2026.05.03 District Message Week 18
「The Promise of Blessing After Judgement」(Ge 9:1-29)
Today is the day our worldwide churches are worshiping together as a community in Hong Kong. Because of the Noah’s flood disaster, all who did not believe in God came to die. But Noah’s family came to live because of the flood. Those who are not God’s children will be utterly destroyed when difficulty comes. But God’s children receive even greater blessing because of difficulty. And so after wandering, a road always becomes visible. And though it seems like you are being tested, when it passes, the answer becomes visible. What you thought was a great tribulation turns out to become a highway. After disaster, happiness always comes again.
“The Promise of Blessing”
After the judgment of Noah’s flood, God gave blessing and made a promise. It was not some other promise — He promised to pour out blessing.
1. New Blessing
So though Noah’s flood came, He gave new blessing to the descendants. And with it He promised something remarkable today.
1) Genesis 9:1
Genesis chapter 9 verse 1: “He blessed them and said, be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.”
2) Genesis 9:2
In verse 2: “All things were given into their hands.” So everything became Noah’s.
3) Genesis 9:4-7
And also: “Rule over them.”
(Word)
So today you must find new blessing through the Word. Today, through the Word all day long, you must absolutely find new blessing.
2. Eternal Promise
After that suffering He gave an eternal promise to the descendants. What does this mean? Even today, during worship, you hold onto the promise God gives you. Many people pass over it casually. During worship, the new blessing and promise God gives. He gave a promise to Noah and his family and descendants.
1) Genesis 9:8-9
In chapter 9 verses 8 and 9, He made a promise.
2) Genesis 9:10
And He also gave blessing to every living creature that came out of the ark. Even animals must receive blessing. That is right?
3) Rainbow
And not only did He give blessing to every living creature that came out of the ark, but through the rainbow He showed the covenant through nature. So in chapter 9 verse 11: “I will not judge again by flood.” In chapter 9 verse 12: “The sign of the covenant I am establishing for all generations forever.” Though it is a rainbow appearing in the natural world, the blessing God gives us covenantally is great. This is a promise God gives to us who live in this world, that is what it means. So we can see a rainbow in other places too. But this rainbow is different. It is a rainbow that appeared after a flood came and everyone was dying.
In the old days, when guarding sheep, protecting them by throwing stones — everyone did that. What does this mean? The stone that David threw was different, that is what it means. Doesn’t a rainbow appear at any time? So whatever small thing you are doing, what is in your hands is different. Imagine what a tremendous thing that was at that moment. How they were dying from the flood and then a rainbow appeared.
You must always receive the greatest grace on Sunday. When possible, on Sundays pray all day long and hold onto the Word. Hold on to the point where you can see that Word being fulfilled during the six days. This is very important. You see the Word living and working. You must receive that blessing today.
3. Mistakes
Now, mistakes appeared. We can make mistakes too. What mistakes did Noah, who received such blessing, make — well, he planted grapes and the land was thriving and so on.
1) Noah
Such a righteous man who prayed much, yet Noah ate too much wine and got drunk.
2) Ham
And so his son Ham made an even greater mistake. It was a mistake, and Noah’s mistake might make us think “How could he do such a thing?” — you could be tempted there. Who made the even greater mistake at that point? Ham did. He went around talking about it all over the neighborhood.
3) Shem — Japheth
At that point Shem and Japheth, simply put, took a blanket or garment and covered their father. And they did so with deep care and respect for their father, walking backward to cover him. But Ham went around talking about what was wrong. And God cursed Ham. Even now, the people who seem to be in the most difficult and suffering places in the whole world are actually the descendants of Ham, it could be said. The people of the West who have received rather more blessing are descendants of Japheth. We Koreans belong to the Semitic lineage and have received that kind of blessing. To say it so flatly would itself be a mistake. But that is the situation that emerged.
[Understanding]
It is extremely important for you to understand and help those who have made mistakes. Looking around you, families too can make mistakes. There are many people who end up wounded or wounding others over such things. It may seem like nothing, but it has tremendous bearing on and relation to life. When difficulty or conflict comes to your family, how you handle it has bearing on answered prayer, I tell you. This is a very important lesson. Having received such great blessing, there are times when we easily make mistakes like this. The very thing that can be answered today — difficulties can come even within your family. Depending on how you understand it, great blessing and difficulty diverge. The same is true within the church. There are times when people are at odds and in conflict with each other. Look at the whole Bible. Whether answered prayer comes or not at that point makes a tremendous difference. Look at the seven Remnants. What is the difference between Joseph’s brothers and Joseph? We miss many parts of this.
Understand the family member who made a mistake. It is not saying that what they did was right. That is right? It was a mistake. People arise in church work who end up in conflict. You must be able to understand that. The difference in that produces a tremendous difference in blessing.
It was just before I came to this church, when I was still an associate pastor. The church was being put to the test and difficulties were coming. What elders most need to be cautious about is this: when there is some hurt feelings or friction within the church, tremendous spiritual difficulty comes. No — personally they were very important and fine people, but they changed in strange ways.
So we may appear to be nothing, but it has great bearing on answered prayer. David understood the very wrongful life of King Saul. He prayed for King Saul. Even when King Saul died, David wept bitterly. He should have said “good riddance” — yet he wept bitterly. To whom did God give this immense blessing? To David.
When problems arose in the church, people completely switched to law. There was no gospel. They condemned each other. Later even the ministers went that way. I was shocked by something. It was like they just didn’t believe in God at all anymore. They changed. So at that point I received a great answered prayer. I committed to 40 days of prayer alone. “Let me go somewhere good and minister there.” I finished the 40 days and started again. I did 40 days twice — wrote down the Scriptures and did all of that — and after doing that twice I realized: “I was praying wrongly. What should I do for my personal benefit?” That was the prayer I had prayed. I was worried about my future, praying for God to guide it. That was wrong. I had concentrated for 40 days and that is what I realized. That is an enormous thing. At that point God put it in my heart: “Do well what you are doing now. Do you know what is most urgent for the church right now? Do that.” A truly great answered prayer came.
So I brought a proposal and report to the senior pastor. “Our church has many people with a sense of calling. I will raise up these called workers and do an evangelism movement. We need to create an evangelism school, call the church’s called workers in the evenings, teach evangelism, and run an evangelism movement.” The pastor was very glad and said, “Do that.” And then, in the evenings — we mainly met on Thursdays and Fridays — an unexpectedly large number of called workers came. And this word “evangelism school” became my lifetime of answered prayer.
When I came to our church, what was the very first thing? In the first two weeks of meetings we started with the evangelism school. When training pastors in Busan for evangelism — evangelism school. Even now when something starts in another region or country, I open an evangelism school. This time so many disciples arose. Look at that. That was an answered prayer that covered my whole life. So I left that church and came here, didn’t I? Those ministers who were embroiled in the fighting in the church — as far as I know, almost none of them are doing pastoral ministry now.
For you, blessing and promise are important, but when such things (mistakes) happen, something very important takes place. Now, as if God were showing off, He blessed me — and after that I came here to Yeongdo. From that time until now, only those who do the gospel movement — God has been sending them as church leaders, and it has continued to the present. Now that war has broken out, airfares have tripled — tripled. Yet mission workers from overseas keep coming. We received much grace this time. I was so astonished at the fact that people we didn’t even know had received this gospel and were doing the Word movement. Even with no conditions for it. As we meet those mission workers through the screen like this, covenants that cannot be expressed in words become visible.
Absolute Sovereignty
Do not be discouraged. You must believe in God’s absolute sovereignty.
Absolute Plan
Do not be flustered. God has an absolute plan.
Absolute Covenant
We also easily get shaken if we are not careful. God gives you an absolute covenant. And He will give it again. So you must go forward with confidence.
Absolute Journey
No matter how difficult the wilderness, we must absolutely go on the journey God gives, and so we must not be shaken. There is no need to be discouraged or to suffer greatly in your heart. No matter how many obstacles there are, we are going to the land of Canaan. No matter how much the forces of darkness rage, world evangelization will happen.
Absolute Goal
God has certainly prepared it. He has prepared the absolute goal of world evangelization. It is within this.
This time I said to our Elder Park here in Hong Kong: “The fact that someone like you, Elder, is here is itself something to be grateful for.” That is right? The fact that you elders, you who have the covenant, are here is itself a blessing. So many people don’t know these things. The fact that a church leader with the gospel is beside us is itself a thing to be grateful for. Light makes no sound, yet darkness flees. This light seems to make no noise, yet it gives us life. Christ came as light. And to those who receive that light, even those who believe in His name, the authority to become children of God was given. I bless you in the name of Jesus Christ that today will be a time of receiving great grace.
Prayer
Thank You, Lord. May today be a day of healing, a day when darkness retreats, a day when curses and disasters are bound, a day when we are clothed in God’s new grace. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.