2023.06.18 District Message
Scripture Reading: Hebrews 9:27-28
God’s providence—this means that God is fulfilling what He has predestined. You must understand the meaning of the 25 answer. After Jesus gave the covenant of Mt Olive, the Early Church received great power to save the world. It was a world completely different from what had existed before. We are not passing through this time of God’s providence and the 25 answer properly. That’s why we end up living similarly to unbelievers. There is an answer that can save unbelievers, but because we cannot reach this (25 answer) part, we keep following along behind them. Still today, many church members think that if they just try hard, things will work out. So they think they must compete and fight to win. That is not entirely wrong, but it is not what the Bible says. As you know, did Joseph fight and compete to win? If that were the way, it would be too hard for us to live. God prepared something so that we can save them. Finding that is the (25 answer).
▣ Introduction
Then, what must we first think about?
1. A life with a time limit
After all, we live a life with a time limit. If you know this, there is no reason to become arrogant, and no reason to be discouraged. Everything has already been determined. Whether we like it or not, everything about us has been fixed, and this date was determined by God.
2. A life lived once
Therefore, on this earth, we live only once.
3. Only today
So in fact, June 18, 2023—today—is the only June 18. Tomorrow will be June 19. Within this (introduction), God’s providence is fulfilled. Most people—though it’s not necessarily bad—try not to grow old. So they undergo cosmetic surgery, do skin care, and all that. Some people try hard to look prettier. Doing so isn’t bad and can be helpful. However, if we are to truly receive answers, we shouldn’t try not to age but should age well. We shouldn’t be worried about what to do as we grow old but should prepare for it. Students too, while studying, shouldn’t only study but should prepare for “What will I do after graduation?”
If we make a mistake, we end up looking ahead to the future like unbelievers, saying we will prepare for ourselves. But that’s not our way. “What does God desire?” That is the believer’s way. Then what has God, who governs our lives, prepared through us? When I was studying in college and seminary, I saw that most seminary students thought, “After graduation, how will I serve at a church, or how will I go abroad to study?” Those aren’t bad thoughts; they’re good thoughts. But I thought differently. “Why am I in seminary? Why am I studying at the university and graduate level? What is God preparing me for?” Then the answer came easily. It wasn’t complicated. “Ah, God wants me to properly do evangelism.” How simple that is. So I prepared for that.
Preparing for that doesn’t mean immediate change. There were many good students besides me—people with great skills and backgrounds—so they prepared in their own ways. But ten years after graduation, I found that among those who had been with me, almost none were doing evangelism movement. We keep preparing for the wrong thing.
Anyway, we must all go someday. And since we live only once, and today exists for that reason, what must we prepare? How important that is—it’s your life. Isn’t that so? God saved you and called you to give life to others—how could you treat that lightly? When you are sick and go to a hospital, you check which hospital is good; you don’t just go anywhere.
〔What God Desires〕
That’s why we are different from unbelievers. We only need to do this (what God desires). What God desires. Even if you haven’t yet found it, if you just keep this heart, important answers come. God said to David, “I saw your heart.” Right? Because we are not omnipotent, even if we cannot do great things, preparing for what God desires—this is very important.
There was a soldier who had spent his whole life in the military. When he was discharged, he thought, “What should I do now? What does God want?” As he asked that question, the answer came easily. “Ah, I’ve long held an important post in the army, but now I realize that’s not it. Soldiers come to the army too late. No matter how much I train them, they don’t change. So they came too late.” Asking that question brought the answer. “Ah, I see.” He had the right realization. Then he thought, “What should I do for young people?” So he created the Boy Scouts—what you’ve often heard of. That spread to more than 200 countries. One old soldier, after discharge, thought about that and started it. Then women said, “We can’t just sit still,” and created the Girl Scouts. It gave great influence to many young people.
We, too, if we do not have a sure answer to this (what God desires), we keep feeling anxious and worrying about the future.
▣ Main
1. The Bible – Worldview
There are three paths here. We must take note. Many people say this or that, but the Bible presents a worldview. The Bible speaks of three things.
1) Worldly kingdom [ (food, clothing, shelter) ]
They all exist—the worldly kingdom. But only the Bible speaks of this clearly.
2) Satan’s kingdom (Genesis 3, 6, 11)
Satan’s kingdom—this constantly tries to destroy the worldly kingdom.
3) God’s kingdom (3·9·3)
Then there is God’s kingdom. These three. If we understand these, many of our interpretations and actions will differ.
Ultimately, people of the world know only this (food, clothing, shelter). They just live to eat and die. “Let’s eat well, live well, and die well.” That’s it. Why do they study? To live well. Eat well, live well, die well. It’s not wrong, but because it ends there, Satan used it. He made Genesis 3, 6, and 11 and began to destroy humankind. So God did not leave things that way. He sent Christ so that the Triune God could be with us. Because these are unseen problems, He works invisibly within us.
I once asked a shaman, “You believe in spirits; why don’t you believe in God?” Isn’t that right? “You believe in spirits.” She said, “Yes.” Then I said, “Then you should believe in God.” She thought for a while and realized that was true. “Why do you believe in spirits but not in God?” Many people believe in the spiritual world of Satan but not in God’s kingdom. Therefore, whatever situation you face, it’s okay. That’s why it is said, “Enjoy the blessing of the throne.” Don’t worry about the future. The three ages—past, present, and future—He promised to bless.
This is our worldview. This is fact, before we even speak of certainty. Unbelievers don’t know this (Main 1), so even when they succeed, they fall into problems. When they succeed, they do wrong things. Why? Because they live only for this (food, clothing, shelter). “Since I’ve succeeded, I must live well and eat well.” So they end up stealing unnecessary money and getting caught—always the same. Think about it: someone was a minister or a member of parliament, with enough to live for life, yet out of greed steals and gets caught. Always like that. Why? Because of this (food, clothing, shelter). That’s the worldly kingdom. So no matter how hard national leaders try, they can’t go beyond these three (food, clothing, shelter). God called you to use the blessing of this (God’s kingdom) to block that (Satan’s kingdom).
2. The End
No matter how people deny it, three kinds of end will come. Right?
1) Personal end
The personal end will come. I always think not only of remnants but also of elders in Busan and our church here—“I wish they would live healthily and long.” Every time I see them, every time I pray, I think that. When I go to Busan too, though the remnants are important, the elders—those elderly women—pray even more. People don’t know what prayer really is because they don’t know the spiritual world. So they don’t realize how great the power of the prayer of these older people is, even if they don’t go out much. Even you yourselves say, “I’m old now.” But you can truly pray. Isn’t that right? It’s just that many don’t know prayer. To know prayer is a tremendous thing. Why do evil spirits work in regions full of conflict? They do. The Bible says so—Ephesians 4:27, 1 Peter 5:7-8. The Bible says that when people worry and fight, evil spirits keep working. Therefore, the prayer of one of you is tremendous. Even if it seems nothing is happening, it will surely work in the future generations and in your future.
But for each person, the personal end comes according to God’s timetable. You must remember this. For those who don’t know God, “personal end” means they died. But what follows is great. It’s not because we are good, but because we are God’s children, after our personal end we go to God’s kingdom. Right? No matter how great someone was, if they belong to Satan, they must go to Satan’s kingdom. That’s why we keep preaching the gospel—because people don’t know. But after this (personal end), something happens. Moses confessed in Psalm 90, “Satisfy us according to the days You have afflicted us, and show Your works to Your servants and Your glory to their children.” Right? What’s frightening is that when a person who served as a shaman dies, it’s not over. The spiritual problem that tormented that mother—the work of Satan—passes to the descendants. What can we do about that? It’s very important.
2) End of an age
In every age, there is also an end of an age. That’s another reason we do gospel movement. Each era has its end. Bill Gates saw this well. “Ah, inevitably the digital age is coming.” He saw it. “The analog age is inevitably going.” So, though he was a Nephilim, he gained inspiration and made something in college that shook the world. He did nothing, yet money poured in. He saw the age.
We must see the age spiritually. The Korean church has entered an age of church closures. Right? Once closures start, things happen quickly. We must stop this. That’s why God has sent us to a tremendous place. Here, through the three-day weekend age, we must truly pray for our future generations and ourselves. Right? When our future generations face difficult circumstances, they must overcome with the power of prayer. If they cannot, what will happen? There is an end of an age.
3) End of the earth
And all scholars have predicted the same thing—it’s in the Bible too. The end of the earth. The Bible prophesied it long ago, but now scholars see it and prove that the earth will disappear. We’re too busy to worry about the end of the earth, but we must take care of this (personal end).
3. Preparation
And now, since we know this, we prepare for our life with a time limit.
1) Remnants – Future
Remnants, you are not trying to receive answers now but are steadily preparing for the future.
2) Young adults – Field (Missionary)
And our young adults—though there are many things—now must prepare to save the field. Think, “I am a field missionary.” Prepare for that.
3) Elderly – Next generation
Now, for us older adults, we prepare to raise the next generation. What could be more important than this?
▣ Conclusion – 7 Journeys
Within these (main) things, God’s providence is fulfilled. The conclusion of that providence is walking the journey. Right? The journey can be summarized in seven parts. What are these seven?
1. Trinity
We do not just go; we go where the Triune God works. That is our journey. We don’t want to offend unbelievers, but unbelievers are inevitably under the control of darkness and Satan. It’s the truth. So of course they perform rituals, hold ancestral rites, and do all that when problems come—because they must follow that. But we don’t need to. We go to the place where the Triune God works through His Word, salvation, and power.
2. 10 Secrets
Because of that, when we go out into the world, there are many crises. But no—it means we survive any crisis. The 10 secrets. If you now ask, “What are the 10 secrets?” that would be difficult—look them up. To summarize one: God gives answers from the opposite side we never expected. Right?
3. 10 Footstools
There are many things that shake us. So, the 10 footstools. This is our journey. We use them as footstools as we go. If you ask, “What are the 10 footstools?” I’ve spoken about them since 20 years ago.
4. 5 Assurances
From this point, assurance comes. Right? In five of the most important areas of life, assurance comes. This is the way we go.
5. 9 Flows
Then you see the world is not that simple. We change and overcome without fighting. That’s the 9 flows. This is our journey.
6. Answers (62)
Then, in my lifetime, I find the answer. Right? Before going, I find the answer. Summing them up, we found about 62 in the Bible. Probably there are tens of thousands, but you see the answer in your life.
7. Camp (Throne)
From this point, the final remaining journey—all our paths become camp. A camp that enjoys the blessing of the throne. This is fact. Don’t look at hardship and think it’s hard. It only looks hard. For you, it’s camp. “Our family is struggling.” It may look that way. But if you are deceived by that, you will keep being deceived. It’s camp. “Why is there a disabled person in our family?” Simple. Why? It means to do missions. It’s not something to think of as difficult. Why? Because if He hadn’t given it, you wouldn’t know. “Why were we sent as slaves?” To evangelize that nation. So God already gave a tremendous answer. Everything is camp.
Pray all day today. Especially today, when there are many guests for the dedication service, may God’s great plan be fulfilled in you. I bless you in the name of the Lord Jesus. Let us pray.
Prayer. God, we give thanks to You. Let the power of healing arise in the midst of today’s worship. Let the sick gain strength, and let even unknown illnesses be healed through the work of the Holy Spirit. As we pray throughout today, let Your kingdom come upon our field. Grant us the strength to accept differing opinions and problems from others. Let the mystery of God that saves them arise. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.