The passage we just read speaks about the beginning of the gospel. The words that Jesus spoke are here, and He said that since the kingdom of God is near, repent and believe the gospel.

There are many gods in the world. Some people misunderstand God’s word, which said, “You shall have no other god beside Me,” as though He meant God is the only God and there is no god in the world. However, that is not true. What He means by those words is this: “For there are so many gods; do not take any one of them and worship it as your god. Have Me alone as your only God and worship Me only.” There are lots of men in the world, aren’t there? But a husband demands his wife to have no other man in her life but him. He says so because there are so many men.

In the same way, there are many gods in the world. The problem is that each of those gods has different personalities, and thus, you cannot reject or welcome, draw near or keep away from them according to your desire. This is the same with people. Some people will not come near you if you tell them, “Don’t come close to me!” They won’t even appear in front of you if you tell them, “Don’t ever show yourself before my eyes again!” On the other hand, there are those who constantly follow you, even if you tell them never to appear in front of you again. Such people harass you. Some people may even chase you, demanding money. They might even threaten you and give you a hard time.

This is the same with gods. While some gods may back off when you express to them that you don’t like them, others do not care whether or not you like them, whether or not you reject them. They constantly come to you and try to invade your life. The problem with this is that although people can be seen with our eyes, gods can’t be seen. That is why people do not really know if a god has come near them or not. They approach you stealthily.

They come to you secretly, but how close do they come? They not only roam around you, but some of the gods attempt to go into people’s bodies. Some gods out of the countless gods feel comfortable when they are inside a person’s body. Hence, they look for an opportunity and enter when they can. We refer to those gods as demons. Even in the Bible, which we read at church, the word demon appears often. The characteristic of demons is that they try to enter people’s bodies. Do you know why they do that?

Demons originally had a body. And since they had a body originally, after they lose their own body, that is, after they die, they wish to go into another body even if it is not theirs. Only then do they feel comfortable. Without a body, they feel distressed. They would even enter another person’s body and try to use it.

What are the changes that happen when a demon goes into a person? The demon’s attributes start to manifest in that person. Do you remember how the people in Korea used to say “drunk demon”? They probably said that as a joke. However, that expression arose from the many experiences that our ancestors accumulated over the years unwittingly. Actually, when a person who was an alcoholic dies and becomes a demon, what would happen if that demon goes into a living person? That person would start drinking all of a sudden. “Oh, I thought he quit drinking after believing in Jesus?” You might wonder. But when an alcoholic demon or one that used to drink heavily goes into even a believer, he would start reaching for the bottle like he used to.

In another instance, a person died of cancer and became a demon. If that demon enters another person, that person may also develop cancer. He may have an operation. But the demon still resides in him. What would happen? He has a relapse after a few years since the demon is still inside him. The attributes of the demon manifest in the person it possesses.

We often see a similar pattern around us. Let’s say a person’s grandfather died of liver cancer. But soon after his uncle develops liver cancer and then dies as a result. Then his son also develops liver cancer. So what happened is that the demon that first got liver cancer and died, went into his descendants and caused the same kind of disease in them. People call this hereditary disease. In such instance, people say, “That family has a history of liver cancer.” However, from a spiritual point of view, it is the demon that goes into the family members and causes the disease. Another example is that some people keep having suicidal thoughts. They even attempt to hang themselves several times. But it happens to be that one of their parents committed suicide by hanging themselves.

What should we do about those demons? In the world, people just suffer in that way and die eventually. But thankfully, for those who believe in Jesus, they are not afraid of demons. In the past, they were afraid of demons. But now they are not afraid because the Son of God gave a promise to those who believe in Jesus and empowered them with authority.

In Mark 16:17, the words of Jesus are written: “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons.” Among the signs which Jesus promised those who believe in Him, the first is casting out demons. Hence, believers of Jesus are no longer afraid of the attacks of those demons. Instead, the demons are now afraid of the believers of Jesus.

Even I was afraid of demons up until I believed in Jesus. But I no longer fear them. In the past, I would feel my hair stand when I went to a dark place at night, not only as a kid but when I was an adult too. However, since I had faith in Jesus, I am not afraid, even if I am in a dark place. The demons would fear me instead.

Furthermore, we drive out the demons from the people they tormented, as in the examples I just talked about. This is not something that only I can do, but anyone who believes can do the same. So we drive out the demon that had liver cancer. Then what do you think would happen? The person is healed of liver cancer. Or after the demon has been cast out, the conditions of the liver cancer might still remain in the person. Such conditions can be healed through prayer, or they can be treated with medication. However, if the demon is not cast out, the cancer is bound to relapse regardless of the treatments the person goes through, whether that is medication or surgery. Once the demon is driven out, then it doesn’t matter what form of treatment the person receives thereafter, as long as the demon is driven out.

My mother was diagnosed with colon cancer about ten or so years ago. I received a phone call while I was in my office of the news that my mother had colon cancer. So I went to see her after I finished work that evening. My mother and father were both there. They both are Christians. They attend our church. But I find them sitting there looking blank. So I said this to my mother and father, “You believe in Jesus, which means you don’t need to be so weak. If you are diagnosed with colon cancer, you should be thinking about petitioning God to heal you. Why are you looking so blank?”

Then I told her to repent. I asked her to repent of all the distress she had, any grumbles she had towards God, as well as all the worries and anxieties she had in the world, and I heard about things I never knew until then. A few years before her diagnosis, she had gone through something that had caused enormous heartache and distress. She had a hard time because of it. Those factors became the cause for the demon to enter her and eventually cause colon cancer.

So after I explained these things to her, I had my mother stand up. And with all my might, I cursed the demon. Usually when I cast out demons, I do it gently, like, “Demon, get out!” But since my mother had colon cancer, I couldn’t do it very gently. That day, I thought the roof of the whole apartment was going to blow off. With all my fury, I yelled, “Unclean demon!!!” that my father, who was next us, was startled.

When I yelled, “Demon!” the demon that was inside my mother’s body manifested. Who would’ve thought? My mother had not had such a powerful experience like that before. Her body started to shake all over, and she cried, “Ah! Ah! Ah!” It wasn’t my mother. It was the demon inside her. I asked, “Why did you go into her?” The demon said it came to kill. It’s obvious. Demons come in to kill. “When did you come into her?” “When she was upset. When she was in distress.” In this way, being upset and worried is not good. If God is with you, why should you be upset and worried. You just need to pray.

In the end, when I cursed the demon, saying, “Get out!” my mother fell backwards. The same day she was diagnosed with cancer, the demon was cast out of her. Thankfully, as I was praying and blessing her, I turned around to find my older sister, who had come inside. She was not going to church at the time. Though I evangelized her many times, she was unwilling. But she witnessed from behind us the demon being cast out. So I called her over and said, “Come here. You saw it, didn’t you? Demons do exist! People who die without believing in Jesus, their spirits end up with that! Do you want to be a demon?” “No!” “You saw it, right? The cancer was brought on by the demon! You heard the demon say that it came in to kill, right? Do you want to become a demon? Do you want to be a demon and later go into your kids and kill them?” “No!” “Then what do you want to do?” “I want to believe in Jesus!”

So after that, my sister received Jesus and prayed for the Holy Spirit on the spot. She prayed that since God forgave her sins, the Spirit of God would come upon her instead of the demon. And that evening she began speaking in tongues. In this way, the demon came into our household to kill but ended up helping us because my sister also came to believe in Jesus from that day on. She has been leading her faith life in our church ever since. And as my father witnessed the whole happening, his faith, which used to be lukewarm, became fervent.

What do you think happened to my mother after that? Originally, she was told she had to wait 6 months to get checked up at a major hospital. She had to wait 6 months to get an examination. For unbelievers, probably the cancer would worsen during those 6 months and eventually die. How can you possibly wait 6 months when you find out that you have cancer? A day will feel like a thousand years. But I said to her, “Since we cast out the demon, if you still want to have an operation, why don’t you go to a general hospital that’s nearest to you instead?” She went to the closest hospital, only 15 minutes away from home, which was in a satellite town, and she got an operation one week later without even having to wait. And what is more, we found out that the hospital was a Christian hospital thankfully. The surgeons prayed before the operation. When she was discharged afterwards, I went to see her a month later, and she was able to do everything as normal, cooking and cleaning, even though she had a major surgery. It’s been more than ten years, and she hasn’t had a relapse.

So in her latter years, her faith life was on fire, and at the age of over seventy, she is serving the church as a serving deacon. A lot of things happened in our church this year, and she played a big role in protecting the worship center in her area. We are so thankful about it. In this way, though demons try to kill, what God gives us is happiness. And that happiness is eternal happiness. It is not momentary happiness but everlasting.

God invited us to His kingdom. Although there are many gods in the world, who is the God whom we worship, that is, the One who raised Jesus Christ from the dead? He is the Almighty God. Moreover, He is the Creator God who created all things and even you. That’s the God whom you believe in. He is not one of those gods that come to you with cancer nor one that makes you drink alcohol. He is not a created god. He is the God who created all things, and today He comes to us, inviting us to His kingdom. That is why we are seeking to enter that kingdom.

God is with us even on the earth and helps us. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The kingdom where God wants to take us is an eternal kingdom. This world will one day disappear. Even if a nuclear bomb doesn’t explode, the world will eventually disappear. However, the eternal kingdom that God has prepared will exist forever. But it cannot be seen in the present.

Yet one day we will go into that kingdom. Just as we meet people, shake hands with them, pick up objects, and eat fruits, we will do the same in that kingdom. Everything that exists in that kingdom will be concrete, meaning we can touch, hear, and eat. The difference with this earth is that it is everlasting. And to that kingdom God invited us. He wants us to share in His happiness and joy, which He has in that kingdom. And as a foretaste of that, He is bestowing those things on us even now.

By believing in Jesus, that is, by hearing the gospel, what you want to gain are these things. It’s not just about the things of the earth like, “I want to make more money” or “I want to be comforted in my heart.” We are not seeking merely those things. We get to enjoy the eternal happiness of God.

But there is a condition, which is like the first step to gaining all of these things. And this is crucial. That condition is repentance. Regardless of how great the things God is giving are, and how many there are, what is the use if we can’t receive them? We must be able to receive them, and the prerequisite for that is repentance.

In fact, to believe in Jesus, lead a faith life, and go to heaven can be easy, but in another sense, it is very difficult. Why? To have faith is impossible with the knowledge and ways of this world. Faith can only be had when given by God. With our own knowledge and understanding, we can never have that faith.

Here is a certain man. He looks shabby. He is a young man from the town of Nazareth, around thirty years of age. Every day this man takes 12 others with him, going around healing sick people. But he doesn’t appear to have a regular job nor take a bath that often. He does seem to do good things, but from afar, something is weird about him and his mob. But our faith is to see him as the Almighty God.

Is that easy to do? How can you equally treat a man you can see as the Almighty God? But that’s what our faith is about. It certainly isn’t easy. That is why, although people had attended church, later we find some of them manifesting as demons in other people. Those people didn’t have true faith. They might appear to believe in Jesus, but it’s not that easy. Just because one attends church doesn’t mean his faith can be seen. Even though you are here at church leading your faith life, you don’t have the guarantee that faith has truly come into your heart. In a sense, it is very hard.

But when we follow God’s way, it is very easy. What is the first step of God’s way? It is repentance. Repentance is what only the despondent beings in this world can do. People who are rather well-off and are laid back and feel happy won’t repent. The person who is in despair in this world, someone who is weeping because he has not found anything that can ever satisfy him, the one who is not satisfied despite having wealth or someone to love him, someone who is never happy despite the advancement of modern life, a person who feels empty and never happy in their hearts despite fulfilling all of his dreams—only such people can come before God.

A person like that will come before God and confess, “I am helpless! I can’t live without the things God provides. With the things of the world, I am left with only despair. I want eternal life, but I am a sinner who cannot have eternal life. I was cut off from God. Therefore, I didn’t know God in my life, even though God was giving me life and breath!”

Another person might not even acknowledge God because he doesn’t know God at all. But he would know at least this: “I don’t even know if You exist, God! But I know myself that I’ve been cursed. If God is living, I will certainly go to hell!” Yet anyone is mistaken if he says, “I am a good person. So I assume I will go to heaven if there are heaven and hell!” Such a person will never be able to accept the gospel.

Whoever acknowledges this will be able to meet God: “If there are heaven and hell, I am bound to go to hell!” “I want eternal happiness, but I can’t find it on this earth!” “God, if You are living, then come and meet me!” and “I cannot have happiness on my own. There is no one who can make me happy!”

The sentence “I am a sinner” has many meanings. A person is truly repenting if he says, “There are many gods in the world, and I am their prey! I can’t overcome those gods. When they bring curses to me, I haven’t any power to resist them. The world is cursed, and I am in the world. Save me!”

However, without such confessions, people who think this world is not bad to live in and believing in Jesus will make their lives a little better won’t find anything even if they go to church. I’m sorry to say, but those people can’t meet God. That’s why you need to repent. If you want to meet God, if you want to share in all the good things that God is giving, if you want to believe the gospel and be a member of His kingdom, you must repent. I bless you in Jesus’ name that you will be led to repentance.

Let’s pray together in this short time. Let’s all confess. Please repeat after me.

“God, I am a sinner! I am a sinner who doesn’t know God. I am a sinner who cannot receive all the good things You are giving. I am an unworthy sinner. I need Your help, God. Save me!”

Father God, to those that repent in this way, I pray that You will bestow every Your wonderful thing through Jesus Christ, Your Son. We believe that You died on the cross and paid the price of all of us sinners’ sins. Truly, what Jesus Christ, Your Son had done was obey Your command in order to save us humans, and we truly give thanks to You, God. We rely on all the merits of the blood that Jesus Christ shed on the cross. We ask that You reveal Yourself to everyone here. Grant them the grace to receive and enjoy everything that You have prepared for us. Help these souls to have a heart full of repentance and kneel down before You in trust. In Jesus’ name. Amen!