Today Pastor Choi talks about three attributes of forgiveness through the story of Joseph: 1) forgiveness is not easy but not impossible.  2) Forgiveness is possible only in God and with God’s help.  3) Forgiveness requires initiative.  May God help us all to forgive those who trespass against us and overcome evil with good.

Forgiveness in God

Following is a summary of the sermon:

Forgiveness in God 

Genesis 45:1-15  New American Standard Bible (NASB)

45 Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried, “Have everyone go out from me.” So there was no man with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. ² He wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard of it. ³ Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph!  Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence.

⁴ Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come closer to me.” And they came closer.  And he said, “I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. ⁵ Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. ⁶ For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. ⁷ God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. ⁸ Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt. ⁹ Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, “God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. ¹⁰ You shall live in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children and your flocks and your herds and all that you have. ¹¹ There I will also provide for you, for there are still five years of famine to come, and you and your household and all that you have would be impoverished.”’ ¹² Behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is my mouth which is speaking to you. ¹³ Now you must tell my father of all my splendor in Egypt, and all that you have seen; and you must hurry and bring my father down here.” ¹⁴ Then he fell on his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. ¹⁵ He kissed all his brothers and wept on them, and afterward his brothers talked with him.

Introduction

Today I will finish my Genesis series with the story of Joseph.   There can be several things we can talk about Joseph such as favoritism, dreams, temptations, integrity, wisdom to prepare for hardships and so on, but to me, one word stands out above all others: forgiveness.  Did you know that in the entire Bible the word “to forgive” first appears in Joseph’s story (Genesis 50:17)?   Before I dig deeper, let me summarize his life story as briefly as I can.  I am covering 14 chapters (Genesis 37-50), so folks stay with me closely.

Jacob had twelve sons altogether, but he loved Joseph the most.  He made him a multicolor tunic when the rest of his brothers got plain ones.  Because of this favoritism, his older brothers hated him.   One day Joseph came to them while they were in the fields with their flock.  Originally, they wanted to kill him and throw him into a pit but ended up selling him for 20 coins of silver to a caravan that was headed to Egypt.  Of course, to their father, they lied that Joseph was mauled by a wild beast and showed Joseph’s tunic that was stained with goat’s blood.

Joseph was 17 years old when he was sold into slavery.  For the next 13 years, he had a rough life serving as a domestic slave and later on was falsely accused by his master’s wife that he had tried to rape her.  For that, he was imprisoned until he was 30 years old.

Well, God never left Joseph during the years of slavery.  In fact, He was with him and made him prosperous in everything he did.  When he was in jail, he worked as an assistant to the jailer.  One day two royal servants of Pharaoh (king’s head cupbearer and head baker) were imprisoned due to the king’s wrath.  Both of them had dreams the same night and Joseph interpreted their dreams: the baker would be hanged and the cupbearer would be restored to his former position.  Joseph asked the cupbearer to remember him if his dream came true.  However, when the cupbearer was restored to his position, he forgot about his promise to remember Joseph.   Two years passed.  This time Pharaoh had a dream.  The king was deeply troubled with his dream—the same dream twice in a different way.  He asked for interpretations from his advisors to no avail.  That’s when the cupbearer remembered Joseph and recommended him to the king.

Of course, once again, Joseph was able to interpret king’s dream with God’s help.  He said that there would be seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine in the land of Egypt.  So, Joseph advised the king to find a wise one who would prepare the kingdom for the upcoming hardships.  Pharaoh appointed Joseph to that position and made him the second-in-command in his kingdom.  At the age of 30, Joseph became a prime minister of the Egyptian Kingdom.

Joseph’s interpretation of king’s dream came true.  There was plenty in Egypt for seven years.  During that time, Joseph gathered all the spare food and stored them in the cities.  After seven years of abundance the seven years of famine started.  The text we read this morning happened in the second year of famine.  The famine was so severe that it affected not only Egypt but also the land of Palestine where Jacob and his eleven sons and their families dwelt.  They too felt the pinch of famine—no food to eat.

One day Jacob heard that food was available in Egypt.  So, calling up his ten sons who sold their younger brother to slavery, he sent them with money to buy some grain for food.  Off they went to Egypt and stood before Joseph who handled all trade of grain.   They bowed down before him and explained why they stood before the prime minister: to buy food.  As soon as Joseph realized that they were his older brothers, he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them saying, “You are spies.  You have come to see where our land is unprotected” (Genesis 42:9).  The brothers denied emphatically, but Joseph brushed off their explanations, took Simeon as a hostage and commanded them to bring their youngest brother to Egypt to prove their innocence.

After returning home, the nine brothers reported to Jacob what had happened in Egypt and why Simeon was missing.  They begged Jacob to send Benjamin with them so that they would bring back more food with Simeon.  Jacob said, “No!” at first.  However, when they ran out of food, he had no other choice but to consent to his sons’ demand.

So, they went down to Egypt again—this time with Benjamin to buy more food and bring Simeon back home.  Benjamin was Joseph’s younger brother from the same mother.  Well, when they stood before Joseph again with Benjamin, Joseph wanted to keep Benjamin with him and send the rest of 10 brothers back to Canaan. Judah, one of the older brothers, panicked and volunteered to stay instead because if Benjamin became a hostage, it would break their father’s heart.  That’s when Joseph couldn’t pretend any longer.  He broke down and revealed himself to his brothers.  That’s what’s happening in today’s text Genesis 45.

Contents

Today’s text is about forgiveness.  It reveals three important aspects of forgiveness.  By the way, the concept of forgiveness here is to lift up the burden of guilt and shame from the trespasser.

First, forgiveness is not easy yet not impossible.   Many biblical scholars call Joseph a Tzaddik—a righteous man who lives a blameless life before God.   Even to such a righteous man, forgiveness was not easy at all.  It took him 22 years to forgive his brothers who had done wrong to him (13 years of slavery and imprisonment, 7 years of abundance, and 2 years of famine).

Let me tell you this.  His older brothers were mean and jealous.  They were so cruel to Joseph that they blocked their ears to Joseph’s cry for life.  They sold him to slavery in Egypt.   For the next 22 years, in Joseph’s heart, they were the source of bitterness and anger.   What people do when they are hurt?  They try to forget, right?  Joseph tried the same thing: he wanted to forget everything at home—father, brothers, and everything else in his family.  And, that’s what he did: when his first son was born, he named him “Manasseh”—which means “It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.”   Remember Manasseh was born after Joseph became the prime minister.  That means, he didn’t forgive his brothers or forget his trouble for at least 13 years, but he eventually did.  Forgiveness is not easy but not impossible.

Next, forgiveness is only possible in God and with God’s help.  Imagine you were Joseph.  In front of you your ten brothers are standing who sold you to slavery.  They bowed down before you.   You would have the urge to extend this sweet moment to punishing them “because they deserve it.”  I don’t think it was easy for Joseph to resist that temptation of revenge.   But, Joseph would not be the avenger because of God.  So, he revealed himself to them, saying, “Come close to me.  I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt.  And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.  For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping.  But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.  So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God…” (Genesis 45:4-8a).

Who helped Joseph change his mind from revenge to forgiveness?  It was God, wasn’t it?  God convicted Joseph that He sent him into Egypt not his brothers.  Joseph had seen in his own life that God turned the evil meant by his brothers into good for his entire family.  Because the good in the end was far greater than his ordeal, Joseph was able to forgive his mean brothers.

Folks, how about you?  Do you have some people in your life who had done wrong to you?  Are you still holding grudges against them?  May God open your eyes and heart to see that forgiveness is necessary and possible in God.  May you see God’s protection and providence in your life as Joseph did.  May you see that the outcome is far better than your ordeal.  Only then, you can forgive those who harmed you.

Finally, forgiveness requires initiative.  I believe there are two ways to forgive the trespassers.  One, we forgive the trespassers when they repent.

The other way is we forgive them even if they never ask for forgiveness.  This is more challenging than the first one.  However, we must know what God wants us to do.  His will is to forgive the trespassers whether or not they repent.   For instance, Jesus on the cross forgave the crowd when they mocked Him.  They never showed any sign of repentance (Luke 23:34 ff).   What about Stephen the martyr?  He also asked God to forgive those who stoned him to death (Acts 7:59) because they didn’t know what they were doing.

Consider Joseph in the story one more time.  How did he forgive his brothers?  Did he do so after they were repentant?  No, he didn’t wait for them to say that they were sorry.  It reminds us that we take initiative to forgive those who hurt us even though they never come to us and say sorry.    Not easy at all, but with God’s help we can do the same as Joseph did.

A question arises.  What is going to happen to those who hurt us yet never repent of their sins?  God’s Word answers in two ways: first, vengeance is God’s business not ours.  When his brothers were so worried about Joseph’s getting even with them after their father died, Joseph assured them he is not an avenger saying, “Am I in place of God? “ (Genesis 50:19).  Romans 12:17-21 says, “Do not repay anyone evil for evil.  Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written; “It is mine to avenge; I will repay.  On the contrary; if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.  In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Next, each of us will be repaid for our deeds, whether good or bad: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10).

Conclusion

Do not wait for another day to forgive someone in your life who hurt you.  You may want to argue, “You have no idea what s/he has done to me!  I will never forgive that woman/man!”  Folks, I hear your hurt, but as long as you maintain that position, your sins will never be forgiven by God (Matthew 18:35).

May God help us to forgive our trespassers.  Remember that forgiveness is done with your will not with your emotions.

Forgive in God and overcome evil with good!

Let us pray.

Today Pastor Choi talks about the God of Jacob who stayed with Jacob all his life despite his shortcomings and weaknesses.  He points out three lessons from Jacob’s life story: first, Jacob turned a life threatening situation into a life-turning experience.  Next, Jacob claimed his father’s God as his own.  Thirdly, Jacob desired God and cherished what God cherished.

   The God of Jacob

The following is a summary of his sermon:

The God of Jacob

Genesis 32:9-12  New American Standard Bible (NASB)

⁹ Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord, who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your relatives, and I will prosper you,’ ¹⁰ I am unworthy of all the lovingkindness and of all the faithfulness which You have shown to Your servant; for with my staff only I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two companies. ¹¹ Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, that he will come and attack me and the mothers with the children. ¹² For You said, ‘I will surely prosper you and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which is too great to be numbered.’”

Introduction

Let me tell you a story of a man.  His name was Jacob.  Yes, the man whom we all read and heard about in the Bible.   He was a twin son of Isaac and grandson of Abraham.  From his birth he was called a cunning man.  He was a cheater of his brother, his father, and his uncle.  Yet, God never gave up on him and worked on him for his entire life.  God was not ashamed of calling Himself, “I am the God of Jacob.”   His name became a permanent part of God’s title (Exodus 3:6).   What made Jacob so special in God’s sight?  Not because he was a saint.  Far from it.   So folks, let’s think about Jacob and His God this morning.

Isaac and Rebekah his wife had twin sons: Jacob was a younger of the two. His older brother was Esau.  They were born a few minutes apart: Esau (meaning ‘red’ —covered with hair) came out first, and Jacob followed holding onto his brother’s heel (Genesis 25:26).  So, they named him Jacob “the heel grabber.”   By the way, in those days, the second son had no privilege, because the eldest son inherited everything from the father.  The Bible calls that special privilege birthright.  This birthright was exclusively reserved for the first born, and the first born only.   So, Esau was privileged to have all the inheritance from his father.  Not Jacob.  Sorry, Jacob.

Interestingly, Jacob was very much intrigued by the birthright.  He wanted it so much so that he wouldn’t give up on it even though he wasn’t entitled to it.  In fact, he wouldn’t mind snatching it from his brother by all means.  So, one day a chance arose.   His brother Esau the hunter came home from his hunting trip.  He was very hungry.  Jacob the tent man was cooking a stew at that time.  Esau was famished and asked for the stew.   Jacob said, “First sell me your birthright, then you can have the whole stew!” (Genesis 25:31).  Esau said, “What good is the birthright when I am about to die!” So, for a bowl of soup, he sold his birthright to Jacob (Genesis 25:32-33).   The Bible says Esau despised his birthright (Genesis 25:34).  In other words, you don’t sell your birthright for a bowl of soup no matter how hungry you are.

Even though Esau verbally sold the birthright to Jacob, Jacob still had one more hurdle to overcome: his father Isaac.  Typically, the birthright and its blessings culminated in at the father’s deathbed.   One day, Isaac realized that his death was near.  He wanted to bless his oldest son, Esau, before he died.  So, he asked Esau to prepare a savory meal for him to eat and bless him (Genesis 27:4).  Esau said, “Yes, father.  I will get a fresh kill and prepare a dish you like.  You can eat it and bless me.”  So, he went out for hunting.  Rebekah was listening while Isaac spoke to Esau (Genesis 27:5).  While Esau was out hunting, Rebekah along with Jacob her favorite son (Genesis 25:28) concocted a plan to steal the blessing from Esau and they did succeed.

This is how they did it: Rebekah cooked Isaac’s favorite dish and camouflaged Jacob’s hands and neck with goat skins to fool her husband.  She had Jacob wear Esau’s best garments.  She then asked Jacob to take his father’s favorite dish to him, pretending that he was Esau, Isaac’s favorite son (Genesis 27:15-17).

Covered with the goat skins, Jacob went into the tent where Isaac was lying.  He pretended he was Esau and even imitated Esau’s voice.   He did his acting quite nicely.  After eating the meal, Isaac finally gave Jacob all the birthright blessings convinced that Jacob was Esau his favorite son (Genesis 25:28).   When Esau finally came home after the hunting trip and found out what his twin brother did, he swore to kill him for stealing his birthright blessings (Genesis 27:41).  So, Jacob had to flee from his brother’s wrath (Genesis 27:47).

Of course, when he fled from home, his mother sent him away with a good excuse: to marry a girl from her homeland hundreds miles away.  It was in part true, because, Esau married foreign women with whom Rebekah was very unhappy (Genesis 27:46).   The Bible says his marriage with Canaanite women grieved his parents (Genesis 26: 34).

Fast-forward 20 years (Genesis 31:38).  By then, Jacob had two wives and two maids from whom he got 11 sons.  He had numerous servants and a huge flock of cattle.  Finally, he was heading home.  Everything was alright except one thing: his brother.   He was frightened that Esau would get him for what he had done before: stealing the birthright blessings from their father.  Jacob came up with two plans, A and B.  Plan A: appease Esau with lots of gifts—hundreds of goats and sheep, scores of camels, cows and bulls, and donkeys (Genesis 32:15).   He thought the gifts might appease his brother’s anger towards him (Genesis 32:20).     Plan B: protect his best interests.  Jacob divided his possessions and his people in three groups.  The first group led by his sons thereof his maids, followed by his first wife Leah and her sons.  At the tail of his caravan he put his second (and favorite) wife Rachel and his favorite son Joseph (Genesis 33:2).   Just in case Esau strikes the first company, he reasoned, he can escape with his favorite wife and son.  That was the plan.

Finally, the night before he met his brother, he had all the company crossed the ford named Jabbok.  He was left alone on the other side of the ford.  He was facing a life and death situation.  He was so desperate.  He was greatly afraid and distressed (Genesis 32:7). That night he couldn’t go to sleep so he stayed all night praying to the Lord until the daybreak for divine protection from his brother.  That’s what we just read this morning.

Contents

Three things stand out from his story:

1. Jacob turned a life-threatening situation into a life-turning experience.  In his prayer to the Lord, Jacob admitted that he feared his brother (Genesis 32:11).  The danger of losing everything including his own life was real to him.  He was sure that his brother Esau would attack him with four hundred men who could draw the sword (Genesis 32:6).  I would feel the same as Jacob if someone is on the way to hurt me and my family.

Now, Jacob had to make a choice: either to run away from the situation and avoid his brother (and, therefore, live the rest of his life in fear) or to face the threat head on.  He chose to face the threat.  Not alone, though.  He went to God in prayer.  You see, we all face from time to time life-threatening situations like Jacob.  We have a choice: either to run away and avoid the situation all together or to face it right on.

Let’s make a choice to face it head on.  Why?  Not because we are strong, but because we have God on our side.  When God is on our side, a crisis can turn into an opportunity to meet our God as we have never experienced Him before.  By the way, Jacob was so determined to get God on his side that he wrestled with God’s angel that night (that means in prayer) and he had a permanent injury on his thigh socket that made him limp for the rest of his life.  He simply wouldn’t let God’s angel go unless he blessed him first.   May God help us to make a right decision in times of adversity like Jacob did.

1. Jacob claimed his father’s God as his own: Up until that point, Jacob considered the Jehovah God as his ancestors’ God not his (Genesis 32:9).  However, when he was frightened with his brother coming at him for revenge, he finally called on his ancestors’ God and claimed Him as his own.  Folks, let’s think about ourselves.  Let’s think about our relationship with our Heavenly Father.  For instance, why do you attend church services on Sunday mornings?  Is it because you want to keep on your family tradition of worship even though you don’t have a personal relationship with Him?  You see, some of us have four or five generations worshiping in our congregation.  That’s great.  Keep it on.  However, if you think that the God you worship and serve is the God of your grandparents and parents, but not yours, it is time that you called onto Him and made Him your God as Jacob did.  That night, Jacob made that claim.  No longer was Jehovah God his father’s God.  He was Jacob’s God as well.  From that night on, God also started calling Himself “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”

1. Jacob desired God and cherished what God cherished such as the birthright and the blessings of God.  Esau despised the birthright.  He took God’s blessings lightly too.  Esau was self-reliant.  He didn’t pray to God for help.  Jacob was different.  He took the birthright seriously.  He desired God’s blessings so much that he even cheated his father and brother.   He went to God for help.   He was God-reliant despite all his shortcomings.  Perhaps, after he exhausted all his smart ways and his own wits, Jacob realized what he truly needed was God.

That’s what made Jacob special in the sight of God: his desire for God’s company.   Jacob was never a godly man in my opinion, yet he went to God in times of need.  He was sincere in his prayers.  He was determined to have God on his side no matter how selfish it seemed to us.  That’s what counts most in God’s sight.  Like Jacob, none of us are perfect.  In fact, we are far from perfection.  We all struggle with our shortcomings and weaknesses, too.  But, one thing we can learn from Jacob is to desire God and cherish what God cherishes.  Cherish the relationship with God and call unto Him in times of need.

Conclusion

A question for all of us: Is the God of Jacob also my God?   Do I know Him personally?  Do I go to Him in times of need?  Have I experienced God in hardships?  Am I self-reliant or God-reliant?   Do I cherish what God cherishes?

If you are going through tough times right now, folks, there are no better times than now that you go to God in prayer and wrestle with Him saying, “Lord, I want to know that you are out there.  I want to know that you are with me.  I want to experience that you hear my prayers and answer me.  Until that happens, I won’t let you go!”   Let’s cry out onto God.  Let’s claim His name.  Let the God of Jacob be yours today.   Amen.

Today Pastor Choi talks about one of the marks of believers in Christ: gratitude. Taking the examples of Jesus our Lord and Savior, he exhorts God’s people to practice thankfulness in all circumstances by Doing of Thankings (D.O.T. 20) every day.

Overflowing with Thankfulness

Following is a summary of the sermon:

Overflowing with Thankfulness Colossians 2:6-7

Colossians 2:6-7 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

6 Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as youwere instructed, and overflowingwith gratitude.

Introduction

Overflowing with gratitude is a sure sign of mature Christian. Likewise, overflowing with ungratefulness is a sure sign of immature Christian. Let me explain to you what I mean by overflowing.

Imagine you are headed out to work one morning. Of course, you are one of those folks who need coffee in the morning to start the day. You are a Starbucks fan, so you walk into the store to get a cup of coffee. The smell of your favorite coffee begins to wake you up. You slowly take a sip and it tastes heavenly. It is so good. Then, something happens. On your way out, someone coming in, by accident, bumps into you and, alas, you spill your coffee—all of it! Thank God, it wasn’t that hot! But, the coffee spilled all over on you, on the other person as well, and all of it.

That’s the image of overflowing. As you live out your faith, thankfulness is bound to spill over from you and it gives away what kind of believer who you are.

Are you one with gratitude?

Imagine you ran into a friend at Shoprite. She has been a believer in Christ for years. After a few minutes of conversation, you begin to notice something different in her. Somehow her words and her attitude catch your attention. She is going through chemo treatments for cancer, yet you notice that she doesn’t complain at all to God or to anybody. In fact, you are quietly shocked to see her calmness considering what she is going through. She even thanks God for her cancer because, she says, it set her priorities straight. Her words of gratitude overflow from her. Frankly, you are so impressed with her attitude of gratitude that you want to be like her. You want to find out the secrets of her calmness and of her attitude of gratitude.

Sadly, the story I just shared with you seems rather a remote possibility to most of us. In reality, we encounter our brothers and sisters in Christ who often whine and complain about things in life. Certain words that come out of their mouths or their attitude on life in general make us wonder about them being a believer in Christ let alone we want to be like them. E.g. Once at the Annual Conference, I served as usher. My job was to direct the hungry crowd (over 1000 people) to their tables at lunch time. In the auditorium over 100 tables were set up with each table of 10 chairs. As the rush began, for a better traffic, I directed the first comers to the tables at the farthest corners. Most of them were cooperative, but occasionally some individuals clearly let me hear their whining, “Why can’t I sit right here?!”

Had you been one of the people guided by me, would you have been thankfully following my directions to walk another 50 yards to the corner so that everyone else would be served on time or would you have been one of those whiners?

Jesus

Let me bring Jesus in here. Imagine you had the privilege of accompanying Him one day. Standing next to Him, you watch everything He does. You also hear all the wonderful lessons from Him. At the end of the day, you are on your way home. You think about what kind of person Jesus is. You try to use one word or two to describe Him such as grace, love, compassion, wisdom, miracle worker, teacher, righteous anger, justice, etc.

We may have no trouble coming up with one or two images of Jesus right away, but seldom would we catch the image of Jesus the grateful: the Jesus who was overflowing with thanksgiving.

Three things come to my mind when it comes down to Jesus the grateful. First, His prayers at the Last Supper—the first Eucharist ever in history that He initiated with His disciples the night before His crucifixion. He broke the bread at the table with words of “thanks” to God. The second image that comes to my mind is this: when He fed the crowds of over 5000 people with five loaves and two fish. Once again, before He gave the food to the crowd, He held up the bread to Heaven, broke it with grace—thanking God for the bread. Third time, He thanked God in advance for answering His prayers: “And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, ‘Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.’” (John 11: 41, NKJV). Right after His thanks to God, He raised Lazarus from the dead.

May I say that Jesus’ life and prayers were filled with thanksgiving to God? Why do I say so? Because Jesus was rooted in His relationship with God. He was a beloved Son of God. God loved Him dearly and was well pleased in Him (Mark 1:11). Jesus loved His Father back with the same love! He loved God so much that obeying God was never a duty but a delight. He pleased His Heavenly Father by doing what God commanded Him to do, and it brought Jesus joy. And, all the more did He all things that are pleasing to the Lord in Heaven. Of course, due to His reverent obedience to God, God answered His prayers. When Jesus received answers from God, He was more thankful to God. In turn, more thanks from Jesus make God more pleased with His Son that brought forth more answers to prayers. More thanks. And, so the cycle of gratitude continued.

Therefore, I can easily say that Jesus’ life overflowed with gratitude in every way. Naturally, it rubbed off on everyone around Him. So should it today on us Jesus’ followers.

That’s why I say that the attitude of gratitude is a sure sign of Christ’s followers. By knowing Jesus, and imitating Him in our words and actions, we can be grateful. And, by being grateful, we honor our Heavenly Father. Of course, by being ungrateful, we dishonor Him. With gratitude we move one step closer to God and with ungratefulness we move one step away from God.

Conclusion

I am sure all of us want to overflow with gratitude. However, we don’t become a thankful person overnight. Like anything else, we need practice. So, here’s my advice: say a prayer every morning that you want to do God’s will. More specifically, you want to be thankful for all things, both good and bad, because it is God’s will for you.

Here’s the action plan: start your day by counting 20 things you are both grateful and thankful for. Begin with small things and gradually increase to big things up to 20. I would call this practice D.O.T. 20 (Doing of Thankings for 20 things). E.g. Every morning I do this: I give thanks to God for life and health. I also thank God for His granting me faith in Jesus Christ. I thank Him for food, shelter, clothing, family, and my church. When everything good is counted, then I move onto not-so-good things (or you may call them bad things). Despite my feelings, I want to make sure that I stay thankful according to God’s command “be thankful in all circumstances. It is, of course, never easy to be thankful for bad things in life. But, by doing so every day, I learned to trust in God’s good will and the good God who makes all things both good and bad beautiful in due time. By being thankful for all things, I learned to glorify His name in my life. My prayer for all of you is this: may God make you overflow with thankfulness.

Amen.

Today Pastor Choi talks about the nature of giving: Giving is to the Lord Jesus first before it is to the Church.  Giving must come from our heart.  Giving is determined by our understanding of who Jesus is.  It is also determined by how much we love Jesus not by how much money we have.

    Give Your Heart to Jesus

Following is a summary of his sermon:

Give Your Heart to Jesus

Mark 14   New American Standard Bible (NASB)

14 Now the Passover and Unleavened Bread were two days away; and the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to seize Him by stealth and kill Him; ² for they were saying, “Not during the festival, otherwise there might be a riot of the people.”

³ While He was in Bethany at the home of Simon the leper, and reclining at the table, there came a woman with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume of pure nard; and she broke the vial and poured it over His head. ⁴ But some were indignantly remarking to one another, “Why has this perfume been wasted? ⁵ For this perfume might have been sold for over three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor.” And they were scolding her. ⁶ But Jesus said, “Let her alone; why do you bother her? She has done a good deed to Me. ⁷ For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them; but you do not always have Me. ⁸ She has done what she could; she has anointed My body beforehand for the burial. ⁹ Truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.”

Introduction

Once a year, as pastor of the church, I preach on the nature of giving to the LORD in conjunction with our church-wide stewardship campaign.  Today is the day that I speak about our giving to the Lord.   Our giving is to the Lord Jesus first before it is to the Church or it is to help the needy.  Our giving must come from our heart.  Our giving is determined by our understanding of who Jesus is.  It is also determined by how much we love the Lord not by how much we have in our possessions.   This morning we will think about our attitude in giving through the story of a woman who gave her heart and gave all she had to the Lord Jesus in worship.

Contents

What’s happening in the story?  It was the week of the Passover and three days before Jesus was crucified.  He was staying at a house in Bethany [a couple of miles SE of Jerusalem].  Then, a lady entered the room where Jesus was reclining.  Standing next to Him, she broke a vial of very expensive perfume made of pure nard and poured the entire bottle over Jesus’ head.  Indeed it was very expensive in those days.   [e.g. Horace –Roman poet during the time of August–offered to send Virgil a whole barrel of his best wine in exchange for a phial of nard.  “Though nard is now rare on the shelves of the western perfumer, its name stood for centuries as an evocation of the perfume of the lost Garden of Eden” http://www.biblefragrances.net/nard.html].

When the disciples saw what was happening before their eyes, their jaws dropped.  They couldn’t believe their eyes.  Immediately, a clash of convictions took place in silence and an argument ensued among those in the room on her act of giving; whether it was a waste or not.

Three groups of people were in the room: the lady (the giver), Jesus (the recipient) and the disciples (the onlookers).   Let’s think about them one by one.

The onlookers: “Why this waste?”–that was the outcry of Jesus’ disciples when they saw what the lady was doing with that very expensive vial of perfume—worth a worker’s annual wage (in today’s money it’s about $30,000).   Actually, the literal translation of “Why this waste?” would be “Why in the world has this happened?” or “A total waste!”

The disciples got indignant.  They were very upset, because their conviction was violated.  Their conviction deep down in their hearts was this: Jesus doesn’t deserve such a devotion and honor.   He isn’t worth that much.  He is our teacher and worthy of our respect, but not this much.  Maybe, He is worth of a drop or two of the perfume, but not the entire bottle.

That’s why their jaws dropped.  Soon, they raised their voices and rebuked her.  They put her to shame, because they didn’t approve the way she used her own precious possession.  Perhaps, they would have had no problem if she had used it for her dowry in marriage or even for her own burial.  However, when it was used for Jesus, they had a big problem and exclaimed, “What a waste!”  “It could have been sold and given to the poor!”  They truly shamed her big time.  That’s where Jesus comes in.

The recipient: “Leave her alone,” intervened Jesus.  He reminded His disciples and the lady that her giving was not a waste at all.  Actually, He continued, it was a beautiful thing she did for Him for His burial ahead of time.  He implied that all the disciples a week later wouldn’t be able to embalm their Master’s dead body.  Come to think of it, Jesus was right, because none of these disciples were able to do so with Jesus’ body, because He was risen.  Only this lady did.

Now, if you only focus on the words such as “waste” or “helping the poor” you may miss the whole point.  Here, Jesus is least concerned about the waste or the best ways to spend one’s material possessions.  Nor does He discourage us not to help the poor.   By the way, He is the one who cares about the poor so much so that He opened His Sermon on the Mount with the declaration that the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to the poor.   He proclaimed the Gospel to the poor.   Furthermore, when it comes down to waste, He is the one who knows what it means not to waste God’s given resources.  Remember His story of feeding the 5000 people with five loaves and two fish?   After everyone was fed, Jesus commanded to collect all the left overs so that the food would not go wasted.  He surely knows what waste is and what is not.

Jesus points out one thing very important to all—the lady, to His disciples and to us the readers of the Bible: who He is as the recipient of our giving and devotion.  Do you know who Jesus is?  He is more than a good moral teacher.  He is more than a master who deserves respect.  He is one of the triune God whom we worship and serve: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  He is equal to God.  He is eternal as God.  He is the God incarnate—God in human flesh.  Unlike any other human beings, He is sinless.  He has the authority to forgive sins in the world (yours and mine).  He is our God and Savior.  Therefore, He is worthy of our adoration, praise, worship, and our best!  He deserves our all!   That’s what’s happening in the story.  Knowing who Jesus was, the lady gave her heart, her best, and all she had to Jesus.  Let’s think about the lady the giver this time.

The giver: to the lady, nothing was too precious or too costly for Jesus.  Nothing was wasted on Jesus, because He was her God and her Lord.  That’s why she gave her heart and didn’t hold anything back from Him.

Think about the perfume one more time.  Scholars believe that there are two possibilities for the perfume in her possession: it was a family heirloom kept either for dowry or for her own burial.  But, she gave it up for Jesus.  I must say it was more than monetary sacrifice.  It was the total surrender of her personal plans, ambitions, and aspirations.  That’s what happens in true worship.  Surrender all to Jesus.  Romans 12:1 [present your bodies as a living sacrifice].  He is worthy of nothing but the best from us, not a scrap here and there.  Not a divided attention here and there.

Do you surrender all to Jesus?  Do you give your best to Him or just put one hour in on Sunday mornings?   Do you give Him all your heart or only a piece of it and keep the rest with you?   It all depends who Jesus is to you.

When you worship the Lord with all your heart and mind, you may experience sharp criticisms and angry glances from the onlookers.  That’s exactly what happened to the lady when she broke the vial and gave her heart for Jesus’ sake.

Even today people don’t change and still criticize the true worshipers of Jesus.  When you enthusiastically worship the Lord, when you give all yours to Jesus, the onlookers in worship may give you a hard time.   Even shame you.

Remember what really matters, though: Jesus’ praise trumps all the criticisms of the bystanders.  Therefore, don’t be afraid to offend people with your love for Jesus.  Only focus on pleasing the Lord.  Only worship the Lord in spirit and truth.  That’s what really counts before the Lord.

One more thing.  In today’s story, I can almost smell the fragrance of that expensive perfume that permeated the entire room.  I am sure it lingered there for some time.  Think of the lady who must have carried the sweet smell for some time on her clothes wherever she went afterwards.  People would exclaim to her saying, “Whatever happened to you, you smell good!  Where have you been?”  She would reply, “Today I was with Jesus and gave my heart to Him in worship!”

God calls you to be the fragrance of Christ to the world (2 Corinthians 2:15).   What smell do you give forth?   The fragrance or the stink?  Your being a sweet smell to the world begins with your heart entirely given to Jesus.  When you worship the Lord Jesus with all your heart and mind, you will carry the fragrance of Jesus to the world.

Conclusion

Remember the gift the lady gave to Jesus.  It was much more than the expensive perfume.  That day she gave her heart.  It impressed Jesus so much that He commanded His disciples to spread her story along with the gospel—the story of worship and adoration.  Give your heart to Jesus today and every day in worship.  He will remember your devotion.

Let’s pray.

Pastor Choi talks about the relations between idol worship and the destiny of a nation: idol worship brings forth rejection of God and the rejection of God brings down a nation.  Taking the example of two kingdoms in Israel, he compares America’s today to the day of Elijah: idols are plenty and abandonment of God and God’s commandments and ordinances become a norm in our society.  Pastor Choi exhorts God’s people to seek God with prayer and petitions, turn from wicked ways, and give attention to God’s truth on behalf of America.

  Altar in the Nation

Following is a summary of his sermon:

Altar in the Nation 

Daniel 9:1-19   New American Standard Bible (NASB)

9 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of Median descent, who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans— ² in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. ³ So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes. ⁴ I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed and said, “Alas, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, ⁵ we have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances. ⁶ Moreover, we have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers and all the people of the land.    

⁷ “Righteousness belongs to You, O Lord, but to us open shame, as it is this day—to the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those who are nearby and those who are far away in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of their unfaithful deeds which they have committed against You. ⁸ Open shame belongs to us, O Lord, to our kings, our princes and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. ⁹ To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against Him; ¹⁰ nor have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in His teachings which He set before us through His servants the prophets. ¹¹ Indeed all Israel has transgressed Your law and turned aside, not obeying Your voice; so the curse has been poured out on us, along with the oath which is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, for we have sinned against Him. ¹² Thus He has confirmed His words which He had spoken against us and against our rulers who ruled us, to bring on us great calamity; for under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what was done to Jerusalem. ¹³ As it is written in the law of Moses, all this calamity has come on us; yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our iniquity and giving attention to Your truth. ¹⁴ Therefore the Lord has kept the calamity in store and brought it on us; for the Lord our God is righteous with respect to all His deeds which He has done, but we have not obeyed His voice.

¹⁵ “And now, O Lord our God, who have brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and have made a name for Yourself, as it is this day—we have sinned, we have been wicked. ¹⁶ O Lord, in accordance with all Your righteous acts, let now Your anger and Your wrath turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people have become a reproach to all those around us. ¹⁷ So now, our God, listen to the prayer of Your servant and to his supplications, and for Your sake, O Lord, let Your face shine on Your desolate sanctuary. ¹⁸ O my God, incline Your ear and hear! Open Your eyes and see our desolations and the city which is called by Your name; for we are not presenting our supplications before You on account of any merits of our own, but on account of Your great compassion. ¹⁹ O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and take action! For Your own sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name.”

Introduction

This sermon concludes my series on the altar: individual, family, church, and nation. Last Sunday, I talked about the saddest day of Israel’s history when clergy and laity made a wrong choice tossing out God and inviting an idol to be their god.  Since that day God’s people worshiped idols and consequently paid the price that culminated in the Babylonian Captivity.  They were ushered into the Promised Land by the LORD God, but in less than 700 years, they were taken out and away from the same land because they worshiped idols abandoning the very God who gave them the blessings.

This morning we are going to think about the relations between idol worship and the future of a nation: idol worship brings forth rejection of God and the rejection of God brings down a nation.

History repeats itself and if we fail to learn a lesson from the past, we would make the same mistakes.  We the people of God can learn from the history of Israel in the context of destiny of a nation and idol worship.  One clarification: idol worship means we worship and serve anything or anybody in place of God.  Idols dictate us what to do and we obey.   Idols can be a molten image, but they can be abstract things such as humanism, rejection of God, science, greed, or love of money.

Contents

A brief history lesson: after Moses died, Joshua led the Israelites into the Promised Land.   It took another 300 years for the twelve tribes to finally settle in.  King David expanded the territory and finally brought peace into his Kingdom.  He wanted to build the temple to the Lord.   God said, no, not you, but your son will do it.

Solomon did it.  He built the magnificent temple dedicated only to the LORD.   He is a perfect example of backsliding.  He started right and ended wrong.  You see, his problem was too many women in his life: 700 wives and 300 concubines.  All for in the name of diplomacy and security.   All wives brought their own gods from their lands.  Too many idols.  He reigned for forty years.

After his death (928 B.C.), the kingdom of Israel was divided into two: the northern kingdom (the Kingdom of Israel) and the southern kingdom (the Kingdom of Judah).  The northern kingdom lasted about 200 years.   From its inception, it never stopped worshiping other gods until the fall in 722 B.C.  The southern kingdom lasted 350 years, but it was no better than the northern kingdom, because it too worshiped idols right next to God’s altar in the middle of the temple in Jerusalem. 

The worst example was King Manasseh (697-642 B.C.):  “Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem; …² He did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord dispossessed before the sons of Israel. ³ For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he erected altars for Baal and made an Asherah, as Ahab king of Israel had done, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. ⁴ He built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “In Jerusalem I will put My name.” ⁵ For he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord. ⁶ He made his son pass through the fire, practiced witchcraft and used divination, and dealt with mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord provoking Him to anger. ⁷ Then he set the carved image of Asherah [mother goddess, consort of Yahweh–mine] that he had made, in the house of which the Lord said to David and to his son Solomon, “In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever.” (2 Kings 21:1-7).

One phrase to describe the history of idolatry in Israel is “a rollercoaster ride”: ups and downs.  Idol worship, return to the Lord, idol worship, and return to the Lord: this pattern repeated for 400 years since the dedication of the temple to the Lord.  Bad kings dominated; once in a while good kings popped up such as Hezekiah and Josiah.  But, overall, 9 out of ten times, bad kings.  One good one.

So what did God do about it?  He repeatedly sent His prophets such as Jeremiah (626 – 587 B.C.) and asked them to come back to Him.  He warned them against the danger of idol worship and asked them to turn their hearts back to Him.  Did they listen?  No, they provoked God to anger through their continued idolatry.  So, God finally said, so be it.  There came God’s judgment upon them: the Babylonian Captivity in 586 B.C.

I believe we are living in such a perilous time as that of Jeremiah.  Idols are plenty.   Abandoning God and rejecting His commandments and ordinances have become a norm in our society.  People refuse to listen to the Lord and come back to Him.  

About 50 years ago, when America removed prayer and the Bible from public schools, it was one of the saddest days in our history.  Stores began to open on Sundays.  Now, many stores open 7 days a week.  Although we’ve never been completely free from idol worship in our society, the degree of forsaking our Heavenly Father today is getting worse in a very alarming rate.  For instance, less and less people respect or fear the LORD: e.g. the monument of the 10 commandments in Oklahoma City was desecrated recently.  Do you think it shocked the nation?  I doubt it.  Some of us are not even shocked let alone outraged.  Families are being broken up at a record high rate.  God’s Word spoken at God’s house is being censored by the government.  Just last month, Houston mayor subpoenaed five pastors’ sermons in her city (later she rescinded).  It is a bad omen of what’s coming in our society.  One million witches in our land.   Violence in our society sickens our soul almost every day: shooting incidents at schools and even at churches. 

Many people already see the downfall of America, not just economically, socially, and even as a nation.   A year ago, 68% of Americans thought that our nation was headed in the wrong direction (Bloomberg News National Poll, Sept. 20-23, 2013).  This year, another poll by NBC News/Wall Street Journal (July 30-August 4, 2014) said that 71 percent thought that the country was on the wrong track.

Frank Bruni, columnist for New York Times, in his recent article “Lost in America” (August 25, 2014) wrote.  After stating that Americans were apprehensive about their direction and hungry for hope yet don’t find it on the menu, he asked, “But to what or whom can Americans turn?”   The government?  Bruni doubts it.   “A Gallup poll in late June that showed that Americans’ faith in each of the three branches had dropped to what he called “near record lows,” with only 30 percent expressing confidence in the Supreme Court, 29 percent in the presidency and 7 percent in Congress.”  He concludes saying, “…this isn’t just about the economy. It’s about fear. It’s about impotence. We can’t calm the world in the way we’d like to, can’t find common ground and peace at home, can’t pass needed laws, can’t build necessary infrastructure, can’t, can’t, can’t.  In the Journal/NBC poll, 60 percent of Americans said that we were a nation in decline.  How sad. Sadder still was this: Nowhere in the survey was there any indication that they saw a method or a messenger poised to arrest it”  (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/26/opinion/frank-bruni-lost-in-america.html). 

Bruni doesn’t see any hope.  Neither does he point out any solution.  Just frustration on the direction we are going. 

 Let me tell you what is wrong with our country: forsaking God and His commandments and ordinances.  Pushing God out from every arena of our society:  government, military, business, schools, and homes.  As long as we do it corporately, our nation will decline.   Listen to George Washington, who must have foreseen it coming many years ago and gave us a warning in his inaugural speech:  “We ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right, which Heaven itself has ordained” (April 30, 1789).

America today is very much like the time of Elijah.  By the time of Elijah, in Israel, there were many altars to idols; they tore down altars to God everywhere that the Prophet was afraid that he was the only one left (e.g.  At Mountain Carmel, he encountered against 850 prophets of idols (1 Kings 18:19, 450 of Baal, 400 of Asherah).  He said to God: ³ “Lord, they have killed Your prophets, they have torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they are seeking my life.” ⁴ But what is the divine response to him? “I have kept for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal” (Romans 11:3-4).

Folks, don’t despair.  We have an answer.  We have hope.  Not the hope in any human beings or government, but in God the LORD Almighty.   Bring God in.  Let us listen to Him.  Tear down the idols.  That must begin with God’s people.  It must begin with ourselves:  “and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14, NASB).   The healing of our land depends on us and begins with us.

It is time that we paid attention to Daniel’s prayer. In the face of national collapse and calamity, Daniel teaches us to do the following: 1. Seek God through prayer and petitions 2. Confess our nation’s sins.  3.  Ask for forgiveness.  4. Seek God’s favor on behalf of America by turning from iniquity and give attention to God’s truth.

Conclusion

Beware of the consequences of idolatry: you begin with God alone at first.  Then, you sneak in one idol, and start worshiping it alongside God.  It looks harmless at first.  You add another idol later.  As the number of idols increases, you eventually keep the idols and reject God and His commandments.  That’s what happened to Israel.   That was the cause of their downfall.

That’s what’s happening in America.  We started as a godly nation whose foundation was God the Almighty.   We began to sneak in one idol after another.  In the past fifty years, the signs of rejecting God in our society become more visible.   More daring attacks to tear down the altars to God are being made: God’s name is blasphemed; His Church and God’s commandments are dismissed by our leaders and people.  Remember America is not even 250 years old yet.  Remember those kingdoms with all God’s favor on them didn’t get spared from God’s wrath.  We must not repeat the same mistake twice.  We must begin with us.  Seek God.  Pray.  Confess.  Ask for forgiveness. Turn from iniquity.  Give attention to God’s truth.  Then, only then, God will heal our land.  Amen.