Sunday 1st Service – Title/Scripture: The Fruit of the Gospel (Matthew 7:15-20) – Speaker: Pastor Ryu Gwang-su – Date/Place: January 23, 2022, Immanuel Church
Matthew 7:15-20
15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?
17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.
19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
Summary
Jesus preached a sermon on the mountain. He is now concluding it.
▣ Introduction
1. First, things to confirm
1) Those who are laypeople and new members with no background – there is absolutely no need to worry. That background is not necessary.
2) Those who are discouraged because they are too poor – because it is wrong, simply start correctly.
3) Those who think that the life of faith is too difficult and hard – simply go to church, stop speaking people’s words and worldly words, and hold onto God’s covenant.
2. Jesus, who spoke of what to be cautious of – beware of false prophets. They are like wolves appearing in sheep’s clothing. They will plunder you. But they will be thrown into the fire, so do not be afraid.
1) Do not fear the world.
2) Do not envy the world. Because it is wrong.
3) Do not look down on the world. Because Satan has taken hold of it.
▷ Rome has not taken hold of the world. It is 100% running errands for Satan. The Pharisees have not succeeded. They have become a vassal state of Rome and are 100% serving as slaves. The Pharisee religion is nothing great. It is a religion completely without the gospel.
3. The king’s message to all of Rome, the Jews, and the Pharisees
1) To the disciples: be cautious and do not be afraid.
2) By the fruit you know the tree. – No matter how good a tree appears to be, a tree that bears no fruit is a bad tree.
▣ Main – A message with three things in mind
1. Do not be deceived by the past of the Jews and Pharisees. – Do not be deceived by the plundering of false prophets (verse 15).
▷ The nation of Israel will soon be completely gone within a few decades. Jesus gave this warning.
1) Never go back into slavery.
2) Never become a captive again.
3) Never become a vassal state again.
4) More importantly – we are slaves, captives, and a vassal state of Satan. Do not be deceived by that.
2. Do not envy what is happening today.
1) You must look at the world carefully. You must receive answers and save them. Do not envy them.
2) The reason not to envy the world – because it is not a blessing.
▷ They think what is wrong is a blessing. The church and prophet that teach such things are false.
3) Three of the 8 blessings that must be kept in heart
(1) Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3).
(2) Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted (Matthew 5:4).
▷ The suffering you are experiencing right now is not suffering. The difficulty you are in is not difficulty. It will become an extremely important foundation.
(3) Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (Matthew 5:6). Blessed are those who are persecuted. For theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:10).
3. Do not fear regarding the future. – The destruction of Israel in 70 AD, becoming a wandering people subjected to massacre – yet the small number among them who had the gospel saved the world.
▷ Do not be deceived. Do not envy what is wrong. Do not fear what will perish. This eye must be opened.
1) Things to remember without fail
(1) Matthew 5:23-24 – Worship is important. Be reconciled with your brother and come worship (Matthew 5:9).
(2) Matthew 6:33 – Do not fear the future. Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you as well.
(3) Matthew 7:1-5 – Do not be led into temptation because of other people. Do not criticize your brother. Simply realize your own faults. See the plank in your own eye before the speck.
(4) Matthew 7:24-27 – That is a house built on sand. When the wind blows and rain comes, everything collapses.
2) The prayers of those who have the gospel are being received and stored in a vessel before God.
(1) The apostle John (Revelation 8:3-5) – All your prayers are being carried by angels and presented before God and stored in a vessel.
(2) Joseph – It appeared as though many difficulties had come. Do not be deceived. Hold calmly onto the covenant and wait, and history will certainly happen.
▷ In the time of correcting the covenant, God sends His invisible angels to work. In this time of truly praying, God pours out the blessing of the throne. You must believe the important promises of the Bible.
(3) Daniel (Daniel chapter 10) – From the first day that you set yourself to kneel, I was sent. From the first day you pray, God has already begun to work. It is through the power of the throne coming upon you that the world is changed.
(4) David – King Saul was mad and did all manner of things to seize power, but David pitied him and prayed. When the opportunity to kill him came, David did not kill him and helped King Saul to the very end.
3) If we plant the tree of the life-giving gospel that saves people, the fruit of evangelism that saves many people will come forth.
▣ Conclusion – Churches that are beginning to build their sanctuaries, please pray for several things.
1. 3 Camps – We must teach our next generation what prayer is (prayer camp). Because they do not properly know prayer, they do not properly know the future (future camp). They must discover the talents God has given them (talent camp).
2. 3 Ceremonies – We must teach the coming generations: the talent God intends to give them for their entire life (coming-of-age ceremony), the expertise related to that (mission ceremony), and the field application related to that (sending ceremony).
3. 3 Lighthouses – This place must become a platform where people come for 237, healing, and summit. There must be a watchman’s lighthouse here that people can come to. In reality, an antenna is needed that can communicate with God, the world, and all the power of the throne.
▷ God has made all His promises in the Word of the Bible so that world evangelization can happen. You must hold onto that promise. The fruit will without fail come forth. Today you hold onto this covenant and begin to pray. Answers will first be coming to you. Hold onto the covenant in which the way becomes visible throughout today. Hold onto the covenant and pray, and the way becomes visible.
Transcript
▣ Introduction
Jesus preached a sermon on the mountain. He is now concluding it.
1. First, things to confirm
Before you hold onto the Word today, you must first confirm and enter in.
1) Those who are laypeople and new members with no background – that background is not necessary.
There may be some of you who are laypeople, new members, and have no background. You do not need to worry at all. That background is not necessary. When I was 13 years old, my father passed away. He had been ill when he died, so he left the family in a difficult state. The next sibling below me was 10 years old. The one below that was 7 years old. The youngest was 4 years old. When unbelievers came to comfort us, my mother said this: “We are fine because we believe in God.” In that village, we were in fact probably the most blessed. I am a witness. Do not worry.
2) Those who are discouraged because they are too poor – because it is wrong, simply start correctly.
There may also be those of you who are discouraged, thinking you have no money and are too poor. You do not need to worry. Because it is wrong, simply start correctly. When we came to Yeongdo in 1987, we had nothing. But God raised us up as a church that does world evangelization.
3) Those who think that the life of faith is too difficult and hard – simply go to church, stop speaking people’s words and worldly words, and hold onto God’s covenant.
As you have been living the life of faith, you are thinking that it is too difficult and hard, but if you look carefully, it is not. When I was a young adult, I gained conviction as I started the evangelism movement. The church does not evangelize and does not know evangelism. It is poor and has no power. But with that alone, you cannot do world evangelization. When I went to church it was the same as the world – people kept speaking people’s words and worldly words. Simply do not do that. It is so simple. So when I held onto God’s covenant, the evangelism movement had no choice but to open. Every place I went, poverty was broken down, and though we have no power, God works through His power.
When I started the church plant, I was convinced. I was convinced that God would bless us to do world evangelization. Why? Many churches speak, behave, and fight like worldly people. They have never done world evangelization. So I was convinced that our church would pursue only the gospel movement.
As soon as I arrived I was searching for a large piece of land. There was none. But the only place that was said to be vacant was here. So we ended up purchasing it. It was a time when our church was experiencing revival and many evangelism movements were rising throughout the world. There was a lot of slander. It did not matter at all. I was convinced of world evangelization. Why? Because those methods are wrong. Slandering people, envying, cursing, harming others – those are wrong methods. The Bible does not say it should be that way. The Bible says to bless others, heal the sick, raise up the oppressed, and preach the gospel.
2. Jesus, who spoke of what to be cautious of
Today Jesus has given us extremely important words of caution as His concluding message.
1) Do not fear the world.
Do not fear the world. This is the conclusion now.
2) Do not look at the world and envy it as something good.
Also, do not think the world is so great and envy it. Because it is wrong.
3) Do not look down on the world that Satan has taken hold of.
Also, do not look down on the world. Satan governs it.
Three things must be done without fail. Do not fear the world. Do not look at the world and envy it as something good. And do not look down on the world that Satan has taken hold of.
Today Jesus said: beware of false prophets. He said this after finishing His sermon. “They are like wolves appearing in sheep’s clothing.” That is what He said. “They will plunder you.” Jesus said that. That means do not be afraid. They will be thrown into the fire. Therefore do not be afraid.
Rome is not currently holding the world – it is 100% running errands for Satan, right? The Pharisees have not succeeded. They have become a vassal state of Rome and are 100% serving as slaves. You must see it accurately. The Pharisee religion is nothing great. It is a religion completely without the gospel.
3. The king’s message to all of Rome, the Jews, and the Pharisees
The Gospel of Matthew describes Jesus as king. It is the king’s message. It is a message to all of Rome, a message to the Jews, a message to the Pharisees.
1) Be cautious and do not be afraid.
To the disciples: be cautious and do not be afraid.
2) By the fruit you know the tree.
So He used the illustration: “Don’t you know the tree by its fruit?” No matter how good a tree appears to be, a tree that does not bear fruit is a bad tree. And by the fruit you know the tree.
▣ Main – A message with three things in mind
During Jesus’ short three years, He is now giving extremely important messages. Three things were kept in mind.
1. Do not be deceived by the past of the Jews and Pharisees. – Do not be deceived by the plundering of false prophets (verse 15).
What is the first? Do not be deceived by the past of the Jews and Pharisees. The word “plunder” here is not referring to a swindler – it is referring to the Jews and Israel. So they labeled Jesus a heretic for criticizing them. It is not criticism. The nation of Israel will completely disappear within just a few decades, right? Jesus gave this warning. Do not be deceived by the past of the Pharisees, of the Jews. What does that mean?
1) Never go back into slavery.
Never go back into slavery. That is what it means.
2) Never become a captive again.
Never become a captive again.
3) Never become a vassal state again.
Are you not now a vassal state of Rome? Never become a vassal state again – that is what it means.
4) We are slaves, captives, and a vassal state of Satan. Do not be deceived by that.
More importantly, we are slaves, captives, and a vassal state of Satan. Do not be deceived by that – that is what this means. So the very first words are this: do not be deceived by the plundering of false prophets.
2. Do not fear what is happening today.
What is the second? You must remember this without fail. Do not fear what is happening today. And do not envy it when you see it. Looking at it now, it seems quite impressive. Do not envy it.
1) You must look at the world carefully. You must receive answers and save them. Do not envy them.
You must look at the world carefully. You must save them. Those who believe in Jesus are thinking, “Why do unbelievers prosper while I am like this?” That is not right. You must receive answers and save them. Right? Do not envy them.
2) The reason not to envy the world
Then what did Jesus say? He spoke of 8 blessings. Why should you not envy? Because that is not a blessing. We need to be a church that truly saves the world by receiving answers – but people look at what is wrong and call it a blessing. The church and prophet that teach such things are false – that is what this means. Right?
3) Three of the 8 blessings that must be kept in heart
And among the 8 blessings He spoke of, three must be kept in heart without fail.
(1) Blessed are the poor in spirit.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit. For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
(2) Blessed are those who mourn.
“Blessed are those who mourn. They will be comforted.” You must mourn. Your country has become a vassal state with nothing – of course you must mourn. How can that be a blessing?
The suffering you are experiencing right now is not suffering. Remember the Remnant throughout the nation and the world. The difficulty you are in right now is not difficulty. It will become an extremely important foundation. Jesus is now concluding the sermon He has been giving.
(3) Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, and those who are persecuted.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Blessed are those who are persecuted.” And He said the same thing: “For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Do not be deceived.” Do not look at the world and envy it.
3. Do not fear regarding the future.
What else does it say here? Do not fear regarding the future – that is what it means.
Three things must be remembered without fail. Do not be deceived. Do not envy what is wrong. Rather, do not fear what is going to perish – there is no reason to fear what is going to perish. This eye must be opened. Right?
Just as Jesus said, Israel in 70 AD is destroyed. A Roman general named Titus brings down the walls of Jerusalem, brings down the temple. Just as Jesus promised – not one stone will be left upon another. Israel is scattered across more than 20 nations. They are mercilessly massacred. Yet the small number among them who had the gospel saved the world. You must remember this without fail.
1) Things to remember without fail
(1) Matthew 5:23-24
So how important is worship? “Be reconciled with your brother and come worship. Is there really something that you cannot forgive your brother for? Forgive and come worship. For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”
(2) Matthew 6:33
Do not fear the future. “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you as well.” What Jesus said.
(3) Matthew 7:1-5
“Do not be led into temptation because of other people, do not criticize your brother.” Jesus preached it. “Simply realize your own fault. First remove the plank from your own eye before looking at the speck.”
(4) Matthew 7:24-27
The words God has that come after that – they all come out. They come out in the 2nd service today. “That is a house built on sand. It will all collapse. Does it not collapse when the wind blows and the rain comes?”
Today Jesus is saying do not be deceived. “Beware” – what this means is, do not look at the world and envy it. You must remember this without fail. Do not be afraid. The Lord is now giving an extremely important message.
2) The prayers of those who have the gospel are being received and stored in a vessel before God.
What is more important? Your prayers – the prayers of those who have the gospel – are being received and stored in a vessel before God.
(1) The apostle John (Revelation 8:3-5)
When John saw this in his vision – looking at Revelation chapter 8, verses 3 to 5 – who receives all your prayers? Angels receive them and carry out the errands. On that dark island of Patmos, in exile – it was shown there. Every single one of your prayers, without exception, is presented before God and stored in a vessel. John who saw this did not lose heart. He began to pray even more. In the end, who will win? Do not be deceived. Do not envy what is wrong. Do not fear what will perish – that is what this means. Why fear what is going to perish anyway? Right? All 7 of the Remnant were like this.
(2) Joseph
Starting with the first Remnant, Joseph. It appeared as though many difficulties had come. Do not be deceived. Hold calmly onto the covenant and wait, and history will certainly happen. If Joseph had envied the world, what would he have done? Then he could have just listened to Potiphar’s wife. Right? How well she would have treated him. Would she have made Joseph suffer? She would have given him a lot of money, given him clothes, done everything. It is not a matter of winning. Joseph did not envy those things, not at all. That woman was actually the pitiable one. Egypt was going to be destroyed soon – there was no need to fear that. Hold firmly onto this covenant – that is what this means.
Not a single prayer is missed – God is storing prayers in a vessel. Even now, invisibly, during the time you worship, during the time of correcting the covenant, God sends His invisible angels to work. Because people do not believe this, they live like unbelievers. Right? You must believe the important promises that are in the Bible. In this very time of truly praying, God pours out the blessing of the throne. You cannot see it, can you? That is why people do not believe it. They only believe what they can see with their eyes. That is why they perish. It is so that we can correct our covenant in time that Jesus is now giving this extremely important explanation.
(3) Daniel (Daniel chapter 10)
Look at Daniel chapter 10. When Daniel began to pray, who had God already sent? He sent the archangel of the Lord to begin working in answer to Daniel’s prayer. The wicked Persian army blocked it. God sends the archangel of the Lord to prevail and give the answer. And that angel said this: “From the first day that you set yourself to kneel, I was sent.” From the first day you pray, God has already begun to work. It is through the power of the throne coming upon you that the world is changed.
I have seen this quite often. I am a witness. Do not worry. Do not be deceived at all. You are not people who should be deceived – you are people who should receive the blessing of God’s throne. Do not be deceived.
(4) David
Is that not a fake? King Saul went mad and did all manner of things to seize power. David did not merely refrain from fearing it – he pitied it. He did not envy the kingship of King Saul – he pitied him. This eye must be opened. He is pitiable, look.
Do worldly people appear strong? They are struggling frantically. They shout at you. There is no need to be afraid. They are crying out in agony. How pitiable that is. If you fear King Saul who is like that because he is demon-possessed, what happens? David understood this. So he prayed for King Saul. When the opportunity to kill him came, he did not. Many people said this: “That king has now become strange because an evil spirit has possessed him – if you leave that king, will the nation be alright?” David absolutely did not touch that. He said this: “God does not permit the laying of hands on the servant whom God anointed and set up.” He helped King Saul to the very end. Then did David perish? No. The true answer had no choice but to come to David. You must absolutely not be deceived.
You who are living the life of faith holding onto the covenant – do not be deceived, do not envy the world, do not be afraid. Why is that? Do not listen to the words of false prophets – that is what it means. Is that not falsehood? Why listen to falsehood? They are in reality wolves that intend to kill you, appearing dressed in sheep’s clothing – wearing a sheep’s mask. There are many. But seeing that and being deceived, or being afraid, or following them eagerly and envying them – that is not right.
3) If we plant the tree of the life-giving gospel that saves people, the fruit of evangelism that saves many people will come forth.
What is more important for you? The future. I am convinced. It is us planting the tree of the gospel and bearing the fruit of evangelism that saves many in the world. That is it. If you plant the tree of the life-giving gospel that saves people, the fruit of evangelism that saves many people will come forth. I am convinced.
▣ Conclusion – Churches that are beginning to build their sanctuaries, pray for several things.
Immanuel Seoul Church is nearly complete now. And our Immanuel Ulsan is beginning. Immanuel Changwon is beginning. And our Immanuel Busan is beginning. Please pray for several things.
1. 3 Camps
We will hold three camps here. We must. No other church is doing this. We must hold three camps. What are the three camps? Our next generation does not know what prayer is. We must teach them prayer. Because they do not properly know prayer, what do they not know? They have no understanding of the future at all. And they must discover what talents God has given them. Those three camps must be held here. You yourselves must do it as well.
2. 3 Ceremonies
And what else? For the many coming generations – simply raising your own child well is not the point. What must we teach the many coming generations? What is the talent God intends to give them for their entire life? What is the expertise related to that? What is the field application related to that? These three things must be done.
3. 3 Lighthouses
And what else must be done? This place must become a platform. It truly must become a platform where people come for 237, healing, and summit. There must be a watchman’s lighthouse here that people can come to. Right? People will come.
Do you know what happens if your ship is sailing and there is no lighthouse? Where are lighthouses? Lighthouses are in dangerous areas. Sometimes even in the middle of the ocean there are lighthouses whose light shines out. Do you know why? Because there are invisible, dangerous reefs – if you hit those you all die. In the daytime you can see that some lighthouses are red, some are blue, some are yellow – the colors differ slightly. That means the danger levels are all different. But at night, if this lighthouse light goes out – what happens? It is a disaster. This kind of lighthouse, a watchman’s post, is needed.
In reality, an antenna is needed that can communicate with God, the world, and all the power of the throne. You must remember this without fail. The church that builds this – I am convinced.
When I first came to Yeongdo, I said from the very beginning: since we need to provide evangelism training, find a large place. The congregation members could not understand. Why? There were only a few dozen congregation members and they thought we should build something small for now first. Is it not natural that the congregation members would not understand well? I said “No.” God’s plan is certain. So we tried to purchase that Taejongdae Hotel. Why? Because we had been doing overnight training there, so we thought it would be fine to purchase it, but when we looked into it there turned out to be some problems. So we did not buy it. So apparently there was a small piece of land right at the entrance there that we bought. Our congregation members keep saying “Pastor…” – they seem to be worried. “The pastor has no interest in building a sanctuary and only has interest in evangelism.” Why would I have no interest? But there is no need to worry. God has prepared it all. He has prepared it so that we can do world evangelization, so that He can use you for world evangelization. This is certain.
God has given all His promises in the Word of the Bible so that world evangelization can happen – you must hold onto those promises. The fruit will without fail come forth. Today you hold onto this covenant and begin to pray. I can promise you. Answers will first be coming to you. Right? To Moses who was going to build the tabernacle, God first sent power. To David who was going to build a church that saves the world, God sent all blessings in advance. You must hold onto this covenant today.
Throughout today, hold onto the covenant in which the way becomes visible. How does it become visible? Hold onto the covenant and pray, and it becomes visible. What I am speaking about right now is talking about the way I have seen. It will be like that. For our church to have people coming for 237 nations, healing, and summit – there must be a platform for that, right? Right? Since they intend to come, there must be some kind of lighthouse. There must be something visible for them to come, right? For that to happen – there must be communication. There must be connection, a call must get through, for them to come. That is the antenna. So God’s blessings – why must it be done that way? I will explain in a bit more detail at the 2nd service today. God has prepared important blessings for you today. I bless you in the name of the Lord Jesus that this would become the day of finding that path. I bless in the name of the Lord Jesus that this would become a precious week in which many disciples throughout the nation and the world hold onto this covenant and find the path. Let us pray.
Prayer. Thank You, God. Please allow us to become people of covenant who are not deceived today. We must save the world, yet we are envying the world – please grant us the faith of truly not being deceived. We must save the perishing world, yet please grant us the faith of not being afraid. I pray that today would be a day of covenant in which we find a clear path. Please allow this to become a precious day that becomes an unforgettable beginning in my life. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.