Today’s message is titled “Eternal Me, Eternal Happiness.” Shall we say it together?

“Eternal Me, Eternal Happiness”

That’s true. Eternal Me—we are an eternal being. Some of you may have already thought about what it means to be eternal. But most people think that life ends after 70 or 80 years on this earth—maybe a little longer—and that this is all there is.

However, we are an eternal being. That’s why we long for eternal things. We want to be happy, don’t we? There is no one in this world who truly wants to be unhappy. Everyone desires happiness. But more than that, we desire eternal happiness. No one says, “I just want to be happy for 30 years.”

In reality, our fleshes do not have the ability to long for what is eternal. In our flesh, when we’re cold, we want to be warm. When we’re hungry, we want to eat. But as soon as those needs are met, they all disappear. For example, in our church, we have a practice called fasting. We go without food for a day, sometimes three days, or even ten days. Some of you might have gone hungry before. When we’re fasting and haven’t eaten for about three days, all we can think about is food. Our mind is completely filled with thoughts of eating. We even notice the smell of food from far away—everything smells so strong. And during that time, we keep thinking, “I hope the fast ends soon so I can eat noodles, chicken, pizza—everything I want!” But when the fast ends, we eat just one small bowl of soup. Soup is soft, so it’s usually the first thing we eat after a fast. But after just that one small bowl, we already feel full. All those cravings—where did they go? They just disappeared. It’s so strange. The moment our hunger is satisfied, the desire to eat is gone.

Let me give you another example. When I was in the military, I was stationed at the GOP (General Outpost), right by the 38^th parallel. Every winter was tough. At night, I had to stand guard for about seven hours straight, out in the cold with no heating equipment. I stood there, holding rifles, facing the demilitarized zone—and it was freezing. In moments like that, there was only one thought in my heart: “I just want to go inside.” All I wanted was to take a hot shower and get under a warm blanket. That desperate desire would stay with me the entire seven hours. But the moment I returned to the barracks and took that shower—would you think I still had that longing? Not at all. It disappeared completely. That desperate desire just disappeared all of a sudden.

What the flesh desires can be satisfied so easily. And once it’s satisfied, it doesn’t want anything more. But here’s the strange thing—there’s something inside us that never seems to be filled, no matter how much we try to fill it. That’s why even when we’re given happiness, we’re not truly satisfied. We want to be happy again—and again, and again. We keep wanting to be happy—wanting it endlessly, wanting it forever. But this desire isn’t coming from our flesh. The one who longs for happiness right now is not the flesh. It’s the eternal “me” inside. And what do we call that eternal “me”? We call it a spirit.

That’s why, in the end, our faith life is for the sake of our spirits—not for the sake of our fleshes. In other words, we’re not trying to gain a moment of happiness—we’re seeking eternal happiness. So I say to myself, “My soul, let’s be happy!” And of course, that happiness must be eternal. Because my spirit is the eternal me, it longs for eternal happiness. “My soul, let’s be happy forever!” It is to satisfy this desire that we come to church, that we meet God, and that we have fellowship with Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Let’s say it together: “My soul, let’s be happy forever!”

My spirit has been inside me since the day I was born. And it’s still inside me now. But my flesh keeps changing. It’s constantly going through changes. Many of us here have already passed middle age. But once, we were little children. We were shorter. We were younger. Still, the “me” inside hasn’t changed at all. That “me” is who I am now—it’s not someone else. But the flesh has become completely different. And as more time passes, the flesh will grow weaker. Eventually, we won’t even be able to move on our own. And one day, when the breath leaves this flesh, it won’t move anymore at all.

Then will the “me”—my existence—disappear? No, it won’t. That “me” will continue to exist. And that “me” is my spirit. It is the eternal me. What matters most is that my spirit must be happy. A brief moment of happiness might bring a little joy for a while, but that’s all it is—just a moment. I bless you in the name of Jesus, that here in this church, you will discover the secret to eternal happiness and come to truly make it your own.

The passage we read today comes from the Gospel of Luke. It’s a gospel written by a man named Luke. In the New Testament, the first four books are called the Gospels, and each one was written by a different person. The contents of these four books are quite similar, but the perspectives are different. They are records of the same events written by four different people, each from their own viewpoint. Because the same events are described from different angles, we are able to see what Jesus did more clearly and thoroughly. And these four different records prove how real and historically grounded the things Jesus did truly are. Luke, the writer of this gospel, was a doctor. Doctors tend to think and write based on facts. They don’t just pass on things they’ve heard—they investigate, check what really happened, and then write. That’s the kind of person Luke was. This isn’t a story he made up. What’s written here is a record of what Jesus actually said in front of people at that time.

So what was Jesus doing at that time? Among the many people who were following Him, one person came up to Jesus and said, “Teacher, please look at my brother. He’s being unfair. Tell my brother to divide the inheritance we received from our father with me.” Many people followed Jesus, but each had different reasons for doing so. And what was this man’s reason? His older brother had taken all of the inheritance left by their father. He was furious—he felt it was completely unfair. His brother was so terrible, wasn’t he? So he thought, “Jesus is a good man. If I go to Him, He’ll help me. I’ll ask Him to tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” That’s why he came to Jesus. And because Jesus is good, we might expect Him to say something like, “You, brother, you should share with your younger brother. At least split it 50-50. Or if that feels like too much, then maybe 70-30. But you should still share, shouldn’t you?” That’s what we’d expect Him to say, right?

However, Jesus didn’t say that at all. Instead, He said, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” That was an unexpected response. We thought Jesus would divide the inheritance fairly—but instead, He said, “Man, who made Me a judge or the one to divide your possessions?” And then He told him to get rid of all covetousness. Covetousness? But isn’t it the older brother who seems greedy? Yet Jesus was telling the younger brother to let go of his greed.

And then Jesus said, “One’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” Now, what Jesus was interested in lies in the life of the person. That’s why He said, “One’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” Then what did Jesus mean by “life”? As we said earlier, the “me” inside is an eternal being. So when Jesus spoke of life here, He wasn’t just talking about physical life or fleshly survival. He was talking about eternal life—the life that the eternal “me” must have. But at that moment, the people listening to Him didn’t understand this yet. Still, Jesus said, “One’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”

Then Jesus told them a parable. This parable was given by Him directly. He said that a certain man had a field that produced a very large harvest. He had farmed the land, and the crops came in abundantly—more than usual. But as he gathered his harvest, he began to worry. “What should I do?” he thought. Even though he had a great harvest, he was anxious. Some people may think that if they just had more money or more possessions, they wouldn’t have anything to worry about. But those who have lived long enough know that’s not the case. The more people have, the more they tend to worry. This man had so much produce, and yet he was troubled. “What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?” He didn’t have enough space to store everything. Then he had an idea: “Ah, I know what I’ll do! My current barns are too small. I’ll tear them down and build bigger ones.” So he tore down the old barns and built new, larger ones. It probably seemed like a good plan to him. He brought in all his grain and goods and stored them inside. Then, he felt satisfied fully. So he said to his soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” That’s what he said: “My soul, you’ve stored up plenty for years to come. Now take it easy—eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.”

But what did God say as He looked upon this man? “Fool!” From the man’s point of view, he thought he had come up with a smart plan. He built bigger barns, stored up all his crops, and said to his soul that he could now live in peace. But in God’s eyes, He called this man a fool. So God said, “Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?” Isn’t that true? All the things he had stored up—who will they belong to once he is gone? They certainly won’t be his anymore. In the end, they’ll become someone else’s.

And then Jesus said, “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” In other words, people who store up wealth only for themselves but are not rich toward God are just like this man. God says such people are foolish.

Many people might try to appear rich in front of their friends. They might even say, “I’ll pay for this,” to look generous. But when they stand before God, they’re not generous at all. In fact, they are not rich toward God. It’s strange. I know someone who used to go to a Buddhist temple. He told me that he once gave a huge offering to help build a temple. He said, “I basically helped build that temple.” He said he had given around fifteen thousand dollars to help build it. Later on, he came to church and started believing in Jesus. And when I saw him giving his offering, it was just a one-dollar bill. I couldn’t understand why he suddenly became so stingy after coming to church. When he served an idol that has no life, it didn’t feel like a waste to him. But now that he’s in church, his hand always reaches for the smallest bill. That’s stinginess. So while he might have seemed rich in front of people—or before other gods—he was not rich toward the God. He became a stingy man before God.

Jesus is telling us to be rich toward God. Otherwise, just like that foolish man, everything we’ve worked so hard to store up will end up going to someone else. What we do before God is ultimately for the sake of our own souls. Everything we offer to Him, everything we show Him, and everything we do in His presence becomes benefits for our spirits. In other words, it brings us eternal happiness.

So I bless you in the name of Jesus, that your spirits would become rich toward God. Let’s say it together: “My soul, be rich toward God!”

We must not be stingy—we must be rich toward God. I know another story very similar to the one I just shared. There’s an older man I know who built a four-story building. From what I saw, the time he spent building it was probably the happiest period of his life. His business was going well, so as he made money, he poured it into the building. It took some time, but he kept moving forward—first the frame went up, then a while later the plastering, then the interior work. He would stop by the construction site from time to time and think to himself, “I’ll give the first floor to my oldest son, the second floor to my second son, and I’ll use the third and fourth floors for myself.” He kept building with that in mind. But in the end—just as he was about to move in—his business went bankrupt. So what happened? He had to sell the building. In the end, did he move in? No. Someone else did. He had worked like a servant for someone else. That’s how things go in life. If we don’t have the right to possess—then no matter how much money we have, we end up laboring like a slave, only to hand over everything to someone else.

But then, there are some people who don’t seem to have much, yet they end up possessing everything. There’s a difference—and where does that difference come from? It all comes down to this: Do I have the right to possess it or not? The answer lies in this very question.  And who should hold that right to possess? It’s not our flesh. It’s our spirit that must hold that right. The right of possession that belongs to our spirit—that’s what we call “blessing.” “A blessing.” In this world, people often say lightly, “Be blessed!”—but most don’t really know where the blessing comes from.

Blessing is the right to possess. Then, who holds the right to possess all things? It is God. The right belongs to God—the One who created all things and governs them. So blessing comes from God. And it is those who are rich toward God who can receive this blessing—this right to possess. In other words, this blessing is God’s happiness. The happiness that our spirits truly need is God’s happiness. So I bless you in the name of Jesus, that you would come to possess the happiness of God.

To believe in Jesus Christ means to possess the happiness of God. Jesus Christ is the One who is truly happy with God’s own happiness. God sent Jesus Christ into this earth, and He testified about Him, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” But what kind of life did Jesus live on this earth? You may have heard this before—about 2,000 years ago, in the region of Palestine, in Jerusalem, Jesus was sentenced to death and crucified. At that time, there were three crosses set up. But those who were crucified weren’t just ordinary criminals—only murderers and the most violent, wicked offenders were executed that way. And in the middle of those three crosses, Jesus was there. People pointed at Him and mocked Him. They said, “He said He was the Son of God. If that’s true, let’s see if God comes to save Him!” They ridiculed Him and scorned Him as He hung on the cross.

But here we are—believing in that very One. To many, that doesn’t sound like a normal faith. Some might say, “Aren’t Christinas foolish? Why would they believe in someone who was executed on a cross? Why would they put their faith in someone who was cursed and died on a cross?” Yes, they’re right. Our faith doesn’t make sense from a common-sense point of view. Why would we believe in someone like that?

However, our faith doesn’t end with His death. After Jesus died, on the morning of the third day, some people went to visit His tomb—but He wasn’t there. Where did He go? Did someone steal His body? But before His death, Jesus had already said many times, “I will rise from the dead and return to My Father.” So—did He really rise from the dead? Yes. He appeared to His disciples and showed them that He rose from the dead. Those who believe in the very Jesus who was raised from the dead—they are Christians.

Most people in the world believe that Jesus died. But we believe that Jesus rose from the dead. How can a dead person come back to life? A dead person has no power to live again. If someone comes back to life, maybe they weren’t really dead—maybe they just fainted. Because death means having no power at all. But Jesus did rise. Why? Because someone raised Him. Someone almighty brought Him back to life. And who is that someone? It’s the very God we believe in. The fact that Jesus rose from the dead is proof that the invisible God truly exists.

So we now serve the One who raised Jesus from the dead—we worship that God as our Father. When God gave Jesus over to die like that, He did it with absolute confidence in His Son. Even though He let Jesus die on the cross, God was fully confident: “I will raise You again, and I will give You all My happiness.” And where did God give Jesus all that happiness? Where is the place where Jesus now fully enjoys the complete happiness of God? Where do you think it is? It is heaven. That’s the place. That’s where He is now.

Jesus gave us a promise: “The one who believes in Me will be with Me where I am.” That’s why we believe that Jesus died and rose again—and that God raised Him from the dead. We believe that Jesus is the One with whom God is pleased. And we believe that Jesus is the One who fully possesses the happiness of God.

But then, why did someone so deeply loved by God have to suffer like that and die on a cross? Why would God allow such a thing to happen to Him? It’s because God wanted us to enjoy the very happiness He gave to Jesus.

Do we deserve to enjoy that happiness? No, we don’t. And I’m sure many of you know that even better than I do. Put your hand on your heart and ask yourself, “Do I really deserve to enjoy His happiness that God desires to give for His beloved Son, Jesus? Am I really good enough to receive the happiness that God gives? Am I righteous?” Think about it. Absolutely not. We are all sinners. There is not a single exception. Going to church doesn’t mean you’re not a sinner. We’re all the same—every one of us.

And yet, to give that happiness to people like us, Jesus Christ took the punishment in our place. Jesus Christ is God. And that very God took on the punishment we deserved. So when He died on the cross, it was not because He had done something wrong. It was not meaningless suffering. He took the punishment that should have come to us. He took upon Himself the curse that should have fallen on us. He suffered in our place—on our behalf. That’s why we no longer have to fear punishment. We no longer have to live under the weight of the curse. Now, all we have to do is receive the happiness of God as it is. “Be united with Jesus Christ, and receive the very happiness that God gave to Him.” This is what the Lord is saying to us.

So the one who wants to receive His happiness comes before God and says, “Yes, Lord. Your judgment is right. I truly am a sinner who does not deserve to possess Your happiness. But I acknowledge that Jesus has paid the full price for my sins. I confess that He did not die for His sins—He died for my sins. And I thank You, Jesus, for paying the debt I could never pay. You died in my place. You rose again. You made it possible for me to receive this grace. So now, my life no longer belongs to me. My life is Yours. I belong to You. I am Yours. I have been bought with a price. You are my Lord.” That is why those of us who believe in Jesus serve Him as our Master. “You are my Lord. Only speak the word, and I will follow.” To those of us who make such a confession, God will truly fill our spirits with the abundant happiness of heaven. And in the end, He will bring us into His eternal kingdom, where He will let us experience the happiness He has prepared for us—forever.

Have you heard the expression “exceeding joy”? In the book of Psalms, David says, “I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy.” God is the One who gives us joy beyond anything this world can offer. Heaven is the place where that exceeding joy is found—the place where we will enjoy perfect joy forever. God—my exceeding joy. Truly, God is the One who gives us the highest joy. I bless you in the name of Jesus, that you may enjoy eternal life with Him in that exceeding joy.

I’ll pray.

Father God, we thank You that our spirits have come to meet Jesus Christ and now know what You have prepared for us. In the past, we pursued what benefits the flesh and expected it to give us life. But just as the Lord taught us, now we understand. We are eternal beings, and what we truly need is eternal happiness. And now we clearly know that You sent Jesus Christ, Your Son, to give us that eternal joy. As we now receive this grace, we ask that You fill every soul who accepts it with the fullness of Your happiness. For all who have made this decision and long to receive Your joy, help them grow in the joy of their hearts more and more as they come to know You more deeply. And in the end, let them truly experience You—the God of eternal and exceeding joy. We pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.