Today Pastor Choi talks about his own journey in thanksgiving.  First, he learned to be thankful for the blessings.  Next, the Lord taught him to be thankful even in adversities.  Finally, he learned about the reasons behind God’s command for us to be thankful in all circumstances.

Today Pastor Choi concludes his sermon series on spiritual warfare.  He explains the six components of the full armor of God: belt of truth, helmet of salvation, breastplate of righteousness, shoes of the Gospel of peace, shield of faith, and the sword of the Spirit–the Word of God.  He exhorts God’s people to hold their ground standing against the devil’s schemes until Christ comes.

Today Pastor Choi talks about two prerequisites for spiritual warfare: resting in Christ and in what He has done for us, and walking in God’s standards through the power of the indwelling Spirit of Holiness.

Pastor Choi continues his series on spiritual warfare: Expounding three verses in the New Testament (2 Corinthians 4:4, John 13:2, and 2 Corinthians 10:3-5), he points out what Satan is up to and how he harasses, oppresses, and attacks God’s children.

Today, Pastor Choi introduces a three-part (that ended up in a four part) series on spiritual warfare.  In his message, he talks about two opposing kingdoms in spiritual realm: the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan.  He urges the people of God to wake up from their spiritual sleep and follow their leader Jesus Christ in their spiritual battles.

Today, at Manahawkin UMC, Laity Sunday was observed where everything was led by the members of the congregation.  Guest speaker was Sarah Choi, also member of the church.  She talked about the secret of God’s provision.

Today Pastor Choi concludes his sermon series on the Church of God.  He exhorts the congregation to focus on what God has in mind for MUMC and be faithful to His call as the Church in Philadelphia did: with a little power, keep His Word and not deny His name, hold fast Christ’s Promise on Second Coming, and listen/obey what the Holy Spirit says to the churches.

Pastor Choi talks about the necessity of the Church in today’s sermon.  The Church of Jesus Christ is commissioned to take the message of reconciliation in Christ to the world (Matthew 28:19-20).  No other organizations in the world was chosen by God for that task.  God reveals salvation the divine mystery through the Church.  That’s why people need the Church.

Today Pastor Choi addresses the congregation on the question of why people need Jesus.  For healing, for peace, for happiness, for teaching, and for eternal life.  Yes, they are all legitimate reasons, but the true reason why every soul on earth needs Jesus is because of their broken relationship with God through sin.  Everyone is a sinner and every sinner needs a Savior.  That’s why we need Jesus the Savior and Lord.

Today Pastor Choi examines the question of why on evil.  In the time of violence, evil, and injustice, he exhorts the congregation not to run away from God but to run towards Him in search of hope, courage, strength, and wisdom to overcome evil.

Pastor Choi talks about the importance of watch and pray in the believer’s life.  Explaining the background information of the wedding in Israel at the time of Jesus, he exhorts God’s people to saturate their lives with prayer in earnest anticipation of Christ’s return.

Pastor Choi’s sermon series on Jesus’ Why questions ends today.  Jesus’ question of “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” was directed not to humans but to God the Heavenly Father.  He cried out to God not because His disciples betrayed and abandoned Him.  Nor because of the mockery and insult from the religious leaders and bystanders.  He rather did so, because the sin of entire world entered between Him and His Father and created a total separation between Christ and His loving Father in whose presence nothing unholy or impure is allowed.  That separation made Christ cry out to God, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Through the story of a paralytic man who was healed by Jesus, Pastor Choi highlights the following: Be the friend to bring your loved ones to Jesus in prayer, God searches all hearts and understands every intent of our thoughts, Forgiveness trumps all other blessings, and Accept Jesus as your Savior and Lord.

Pastor Choi talks about breaking the commandment of God with human teachings and tradition.  In today’s story, he draws three lessons: beware of human tradition that invalidates the Word of God, do not worship in vain, and watch out what truly defiles you.

Today Pastor Choi talks about putting the Lord to the test: what constitutes testing of the Lord.  Not every act of asking for God’s sign is considered ‘putting the Lord to the test.’  The Scripture identifies three elements of testing the Lord: 1) Unbelief of God’s wisdom, power, good will, and His existence  2) Demand of wanton cravings  3) Rebellion against God.

Pastor Choi talks about three approaches people take in terms of salvation and eternal life: human goodness, the Law, and Christ.  He explains how the first two approaches fail to bring us into God’s eternal presence.  He reiterates what God’s Word says about salvation: Christ is the way, the life, and the truth.  No one can come to the Father except through Him (John 14:6).

Today Pastor Choi expounds Jesus’ command on discerning the present time (Kairos).   Kairos is God’s appointed time that demands God’s people to live a holy and godly life, spotless and blameless, for the day of Christ (2 Peter 3:11, 14).

Today Pastor Choi talks about the meaning of “not to judge” others.  They are stop being self-righteous, stop being judgmental, and stop condemning others like God.

Today Pastor Choi talks about Jesus and Peter walking on the water.  Three lessons he points out in the story of Jesus: God’s in it, so is our faith, and fix your eyes on Jesus.

Pastor Choi today talks about the cure for anxiety.  First, he points out four characteristics of worries: useless, evil, stressful, and contagious.  Next, he identifies four ways to handle life’s worries: keep a heavenly perspective, have faith in God, stop worrying, and seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness.

Today Pastor Choi expounds the Scriptures on divine anger.  In the Old Testament, God’s anger was ignited when people of God followed other gods, grumbled against God, and afflicted orphans, widows, and foreigners.  In the New Testament, Jesus also got angry at hypocrisy, commercialism in God’s house, belittling of children, stubborn heart and unbelief.  May God help us never provoke Him to anger.

Pastor Choi talks about anger at God.  Taking the example of Jonah, he explains how to handle our anger with God: Avoid bad theology.  Be humble before God in anger.  Choose to trust in God not own feelings.

Acts 2:1-13

Substituting for Pastor Choi, John Parker delivers a sermon on Pentecost when everyone asked “What does this mean?”

Pentecost is considered to be the day that the church was born. Ten days before, the apostles were with Jesus when He told them to wait in Jerusalem until the Spirit came upon them and that they would be given power through the Spirit to be His witnesses to Judea, Samara, and all the earth. This was the last thing that Jesus said to the disciples before He ascended to sit at the right hand of the Father.

After waiting and praying for 10 days, for the first time the Holy Spirit baptized all of the believers and they were forever changed. The power of the Holy Spirit made them boldly proclaim the great works of God in every language and dialect of all of the devout Jews who had gone to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Weeks. Peter became the rock that the church would be built upon reciting passages from the prophet Joel as he gave the first sermon of the Christian church.  As prophesied in Jeremiah, the Word of God and the will of God would be written on people’s hearts and “they will be My people and I will be their God.”

These 50 days were perfect fulfillments of the Jewish feasts. At Passover, the sacrifice of the sinless Jesus, God’s only Son, the perfect Lamb of God, Mashiach ben Joseph , was the final payment for all sin of all mankind. At the Feast of Firstfuits Jesus was resurrected from the dead and so became the firstfruits of the new covenant. And at Pentecost or Feast of Weeks when the wheat harvest is celebrated, over three thousand souls were saved as Peter delivered the first sermon of the Christian church reaping the first harvest of souls ripe for salvation.

120 believers had faith in Jesus’ promise that He would never leave them alone even though He had gone to be with the Father. The believers waited patiently, expectantly, and prayerfully for the Holy Spirit to come to them.  And on this Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended from heaven with the sound of a mighty wind and these 120 believers turned the world upside down. We are this generation’s body of Christ and we are called to do the same. We are called to be witnesses of Jesus Christ to Judea, Samaria, and to the end of the earth proclaiming the great works of God in every tongue to every nation.

Today Pastor Choi talks about Mary of Bethany who poured the very expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet.  Three lessons to learn from Mary: a. Give all you have to Jesus.  b. Jesus remembers your love and acts of service and reward you accordingly.  c. Don’t wait until tomorrow to serve the Lord.

Today Pastor Choi concludes his series on the heart: we are to love the LORD God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our might.  May God approve us like He did King David whose heart was wholly devoted to the LORD.

Today Pastor Choi concludes his sermon series on the prayers that Lord Jesus has actually said.  He focuses on the last word of the last sayings of Jesus: Father, into Your hands, I commit my spirit (Luke 23:46).

Pastor Choi talks about Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane the night before crucifixion.  He prayed on His knees, for God’s will to be done not His, and commanded His disciples to keep watch so as not to fall into temptation.

Today Pastor Choi continues his series on the Lord’s Prayers. He points out that Christ’s prayers were relational, personal, and grateful (full of gratitude).

Today Pastor Choi talks about three characteristics of Jesus’ prayer: intentional, habitual, and alone with God.  The sermon exhorts the congregation to cultivate the habit of spending time alone with God in prayer throughout the year.

Pastor Choi invites the congregation to examine the biblical accounts on the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  “Where has the body of Jesus gone?”  Two theories: one by the Christian community that He is risen indeed.  The other theory by the chief priests and the elders that the disciples of Jesus stole away the body of Jesus, that’s why the tomb was empty.

Which theory do you believe?  The sermon urges the congregation to make up their minds.

Today we celebrated Sunday School Sunday.  All the Sunday School children and teachers participated in the worship services.  Pauline McShea the teacher preached a message on how we started our faith journey and where we are going.

Today Pastor Choi continues his sermon series on ‘heart’—part 2 of 3: how to take care of your heart.  After a brief recap of the last Sunday’s message, he points out three excellent ways to watch over the heart: 1. Screen out all negative and destructive thoughts.  2. Store up good and godly thoughts beginning with God’s Word—the Word of Life.  3. Stay on whatever is noble and honorable.  By doing so, we will have the life God intends us to have.

How to Take Care of Your Heart

Following is a summary of the sermon:

Watch Over Your Heart

Proverbs 4:23   New American Standard Bible

Watch over your heart with all diligence,
For from it flow the springs of life.

Introduction

This morning I will continue my sermon series on heart- part 2 of 3: how to take care of our heart.

Recap of the Last Week’s Sermon

1. Remember that the heart is the innermost seat of emotion, will, thoughts, and appetites.   It is an open bowl where all the thoughts freely come and go.  Three parties have access to your heart: you, God, and the devil.  It is also a battleground where God and the devil vie for your worship, affection, and devotion.
2. Remember that you’re the sole caretaker of your heart.  You are the guardian appointed by God and your heart is a ward under your protection.  Your job is simple yet very important: to keep your heart safe and secure.
3. I am sure every one of us wants to take good care of our hearts.   A healthy and strong heart begins with our desire to provide excellent care to the heart.  Unless we want to take care of our hearts, no one will.  Even God cannot help us on that.  Why?  Because God never overrides our free will.   Without our desire or invitation, God won’t be able to help us much.  The neglected heart becomes confused, unruly, and eventually we suffer the consequences thereof, that is, evil things march out and defile us (Mark 7:21-23).

Contents

Today’s verse expounded:

The first half of today’s verse reads: “Watch over your heart with all diligence.”  The literal translation of the original Hebrew is:  Above all guarding, guard your heart.

Definition of “to guard”: “to protect property, places, or people from attack or danger” (Oxford Dictionary).   We all protect something or some people from attack or danger.  A question: what do you guard?  Life, health, wealth, house, bank accounts, investment portfolios, family, jobs, image, identity, and so forth.  One thing is for sure: none of us guard anything worthless.  We only guard something precious, valuable, and essential.  So, out of all things worthy of our guarding, which one does God command us to guard most?  The heart.   Our heart is the number one priority to protect.  Guard it fiercely.

Why the heart?

The second sentence of today’s text reveals the reason why we must guard our heart above all things.  Once again the English translation reads: For from it (heart) flow the springs of life.   The literal translation of the same sentence is this: For from it come out the sources of life.  All things of life stem from your heart.

Let me elaborate a little more on ‘life’ here.  The life here means more than just daily survival.  It is the life meaningful.  It is the life fulfilling.  It’s the life of contentment.  It’s the life God intends us to enjoy.  In fact, Jesus wants us to have that life—and have it abundantly (John 10:10).  It’s the life that consists of “earthly felicity combined with spiritual blessedness” (The New Brown-Driver-Briggs-Cesenius Hebrew-English Lexicon, p. 313).  To ‘life’ here, the Septuagint (LXX) Bible renders a unique Greek word ‘zoe’ instead of ‘bios.’  In other words, things that matter most in life originate from our heart.  The essential elements of the blessed life come out of our heart.   And, whatever comes out of our heart even determines our final destination.   That’s how crucial our heart is in life.  So, if you want to live a life satisfactory and meaningful, and if you want to live a life with purpose and destination, and if you want to secure your life eternal,  then learn to take good care of your heart.

Once again, understand your identity: You are the watchman.  You are the guardian of your heart.  Your job is to keep your heart pure, innocent, and blameless in the sight of God until Christ comes (Philippians 1:10).  So, based on these understandings, I am going to introduce three ways to take a good care of your heart.  Let’s not forget.  The entire well-being of your heart and the quality of your life are determined by your desire, discipline, and diligence.

Three things we can do for our hearts: Screen out, Store up, and Stay on.

Screen out.  You are on guard duty for life on behalf of your heart: to prevent the enemy infiltration.  E.g.  The army uses the daily password.  Whoever says the correct password may pass, whoever doesn’t, the guard can shoot.  Same goes with our guard duty for the heart.  For any thought trying to enter the heart, ask the password which is always the same: are you in line with God’s will?  If so, enter. If not, stop.  Never allow anything bad to enter your heart: only good things.

God commands us to take captive every thought and bring it to Christ.  Listen: “… we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5, NASB).  We must learn to screen out thoughts and feelings especially those that are negative and destructive.  Some of us are in the habit of following whatever our heart says.  Follow your heart, they say.  However, beware: the same heart can deceive us.  In Jeremiah 17:9, God says, “The heart is deceitful above all things…”  I would rather let God’s Word guide me not my own feelings.  E.g. 1.  “I cannot forgive my brother.”— Remember the Lord’s Prayer.  E.g. 2.  A young couple wants a divorce due to no more feelings of love to each other.—Marriage is a commitment.  Let no one separate what God has joined (Matthew 19:6).  E.g. 3.  Depressive / Suicidal thoughts.  Check out the source of every destructive thought.  Satan can prompt such a thought in your heart (John 13:2).   Give no opportunity to the devil (Ephesians 4:27).  Bring every thought and feeling under the control of Christ.  Filter it.  Test it against God’s Word.  E.g. Practice the screening on TV and movies you watch.  Pray before you watch.  Place guards on your eye-gate and ear-gate.   Stay disciplined on it.  Payoff will be huge.

Store up.  There are many good things we can store up in our hearts; good memories, good music, good stories, good images, good thoughts, and so forth.  But, first and foremost, begin with God’s Word the Good Book.  Why?  Because it is the Word of life (1 John 1:1).  It gives you peace.  It restores your health (Proverbs 4:22).  It is essential for your eternal life, too.  Do you love God?  Then, you will love and cherish His Word.  It would be an oxymoron if you say, “I love God, yet I never open the Bible.”  It would be equally contradictory if you say, “I care for my soul, yet I never read the Bible.”  Why? Because God’s Word is the food for your soul, and if you don’t feed your soul with God’s Word, your soul will starve to death.  Never believe in the devil’s lie that the Bible is too difficult to understand.  He does everything to keep you from getting into God’s Word for your salvation.  You need God’s Word for your eternal life.  You need God’s Word to protect your heart (Matthew 15:19).  Listen to the Psalmist:  ⁹ How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word. ¹¹ Your word I have treasured in my heart that I may not sin against You (Psalm 119:9, 11, NASB).

Stay on good and godly thoughts: ⁸ Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things (Philippians 4:8, NASB).  Whatever comes into our hearts, it stays in our hearts and it is extremely hard to remove it.  That’s why we need to make every effort to put godly things in our hearts in the first place as a daily positive reinforcement.  Then, we keep on dwelling on such things all the time.  Chew on them, sit on them, and meditate on them daily.  You will have a blessed life.

Conclusion  

Above all guarding, guard your heart: screen out all bad thoughts.  Next, store up God’s word diligently; fill up your heart with whatever is honorable and noble.  Finally, stay on them daily.  Then, you will enjoy the life abundantly in Christ.   Amen.

Today Pastor Choi talks about the human heart.  Pointing out that the human heart is a battle-ground between God and the devil who vie for our worship, devotion, and affection, Pastor Choi exhorts the people of God to take good care of their hearts by asking for God’s help.

What Is Heart

Following is a summary of the sermon:

What is the Heart? 

Jeremiah 17:9   New American Standard Bible

“The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; Who can understand it?

Introduction

Recently, after 25 years in ministry, I wanted to have a deeper understanding on one subject: the heart.  Not that I wanted to be a cardiologist or a psychologist.  It seems to me that everything in our life (both good and bad) stems from the heart such as kindness, love, greed, and even hate.  Heart matters in every relationship with God and with people.  So, this is how I reasoned myself: the better understanding of the heart, the better understanding of myself and others, and the better relationships with God and with each other.   So I started my study on the heart.

It still has a long way to go before I can even say that I understand the human heart.  This morning, you are about to hear my preliminary study on the subject.  In fact, I am going to do a three-part series in the next three Sundays.  I hope and pray that the series will lead us to a better understanding, better care of our hearts, and better relationships.   Here’s part 1 of 3: what is the heart?

Contents

Definition of the Heart

Let me begin with what I mean by the heart.  There are three definitions of the heart: medical, poetic/artistic, and scriptural.

• Medical: a hollow muscular organ that pumps the blood through the circulatory system by rhythmic contraction and dilation (Oxford Dictionary)
• Poetic/Artistic: the center of the total personality, especially with reference to intuition, feeling, or emotion (Dictionary.com)
• Scriptural: the innermost seat of emotion, mind, will, conscience, and appetites.

This morning I am going to strictly focus on the scriptural sense of heart: the heart as the innermost seat of emotion, thoughts, will, and appetites.  Our western mindset is tuned to the separation of heart and mind (or heart and head) due to the Platonic distinction. Please note here that I make no distinction between heart/emotion and mind/intellect, because the Scriptures don’t make a clear-cut distinction between emotion and intellect.   In fact, the Ancient Hebrews believed that all the characteristics of modern-day “heart and mind” were interconnected and originated from one entity, not two, and they called them “heart.” So, will I.  When I say “the heart,” it covers both the mind and emotions.

Three Kinds of Heart

The Bible talks about three kinds of heart.

• The Heart of God (Genesis 6:5, Jeremiah 32:41, Ezekiel 28:2)
• The Heart of Man (Jeremiah 7:19)
• The Heart of Beasts (Daniel 5:21)

The Heart of God

I am so thankful that God too has the heart.   God’s heart deserves a full sermon for another time.  This is how much I will tell you, though.  Out of His heart, God created the heavens and the earth (intellect).  Out of His heart, He has chosen us to be His children (will).  Out of His heart, He loves us unconditionally (emotion).  To Him each soul is equally valuable, sinners and saints alike (e.g. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous—Matthew 5:45).  He never gives up on anyone unless they reject Him first.  In fact, His loving kindness, generosity, and mercy endure forever!   They blow us away!  All out of His loving heart!  Isn’t it wonderful that we worship and belong to such a God with a loving heart?

The Heart of Man

When God created Adam and Eve in His image and likeness, He has given them the heart that shared the characteristics of God’s heart; pure and innocent, loving, kind, creative, and no sign or touch of evil at all.  However, when they disobeyed God, sin came in and that changed everything.

In fact, sin corrupted the human heart to the core and forever.  For instance, during Noah’s time, God was deeply grieved with the constant evil thoughts of humans to the point where He regretted that He had created humans.  He wanted a new start.  So, through the Great Flood, He wiped humanity off from the surface of the earth except for Noah’s eight.  However, Noah’s eight still had the old heart—still depraved as before.  Thousands of years later, God described the condition of the human heart to prophet Jeremiah as follows:  the heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; Who can understand it? (Jeremiah 17:9).

Almost three millennia passed since prophet Jeremiah; in the 21^st century, our heart still is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick.  Wouldn’t you agree?

The Heart of Beasts

The reference on the heart of beasts is also found in the Bible; only once.  The heart of beasts demonstrates basic instincts of survival: no reason, no ability to create, no conscience, or no reverence of life.  It only knows daily survival among prey and predators.   One man actually experienced and had it for seven years (Daniel 4:32).   E.g.

²¹ He [King Nebuchadnezzar] was also driven away from mankind, and his heart was made like that of beasts, and his dwelling place was with the wild donkeys. He was given grass to eat like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until he recognized that the Most High God is ruler over the realm of mankind and that He sets over it whomever He wishes (Daniel 5:21).

Once again, my focus will be on the human heart.

What’s Happening in the Heart?   

• You can forget all the rest of my sermon this morning.  However, please remember this: Your heart is a battle ground between God and the enemy of God (that is, the devil) who vie for your worship, devotion, and affection.   For instance,

–     God sows the Word of God in the heart (Luke 8:11).

–     The devil snatches away the Word sown in the heart (Luke 8:12).

• Remember: Your heart is like an open bowl and both God and the devil have access to it.  In fact, three parties have access to your heart: self, God, and the devil.  All of them can throw in and take out any thoughts out of your heart.   Let’s think about this a little more, beginning with “self.”

What Each Party Can Do to Our Heart

1. Self: we can initiate/retain/remove any thoughts, wishes, and plans in our hearts either good or bad.  Here are some examples of what we can do with our hearts.

–     We can humble ourselves and incline our hearts to God.

–     We can watch over our hearts with all diligence (Proverbs 4:23).

–     We can also neglect the care of our heart and let it be defiled:  See what happens to the heart that is neglected, that is not properly cared after or not protected from the devil.  Listen to Jesus in Mark 7.

–     From within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deed of coveting and wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness.  All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man (Mark 7:21-23).

1. The devil: too many a Christian have a very naïve understanding of the devil: some of us think he is not real; others believe that it is just a personification of evil.  Others depict him as the guy holding a pitch-fork with two horns on his head and a tail.  Or, a cute little guy sitting on our shoulder whispering to us.  No, he is much more a cunning creature than those images.  He has only one goal: to steal, kill, and destroy your soul into hell (John 10:10).  In order to achieve his goal, he diligently works, first and foremost, on your heart.  He enslaves your heart through temptation, fear, deception, and confusion.  He snatches anything good and godly away from your heart especially God’s Word sown in your heart (Luke 8:12) [e.g. distractions during sermon].  Then, he fills up your heart with evil/unclean/negative/destructive thoughts that you often take as yours.  E.g. Judas Iscariot (John 13:2).
2. God: He is the expert in the human heart and He is most interested in your heart and mine.  Our hearts are His business.  In fact, He cares about our heart more than any one of us ever would.  How much does He know about our heart?  Everything.   Through and through.  Remember: He is the designer and creator of the heart.  He is the divine heart surgeon.  He can make our sick hearts healthy again.  In fact, the Bible lists 32 things that God can do/does with our heart.  For instance, He searches the heart, weighs, examines, tests, strengthens, revives, renews, changes, and sets the heart free, to name a few.  However, one thing He will never do to our hearts: control.  He leaves the full reign of the heart to us to the point where we can abuse such freedom to even curse the Creator.  Such a freedom is the sure sign of love.

The good news is this: God can help us to remove evil/unclean/destructive/negative thoughts.  He also can fill our hearts with good/godly thoughts.  He can purify and strengthen our hearts as well.  All of these would He do only upon our invitation and requests.  Without our desire to keep our hearts pure and clean, and without our invitation, God wouldn’t do it.   We must ask for His help from the heart.

Conclusion

We all have a job to do: to take good care of our heart.  Where do we start?  Ask God for His help today.  God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit will help you.   Next week, we will think about some practical ways to take care of our heart.  Let us pray.

Today Pastor Choi designates 2016 to be the Year of Prayer.  Beginning with the definition of prayer, he covers basic characteristics of prayer. He exhorts the people of God to call unto God throughout the year so that they may undeniably experience the living God who answers their prayers.

    2016-the Year of Prayer   

The following is a summary of the sermon:

2016: the Year of Prayer     

Jeremiah 33:3   New American Standard Bible (NASB)

‘Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’                       

Introduction

The top ten most googled New Year’s Resolutions in 2015: the top ten most searched “how-to” questions in the U.S. during the week before and the week after New Year’s Day 2015:

1. how to get rid of stress

2. how to make kale chips

3. how much water should I drink to lose weight

4. how to write a resignation letter

5. how to cook lentils

6. how to cook cabbage

7. how to write a letter of recommendation

8. how to cook collard greens

9. how to steam broccoli

10. how to crochet a beanie  (Olivia B. Waxman, Here Are the Most Googled New Year’s Resolutions –http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/here-are-the-most-googled-new-year%e2%80%99s-resolutions/ar-BBo3D9a?ocid=spartanntp)

Well, one thing is for sure: people want to get rid of stress.  Let me tell you the best answer to that quest: prayer.   Let’s think about prayer this morning.

Contents

I don’t exactly remember how my prayer life has started.  Neither can I recall when I first started praying to the Heavenly Father or who taught me to pray.  I never took a course on prayer such as “Prayer 101: Introduction to Prayer,” either.  Yet, sometime in high school, I started praying to God.   

Prayer is the breathing of our soul. 

Let me define what prayer is before I go further.   

Oxford Dictionary defines prayer as follows: a solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God or an object of worship.   

Here’s my own definition: prayer is a series of thoughts or words, either spoken or unspoken, directed to God on behalf of others or for self.   

Another definition: prayer is the breathing of our soul to God.    

Whatever definition you follow, one thing is for sure:  prayer is an activity of our soul.  Prayer is to our soul as breathing to our body.  Without it, our soul perishes.  With it, our soul thrives. 

We learn to pray by doing it, not by studying about it.  

If someone asks you what breathing is, you may explain that it is ‘the process of taking air into and expelling it from the lungs’ (Oxford Dictionary).  But, anyone can breathe in and out with no understanding on the lungs; where they are located in our body and what they do, right?  In fact, we naturally breathe in and out; we never stop breathing until we die.  Same thing goes with our prayer.  When we first confess that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Lord, our spirit becomes alive and our soul begins to breathe, that is, pray.  From that day on, our new born soul is to pray to God without ceasing. 

You don’t need a sermon or training to start praying.  You just pray like a new born baby breathes from the moment of birth without training.  You learn as you go. 

Prayer works. 

Some of us are skeptical about prayer when it comes down to actual praying.  However, don’t say that prayer doesn’t work until you try it.  E.g. When I first started praying, I was not 100% sure about the effectiveness of prayer.  In fact, I wondered about the practicality of prayer: whether it works or not; and if so, how exactly God answers prayers.  So, one year in college, I decided to experiment on prayer.  I started a prayer journal where I recorded all my prayer requests: the date I started praying, the contents of prayer, the date it was answered, and how it was answered.  I kept journaling for the next six months.  At the end of the sixth month, I found 96 entries in the journal.  To my great surprise, I found every single one of them answered in one of the following ways: YES (majority). NO (some).  WAIT (a few).  That’s how I discovered that prayer is real, not just a psychological hypnosis to comfort myself (note: prayer is not eastern style of meditation, either).  

Fasting is a prayer that works ‘fast.’ 

Some of you heard about fasting.  What is fasting?  It is more than skipping meals.  Fasting is an intense prayer.  It is a prayer that works ‘fast.’  There came the time when I did some serious prayers with fasting, especially during my major crises in life.  Pouring my soul in anguish, I would cry out onto the Lord to deliver me from my troubles.  The Almighty God surely listened and answered my humble pleas in the ways beyond my imagination.  Praise God!  If you haven’t tried fasting, try it.  It works really well and fast. 

God speaks to us in the ways that we understand. 

I must point out that prayer is a two way communication: we speak to God and God speaks to us.  Most of us consider prayer, however, as one way street: we are good at telling God our shopping list but poor at listening to God.   

So, how do we listen to God?   God uses many different ways to speak to us: to some, through visions and dreams.  To others, through audible voices of angels.  To more others, through the open doors and closed doors.   And, through the Scripture passages, too.  No matter which way God communicates with us, let us not forget: He speaks to us in the ways that we can clearly understand (this one requires some training.  I will talk about this later; how to discern His voice).   

One of the ways that God speaks to me in prayer is reasoning: through questions He leads me to come to my own conclusion.  Whenever He does that, I find Him very gentle and kind, patiently listening to my worries and frustrations.  Then, He leads me through reasoning to His assurance that eventually takes away my worries.    

The result of Prayer: peace and assurance 

After prayer, we come out of God’s Throne Room with the assurance that He is in control, faithful, and alive in our lives.  He is not the God who stays aloof from our daily challenges and struggles.  Rather, He is deeply involved in our daily affairs.  No wonder our God is Immanuel (‘with-us-God’).  E.g. Philippians 4:6-7:  Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.   

Conclusion 

As your pastor, I designate this year “the year of prayer.”  Let’s call it: the year of P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Something Happens).  

This year I urge all of us to get on our knees to fulfill God’s will for us.  

This year let us refuse to sit in the darkness or despair.

This year let us not stop praying until we see God’s promises fulfilled.

This year let us not stop praying until we undeniably experience the Living God. 

This year let us press on and cry unto the Lord to see how He answers us. 

This year let us claim the abundant life that Christ has promised to us.  

This year let us offer our thanks to God for all the answers to our prayers.  

This year let us praise His name among us. 

This year let us declare to everyone that God is alive. 

This year let us walk with God in prayer who leads us in victory.     

Let us pray.

Today Pastor Choi takes a moment to reflect on the goal of 2015 for Manahawkin Congregation: the Year of Knowing Jesus.  Out of many lessons he learned through the year, he shares the following three: first, love the Lord with a pure heart.  Next, do everything for the glory of God and His pleasure (I Corinthians 10:31).  Thirdly, brighten the corner where you are.

     Reflections on 2015

Following is a summary of the sermon:

Reflections on 2015

Today we have the cantata, so my message will be brief.

First of all, as pastor of this congregation, I would like to thank God for His faithfulness.  He has blessed us to finish this year strong, therefore, let us praise our Heavenly Father who sustained us both physically and spiritually.  I also thank all of you for loving the Lord and being faithful to His ministry through your presence, gifts, and talents.

I’d like to take a moment to reflect on our goal of 2015—“the year of knowing Jesus.”  I hope and pray that all of us have made progress in our faith and practice.

Personally, this year was one of the most productive years in terms of growing spiritually.  I have discovered Jesus in new and refreshing ways that, in turn, energized my walk with the Lord.

I’ve made over 30 discoveries throughout the year in knowing Jesus and they can be squeezed down to the following three:

First, love the Lord with a pure heart.  The Lord taught me to check on my motive why I wanted to know Jesus on a deeper level in the first place: it is never for selfish gains such as ‘doing great wonders and miracles’ or ‘making our church ten times bigger than it is now.’  Rather, He wants me to know, enjoy, and love Him with a pure motive for the sake of relationship not for the benefits thereof.  E.g. In any healthy and thriving relationship, no one looks for what’s in it for them first; rather, they love each other first, and enjoy the benefits thereafter.

Next, do everything for God’s glory and His pleasure (1 Corinthians 10:31).  Often times, I find myself keeping God’s commands for fear factors such as ‘to avoid the consequences of sins’ or ‘not to fall into temptations.’  The Lord wants me to change that attitude: keep His word, not because I’m afraid if I don’t, but because I love Him.  E.g. English sentence: I don’t have to, but I love to.  From now on, I will keep His Word not because I have to, but because I love Jesus (John 14:23).  Jesus also reminds me of this: whenever I keep His Word, it pleases Him.  E.g. Eric Liddell “God made me fast.  And when I run, I feel His pleasure.”  Let us do everything, from reading the Bible to prayer, from worship to our words, for His pleasure.  When He is pleased, it makes us pleased in turn.

Thirdly, brighten the corner where you are.  I realize more and more that the Lord doesn’t expect me to save the entire world (it is the job for Jesus).  Rather, He expects me to brighten the corner where I am and to blossom where I am planted.   E.g. A young man in 1930s wanted to liberate Korea from Japanese occupation by joining the armed resistance.  His mentor’s advice was to stay home instead and brighten the corner where he was.  What matters most in the sight of the Lord is: not how many great achievements we make but how much we love people around us with Christ-like love.  “Fervently love one another from the heart” (1 Peter 1:22, NASB).

2015 is almost over.  However, knowing Jesus doesn’t stop on December 31.  It is an ongoing process for us.  Let us keep growing in His love, knowledge, insight so that we may test and know what matters most and stay pure and blameless until Christ comes (Philippians 1:9-11).    Amen.

Today Pastor Choi talks about true joy and where we can find it: in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Sharing stories of three believers in Christ who found true joy in the Lord, he exhorts the believers to do the same by fixing their eyes on Jesus the true source of joy and light in the world.

    Rejoice

Following is a summary of the sermon:

Rejoice 

Philippians 4:4   New American Standard Bible (NASB)

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!

Introduction

Have you been in the mall lately shopping?  Have you ever closely observed people’s faces?   Were they all happy, beaming, or joyous?  Or, rather, empty, tired, and even grumpy?  I’ve seen more weary faces than merry ones in this season of joy.

During this season of Christmas, we hear and speak a lot about joy: Christmas joy, joy to the world, and so forth.  One question arises in my mind: where’s the joy in this season of joy?  What has gone wrong in our celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ?  Although joy should’ve been the central theme of the season, some of us find burden in our hearts instead.  Some folks even suffer from ‘holiday blues.’  Sure, we can find fault with commercialism for the loss of our joy.  Yes, we can also blame our kids for their unreasonable requests of very expensive toys.  Yet, seriously, what happened to our joy?   How can we find true joy and where should we look for it?  That’s the topic this morning.

Contents

Where can we find joy?  Would you believe if I said that you can find joy in the midst of cancer treatments?  Would you say amen if I said that you can find joy even in a prison cell?  Would you agree if I said that you can find joy even in your disabilities?

I am going to tell you stories of three individuals who found their joys in the midst of hardships.  After their stories, I will briefly speak about the common thread that binds them together.

First, please come and meet a sister in Christ.  I will leave her unnamed.  I will simply say she was one of my parishioners some years ago in Michigan.  She was very ill at that time, because she had cancer and had been through a series of chemotherapy.  As a result, she lost all her hair and no physical strength was left in her body.  Believe me: none of us wants to be in such a state.  One day I met with her to pray for her healing and strength.  Humanly speaking, she had nothing to be joyful about.  However, that day, on her face I saw something priceless and heavenly: a smile.  In fact, I haven’t seen such a beautiful smile on anyone’s face in my life.  It left such an indelible impression on my mind that I wondered where this kind of smile / joy came from.  You simply cannot buy such a smile with money for sure.  Her smile definitely didn’t come from her circumstances, either.  Yet, I witnessed it.

Next, come and meet a brother in Christ who found a similar joy in a place where we would least expect to find it: in prison.  His name is Paul a.k.a. the Apostle.  In today’s passage, he says to us, “Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I will say rejoice!”

Now, please consider the circumstances in which he wrote his letter.  He wasn’t vacationing in Hawaii basking in the sun.  Rather, he was sitting in a dark and damp dungeon in Rome.  He was a prisoner for Christ.  Mind you that he was not enjoying benefits of modern prison such as TV, internet, library, three square meals, medical benefits, exercise room, and so forth.  As far as his sentence was concerned, he had no hope of release.  Why?  Because he was on death row.  He was waiting for his last day on earth.  Yet, writing this letter with his own hands to the believers in Philippi, he commanded them twice to rejoice in the Lord.  How can a person on death row encourage the people outside to rejoice always?

Have you ever visited with a man who was terminally ill?   You go there to comfort him.  Yet, instead of comforting, you come out being comforted by him.  The same thing was true with Paul and the Philippian believers.  Humanly speaking, Paul was the one who needed to be comforted big time by the believers outside, because he was in prison with no hope of clemency, waiting to be executed.  The saints in Philippi, on the other hand, were the ones who were free and able to do whatever they wanted to do.  Furthermore, they had lots of blessings to be grateful for such as family, food, clothing, and shelter.  As far as material possessions, Paul had nothing to share with others.  Yet, the one with nothing actually did comfort those with much.   ‘Rejoice and again I say rejoice,’ the same prisoner urges us this morning.

Here’s the third story to ponder.  Feel free to guess who this lady is.  She was born in 1820 and died in 1915.  She became blind when she was six weeks old through an improper medical treatment.  She was married to a blind musician and had a child who died in early infancy.  She was rather petite in appearance; less than five feet tall and weighed less than one hundred pounds.  To some, she was physically unattractive —“a long face, prominent front teeth with a gap between them; thick, wavy hair parted in the middle and pulled backward in curls that hung to the shoulders”; she also wore the dark rectangular glasses obscuring her sightless eyes.  “Yet, when she spoke, it is said that there was an unusual charisma about her, as her face lit up with an expression that gave her great charm and attractiveness” (Kenneth W. Osbeck, 101 More Hymn Stories, pp. 239-240).

You need more hints?  She wrote lots of poems for the Lord, and, in fact, we know well a number of hymns she wrote: “Blessed Assurance,” “All the Way My Savior Leads Me,” “Rescue the Perishing,” and etc.  Got the idea now?  Yes, her name was Fanny J. Crosby.

By the way, folks, do you know that she had a true conversion experience at a Methodist revival meeting, and said about her conversion experience as follows? “The Lord planted a star in my life and no cloud had ever obscured its light” (Ibid., p. 240).

Now, speaking about the light, Jesus says He is the light of the world (John 8:12).  As long as He is in you, no cloud in your life will ever obscure His light, and you will walk in the light.  Jesus is also the source of our joy and delight.  Can you imagine a person like Fanny J. Crosby, who was blind, did one of the most wonderful ministries in history?  What did she do?  She led numerous souls to Christ through her songs.  Although she could’ve pitied herself for her handicap through her entire life, she was never imprisoned by self-pity.  Rather, she stayed very active for the Kingdom of God for years.  Who made all the difference in her life?  Wasn’t it Jesus Christ the Light and the Joy of the world?  She lived for 95 years on earth and now is with the Lord.  What do you think she would say to us, if she became alive at this moment among us?  Wouldn’t she say the same thing she did through many words of hymns she wrote?  That is, the best blessing anyone can have is Jesus Christ–Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine.

True joy is found in the Lord:

I promised at the beginning that I would briefly share with you one thing that is in common among these three individuals.  They were all Christians.  They all had the same faith in Jesus.  Their circumstances were different, yet they all found the same joy in the Lord—the source of true joy in our lives.  Let me say it one more time: True joy is only found in the Lord.  It doesn’t come from anything material.  That is, you still may have emptiness even when you are surrounded with a plethora of things.   However, you can have true joy without spending a dime, too, as long as you are in the Lord.  True joy also transcends circumstances.  That’s why I would call it true joy.  It doesn’t depend on circumstances.  Prosperities don’t guarantee it.   It doesn’t disappear in adversities, either.   It is unshakable.  It is immovable, because it comes from eternal God.  Circumstances may change, but God never does.  Therefore, let us learn to refuse to fall into your mood swings that go with the circumstances.   Rather let us tell God that we will put our 100% trust in Him no matter what.   E.g. Fanny J. Crosby story again.   “At the age of eight years she wrote her first poem:

Oh what a happy soul am I!
Although I cannot see,
I am resolved that in this world
Contented I will be.

How many blessings I enjoy
That other people don’t;
To weep and sigh because I’m blind
I cannot nor I won’t.” (http://www.truthfulwords.org/biography/crosbytw.html)

Conclusion

Do you remember what happened on the first Christmas Eve in the region of Bethlehem (Luke 2:8-12)?  That night the heavenly angels appeared before the shepherds out in the field and proclaimed the good news of a great joy for all the people in the world.  Since then, Jesus Christ has been the true joy to many.  He may be the greatest joy for the world, but He can’t be yours, unless you too have Him in your heart as your Savior and Lord.

Do you miss joy in your life?  Does your soul cry for help?  Have Jesus Christ right now in your heart.   Have Him as your personal Savior and Lord today.  Ask Him to come into your heart and be the King in your life.  Then, your heart will be filled with heavenly joy.  You can have this joy all the time as long as Christ reigns in you.  Fix your eyes on Jesus, because He is the only one who can give you true joy.  Ask Him, and He will give it to you.    Shall we pray?

“Say after me, if you would like to have true joy in your life.  Lord Jesus, I repent my sins.  Forgive my sins through your precious blood.  Please come into my heart and be my Lord and Savior.  Be my true joy for the rest of my life.  In Christ’s name, I pray.  Amen.”

Today Pastor Choi talks about Christ’s second coming in three aspects: A. Why He comes again?  B. How will He come again? C. When is it going to be?  In conclusion, he reminds and exhorts the congregation that they must be on the alert in prayer while they await their Savior.

      Watch

Following is a summary of the sermon:

Watch!

Mark 13:32-37    New American Standard Bible (NASB)

³² But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.

³³ “Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come. ³⁴ It is like a man away on a journey, who upon leaving his house and putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay on the alert. ³⁵ Therefore, be on the alert—for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— ³⁶ in case he should come suddenly and find you asleep. ³⁷ What I say to you I say to all, ‘Be on the alert!’”

Introduction

According to the Church calendar, today is the first Sunday of Advent.  Advent consists of four Sundays before Christmas Day.  During this Advent season, we remember the spirit of Christmas from awaiting the promised Messiah to witnessing His actual coming as our Savior and Lord.

In the past, God communicated with His people through many means such as nature and people, dreams and visions, signs and wonders.  Today He mostly communicates with His people through the Bible (because the Bible is freely available—the best-selling book in history).  However, when the Scripture was not available, for instance, in the Old Testament times, the primary way of communication was prophets.  For hundreds of years God has spoken to His people through prophets (Hebrews 1:1).  Through the prophets He promised to Israel that He would send them the Messiah who would restore God’s reign on earth.  That promise had been fulfilled 2,000 years ago in Bethlehem.  God sent His Son to humanity.  In fact, that’s what Christmas is all about.  Jesus Christ was born with a mission: to save His people from their sins.  Let me assure you again the very reason for Jesus’ first coming: (as His name says the Lord saves) He came to save humanity from sin and to give them eternal life.

Now, our Lord Jesus Christ lived on earth for 33 years.  Especially, the last three years of His earthly life, He did many miracles, healed the sick, preached the good news, and taught the Word of God.  At the cross He completed the work of salvation: His body was broken so that we may be healed.  His blood was shed so that the wages of our sins may be paid.   The best part is this:  He arose from the dead in order to show us that death is not final.  We do have hope of eternal life.

After His physical resurrection, for the next forty days, the risen Christ repeatedly appeared to His disciples and performed many more miracles.  Eventually, He ascended into Heaven to be seated at the right hand of God.  As He was ascending to Heaven, He promised His disciples saying, “I will come again.”

Since His ascension, 2,000 years have passed.  We Christians still await the fulfillment of His promise.   We are still waiting for His second coming.  In the New Testament Jesus in His own words had already told us about His coming (Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21).  So, it would be foolish of us if we fail to take heed to what He said about His own second coming.  That’s our topic this morning.

Contents

One day Christ’s disciples asked Him about His second coming (Mark 13:4).  Today’s passage is part of His answer to them.  If Jesus were here today in our midst, and if we asked Him the same question (that is, when He is coming to us and what signs we should look for), I doubt that He will change His original answer.  He would give us the same answer and say to us, “I already have given you.  Read My Book—-Mark 13.”   Based on that chapter, I am going to explain to you three parts of His promise of coming:  A. Why He comes again?  B. How will He come again? C. When is it going to be?

A. Why will He come again?  (Hebrews 9:28)

One thing I know about His second coming is this: He will come to judge the world.  It is going to be different from the first time.  When He came first time, it was for salvation for all.  But this time it’s going to be for judgment.  The Bible says He will come to judge the ungodly.  Listen to 2 Peter 3:7:  But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. 

Christ will come again for the judgment of the world, not for its redemption.  It is not going to be pretty for those who refuse to obey God.  It is going to be miserable for those who are ungodly.   We don’t have to be afraid of His coming, though, because it is going to be our salvation and deliverance (Luke 21:28).  It is going to be our glorious day to meet the Lord in the air.  Listen again to Hebrews 9:28: so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.  Folks, His coming is great news for us!  Rejoice!   Let’s share this great news with others so that they too can be included in salvation not in judgment, Amen?

B. How will He come again?  (Acts 1:11, Matthew 24:26-27, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)

In what manner He will come, first, Jesus said that He will come in the same way as He was taken to Heaven (Acts 1:11).  In other words, as the disciples of Jesus witnessed with their own eyes Him taken up into Heaven, we too will be able to see Him come down with our own eyes.  Furthermore, when He comes, everyone on earth, with no exception, will be able to see Him simultaneously.  It won’t be like: we Americans see Him, but folks in Australia won’t.  Rather, everyone in the world, from America to China, from Antarctica to Greenland, even people in North Korea will be able to see Him at the same time.  How do I know?  The Word of God says so.  Listen to Matthew 24:26-27: So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. ²⁷ For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.

Next, He will come in clouds with great power and glory (Mark 13:26).  He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven (Mark 13:27).  He will come in the clouds with the trumpet sound.  No one will miss His coming.  It’s going to be loud and clear to all ears.  Listen to 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17: For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.  [play Handel’s Messiah: The trumpet shall sound].

C. When will He come again? (Mark 13:32)

We must know that His coming is the appointed time (Kairos) (v. 33).  It is firmly written in God’s schedule book.  He has every intention to keep it.  Therefore, Christ’s second coming is not a matter of “if” it happens, but “when” it happens.

As far as the exact time of His coming is concerned, no matter how curious you are, don’t waste your time in speculating, because no one knows the day or hour, neither the angels in Heaven, nor Jesus; only the Father knows (Mark 13:32).  In the past 2-3 years, many God’s servants say that we are getting close to His coming.  Don’t blindly believe what they say.  Rather, check yourself with what’s going on in today’s world.  Collect all the news yourself and compare them to the words Jesus has spoken in Mark 13, Matthew 24, and Luke 21.   Here are some of the signs of the end times that I checked myself in recent months: wars, rumors of wars, nation against nation, earthquakes, famine, darkening of the Moon, persecution against Christians, and false prophets.  Consider also other signs in our society.  Paul the Apostle prophesied about them well in 2 Timothy 3:1-5: But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. ² For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³ unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, ⁴ treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, ⁵ holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power.

In terms of what we must do while we await His coming, the Lord Jesus commands us not to panic (Mark 13:7), or be deceived (Mark 13:5, 21), nor worry (Mark 13:11).  The first and foremost of Christ’s command for us is to be on the alert [γρηγορειτε]—four times in today’s text (v. 33, 34, 35, 37).  ‘Watch’ in KJV.  By the way, how did the disciples of Jesus understand the word ‘watch’?  Here’s how they understood:  watch means to ‘remain awake’—Oxford Dictionary— ‘for a period of time.’  It is also used in the context of ‘pray.’  So, ‘to be on the alert’ means ‘to watch and pray.’  And, ‘to watch and pray’ means ‘to stay spiritually awake and keep on praying.’

Why do we need to stay awake and pray?  Because, we don’t know the day or the hour of His coming.  He will come like a thief at night (1 Thessalonians 5:2).  Since we don’t know the time of His coming, we relax our attitude and our expectation of His coming.  Consequently, our hearts will get dull to the signs of the times so that we live out our lives as business as usual.  Our hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness, and the worries of life.  Another translation (the Message Bible) puts this way—Don’t let the sharp edge of your expectation get dulled by parties and drinking and shopping. We must watch lest we live a life of dissipation, our hearts be drunk with the worldly pleasures and wrapped with the worldly cares.  And to those souls, the Lord warns, the day will come upon suddenly like a trap (Luke 21:34—NASB).

Don’t think that His warning is just for some pastors.  It is for every believer in Christ.  Jesus says in v. 37: What I say to you I say to all, ‘Be on the alert!’   Listen again.  But keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36).

Conclusion

Be on the alert.  We can do it, until He comes, Amen?

Next Sunday, we are going to listen again to the Word of God: this time what kind of life we should conduct while we await His coming.

Let us pray.

Today Pastor Choi talks about God’s will in Christ for all God’s children: be thankful in all circumstances.  He shares with the congregation three keys to thankfulness; thankfulness is a choice, thankfulness is a trust, thankfulness is an attitude of worship.

    The Old Man and the Horse

The following is a summary of the sermon:

The Old Man and the Horse [subtitle: three keys to thankfulness]

1 Thessalonians 5:18   New American Standard Bible (NASB)

¹⁸ in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Introduction

Let me begin with a Chinese folk tale.  It is called “The Horse of an Old Man in a Remote Village.”

Once upon a time there was an old man in a village in the northern Chinese border.  He lived with his only son.  He also owned a horse and one morning his horse was gone.  The village people came to see if he was all right.  They comforted him saying, “We are sorry that your horse is gone.  It is a misfortune!”

The old man responded with little emotions saying, “Don’t be sorry for me.  Who knows if this may turn into a blessing?’

Several months later, the horse came back.  Not only had he returned, he also had brought a beautiful mare with him.  Once again, the village people gathered around and said to the old man, “We are glad that your horse is back with another horse.  Congratulations!  What we thought a misfortune was a blessing!”

The old man replied as-a-matter-of-factly saying, “How do I know if this is a blessing or not?  It may turn into a curse.”

Sure enough.  His word came true a few days later.  While the old man’s son tried to break the new horse, he fell from the horse and broke his legs.  Once again the villagers comforted the old man saying, “We are sorry about what happened to your son.  This new horse is a bad news!”

The old man spoke plainly. “Who knows if it is a blessing or a curse?”

A year passed and China was engaged in a war against a neighboring country.  All the able men of the village went to the war and many of them died.  Only the son of the old man was spared because of his injury.

The morale of the story is this: Do not jump to conclusions too quickly.  No one is wise enough to know how things will turn out in the end.  Only God knows.

Contents

Thanksgiving is just four days away.  As we gather with our families and friends, let us not forget giving thanks to God for all the blessings.  

A pop quiz for you: If you squeeze the entire population of the world down to 10 people, how many of them would actually remember to say “thank you” to you when you do something nice for them?  The answer: only one (10%) [Both statistics and the Bible confirm it].  This is true when things are good.  For bad things, very rarely people give thanks to you and to God [actually we tend to blame God for bad things, don’t we?].  But, God commands us to be thankful in all circumstances; both good and bad.  That’s our topic this morning.

Before I dig deeper, let me read today’s text one more time to you: this time my own translation of the original Greek: in all circumstances and all the time be thankful; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  Some of us already think that it is impossible to be thankful in all circumstances.  You’re right.  In fact, with our own power, we can’t be thankful especially in adversities.  I am here to remind you, though, that God never asks us to do something impossible.  For the things that He asks us to be thankful, He also equips and enables us to do it.  Being thankful in all circumstances is not only possible but also doable [but only in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:13)].  I am going to share with you three keys to thankfulness in all circumstances. 

First, thankfulness is a choice.  It is not a feeling.  We don’t thank God only when we feel like it.  We don’t thank God only for good things, either.  In fact, even the people who don’t know God can be grateful for the blessings.   We, God’s children, are different.  We choose to be thankful no matter what (why?  Because it is God’s will).  In the midst of all life’s situations, we choose not to go with our emotions but with our will.  Don’t misunderstand here: when God commands us to be thankful, He doesn’t mean that we should be happy because bad things happened to us.  No, He rather expects us to stay thankful to Him despite bad things and despite our bad feelings.   

There are two words in English we interchangeably use to express our gratitude: ‘grateful’ and ‘thankful.’  Let me point out here that it was rather intentional when the Bible translators chose the word ‘thankful’ over ‘grateful’ in today’s text.  In the Bible, ‘grateful’ is used for only good circumstances, while ‘thankful’ covers a greater territory and is used in both good and bad circumstances.  For instance, we are grateful for a promotion at work.  We are not grateful, however, when we are laid off.  Let’s say we lost our jobs.  We may not be happy; we may be far from grateful for the situation.  However, God still wants us to be thankful.  Remember: we are commanded to be thankful not just grateful.   We choose to stay thankful.  We choose to obey God’s will even when we don’t understand why bad things happen to us.  Thankfulness is a choice.

Next, thankfulness is a trust.  Without God, you can’t be thankful in all circumstances.  Without trust in God, you can’t be thankful at all, either.  Thankfulness begins with the understanding of who God is.  God is all-powerful.  He is everywhere.  He knows everything.  He is the author of time: He sees everything simultaneously; the beginning, the end, and everything in between.   He is the only One who sees the entire picture of our lives.  He knows when we were born.  He sees when we are going to die.  He sees everything in between.  He sees the whole picture of our lives.  That’s why we can trust in Him.  That’s why we can rely on His wisdom.   Remember the story of the old man and the horse?   We humans pretend that we know all about our lives, yet the truth is that we don’t.  We only see a piece here and a piece there.  Without looking at the big picture, we make quick judgments on our situations (either good or bad) and we are bound to make mistakes.  None of us knows how our life will turn out in the end.  But, God does.  Do you believe in God’s faithfulness and goodness?  Then, trust in Him and put everything in His hands.  Defer your judgments to God.  He is the fairest of all.  Trust in His good will that He will cause all things to work together for our good (Romans 8:28).  Thankfulness is a trust.

Lastly, thankfulness is an attitude; the attitude of worship.    

You may wonder: what does worship have anything to do with being thankful to God?  How can worship help me to be thankful to God in all circumstances, especially in bad ones?  

By the way, the worship I am talking about is more than Sunday morning worship services.  Worship can take place, if we choose to, anytime and anywhere; we can worship God when we drive.  We can worship God when we rake the leaves or even in the shower.

This is how it works: worship shifts our attention from us to God.  In worship, we fix our eyes on God and His greatness, not on our problems.  In worship, we remember who God is.  We adore and praise His Holy name and invoke His help for our situations.  In worship we remember who we are; we are God’s children and we call out to our Heavenly Father who cares about every need of ours.  In worship, we encounter the God who is faithful to His children.  In worship we remember God’s goodness and hold unto His promises, not unto our fears or anxieties.

Let me put it a different way.  In worship, we don’t focus on the bad things happening to us.  We focus on God, His greatness, His faithfulness, and His goodness.  Worship helps us to look up to God and trust in Him who makes all things beautiful for those who love Him.  Worship reminds us to trust in God’s ultimate good will for us.  You see, we can be thankful to God only when we trust in Him who turns all the bad things into our good in due time. 

Stay in constant spirit of worship of the Lord wherever you are and whenever it may be, and you will be able to be thankful.   Thankfulness is an attitude of worship.

Conclusion

A well-loved hymn: It Is Well with My Soul—the words were written by Horatio Gates Spafford in 1873.  Mr. Spafford was married and lived in Chicago with his family.  He was “professor of medical jurisprudence of Lind University and he bought a great deal of real estate on the lake front.  Then tragedy struck repeatedly.  First, the Chicago fire of 1871 wiped out his real estate holdings.  Then, in 1873, he planned a family vacation in Europe.  Spafford sent his family ahead aboard the ship Ville du Havre.  Out on the high seas, the Ville du Havre collided with the Lochearn and sunk.  Mrs. Spafford was saved but their four daughters perished.  Spafford took the next boat to meet his wife in Cardiff, Wales, where the survivors had been taken and while sailing past the spot where his daughters perished, wrote It is Well With My Soul.  Their son also died an untimely death in 1880” (Charles Johnson, One hundred & One famous hymns, p. 144).   He lost his five children in 7 years.  [Hymnal #377] Verse 1: When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul. It is well with my soul, it is well, it is well with my soul.  I have no doubt that only his determination to trust in the Lord in the attitude of worship carried him through his life’s tragedies.  

Anyone can be grateful for good things.  Very few people in their own might can be thankful in adversities.  However, God’s people are called to be thankful in all circumstances.   In Christ and with God’s help, we can and will be thankful all the time in all circumstances.  Thankfulness is a choice, it is a trust, and it is an attitude of worship.

Amen.

Today Pastor Choi urges the congregation not to be a fool in the sight of God.   He points out a three-fold error the rich fool made: fixing eyes on the life on earth only, setting his heart on the increase of wealth, and neglecting the welfare of others.  He exhorts the believers to be rich toward God by living with an eternal life perspective, setting their heart on true riches of God, and giving to the poor.

    Don’t Be a Fool

Following is a summary of the sermon:

Don’t Be a Fool.

Luke 12:13-21   New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Covetousness Denounced

¹³ Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” ¹⁴ But He said to him, “Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?” ¹⁵ Then He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.” ¹⁶ And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. ¹⁷ And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ ¹⁸ Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ¹⁹ And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”’ ²⁰ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ ²¹ So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

Introduction

Some years ago, I was much into children’s literature all over the world: from Europe to Africa, from India to Korea.  After reading scores of them, I began to notice certain common themes such as ‘don’t be greedy,’ ‘be honest,’ ‘honor your parents’ and so forth.  One of the themes across the board was this: don’t be a simpleton.  Don’t be a fool.   I guess it is a universal lesson for humanity for centuries.  Even the Bible talks about it.  That’s our topic today: don’t be a fool.

Contents

Let me begin with a question for you.

Are You a Fool?

• It all depends.  Some of us would deny that we’ve ever been a fool.  Others may say that sometimes we are but most of the times we are OK.
• One thing is for sure: none of us wants to be a fool, either before people or in the sight of God.
• Definition of “fool”: person without much sense; stupid or rash person (Oxford Dictionary)
• Biblical Definition: person who says there’s no God.  Psalm 14:1: “Fools say in their hearts, ‘There is no God.’”  E.g. April 1—Fool’s Day.
• By the way, we all know that the belief in God alone doesn’t automatically make one wise.  We can confess our faith in Jesus until our face is blue, but we can still be a fool.  How?  Here’s how: if we believe in Him with lips only not in action.  The lip-service people in Christ are fools.   You don’t have to take my word for it.   Listen to Jesus (Matthew 7:24-27):  ²⁴ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. ²⁶ Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. ²⁷ The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”
• Jesus, in today’s text, gives us another example of a fool.  We’d better pay attention to this story; because it’s one thing if people call us a fool, but it’s quite another if God calls us “You Fool!” (Luke 12:20).  We sure don’t want to be called by God a fool, right?
• Let’s check it out: the parable of the rich man.  It is a simple story yet its message is powerful: don’t be a fool to God.Meet the Investment Guru
• I must say that the rich man in today’s story was quite smart in the worldly sense back then.  He must’ve been the envy of the town-folks.  I doubt they would ever call him a fool.  In today’s standards, no one would call him a fool, either.  Far from it.  On the contrary, people would seek after his wisdom as a businessman; he would make a conference speaker on investment.
• Here’s why I believe so.  This man did so well in his business (in this case farming).  One year his land produced unusually good crops that would take care of him for the rest of his life (excellent hedge fund manager would he be at Wall Street today and we would invest with him any time, wouldn’t we?).  He did so well that he needed a bigger storage space.  So, he ended up tearing down old barns and building them bigger, setting up a sufficient retirement funds, and he was ready to enjoy many years of relaxation and fun (the joys of eating and drinking).
• The trouble I have with the story is this: why did God call him a fool in the end?  Not just a fool, but “You FOOL!” (with an exclamation point).   Why did God call him that way?  The answer is found in verse 21: (he was a fool because) he stored up treasure for himself but was not rich toward God.  May I say that his life was always about “ME” and never about “GOD”?   His life was full of ME and none of GOD.  I am not the only one who believes so.  Fred Craddock (preacher and commentator) asserts that the man lived totally for himself, talked to himself, planned for himself, and congratulated for himself [Interpretation, Luke, p. 163].  That was the problem: a fool’s life is totally immersed with self and no room for God.  To a fool, everything is about himself and nothing for God.   Fools not only say that there is no God, but indeed they have no room for God in their lives.THE Rich Fool’s three-fold Error
• Here’s my humble analysis on the life of the rich fool.
• He fixed his eyes on life on earth only.  He was well prepared for “many years” of his life on earth. Yet, he wasn’t interested or prepared for the life eternal that never ends.  Remember: this life on earth is four scores if we are strong; soon it is gone and we fly away (Psalm 90:10).  There are things that we have no control over.  Death is one of them.  The eternal life starts afterwards and lasts forever.  The wise ones live everyday with eternal life in mind and prepare themselves accordingly.  Fools don’t.  They may gain the whole world yet lose their life (Luke 9:25).   E.g. Movie–You can’t take it with you.
• Next, the rich man set his heart on the increase of wealth.  A lot of us do, too.   Did you know that there’s a warning from God’s Word on such attitude?  Psalm 62:10 says “though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them.”  Why?  Because, the riches in the world can and will fool us with its deceitfulness (Mark 4:19).  They rot; thieves get into them, too.  They are fleeting and uncertain for sure (1 Timothy 6:17).  E.g. Retiree from Lucent Technology lost his over-a-million-dollar assets overnight.  Trusting in material possessions is like trusting in a paper umbrella in the storm.  Listen to what Christ says in today’s text: “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.” (Luke 12:15).
• The rich fool was only interested in his own welfarethat he ended up neglecting the needs of others.  The Other’s Welfare (T.O.W.)=100-mine.  A trade-off.   When mine is 100, then zero for others.Rich toward God (Be Wise)
• Let’s think about being rich toward God this time.  If we take Jesus’ warning seriously, we all would desire to be rich toward God.  How do we do this?  By doing the following three things:
• Live your life with eternal life in perspective.   Prepare for the future—eternal life—not just with lips but in action.
• Set your heart, not on riches, but on God and His kingdom.  Seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness first (Matthew 6:33).  Seek after true riches of God: glory, kindness, tolerance, patience, wisdom, knowledge, and grace (Romans 9:23, 2:4, 11:33, Ephesians 1:7).  These are heavenly currencies.
• Increase the welfare of others by decreasing of your own.  How do we do it?  Only one way: give to the poor (Luke 12:33).  The more we give, the richer we will be toward God.  Giving and richness toward God is proportionate.  Remember the welfare equation? [The Other’s Welfare (T.O.W.) = 100-mine].  By giving to the poor, we prepare purses in heaven that do not wear out; by doing so, we keep our “unfailing” treasures in heaven where no thief comes near or moth can destroy.John Wesley’s Way of Living
• Let me introduce a man who was rich toward God; his heavenly account is pretty solid.  His name is John Wesley.  He took Jesus’ word very seriously and methodically practiced it throughout his life.  To him giving was living (and vice versa).  He wasn’t a poor man.  In fact, he was a wealthy man according to the worldly standards.  He said, “Make all you can, save all you can, and give all you can.” “When I have money, I get rid of it quickly, lest it find a way into my heart.”  E.g. His expenses for 60+ years remained the same.  He pre-arranged to hire six beggars to be his pall-bearers at his death.  That way, he spent his last £ 6, paying them £ 1 for each).
• Chart: John Wesley’s Way of Living
  

  Year	Income (Annual)	Expenses	To the Poor
  1	47.40 (Pounds)	44.24 (93%)	3.16 (7%)
  2	94.80	44.23 (47%)	50.56 (53%)
  3	142.40	44.24 (31%)	97.96 (69%)
  4	189.60	44.24 (23%)	148.36 (77%)
  Later	2,212.00	47.40 (2%)	2,164.40 (98%)

•  Source: Wesley’s Giving (http://new-wineskins.org/blog/2010/03/john-wesleys-spending-habits/) 

Conclusion

• I hope and pray that none of us would ever hear from God “You Fool!” in terms of our own wealth management.
• Rather, I pray that every one of us would hear from God saying, “Well done, my faithful servant! You are rich toward Me.”
• Go and do like John Wesley did.
• Let’s pray.

Today Pastor Choi encourages God’s people to pray for the persecuted believers in Christ in the world.  He also urges the congregation to take up their own cross and follow Christ. He points out that Christ Himself suffered on behalf of humanity.  We too as followers of Christ must deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow Him for the eternal good for all.

    Church and Suffering

Following is a summary of the sermon:

Church and Suffering

Colossians 1:24  New American Standard Bible (NASB)

²⁴ Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions.

Introduction

Bulletin insert: “I Commit to Pray”— use it to lift up our sisters and brothers in Christ in prayer. [Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body—Hebrews 13:3].

Our topic this morning is Church and suffering.

Suffering is a very unpopular topic to talk about in today’s society; whenever you talk about it, it is almost certain that you will make someone mad, either at you or at God.  In my 25 years of ministry, I preached over 1,000 times.  Yet, only once or twice I spoke about pain and suffering, because people generally don’t appreciate it.  Furthermore, the topic itself is too broad to cover with one sermon; you have to deal with evil in the world (to begin with) and with so many sufferings that don’t make any sense such as school shootings, plane crashes, children’s cancer, and so forth.

This morning, I am going to wise up myself and limit my focus on the Christian suffering; suffering in the context of Church, the body of Christ; the believers’ suffering due to their faith.  Questions or comments on other types of suffering must wait for another time.  Lord willing, I will deal with them later.  So, pray with me now: Lord, open up our hearts and ears to listen to Your truth about Church and suffering.  Amen.

Contents

MY OWN TRANSLATION OF GREEK TEXT

Let me read to you today’s text one more time—this time my own translation with my own commentaries.  Remember: Paul was in prison when he wrote this letter— in a Roman dungeon—not because of his wrongdoing but because of his witness for Christ.

Now I rejoice [keep rejoicing—not liking it, but whenever suffering comes, I take it in stride and with an attitude of welcoming it] in my sufferings [multiple occasions] on your behalf [my sufferings have a purpose in it—they are for you the Church], and I fill [keep filling] up in my flesh [my own share of physical pain] the lacking things of Christ’s afflictions [‘lacking’ means, afflictions will continue to happen to God’s people until God says enough—Revelation 6:11. ‘afflictions’ means unpleasant experiences] on behalf of His body [once again my sufferings are not meaningless—they are for His body], which is the church.

DEFINITION OF SUFFERING

Secular understanding: Oxford dictionary defines as [u] pain of body or mind; [plural] feelings of pain, unhappiness, or etc.  General attitude: avoid it at all costs.

Biblical understanding: in the entire Bible there are 150 entries under ‘suffer,’ ‘suffered,’ ‘suffering,’ or ‘sufferings.’   Only once, it talks about suffering as a consequence of our sins [murder, for example].  It is not God’s will for us to suffer for wrongdoings.  However, there are times and occasions that God wills and considers it worth suffering; for instance, sufferings for Jesus and His Kingdom.  In the New Testament, the believer’s suffering is described exclusively in the context of Christ, Christians, and Church.  E.g. suffering on account of faith in Christ, suffer according to God’s will, suffer while doing what is good / right in the sight of God.  Proper attitude should be like Paul’s: rejoice and take it in stride.

CHRIST THE SUFFERING SERVANT

The Christian understanding of suffering begins with our Lord Jesus Christ.

Did you know Christ Himself was not exempt from suffering even though He was equal to God and sinless?  Why did He suffer, then?  Not because He had done anything wrong, but because God willed His suffering.  It was God’s perfect will for Christ to suffer and die for us.  He suffered vicariously for humanity.  In Isaiah 53, we see Christ the Messiah, the suffering servant.  He was without sin yet suffered on behalf of the sinners.  God sent Him to the Cross to pay the wages of our sin.   On the cross, He had to endure excruciating pain for hours.  Let’s not forget: He didn’t deserve to be punished like that.  Rather, He suffered on our account and on our behalf so that we may go free.  Such suffering, God wills and approves.  Listen more.

SUFFERING WITH A PURPOSE

I already told you that God appointed His only begotten Son to suffer and die on the Cross: not that He didn’t love His son, not that He wasn’t pleased with Him, nor that the Messiah deserved such a punishment.  But that it was God’s will and His plan that were laid out even before the creation of the world.  Here’s the truth.  Christ’s suffering was with a divine purpose.  It was not meaningless or senseless.  Christ the Righteous died for the unrighteous.  It makes no sense in human eyes where the penalty should go to the perpetrator, not to the innocent, yet it sure makes perfect sense to God.  Some of us still grapple with it.  You may call it God’s mystery.  You may even reject the cross and accept only good things of the gospel such as peace, joy, love, and eternal life, yet one thing you cannot deny is that Christ suffered.  The same God expects us to be like Jesus including suffering (2 Corinthians 1:5, 4:10, 1 Thessalonians 3:3).

TWO-FOLD MEANING OF CROSS: suffering and eternal good

“Deny yourself, take up your own cross daily, and follow Me,” commands the suffering Christ (Luke 9:23).  He means what He says.  He is never ambiguous about it.  Neither should we.  Remember: cross means suffering.  Think of the cross in the time of Jesus.  It was a means of public execution.  Everyone understood the meaning of it —public disgrace and hours of excruciating pain that led to death.  As Christ took up His own cross, He commands us to take up the cross of our own—be ready to die for Him and for the sake of others.  We too, as He suffered, have our own share of suffering in our heaven-bound journey.  However, our suffering is not senseless or meaningless.  It too has a purpose.  What’s the purpose?  Eternal good for ourselves and for others.  Imagine a relationship where no one wants to sacrifice themselves on behalf of others.  Imagine a family where no one wants to take the garbage out, cook, do the dishes, or clean the toilet.  Every troubled relationship or nation has one thing in common: no one wants to take up their cross and they blame everybody else for the problems.  Somebody has to take up the cross for the sake of others.

Let’s face it.  When we became a believer in Christ, very few of us signed up for the cross; rather, we signed up for blessings such as eternal life, health, wealth, wisdom, love, joy, peace, and self-control.   Now, we must realize that those ‘good’ things are not the ultimate goal of a Christian (they are benefits, not the goal).  Our ultimate goal is Christ Himself; do whatever He commands, go wherever He leads, and live out His will.  All other ‘good’ things are the byproducts of the cross: they come afterwards not before.  Jesus says, the cross is good for you; take up your own cross and follow Me; in the end, it will benefit all; you, others, and the Church.  Let me tell you one more time: the cross is eternally good for all.  The cross and crown go together. However, the cross comes before the crown.   You can’t have the crown without the cross.

APOSTLES AND THE BODY OF CHRIST IN THE NEXT TWO MILLENIA

I already told you that Paul wrote today’s text in prison taking part in Christ’s suffering.  Later, he was executed.   So were all the other apostles; they fully participated in Christ’s suffering by enduring public disgrace, shame, and death: all of them filled up their bodies with suffering on behalf of the Church.

For the next two thousand years, countless believers followed Christ’s steps and filled up His body the Church with their own sufferings, too.  Like Pastor Suta today.  Like an Indian sister in Christ who was attacked with acid that ruined her face.

We call those believers who died on behalf of Christ “martyrs.”—meaning “witnesses” with their own death.  For them, it was worth it all—for the sake of Christ and His Church!

Wherever martyrdom takes place, one thing always happens to the body of Christ; revival and growth.  The opposite is true, too.  History tells us that when there was no persecution or suffering, the Church became corrupt, compromising, stagnant, and even declined.  E.g. one American Christian sect dissuades its followers from meditating on the Cross because it reminds them too much of suffering and pain.  They even removed the crosses from their church decorations.  Is it a coincidence that the Church in America is dying when it avoids the cross by all means?  I don’t like a recent increase of persecutions in America against believers, but in a grand scheme, perhaps God has a different plan to purify His Church through suffering.

When persecution arose against the body of Christ, and when the believers underwent torture, imprisonment, and death, the Church of God stayed pure, strong, and even grew in number.  Today, all around the world, persecutions abound and the Holy Spirit is at work.  The Church is growing leaps and bounds in the midst of suffering.

REALITY CHECK IN AMERICA

Understand the culture we are living in: Get rid of pain/suffering by all means.  E.g. pain killer business—multi-billion dollar business every year.  I understand why non-believers push suffering away from them.  What about the Church?  We too avoid suffering at all costs, do we not?   But, how can we help the people in the world without knowing and experiencing the suffering first hand?  How would we understand the meaning of apathy, sympathy, empathy, and compassion when we have not tasted of suffering at all?

Don’t get me wrong.   I am not advocating needless pain or suffering for the sake of suffering and pain.  Neither am I looking for it for the sake of having it.  Like many others, I myself prefer no suffering and a painless life.  Yet, when it comes down to legitimacy and necessity of pain and suffering in the believer’s life and the life of the Church, if that’s what God has in mind, I am willing to take it.  In fact, God’s Word confirms it.  That’s why I urge you all to be willing to take your own share of suffering for the sake of Christ.  I am thankful that ours will not be as drastic as Christ’s or Paul’s.  Most of us are grateful that God doesn’t consider our faith as strong as Paul’s.   However, all of us have our own crosses to bear.  As long as we take it, let’s take it in stride.

Conclusion

Millions of believers in the world today go through all kinds of persecution because of their faith in Christ.  They rejoice as they fill up their own lives with Christ’s afflictions such as mockery, physical pain, financial loss, and even death.  Let us remember them in our prayers.  Support them financially if you can.  May the Holy Spirit convict us; strengthen our hearts to follow Christ all the way like our brothers and sisters in the world do.

May God awaken our souls and grant us the desire to follow Him with our own crosses.

Let us pray.

Today Pastor Choi talks about life worthy of God’s calling: God the Creator and the Sustainer of all creations has chosen us to be His adopted children before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4).  His choice was intentional and He called each of us by name.  The same God calls us to live a life worthy of His calling.  Pastor Choi exhorts God’s people to make God proud through a lifestyle that is worthy of His name.

    Life Worthy of God’s Calling

Following is a summary of the sermon:

Life Worthy of God’s Calling

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 (New American Standard Bible)

¹¹ To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, ¹² so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

 Ephesians 4:1-3 (New American Standard Bible)

4 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, ² with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, ³ being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Introduction

It’s hard to believe that we are already in November.  Two more months to go, and another new year!  In January this year, I designated 2015 to be the year of knowing Jesus.  I encouraged every one of you to get to know Him personally.  I myself was blessed to know Jesus in a newer and deeper level than before.  I pray and hope that all of you made progress in knowing Jesus personally.  Let’s continue knowing Him every day.

Whatever and however we get to know Jesus, one thing we want to make sure is this: to know Him right.   Here’s why: after many years of serving Him in many capacities and doing many things in His name (prophesying, casting out demons, and performing miracles), there’s a chance that we still could get Him wrong.  E.g. Matthew 7:21-23 “I never knew you.”  We may think that we have known Him well, yet He could say to us in the end of our heaven-bound journey, “I never knew you! Depart from Me.”   Now, none of us wants it to happen to us, right?

Therefore, let us come before Him with humility and a prayer that He would illumine us with the true and correct knowledge that it would bring forth in us the lifestyle of which He would be proud and say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant!  Enter into the joy of your master!” (Matthew 25:21).

Contents

Please look at the sermon title: life worthy of God’s calling.  I am going to highlight three things here.  First, God who has called us—we are going to ponder on the greatness of God.  Next, we are going to think about the object of God’s call: us. Thirdly, the life worthy of God.

The Greatness of God:  The life worthy of God’s calling cannot begin without the right understanding of how great our God is.  Most of us have a general and shallow understanding of God.  Some believers even call Him “a man upstairs.”  We all know that God exists and He is greater than we are.  But, that’s just about it.  We seldom take time to think or meditate on the greatness of God.

I don’t have enough time to give you a sermon on God’s greatness, so I am going to give you a brief summary of who God is.  First, God is the Creator of the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1).  He created all the things visible and invisible; every living creature that has breath in it.  By the way, folks, He doesn’t share the credit of creation with anyone else, not even with evolution.  Check yourself.  Numerous times in the Scripture, God claims that it is He alone who willed every single creature, designed them, and created them all (Isaiah 45:8, Revelation 4:11).

God is not only the Creator, but also is the Sustainer.  He gives life and health to all the creatures.  He provides their needs every day, too; food, shelter, and clothing.  He takes care of them all.  E.g. One day, Jesus was talking about worries.  He says when you are worried, lift up your head and look at the birds of the air.  They don’t sow, reap, nor gather into barns, yet the Heavenly Father feeds them.  Look at the lilies in the field, He continues.  They do not toil or spin, yet even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these (Matthew 6:26-29).  If God cares about the creatures like that, Jesus concludes, how much more He will take care of your needs?  (Matthew 6:30).

Thirdly, God is the One to be worshipped.  He is the only One worthy of our worship and devotion.  Here’s why.   He has created us; He sustains us; He provides every need of ours.  We owe Him everything we have and enjoy.  Therefore, He deserves our total devotion to Him, and we render it in worship.  Look at the first commandment of the Ten Commandments: you shall have no other gods before Me (Exodus 20:3).  You shall worship Me alone (Exodus 34:14).  We worship God alone, because no one else deserves our worship but God.

Speaking of worship, some people say that they don’t go to church because they don’t get anything from the sermon.  Even though you get nothing out of the sermon, it doesn’t exempt you from worshipping the Lord with fellow believers.  E.g. A history book describes Pilgrims as folks who loved to travel by sea.  Seriously?  They came to America for the freedom of worship.  I am afraid that some textbook writers in future may describe Christians as folks who love to get together once a week to have fellowship; as the folks who love to sing songs; as the folks who love to give offerings.  No, all these are on the surface.  The center of worship is God.  He is the main focus and object of worship.  That’s why even when we get nothing out of sermon, we still worship the Lord.

Let me tell you about the true nature of worship: worship is an encounter with God where we acknowledge who God is in our life (Creator); and we acknowledge who we are before God (Creature).  E.g. Heavenly worship in Revelation 4 & 5.  Every creature, including the 24 elders and four living creatures, along with angels and multitudes of God’s saints, worships God in His throne prostrating before Him (Revelation 5:12-14).  They all declare, “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory, honor, and power” (Revelation 4:11).  What about Jesus?  In the same Heavenly worship, they too worship Him declaring, “The Lamb of God who is worthy of power, riches, wisdom, might, honor, glory, and blessing” (Revelation 5:12).  “He is Lord of lords and King of kings” (Revelation 17:14).  “At the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth” (Philippians 2:10).  That’s how majestic our God is.  That’s how great our Christ is.  That’s the Christ we follow and serve.  That’s the God who has called us to be a part of His kingdom.

We are called by God:  Have you ever played “bingo?”  As you play, have you not always desired to be called the winner?  How exciting it is to be chosen!  How much more exciting it is to be chosen and called by God to be in His family!  The sad reality is this: some believers have no idea of this blessing to be called by God.

God has called us from darkness to light; from bondage of sin and death to freedom; from fear to love; from condemnation to forgiveness; and from death to life.  Furthermore, in Christ, He has adopted us into His family and made us His own sons and daughters (Ephesians 1:5).  If God is the King, what would it make us to be?  Princes and princesses, right?  Hello, how many of us feel that way let alone realizing this great blessing?

It gets better.  God’s choice is intentional.  God hasn’t chosen us on the spur of moment.  Rather, He carefully thought it through and executed the adoption.  Listen to God’s Word:  He has chosen us to be His children even before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4).  Mind boggling, isn’t it?  Yes, long before we were even conceived in mother’s womb, He has chosen us to be His children.  God knows this.  Jesus knows this.  The Holy Spirit knows it, too.  God’s Word confirms it.  Angels know this.  Even the devil and his followers know this.  Yet, do you?  God has not chosen you by number, either.  He knows you by name.  He called out your name and invited you to join the family.  It can’t get any better than that, can it?  Such a God expects us His children to lead a life worthy of His calling.  That leads us to the final part.

Life worthy of God’s calling:  E.g. The story goes that a young boy was brought before Alexander the Great for stealing a horse. Alexander saw how young he was and heard his story and decided he would go easy on him. Getting ready to release him, Alexander asked the young boy, “What is your name?” He replied, “Alexander, sir.” Alexander the Great was furious and asked him again, “What is your name?” The boy, this time with fear in his voice said, “Alexander, sir.” In anger, Alexander the Great threw the boy to the ground pointed at him and said, “Boy, change your conduct, or change your name.”  

Source: http:pastorericsblog.blogspot.com/

Think of the life worthy of God’s name.  We carry the name of Christ.  We are Christians.  Are you proud of the name you carry?  Is Christ proud of you carrying that name?

Let’s not forget: You and I represent God and Christ.  We are His children.  We belong to God.  We belong to Christ.  We are a Christian.  By the way, let’s not be ashamed of being a Christian.  We are living in a society where the mockery and persecution of Christianity is ever increasing.  Let’s not be ashamed of Christ whom we follow.  In fact, if we are ashamed of Him before people, Christ will be ashamed of us in front of the angels (Mark 8:38).  Let’s be proud of the name we carry.  We are a Christian!

Now, God considered us worthy of calling, and the same God calls us to live a life worthy of His calling.   In terms of what entails of the life worthy of Christ’s name, such as humility, gentleness, patience, and love, you can find them in today’s texts.  Do your homework.

Conclusion

Now, I am going to close my sermon with a story of David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17).

One day two armies gathered for battle: Philistines and Israel.   “The Philistines stood on the mountain on one side while Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with the valley between them. ⁴ Then a champion came out from the armies of the Philistines named Goliath whose height was [about 10 foot tall]. ⁵ …a bronze helmet on his head,…clothed with scale-armor which weighed [125 pounds] of bronze. ⁶ He also had bronzegreaves on his legs and a bronze javelin slung between his shoulders. ⁷ The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and the head of his spear weighed [15 pounds] of iron; his shield-carrier also walked before him. ⁸ He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out to draw up in battle array? Am I not the Philistine and you servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves and let him come down to me. ⁹ If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will become your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall become our servants and serve us.” ¹⁰ Again the Philistine said, “…; give me a man that we may fight together.”

⁶ The Philistine came forward morning and evening for forty days and took his stand.  ²⁴ When all the men of Israel saw the man, they fled from him and were greatly afraid.

One day David delivered a care package for his three brothers who were in the army of Israel. “²³ As he was talking with them, behold, …Goliath, was coming up from the army of the Philistines, and he spoke these same words; and David heard them and said, “For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God?”

 ⁴⁰ He took his stick in his hand and chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the shepherd’s bag which he had, even in his pouch, and his sling was in his hand; and he approached the Philistine.

⁴² When [Goliath] looked and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, and ruddy, with a handsome appearance.⁴³ [He] said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And [He] cursed David by his gods.⁴⁴ …said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the field.” ⁴⁵ Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted.⁴⁶ This day the Lord will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel,⁴⁷ and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hands.” 

The rest is history.  I want to be that David, the man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14).  I want to live a life that is worthy of God’s name and His calling.  I want my God to be proud of my words and actions like He was with David’s.  I pray that all of us live the life worthy of God’s calling.

Amen.

Today Pastor Choi talks about three types of spirituality: natural, carnal, and spiritual.  A ‘natural’ person doesn’t know Christ or have the Holy Spirit.  Her mind is blinded by the devil that she cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.  A ‘carnal’ person believes in Jesus as Savior and Lord and has the Holy Spirit in her.  However, she remains spiritual baby; she cannot handle the truth well.  She still walks according to own desires.  She demonstrates little fruits of the Holy Spirit.  A ‘spiritual’ believer is mature in faith and practice.  Her faith is grounded in God’s Word the truth, not in human words of wisdom.  Her first and foremost interest in life is to please God and doing God’s will.  Pastor Choi exhorts the congregation to keep growing mature in Christ by getting into the Word of God, pray daily, and walking in the Holy Spirit.

    Three Types of People

Following is a summary of the sermon:

Three Types of People                     1 Corinthians 2:13-3:4

1 Corinthians 2:13-3:4    New King James Version (NKJV)

¹³ These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. ¹⁴ But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. ¹⁵ But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. ¹⁶ For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

Sectarianism Is Carnal

3 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. ² I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; ³ for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? ⁴ For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?

Introduction

Background info on today’s text: Paul the missionary started the church in Corinth.  He didn’t stay there long and moved on to the next place.  A man named Apollos followed him.  He was a great Bible teacher.  A few years later, there was a division among the believers; a half of the congregation remembered Paul and still followed him as their leader, yet the other half followed Apollos.  So, in his letter to them, Paul lamented over the division four times saying, “You are carnal” (1 Corinthians 3: 1, 3, & 4).   He says; you are immature; you are still babies in Christ because of the division, envy, and strife among you.  You act like people who don’t know Christ at all.  Don’t follow me.  Don’t follow Apollos, either.  Follow Christ only.   

Once I met a lady who claimed that she was spiritual but not religious.  Nowadays, many people consider themselves spiritual but not religious meaning that they believe in God but not necessarily go to church or are associated with any “organized religion.”  I guess anyone can call themselves anyway they want.  However, we the believers in Christ must have the clear and right understanding of what the Bible says about those terms.  One thing is for sure: this lady’s claim ‘being spiritual’ is definitely NOT what the Word of God calls spiritual.  Being spiritual in the Bible never means just having faith in God (even the demons believe that there is one God—James 2:19).  Rather, it is reserved for those who are mature in Christ in their walk with God.

That’s what we are going to think about this morning: three types of people in terms of spirituality.   In today’s text we see three words that are related to spirituality (in the order of maturity): Natural, Carnal, and Spiritual.  God’s Word makes a clear distinction among them.  Let me explain to you one by one.

Contents

Natural (ψυχικος, 1 Corinthians 2:14) [literal translation: soulish]

How does the Bible define a person who is ‘natural’?  A person is natural when she doesn’t believe in Jesus as her Savior and Lord.  The natural person doesn’t have the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:14), either.  Therefore, she cannot say that Jesus is the Lord.  This definition includes, but not limited to, atheists, agnostics, all the followers in other religions than Christianity (Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Shamanism, Shintoism, etc.).   Anyone who doesn’t confess Jesus as the Lord and Savior is natural.

The natural person is outside Jesus and cannot know or distinguish spiritual things of God.  These spiritual things of God are hidden from their eyes and rather appear to them foolishness.  E.g. Cross: foolishness to the Greek and a scandal to the Jews (1 Corinthians 1:23).

The wisdom of a natural person is not from above, but rather earthly, sensual, and demonic (James 3:15).

The natural people walk in the futility of mind, darkened in their understanding.  They are excluded from the life of God, not because God wants them that way, but because of the ignorance in them and because of the hardness of their heart; having become callous, they give themselves to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness (Ephesians 4:17-19).

They are perishing in God’s eyes, because the god of this world [that is, the devil] has blinded their minds that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ who is the image of God (2 Corinthians 4:3-4).  The Gospel is veiled to them.  When they hear the word of the kingdom, they don’t understand it, because the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in their hearts (Matthew 13:19).

Don’t be arrogant that you are not natural.  In fact, before we knew Christ, we were all natural in God’s eyes.  We didn’t know Christ.  We didn’t have the Holy Spirit.  Our spirits were dead in sin.  We lived according to our fleshly desires.  We served and worshipped those who by nature are not gods (Galatians 4:8).  E.g. Bob Dylan’s song: “Gotta serve somebody.” — Either the devil or the Lord.   Thank God, because He has called us to be in His kingdom and we are no longer natural.

Carnal (σαρκικοι—1 Corinthians 3:1, 3, 4) [literal translation: following the flesh]

Who is carnal?   A person who believes in Jesus as Savior and Lord; she has the Holy Spirit in her yet still lives according to the worldly pattern.

The carnal believers were born into God’s family, yet not growing and still remain babies in faith and practice.  Like babies can digest only milk not solid foods (1 Corinthians 3:1, Hebrews 5:11-14), they cannot digest the truth well.  E.g. Jesus says “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother (Matthew 18:15).  A carnal believer doesn’t handle well the admonition of truth from other believers.

The carnal believers base their faith on humans not on Christ; therefore, they tend to create factions.  Remember today’s text where some believers followed Paul while others followed Apollos?  The carnal Christians are not grounded in the Word of God that they are “tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming” (Ephesians 4:14).  They are also led by various impulses, weighed down with sins, and constantly learning yet never able to come to the knowledge of the truth (2 Timothy 3:6).

They still walk according to own desires like the days when they didn’t know Christ (1 Corinthians 3:3).  Their minds are still set on the things of the flesh that leads to death (because it is hostile to God and unable to be subject to God’s law) [Romans 8:5-6].

In their lives, little or no fruits of the Holy Spirit are demonstrated such as peace, joy, love, kindness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).  E.g. Sure signs of carnality are frequent rage, lack of self-control, addicted to gambling, games, pornography, and the love of money.   A vast majority of believers today belong to this category.  We don’t have to be that way, though; in fact, we should never be content with this state.  We ought to grow in maturity.  That leads us to the next point.

Spiritual (πνευματικοι—1 Corinthians 2:15, 3:1) [literal translation: following the Spirit]

A believer is spiritual when she believes in Jesus Christ as her Savior and Lord; she has the Spirit of God; and she is mature (1 Corinthians 2:5 & 13) in faith and practice.  She can digest solid food (meat) [Hebrews 5:14].  Her faith is grounded in God’s Word the truth, not in human words of wisdom.  She doesn’t follow Paul or Apollos.  She follows Christ alone.  She is trained to distinguish what is good from what is evil (Hebrews 5:14).  She accepts words of admonition from other believers with gratitude and humility.  Her first and foremost interest in life is to please God and doing God’s will.  E.g. Jesus’ food was doing God’s will (John 14:34).

She walks according to the Holy Spirit.  She sets her mind on the things of the Spirit and the things above (Colossians 3:2).  Her life demonstrates signs of love, peace, and righteousness (Romans 8:7).   She stands fully assured in every will of God (Colossians 4:12).

She also demonstrates spiritual wisdom (1 Corinthians 2:6).  E.g. John 8 (Jesus’ wisdom; ‘whoever sinless, first stone the adulterous woman’).  King Solomon (when he was fully devoted to the LORD) ordered to cut the baby in two to find the true mother (1 Kings 3:16-28).

Going on Perfection

Let me remind you one more time: we all once were natural not knowing God and outside the salvation.  We too were “foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures” (Titus 3:3).  We too lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.

However, by God’s grace, we were called to be the children of God in Christ and to be the coheirs of Heaven with Christ.  We were born into God’s family.  We were born anew in Christ.  He saved us from our sins.  Our spirits became alive in Christ.

Yet, many of us still remain spiritual babies.  We are still carnal believers.  In our daily lives, we still live like before we knew Christ.  There’s not much of difference in lifestyles between us and the people in the world.  For instance, many of us still struggle with our natural passions and desires.  Many of us are still under the bondage of sin and lusts, greed, passion, and money.  It is time for us to move upward and onward, free from such bondages of old self.   If we are not happy with where we are now spiritually, neither is God.

In fact, God wants us to grow in Christ like any parent expects her child to grow over time.  He has a plan to turn us from carnal Christians into mature ones in Christ.  His expectation for us is the highest one we can ever imagine; be ye perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48).  Here, perfect means not without sin or shortcomings.  Rather, it means to be mature in Christ to the point where we demonstrate in our words and deeds every aspect of Christ’s character such as love and truth.

Until we become mature in the fullness of Christ, God will keep working on our inner beings (Ephesians 4:11-13).  We can count on His faithfulness, wisdom, and patience.  He will take time working on us.  He will never give up on us nor give up on His part “until Christ is formed in us” (Galatians 4:19).

Tools for Perfection

To accomplish His purpose in us, and to sanctify us, God uses certain tools and venues.  For instance, He often uses our life circumstances and people to shape us.  But, we don’t have to wait until we get into those situations.  We can be proactive and prepare ourselves with the tools that God has already made available to us; the Scripture and prayer.

The Bible helps us to know who God is, and to understand who we are.  It also reminds us of the relationship between Him and us.  It sufficiently equips us for life’s journey; it reproves us, edifies us, comforts us, and grants wisdom and courage for our daily lives.

Prayer is for daily conversation with God.  Don’t neglect to use this great tool which was proven useful and beneficial by all the prophets of God, Jesus, and His disciples for the past thousands of years.

Finally, don’t forget the Holy Spirit our residential help from God 24/7; He teaches us, guides us, counsels us, and reminds us of Jesus’ teachings.   All we have to do is: Ask for His help every day.

When we do all these things I have mentioned, we will grow mature in Christ every day and surely become ‘spiritual.’

Amen.

Today Pastor Choi talks about what Jesus did in the Temple: He chased out the merchants, He healed the blind and the lame, and He welcomed children.  So should we in today’s church make prayer as our priority in worship, experience God’s healing among us, and welcome children as Jesus did.

   House of God

Following is a summary of the sermon:

House of God

Matthew 21:12-17   New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Cleansing the Temple

¹² And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. ¹³ And He *said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it a robbers’ den.”

¹⁴ And the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. ¹⁵ But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that He had done, and the children who were shouting in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they became indignant ¹⁶ and said to Him, “Do You hear what these children are saying?” And Jesus *said to them, “Yes; have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies You have prepared praise for Yourself’?” ¹⁷ And He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and spent the night there.

Introduction

Background: Begin with an explanation of the Herod’s Temple in Jerusalem in the 1^st century at the time of Jesus.  The temple was standing on the Temple Mount facing east.  You climb up the stairs and finally arrive at the Temple area (160 by 250 yards—six football fields).  It consists of two parts: outer court and inner courts.  The Court of the Gentiles is the outer court.  As you continue walking westward, you enter the inner courts beginning with the Court of Women and the Court of the Israelites next (men only).  Then, as you get closer to the Temple, you see the Altar on the left and Slaughter House on the right.  Behind them, there is the Priest’s Court and the Temple.  Inside the Temple there are Sanctuary and the Holy of Holies.

Focus on the court of the Gentiles: this is where money changers and animal sellers set up their tables and chairs.  It was also the place where the Jews (both men and women) and the Gentiles were allowed.  So were the blind, the lame, and children.  In the porticoes, teachers of the Law would engage in theological discussions.  There were a row of posts that separated the Gentiles’ Court from the inner courts.  Made of stone, each post was about 5 foot-high and 2.5 foot-wide. “Along this balustrade at regular intervals were placed slabs with inscriptions in Greek and Latin forbidding Gentiles, on pain of death, to go further” (The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 772).   In fact, Jews didn’t mind slaying Gentiles who broke the boundaries (and the Roman authorities allowed them to kill even the Roman citizens), because they believed that the presence of uncircumcised Gentile in God’s sanctuary would profane God’s House (Ezekiel 44:7): ‘Thus says the Lord God, “No foreigner uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, of all the foreigners who are among the sons of Israel, shall enter My sanctuary (Ezekiel 44:9).  Jews took God’s House very seriously.   That was the place Jesus cleansed.

Contents

The House of God is where God’s heart is perpetually on (1 Kings 9:3).  God deeply cares about what’s happening in His house.  So does Jesus.  Three things did Jesus in the temple: He drove out the merchants, healed the sick, and welcomed the children.  Through His cleansing act, He gives us the following three lessons to remember and practice in the House of God.

1. The No.1 priority in God’s House is prayer (v. 13).  All other rituals and activities are secondary.  In today’s text, the temple court was hustling and bustling with lots of activities; priests offer sacrifices on the altar, smoke from burnt offerings and incense arise into heaven, students listen to teachers, worshippers buy sacrificial animals and exchange money, even food (Wikipedia—Second Temple).  I am sure some people prayed, too (Luke 1:10).  However, when the main purpose and focus of God’s House, prayer and worship, is overshadowed by other activities, it is time to clean up the temple.  That’s exactly what Jesus did.  I believe He would do the same thing with today’s church when we lose our focus on prayer in God’s House.I believe it is time to restore prayers in today’s church and in church worship services.  We ought to fill our sanctuary with prayers.  E.g. Yeo-ui-do Full Gospel Church in Seoul, Korea.  Nowadays, its membership is close to a million, it is the largest congregation in the world and in the history of the Church.  Every time they gather for worship, they always start with prayers.  All the members pray aloud for the pastor and for the ministries of the church.  Here’s the number:  one million prayers are offered in God’s House every Sunday.  It would jam the heavenly prayer lines. The result is astonishing.   Miracles and wonders take place in the name of Jesus.  The presence of the Holy Spirit and God’s power is palpable.  Here’s the thing: the congregation literally fills up the sanctuary with prayers.  We serve the same God.  Therefore, we ought to experience the same thing here in Manahawkin when we turn to the Lord with all our hearts and minds and pray.  He will listen to our prayers as He did to that of Solomon’s (1 Kings 9:3).  He will listen to ours as He does with the Full Gospel Church in Korea.  Wouldn’t you join me transforming our church, the House of God, into a praying church, too?
2. Healing is a part of God’s House (v. 14): both physical and emotional. During His public ministry, Jesus healed the sick anywhere He went; on the streets, in the house, in the wilderness, in the synagogue.   He spent one third of His entire time for healing ministry.  He also healed the blind and the lame in the temple in today’s text.  The tragedy in God’s Church today is that we seldom experience God’s healing of the sick among us.  Even the majority of believers in Christ first look up to doctors and medical technology for healing.   Don’t get me wrong.  I believe in medicine.  I am not denying the importance of medical contributions to our physical healing.  God still uses doctors and medicine for healing.  However, when we only rely on them to the point where we totally deny or do not expect the divine healing among us, it becomes a problem.   As far as I am concerned, God is still the Healer.  He is the God of Healing.  Therefore, both physical and emotional healing should naturally be demonstrated and witnessed in God’s House today including our own congregation.  E.g. Once I was in a Prayer House in Korea.  Hundreds of people were fasting and praying for their own problems: cancer patients, broken hearted people, depression, financial troubles, and so forth.  I was one of them.  One night a lady with liver cancer stood before us.  With tears she begged us to pray for her healing.  We did.  Two days later, I saw her testifying in front of the people that God healed her entirely.  Praise the Lord!  In God’s House, Jesus still heals the people.
3. Children are welcome in God’s House (v. 15).  About a month ago, I spoke about Jesus’ welcoming and blessing of the children.  Let us not forget.  Jesus accepted children with open arms.  So should we.  I believe children shouldn’t be hushed in God’s House.  Even infants and nursing babies are welcome in our Sunday morning services.  Look at verse 16—God opens up the mouth of even infants and nursing babes—and He accepts their praises!  I don’t mean to give any trouble to those parents of infants who want to worship God in peace and quiet without hassles with their infants.Rather, I am talking about our general attitude toward children during worship.  Next time, when you hear a baby crying in the middle of the service, please do not frown at the child or the parent.  In today’s text, however, that’s what the priests did.  They got really upset with the children who said, “Hosanna (Save us Now!) to the son of David” (v. 16).   Think about it.  Why were they particularly angry with the children?  For two possible reasons.  First, they might have gotten upset with the content of the praises the children sang—Hosanna to the son of David.  In other words, they didn’t want the children or anyone to acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah.   The other possible reason is that the priests got angry with the way the children praised Jesus.  Look at verse 15.  The children cried out(Greek: krazo).  It literally means to shout out on top of the voice.  A similar example is found in Mark 10:47 where Bartimaeus the blind beggar cried out to Jesus to get His attention (he didn’t want to lose this once in a life time chance to regain his sight).  So, when the children shouted and cried out their words saying, “Hosanna to the son of David!” the priests got indignant with the children.Now, how many of us would react like the priests, frowning at the kids, when we hear them making a joyful noise unto the Lord in our midst?  How long would we insist and impose our own ways of worship and praising God unto them?  Or, how many of us would accept the kids and encourage them to worship and praise God in their ways?  E.g. I know some grown-up children who completely gave up on worshipping the Lord in church on Sunday morning, mainly because their parents were too strict with them when they were growing up.  They, in fact, lost their interest in church all together.  They felt that the Christian religion was shoved down their throats by their parents.  They were often scolded harshly for minor misbehaviors during the worship.  Many of them ended up having no fond memories of growing up in God’s Church.  They never felt that they were welcome at God’s House.I humbly urge all of us especially parents who bring up their children in the Church, which is a necessary and an honorable thing to do.  When you do so, please instill pleasant memories in their hearts and minds by treating them as a person, rather than a robot who sits quiet for an hour without making any noise.   I encourage you to educate your child at home to show respect in the church; however, when you are at church with your child, and when the child makes an innocent noise, I wouldn’t chastise the child.  Try to put yourself in the child’s shoes and try to look at everything from the kid’s perspective (songs, sermon, rituals, sit up quiet and so forth,…).  Let’s treat them as Jesus did.

Conclusion

God doesn’t mind closing the churches.  Europe is a good example.  Many church buildings once filled with worshippers for centuries are closed now and being used as dance halls and storage rooms.  Only the churches that fulfill God’s purpose will thrive and last long.  I humbly remind all of us today to fill our church with fervent prayers, to experience the divine healing in the name of Jesus our Lord, and to welcome children as Jesus did.  Let us pray.

Today Rev. Dr. Regina Hendrickson, guest speaker, speaks about “Cast Your Net!”  Pointing out that 64% of all households in Monmouth and Ocean Counties in NJ have no religious affiliation, she exhorts the congregation to go out and cast their nets right where they are—in the neighborhoods of Manahawkin!

    Cast Your Net

Following is a summary of the sermon.

October 11, 2015                             CAST YOUR NET                             Manahawkin UMC

John 21:1-6

Peace & grace my brothers and sisters in Christ! 

What a joy & privilege it is to be with you again, & I want to thank your pastor for the invitation to preach!

I miss it!  Serving as a District Superintendent keeps me out of the pulpit and I miss the chance to share a Word in the midst of God’s people as we worship our living God together.  

So thanks again Pastor Kyewoon!

When I served the local church, I loved doing preaching series. 

I found they were opportunities to engage in Scripture & relevant themes

    that engaged the prophetic Word over a longer time frame

that was exciting for me as preacher as well as for the congregation. 

It led to creative components within the worship experience,

as well as small group and mission opportunities

 that extended its’ impact beyond any individual Sunday. 

Each year, I created a sermon series based on the theme of Annual Conference—

    this would help us remember the connectional nature of our life together

as United Methodists and how we were called to live out

      the Bishop’s challenge and vision in the local church & communities

in which we live and serve. 

Again, that’s another thing I miss as a superintendent

who no longer serves in the local church,

so I’ve decided to share my reflections on this throughout the fall season

when I preach, in my monthly newsletter message

and it will also be integrated within church conferences.

This morning I’d like us to spend some time on this year’s theme from our Annual Conference Session last May:  “FISH.”  

The key verse came from John 21:6—a resurrection appearance—

where Jesus was giving some words of direction

to his frustrated fishermen disciples he said:

“Throw your net on the other side of the boat and you will find some.”  

I love the provocative image of what it means to cast your net…

as a disciple of Jesus Christ. 

The scope and power of the image,

as well as the beauty and work of such a calling pulls at my heart.

And this morning, I want to lift up 3 key points I think Christ has for us to consider as we begin a new season of “Casting Our Nets” for Christ. 

The First Point is that All Are Called.

Each of us is called to cast our net into the world

to reach others in the name of Christ. 

And how we do that, & where we do that is as varied

as each of us sitting here this morning

or as unique as the 65 churches that make up the Northern Shore. 

Each of us lives, works and plays within a different context—

there are countless ponds, lakes, rivers or oceans to fish. 

We all have God-given gifts, skills and opportunities

to cast our net into a hurting and needy world. 

But we have the power of the Holy Spirit that enables us to cast our nets wide,

over and over again; to keep fishing for those who need

the love, hope and joy that comes in and through Jesus Christ. 

All of us are called to lean out over the edge of whatever boat

     that is holding us safe and secure (the church, home, job or school)—

           and WORK the calling that God has given us to FISH…

for men and women, young and old, rich and poor,

neighbor and co-worker, family and strangers.  Cast your Net! 

The Second Point for us to consider today is to “Know What You Need.”

I have always had a special joy with fishing,

because my grandfather was a fisherman. 

One of the greatest memories I have of my Poppa Jack

was watching him work a line off the Ocean Grove fishing pier. 

But it wouldn’t just be off the pier, he also fished off a jetty, along the beach

& occasionally on a “party boat” from the Belmar Marina. 

Every location required different equipment, an assortment of bait

& unique skills;    and boy was he good at it.

My grandfather would take each of us 7 grandkids along with him on occasion,

and we learned many life lessons. 

It was a gift of presence that revealed the love of a grandfather and the power of patience.  I think that was 1 of the greatest lessons he taught me, patience.

My grandfather cast his net in so many ways throughout his life. 

He caught fish that was the meal for his family

He reeled in his grandkids through the sport and fun of surf fishing—

and wound up giving us far more than a fish fry on Saturday night.

He cast his net of love & wisdom,

catching each of us in special ways that changed us forever. 

No one knew my Grandpa shared his fish w/many people around the Grove,

Folk who he knew were experiencing difficult times. 

He’d stop by with fresh flounder and the occasional snapper,

have a chat over a cup of coffee and leave enough fish for a few meals. 

My Poppa Jack was a fisher for Christ in ways I know made a difference

over his 100 years of life. 

Friends, as we cast our net for Christ, we will have countless opportunities…

and contexts in which we can make a difference. 

What fishing equipment do we need to get the job done? 

Where will we cast our net or drop a line? 

For every place we hope to fish,

  every context in which we seek to serve as Disciples—

        different equipment, an assortment of bait & unique skills will be needed.

Who are the ones who can teach us how to fish?

Who can we take out on an adventure,

sharing the gift of presence, love and patience

as we teach them how to be fishers of men & women?

God calls us to cast our net—and part of our job is to acquire the skills,

        equipment and knowledge of how to become awesome fishers for Christ.  

This is why we worship each Sunday, attend Bible studies & Sunday School,

This is why 10 of you did the Appalachian Service Project.

This is why you have youth group, UMM and the UMW. 

Why you have baptism classes and VBS.

This is why we have church conference each fall…

…yes even Church Conferences!!…

to vision for the ministries of our churches, to set goals,

to elect leaders and approve ministries.

This is why the GNJAC has launched coaching, PaCE/cohort Groups, Team Vital and Communities of Hope—

All to FISH for Christ & to cast our nets into a hurting and needy world.

My Grandfather’s last fishing trip was when he was 99,

   along with 3 of us grandkids on a small charted boat in the Shark River Inlet. 

Poppa Jack caught the largest fish of the day,

still schooling us on how to fish, maintain our equipment and…

treasure the small gifts of life—

love of family & patience for the work we are called to do.

Friends, cast your net!  Drop a line!

Keep up with the tools, experience and knowledge you need

to be fishers for Christ.  And invite someone to fish with you! 

The Third and final lesson from Christ as we are casting our nets,

is to ask ourselves,  “Who are We Hoping to Catch?”

We have a wonderful opportunity presented to us as United Methodists—

64% of all households in our district have NO religious affiliation! 

That means for every 10 houses in a 2-3 block radius of this church or where you live—

• Six households have no church to call home.

• Six out of ten of your neighbors

have no place to feel the love, grace, peace and hope of Christ. 

• Six out of ten families are figuring out how to live their liveswithout the support and encouragement of a faith community.
• Six out of ten of your coworkers have no place to grow in ways

    that will transform their lives forever

by being part of something bigger than they can imagine. 

This is why we CAST OUR NETS! 

The mission field is right on the same street that you live

and this neighborhood right here in Manahawkin.  CAST YOUR NET!

Just yesterday at our first Super Saturday Church Conference event,

      we offered a workshop entitled, “Evangelism in Context”—

  unpacking what it means to invite others into a relationship with Christ,

either for the very first time or as an ever-deepening love.

• This happens through:  WITNESS—individually and corporately,

  But it also happens through:

• Creative and inspiring WORSHIP opportunities   &
• Through SERVICE and OUTREACH where we tangibly bring

the love of Christ into the community.

Where is God calling you to fish? 

Who are you planning to catch? 

What will you do when you bring in the haul? 

We have to ask ourselves these questions! 

Have you looked at the demographics of your towns & neighborhoods

               through the conference resource of Mission Insight?

Have you explored what it means to rethink mission

as not only those who live across the oceans,

but to those who live across the street?

As the provocative cover on this morning’s bulletin indicates

and as Jesus taught so powerfully,

there are more fish to catch than we can imagine!

But isn’t it a joy-filled gift to just IMAGINE what we could do

with all those who we “net,” as we work together

growing in the love and grace of God?

 Cast your Net! 

Households right here in Manahawkin and where you live,

need exactly what you have to offer—the light, love and joy of Christ!

Throughout the upcoming year, may we continue to discover the power

and impact of Jesus’ challenge to Cast Our Net—

We are fishers for Christ…

• Called to make disciples
• To use our skills AND learn new ones
• And to throw our nets sometimes on the other side of the boat.

The fish are biting…

               And God is hopeful for the catch!

Amen and Amen!

Today Pastor Choi concludes his series on “How to Know God’s Will.”  There are five ways of knowing God’s will.  1. Circumstances (Open/Closed Doors).  2. Family/Friends/Pastors.  3. Peace in Heart.  4. Dreams/Visions/Signs.  5. Word of God.  He points out that the Word of God trumps all other ways of knowing God’s will.  He ends his message with a personalized declaration of Romans 12:2.

   How to Know God’s Will. Part 3 of 3

Following is a summary of the sermon:

How to know God’s will?   Part 3 of 3                        Romans 12:2

² And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Introduction

Begin the sermon with a scenario as follows: you received a check in the mail with $10,000 payable to you with a letter saying that a Mr. Generous in Africa who recently made a huge fortune in diamond mine wants to share it with you; just go to the bank, cash it out, and send back 10% to him in appreciation of his generosity and keep the rest to yourself.

What would you do with it?  How would you discern God’s will in here for you?

Recap: Last week, we learned about a prerequisite for knowing God’s will: to get our hearts ready to do His will comes before we expect to know God’s will.  In particular, we talked about three obstacles in the path of knowing God’s will: the unwillingness to come out of comfort zones, the failed acknowledgement of Jesus as the Lord, and the heart that seeks self-glory rather than God’s glory.  When these obstacles are removed, then, we are 80% ready to know God’s will.  The other 20% is how-to’s.

Let’s take a look at today’s verse one more time.  Please turn to your bulletin to follow along as I read it to you, this time, with my commentaries.

And do not be conformed to this world [Stop being conformed to this world; stop bench-marking the world; stop imitating the world; stop being shaped by the worldly principles and stop living after them such as cravings/desires/lusts of the eyes/pride—1 John 2:16], but be transformed [keep being meta-morphow-ed (metamorphosis): constant and daily transformation] by the renewing of your mind [ana-kaino-sis: thorough renewing of your mind], so that [the end result] you may prove [do-ki-ma-zo: test and prove—potter testing clay vessels that he made against the light] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [acknowledge that every will of God is good, acceptable, and perfect for you].  

Apostle Paul warns us here that bench-marking the world and living after its values and principles is dangerous and harmful for believers, because it will surely cloud our minds to discern God’s will (E.g. cataracts in the eye cloud vision).  We ought to wash away the worldly influences from our minds and hearts with God’s Word and prayer.  Paul also reminds us that it is our job to test and prove what God’s will is for us.  No one will do it for us.  We have to do it ourselves.  Of course, God provides the tools to do the job, but still we need to do it.  That’s what today’s sermon is all about: how to know God’s will.

Contents

Two kinds of God’s will: When it comes down to God’s will, there are two kinds: general and specific.

General will of God: is revealed in the written Word of God commonly called the Bible (Ephesians 1:9: He [God] made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him).

“General” means that it applies to all.  E.g. Ten Commandments in Exodus 20 such as You shall have no other gods before Me, You shall not murder, You shall not steal,..).  Also, be holy as God is holy (Leviticus 11:44).  Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and be thankful in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

Specific will of God: “Specific” means that it only applies to certain individuals in their unique situations.  E.g. Jesus’ death on the cross, …, Should I marry “John Doe” or “Jane Smith?”  Should I take this new opportunity or not?

We can know God’s general will in the Scriptures.  We also are most interested in knowing God’s specific will for us.  Here’s a thing to remember between the two: the more familiar we are with God’s general will, the easier for us to know God’s specific will.  The more we are trained in God’s Word, the easier to discern God’s specific will for us.  Derek Prince once said, “A Christian who ignores his Bible has no right to hear from God.” In other words, unless we are willing to do God’s general will first, God wouldn’t bother revealing His specific will for us.

So, let’s proceed with that understanding.

How do we tell God’s will in specific situations?

There are five ways.  God approves them all; He uses them all to reveal His will for us.  All of them are attested in the Bible, too.  Each way is practical; each one works and deserves our attention.  We need to practice all five and familiarize ourselves with them so that we may understand God’s specific will for us.

1. Circumstances (2 Corinthians 2:12— Now when I came to Troas for the gospel of Christ and when a door was opened for me in the Lord): This approach is called, “open door/ closed door.”  In fact, we are most familiar with this approach and often use it.  Open door means God’s leading us to that direction.  Closed door means He is not.  This approach, however, is not always reliable.  In other words, not every open door is God’s will and vice versa.  We can be confused with this approach, because our enemy can entice us with open doors and discourage us with closed doors (he can disguise himself and approach us as an angel of light –2 Corinthians 11:14).  There are times that we need to persist even when the door is closed.  E.g.  A certain believer’s visa application to the U.S. was rejected 24 times, yet he persisted and got it on the next try.  There are also times that we need to reject “the wide open door.”  E.g.  Jesus had an opportunity to avoid the crucifixion (Matthew 26:53—twelve legions of angels), yet he persisted on it, because it was God’s will for Him to die on the cross in humanity’s behalf.
2.  Family/Friends/Pastors (1 Samuel 28:6—When Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by prophets.): We use this approach a lot.  God used prophets such as Moses and Samuel to give His will to His people.  God can also use our loved ones (family, friends, church members, pastors) to guide us into the right path.   When you go to them for counseling, though, make sure that they are in sync with God’s will: otherwise they can mislead you.  E.g.  My brother asks me of God’s will for him.
3. Peace in heart (Philippians 4:6-7— Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.): We often say to each other, “Pray about it!”  So, we do pray for God’s directions.  As we pray about certain things, and when we have peace in our hearts, we take it as God’s will.  E.g.  My college entrance exam.
4. Visions/Dreams/Signs (Matthew 2:13—an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt”): Sometimes God uses visions and dreams to guide us into His will.  E.g. Paul’s ministry team was redirected to Macedonia from Asia (Acts 16:9-10).  E.g.2. Joseph, son of Jacob, who was directed by dreams (Genesis 42:9).
5. Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17: ¹⁶ All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; ¹⁷ so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work):  We seldom use this approach.  We rarely read the Bible to know God’s will, both general and specific. Therefore, this is the least familiar way to us among the five.  Out of the five ways, though, this is the most reliable means.  Even though it takes time to wait on God’s Word, this is the surest/safest way to confirm God’s will.  Even though I get a confirmation or two from the Lord through other means, I would make sure that I get a specific one from God’s Word.

How do we discern God’s specific will using the Bible?  We do so through daily reading, not by random pick of the passage.  E.g.  A poor way of doing it is the ‘finger approach’: put your finger on a verse.  One man just did that and his finger landed on a verse, “He went away and hanged himself” (Matthew 27:5).  “Not a very good verse,” he thought, and he did it again.  This time he put his finger on the verse that said, “Go and do the same” (Luke 10:37).  The third time is a charm, right?  The third verse he found said, “What you do, do quickly” (John 13:27) (Leslie and Bernie Flynn, God’s Will: You Can Know It).  E.g. 2. Going into an English speaking congregation, the Lord spoke to me through Moses’ encounter with God (Exodus 4:10-12).

All five ways work.  However, God’s Word outweighs all others. In other words, when any of them are in conflict with God’s Word, God’s Word trumps everything else.  All other means should align and match with God’s Word.  If you don’t have affirmation of God’s Word, wait until you have one.

Let’s revisit our scenario of receiving the $10,000 check in the mail (by the way, a similar thing happened to me before; only the invitation came by email).   E.g.  You receive a check in the mail with $10,000 payable to you with a letter saying that a man in Africa made a fortune in diamond mine and he wants to share it with you; just go to the bank, cash it out, and send 10% to the sender and keep the rest to yourself.  You might say, “Praise God!”  But, wait!  Before you drive to the bank, let’s go down the checklist here.  Check #1: is this an open door?  Sure, it is.   You may even think God blesses you with this check.  Check #2:  Speak to your spouse about it.  What would s/he say?  Check #3: do you have God’s peace in you by doing that?  Well, you kind of have a suspicion, but you still justify that you can use the money for good.   Check #4: No dreams/ visions/ signs here, but you might remember the Chinese fortune cookie message the other day saying, “Something good is on your way.”  Check #5:  What does the Bible say?  You might not have one in mind, but here’s one for you: Test every spirit (Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world—1 John 4:1).  After this, you realize that this is a scam and you throw it into the trash can.   

Conclusion

God wants us to know/ do His will every day and glorify Him.  He is eager and ready to reveal His will to us.  To know God’s will is not only possible but is also our duty.  Let’s say to God that we will follow God’s will, whatever it takes, and then we will clearly know His will for us (Colossians 1:9— we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding).   

Let’s end with a personalized declaration of Romans 12:2.  To the Lord and to the world I declare: I will stop bench-marking this world.  Instead, I will be transformed every day.  I will renew my mind by getting into the Word of God.  I will also renew my heart by prayer, so that I may test and prove what the will of God is for me, good and acceptable and perfect.  In Christ’s name, Amen.

Today Pastor Choi talks about three obstacles to knowing God’s will for us: a. Insisting on staying on comfort zones.  b. Refusing to acknowledge who Jesus is. c. Seeking one’s own glory, not God’s.   He concludes his sermon with John 7:17: if anyone is willing to do His [God’s] will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself.   

  How to Know God’s Will. part 2 of 3

Following is a summary of the sermon:

How to know God’s will?      Part 2 of 3         John 7:10-24

John 7:10-24  New American Standard Bible (NASB)

¹⁰ But when His brothers had gone up to the feast, then He Himself also went up, not publicly, but as if, in secret.¹¹ So the Jews were seeking Him at the feast and were saying, “Where is He?” ¹² There was much grumbling among the crowds concerning Him; some were saying, “He is a good man”; others were saying, “No, on the contrary, He leads the people astray.” ¹³ Yet no one was speaking openly of Him for fear of the Jews.

¹⁴ But when it was now the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and began to teach.¹⁵ The Jews then were astonished, saying, “How has this man become learned, having never been educated?” ¹⁶ So Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me. ¹⁷ If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself. ¹⁸ He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.

¹⁹ “Did not Moses give you the Law, and yet none of you carries out the Law? Why do you seek to kill Me?”²⁰ The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who seeks to kill You?” ²¹ Jesus answered them, “I did one deed, and you all marvel. ²² For this reason Moses has given you circumcision (not because it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and on the Sabbath you circumcise a man. ²³ If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath so that the Law of Moses will not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made an entire man well on the Sabbath? ²⁴ Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”

Introduction

Let me tell you a story of Jesus (John 5:1-18).  One day He was walking in Jerusalem by a pool named Bethesda (house of mercy).  Around the pool, there were a multitude of people who were sick, blind, lame, and withered.  Day in day out, all of them were waiting for one thing: an angel of the LORD to come down at certain seasons and stir up the water; after the stirring up of the water, whoever first stepped in would be healed from whatever disease they had.  You can imagine the competition among those folks: everyone wanted to be that first person!  You can imagine many also solicited help from their families and friends.

Well, one of them was a man who had been sick for 38 years.  That day Jesus met him and asked, “Do you wish to get well?”  “Of course, sir,” the sick man answered, “However, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up.  Even though I try, while I am coming, another always steps down before me” (John 5:7).  Then, Jesus said to him, “Arise, take up your pallet, and walk.” And, immediately the man became well, and took up his pallet and began to walk.  So far so good, right?

However, it didn’t go well for Jesus.  You see, the problem was that this thing happened on the day of Sabbath.  The Jewish authorities saw the man walking home with his pallet and said, “Hey, it is the Sabbath, and you are not permitted to carry your pallet.”  But, he answered, “The one who made me well asked me to do so.”  They asked him, “Who is the man who asked you to do so?”  “Jesus,” he answered.  From then on, the Bible says, the Jewish authorities persecuted Jesus and tried to kill Him because He did these things on the Sabbath (John 5:16, 18).  Keep this story in your mind as we proceed: the tension between the Jewish authorities and Jesus on the issue of breaking the Sabbath.

With that in mind, I am going to read to you today’s text one more time with a little bit of [my own commentaries].

¹⁰ But when His brothers had gone up to the feast [the Feast of Booths—five days after Yom Kippur, two weeks after Rosh Hashanah, 9/28/15.  7 day-festival of rejoicing and thanksgiving], then He Himself also went up, not publicly, but as if, in secret.

¹¹ So the Jews [Not ordinary Jews but the Jewish authorities who were dead against Jesus—John 5:16] were seeking Him [On-going search effort with ill intention to arrest and kill Him (v. 19)] at the feast and were saying, “Where is He?”

¹² There was much grumbling among the crowds concerning Him; some were saying, “He is a good man”; others were saying, “No, on the contrary, He leads the people astray.”

¹³ Yet no one was speaking openly of Him for fear of the Jews [Jewish authorities].

¹⁴ But when it was now the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and began to teach.

¹⁵ The Jews [Jewish authorities] then were astonished [Marveled: vexed], saying, “How has this man become learned, having never been educated?”  [Learned (grammata—Scripture, letter, learning); How does He know so much of the Scripture when he was never educated—never been discipled / trained under any rabbi?].

¹⁶ So Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me. [Hey, you look for credentials?  God is My Rabbi.  My teaching is not mine.  It is from God.]

¹⁷ If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself. [Jesus saying, the reason why you don’t recognize Me and My teaching is because you are not interested in doing God’s will.  If you do like I do, you will clearly know that My teaching is from God.]

¹⁸ He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. [Jesus points out here that He is seeking God’s glory not His own and that the heart of doing God’s will is the glory of God.]

¹⁹ “Did not Moses give you the Law, and yet none of you carries out the Law? Why do you seek to kill Me?” [What Jesus actually saying is this: You have no desire to please God.  You are not interested in God’s glory, either.  Your heart is not there.  Therefore, you don’t keep God’s law.  Instead, you try to kill Me who carries out God’s will and keep His Law.]

²⁰ The crowd answered, “You have a demon!  [Terrible way to acknowledge God’s Son] Who seeks to kill You?”

²¹ Jesus answered them, “I did one deed, and you all marvel. [Jesus refers to healing of the sick on the day of Sabbath in John 5].

²² For this reason Moses has given you circumcision (not because it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and on the Sabbath you circumcise a man.

                        ²³ If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath so that the Law of Moses will not be broken, are you angry with Me [Bitter with me— taste of gall, poison: cf. Matthew 27:34] because I made an entire man well on the Sabbath?  [Greek root for “break” also means to destroy.  In order not to destroy the Law of circumcision, you say it’s O.K. to circumcise (that is, a work) even on the Sabbath.  On the Sabbath, I too worked in order to restore this man to full health whose health was destroyed for 38 years.  And, you accuse me of breaking the Law?”]

²⁴ Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” [Think and act in God’s perspective, not in your own narrow prejudice].

Contents

Last Sunday, we learned that God wants us to know/understand/do His will.  Whether we live out His will (or not) will determine our eternal destination (Matthew 7:21-23).  I also pointed out that doing God’s will is not an option: it’s a must and a genuine Christian experience for every child of God.  Today, as part 2 of 3, we are going to think about some obstacles that stand in the way of knowing God’s will.  Before we expect to know God’s will, we must clear these obstacles.

We find three obstacles in today’s text in Jesus’ dialogue with the religious leaders: three “No’s” in knowing God’s will.  If you do these three, you will never be able to know God’s will.   If you avoid these three, you will be able to clearly discern His will.

a. Insisting on staying on comfort zones.  The Jewish authorities refused to change the status quo.  Their attitude was “Don’t rock the boat” attitude.  They refused to be changed/ challenged by God and His Word.  That’s why they hated Jesus when He confronted them with truth.  Remember Jesus’ healing on the Sabbath?  He challenged them not to pass judgment on Him by outward appearance but by righteous judgment.  Yet, they refused to do so insisting on their own ways only: Don’t heal people on the Sabbath.  This attitude tells God: Don’t ask me to give up what I love.  Don’t ask me to sacrifice my comfort.  Don’t ask me to carry my cross.  You carry one for me instead.  Don’t ask me to love You more than my own family.  Don’t ask me to give up my TV time for reading your Word and pray.  Don’t ask me to forgive my enemies.  Don’t ask me to give more than one hour on Sunday morning. Don’t ask me….

b. Refusing to acknowledge who Jesus is: There was one individual whom the Jewish authorities respected the most: Moses, right next to God.  To the point where Torah, God’s Law, was commonly called the Law of Moses (v. 23).  They revered Moses with the highest esteem.  Consider this time how they treated Jesus.  They called Him: 1. Misleading the crowd (v. 12)  2. Uneducated (v. 15).   3. Crazy, demon-possessed (v. 20).  Don’t you think their treatment of Jesus clearly reflects their attitude toward Him?  Furthermore, their treatment of Jesus demonstrates their knowledge (in this case, total ignorance) of God’s will.   Attitude determines treatment and treatment determines the knowledge of Jesus.  The knowledge of Jesus determines that of God’s will.  E.g. I was visiting members at a local hospital once.  I overheard a nurse using the name “Jesus” in vain.  It gives away how she regards and treats Jesus.  God would never reveal His will to those who refuse to acknowledge Jesus with respect.  Ask yourself who Jesus is to you.  If He is the Lord and Savior as you confess, treat Him likewise.  Don’t fool yourself saying that He is your Lord yet never obey His Word.  God will not be fooled with our hypocrisy.  He only reveals His will to those who properly acknowledge Jesus.

c. Seeking one’s own glory/desires/greed, not God’s glory. What blinded the religious leaders was that they didn’t seek God’s glory and honor.  With lips, yes, they did: all the time.  Yet, in their hearts, they didn’t.  That’s what Jesus was able to see all the time: seeking one’s own glory not God’s.  I don’t think such attitude has changed a lot even among God’s children today.  There are too many believers who seek their own interests, desires, and wishes in the name of God’s will.  E.g.  A man is hanging for his life on a branch sticking out on a cliff.  “Help!” he cried out.  “Is anyone out there?  Please help!”  No one came.  A few seconds later, he began to pray to God:  “God, please help me!”  Somehow, he felt his prayer was heard.  Sure enough, there came a voice from heaven, saying, “Did you call Me?”  The man said, “Yes, Lord, I did.  Please help me!”  God said, “Do you really want Me to help you?”  “Yes, please and quickly, because I am about to fall!”  God said, “Let go of the branch, then.”  The man couldn’t believe what he just heard.  “Lord, did you really say to let go of the branch?”  God said, “Yes.”  The man said, “No, really, you don’t mean that!”  God replied, “I mean it.  If you let go of the branch, you shall live.”  The man thought for a while and began to shout, “Is anyone else out there?  Please help!”

Conclusion

John 7:17 is the key verse: If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself.  Have you noticed that this sentence is conditional?  In other words, when the condition is fulfilled, the following promise will be fulfilled as well.  God says to us, “Make your heart ready to do My will, then I will make My will known to you.”  Do you want to know God’s will?  Learn to put your own desire aside and seek God’s glory and honor first.  E.g. The late Father Archer Torrey: “Willingness to do God’s will is the key to knowing God’s will.  We are 80% ready.”  Learn to put yourself neutral, meaning “Either way, Lord, I will be faithful to You.”   Positive example: Jesus’ own prayer on Gethsemane. “Not as I will, but as You will.”

Be willing to move out of your comfort zone.    Acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus and listen to Him.  Seek God’s glory, not yours.  Then, you are ready to know and do His will for you in your life.

Next week: 5 ways to discern God’s will for you.

Let’s pray.