2023.04.30 District Message
Scripture Reading: 1 Chronicles 29:10–14
What do you think is the most important thing for you to receive answers to prayer? Those who believe in God’s absolute sovereignty receive the 25 answer to that. What is this?
[ Absolute Answer ]
It is the absolute answer. You must always ask. You must ask this (absolute answer) about everything. That is the best way to receive answers. Since you have already been saved, there is an absolute answer in every part of God. Even pastors, when preparing their sermons, must confirm, “What is it that God absolutely wants?” Then when the congregants worship, they must also find, “What is it that God is surely trying to answer me with today?” Therefore, you must not just work hard unconditionally. God clearly has an absolute plan.
1. Absolute Sovereignty
So then, what kind of absolute sovereignty does God have?
1) Creation
First, the God who created—creation. This means He is the Creator God who governs our life. No matter what anyone says, being born, when one dies, departs—all are in God’s hand. Even an unbeliever who does not believe in God is called by God. Whatever I do, I should not just try to do it; I must ask, “What is God’s absolute plan?”
Many people just, just try to work hard. So many people just want to make a name for themselves; some people do it to make money; there will be various reasons. When you look at many who come to do politics, they just seem to have political dreams and some hopes. That would be so. And those who become doctors have the hope, “Ah, I want to become a doctor,” do they not? Usually it ends there.
A person like Lincoln asked, “Why must I do politics?” He found God’s absolute plan. The Bible verse he found was Galatians 3:28. “In Christ there is neither Greek nor Jew, free nor slave; all are one.” So he cast an immense message. What was that message? The emancipation of slaves, of Black people. Would it be accepted? Would White people, who had captured slaves and made money and all that, set them free? That is human thinking. God’s absolute plan was in it. To this day there is no president as respected as that man, is there, now?
2) Predestination
And to bring that about is called providence. The Creator God who created all things has predestined everything. Well then, if you are sick in body, think about it. You must ask, “As God sends me and calls me, what is God’s absolute plan?”
3) Providence
Then what is called providence is that God brings to pass what was predestined.
4) Decree
Then there must be purpose and a timetable. This is called decree. So Acts 13:48 says, “All who were appointed for eternal life believed.”
5) Life and death, misfortune and blessing
And God governs our being born, dying, suffering hardship, and receiving blessing—life and death, misfortune and blessing. If you do not believe, the one who does not believe is at a loss. I said to a certain doctor: We are evangelizing so diligently, and I saw that this person, how shall I say, was a bit less cooperative. This was when I was an associate. I said, “If there is no God and we live as we please, that’s another matter; but if God invisibly lives and governs our life, what then?” “Doctor, because you do not believe in God, you are holding on to something tremendously wrong. You are taking a tremendous loss. If He does not exist, what you are doing is right. But if He does exist, what will you do?” That doctor thought about it deeply. Though very busy, he followed me out to the door to greet me as I left. This was when we were evangelizing in hospitals quite a bit.
6) Heaven – Hell
And there most certainly are: heaven and hell. It would be nice if they did not exist, but they do. The Bible promises so. More important: not only is going here (heaven – hell) important, but during our life this (heaven – hell) is the background, and so it is more important. If you have Korean citizenship—if you are Korean—then your background is Korea.
7) World Evangelization
And most certainly, doing world evangelization—this is God’s absolute plan. Right? If so, what matters is how much I am included in this.
80%
Now, when we speak of world evangelization, usually about 80% are those for whom it feels far from themselves—among believers. “It has nothing to do with me. I am not in a position to do that right now. I am busy just living day to day. My life is hard now. My finances are hard. I worry about the future.” About 80% are like this.
10%
Then there are about 10% who believe in an overly excessive way.
10%
And about 10% are those who have properly held to the covenant to do world evangelization.
Then you can check where you are. Therefore, what you are doing right now—that is not what is important. What is God’s absolute plan—knowing this is important. History then begins after that.
2. Three Things
Then within God’s absolute sovereignty, there are three things He carries out.
1) Fulfillment of the Word
What is it? Right now He is fulfilling the Word. He is fulfilling the Word.
2) Answers to prayer
And He is answering our prayers.
3) Work of salvation
And He is certainly accomplishing the work of salvation. Therefore we are within this.
3. Absolute Answer
Now then, sometimes God places you in difficulties, and sometimes in such circumstances, and we judge everything by looking at that. And if there is something that can make us stumble, we struggle greatly. And, for example, when great difficulties come, we feel difficulty. There is nothing we can do. Each time, seek it. God’s absolute answer. Seek that. Then it is exact. Then even if you remain still, answers come to you; they are bound to come exactly.
1) Faith – Absolute Sovereignty
The faith we believe is faith in God’s absolute sovereignty. Those who know this were not afraid even of death—because they knew absolute sovereignty. Even a pastor has no choice. In the days of the Japanese occupation, those who worshiped at the shrine were spared, and those who did not were taken away. The pastors, out of fear, decided to perform shrine worship. In history, the records show it. A general assembly moderator named Hong Taek-gi made the decision. He was the moderator. And then the vice moderator led them to bow at the shrine. And among them, as you know, a person like Pastor Ju Gi-cheol said, “That is nonsense. If I die, I die.” He believed in God’s absolute sovereignty. I mean, it is not as if we die twice. If you were to die three or four times, you might try dying this way and that way; but will you live trying to avoid shrine worship and then die—when you only die once? This is how the difference appears. And afterward, did those who did shrine worship live well anyway? They all died. The issue is, who is the person that remains in history?
2) Question – Absolute Plan
Regarding this, we call the act of asking “seeking the absolute plan.”
3) Answer – Absolute Covenant
And when you then find the answer, what is it? The absolute covenant.
4) Way – Absolute Journey
Then for us, the way now clearly appears, right? This is called the absolute journey. Even without using big words, you go this way simply.
You must surely receive this answer. For some years I have always asked, “Why must we build the sanctuary? What is God’s absolute answer and plan?” The answer that came from there is the three courtyards. It is an absolute plan. Without the three courtyards, it is not a church. If you do not make the three courtyards, there is no answer. The Jerusalem temple that knew this—it collapsed. The one who restored that with his very body was Paul. God gave everything to Paul.
5) Life movement – Absolute Goal
Now then, in that case, we are doing the life movement, are we not? This is the absolute goal.
So even if you do not memorize many things largely, believe this (absolute sovereignty). Even now, God is doing these three (fulfillment of the Word, answers to prayer, work of salvation). No matter what anyone says. If so, the answers I will receive are not just answers. They are absolute answers.
You must always ask. You must ask every day. You must ask in everything. You must ask with your work. Right? You must ask with your vocation. You must ask regarding your life. If you sit every day worrying, your life will become like that.
Always
So what is it that we are to enjoy always? I only expressed it like this as something I made, but it is in the Bible.
Triune God
3—this means the Triune God. Always believe and enjoy. He is working in us invisibly.
Throne
For forty days He explained the power of the throne. This you enjoy always.
Age
And He gave the covenant to save the world, to save the age. This is the summary of the Bible. If you hold to it as it is and pray, the answers are bound to come.
Therefore today is Sunday; do not just worship, but truly resolve and worship. What? “God, let this (Triune God, throne, era) power come upon me so that I may do world evangelization.” You must pray earnestly. If you only do it properly on Sunday—if you pray earnestly—what you must enjoy starting Monday will come out exactly. Do at least that much.
Then you will have no time to look at other things and no time to listen to people’s talk. You hold to the covenant firmly. During the waiting time in worship, during the time you receive the Word—at such times—enter today into deep prayer, and I bless you in the name of Jesus Christ that this may be a precious day of receiving God’s absolute answer. Let us pray.
Prayer. We thank You, God. Let today be a new day given by God; let it be a day to gain new strength; let it be a day to hold to a new covenant. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.