2023.04.16 District Message
Scripture Reading: 1 John 1:9
Many people in the world do not know why they should go to church. They do not know why they should go and worship. They also do not know why the world continually experiences schizophrenia, suffering, and many problems. Suddenly, within just a few years, the number of people suffering from mental illness has greatly increased worldwide. Unable to endure, some have set fires. Without any reason, they kill people—it is not in their right mind. They do not even know why. This week, through your district Bible study, you must surely enjoy and convey something important.
God has forgiven us and granted atonement—but what exactly did He do? Only when you know this can you have assurance. Only then can you receive the 25 answers. Rather than explaining it with excessive complexity, there is something essential you must know and convey. If someone commits a crime and goes to prison—well, in a sense, that is inevitable, is it not? It is only right. If they suffer there, realize their wrong, and come out—then it is done. “I will never commit that crime again.” Then that’s enough. Or if someone says, “I used to do bad things, but I will stop,” then stop doing them. Is that not so? Jesus did not bear the cross because of such things. Why did Jesus bear the cross?
▣ Introduction
1. The sin of leaving God. The sin of leaving God—losing the way—that is why He bore the cross. To heal a cold? A cold can be cured with medicine, can it not? If I have bad habits, I can fix them. For that, there is no need for a church, nor is there a need to attend one. But this sin can never be solved without the mystery of the cross of Christ.
1) Genesis 3:4–5. In Genesis chapter 3, this tremendous incident occurred—being seized by Satan.
2) Genesis 6:4–5. As you know, after leaving God, people tried to live diligently but became Nephilim.
3) Genesis 11:1–8. They tried to live diligently, but in the end, they gained nothing. They became the Tower of Babel. They left God.
2. The spiritual problem of ancestors and the family line. Because of this, tremendous spiritual problems arose in the ancestors and family line. It may not appear outwardly, but they arose in many ways, both large and small.
1) Acts 13. So what are people doing all over the world? The sorcery found in Acts chapter 13.
2) Acts 16. The divination found in Acts chapter 16.
3) Acts 19. The great idol worship found in Acts chapter 19. People fall into these. Unbelievers do not consider these sins at all.
3. Suffering. As a result, what happens? Because they left God, continual suffering comes. What are the six types of suffering? People do not know at all.
1) John 8:44. Jesus taught, “You belong to your father, the devil.” That is serious. People are under this (John 8:44). They do not even realize it. Would any respectable person consider what is in (Introduction 1–2) to be sin? This is the difference. Having remained unaware for so long, the problem cannot be solved.
2) Exodus 20:1–5. Because suffering comes, without realizing it, they worship idols. Without realizing it—because they are so distressed and frustrated—they go to fortune-tellers. They continue to commit the grave sin that destroys even the next generation.
3) Matthew 11:28. Then illness of the heart begins. They thought this would bring happiness, but illness of the heart comes.
4) Acts 8:4–8. Physical sickness also comes—and it cannot be cured.
5) Matthew 27:25. It is passed down to the children.
6) Luke 16:19–31. It does not end there. One day they face death—and we must teach that death is not the end. They go straight to hell.
4. Disaster. The serious thing is that people were unaware of all this (Introduction 1–3), but from a certain time, global disasters have continually struck.
5. Crime. As a result, what happens most often now? (Murder) Crimes of murder arise more and more. People do not know that it all began from here (Introduction 1). Judges cannot sentence based on this (Main 1–3). They can only judge the act of killing.
(Suicide) What is the reverse of murder? Suicide. Suicide is also murder. Murder kills another; suicide kills oneself. People have fallen deeply into such problems. And because they have no happiness,
(Gambling) they rush into gambling. Among all industries in the world, gambling is where the most money is made and is the largest. You may live without relation to it, but most people with wealth, when they go abroad, always go to casinos. They fall into it. Losing money is serious, but even worse, borrowing there and being unable to repay leads to murder and great tragedies.
Christ
Therefore, to remove the cause of all these sins (Introduction 1–3), God promised to send Christ. That was God’s promise. Who would understand this? Intellectuals? Even those who study much do not know. Meanwhile, they remain trapped in (Introduction 1–3).
(Drugs) Even more seriously, when neither this nor that brings comfort, they give up. Thus, what is most popular now? Drugs. You may have nothing to do with it, but many young people in the field are falling rapidly into it. Truly, those with spiritual problems cannot escape once they fall into drugs. It is a grave situation.
There was a case: five boys went to catch frogs and died—still a mystery. Many theories exist, but one thing is certain. If the perpetrator had been known, they should have tracked those with mental illness. Without mental illness, no one would kidnap and kill five unrelated children and bury them in a mountain. Is that not so? Because they do not understand this, the police can only labor without finding the truth.
All these realities of darkness—Christ solved them completely on the cross. That is why this message follows.
▣ Main Message
1. Unconditional forgiveness. God forgives unconditionally. If conditions are attached, He cannot forgive. Seeing a thief, you might forgive by saying, “Hey, don’t steal again.” That is possible. But this enormous problem (Introduction) cannot be solved that way. Therefore, God forgives unconditionally those who believe in Christ. Do you understand?
1) The reason. Why is that?
(1) Original sin. Because original sin can never be solved. This (Introduction 1–3) is original sin. And this is the twelve original sins stemming from Satan’s strategy. These two (Introduction 4–5) follow from it. Therefore, escaping from this sin (Introduction 1–3) and being saved has no condition. There is no requirement of “how much” to do.
(2) Curse. Then there are many curses in the family line—hidden but unsolved. God promises to forgive and solve them unconditionally. That is why He promised Christ and commanded us to believe in Him. “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you and your household will be saved.” You must tell people this.
2) Romans 3:10, Romans 3:23. Therefore, in Romans 3:10 it says, “There is no one righteous, not even one.” There cannot be. So God promised Christ. In Romans 3:23 it says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” People do not understand what that means. It means everyone has fallen into this (Introduction 1). They cannot reach God’s glory. So God sent Christ and determined to forgive unconditionally. That is the meaning. Therefore, “For God so loved the world.” “That whoever believes in the Lord Jesus may have eternal life.”
3) Genesis 3:15, Exodus 3:18, Matthew 16:16–20. So what kind of Christ did God send? “The offspring of the woman will crush the serpent’s head.” Simply put, Christ will break the power of Satan. Do you now understand? People perish without knowing this problem (Introduction 1–3), so God brings this to those who believe. Because we must be set free, they were liberated on the day of the blood sacrifice. You cannot help it—you will be delivered from all the darkness surrounding you. Therefore, in Matthew 16:16–20, when Peter confessed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” what tremendous promise came? “The gates of Hades will not overcome you.” When he confessed that, he was set free. The powers of darkness will not overcome you.
2. Assurance. Therefore, you must have assurance about this. You may think, “I already believe, so what assurance do I need?” But for those still tormented by spiritual problems, how can they overcome? Because this is reality—fight with assurance. When you have assurance, there are a few things to reference.
1) Genesis 3:15, Genesis 6:14, Genesis 12:1–3. You must reference these (Genesis 3:15; 6:14; 12:1–3) because they are the way out of Genesis 3, 6, and 11.
2) Romans 7:23–25. Next, what assurance must you have? The power God gives you is not a power obtainable from the world. Today’s first service message, Romans 7:23–25, is very important. It contains Paul’s confession—please refer carefully.
3) John 9:3. In John 9:3, when asked, “Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” You must have assurance—otherwise, you cannot escape.
3. True healing. From the moment you gain assurance, true healing begins. From now on, pray only this prayer.
1) 1·3·8. The prayer that came from Mt Olive—through the Triune God, through Christ, only by the Holy Spirit, and the coming of God’s Kingdom—only this prayer brings healing.
2) Throne (Kingdom). The world does not know this. Jesus explained for forty days: “With the power of the throne I will be with you. The work of God’s Kingdom will be fulfilled.” From then, healing and the work of answers began.
3) 24·25·Eternity. When you receive this blessing, you enjoy the answer of 24·25·eternity that revives the past, present, and future—the three ages. Experience it for yourself.
▣ Conclusion [Deep Prayer]
Here is the conclusion. From now on, you must do this—have one time of deep prayer each day. Amazing answers will come. Then you will be able to speak with certainty. In today’s first service, many important things will come out. When you begin to pray properly, you will experience it. Then transformation comes—because when you experience God’s power, you change. No matter what others say, you will not be shaken. Why? Because those who have not experienced God’s power talk about many things. It does not matter. In a sense, it is fine to listen to everything others say, right or wrong. Because you enjoy God’s power, works will arise.
Especially, pastors across the nation and the world must remember this. Congregants will say many things. Just listen. Understand and listen. But that does not bring transformation. You must experience God’s power. Only then can you save your congregants. Those who are broken will speak broken words, and those who are mentally unstable will speak strange words—there will be many. Listen and help them. But when you experience God’s power, you can change everything. May you surely become witnesses who enjoy this experience. I bless you in the name of Jesus.
Prayer. God, we thank You. In this time of concentration, let us experience Your grace. As we pray today, let Your Kingdom come upon our field. As we worship and pray all day, may Your Holy Spirit work. Let all hardship, all darkness, and all unbelief be bound. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.