Today we read a passage from the Gospel of Matthew under the title, “The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.” The disciples asked Jesus, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Jesus answered, “Whoever humbles himself like this little child on this earth is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

What we want to think about today is in the disciples’ question: “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Is there such a thing as someone being greater or lesser in heaven? We probably never really thought about that, right? Could it be that there are those who are greater, some who are lesser in heaven?

Of course, in this world, there are those who are considered great and those who are considered small. People who hold power, wealth, and a higher standard of living— they are the ones we usually think of as “great.” For this reason, people work hard, invest in self-development, attain qualifications, and earn money in order to have a better quality of life. Having a higher quality of life means that you can do what you want, when you want. You have more freedom, and you’re less constrained by external factors. You can make your own choices whenever you feel like it. That is a lifestyle that everyone dreams of. Such people can be described as the “greatest” in society. They may not have to wash the dishes nor clean the house because they have workers in the house doing those tasks for them. If I could live like that, I’d love to live like that. However, most people today have a tough life. Some don’t only have one job but even up to three or four jobs. They work so hard, but their lives aren’t getting much better. Despite their hard work, they are so busy paying off debts that they can’t even think of enjoying what they earned. This is the reality for so many.

Here, the disciples were asking Jesus, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And maybe we’d be tempted to ask, “Wait, all our lives on earth, we suffered because of the difference in social status and now—are you saying heaven will be the same? Isn’t heaven supposed to be a place of equity?” However, look at Jesus’ answer. He didn’t say, “Hey, what nonsense are you on about? There is no such thing as the greatest and the least in heaven!” Indeed, in the kingdom of heaven, there really are those who will be called great, and those who will be called least. That kingdom is the most perfect kingdom that so many people long for. And yet—even that kingdom—there are those who are greater and those who are lesser. We need to think about this carefully.

Even on this earth, people strive so hard to become great. Human life is on average about 70-80 years long, and most people spend the bulk of those years working. Even if they manage to earn a lot of money, by the time they reach old age, they can’t travel as freely or enjoy life. There just isn’t much time left. Despite this, people work so hard to become greater in this world. But in the end, they enjoy it for only ten or twenty years—or they leave this world without ever truly having enjoyed it.

But how come there will be some who are considered great and some considered least in heaven? What is the kingdom of heaven? It is where we will spend our eternity. Where is Jesus right now? Jesus Christ—whom we believe in and serve—was resurrected from the dead. People put Him to death, yet on the third day, early in the morning, He rose again. God raised Him to life. After He was resurrected, He remained on earth for forty days and finally ascended to heaven. That is where He is now—He is in the kingdom of heaven.

Heaven is real. Some people might argue, saying, “There’s no such thing as heaven.” But by using the same reasoning, some might say, “There’s no such thing as resurrection.” However, resurrection is real. I am not speaking about someone coming back to life only to die again. I mean rising from the dead to live forever. Jesus Christ demonstrated that resurrection to us. He was resurrected. So where is He now—the One who rose from the dead? He is in heaven. This isn’t a story we made up. All that was written in the Bible—even before Jesus was resurrected—has now come to fulfilment, as it was written.

Furthermore, what Jesus promised us is that now, in heaven, He is preparing a place—a dwelling place—for us, for those who believe in Him. That is what Jesus is doing right now: preparing a place for us to dwell in the kingdom of heaven. And when He finishes everything, He will return. When He returns, that will be the beginning of what is known as “the end of the world.” After He returns, He will call those who belong to Him—those who have become one with Jesus Christ—-even those who have already died. And He will take them all to one place—the kingdom of heaven.

Some people claim that heaven is a place where dead people go—that it’s a place you can go after death. However, that is not true. Heaven is where only living people go. It is not where ghosts go to live. Other people think that heaven is where the spirit goes. But no—it is not the spirit that will go to heaven. It’s the body. The body!

When Jesus rose from the dead, people thought He was a ghost, because He who had died was alive right before their eyes. They thought, “Is He a ghost?” In order to eliminate such misconceptions, Jesus appeared before His disciples. Once, He prepared a fire and was cooking some fish on it for His disciples. Then He called His disciples, and when they came to Him, He said, “Bring some of the fish which you have just caught.” They brought the fish, and Jesus cooked it, ate some Himself, and gave some to the disciples. He was not a ghost. The resurrected body can be touched. It can do handshakes, ride in a boat, and eat food. Jesus was resurrected with such a body—and with that very body, He ascended to heaven.

It will be likewise for us. Later, when our life on earth is done, our fleshes will fade away. But our spirits will remain. And when Jesus returns, our spirits will instantly be transformed into bodies. But the body we will have then will not be like the one we have now—this body made from the dust of the earth. Think about it: our bodies were not always this big, were they? Our bodies were small when we were young. Through consumption and development, we grew to the size we are now. So in essence, how did our bodies grow this much? It grew because of the food we consumed. The food we consumed built up our bodies. So where did those food come from? It came from the earth. In other words, dust of the earth is what formed our bodies that we have now.

However, the body we will later have when we enter heaven is not this body made from dust. Dust will return to dust. Yet, because our spirits came from God, they must return to God. However, when the spirits return to heaven, it will not be in the state of a spirit—we will be clothed in a new body. Hence, just like Jesus, we will be resurrected into a body that will be able to walk, hold hands, hug, and eat food. In that form, we will meet Jesus and enter the kingdom of heaven. This is the hope we have. This is the purpose of our faith in Jesus.

Those who take this lightly cannot believe in Jesus. If someone is indifferent to the resurrection, it is meaningless even if he might believe in Jesus. Some people think that believing in Jesus is not much different from following another religion like Buddhism or Catholicism. They say, “Well, I just happen to like Christianity better,” and so they go to church and think that means they believe. As they go through life in this world—facing difficulties, longing for comfort, and seeking peace—they end up saying, “Let’s believe that God exists—through this religion called Christianity.” And they think that such a religious life is what Christianity is. However, that’s their own idea of Christianity. The true purpose of having faith in Jesus is not about that. If people come to church with the goal of being comforted in their hearts, they might be able to get what they’re looking for.

However, what God wants to bestow on us is not that. The reason God sacrificed even His own Son was to give us the resurrection. Moreover, what is the reason that God gave His Son over to death to die on the cross? Because He determined to raise Him from the dead. Indeed, God did. And God wouldn’t have felt so sorry for His Son who suffered a great deal. He made sure His Son fulfilled His duty. The reason God was able to do that was because He had something far greater prepared for His Son. He had the kingdom of heaven prepared for Him. Therefore, He allowed His Son to suffer and be crucified—for a short while in this world. The Son prayed to God, asking if it was possible for Him not to die. But God responded with silence. Why? Because compared to the kingdom of heaven He prepared for the Son, the suffering He had to endure on earth was only for a moment. And so God enabled Him to bear it.

Let’s think about that. If heaven is what God prepared for His Son—the One who even endured death—how wonderful must that place be? Putting His pride on the line and with all the power that He has, God had a surprise prepared for His beloved Son, and that surprise is the kingdom of heaven. Remember that while the Son of God was on the earth, the devil tempted Him, saying, “All these things I will give You if You fall down and worship me.” But Jesus did not even bat an eyelid. He was not happy with the treasures of this world. But now, He is eternally happy in the kingdom of heaven. So can you imagine what happiness in heaven is like? The place where God’s Son is eternally happy, never bored, and eternally satisfied—that place is the kingdom of heaven.

And it is not as a ghost but with a body that we will enter that kingdom of heaven. In heaven, there are creatures without a body—the angels. On earth, in some ways, it is more advantageous for angels not to have bodies. Why? Because they don’t need to eat, sleep, go to the toilet, or sleep. It’s very convenient. However, in heaven, it is those with bodies who are esteemed. God’s Son has a body. And we, the souls who have been born again through His blood, will be resurrected with bodies. All the angels in heaven are ministering spirits that are sent to serve us who have bodies. Therefore, in heaven, those with bodies will get to live the highest quality of life.

So the disciples asked Jesus, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? Who is the least?” and here is the answer: even the least in Jesus Christ will still be greater than the angels. And those who believed in God in the Old Testament times before Jesus Christ came to the earth will be lower than those who believe in Jesus. Hence, this means that everyone who believes in Jesus has already been given a guaranteed identity and quality of life in heaven. In heaven, those who believe in Jesus are children of God. Others will be God’s servants or God’s people. The angels are not God’s children but servants. Therefore, the fact that we believe in Jesus means we have already received this wonderful grace before we even knew about it. Our place and identity in heaven have already been guaranteed. It’s marvelous. It is truly marvelous that we believe in Jesus.

And this itself is the proof. To the unbelievers in this world, it might sound ridiculous. Actually, it sounds unbelievable to me too. But the faith that I have now was not through my own ability or reasoning. One day, I was able to believe—by the help of God. As the Holy Spirit came into me, I was able to believe.

But what must we do to receive the Holy Spirit? We must repent. We repented before God that we are a sinner, saying, “Though I am a creature that cannot live without You, God—though I am Your creation—I have been so arrogant and wicked. I lived as if I didn’t need You. I even claimed that I could live without You. I was wicked.” And when I knelt down before the Lord in this way, He opened our eyes to the grace of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. That was the work of the Holy Spirit.

In the same way, through the work of the Holy Spirit, you can all understand the unseen mystery of heaven as a reality. And to those who truly acknowledge this, real experiences will follow. Although we have not yet entered heaven, we can live as those who belong to it—starting now. This is possible because Heaven has its embassy here on earth.

In South Korea, there is the U.S. Embassy. If someone gives birth to a child in the embassy, what nationality will that child have? U.S. Although the embassy is located in South Korea, it is governed by U.S. laws. Similarly, there is the Heaven Embassy situated on earth. Though it stands on this earth, it belongs to heaven. Do you know what it is? It is the church.

The church is a part of heaven. Although it is located on earth, it is governed by the laws of heaven. Therefore, while in this world, we are ruled by the laws of nature as well as national laws enacted by each country, within the church, we are governed by the laws of heaven.

That is why things like this happen in the church. The eyes of the blind get opened when he prays in Jesus’ name. This is not the law of nature. There is no such law in the world that allows this to happen. This is the law of heaven. Again, a paralytic is healed if he prays in Jesus’ name. This is the law of heaven. Furthermore, every day, we get to experience amazing answers to prayer—things which are impossible to experience in the world. We are taking the resources of heaven and using them on earth. We are living on earth, but the resources are from heaven which we take and use. That is how we experience heaven on earth.

In this way, heaven is a reality. We are believing in Jesus to go there. But what is the condition to enter heaven? As you already know, one must believe in Jesus and through Jesus’ name be united with Him. Because heaven is where Jesus is, those belongs to Jesus will also go to heaven.

However, here’s the problem—as I mentioned before, there are those who are great and those who are least in heaven. Some will be greater; others will be lesser. If you are the least in heaven, you will live as the least forever. But if you are the greatest in heaven, you will live as the greatest forever.

What will you seek? You would want to be the greatest, wouldn’t you? Some might think, “Oh, I’m fine. I don’t want to be the greatest in heaven. I don’t like being arrogant! I prefer to be the least!” However, God detests that. He is not pleased with it.

Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please God.” There is, however, faith that pleases God. The faith that God is pleased with is, first of all, believing that God exists. Secondly, one must believe that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. God gives rewards. And we have to aim to receive that reward. God is looking forward to rewarding us, so is it right of us to say, “No, I don’t want that reward! I don’t need that reward! I just need to be saved”? God is waiting to reward us.

For an athlete who participates in the Olympics, is the Olympics all about their own personal glory? No, it is not. It is for their country’s national glory. The athlete, therefore, must give their best for their country. In a recent marathon, a female Japanese marathoner became injured with only 300 meters left till the finishing line. As a result, she could neither run nor walk. But then, she began crawling the remaining 300 meters. Since she was crawling on asphalt, her knees were scraped and probably damaged the cartilage as well. Her coach and others told her to stop because she had future marathons to race in. Nevertheless, this woman crawled all the way to the finishing line, with blood streaming down her legs. If she believed participation was enough, she wouldn’t have done that. However, she knew her whole nation was watching and supporting her, so she wanted to make sure she gave it all.

During one of the World Cups—when it was held in South Korea—all the athletes walked in looking nervous. But there was one country where all the athletes walked in with a camera each. They were recording the moments with a video camera as they entered the arena. Those people came to the World Cup like it was a holiday. It’s fairly obvious how they would’ve performed at the World Cup, isn’t it? The fact that they just participated in the World Cup was already a big deal for them. They didn’t even expect to win a single match.

Now, would it be right for us to have the same attitude as that? Is it right for us to think, “Since I believe in Jesus and will go to heaven, I’m happy with that!”? No it is not. We have to strive and endeavor so that we can have a more glorious and prestigious life in the kingdom of heaven. Because once we go into heaven, we will not get another chance. The problem is that the glory we will receive in heaven is determined while we are in this world. The eternal reward you receive is determined by our deeds during these 20 or 30 years of life on earth.

Many of you came to church to believe in Jesus so that you may go to heaven. However, that is no longer our goal. Our goal should be to have a more beautiful, more glorious life in heaven. For that, our life on earth has to be in line with heaven. What did Jesus say here? “The one who is least on earth will be greatest in heaven. The one who serves on earth will be great in heaven!” In another scripture, He said, “If anyone gives you a cup of water because you believe in Me, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”

In this way, everything that we do on earth as believers in Jesus is for the reward. It is so that we may attain a more glorious resurrection. If believing in Jesus was enough, then why serve in the church and work for the church? If going to church only on the Lord’s Day was good enough, why do we come during the week and invest so much of our time in the church more than we do—almost as if it were our own business? There is a reason. This is a path to a more glorious resurrection on the last day.

If there were no such promise, why on earth do we come to church and devote so much of our efforts? Many people at Sungrak Church come to church as early as 4 or 5 in the morning on Lord’s Day. Many others attend the 1st service, which starts at 7 a.m., and from that time, they spend the whole day at church until the evening. Not only that, they continue serving the church in various ways during the week. What is the reason they do that? They don’t even get to travel while other people freely travel overseas. Why would they do that? It is to attain a more glorious resurrection.

The Bible says that in heaven, some will be small and some will be great. But how significant is the gap between them? If the gap was only marginal, I don’t think we would need to strive so hard to be the greatest. However, the Bible describes how great the difference is between the smallest and the greatest, that some will be weeping and gnashing their teeth in heaven. They will be in heaven but weeping and gnashing their teeth. Have you ever cried and gnashed your teeth? You might’ve wept but not to the point of gnashing your teeth. Can you picture it? How painful and regretful will they be that they gnash their teeth as they weep? In other words, they never imagined the gap to be so great. They will regret saying, “What a massive difference in glory! If only I knew this earlier, I should’ve worked harder during those 20-30 years on earth. I should’ve obeyed more. When I was on earth, I only sought my comfort and ease, and now this is what I get…” Of course, in heaven, they won’t have any other pain or sickness. However, when they will feel so regretful and sorrowful about the difference in glory, the sorrow will be so deep—they will weep and gnash their teeth.

The apostle Paul explained the difference in glory with this analogy. All flesh is not the same. Animals have bodies, but the glory of each body is not all the same. The glory of each flesh differs. Just think about humans. Everyone has the same bodies, but some people are 180cm tall while others are short. Some people are very good looking, while others look plain or even shabby. Not only that, there is different degree of power that the flesh possesses. For certain people, they have so much power that in their word, missiles and bombs are fired, devastating a whole country. But other people struggle to even make ends meet. Though they have the same flesh, there is such a massive gap in the glory they have. Let me ask: Which body would you like to have?

But it’s not only humans that have flesh. Dogs have flesh too. But their glory differs significantly from that of humans. Though to be fair—these days, dogs have a great life. Then there are rats. Compare the flesh of rats that roam around the sewers to the flesh of man. There’s a huge difference, isn’t there? Though they are both flesh, they don’t have the same glory. We can also compare the flesh of cockroaches to that of humans. In this way, though they are all flesh, there is a great difference between them. How do we even express that gap? Worms also have flesh. There are also unicellular organisms like Amoeba. They are flesh too. But human’s flesh is very superior.

Just as we can see this great difference in the glory of each flesh on earth, imagine that difference being applied in heaven. In fact, the difference will be magnified in heaven. The gap between the least and the greatest in heaven will be like the difference between cockroaches and humans on earth. Even though they are people alike—but some will be clothed in magnificent glory, while others will have very little. That’s how great the gap will be.

The Scripture describes those who will receive only a little glory in this way: “They are saved—but only as through fire.” What that means is, they will be like those who only just escaped a fire. Such people are saved. But it is as if there was a fire in the middle of the night, and they only just escaped, but without any clothes on and without any money. Everything they owned was burned up in the fire. Their money, their food, clothes—everything was burned up, and they only just made it out alive. In the same way, some will make it to heaven, but only just. However, there will be others who will have everything to enjoy in heaven. This is why we are living our faith lives: so that we may enjoy great glory when we are in heaven.

On another occasion, Jesus was with His disciples and the mother of two disciples came to Him, asking, “Jesus, in Your kingdom, let one of my sons sit at Your right and the other at Your left!” In other words, she requested her sons to be made chief ministers in His kingdom. To that, Jesus didn’t answer, “There is no such thing as chief ministers in heaven!” Instead, He asked, “Are you able to drink the cup I am about to drink?” What is the cup Jesus was referring to? He was speaking about bearing the suffering for the kingdom of God and obeying God to fulfil His will. He asked if they were able to bear that suffering, which is hard. But He said, “To sit at My right hand or My left will be for whoever it is prepared for by My Father, if they can bear the suffering”.

Therefore, our aim is not salvation. We already received salvation. But we are aiming for a position that is closer to Jesus in heaven. Some people may get to see the face of Jesus maybe only once a year? Since there will be a very large population in heaven, such people will probably standing a great distance away to see Jesus. But others will be able to see Jesus up close by His side, like those who get to eat at the king’s table every day. All of this is up to what we do while we are on the earth. Everyone who leads their faith life at church including myself is aiming for a more glorious resurrection when we go to heaven.

There are people who work out very hard to have a fit and buff body, aren’t there? Well, I am doing something similar right now. The glory we attain later on will be evident in our resurrection bodies. Everyone’s body and their glory will differ. Those who diligently worked for the Lord’s kingdom while they were on earth will have a beautiful body when they are resurrected. Others might have learned a great deal of knowledge but if they didn’t do much work, at the resurrection, they may have a disproportionately large head and a very feeble body so that they are too weak to walk. We are like those fitness fanatics who are trying to get buff, but we strive hard for our resurrection bodies.

In Jesus’ name, I bless you all to make every endeavor with the hope to receive a reward in heaven. I bless you all to make the effort to attain a more glorious resurrection.

This is a newcomer’s worship service, isn’t it? This is where we support newcomers who are yet to have faith to settle into the church and start their faith lives. Here, you won’t find many areas where you can serve. All you have to do here is to receive what you’re given. There is no reward for that.

But if you want a reward, you have to work. You need to serve. Think about what you might be able to do here to serve. It is important to have a keen attitude, looking for work. “Since I came to the Sungrak Church, what role can I play here? What work is there that I can do? How can I serve? Maybe I can serve as one of the traffic controllers in the carpark!” In doing so, you will be buffing up your spiritual body. In Jesus’ name, I bless you all to receive plenty of rewards.

God our Father, we thank You for freely giving us the right to enter heaven through the merits of the blood of Jesus Christ. Help us to be the souls who strive, work hard and endeavor to attain a more glorious resurrection in heaven. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.