April 28, 2019 If the Father receives Glory (John 14:13-17)
Sermon Outline
God
is the One who receives glory.
The reason
He sent His Son into the world
was so that He would receive glory (John 17:1).
The reason He gave His love to the saints
was so that He would receive glory (John 17:4).
The reason He receives worship in the world
was so that He would receive glory (John 17:5).
The reason He sent the Holy Spirit to the world
was so that He would receive glory (John 7:37-38).
The reason Jesus suffered on the cross
was so that God would receive glory (John 17:10).
The reason He rose from the dead through the Holy Spirit
was so that God would receive glory (Matthew 17:5).
The reason the Lord Jesus promised that He would come again
was so that God would receive glory.
The reason God had revealed His Own Name
was so that He would receive glory (John 17:11).
If the Father first receives glory (John 14:13),
the Son promises that He will do whatever we ask.
◌ What must we ask for in prayer?
God knows what things we need in this world.
Prayer is meant to give glory to the Name of the Father.
◌ Giving glory to the Father
is the commandment of the Son.
The one who obeys this command is the one who receives the promise.
◌ Jesus sent the Holy Spirit
so that the Holy Spirit will be with us forever.
The Holy Spirit manifests Jesus inside us.
※ Prayer is not to first convey our wishes to God,
but it is to first understand the Will of God.
The Kingdom and the Power and the Glory belong to God alone!
Semuon’s Letter
Perhaps people will think that I am foolish, but I want to say something about the past. The most joyful thing in my life was that I had been given a son, and that I had become a father. When my son was born, he had the same eyes as me. His nose was impeccably similar to mine. When he grew up, he started to display great intelligence. I could not help but be full of joy.
Before my son was born, I fervently prayer for him. I prayed for him every day while he was still in the womb. Because I was praying for him, I often lost the opportunity to pray for myself. Ever since my youth, I was not able to support the rest of my family, so I was in deep anguish. But God had nevertheless given me a wife. But, greater than the joy of meeting my wife was the worry of the expected birth of my son afterwards. I did not have the money to raise him. Therefore, as soon as I had married my wife, I went up to the mountains deep in the countryside and prayed for a period of 40 days. I prayed, “My son is to be born soon, but I have no money to raise him. I have inherited nothing but poverty from my ancestors! I am afraid of handing this poverty over to him. If my son is not able to go to school because of poverty, I will be devastated that he will become illiterate. So I ask you: please take care of my son who is to be born soon! Please teach him by your own great hand! Please make him a worthy servant of God!”
When I established Sungrak Church, I did not have any money. I knew that I needed to use all of my strength in order to succeed in establishing the church. I even decided in my heart to sell the small house I was living in in order to build the main church building. I decided to make a small place in one end of the building where I could raise my son. When I finally entered that end of the building to live there, the education of my son started to suffer greatly. However, my son endured all these difficulties. He persevered. As a result, he has finally studied at the universities that are of the first order, not only in this country, but also in the whole world. These were fulfilled in accordance with my prayers and in accordance with the will of God. I always wanted to boast of my son’s achievements. Yet, being influenced by a tradition that scorns the boasting of the achievements of one’s own children, I could only boast from within.
My son showed intelligence and excelled in his studies since he was in primary school. He excelled in wisdom. I always avoided boasting about my son with my own mouth. Yet it was through my son that I became exceedingly proud. I established the church along with my son. As a father hands his inheritance over to his son, so I handed all of the duties of overseeing the church over to my son. And in regards to my descendants, I do not give them any estates for them to inherit, but work for them to do. I have constantly been stating these same things my whole life.
What is my joy and glory as a father? It is that my Son will surely succeed to my inspiration and spiritual power. There might be some who will read these words and criticize me for them. But these are my true and earnest wishes. My descendants have learned and grown. As a result, they have become the holy possession of God. They are to no longer pursue the useless things found in the world. On the contrary, as holy workers of God, they are to live only for His glory.
I say this to my descendants: do not be deceived. The people of the world hear and learn from the Father of lies, who is the devil. This is how they are deceived. Trust steadfastly in the Truth. Become messengers of ‘Return to the Word!’
Semuon