2023.06.25 District Message
Scripture Reading: Luke 16:19-31
Look at Ecclesiastes 3:15 in the Bible you have. Ecclesiastes 3 says that there is a timetable for every matter and every person. In verse 15 it says, “That which is, already has been, and that which is to be, already has been.” It then says, “God seeks what has been driven away.”
Now, what we need to see this week is God’s judgment and the 25 answer. In fact, there are many who are living their life of faith amid hardships.
Ecclesiastes 3:15
But what you should not think of as so hard is this: as Ecclesiastes 3:15 says today, what was before is what has appeared now. Because of that we keep trying to be discouraged. “Why am I not doing well?”—we try to be discouraged like this. It was there before. In a sense, it is natural. From there, we must find God’s important plan. And though we think of many hopes for the future and dream dreams, what is in the future also was in the past.
「Root」
It is this important—what is fundamental.
[ Spiritual Summit (Top) ]
So when you give Sunday worship, the most important thing is to gain much spiritual strength during the week and enjoy this (spiritual summit). “Summit” is a word used of whom? It is a term used for presidents. It is a term used for kings—summit. So it is the very top. That is why when presidents meet we call it a summit meeting. That is the term. This summit refers to those who have ascended to the very highest top. So the education we teach to our remnants is “summit.” But the summit that the Bible speaks of is not the current summit of presidents or kings. The answer you must surely find is this (spiritual summit). When the spiritual summit is set, everything begins to be seen. You must surely receive this blessing. But remnants, though young in age, can become this (spiritual summit). As you know, figures like Joseph and David were young in age, but in reality spiritually they were higher than a king. This is important. This (spiritual summit) does not show at all. It does not show, but there is something there. So Daniel went to do errands, and the kings found answers through him.
Acts 1:8
So Jesus expressed it like this at the end: “When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will receive power. Then you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Right now, most pastors say that the church is difficult. It is not that they lack faith or their character is wrong; it is that they have not found this (spiritual summit). When you find this part, answers become visible and I know the path I must go; but since they do not find this, it is hard to live in a difficult world. You come on Sunday, give worship, and must live through the whole week—if you have this (spiritual summit), you will surely become a witness. This (spiritual summit) is possible only for believers. Therefore most people are missing it. So it becomes very hard. It is doubly hard. Unbelievers live as they please in the world and suffer hardships, but we are not even that. Unbelievers live as they please and die. We are not even that. You must surely receive this blessing.
So when we speak of God’s judgment, one might understand it as “God will judge,” but that is not the point; there are two kinds of people.
John 8:44 (children of the devil) — hell
They themselves do not know and are offended, but Jesus diagnosed it. How offensive a statement is that? He called an unbeliever a child of the devil. It is extremely offensive, yet it is true.
1 Corinthians 3:16 (temple) — heaven
He called a saved person of God “a temple” in 1 Corinthians 3:16.
So what judgment are we speaking of? In the end, they go this way (to hell). That is the judgment. Because they inevitably served the devil, they must go to hell. When children are playing and the sun sets, they go home; they do not go to someone else’s house. They cannot go to someone else’s house. They must go to their own home. You do not go to heaven because you are very admirable; you go because you became a child of God. The reason even a very admirable person goes to hell is that they are a child of the devil.
[ Background ]
The problem is that this is a judgment, but it is also a present background. This is frightening. They have not yet gone, but this is their background.
[ Belonging ]
And in reality their belonging is like that. There is no way around it. My soul, my destiny, my belonging is either to this side (John 8:44, child of the devil) or this side (1 Corinthians 3:16, temple). Therefore those who do not know God, no matter how they try, suffer in vain and die. You have received this (1 Corinthians 3:16, temple) blessing, but since you are missing this (spiritual summit), strangely it is hard. You must surely find it.
▣ Main
Now, we cannot find everything in a single stroke today, but we must know three things.
1. Eternity
First, what is it? Your life does not end; it is eternal. Unbelievers say that when you die it is the end. It is not so. That is the saying of those who are going to hell—“end”—but it is not even “ending”; it is being ruined forever. If you look closely, this is frightening. You can tell when a person dies—there are signs. Those who have not received salvation—when ordinary people die, their mouths close. But some people speak. We have seen many who are on the verge of death. As an assistant pastor, when we go to visit those in difficulty, we often see this.
Amazingly, those who have not received salvation, the words they speak when dying are the same. Words—when their mouths close, they cannot speak; but when the mouth is open, they speak. They themselves have no will left. They simply speak things as they are. Some say that demons come in a swarm and seize them to take them away. It is probably so. That is the person who has not received salvation. Some rage and struggle, right? Because they are so afraid. “It is frightening.” The day of death is frightening. Why? Because they see the darkness and the demons drag them away—how frightening must that be? But saved people, commonly, are different. They speak differently. Some even ask us to sing a hymn. There are people who pass away while a hymn is being sung.
This is something that cannot be blocked or avoided. While we live we are unaware, but while we live it is like this (background). So it says, “Whoever does not believe is condemned already.” It is only a matter of time before that disaster comes; they are already condemned. If you know how important it is that you have been saved, you can enjoy this (spiritual summit).
Most people say, “These days I don’t go to church.” There are many like this. “In our house… I do my faith-life alone.” There are many. Some say, “My mother lived a good life of faith and my father did well, but I am not doing it these days.” There are many. They are utterly unaware of this background and value. So, the day you realize that God truly lives and governs my life—by then it is too late.
RT 7
So the answer that the seven remnants easily received was this (spiritual summit). They won unconditionally. This is the blessing you will receive. When you become the spiritual summit, you cannot even describe what it is. Simply put, because you have ascended to the top, you see it all. If you go to Seoul, there is a park called Namsan. From Namsan Park, cars—trains or buses—keep circulating. From the moment you ride, you see the whole of Seoul. Of course you cannot see an individual’s house, but you see the whole. Why? Because you have gone up to the top. At the moment we become the spiritual summit, we see many things.
2. The Role of Blocking
So second, what is the work we do? We must have the role of blocking those who live with a hell background. That is our commission.
3. Actualization
Third, what is it? You must carry out the work of making the heaven background a reality.
These three things. We are not dying. After all, your parents have passed away, right? We say, “They have gone to heaven,” but look at Psalm 90. From then on, answers come afterward.
[ 1. Eternity ]
It absolutely does not end with that. The things you are praying now—later there are even more answers that come. So when you look at homes whose parents prayed much, commonly their children end up enjoying many things. There is that difference.
1) Luke 16:19–31
In Luke 16:19–31 Jesus explained in a parable. You do not cease by dying. You exist forever. You simply move house, but you exist forever. Therefore your existence is forever. So Jesus asked: “The man who was rich lived for a moment and went to eternal hell. Lazarus the beggar was a beggar briefly but went to eternal heaven. Which is better?” That is the point. The parable Jesus gave is not saying that “if you live like a beggar you go to heaven.” It is not saying that “the rich go to hell.” Which is better: to have lived rich and be in eternal fire, or to have lived as a beggar briefly yet be in eternal heaven? Jesus explained that. So those who truly know this do not even grieve over going to heaven. Unbelievers, of course, must grieve. Why? Because they go to eternal hell and suffer—it is naturally sorrowful.
2) John 14:1–27
Jesus also explained in John 14:1–27. “If I prepare heaven, I will go and take you, and bring you there”—He even gave this explanation. “When the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, comes upon you, He will be in you and with you forever.”
3) Revelation 20:1–6 (1 Corinthians 15:20)
So, as explained in Revelation 20, all people will be raised, just as Jesus was. In 1 Corinthians 15:20 it says, “Jesus has become the firstfruits.” Human beings exist forever.
So when you truly gain great spiritual strength and become the summit, because of just one of you everything is brought to life. Do not miss this. For me, since this blessing is so important, I have no set prayer time; I simply do 24. Keeping your health in various ways is complicated. I simply do 24. Then we even get answers like, “Why do we need to build the temple?” This is not my idea but something in the Bible; and now, something others are not using has come out: 237, healing, summit—these terms are in the Bible, the most important things. If you continue enjoying this (spiritual summit) blessing, what is most important in the Bible—but what we are missing—comes into view: the three courtyards. It is the most important. So when you keep praying regarding construction, this (spiritual summit) comes out.
You must surely receive this blessing, this strength. Because of just one of you, your family line and even your company will all be revived. This is not a lie. Do not be deceived at all. When you become the spiritual summit, even though I have not studied much, I give realization to those who have. Such things happen. Ah, Joseph did not study a lot. But when he became the spiritual summit, events occurred such that he taught the king. Such things happen. You went as a subordinate, did errands, and yet you become the answer for others.
2. The Role of Blocking
1) The Rich (Hell)
Now, what should we do with the rich who will go to hell eternally—those who lived briefly and go to eternal hell? So during the time we are alive, we proclaim the gospel. But although we live forever, what is important is that you can be saved only when you have a body. Isn’t that amazing? That is why being alive is important. That is the only difference. Do you not receive heavenly rewards? After you die—once you go to heaven—what you do there is of course proper, but there are no rewards for that. Only while your body is on this earth do rewards accrue. In the story he speaks to Lazarus: “Then go to my father’s house; I have brothers—please warn them so that they will not come here.” Right? “They have the prophets and the Word, so we do not need to go; and we cannot go, and they cannot come.”
2) 12
Right now Satan uses twelve strategies. We must block them.
3) Disaster
As evidence, no matter how great a nation is, greater disasters come; and no matter how admirable a person is, disasters do not cease. It is certain. As long as one cannot enjoy this (spiritual summit) blessing, one must lie. One must deceive. One must pretend otherwise and live by force. Look at the members of the National Assembly in our country who do strange things. These are highly educated people. Right? Most of them passed the bar exam. Not everyone takes the bar exam. They are smart people who passed the bar, the civil service exam, and the like. Then why do they do such foolish things? A certain former member of the National Assembly took 50 million won and died, right? Why do such foolish things? It is not because they learned nothing. They cannot avoid disaster. Do presidents and prime ministers of nations know this? They cannot block the spiritual disasters that befall a nation.
You must be certain—those people do not know. You come to church—“I have become a church leader; I am a believer”—this is enormous, but they do not know it. Especially our church leaders now—you can save all when you gain this (spiritual summit) strength. If you do not have this (spiritual summit) strength, how will you save? And especially our young people—you have posterity. Your posterity must know something properly and act, but you say you have nothing to give? You must have this (spiritual summit) strength.
3. Actualization
Now, we carry out the actualization of this tremendous (1 Corinthians 3:16, temple) heaven background that we have.
1) Moses
So a few names are given—Moses. Even in his youth he saw this gospel and actualized it.
2) David
Several are named—David. A representative figure you know has been selected.
3) Obadiah
As you know, the church leader Obadiah. He was no ordinary person. He was not higher than the king, yet spiritually he was the summit beyond the king. So he blocked the disasters the king brought, saved the nation, and saved all.
4) Daniel
Now, look at Daniel. Because this one person enjoyed this background and blessing, all wisdom came through Daniel.
5) Paul
Through one Paul, a life-saving work arose with an influence greater than heroes—even greater than Napoleon.
▣ Conclusion_ [ Holy Meditation Time ]
So on Sundays or at special times, have a holy meditation time to enjoy this blessing. This time is extremely important. When you give worship today and meditate deeply, in fact even your body is healed—it is not only the spirit that is healed. When you enter deeply into the spiritual and enjoy deep happiness and strength—though it seems like nothing—works arise in your work. So when you become the summit, you realize several things.
1. The Three Courtyards
Why did Jesus teach this even with anger? Jesus never once got angry, but there was one time He did. When was it? When the three courtyards were removed—He became angry. If Jesus became angry to that degree, that means God became angry; we must not take that lightly. We must live the life of faith that restores this (the three courtyards), and build the temple that restores this (the three courtyards). Answers are bound to come. Truly pray. There must be a bartizan that sets up these three courtyards. The reason God used Paul specially—he sought out these three places. Since he was persecuted, Paul went straight to the courtyard of the Gentiles. He sought the synagogue, the children’s courtyard. He healed those whom the world could not heal—the courtyard of healing. He did so.
2. Forty Days – The Last (3·9·3)
And Jesus, for the last time, gave concentrated lectures for forty days. Can we take that lightly? Right? If you truly pray, answers are bound to come. During the forty days He spoke of this (3·9·3). It is 3·9·3—fifteen tremendous works are contained in it. They are bound to come.
3. The Ends of the Earth
And after forty days Jesus gave His final words—there is a command: “Go to the ends of the earth. You will be witnesses to the ends of the earth.” If so, I must have my “ends of the earth.”
Just hold the covenant. Then the answers will come. There is no need to worry. It is okay if problems come, okay if persecution comes, okay if tribulation comes. It does not matter at all. Realizing this, Paul spoke this way: “We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed.” Yes. Even if you are pressed on every side, you are not crushed. “Struck down, yet not destroyed.” He said so. It is not that nothing happens—things happen, but it is okay. “We are jars of clay, but we have this treasure.” Right? We are nothing as humans, but God’s Spirit is in us. We have a treasure. Therefore we must save these pitiful people who are like this (children of the devil)—those who cannot even realize it when told.
There is no need to do evangelism strangely. Right? Evangelize with this (spiritual summit). Do you understand? These days I see some people with a red marker writing on money, “Unbelief—hell; Jesus—heaven.” Do not do such things. It was on the news. And some, with frightening red letters, “Unbelief—hell; Jesus—heaven,” stand even at the airport with tracts. It is a bit embarrassing. In fact, that is not how you do evangelism. Become the spiritual summit. Right? Look in the Bible. Become the spiritual summit and give the answer.
I bless you in the name of Jesus Christ to surely enjoy this blessing today. Let us pray.
Prayer. God, we thank You. Let all our saints enjoy the blessing of the spiritual summit today. Make them witnesses who save the world. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.