The passage we read today is a word spoken directly by Jesus Himself. As He traveled with large crowds, He taught them many things. Yet often, the people did not really understand what He was saying.

For those of you who are new to church, this may feel familiar. When you first come, the words being spoken can feel strange and hard to follow. At first, what you notice is not so much the message itself, but the atmosphere. That’s natural. The first week, everything may feel unfamiliar. The second week, you begin to notice the people around you. The third week, your eyes may be drawn to the pastor. And usually, it takes about a month before you really start to hear the message itself. Even then, if the whole message is 100%, how much can you actually catch? Maybe 20%. Maybe 20% if you’re at best. But it’s not just you. It’s the same whether you go to a lecture, or in a classroom. It’s all similar. We’re all like this. But here’s what’s special about church. Here’s what makes it different. While you listen, even if you understand only a little, God Himself will stir your heart. Certain words will stand out to you. Words that touch your heart. And through that—through those moments—step by step, little by little, you will begin to draw nearer to Him.

I first stepped into a church when I was in my last year of high school, in October. My mother must have been quite worried about me at that time. Why did I go? By my final year, I was just existing, not living. I didn’t feel like living. Even from a young age, I had often asked myself, “What is life? Why do I live? Where do I come from, and where am I going?” I thought about these things a lot. But in my last year of high school, those questions weighed on me even more. Even more heavily. I was studying, yes, but inside I felt deeply lonely. Life had no meaning. No meaning at all. I kept thinking, “What truly matters?” “What really matters in life?” And I concluded in my own way, “It must be love.” Whenever I thought of love, I thought of church. Why? Because some of my friends who went to church would often say, “God is love.” So I decided, “Let me go and discover that love for myself.” The church I went to was not a large church; it was a local church with about two hundred people. The first time I went, they were holding a kind of “Night of the Arts” with performances. Students were singing in the choir, performing plays, even dancing. So there I was, in October of my last year of high school, and before long I was practicing with the choir every day. I even went up on stage. In my own way, I was searching for something meaningful. Something with purpose. And church seemed to offer it. I went faithfully for about six months—from October 1989 to March 1990. Six months. But sadly, during that time I never discovered why one should believe in Jesus. I hardly heard about Him at all. They rarely spoke of who Jesus is or why we must believe in Him. We come to church and serve Him because we’ve met Him. But they didn’t introduce me to Him. Instead, the messages I heard were mostly about keeping good conduct: “Be on time,” “Honor your parents,” “Do good deeds,” “Use polite words.” Those are all good things, but they are not unique to church. I already knew those principles. Because of that, I began to wonder why I needed to attend church at all. If church life was just about hearing moral advice and receiving emotional comfort, I could just as easily read good books, listen to lectures, or watch meaningful films. So eventually, I said goodbye to church. I had not yet met God, and I thought that living a “good life” on my own would be enough.

But later, when I truly encountered Jesus, I realized how mistaken I had been. Looking back, I felt sorrow that the church I attended back then never really introduced me to Him. For nearly six months, as a senior in high school, I threw myself into church life. Yet no one explained who Jesus is or why we must believe in Him. That left me wondering, Are many churches failing to carry out the very role entrusted to them? Even later, when I served in the military and attended the service there, I found the situation was much the same. Many people leave such churches with deep misunderstandings about what Christian faith really is. They come to think, “It doesn’t matter whether I go to church or not. It’s all the same.” In China, for example, five religions are officially recognized—Christianity, Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, and Catholicism. The government allows them, but only as “religions.” If someone goes beyond that into true faith, into real faith, pressure and control soon follow. In such an environment, people conclude that Christianity is just one of many religions. They think, “Perhaps everyone needs some religion in life. I’ll just choose whichever suits me best.” And that is often how they end up in church.

Our faith is not like that. It’s not something you choose in the same way you might choose a hobby or a preference. We breathe air, don’t we? But do we choose which gas to breathe? “Should I choose nitrogen? Should I choose oxygen? Maybe carbon dioxide?” No! You do not choose oxygen. Without it, you cannot exist. You can’t live! In the same way, whether you acknowledge it or not, without God, without the One who created this world, without the One who even now sustains your heartbeat, you could not live for a moment. Some may say, “But my heart beats on its own.” Yet it beats only because He made it to do so. He designed it that way! Think about something as simple as speaking. Every time you talk, your soft tongue moves rapidly against your hard teeth. Day after day, constantly, there is friction. By all common sense, constant friction should wound the tongue, just as a new pair of shoes can rub your heel raw after a few steps. But it doesn’t. Day after day, it moves unharmed. You only realize its wonder when you get a sore on your tongue and suddenly notice how miraculous its normal state really is. Can such things have “just happened” by themselves? No—God designed them with care. Whether you recognize Him or not, it is God who gives you breath, sends the rain in its season, and causes the sun to shine. He sustains you moment by moment. Yet most of us have never paused to thank the One who gives these things. We assume they “just exist” and call it “nature,” as if they were self-caused. But after I came to know Jesus, I discovered that nothing exists by itself. Everything has been made by God—the very God whose name we call, whose praises we sing, and whom we worship today.

Look around you at everything you can see. Not one thing you see came into being by itself. First there was an idea—a purpose—and then it was made. A chair exists because someone first thought, “I need something to sit on.” A piano exists because someone first thought, “We need an instrument to accompany music.” Even a simple paper cup did not appear first and then wait for someone to decide how to use it. It was conceived with a purpose before it was ever made. If even a cup is made with purpose, how much more with human beings who are infinitely more complex and precious. To believe that a human being simply appeared by chance? That’s extraordinary. That itself is an amazing act of faith. God first thought of us and then created us. We are beings of a far higher order than any object or animal. We were crafted with intention because God had a plan for us. That is why humans are so different from every other creature. Yes, our DNA may be close to that of a monkey, but the smallest genetic differences produce an immeasurable difference in reality. No matter how clever an ape may be, it cannot love the way we love, long for someone across an ocean, compose music out of that longing, paint a portrait from memory, or shed tears for someone it cherishes. It cannot cross mountains or seas to fulfill a purpose born of the heart. Only humans do this. Only humans were made this way, because God planned it from the beginning.

God created us, and He has something He desires to give us. Even now, He is ready to give it. Yet many of you have not received it. Think about this. What God gives—is it something that lasts only fifty years? Will it wear out after a hundred? Could it expire after a thousand? No. Consider what kind of gift it must be if it comes from God Himself.

Who is God? He is the Eternal One. We cannot even imagine when His existence began, because He has no beginning. We all have a starting point. Our lives began a few decades ago. But God never began. He has always been. And He will never die. He remains forever. This is what it means to be God: true deity is eternal and cannot perish. Every spiritual being that exists will continue to exist. Even the spirits we call demons—they too, once came into being, and from that point on, remain forever. That is what it means to be a spiritual being. The difference, however, is this: demons had a day when they were created, and from then on, they exist without end. But God had no day of origin. He was before all things, and He is forever. So while both God and we will continue eternally, the difference is clear. God has been eternal from everlasting to everlasting, but we are eternal only from the day He created us.

So what is it that God truly desires to give us? Yes, He gives the sun and the moon but those are gifts for our time on this earth. Whether we believe in Jesus or not, whether we are good or evil, everyone alike receives them. Even the animals, even the insects receive these things. They are not what is most special. Every breathing creature shares in them. But there is something God longs to give that is far greater. It is not a portion of what He owns. God desires to give us everything He has—His very self. This is who He is—utterly unique, beyond our understanding. Even the Son of God, Jesus, marveled at this. Why would God give all that He has to human beings, mere creatures? For what could possibly be so lovable in us? In truth, we are often ungrateful, receiving and yet pretending we have not received. And still, for such thankless people, God desires to give all. He would even give His very heart.

And what is it that God desires to give us? How long will it last? It is eternal. Not something you use for a moment and then lose. Suppose you pray, “Lord, give me ten thousand dollars.” Yes, God may provide even that, if it is in line with His will. I have experienced such answers myself. But money is not eternal. It comes and goes. It is useful only for this short life. What God truly longs to give is far greater. The eternal God desires to share with us what is eternal—His glory, His joy, His own happiness. If you truly realize this, your soul would leap and shout for joy. This is the essence of faith: to know what God has given by His grace. That is why He sends His Spirit. When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, He opens your eyes to see what you have received. Before, you may not have recognized it—even when it was already given. But the Spirit makes you understand, and the more you understand, the more amazed you become. This is why the life of faith is never dull. The deeper you go, the greater your joy, the fresher it becomes, day after day. Think of it like walking through a narrow tunnel that suddenly opens into breathtaking scenery. At first, it seems pleasant. Then, step by step, the view becomes more stunning until finally the whole horizon bursts open before you. That is how faith unfolds: the deeper you enter, the more marvelous it becomes. Even in marriage, the world says joy fades after three months. When I was getting married, someone close to me told me that. But I didn’t accept that. I didn’t! Why? Because in church I heard from many couples that as time goes on, their love deepens. Their joy grows richer. So I thought, “I’ll be like that too!” And it’s true. It really is! As husband and wife walk with God together, as we fellowship and talk and share, our love deepens! This is normal in the Lord. In God, this is possible. So remember, what God gives is eternal. It does not fade, it does not expire, it only grows fuller. This is the gift He longs to place in your hands.

But here is the problem: when God gives what is eternal, people try to receive it in the flesh. But the flesh cannot hold eternity. So even if it is given, after seventy or so years it fades away, because it was received only in the body. Our bodies cannot contain what God gives. That is why He prepared our souls. We are spiritual beings; eternal beings. Yet our souls were like vessels broken and sealed shut. They could not receive what God longed to pour in. So God sent Jesus Christ to make the vessel whole again. Through Him, the soul is restored, and now God can fill it with His joy. This is what salvation means. God places His eternal happiness into your eternal soul. You are not merely flesh—you have a soul. And into that soul, you must receive everything God desires to give.

All that God desires to give us is stored, as it were, in a great treasury. And there is a key to open it. What is that key? It is the name of God. Think of it like this: when you deposit money in a bank, how do you claim it? By your name. It is in your account, under your name. In the same way, God has given us His name so that we may receive what He has prepared. And that name is Jesus. The name of God is Jesus. To discover Jesus is to find something far greater than seventy or eighty years of life. To possess the name of Jesus and to gain God’s joy is to receive something more precious than your very life. Perhaps it does not feel real to you yet. But when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, He will make you understand the greatness of what you have received.

When God is ready to give you something eternal, you must prepare your heart to receive it. You must have a heart ready to receive what is more precious than life itself. Why do so many fail to receive even when God offers? Because they are not prepared. Think of an uncut diamond. When you first see it, it does not sparkle. To the untrained eye, it looks like an ordinary stone—perhaps even mixed with glass or sand. Someone without understanding may hold it for a moment and say, “How curious,” and then toss it aside. Not because it lacked value, but because they were not prepared to recognize it. It is the same with God’s gifts. To receive what He gives, you must be prepared in your heart to seek something more valuable than life. Do you truly want to meet God? Then you must prepare yourself to meet the One who is more precious than life itself. Without that readiness, even if God gives, you will not receive. I experienced this myself. You remember I said I first went to church in high school. It wasn’t only that no one introduced me to Jesus; I was not ready either. I went because I was lonely, searching for meaning, wanting a better life. Perhaps someone did speak about Jesus, but it never registered. I have no memory of it. I was simply not prepared to receive Him.

When you come to church, you must realize this: God desires to give you something more important than anything you possess—more precious than your very life. It is His own heart. It is the most treasured gift of the Creator of heaven and earth, the gift He was willing to give even by sending His Son to die on the cross. Think about that. How serious must it be that God would go so far? And yet how often do we come with the attitude, “If He gives, fine; if not, that’s all right too.” How could anyone receive like that? No, you must strive for it. You must show, at least in some way, that you are laying aside lesser things in order to seek what is eternal. If there were no God, none of this would matter. But if there is a God—the Maker of heaven and earth, the Most High—then should we not come before Him with a heart prepared, with an expression worthy of meeting Him? To enter with a casual spirit saying, “I came once, and there was nothing special”—that is not God’s failure. That is the failure of a heart that was never truly open. So open your heart wide. If you truly desire to meet the One who is above all things, then prepare yourself to receive Him as the most precious gift of your life.

This is a parable Jesus told. Imagine a field with treasure buried in it. Sometimes you hear news stories of someone digging in their garden and finding a chest of treasure that was hidden hundreds of years ago. Picture such a field. The treasure inside is so great that not only one person, but even ten generations of his descendants could live on it and never run out. One day, a poor laborer walking home with his hoe notices something glinting in the soil. Curious, he digs and uncovers a large chest filled with gold and jewels. But it is too heavy and too deep to carry away. What should he do? He cannot tell anyone. He must cover it back up and keep quiet. Then he must find a way to make the field his own. Now suppose that entire field costs about $300,000. The man doesn’t have that kind of money on hand. Yet buried there is treasure worth billions. What should he do? He must do whatever it takes to raise the money and buy the field because what lies hidden there is worth far more than the price he must pay. So what does the man do? He goes to the owner and says, “Sir, would you be willing to sell me your field?” But he must act casually, as if nothing unusual is happening. “I’ve been wanting to do some farming, but my land is too small. Could you sell me yours?” At first the owner refuses. “No, I won’t sell. I’m keeping it for farming.” So the man raises his offer, far above the normal price. The owner, surprised, thinks, “Why would anyone pay so much for this worthless little field?” But the offer is too good to resist, so he gladly signs the contract. The man goes home and tells his wife. What does she say? She calls him a fool. “That land isn’t worth anywhere near what you paid! Where will we ever find that kind of money?” Soon the neighbors hear the news. They laugh and point fingers. “Did you hear? He paid $300,000 for that worthless field! What on earth was he thinking?” But the man knows what they do not. He must have that field, no matter what it costs. If necessary, he will even sell his house to raise the money. His relatives protest. “Are you crazy? This house is your inheritance! How could you sell it?” But he will not listen. His mind is set. Somehow, he must raise the full price. At last, he buys the field. And when the deed is his, he smiles quietly to himself. Now he can uncover the treasure, move it safely, and with it he will build a large home, a villa, buy cars, and live in abundance. Why would he go so far? Because he discovered the true value hidden in that field.

When people see Christians living by faith—sacrificing other things for the sake of their faith—it may look foolish. But there is a reason. We have discovered something. We have discovered who Jesus is, what His name means, and what we receive from God through Him. We have experienced it for ourselves. And because we know how faithful God’s promises are, we are certain that even what has not yet come to pass will surely come. Why? Because none of Jesus’ promises have ever failed. None of God’s prophecies have gone unfulfilled. Two thousand years ago, Jesus ascended into heaven. That is hard enough to believe. And yet before He ascended, He gave us His word. “These signs will follow those who believe: they will lay hands on the sick and they will recover; they will cast out demons in My name; if they drink anything deadly, it will not harm them; they will take up serpents with their hands.” Two thousand years have passed, and still, these signs are with us. When we lay hands on the sick, they are healed. When we command demons in Jesus’ name, they leave. Before I believed in Jesus, I never saw such things. But now they happen again and again. Jesus also promised, “Whatever you ask in My name, it will be done.” In the past, when I was in trouble, I turned to my parents, my relatives, or friends. Many times I was disappointed. But now, when I face difficulties, I go straight to God. I pray, “Lord, please take care of this!” And I hold onto His word: “Seek first the work that pleases God, and all that you need will be provided.” So I go on doing God’s work as if nothing is wrong, and then I see my needs being met. Sometimes it happens so easily that I forget to thank Him enough. If it came with great struggle, I might make a fuss, saying, “What a miracle!” But often His grace comes so swiftly and so simply that I realize I must give Him even greater thanks.

Just as every word of God has been fulfilled, so also the promise of our resurrection and life in heaven will surely be fulfilled. One day we will rise again and enter the heavenly dwelling God has prepared for us. There, we will experience the glorious things He has promised—things far greater than anything this world can offer. This is why faith is not about small, earthly matters. When we speak of life, we are not only talking about our physical life, which lasts for a short time. We are talking about the eternal life of God Himself. Compared to that, our earthly breath is nothing more than a passing moment. That is why our response must be fitting. Jesus once spoke to a man who said, “Lord, I will follow You and become Your disciple. But first let me go and bury my father.” Do you remember what Jesus answered? He said, “Let the dead bury their own dead. But you, come and follow Me.” To our ears, those words may sound shocking, even offensive. Today, many might stumble if they heard such words and say, “I’ll never come to church again!” But Jesus spoke this way to make clear what truly matters. Think about it. In this world, what do we regard as the most important event? I would say the death of one’s father. No matter how busy you are, if you hear that your father has passed away, everything else stops. Even if you are on an overseas trip, if the call comes—“Your father has died”—you drop everything and go home. Nothing feels weightier than that. And yet, Jesus declared that following Him is above even that. The call of God is higher than the highest duty of this world. This is why, since the day I first believed, I have never missed the Lord’s Day worship—not once. Week after week, without fail, I have been in church. How is that possible? Of course there have been many busy moments, many important things that demanded my time. But I chose to place worship at the highest priority because it is about eternal life.

And then there is the matter of tithing. Ever since I believed in Jesus, whenever I received income, I set aside one-tenth and returned it to God. Why? Because it already belongs to Him. To those who do not believe in God, this may sound like a burden. But once you know He is real, it becomes the most natural thing. Everything I have comes from Him. Whenever I am in need, it is He who provides. So when He says, “Set apart one-tenth for Me,” it is not to take something from me rather, it is to give me a chance to show that I truly believe. From the day I first believed until now, I have tithed faithfully. To my knowledge, I have never once deliberately failed to do so. Even when I was serving as a missionary, supporting my family on very little—sometimes only about $400 a month—I still set aside the first tenth, even though that left only $360 to live on. How was it possible? Because I believed that God is above everything else. That gave me peace. I knew He was with me, that I was obeying Him, and that my faith was genuine not just words. And in every moment of crisis, He intervened. Whenever I had need, He provided. That is why, though it may look as if I lived in constant lack, I always had enough. Though it seemed I would need help from others, I always found myself able to help others instead. Strange, isn’t it? That is the life of those who believe in Jesus. We live with an unshakable peace and confidence because God is with us.

So, dear beloved, if you truly want to meet God, you must recognize this: “I am now seeking the One who is more precious than life itself.” Hold this firmly in your heart, and express it in your life. Only then will you truly meet Him.

I’ll pray.

God our Father, we confess that You are far greater than all things and more precious than our very lives. Help us to prepare our hearts so that we may truly meet You. Lead us to seek You with an attitude worthy of Your glory, and let everyone who seeks in this way surely encounter You. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.