Who on Earth Is He?

Sunday 1st Service
Title/Scripture: Who on earth is he? (Matthew 8:23-27)
Speaker: Pastor Ryu Kwang-soo
Date/Location: February 13, 2022, Immanuel Seoul Church

Matthew 8:23-27
23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him.
24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep.
25 And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.”
26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.
27 And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

Summary
The person who put the words “Who on earth is Christ?” into my head is Dr. Kim Joon-gon. “How did the Lord do evangelism?” — this was written by a man named Robert Coleman. I saw, for once, pastors who were truly pastors.

▣ Introduction
1. When we only look to Christ, know him, believe in him, speak of him
1) Crosby, in an extreme situation, looked only to Christ, and the world was changed.
2) Just by knowing “Who is Christ?” an extraordinary door of answers was opened, and he led you to meet one another.
3) Those who believe in Jesus Christ as Savior have their destiny completely reversed.
4) People who suffer so greatly are dying, deceived and unknowing. He merely spoke of Christ, and history was made.

2. The background of the text and our situation
1) Background of the text – Jesus was with his disciples on the Sea of Galilee when a sudden wind arose. Jesus was sleeping, and the disciples were so anxious they woke Jesus and caused a commotion. Jesus said, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” and calmed the wind and sea. The people marveled, asking, “Who on earth is this man?”
2) Our situation – We have Christ with us, yet we are anxious. The disciples had been with Christ and seen him all along, yet they were still anxious. Even as we live our life of faith, even knowing who Christ is, we are anxious.

3. “Who on earth is Jesus Christ?” This is a question about life that must be answered decisively. An answer must be given to it.

▣ Main_ Who on earth is Jesus Christ?
1. He is the one who was prophesied.
1) Prophecy
(1) The birth of Jesus, the place, and that he would be born in a manger for animals — all were prophesied.
(2) That he would be executed on a cross and rise again was prophesied.
(3) It is certain that the prophetic writings were written before Jesus — the book of Isaiah, written 700 years before Jesus was born.
2) Three problems that humanity absolutely cannot solve
(1) Calamity that keeps pressing in, the more one acquires and the more one studies
(2) The mentally ill will keep multiplying. Satan’s organization — it cannot be overcome.
(3) People’s lives improve and their standards rise — so why is it harder? They cannot escape the hell background.
3) The word that resolves these three things is Christ. One must know what Christ means. He is the gift given by God. When you truly experience this part, amazing works of history occur. Even just knowing brings answers. I experienced it several times, and I became such a different person I could hardly believe it was me.

2. He is the Triune God.
1) Philippians 2:6 “who, though he was in the form of God” — he was originally in the form of God, but came to this earth as Christ in order to save.
2) John 8:58 “before Abraham was, I am.”
3) John 10:30 “I and the Father are one.”
4) Matthew 28:19-20 “baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
5) The last pulpit, Mt Olive — Christ, the Kingdom of God, only the Holy Spirit.

▷ If you have God in your home, it becomes a throne. Because we cannot go to God, he sent Jesus Christ so that by believing in him we would be resolved. The sin of departing from God, the sin of running errands for Satan, the sin that causes all people to fall into calamity, the sin that causes one to be caught in the hell background and perish for eternity — that is resolved only through Christ.

3. He is the one who made it possible for us to actually enjoy that power.
1) Luke 10:19 “I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy.”
2) Mark 3:15 “I called you so that I might give you authority to cast out demons.”
3) Matthew 16:18-19 When Peter made his confession of faith: “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. The gates of hell shall not prevail against you.”

▷ Try it. The authority of the name of Christ — it is tremendous. It may look as though you are simply praying in the name of Jesus Christ, but the answers will surely come with perfect precision.

▣ Conclusion_ Two Prayers
1. The prayer of enjoying one’s identity
1) May the power of the Triune God come upon me.
2) May the nine blessings of the heavenly throne come upon me within.
3) Give me the power to save the whole world.

2. The prayer of authority — it is to use it and to transmit it.
May all the forces of darkness be bound in the name of Jesus Christ.

▷ Try it. How long? Just keep doing it. Remarkable things are bound to happen.

￭ How blessed is the time of worship and prayer? (Revelation 8:3-5)
All our prayers and worship ascend and are collected in the bowl of incense before God.
1) In the time of praying and enjoying power in the name of Christ, one becomes spiritually healthy.
2) When, without worldly worry, one spiritually enjoys the authority of Christ’s name, the body is also healed.
3) More importantly, the backgrounds of the throne come pressing toward us.
4) Watch your future unfold.

▷ Pray this prayer today.

Transcript
When I was a young adult, I heard a sermon. “Who on earth is Christ?” It was a sermon by Pastor Kim Joon-gon. For the first time, I felt, “This is a pastor who has the gospel.”

I recognized that. Dr. Kim Joon-gon, the era-defining evangelist from Honam — listening to his sermons, I understood that “he bears witness to Christ with purity.”

Around 1997, Dr. Kim Joon-gon contacted me. He said he wanted to meet at the CCC (Korea Campus Crusade for Christ) building. I went to greet him, and he asked me this: “I listened to Pastor Ryu’s sermons on tape.” That is what he said. Then what he said at that time was: “Ten million disciples must arise before we can once proclaim the gospel to the world.” And then he quietly asked me something — “Where did this material, this source, come from?” I said, “There is no source — I just talked about what I felt from the Word of God while doing evangelism in the field.” What he said — I’m not sure exactly what he meant — was, “This is the message to raise ten million disciples and evangelize North Korea.” After that, he continued to care about us and pray for us. He even came in person to Deokpyeong and kept telling us, “Just do evangelism.” That is the kind of person he was.

When I was in university, I read a book — “The Master Plan of Evangelism.” The author is the renowned American theologian Dr. Robert E. Coleman. Reading his book, I felt, “Ah, this is a man who has grasped a great covenant!” He was the dean of the missions department at Trinity College in Chicago.

Around 2000, I was invited to give a lecture at that school. Trinity is a remarkable institution. When I did so, a fight broke out inside. “Oh, they say there are problems in Korea — let’s not listen.” Someone else said, “Let’s hear him.” A fight broke out. The head of that department was Dr. Robert Coleman. He was not at the school at that time but had gone abroad. The report would have gone up to him, wouldn’t it? So where did Dr. Robert Coleman call? He called the person he trusted most in Korea — Dr. Kim Joon-gon. He asked, “What kind of person is this young pastor named Pastor Ryu Kwang-soo?” Dr. Kim Joon-gon must have answered well. He said, “Complete gospel among gospels, an evangelist through and through.” So what did Dr. Robert Coleman instruct? He said, “Don’t do it in the classroom — gather everyone at the pulpit and have them all listen.” That is what happened. I gave the lectures and came back.

Then on September 18, 2005, when there was the Seocho branch church, Dr. Robert Coleman came to preach at our church. At that time I contacted Dr. Kim Joon-gon and asked him to come and give the benediction since Dr. Robert Coleman was coming, and he came. Oh, I was so surprised at that time — the two of them had never met before that day, and they greeted each other and so on. I received such grace, and to this day, even if there are no other people’s photos in my room, the photo of those two men with me is still up on the wall.

“Who on earth is Christ?” — the person who put that word into my head is Dr. Kim Joon-gon. That phrase belongs to him, you know? “Who on earth is Christ?” “How did the Lord do evangelism?” — that was written by a man named Robert Coleman. Indeed, for once I saw pastors who were truly pastors.

▣ Introduction
If you were placed in an extreme situation, what would you need to do?

1. When we only look to Christ, know him, believe in him, speak of him
1) Crosby, in an extreme situation, looked only to Christ, and the world was changed.
As you know, a person named Crosby encountered an extreme situation. Suddenly, through an accident — through some medication — she lost her sight, lost her eyes. At that time, Crosby did one thing. She looked only to Christ. She did not even know it herself. Just how much we fail to look to Christ — this blind woman looked only to Christ, and the world was changed.

2) Just by knowing “Who is Christ?” an extraordinary door of answers was opened, and he led you to meet one another.
When I was studying, I struggled greatly for ten years, but just by knowing who Christ is, an extraordinary door of answers was opened, and I was led to meet all of you. It was far more than that.

3) Those who believe in Jesus Christ as Savior have their destiny completely reversed.
Who on earth is Jesus Christ — when I knew this and explained it just a few times, history was made. The moment I entered Yeongdo — a young man there was running a store called Yeongdong Sanghoe. A fortune-teller had told his fortune, and the prediction was definite — he would die in September. I shared the clear gospel with him. Those who believe in Jesus Christ as Savior have their destiny completely reversed. He is still alive today.

4) People who suffer so greatly are dying, deceived and unknowing. He merely spoke of Christ, and history was made.
I was going upstairs for a Bible study, and at the bottom of the staircase was a woman, crying. As I walked in, I had one of our church deacons bring her in. She still comes to our church in Busan today. I won’t mention her name. She attended the upper room there. Her mother-in-law had her fortune told, and the fortune-teller said that if her son lived with this daughter-in-law, the husband would die. So the mother-in-law was telling her to leave, to pack her bags and go. This woman was now explaining, through tears, at the Bible study, why she was crying. She could understand her mother-in-law saying that, but when her husband heard the same and also told her to go — that is what broke her. I spoke simply. I demonstrated that Jesus is the Christ. I prayed a prayer of reception. The destiny was finished. The moment you receive Jesus Christ as Savior, all destiny is reversed. She is still alive. This has happened not once or twice. People who suffer so greatly are dying, deceived and unknowing — yet he merely spoke of Christ, and history was made.

2. The background of the text and our situation
1) Background of the text
Today, Jesus and his disciples were at the Sea of Galilee when suddenly a strong, violent wind arose. Jesus was sleeping, and the disciples were so anxious they woke Jesus and caused a great commotion. Today Jesus said, “Why are you afraid?” He said, “Why are you afraid? O you of little faith!” and calmed the wind and sea. Then the people saw it and marveled: “Who on earth is this man?”

The Sea of Galilee is about 21 km long and about 13 km wide, and apparently it is hollowed out like a pit 200 meters deep. So strong winds can blow across it, they say. According to accounts from people who experienced it, sometimes winds blow for about three days straight and everything gets tossed around.

2) Our situation
We have Christ with us, yet we are anxious. The disciples had always been with Christ. Yet they were anxious. Jesus said, “O you of little faith” — even as we live our life of faith, we are anxious. Even knowing who Christ is, we are anxious. It is exactly the same situation.

3. “Who on earth is Jesus Christ?” This is a question about life that must be answered decisively. An answer must be given to it.
Who on earth is Jesus Christ? You must answer this question about your life decisively. Don’t you know? There was a man who began writing to oppose belief in Jesus Christ and to reject the Word of God. And then something happened — he fell completely on his knees before Christ. He changed his mind and wrote a new book. That book also became a film. The work is called “Ben-Hur.” The person who wrote that work is a man named Lewis Wallace.

Who on earth is Christ? He never wrote a single word, yet he is the Christ who left behind more books than anyone — who is he? He never once fought, yet he is the Christ who conquered the world — who is he, I ask? In 2022, before and after — is it not by the standard of Jesus? Who is that protagonist, I ask? Many heroes have arisen, but they cannot compare with him. Jesus Christ, who never once attacked another and yet conquered the entire world — that is who I am asking about.

▣ Main_ Who on earth is Jesus Christ?
You must give an answer to this.

1. He is the one who was prophesied.
This is the first point. He is the one who was prophesied.
1) Prophecy
There is nothing to say. Scientists have nothing to say. The birth of Jesus — prophesied. Even the place — prophesied. Even that he would be born in a manger for animals — prophesied. Even more remarkably, that he would be executed on a cross and rise again — that was prophesied. And the remarkable thing is that now that science has advanced, isn’t that a good thing? Because science advanced, it has become certain that these prophetic writings were written before Jesus. Most of it appears in the book of Isaiah, and the book of Isaiah was written 700 years before Jesus was born — yet it was prophesied with such precision.

2) Three problems that humanity absolutely cannot solve
Humanity absolutely cannot solve three problems. The more one acquires and the more one studies, calamity keeps pressing in — it cannot be resolved. The mentally ill will keep multiplying. Satan’s organization — it cannot be overcome. And yet as people’s lives improve and their standards rise, why is it harder? They cannot escape the hell background. The word that resolves these three things is Christ. It is a remarkable thing. There has been no more important thing in all of history. I respect monks who practice in the mountains. But these three things cannot be resolved for you. You must know what Christ means. He is the gift given by God. You must absolutely remember this. When you truly experience this part, remarkable works of history occur.

Even just knowing brought answers, I found. I experienced this several times, and even I myself could not believe it — I became an entirely different person. To the point where you cannot believe it yourself, answers come — this is something that is hard to put into words. I feel like I am not even myself anymore.

In the old days, I was someone for whom nothing ever worked out. So much illness in my family — just a family full of sick people. So thoroughly steeped in idol worship, I tell you — a family completely reeking of idol worship. I simply came to know Christ. When I was young and did not know Christ, I was someone who worried about how I would eat and survive. Unable to feed myself — how would I survive? Incapable of sustaining even one household — how would I live? That was the kind of person I was, I tell you.

Now the family of 300,000 exceeds even 300,000. This family is praying for me. There is evidence that it exceeds 300,000. Because in any given week, after I preach a sermon, over 200,000 connections come in. Who on earth is this Jesus Christ, I ask.

2. He is the Triune God.
This is the second point. He is the Triune God.
1) Philippians 2:6
In Philippians 2:6 it says, “who, though he was in the form of God.” So he was originally in the form of God, but came as Christ to this earth, in order to save. I absolutely could not believe this in the old days. Now I absolutely believe it. Why? Because without this, the spiritual problems of the human world cannot be resolved.

2) John 8:58
In John 8:58, Jesus said this: “Before Abraham was, I am.”

3) John 10:30
In John 10:30, Jesus said, “I and the Father are one.” Because they could not understand this, the Jews attacked Jesus on charges of blasphemy.

4) Matthew 28:19-20
In Matthew 28:19-20, he said this: “baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

5) The last pulpit, Mt Olive
Even from Mt Olive, the last pulpit, it came forth. Christ, the Kingdom of God, only the Holy Spirit.

Now, if you have the president in your home, it becomes the Blue House, right? If you have a king in your home, it becomes a palace. If you have God in your home, it becomes a throne. Right?

Therefore, because we cannot go to God, he sent Jesus Christ and made it so that by believing in him we would be resolved. The Jews probably found this hard to understand. Because they only know the physical. They probably found it hard to understand. Jews think that not lying, doing good deeds — that is virtue, and doing the opposite is sin. The sin of departing from God, the sin of running errands for Satan, the sin that causes all people to fall into calamity, the sin that catches one in the disease of hell and causes one to perish for eternity — that is resolved only through Christ. That is why it is a word of tremendous importance.

3. He is the one who made it possible for us to actually enjoy that power.
This is the final, third point. He is the one who made it possible for us to actually enjoy that power.

This is what is important. What good is it to have all the theory in the world? What good is it to practice all religion in the world? He is the one who made it so that we can actually enjoy the blessing.

1) Luke 10:19
In Luke 10:19 it says: “I give you authority.” What kind? “Authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and to restrain all the power of the enemy.” Jesus said it.

2) Mark 3:15
In Mark 3:15, what did he say? “I called you so that I might give you authority to cast out demons.”

3) Matthew 16:18-19
When Peter made his confession of faith, he said a remarkable thing. “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church.” And then what did he say? “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus said it. “Whatever you open on earth shall be opened in heaven, and whatever you close on earth shall be closed in heaven. The gates of hell shall absolutely not prevail against you.” This is it. Try it for yourself. History is bound to occur.

I will continue in the second service today, but Jesus did not merely come and go as Messiah and Christ. He is the one who made it so that we can actually enjoy it — that is the point. That is what is important. Back when I was an assistant pastor, I was doing a lot of evangelism, and there was a shaman’s house next to ours. They had moved in. Try it for yourself. I grabbed that gate and prayed — went to early morning prayer every day and prayed. They shut down completely. I’m telling you, try it.

I told you before. We went to Miryang with the choir, and we were sitting down to eat — we had finished worship and were about to eat — when someone came up and kept begging us. “Not here — can’t you move around to the back?” they said. “Why?” I asked. “Is this your land?” they said. “No,” they replied. “Then we are gathered here right now — why are you telling us to leave?” “Ah, we are asking, please, can’t you just go around to the back?” “What is the reason?” I asked. “Why?” “Ha — this is a place where a gut ritual is being performed, and because you are here, the spirits are not coming.” There was a gut ritual happening right next door. “Ah!” I understood what they meant. I quietly said to the congregation on purpose — “Do not leave. Stay right here.” They couldn’t do it. The authority of the name of Christ is tremendous. To you, it may look as though you are simply praying in the name of Jesus Christ, but the answers will surely come with perfect precision. Please believe it. Try it.

▣ Conclusion_ Two Prayers

I will speak about this in the second service. The prayers are two.

1. The prayer of enjoying one’s identity
This is the prayer of enjoying one’s identity. Right? What identity?
1) May the power of the Triune God come upon me.
“May the power of the Triune God come upon me.” This is identity.
2) May the nine blessings of the heavenly throne come upon me within.
“May the nine blessings of the heavenly throne come upon me within.”
3) Give me the power to save the whole world.
“Give me the power to save the whole world.” Right? This is the identity prayer.

2. The prayer of authority — it is to use it and to transmit it.
May all the forces of darkness be bound in the name of Jesus Christ.

What is the prayer of authority? It is to use it and to transmit it. “May all the forces of darkness be bound in the name of Jesus Christ.” Try it. History is bound to occur. I’m telling you, try it. How long? Just keep doing it. Remarkable things are bound to happen.

When I was young, my mother always prayed this prayer, and she said something important to me. It has stayed in my head to this day. What she said was, “I have no time to worry.” That is what she said. She said people who do worry, fret, and fight at church must be comfortable enough to afford it. “Not a single day — if I am to keep you all alive, I must work.” That was it. “And I must pray.” That was it. No time to worry. Her words still echo in my head. Oh, how fervently she must have prayed — she said she had no time to worry.

During my time as an assistant pastor, I came to understand this covenant. Who on earth is Christ — and I simply prayed to enjoy this and to use the authority, and God is bound to work.

￭ How blessed is the time of worship and prayer? (Revelation 8:3-5)
How blessed is the time of worship and prayer? Revelation 8:3-5 unfolds. What is it? All your prayers and your worship ascend fully and are collected in the bowl of incense before God.
1) In the time of praying and enjoying power in the name of Christ, one becomes spiritually healthy.
When you pray this and spend time enjoying power in the name of Christ, your spirit becomes healthy — in this very time.
2) When, without worldly worry, one spiritually enjoys the authority of Christ’s name, the body is also healed.
Not constantly worrying about the world, but in this time spiritually enjoying the authority of Christ’s name — your body is also healed. Right?
3) More importantly, the backgrounds of the throne come pressing toward us.
More importantly, the backgrounds of the throne come pressing toward us. Just wait and see.
4) Watch your future unfold.
Watch your future unfold. Pray this prayer today. “Who on earth is he?” The people asked the question. I bless you in the name of the Lord Jesus, that this may become an important schedule for you. Let us pray.

Prayer. We give thanks to God. We thank you for making us know a covenant like a miracle. Excellent people, those who possess much, do not know and are in the midst of calamity — give us the schedule to transmit it to them. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.