovered a critical limitation of the Baptist denomination.  It ignores the command to receive the Holy Spirit and the spiritual gifts that He brings to those who believe.   The Pentecostal movement, which emphasizes the work of the Holy Spirit, first began in a Sunday school of a Baptist Church in the United States. However, the Baptist denomination completely rejected the Pentecostal movement.

  Today, even though the Pentecostal movement has gone global, it is still limited in that it does not recognize the universality of power to every believer which is one of the experiences Jesus clearly spoke about.  The Pentecostal movement stressed that every believer should receive the Holy Spirit and speak in tongues, but it falls short of Jesus’ assertion that, “These signs will accompany the believers.”

Hear What the Spirit says to the Laodicean Church

   Seven churches are mentioned in Revelation: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.  Jesus’ message by the Holy Spirit to the seven churches is very important for us as well.

  The Laodicean church was rich.  Because of that, the church members lacked a hunger and thirst for God’s grace.  Even today, people in less developed societies or in areas that are isolated from many of the benefits of more developed societies, including medicine, earnestly yearn for the signs that accompany those who believe in the name of Jesus. This is not true of the people living in economically affluent areas.  The prosperity of the Laodiceans made them lukewarm(Revelation 3:16).

Revelation 3:14 says, “And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things said the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God.”  Who is ‘the beginning of the creation of God’?  God appointed His Son as heir and through Him, created all things(Hebrews 1:2). ‘The beginning of the creation’ is God’s Son, Jesus.  It is Jesus who speaks to the Laodicean church.  Therefore we can infer that ‘What the Holy Spirit says to the churches’ in Revelation 3:22 comes from Jesus Himself.

Who is it that bears witness that Jesus shed His blood on the cross?  It is not God the Father, since no man can see or hear Him.  Nor is it the Son of Man since He has ascended into heaven and we can no longer hear His voice.  It is only by the Holy Spirit that we can hear the words of Jesus.

The life of faith involves hearing the words of the Holy Spirit and being led by the Spirit.  This will not happen outside of the church.  A believer should be able to answer the question, “Who led you to faith in Jesus?”  Those who cannot answer that question are more likely to have a spiritual life that is based on emotions.  Nathanael came to Jesus after Philip told him to ‘come and see’ the Messiah.  This is how people are led to faith in Christ.  Additionally, the Holy Spirit guides believers through the pastor’s sermon.  For this reason, we listen to the preaching of the Word of God by pastors so that we can hear the words of the Holy Spirit.

   The Laodicean church thought that they were rich and lacked nothing so they didn’t want to be bothered by anybody.  But, Jesus saw them as they were: wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. (Revelation 3:17)  Jesus said to them, “I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white clothes that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.”  (Revelation 3:18) The things that Jesus advised them buy are precious.  The only way to get them is by grace.

  A child can walk out of a store with his treasure without paying for it only because his mother has already paid the price for the item.  In like manner, we can possess the things that God gave us by His grace because He has already paid the price.

  Just as God commanded Adam not to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, ‘for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die’, when a man becomes aware of sin he will be condemned by it for he cannot escape the judgment and punishment of sin.  Repentance is not just being aware of your sins, it involves receiving God’s grace.  The grace of the Lord must be greater in our soul than the knowledge of our sin and greater than our conscience and the guilt that it brings.

  The gold that has been refined in the fire is the name of Jesus.  His name is victorious because it has defeated all manner of persecution and curses.  It is very painful to be physically beaten, but it is more painful to have your name dishonored.  The name of Jesus has been constantly maligned from the moment it was revealed to the world.  People conspired to kill Jesus while He was in the world, and they eventually crucified Him in an attempt to erase even the memory of His name.  Nevertheless, by the Holy Spirit we have the name of Jesus and have become truly rich.  The name which the Son of God has inherited has become our inheritance(Hebrews 1:4).

  The Laodiceans wore fine clothes, but the clothes couldn’t cover the shame of their souls(Revelation 3:18).  That is why Jesus counseled them to buy white clothes for them to wear.  Revelation 19:8 says, “And to her it was granted to be clothed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.”  To buy white clothes means fulfilling the duty of a saint.

  Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with me(Revelation 3:20).  He who cannot hear the voice of the Lord cannot open the door to Him, and it is impossible for the Lord to enter in.  Therefore, whoever wants to be with the Lord must hear His voice first.  When you hear a sermon in the church, do not listen to it as the words of a man, but as the voice of the Lord.

   Deuteronomy 30: 19 says, “I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses; therefore choose life, so that both you and your descendants may live.”  The Law leads people to curses and death, but grace and truth lead them to blessing and life.  The Holy Spirit speaks grace and truth.  Therefore, we must listen to what the Holy Spirit says to have life.  It is of utmost importance that we consider the words we hear in church to be the words of the Holy Spirit, not the words of a man.  The Bible clearly says, “Hear what the Spirit says to churches”(Revelation 3:22).  Not only should you listen to what the Holy Spirit says, but so should your descendants as well.

During the time that I have lived in this world, I have had to endure many things. The things I have had to endure are largely things that have demanded my perseverance and struggle. Therefore, if I look back on all the things I endured my whole life, they have ended up being a struggle with myself. I have had to struggle with myself a hundred times every day.

The things I have had to endure in this world are things that make men depressed, disappointed, enraged and angry. Like a wind that blows but is not seen with the eye, the anger that flares up within me is truly difficult to endure. At times, I feel like dirty curses will come out of my mouth, and I try to restrain myself. I have had to fight this tiresome fight. This must be why the people of this world drink alcohol. They must be trying to conquer their stress by the intoxication of alcohol. If all these emotions inside me were collected together, how evil and filthy would I appear? However, the Holy Spirit abides within me and rules my temperament, my personality and my temper. Therefore, I can overcome the wicked challenges of the world.

The wicked jealousy of Cain was a great worry to God. God said to Cain, “Sin desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” But Cain did not have the strength to overcome it. The Nephilims did not have spirits, and therefore were no more than beasts. But Cain was born of a living being, and was, therefore, a spiritual being. And even though the Holy Spirit did not abide within him, he received the warning from God, and the commandment of the word of God was given to him. But Cain rejected it.

The word of God is something that I am supposed to obey, but the power of the Holy Spirit is the power that the Holy Spirit works personally. I obey the word of God and I can overcome my temper. I have endeavored to overcome it by the power of the Holy Spirit. The new day has come, but what new problem will come to me today? Even trivial things continue to bother me.

I am like a candle light placed in the desert, with the wind blowing everywhere and in every direction. I do not know when the wind will blow it out or make it stumble. Therefore, I only live by the word of the Lord. Only by the power of the Holy Spirit can I overcome. The power of the Holy Spirit is not the power that oppresses another man, but it is the power that dominates me.

When we look at a comic book or a film, we often see the protagonist using a particular skill to defeat the enemy. The power of the Holy Spirit is not a magic power like that, but it is the power that indwells me and controls the evil inside me. Angels are currently helping me and doing the work of controlling other people. But the Holy Spirit does not fight another person. He indwells within me, suppresses me and covers me, and gives strength to my soul. That is why I live and persevere every day.

Semuon

Coming Soon

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