2017.05.21_Let Us Belong to Heaven

Only by humbling yourself can you receive the word

God dwells in heaven. The word, ‘heaven’, means the Highest place. God is Father of our soul, who dwells in the Highest place. He sent the word from the Highest place to the lowest place. Therefore, you can only hear the word from the lowest place.

Nazareth was an isolated place. There is no record in the scriptures of any prophet that was from there. There is only an obscure prophesy about Jesus that said, ‘He will be called a Nazarene.’ So, Jesus came to the world as a person from an ignoble place. This demonstrates just how much He humbled Himself even in choosing the place where He would live. The name Jesus originated in Nazareth, which is an indication of just how much believers should humble themselves when they kneel before the name. Only by lowering yourself can you receive the word. So why aren’t we blessed in today’s church, and why don’t we overcome? It’s because we are not humble like Jesus has taught us. The Bible says, “Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.” (1 Peter 5:6)

We have the hope of the resurrection

We will be resurrected. This world is situated in Hades which is on the outskirts of hell. Anyone who lives in this world and dies, if they remain unforgiven when they die, will be cast into the Abyss and, at the appointed time, will thrown into the lake of fire. The world, the Abyss, and hell are all parts of Hades.

Those who have received forgiveness and have been united with Christ are the Church, the body of Christ. Believers, that is to say, the body of Christ, will be differentiated from the world. The sacred day will separate believers and unbelievers. Believers attend church and gather as the Church while unbelievers are outside of the church. The believers are those who are separated from the world. Believers will go to paradise when they die.

Those believers who were under the Law when they died will go to Abraham’s bosom. We read in the story of Lazarus and the rich man that Lazarus was carried to Abraham’s bosom. Strictly speaking, this place is different from paradise. Jesus was the first one to enter paradise. Jesus said to the criminal next to Him when He was crucified, ‘Today you will be with me in paradise.’

We will be raised to life. Because we have the hope of the resurrection, we persevere in all kinds of suffering as we live out our faith. In my circumstances I have patiently endured, in the 60s and again in the 80s, holding my peace, as one who is ‘Semuon’. (Note: in Korean ‘Semuon’ means ‘the one who sees yet remains silent’) I did this by keeping a small stone in my mouth. In this most recent crisis, I again considered placing a stone in my mouth, but I haven’t. Even though I am hard pressed on every side, my heart is still at peace. That is because I have the hope of the resurrection.

The Lord distinguishes between those who are holy and those who aren’t while we are on earth. In the same way, the advent of Jesus separated the people of Israel from those who believe in Jesus. Those who believe in Jesus are called saints, who are dressed in white robes of fine linen. According to the scripture, fine linen robes represent the righteous acts of the saints. Only those who persevere in faith can wear the fine linen. God differentiates between people in that way. The Lord will say, ‘Come, all those who are dressed in white’ and we will ascend to Him.

As True Believers, Let’s Make These Three Things Clear

We are set apart from the world. Even two people living in the same house can be separated in this way, one unto God and the other belonging to the world.  The recent events that have transpired in our church have made it very clear to me that there are true believers and fakes. At the very least, in order to be ordained as a deacon a man should be a true believer. In order to confirm this, at a minimum, we must at least verify these three things:

First, every true believer should attend church regularly on the Lord’s days. I ask that you keep the church’s weekly bulletin as proof of your attendance. Our church’s weekly sermon summary is like a dictionary. This is your treasure. I ask you again to keep the bulletins. A recent convert will not be considered when selecting a candidate for ordination as a deacon, do not nominate a recent convert. The scripture admonishes that such a person can easily become conceited. So the Bible says let them first be tested. The first thing a pastor must check is how long a candidate has regularly attended church, and pastors must ask to see the church bulletins as proof of attendance.

Second, true believers must give tithe. Otherwise, they cannot join the ranks of the holy ones.

Third, they must give their regular offering. Regular offerings are those which you bring to God from the wages of the fruit of your labor, for God has commanded that when we come to Him we are not to come empty handed. By intentionally setting aside and giving our regular offerings, we regularly re-affirm our commitment and devotion to God. If you cannot do this, what can you do before God?

We must faithfully adhere to the three criteria I’ve just mentioned unconditionally and uncompromisingly. A nearby mega church says they have been doing this for some time. The church is also said to have prevented hundreds of members of the the heretic group known as ‘Shincheonji’ from infiltrating the congregation. According to an investigation conducted by an expert, it is estimated that several years ago hundreds of members of this group had already snuck into our church. A few days ago I was passing by a small gathering of our church members. If they were really members of our church they would have recognized me, but they didn’t. Doesn’t this show that they are not really members of our church?

The word of God came to the most humble place. Therefore, only when we become lowly and humble ourselves can we hear God’s word. If we are proud, our spiritual eyes will remain veiled and our vision blurred and we cannot receive the gospel. (2Corinthians 4:3-4) So we must be humble. The word of God itself is humble! He came to the lowest station. The Sea of Galilee where Jesus worked is three hundred meters below sea level. The Lord began His ministry there. All the disciples came from there. Only Judas Iscariot came from an area nearby with a higher elevation.

Let Us Become Heavenly Heirs By the Gospel, Not By the Law

It is in this setting, the lowest of places, that an epic clash of opposing forces takes place. Paul said, ‘There is a battle that rages within me.’ My inner man and the flesh are constantly at war. For example, while in my spirit I want to devote more of my money and resources to God, my flesh worries that there is not enough. My spirit and my flesh are always in conflict! It is only by the Holy Spirit that we can overcome the flesh, for our spiritual man originates from the Holy Spirit. In other words, without the Holy Spirit we can never be men of Christ. That is why we are commanded to receive the Holy Spirit.

When God’s word comes to two different people, one may become free while the other remains a slave. Being free does not mean fulfilling the desires of the flesh. A free man in the Bible is not a person who indulges the flesh, but a person who carries out the requirements of the Law by the Holy Spirit even if the action is not expressly commanded or forbidden by the Law.  The commands contained in the Law to “Do this” or “Don’t do that” are given in order to control a person’s deeds in the flesh. A newcomer reading the Law for the first time might become intimidated by all of the ‘dos’ or ‘don’ts’ it contains. If a person is under the Law, he is a slave of the Law. But a free person is not controlled by the Law, but rather he fulfills the Law by the Spirit.

Those who are under the Law are always fearful. They are afraid of the curse of the Law. So, those who received the Law received the spirit of fear. In contrast, Christians are under grace. The Holy Spirit always fulfills the righteous requirement of the Law. Children do not have the power to stop themselves from doing things they shouldn’t. That is why they are not given much freedom. But adults are different. Those who have received the gospel of grace are like adults spiritually. Those who reject the gospel will never be forgiven because they are sinning deliberately. They hear and understand while pretending not to. In so doing they heap judgment upon themselves.

God

is in heaven(high place)

and from there sent the Word to the low earth(John 1:14)

The Law came from Mount Sinai

But the gospel comes from Jesus(John 1:17)

The Law condemns mankind as sinners

whereas the gospel tells sinners to receive God’s grace(John 3:16~18)

The Law sentenced the sinner to death

Yet the gospel declared the sinner as righteous(Romans 8:32~34)

The Law condemns and takes the sinner to hell

the Holy Spirit guides the sinner to heaven(Romans 8:11)

The Law hands over sinners to the devil to perish

While the gospel leads sinners to God and sets them free

The Law imposes punishment on sinners

but the gospel bestows grace on sinners.

The Law causes sinners to tremble in fear

whereas the gospel comforts sinners and allows them to receive a reward.

If we are under the Law, we are slaves of sin

If we are in the gospel, we are forever free

It is the gospel that allows us to go from faith to faith.

God’s word comes to man in two ways. One is essential for the outward man and the other for the inner man. The inner man should triumph over the outward man. The Law is not to govern the inner man. The Law can only control the outward man. Those who are under the Law cannot control their outward man with their inner man. The Law only controls outward behavior. However, those who receive the gospel are like mature individuals, whose outward behavior  is controlled by their inner man.

We must belong to heaven. The Law governs the flesh, but the gospel gives joy to those who belong to heaven. Who do you belong to? Are you a slave to the flesh or do you belong to heaven? Are you under the Law or under the gospel? Today we plainly learned about the distinction between the Law and the gospel. This is the direction that our church will take going forward.