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Sunday 1st Service Worship
Title/Scripture: The Parable of the Fig Tree (Matthew 21:18-22)
Speaker: Pastor Ryu Kwang-su
Date/Location: May 15, 2022, Immanuel Church (Seoul)

Matthew 21:18-22

Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. ¹⁹ Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.

²⁰ When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.

²¹ Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. ²² If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

Summary

Why are there so many difficulties for me and my family? God loves human beings. And so, when we are on the opposite side, in order that we would not remain on the side of destruction, God is calling us out to the right side.

▣ Introduction_The secret of God contained within disaster

1. Jesus who cursed the fruitless fig tree
Even though it was not the season for bearing fruit, He cursed it. The puzzled disciples asked Jesus the reason. Jesus said that if they know and believe the reason, they can lift up a mountain and move it into the sea, and that whatever they pray for will all be answered.

2. Through the parable of the fig tree, we must firmly grasp the secret of God contained within disaster
▷ The fig tree symbolizes Israel. That the fig tree withered means it is dead. It is ruined.
1) The secret of God contained within the Bible — Why did Israel suffer disaster at the hands of seven nations? If you know the reason, the surrounding great powers become a door; if you do not know it, they become an enemy. Not knowing the reason led to war, slavery, captivity, becoming a subjugated nation, and becoming a wandering people.
2) The secret of God contained within world history — Why did the idol-worshiping great powers rise up, and why did God send Israel and the Remnant into slavery within those great powers? Except for those who realized the secret of God contained within disaster, the great powers collapsed.
3) We must grasp the secret hidden behind the difficulty that has come to us personally.

3. To what degree must we grasp it? We must believe to the extent of lifting up a mountain and moving it into the sea
1) Joseph went as a slave and brought about world evangelization. This is greater than moving a mountain.
2) Daniel and his three friends, who held this covenant and received an answer like moving a mountain into the sea.
3) The early church, which brought about a work like moving a mountain.
4) To Martin Luther, who restored the gospel amid the repeated disaster in which merit and good works were emphasized in church history and the gospel alone was erased, a miracle like moving a mountain into the sea occurred.
5) All people are sinners who have left God, and even now are being tempted by Satan and heading toward destruction — because we take this word of Scripture lightly, we cannot overcome disaster. Each time, those who grasped the tremendous secret that arises within that disaster were the ones who moved the mountain.
▷ Those who are discouraged must not remain discouraged. Also, those who are undergoing many difficulties must not be shaken. Pastors who have gone back and forth and become discouraged and given up must not give up. God will send even a slave, will send our children into captivity if need be, in order to stop the disaster.

▣ Main

1. Through all of Israel’s past disasters, the secret has been proven up to now
▷ Though it appears that Israel suffered disaster in the past, that is not the case
1) The seven Remnant members are proof — through disaster, God is changing what had been lost through deception, causing people who had fallen under the curse to miss the gospel, back again
▷ We take the gospel lightly until we are on the verge of death, and only then do we barely come to realize the gospel. People in the midst of disaster hear the gospel and come alive at once, but for us, because we hear it all the time, it becomes a situation where we generally just hear it in passing.
2) Those who went to a scene like death and, in the midst of disaster, changed things by holding onto this secret are found in Hebrews chapter 11
3) The reason God gives us difficulty is that He is trying to turn everything that was once in disaster into the secret of God

2. Because today’s urgent situation must be resolved, there is a secret contained within the disaster that God gives
1) The scribes, chief priests, Sadducees, Pharisees, the Herodians, and the many people and prophets undergoing much hardship (seven groups) — though they were a subjugated people, they were fiercely fighting to be liberated
2) But this was a tremendous sign that God was going to destroy Israel and begin again
3) Jesus, who told us not to fear the difficulty that comes to us — this is the beginning of God’s plan (Matthew 24:1-14)
▷ Even when great difficulty and war arise, He tells us that this is only the beginning, and that the end lies elsewhere. All the difficulty, disaster, and pain that has come upon you contains the secret of God. This is the evidence of Scripture.

3. Israel will in the future be scattered among many nations and be destroyed, and this is the secret of world evangelization
▷ Those who prepare for this are the ones who can lift up a mountain and move it into the sea
1) The destruction of Jerusalem by Rome in AD 70
2) The Jewish people who were scattered into about twenty-three nations centered on Europe, and were killed and massacred
3) Through those who held this secret within that suffering, world evangelization broke out rapidly

▣ Conclusion_When you realize the gospel, every disaster becomes a road; when you fail to realize it, everything becomes a wound. Since every disaster and problem of those who hold the gospel contains the secret of God, you must never be deceived
1. For Joseph, who firmly held the dream of the covenant, slavery and prison were entirely a road
2. For David, though King Saul mobilized an army to kill him, because he knew this secret, it was a road for him
3. Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Daniel, and Esther likewise — all of it was a road
4. Through Luther, who knew this secret and restored the gospel, the gospel was spread throughout the entire world
▷ Through your difficulties, God will work with an amazing power like lifting up a mountain and sending it into the sea

Transcript

After our mission conference ended, prayer has begun simultaneously across the whole world. There are still those coming in from the United States and various other regions who are worshiping together with us. I hope that with today’s text, all of you will find this to be a moment when you receive the very best answer. A person who had just come to believe said this to me. They asked, “Why do so many difficult things happen to me?” And there was also someone who asked, “Why does God give our household so much hardship like this?” God loves human beings. And yet, when we are on the opposite side, God is calling us out to the right side. So that you would not remain on the side of destruction, God is calling you out. Naturally, then, it doesn’t make sense to us. Well, if that’s so, then there is a tremendous answer contained within it.

2022 1st, 2nd, 3rd RUTC Response 24 (20) World Evangelization Mission Association www.weea.kr
Category: Sunday 1st Service Worship | The Parable of the Fig Tree (Matthew 21:18-22) | Speaker: Pastor Ryu Kwang-su | Title/Scripture | Date/Location: May 15, 2022, Immanuel Church (Seoul)

▣ Introduction_The secret of God contained within disaster

1. Jesus who cursed the fruitless fig tree

This is exactly today’s text. Jesus had now entered the city, and He saw a fig tree. At the market, the people of Israel would pick and eat that fruit. So He went to eat some fig, but there was not a single fruit on it. The leaves were thick, but there was no fruit. And so Jesus cursed the fig tree. And so that fig tree withered up. The disciples simply could not understand this at all. Today’s passage is from Matthew, but in Mark chapter 11 it says, “for the time of figs was not yet.” Doesn’t that make it even stranger? Why would Jesus go looking at a time when it wasn’t even the season for figs, and if there was none, why not simply leave it be — why curse it, and why is such a record even left for us? There is a tremendous reason. Jesus said this: “If you know this and believe, you can lift up a mountain and move it into the sea.” That is what He said. What in the world does that mean? And He also said that if you pray, you will surely receive an answer. What does this mean? If you take hold of this word today accurately, firmly, and precisely, a different life will begin.

Taking this, when we were young, there was a certain pastor who thought, “A person whose leaves are lush but who bears no fruit will be forsaken.” But that is not what this means. It’s not asking, “Is it acceptable for the fig leaves to be lush but bear no fruit?” That’s not what is being said. It was simply not the time for fruit yet.

2. Through the parable of the fig tree, we must firmly grasp the secret of God contained within disaster

Let me give you the conclusion first. The fig tree symbolizes the nation of Israel. We usually say that the cherry blossom is a symbol of Japan, don’t we? And we say that the mugunghwa symbolizes our own Republic of Korea. In the same way, the fig tree symbolizes the nation of Israel. You can somewhat sense why. As for why it is called mu-hwa-gwa — it is written as “no”, “flower”, “fruit”, meaning “fruit without flower.” It’s not that there is no flower — the flower is actually contained inside the fruit. It’s an unusual fruit that way. For a flower to exist, don’t bees and butterflies and so on have to come and something has to happen? This fruit appears to have no flower. It’s not that it has none — rather, the flower, the fruit, is contained inside. You can regard this as symbolizing Israel.

Now, what does it mean that the fig tree withered? Isn’t that the same as being dead? Isn’t that the same as being ruined? Today, all of you need to firmly grasp one single word and move forward from here. This is why I titled today’s message “The Parable of the Fig Tree.” The fig tree withering is an event, but it is a parable pointing to something far beyond itself. It is a parable of a very important secret of God. That is why I titled it “The Parable of the Fig Tree” rather than “The Incident of the Fig Tree.”

What is the word all of you must firmly grasp? It is the secret of God contained within disaster. If you do not know how to grasp this, then there is no answer to the question that the new family member asked earlier. There was a Remnant who had undergone surgery for a very serious illness, and who asked me, “Why do things like this happen to me?” In the same way, the disciples asked in bewilderment, “Why has the fig tree withered?” And Jesus said, “If you truly believe this word, this fact, this secret, and know it, you can lift up a mountain and move it into the sea.” That is hard to understand.

1) The secret of God contained within the Bible — Why did Israel suffer disaster at the hands of seven nations? If you know the reason, the surrounding great powers become a door; if you do not know it, they become an enemy. Not knowing the reason led to war, slavery, captivity, becoming a subjugated nation, and becoming a wandering people

Now, in order for all of you to receive a true answer, you truly need to look at Scripture as it actually is. Before we go into the main body, before I explain the reason, we need to review the whole of Scripture a little first. Now you will begin to notice it. It doesn’t quite make sense, does it? Why did the nation of Israel continually suffer disaster at the hands of seven nations? Does the answer come to you? It should come out. It should already be coming out right here. All around Israel, there were nothing but great powers packed together. If you know the reason, it is a door. If you do not know this secret, they become enemies. And so, war, slavery, captivity, subjugation, wandering — disaster came seven times. It doesn’t make sense, does it? What kind of book is the Bible? Simply put, it is a book about the nation of Israel being destroyed. Out of that, the secret emerged — that is what I’m saying. That is what this book is. So now you need to firmly, tightly hold on to this.

2) The secret of God contained within world history — Why did the idol-worshiping great powers rise up, and why did God send Israel and the Remnant into slavery within those great powers? Except for those who realized the secret of God contained within disaster, the great powers collapsed

In world history, there is much that doesn’t make sense, isn’t there? The answer is obvious and right there, and yet we fail to understand it. Why did great powers who worshiped idols like that rise up so powerfully? This is world history.

Why were the people of Israel, the Remnant, sent into slavery within great powers? Except for those who realized it, didn’t all the great powers eventually collapse? That’s right, isn’t it? The secret of God contained within disaster. Put more simply, this is the secret contained within the parable of the withered fig tree.

3) We must grasp the secret hidden behind the difficulty that has come to us personally

You think great difficulty has come upon you, but there is a secret hidden behind it.

3. To what degree must we grasp it? We must believe to the extent of lifting up a mountain and moving it into the sea

We can say, “Now I’ve become sick — why is it only me?” But there is a secret contained within that. This is not something you simply grasp lightly — you must believe to the extent of lifting up a mountain and moving it into the sea. Have you lifted up a mountain and moved it into the sea?

1) Joseph went as a slave and brought about world evangelization. This is greater than moving a mountain

Joseph went and brought about world evangelization, didn’t he? He went as a slave. This is a greater thing than moving a mountain.

2) Daniel and his three friends, who held this covenant and received an answer like moving a mountain into the sea

Daniel and his friends, who held this covenant, went and moved a mountain, didn’t they — into the sea.

3) The early church, which brought about a work like moving a mountain

The early church moved it, didn’t it? It was under subjugation — to Rome. These are the secrets.

4) To Martin Luther, who restored the gospel amid the repeated disaster in which merit and good works were emphasized in church history and the gospel alone was erased, a miracle like moving a mountain into the sea occurred

If you understand these words, you’ll see the secrets that occurred throughout church history. It has happened over and over again.

Merit. Achievement. Good works. While talking so much about these, the gospel was erased. That was the medieval church. Those of you who are Catholic — priests, nuns — may be able to listen to my sermon on this. In one word, what was it? It was the belief that you could be saved by merit. You don’t know this, but they know it. And knowing it, they still believe it. It sounds like such a wonderful teaching, doesn’t it? But can one really be saved by merit? And so the gospel disappeared. It was at that time that Martin Luther said, “Absolutely not. We are saved by the gospel alone.” This Martin Luther moved a mountain into the sea. Isn’t that so? That is how God works. You must believe this.

5) All people are sinners who have left God, and even now are being tempted by Satan and heading toward destruction — because we take this word of Scripture lightly, we cannot overcome disaster. Each time, those who grasped the tremendous secret that arises within that disaster were the ones who moved the mountain

This is a very important event of Jesus today, and it is a parable. Everything is important, but this is an especially important part. It is contained within Jesus’ final acts. How important is that? Among the works Jesus carried out while He was still on this earth at the very end, this is one of the important ones. All of you find it hard to understand Scripture, don’t you? “Because all people have left God, they are sinners.” How does the ordinary person understand that? “Even now, humanity, under Satan’s temptation, is heading toward destruction.” This is what Scripture is telling us. “Because we cannot overcome Satan, sin, and the curse, God promised us Christ.” This is what Scripture says. Because we take this lightly, we cannot overcome disaster. Each and every time, those who grasped the tremendous secret that arises within that disaster were the ones who moved the mountain — that is what I’m saying.

Those who are discouraged, do not remain discouraged. And those undergoing many difficulties, do not be shaken. Take hold of the covenant today. Pastors who have gone back and forth, become discouraged, and given up — do not give up. There are many such people. And so those of us who report many things about evangelism, when people say, “A great work has happened!” — I myself don’t find that particularly joyful. Why? Because that too will waver. The very fact that you say “Ah!” upon hearing it means you have already wavered. Isn’t that so? Isn’t that only natural? We ought to feel sorry. This isn’t something that should just happen boastfully — we ought to feel sorry about it. It’s a matter of, “How little did we come, how little did we know, that it had to come to this.” I’ve told you this before. There was an elder’s couple who used to commit theft, and things got so hard for them that a fortune-teller told them, “Go to church.” What does that mean? It’s because we haven’t been doing our part. We are the ones who ought to be speaking, but a fortune-teller ends up speaking instead, because we haven’t been doing it. Even by sending a slave, we must stop the disaster. We need to know that secret. Even by sending our children into captivity, we must stop this disaster. God views all nations as one nation. Isn’t that so? But human beings view it differently. That is why difficulty comes. Today you must look carefully at the covenant.

▣ Main

1. Through all of Israel’s past disasters, the secret has been proven up to now

Since there isn’t much time, let me summarize briefly — this is the first point.

This fig tree is a parable of Israel, and it is explaining that through all of the nation of Israel’s past disasters, the secret has been proven up to now. Simply put: “Doesn’t it seem like Israel also suffered disaster in the past?” But that is not the case. “Did not Israel also die, just as the fig tree withered and died? If you know this word, you will move a mountain.”

1) The seven Remnant members are proof — through disaster, God is changing what had been lost through deception, causing people who had fallen under the curse to miss the gospel, back again

The seven Remnant members — isn’t that proof? If you truly hold this covenant, then your being in the midst of disaster is no other secret than this. It is changing what had been lost through deception and had fallen under the curse. For those who have achieved a bit of success, the gospel might seem light to them. Isn’t it true that only when we are on the verge of death do we finally grasp hold of God and barely come to realize the gospel? People in the midst of disaster hear the gospel and immediately come alive, but for us, since we hear it so constantly, doesn’t it become a situation where we generally just hear it in passing?

I actually went and visited the place where the Maasai people of Africa live. Oh my, I had only heard about it, but everything was completely dried up. There was no water. So how do these people get water to drink? There is no water. They wander around searching for something, and if they find anything, they drink it. A third of the world’s population lives like this. I was shocked. Because of this, people cannot live past 40. They simply die. Naturally, they have no shoes. I saw the feet of the little children — their wounds were cracked and split open, with foreign matter simply stuck inside, left as it was.

And so I saw a professor at Seoul National University, Han Moo-young, and I was shocked to hear that he collects rainwater for drinking water. I told our church, don’t try to spread out into many different places — just make one at the entrance of our church. When someone asks, “What is this?” write on it: “Drinking water supplied to those dying in the one-third of the world.” We don’t know, because we just drink water freely without a thought. There ought to be people like this here and there — across nearly all of Africa, and also in other countries, unusual regions, remote places, islands that I cannot even name.

2) Those who went to a scene like death and, in the midst of disaster, changed things by holding onto this secret are found in Hebrews chapter 11

As you know, those who went to a scene nearly like death and, in the midst of disaster, changed things by holding onto this secret — that is Hebrews chapter 11. There’s no need to overcomplicate it.

3) The reason God gives us difficulty is that He is trying to turn everything that was once in disaster into the secret of God

The reason God gives you difficulty is that He is trying to change all the culture that was once caught up in disaster, so that you may enjoy blessing through the secret of God.

2. Because today’s urgent situation must be resolved, there is a secret contained within the disaster that God gives

This is the second point. Because today’s urgent situation must be resolved, there is a secret contained within the disaster that God gives — this is the second point.

1) The scribes, chief priests, Sadducees, Pharisees, the Herodians, and the many people and prophets undergoing much hardship (seven groups) — though they were a subjugated people, they were fiercely fighting to be liberated

The Jewish people — among them, the scribes. Such people existed in the Jewish nation. The chief priests, the Sadducees, the Pharisees, and along with them the Herodians, and the many suffering people and prophets. You don’t need to memorize this. I’ve mentioned seven groups. Though they were a subjugated people, these people were fighting fiercely.

2) But this was a tremendous sign that God was going to destroy Israel and begin again

God was going to destroy Israel and begin again. That was the sign. It was a tremendous sign.

3) Jesus, who told us not to fear the difficulty that comes to us — this is the beginning of God’s plan (Matthew 24:1-14)

“Do not fear the difficulty that comes to you.” Before that, Jesus had said, “No matter how great the difficulty that comes, do not be afraid. This is My beginning. The end will come after the gospel has been testified to all nations.” Jesus said this ahead of time. That means, even if war, earthquakes, and all sorts of things happen, don’t worry. It is only the beginning. The end lies elsewhere — that is what He is saying. You must hold on to this firmly. All the difficulty, disaster, and pain that has come upon you contains the secret of God. This is the evidence of Scripture.

3. Israel will in the future be scattered among many nations and be destroyed, and this is the secret of world evangelization

What’s even more important is the third point. What is the third point? The fig tree withered away.

Israel will in the future be scattered into more than twenty nations. That is ruin, but it is the secret of world evangelization. If so, what must we prepare? Those who prepare for this move mountains. It means you can move a mountain into the middle of the sea. That is a tremendous message.

1) The destruction of Jerusalem by Rome in AD 70

You already know the history, don’t you? Even now, only Israel doesn’t know it. They truly don’t understand. Historians don’t understand it. Scripture has already revealed it. Politicians don’t understand it — why it turned out that way. In AD 70, as you know, the city of Jerusalem was destroyed by Rome.

2) The Jewish people who were scattered into about twenty-three nations centered on Europe, and were killed and massacred

They were scattered, especially into about twenty-three nations centered on Europe. The killing and massacre they suffered are beyond words. There was even a case where a German soldier, sitting in a room, shot and killed a Jewish person just for target practice. That is how it was — checking to see how well the gun performed by shooting a Jewish person dead. That is how miserably it happened.

3) Through those who held this secret within that suffering, world evangelization broke out rapidly

But unbeknownst to anyone, there were people within that suffering who held this secret. And so world evangelization broke out rapidly.

▣ Conclusion_When you realize the gospel, every disaster becomes a road; when you fail to realize it, everything becomes a wound. Since every disaster and problem of those who hold the gospel contains the secret of God, you must never be deceived

Today, all of you must firmly grasp this covenant. Every disaster is a road. That is not to say it’s a good thing. When we were children, the Korean War broke out, and the whole village was turned to ruins, the whole village became beggars. For our nation, Korea, that was a road. That was a lesson for me. I saw it as a child. Children born today don’t know this, because they live so well now. Back then, you couldn’t even speak of certain things. We couldn’t afford to buy gum, so we would get it from American soldiers and chew it. That’s how it was. So then, when it came time to sleep, you’d have to spit out the gum, right? And the next day, you’d unwrap it again and chew it again. That’s how we lived. Because of this, I understand that when God gives Israel disaster like the withered fig tree, it is not simply a disaster — there is a tremendous secret in it, I’m saying.

Today all of you must go forward holding the secret of moving mountains. Do not be deceived. You must go forward holding a faith that moves mountains. What does it mean to move a mountain? It is absolutely impossible, isn’t it? And yet He is saying He will move it. Who? God is the one who does it. You must hold on to this.

In a way it may seem like misfortune, but in the midst of it — even though we worked diligently at business, our whole village was struck by fire. If only, back then, we had had banks like we do now, we could have communicated this way, but even though there were banks at that time, my father had wrapped up money in a bundle to use the next day, and put it in the wardrobe. But then the fire happened. That person simply became strange because of it. And from that point, he fell ill and passed away. All of these things were, for me, a road. And so, whatever it is — hardship, poverty, difficulty, illness — I understand it all. I saw this myself. Once I realized the gospel, that became a road. Before I realized the gospel, it was simply a wound.

1. For Joseph, who firmly held the dream of the covenant, slavery and prison were entirely a road

You must take hold of this covenant today and begin. For those who hold the gospel, every disaster and problem contains the secret of God. Never be deceived. Joseph, who firmly held the dream of the covenant — his brothers sold him and probably said, “You’re finished now.” But for Joseph, it was a road. Potiphar’s wife threw Joseph into prison and said, “You’re finished.” But for Joseph, it was a road. You must hold on to this firmly.

2. For David, though King Saul mobilized an army to kill him, because he knew this secret, it was a road for him

King Saul brought several thousand soldiers to kill David. Common sense would say David would surely die. But for David, who knew this secret, it was a road. Isn’t that so?

3. Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Daniel, and Esther likewise — all of it was a road

Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Daniel, and Esther — it was exactly the same for them.

4. Through Luther, who knew this secret and restored the gospel, the gospel was spread throughout the entire world

Martin Luther, knowing this secret, restored the gospel. He said, “We are saved by the gospel alone. Good works are something you naturally do — they are not a condition of salvation. You do good deeds, give relief, and serve others — but you do this naturally; it is not a condition of salvation.” At that time, it wasn’t a democracy — that church issued a death sentence against Martin Luther. And while he was being moved, someone kidnapped Luther. There’s no need to say who did it. Why? Because a tremendous secret is contained in that. Our team went to the courtroom where Martin Luther stood trial — that courtroom was actually the church. We went to see the church where the trial was held. I said, “Luther probably stood right about here.” And so this church authority said, “Luther, you are finished now. It’s over for you.” That’s what they said. But through this Luther, the gospel was spread throughout the entire world.

Do not simply hold on to this loosely — hold on to it firmly. Through your difficulties, He will work with an amazing power like lifting up a mountain and sending it into the sea. This is true. Let us pray.

Prayer. We thank You, God. Let us discover the secret contained within disaster. Let us firmly hold the covenant and move the mountain. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Praise — “Down at the Cross”

Confession of Faith
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
…Maker of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, Our Lord,
…Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
…Born of the Virgin Mary,
…Suffered under Pontius Pilate,
…Was crucified, dead, and buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven,
…And is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty;
From there He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
The holy universal Church,
The communion of saints,
The forgiveness of sins,
The resurrection of the body
And life everlasting. Amen.

Message — “The Parable of the Fig Tree” (Matthew 21:18-22)
Transcript…Video

Prayer — 7 Bartizans · 7 Journeys · 7 Guideposts

Praise — “Jesus”

Confession of Faith
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
…Maker of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, Our Lord,
…Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
…Born of the Virgin Mary,
…Suffered under Pontius Pilate,
…Was crucified, dead, and buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven,
…And is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty;
From there He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
The holy universal Church,
The communion of saints,
The forgiveness of sins,
The resurrection of the body
And life everlasting. Amen.

Message — “The Temple the Lord Wants” (Mt 21:12-17)
Transcript…Video

Prayer — 7 Bartizans · 7 Journeys · 7 Guideposts

Sunday 2nd Service, Temple Building Dedication Service
Title/Scripture: The Temple the Lord Desires (Matthew 21:12-17)
Speaker: Pastor Ryu Kwang-soo
Date/Location: May 1, 2022, Immanuel Church (Busan)

Matthew 21:12-17

Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. ¹³ “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’^[a] but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’^[b]”

¹⁴ The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. ¹⁵ But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant.

¹⁶ “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him.

“Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read,

¹⁷ And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.

Summary

Jesus called the people of Galilee in order to save the world. Smart and successful people are highly likely not to engage in the gospel movement depending on their circumstances.

■ Introduction_ Satan Attacks the Church

1. Whip – Destruction: The Lord came to the church and wielded a whip. He said this temple would be destroyed.

2. Nephilim Movement – A church that carries out the Nephilim movement without the gospel is bound to be destroyed.

1) Shrines – If a country has a shrine that draws tourists from all over the world, that nation will be destroyed.
2) Freemasonry – They have built temples for the Nephilim movement all over the world.
3) Synagogues – Synagogues that block Christ, which many Jews have built.
4) Meditation – Many meditation centers are being created. As a result, the number of people with mental illness is doubling.
5) Temple – Temple stays are increasing.
▷ The statement that it is not wrong to build such things and bow before them exists only in the Bible.

3. Results
1) 1, 2, 3 – Babylon came and destroyed the first temple that Solomon built. When they returned and built the second temple, Herod destroyed it and built the third temple. This is the temple whose whip Jesus wielded, and it is the temple in which the tragic event of AD 70 took place.
2) Europe 3) America
→ Churches are collapsing and church buildings have begun to be sold.

■ Main_ The Church That Comes with the Power of the Throne

There is a record today of Jesus casting out those who buy and sell, those who exchange money, and those who sell doves.

Money – This is where enormous amounts of money gather. God hates it when the church builds up its power and does worldly things, while Satan loves it and attacks over it. That is why the temple in Jerusalem collapsed.

Only in the Bible does it say not to worship idols, because doing so leads to death by the power of darkness. When you make an idol and bow to it, a demon works through it. Later Satan deceives that very demon. Not knowing this at all, the whole world is completely deceived.

If we do not create a schedule through which the surviving first-generation missionaries remaining in America and Europe firmly establish the second generation at this mission conference, it will be a serious problem.

1. Verse 13 – Healing, the Courtyard of Prayer: “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.” Since healing must take place, build the Courtyard of Prayer.
1) The age of the mentally ill 2) The age of spiritual problems
3) The age of incurable diseases is coming.

2. Verse 14 – The Courtyard of the Gentiles: The blind and the lame who had nowhere else to go came to Jesus. Build the Courtyard of the Gentiles.
1) TCK – Build the platform, watch bartizan, and antenna where TCKs cannot help but gather.
2) Multi-ethnic – My Church: Build it so that multi-ethnic people who come will say, “This is my church.” Raise up multi-ethnic ministers, multi-ethnic elders, and multi-ethnic Remnants.
3) The three groups, Muslims – 237: The three groups and Muslims have completely seized control of the 237 nations. Build a temple that will heal them.
▷ Start praying, “How will I stake my life for the temple?”

3. Verse 16 – The Courtyard of the Children: “Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise.” Build the Courtyard of the Children.
The three courtyards in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd temples had disappeared.
Animals – Since animals had to be gathered there, the Courtyard of the Gentiles could not be maintained.
Buying and selling – Since money-changing and trading had to be done, the Courtyard of the Children could not be maintained.
This is why they forgot why God had instructed these three courtyards, and Jesus wielded the whip.
▷ Use two strategies. Start forming a team who says, “I will plant God’s covenant for the rest of my life.” For those who say they have no strength and cannot do it, you must build a system for them that says, “I will do this for as long as I live.” This is what causes church members to fight an important spiritual battle.
1) Healing – How will you heal the children scattered across the 237 nations of the world?
2) Summit – How will you make these into a summit?

3) Materials (place) – There must be materials that can actually be seen and a place where people can pray. Create the important materials needed for world evangelization.

■ Conclusion

1. Small schools – Many children have collapsed. Build schools that can save them. It is enough that they receive the gospel properly, gain spiritual strength properly, and do not fall behind in their studies.

2. Multi-ethnic employment – When multi-ethnic people come to our church, consider helping them find employment so that their lives can change.

3. Field for professionals – Bring together professionals in sports, music, and the arts. Build an art hall.

4. Talent school – Build a talent school where talented people can gather.

5. Healing school – Build the most substantial healing school.

6. Resting place – Build a resting place where anyone can come to the church and rest.

7. Parking space – There must also be parking available on weekdays.

▷ If you do not understand these words, the church will not be able to survive going forward. Everyone will be taken by Satan. Everything will be lost to the three groups and to temple stays. Then the Nephilim problem will come. Make it so that people have no choice but to come. Only when they come will they hear the Word. This is leaving behind the footprint that the next generation of an era must walk in.

Transcript

By God’s blessing, temple construction is now being prepared in Changwon as well. It seems the land has been purchased well. It’s the same in Ulsan. God is blessing Immanuel Seoul to become a model church that can do many things. Busan too will now begin.

Jesus called the people of Galilee in order to save the world. So many people mocked Him for it. And the highly educated looked down on Him a little. They thought, “He calls himself the Messiah, claims to be the Christ, and yet He brings along people like that?” Many who have seen our Dabrak (small group) may think the same way. Why did He call the people of Galilee? It’s not that He disliked smart people, nor that He disliked successful people. It’s because such people are highly likely not to engage in the gospel movement depending on their circumstances. No matter how smart someone is, if they don’t act, they are worse than being wrong. Jesus knew that the people of Galilee would act.

This time too, even though I never said anything even once about our mission conference, Busan reported, “More offering came in than before.” So I said, “Do it a bit more modestly.” I said that. I told them, “Whatever is left over after using it for the mission conference, give that as an offering to headquarters too.” That’s what I said.

Right now our headquarters is preparing to go in a completely different direction. We’re moving almost entirely toward not receiving a budget going forward. And as the media setup for the 237 nations as a whole proceeds, more will go into that.

The Temple the Lord Desires

Today, even those of you not involved in temple construction absolutely need to know this. You must know this—the temple the Lord desires.

■ Introduction_ Satan Attacks

There are three things you must know well. There are churches that Satan is bound to attack. God must be greatly worried, right? People don’t know this well. There are churches that Satan comes and concentrates on.

1. Whip – Destruction

Let’s look at this first. Looking at today’s passage, Jesus came and wielded the whip completely. He came to the church. In simple terms, He was greatly worried and rebuking them. If you keep reading further, it is prophesied that this temple would be destroyed. Why on earth is that? We’ll look at that in a bit.

2. Nephilim Movement

Second, there is a church that Satan completely attacks and that is destroyed. What is it? It exists only in the Bible. A church that carries out the Nephilim movement without the gospel is bound to be destroyed.

1) Shrines

There are shrines all over the world that gather tourists. These lead to the destruction of the nation. Many people don’t understand God’s word well. God’s word says not to worship idols, not to build shrines. People don’t know the reason. Even Japan doesn’t know it. What happens going forward if there is a great shrine? They don’t know that. How wonderful it must seem to build a great shrine! They don’t know what problems will come from it.

So if any of you are actual reporters here, go investigate this. What should you investigate? Don’t do anything else—just investigate a household that has built several temples or shrines. Their families will probably be in serious trouble. That, right there, is Satan attacking, even now. If the church does anything other than the gospel, it becomes the same thing. That’s why Jesus wielded the whip so fiercely, even now.

2) Freemasonry

Now, mainly, this Freemasonry has built temples for the Nephilim movement all over the world, centered on America. Very large ones too. They’re everywhere. There are ones as large as our Immanuel Seoul Church temple. They’ve built them everywhere.

3) Synagogues

And there are synagogues that block Christ, which many Jews have built. And it doesn’t end there.

4) Meditation

These days, they are creating even more sophisticated, high-level meditation centers. When you go there, it feels wonderful. But as a result, the number of people with mental illness is doubling. This is something people don’t know now.

5) Temple

What you need to pray about now is temple stays at Buddhist temples—these are increasing greatly. There is only one single source that says building such things and bowing to them is wrong—it exists only in the Bible. These people don’t realize they are heading toward ruin, and they say, “That Christianity is so self-righteous.” Long ago in Japan, when it was said, “You must not build that shrine,” they were labeled as “people who oppose the nation.” It’s the same thing. Statues of gods were erected all over Rome. And when Christians said, “That’s wrong, it will bring disaster,” they were killed for opposing what the nation was doing. It’s the same thing. Why? Satan is always the same. There’s no such thing as American-made or Japanese-made—Satan is the same everywhere. It’s exactly the same as when they set up the golden image in Babylon and commanded people to bow, and because Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused, they were thrown into the fire. This is exactly how Satan is set up to attack.

3. Results

And then look—what results came from it?

1) 1, 2, [3]

The first temple that Solomon built was destroyed when Babylon came. The temple built after they returned was the second temple. This temple was destroyed by Herod. Why? Because he decided to build it himself, and so he built the third temple. The place where Jesus wielded the whip today is here—the third temple. It was not the second temple, but the third temple, in which the tragic event of AD 70 took place.

2) The European Church

How is it now? European churches are collapsing, and church buildings have begun to be sold off. Because European law does not allow buildings to be repurposed, churches disappear while the church buildings are transferred over to strange other uses, even now. America too has finally begun that same process. Our missionaries and those of you in America and Europe need to open your eyes to something new.

■ Main_ The Throne

Now, let’s look at this. Where is the place that receives the blessing of this throne, from which God truly sends the heavenly army and through which the kingdom of God is realized? Where is the church that truly comes with the power of the throne? Now you must have exactly three things.

Today Jesus wielded the whip fiercely—do you know why He wielded it?

Was it not a perfectly ordinary church—why would He wield the whip against it? There’s a reason. Today here it’s written that “He cast out those who buy and sell. He cast out those who exchange money. He cast out those who sold doves.” This record appears. What is this about? It’s about people being told to bring animals for sacrifice to God. These people realized this became a huge source of money, so when animals were brought in or bought from outside, if there was any blemish, it wasn’t allowed. So there was an inspector who sold and judged them. “How can you offer this to God—this fails inspection,” and it couldn’t come in. Think about it—once a year, at Passover, the whole of Israel comes from all over the world. It’s enormous, isn’t it? Knowing that, they used their heads. The person who judged whether the animal passed or failed also sold animals inside the temple. So now you understand. What was bought inside the temple passed. “Look, you brought this from outside?” Fails. In the end, you’d have to buy the one from inside.

Then there was also the exchanging of coins. The money used outside was worldly money, so it wasn’t allowed. It had to be exchanged for money used in the temple. They did this all under the pretense of holiness.

Money

This is where enormous amounts of money gather, right here. So people who are not of the gospel love this (money). Because of this (money), people even do crazy things, don’t they? Some people take out insurance and even kill their own family members because of money, don’t they? That’s not because they love money—it’s because they don’t understand money.

For example, if someone hands you a billion won, it looks like you’d live well with that billion, doesn’t it? But that’s not so. For example, someone with a hundred billion won looks like a rich person, doesn’t he? But if he doesn’t have the ability to manage a hundred billion, problems arise. Companies like Samsung have that much money. If the person managing it doesn’t have the ability, it’s a disaster. That’s what keeps them busy. Would someone kill their own parents just to earn a few hundred million? That’s not loving money, and it’s not being obsessed with money either—these are simply very ignorant people who don’t understand money at all, now. Someone who truly understands money does not deceive others. That’s why Jews don’t cheat—they understand money.

There’s a record from after the Jerusalem temple was destroyed. If you look at Barclay’s commentary, it’s there—it says enormous amounts of gold bullion came out of there. When the church says, “Let’s build up enormous power!” God hates that. When the church says, “Let’s build something worldly and impressive!” God hates that. Satan loves it and attacks because of it. That’s why the Jerusalem temple collapsed.

“Do not worship idols”—this exists only in the Bible. It’s because doing so leads to death by the power of darkness that we’re told not to do it. So I know that only the Bible is truth. There are things written that seem to make no sense. Isn’t that so? “If you bow to this, it will bring ruin for three or four generations”—that exists only in the Bible. But go check for yourselves. Don’t people go to a tree and set out water, or set out water at a rock, and keep praying for their children? That is exactly the same as asking Satan to keep ruining your children. People don’t understand that.

This can’t be dealt with through faith alone—it must be explained scientifically to these people. When you make an idol and bow before it, a demon is at work there. Isn’t that right? That’s not an answer to prayer. A person possessed by a demon can tell fortunes. They guess things like a demon would, don’t they? And in the end, Satan deceives that very demon. Isn’t that so? People don’t know this at all. So the whole world is being completely deceived.

What do Freemasons do when they gather every single day? They engage in the Nephilim spirit-possession movement. They do this, singing and creating strange works of art. Now it’s America—many of our missionaries have come from America, but now America isn’t just producing people with mental illness and drug addicts—zombies are appearing, and America is strange, now. Just ten years ago, if you went there, you’d see people doing drugs sitting around in alleys like that. There were many beggars. Now it’s a bit different. There are a lot of people doing strange things.

If we don’t make a schedule at this mission conference through which the remaining first-generation missionaries in America and Europe fully establish the second generation, it will be a serious problem.

■ Main_ The Throne

1. 13 – Healing

[The Courtyard of Prayer]

Verse 13. “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.” Build the Courtyard of Prayer. If you build this Courtyard of Prayer, what happens? What’s the most important part? Healing must take place. Your churches have no Courtyard of Prayer, no place to pray.

Several important ages are coming ahead.

1) The age of the mentally ill

It was like this before, but it will get worse and worse—the age of the mentally ill.

2) The age of spiritual problems

There will be absolutely no stopping it—the age of spiritual problems.

3) The age of incurable diseases

Scientists will absolutely fail to understand it—the age of incurable diseases. It’s coming.

So build the Courtyard of Prayer. God gave it from the beginning, but this wasn’t done. So of course it collapsed.

2. 14

[The Courtyard of the Gentiles]

Those, I mean, people with nowhere to go, nowhere to come from—today in verse 14, look, the blind and the lame came rushing in. What kind of church should be built based on verse 14? Build the Courtyard of the Gentiles. You must remember this in your hearts.

1) TCK

Our church and the churches doing the Dabrak evangelism movement must build a place where TCKs can rest. Build something that TCKs cannot help but gather at. Build a TCK platform. Build a TCK watch bartizan. Build a TCK antenna. These are three systems. God’s blessing and answers cannot help but come pouring in—the blessing of the throne cannot help but rest upon it.

2) Multi-ethnic – My Church

This is the Courtyard of the Gentiles. Make it so that multi-ethnic people who come, in order to be healed, say, “This is my church!” Going forward, our Immanuel family members must raise up multi-ethnic ministers, multi-ethnic elders, and multi-ethnic Remnants.

This courtyard was eliminated by the Israelites because they were doing business (with money) there.

3) The three groups, Muslims – [237]

Now, it’s not even at that level anymore. As you all know, currently the three groups and these Muslim teams have completely seized control of the 237 nations. Build a temple that will heal them. They cannot help but come.

Start praying from now on. I’ve started praying anew as well. Start praying, “How will I stake my life for the temple?” Among the elders I know, there are some who are all-in for the church without even considering their own descendants. Our Immanuel Seoul temple wasn’t just built easily. It was built with enormous difficulty. Even Christian broadcasting hindered it, and people around it hindered it too. I mean, there was even hindrance from within. There are still many people who don’t realize this. It was hard. But God has a plan. Why? Because it is the best place to build the Courtyard of Prayer and the Courtyard of the Gentiles.

Many people say, “You’re doing church there?” That’s a somewhat uninformed remark. This entire mountain—open your eyes to our future. It’s the Courtyard of Prayer. Isn’t that right? If we talk to the government and don’t cut down the trees, the whole thing can be turned into a park. As long as we don’t break the law, if we properly use the law to revive this land, we can utilize the whole thing. Where’s the best place to do this (the Main points 1 and 2)? It’s Immanuel Seoul Church right now. It’s so good, in my view.

You must know what needs to be done, you must know where the blessing of the throne rests. Why is that? Because people are sick, and on top of that, the 237 nations are sick.

3. 16

[The Courtyard of the Children]

Now, what must be done for God to answer? It’s in verse 16. “Do you hear what they are saying? Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings You have perfected praise.” Verse 16—what is it? The Courtyard of the Children.

These are the three things. Now, if you look closely, in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd temples, these (the Courtyard of Prayer, the Courtyard of the Gentiles, the Courtyard of the Children) had disappeared. Now, the reason the Courtyard of the Gentiles couldn’t be maintained is that animals had to be gathered there. The Courtyard of the Children couldn’t be maintained either. There, all this money-changing and buying and selling had to be done. And so they completely forgot why God had instructed these three courtyards, and that’s when Jesus wielded the whip. Even Christ, who forgives the wickedest of sinners, picked up a whip and drove them out.

Look carefully. So use two strategies. Start forming a team who truly says, “I will plant God’s covenant for the rest of my life, right here.” For those who say they have no strength and can’t do it, you must build them a system that says, “I will do this for as long as I live.” Looking at it, a church like Yewon Church did well. They came up with their own simple phrase—something like “Last 1,000—finally, let’s have a thousand people gather and each give 100 million to save the church.” That kind of movement, apparently. They used their heads well. And recently it seems they’ve changed their approach a bit—I saw that they wrote “Last” together with the character for “heaven.” I thought, “They got a bit of an answer. They’ve used their heads a little.” Either way, that’s good.

This is what causes church members to fight an important spiritual battle. So you must truly receive an answer this time.

1) Healing

How will we heal the children scattered across the 237 nations of the world right now? Really, it’s all about healing.

2) Summit

How will we turn them into a summit?

3) Materials (place)

There must be materials that they can actually see and a place where they can pray.

I’m telling you to build this. Then God will know. The spiritual world never changes. History will happen without fail. The reason I have kept you and me here until now is to create the important materials needed for world evangelization.

■ Conclusion

This is the conclusion. Pray for a few things. Immanuel Seoul, and Ulsan, and Changwon too—the locations are all good. What should be done here too?

1. Small schools

In some sense, build small, previously unbuilt schools with a certain level of expertise, so that talented people can come and plant the gospel deeply.

2. Multi-ethnic employment

Don’t just do it—stake your life on it. It’s not enough to just invite multi-ethnic people to come and go. You must manage it to the point of asking, “How will we help them get employed?” This is a calling of the times, so God will make it happen. If we don’t come up with an answer for multi-ethnic people here, we cannot save them. Especially at places like Immanuel Seoul, there’s a lot of space nearby. This must be done.

3. Field for professionals

Bring together professionals in sports, music, and the arts. There must be a field for professionals. It’s absolutely necessary. When our church was built, I told them to build an art hall there, so that professionals could use it.

4. Talent school

There are all sorts of people. Even a single person is enough. Build a talent school where talented people can gather. You must pray about these things.

5. Healing school

Looking straight ahead at this era, build the most substantial healing school. You must listen carefully to what I’m saying. If you don’t understand this, the church will not survive going forward. Everyone will be taken by Satan. Everything will be lost to the three groups, to temple stays. If they can truly be healed, we can help them, right? But that’s not the case. This is how the Nephilim problem comes upon us.

6. Resting place

Build a resting place where children, residents, and many citizens alike can come and play.

7. Parking space

Think carefully about this. Discuss it with Immanuel Seoul too. Whether above ground or underground, more parking space must be created. If parking is inconvenient, if it’s too uncomfortable, people won’t go to that restaurant. Isn’t that right? These days, people go to whichever restaurant has the most convenient parking. Since everyone will own a car in the future, more parking space is needed. If it can’t be done otherwise, temporary structures must be built up, one way or another.

If you don’t pay attention to these seven things going forward, you won’t be able to save this era. Children have already collapsed in large numbers. Build schools that can save them. Ah, open your eyes now. It doesn’t need to be elaborate. Even one teacher can build a school, even now. Isn’t that right? As long as a child receives the gospel properly, gains spiritual strength properly, and doesn’t fall behind academically, isn’t that enough? Developed countries have already begun this strategy of small schools. Those of you who came from America and Europe know this. In developed countries, there is a lot of homeschooling.

Our church must not miss the chance to build in such a good place. What God wants most in this era is for us to help multi-ethnic people who come to our church even with employment, so their lives can change. Professionals have no place to come and play at church, no resting place, no place to pray. Even, I mean, we have so many good musicians among us. There’s no environment to let people like that hold a big performance in Busan, for example. That doesn’t make sense.

People like that are called aspiring singers, but in the future, more and more such people need to come streaming in. From a young age—the talent school. Truly, the healing school. It’s needed.

This resting place means a place where citizens and anyone can come and rest at the church. Churches have become strange places. Churches are set up so people can’t come. It should be a resting place. Even on weekdays, allow parking. You all must be prepared even for this (parking space). Of course, I’m not saying it must be exactly this way, but why did I write it this way? It means: make it so that people cannot help but come. What should happen once they come? Isn’t it so they can be healed? Isn’t it so they can hear the Word? We must build a church that people can come to.

So in this era, you all are leaving behind a footprint. What kind of footprint? Making the footprint that the next generation must walk in. That is our task. Because God is so pleased, the blessing of the throne will rest wherever you go. This is not an illusion. I am certain of it. So wherever I go, I check for this (the throne’s) blessing. I confirm it. Why? Because it will come. New you, true life, your work—I bless all of it to begin, in the name of the Lord Jesus. Let us pray.

Prayer. Thank You, God. Let us offer our once-in-a-lifetime lives to the place You most desire. Let it become a footprint that saves the next generation. Let it become a place that saves people. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Sunday 1st Service Worship
Title/Scripture: Hosanna (Matthew 21:1-11)
Speaker: Rev. Ryu Kwang-soo
Date/Location: May 1, 2022, Immanuel Church (Busan)

Matthew 21:1-11

01 When they had come near Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage, to Mt Olive, then Jesus sent two disciples,
02 saying to them, Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me.
03 And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, The Lord needs them, and immediately he will send them.
04 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet, saying,
05 Tell the daughter of Zion, Behold, your King is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.
06 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them.
07 They brought the donkey and the colt and put their garments on them, and He sat on them.
08 Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
09 The crowds who went ahead of Him and those who followed cried out, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!
10 When He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, Who is this?
11 And the crowds said, This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.

Summary

▣ Introduction_ Children’s Sunday

1. Something to be careful about
1) What did Rome, the greatest nation in the world, leave to its later generations? It left war.
2) What did the Jewish people, who had the greatest intellect in the world, leave? They left a wandering people. Later generations wandered and drifted.
3) Among these, it was the minority who were true Jews who saved the world.
▷ Today’s text is a scene where Jesus enters Jerusalem riding on a donkey, and people spread their garments and tree branches on the road, shouting “Hosanna!” This word means “Save us.” This is a tremendous message, and it was prophesied in the Bible.

2. What is important to pass on to later generations
1) Joseph held onto the covenant of Genesis 3:15 that had been passed down since his ancestors, and had a tremendous dream of world evangelization in which the sun, moon, and stars bowed down to him. What happened? He went as a slave, but he was not erased, he did not perish, but appeared as prime minister.
2) When the nation fell into hardship, Jochebed passed this covenant on to Moses. No one imagined that this Moses would defeat Egypt and lead the nation of Israel out.
3) What became of Daniel and Esther, who understood Isaiah’s words that a virgin would conceive and bear a son?
▷ No matter how broken later generations may be, one word from God brings change. The word you have sown will one day, after time has passed, cause the next generation to rise.
4) This hosanna gospel was passed on to Paul, the greatest intellectual, who said he considered everything of the world as rubbish. Paul’s main work was going to the synagogues where the Remnant were (Acts 17:1, 18:4, 19:8).
5) It was the Remnant in these synagogues who held the gospel and changed Rome.
▷ The Bible records that the next generation is the Lord’s inheritance (Psalm 127:3). This means that God Himself governs our children. Never be deceived. When we pass this gospel on to our children, it does not matter whether they listen or not. It is the first opportunity, the last opportunity, an eternal opportunity. If they enter while young, even if they fall away, they will surely rise again. We must not raise our children according to our own thinking. In the godless age, to the Remnant who will run in full force from 2030 to 2080, we must not give them knowledge that will never collapse, but must plant the gospel in them. It is fine even if they collapse. One day that very collapse becomes the foundation for them to rise and be transformed entirely into disciples. The seeds of the gospel that pastors and missionaries have sown will one day rise up as fruit.

3. We must heal the misunderstanding about Hosanna
1) We must know that He did not come only then as the descendant of David, but had already existed since creation.
▷ This is why Jesus said to the Jews, “David and Abraham believed in me and were saved.” The Jews, who knew nothing but eating, misunderstood and asked, “How old are you?”
2) He came incarnate, but people saw this and mistook Him for the son of an ordinary carpenter. Because He was born not in a palace as the son of a king but in a stable, they mistook Him as not being the Messiah. But Jesus, having become incarnate, completed everything.
3) The risen Christ is with us now. That is why we pray in the name of Jesus and use authority in the name of Jesus.
4) People mistakenly think Jesus ran away and will come back like a thief. He is always with us, and He comes as the returning Lord, as King, as Judge.

▣ Main_ Hosanna (meaning the Lord has come to save us)

1. There is an answer in which God gives everything even while we do nothing. Be one who recovers the lost blessing of hosanna.
1) That person is Joseph.
2) That person is Moses.
3) That person is Samuel and David.
4) That person is Obadiah.
5) That person is Elijah and Elisha.
6) Those people gathered together. It is the early church, branded as a heresy. They recovered the hosanna they had lost. At this time, God brought everything with Him.

2. There is a blessing that changes the world even without ability. Be one who continues the blessing of hosanna.
1) That is why He unconditionally answered the 7 Remnant.
2) That is why He unconditionally answered the people of Hebrews 11.
3) That is you. There is nothing to worry about.
(1) When hardship comes, enjoy the gospel. A 100-year answer comes.
(2) When problems come, enjoy the gospel.
(3) When you meet strange people, also enjoy the gospel. Then that is the end of it.

3. There is an answer by which one does not perish even when ruin comes. Be one who passes on the blessing of hosanna.
▷ Those who spread their garments on the road for Jesus as He entered Jerusalem on a donkey and cried, “Hosanna! Save us!” knew who Jesus was.
▷ You will not fully understand the phrase “the gospel alone.” You will understand once many churches close down. The churches of Europe and America are all closing. That is why we send out missionaries who hold to “the gospel alone.” That is why we pray. We need missionaries who will raise up a next generation devoted to “the gospel alone.”
1) Paul confessed, “He gave us what was hidden before eternal ages and what will bring glory forever,” and called this “my gospel” (Romans 16:25-27).
2) Paul delivered this gospel to tremendous men of success and to Governor Festus. They said Paul’s scholarship had driven him mad, but Paul said to Governor Festus, “I wish that all of you might become as I am, except for these chains, and that you would come to know the Lord of Christ’s resurrection alone.”
3) After Paul asked to be allowed to stand before the emperor to preach the gospel to the Roman emperor, the road to Rome for world evangelization opened, and a situation came in which the emperor had no choice but to declare Christianity the state religion.

▣ Conclusion_ Do not be deceived.
1. Having entered into this covenant, the household that faced the greatest hardship became the family of the greatest witness.
2. When I attended seminary, I was the most incapable student, but now I am running hard for world evangelization.
3. It was a life of the greatest persecution, but I have come to stand in the place of world evangelization.

Transcript

There was a person raising two sons, and the elder one studied well. But strangely, the younger one couldn’t study. It wasn’t that he couldn’t, he simply wouldn’t. From childhood he just wandered around everywhere. He would roam the mountains, wander into town, going all over the place like this. Since the older one was good at studying, in those days people who studied well would often get jobs at banks. He landed a job at a bank right away. As for the younger one, since he couldn’t study, he simply couldn’t take exams at all. This kid’s studying was wandering around. Since he wandered around so much, he happened to meet a decent person. So he learned business from him, and he ended up earning ten thousand times more than his older brother. That older brother became the bank’s top depositor. Whenever the younger brother came, even the branch manager would run out to greet him. So there is really no need for all of you to worry so much.

There was a son who fell into terrible corruption. He fell so deep into corruption that it’s hard to even explain it in detail. People thought, “That son is beyond saving.” That son returned through his mother’s prayers, and his name was Augustine (Saint Augustine of Hippo).

▣ Introduction_ Children’s Sunday

1. Something to be careful about
Today is Children’s Sunday. What we must be careful about is thinking about what the Romans left to later generations.
1) What did Rome, the greatest nation in the world, leave to its later generations? It left war.
What did Rome, the greatest nation in the world, leave to its later generations? It left war.
2) What did the Jewish people, who had the greatest intellect in the world, leave? They left a wandering people. Later generations wandered and drifted.
What did the Jewish people, who had the greatest intellect in the world, leave to their later generations? They left a wandering people. All the later generations wandered and drifted.
3) Among these, it was the minority who were true Jews who saved the world.
Among them, it was the descendants of the true Jewish minority who saved the world.

Today, Jesus did not come into Jerusalem riding a horse. He came in riding a donkey. That’s different, isn’t it? When kings or generals enter a city, they enter riding a horse. When they enter, a carpet is rolled out wide for them. But when Jesus entered, the crowd of people came and laid down tree branches and clothing. A remarkable thing happened there. Think about it. It wasn’t that people gathered together and held a candlelight rally, but rather they shouted “Hosanna” in this manner. This word “Hosanna” means, “Save us.” This is a tremendous message, and it is recorded today that it was prophesied in the Bible.

2. What is important to pass on to later generations
What must we pass on to later generations? This is important.
1) Joseph held onto the covenant of Genesis 3:15 that had been passed down since his ancestors, and had a tremendous dream of world evangelization in which the sun, moon, and stars bowed down to him. What happened? He went as a slave, but he was not erased, he did not perish, but appeared as prime minister.
As you know, in the Old Testament era, Joseph was the one who, since his ancestors’ time, realized what was important. While other later generations didn’t think much of it, Joseph firmly held onto that covenant from his grandfather, up through his father, and above him. One day, he had a vision and a dream. What was it? He dreamed of a tremendous dream of world evangelization in which the sun, moon, and stars bowed down to him. In other words, he had received Genesis chapter 3, verse 15.
What happened? We must not deliver this to the next generation as nagging, but must deliver it spiritually. Even if your children may be struggling right now, there’s no need to worry. Many people would have been deceived into thinking, “Joseph is gone.” They would have said, “Joseph, who held onto the covenant, has failed.” One day Joseph became prime minister and appeared. Everyone would have been shocked. Who would have been most shocked? Honestly, I think Jacob would have been utterly shocked. Right? His brothers would have been shocked too. Potiphar’s wife probably fainted. The one she had thrown into prison had become prime minister. That’s shocking. If it were me, I would have called him in for a meeting at least, but there’s no record of that. This covenant was passed down.
2) When the nation fell into hardship, Jochebed passed this covenant on to Moses. No one imagined that this Moses would defeat Egypt and lead the nation of Israel out.
When the nation fell into hardship, she explained the important covenant to her child. No one thought it possible. No one imagined that this person would defeat Egypt and lead the nation out. Right? The problem is, honestly, we don’t really believe it either. But this is what happened.
3) What became of Daniel and Esther, who understood Isaiah’s words that a virgin would conceive and bear a son?
The person named Isaiah explained this hosanna by saying, “A virgin will conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Immanuel.” What became of Daniel, who understood these words? What became of Esther?
No matter how broken our later generations may seem, change can happen through a single word from God. And the word that you have sown will rise up again one day, after time has passed. No one imagined it.
4) This hosanna gospel was passed on to Paul, the greatest intellectual, who said he considered everything of the world as rubbish. Paul’s main work was going to the synagogues where the Remnant were (Acts 17:1, 18:4, 19:8).
This person you know, the intellectual Paul, this hosanna gospel was passed on to him. This Paul, he was a man who studied well. There was no one who could look down on Paul. When he said, “I consider the things of this world as rubbish,” no one could argue with him. If a beggar at Busan Station said, “I consider the things of this world as rubbish,” what would you all say? You’d say, “He’s lost his mind.” But when the truly well-educated Paul said, “I consider the things of this world as rubbish,” why did he say that? It was because the hosanna gospel had entered into him. This is how it changed the world.
5) It was the Remnant in these synagogues who held the gospel and changed Rome.
So knowing this, what did Paul do? He went to the synagogues where Remnant like you were, just as you do. That was Paul’s primary work. And whenever a person appeared, he went with Priscilla and Aquila into the synagogue again. Before going to Rome, he went to synagogues. But no one imagined that the Remnant in these synagogues would change Rome.
After that, Israel, which had persecuted Paul and such people, fell. That was 70 AD. A general named Titus came and destroyed the temple of Jerusalem. And, to put it simply, they prepared to set up camp. One rabbi—a rabbi is a teacher, isn’t he?—one rabbi said this to his disciples. “Say that I have died.” In other words, spread a rumor of his death. “And hold a funeral.” But he wasn’t dead. “Put me in a coffin and carry me out of the city. Then, when you go out, Titus’s soldiers will surely be there. At that moment, open the lid of my coffin.” That’s how it happened. So this rabbi was being carried in a funeral procession, and sure enough, the soldiers waiting at the city gate asked, “What is this?” They said, “It’s a funeral.” “Open the lid.” At this they said, “In our nation of Israel, there is no law allowing the dead to be opened up like this, so we cannot open it.” That’s how it was settled. “Then can we stab it with a spear to check?” “That is even more forbidden.” That’s how it went. At that point they were allowed through, and they went right up in front of General Titus. So they opened the coffin lid. And the dead man would rise up, just like that. Though of course he hadn’t died. At that moment the general was astonished. He asked, “Why are you doing this?” At that point they made one request. “You may kill us all. You may kill me right here. Just grant one promise.” “What is it?” they asked. “Please do not destroy the synagogue. Please just leave the synagogue where our children are growing up.” Titus, being human, thought this made sense. He agreed. And so the Remnant who held the gospel within those synagogues entered Rome. That is why the politicians in Rome themselves didn’t even know how it became evangelized.
This next generation is a fearsome thing. The Bible records them as God’s inheritance. We call the next generation our “children,” but God called them “the Lord’s inheritance.” An inheritance is something managed—so who manages it? God manages it. It is God who manages it, that’s what I’m saying. Never be deceived. Whether we pass this gospel on to our children or not, whether they listen or not, it doesn’t matter. It is the first opportunity, the last opportunity, an eternal opportunity. Even if they fall away after entering while young, they will surely rise up. Am I not a witness of this myself?

It’s not that I didn’t believe. I simply couldn’t bring myself to believe. Honestly I thought, “I should go to church,” but I didn’t know why I should. Sometimes I believed in God, sometimes I didn’t. That’s how I was as a child. And so, well, then, you know how church elders can be a trial to you. When you see that, you use it as an excuse to fall away. It’s so easy to fall away, isn’t it? Making excuses and falling away. So I became stranger than an unbeliever. And so the business people, the merchants in our town, looked at me and called me a real bad character. Because I made things difficult for myself. Then one day, moved by God, I repented and went to church holding my Bible. Two things happened. That merchant looked up at the sky and confessed, “God is alive,” he said. He knew me. The delinquent kids who used to hang around in front of the church, the troublemakers—they all went into the church.

We cannot know, everyone. No one knows the work of God. We must not raise our children according to our own thinking. God is thinking of an age when you will no longer be here. The year when the Remnant of today will run in full force is 2030 to 2080. We won’t be here then, will we? Those children who are growing up now, once they graduate and go out into the world, that will be around 2030. If they then run for another 50 years, that brings us to 2080. What should we give them? It is not knowledge that will never collapse—it is planting the gospel in them. And it’s fine if they fall away. One day that very thing becomes the foundation for them to rise up, and these children are transformed into disciples. The seed of the gospel that pastors have sown, the seed that missionaries have sown, rises up as fruit one day. No one knows this. In fact, not even the person themselves knows it. Did Moses himself know, when he held the covenant and entered Egypt? He only held onto the covenant, that’s all. This is how God accomplishes His great work.

3. We must heal the misunderstanding about Hosanna

Let me move simply into the main body. Today we said “Hosanna.” “Save us.” That means, “The Lord who saves us has come.” Now, there is a bit of misunderstanding about hosanna that we need to correct before moving on.

1) We must know that He did not come only then as the descendant of David, but had already existed since creation.
When Jesus came, when He came as the Christ, the word “hosanna” was used at that time, but that salvation existed before. Right? Jesus said this. He asked the Jews, “Did you not promise that the Messiah would come as a descendant of David?” “That’s right.” “I am the descendant of David. But do you know that David believed in that coming Christ and was saved?” This is what He asked. He asked the Jews. He asked the most important question. Many of us who live the Christian life today get this wrong.
And He said this: “Abraham, whom the Jews respect the most, believed in me and was saved.” Right? So the Jews, who knew nothing but eating, said, “How old are you?” What is the first misunderstanding of Christians? It’s that Jesus didn’t come only at that time, but had already been present before that. Right?

2) He came incarnate, but people saw this and mistook Him for the son of an ordinary carpenter. Because He was born not in a palace as the son of a king but in a stable, they mistook Him as not being the Messiah. But Jesus, having become incarnate, completed everything.
What is the second one? There’s a second misunderstanding. He came incarnate. And we, seeing this, simply mistook Him for the son of an ordinary carpenter. It would have been more natural for Him to come as the son of a carpenter—if He had come as the son of a king, He could not have become the Christ. Right? He was born in a stable. If not, if He had been born in a palace, what would have happened? So people misunderstood. They thought, “He’s not the Messiah, He’s not the Christ.” This misunderstanding occurred. But it was prophesied in Scripture. We must not misunderstand.

3) The risen Christ is with us now. That is why we pray in the name of Jesus and use authority in the name of Jesus.
What is the third one? It is the risen Christ. He is with us now. Right? That’s why we pray in the name of Jesus. Just a moment ago our elder prayed in the name of Jesus. That’s why we use authority in the name of Jesus. He is alive now, and whenever we call on that name, He works.

4) People mistakenly think Jesus ran away and will come back like a thief. He is always with us, and He comes as the returning Lord, as King, as Judge.
The fourth misunderstanding. People talk about the Second Coming as if Jesus ran away somewhere and is now coming back. That’s not true. Why do they speak this way? Does He come like a thief? This means that the day will come unknown to anyone, “like a thief in the night.” Jesus is always with us, and one day He will stand as the returning Lord, as King. He will stand as Judge. Right? People distort that day, spreading anxiety and making people stop working, and asking why they do this—it’s because many such people will appear in the future. They will appear in great numbers. They keep stirring up anxiety, saying “It’s the end,” making people feel this way. That is truly believing in Jesus the wrong way.

Jesus existed at creation, as the Triune God. Jesus became incarnate and came to this earth. He completed everything. That is the hosanna. And having risen, He now works with us invisibly, in spirit. Right? Later, He will stand together with us as the returning Lord of the end of the world, who judges believers and unbelievers.

They talk about it as if He left home and is now coming back. Does Jesus leave home, hide somewhere, have no news at all, and then suddenly appear? When the Remnant go on to university, all kinds of things will come up. Do not be deceived.

▣ Main_ Hosanna (meaning the Lord has come to save us)

Hosanna. We must remember this. Let me explain it simply.

1. There is an answer in which God gives everything even while we do nothing. Be one who recovers the lost blessing of hosanna.
The first point. Even while you do nothing, there is an answer in which God gives you everything. What is it? You should at least know what it is, since you must understand Scripture correctly. There is a blessing where the answer is given even though I did not ask for it. What is it? It is recovering the lost blessing of hosanna.
1) That person is Joseph.
That person is Joseph.
2) That person is Moses.
That person is Moses.
3) That person is Samuel and David.
That person is Samuel. That person is David.
4) That person is Obadiah.
That person is Obadiah.
5) That person is Elijah and Elisha.
Elijah, Elisha—needless to say.
6) Those people gathered together. It is the early church, branded as a heresy.
Those people gathered together. Branded as heresy, they became the early church.

You must remember this. It was a mistaken, false hosanna that had been lost, and it was recovered properly, correctly. At this time God brought everything with Him. Your business? Of course it will succeed. Your future? Don’t worry about it. Please, all of you members, stop living a faith life similar to unbelievers, and believe in God. Don’t worry. It’s fine even if you get sick, but I wasn’t even sick. It’s fine even if you’re sick—that’s not the issue. The point is, why wasn’t I sick? Because there’s no time. God knows that. It’s not because I was so wonderful that He gave me health—God knows, “That one has no time.” Even being sick takes time. My teeth haven’t even decayed. Why? There’s no time. Our beloved evangelizing disciple, Pastor Kim Je-dong, the servant of this age. He’s older than me, and yet his hair is already turning white. Even such a wonderful person is going gray, but I haven’t gone gray at all. There’s no time. So don’t worry about it, I’m telling you.

2. There is a blessing that changes the world even without ability. Be one who continues the blessing of hosanna.
The second point. There is a blessing that changes the world even without ability—what is it? It is being one who continues this blessing of hosanna. It’s a simple matter. Being one who recovers it, and second, being one who continues it.
1) That is why He unconditionally answered the 7 Remnant.
That is why God unconditionally answered the 7 Remnant. Right?
2) That is why He unconditionally answered the people of Hebrews 11.
The people of Hebrews chapter 11—He unconditionally answered them, because they were ones who would carry it on.
3) That is you. There is nothing to worry about.
That is you, that’s what I’m saying. There’s nothing to worry about. You must quickly escape from that dark destiny. It’s simple.
(1) When hardship comes, enjoy the gospel. A 100-year answer comes.
When hardship comes, enjoy the gospel. A 100-year answer comes.
(2) When problems come, enjoy the gospel.
When problems come, enjoy the gospel. When conflict arises, enjoy the gospel.
(3) When you meet strange people, also enjoy the gospel. Then that is the end of it.
You met a truly strange person? Enjoy the gospel. That’s it. That’s all it takes. That’s what the people of the early church were like.

3. There is an answer by which one does not perish even when ruin comes. Be one who passes on the blessing of hosanna.
The final, third point. There is an answer by which one does not perish even when ruin comes. What is it? It is being one who passes on the blessing of hosanna. Recovering it, then continuing it, and then passing it on. It appeared in today’s text. This is what kind of people these were.
When Jesus entered riding on a donkey, they couldn’t lay out a proper carpet since they didn’t have the means, so they took off their own clothes and laid them down, and brought tree branches and laid them down as well. They already knew. Everyone, when the president of each nation comes, when the plane lands, they don’t just get off directly. What do they do? They roll out a carpet right in front of the airplane, don’t they? Why is that? Because the president has come. It was in the news before. This is something that some people questioned whether it was appropriate or not—when the Pope came, they rolled out a red carpet. Since the Pope is a religious figure, why roll out a carpet for him? This caused some controversy, didn’t it? But when the Pope came, they rolled out the carpet all the way from the airplane to the other side.
These people knew this. Since they weren’t in a position to roll out a carpet, they took off their own clothes and laid them down instead. And they looked at Jesus and said, “Hosanna.” “Save us.” This word “hosanna” is no ordinary word. There is such history behind it. “Save us.”
You won’t fully understand this phrase “the gospel alone.” As time passes, once many churches close down, you will understand. Look at the churches of Europe. They are all closing, and now they can’t even rise again. That is why we send out missionaries who hold this gospel, devoted to “the gospel alone.” That is why we pray. American churches are also gradually beginning to close their doors. That is why God says we need missionaries who will raise up our next generation devoted to “the gospel alone.” Whenever we go out to evangelize and preach the gospel, we are always branded as a heresy. So even though we’ve been branded as a heresy, people like Pastor Kim Je-dong—if he were the calculating type, he wouldn’t come to us. This person is someone doing well and stable in America, and his descendants are successful people. Right, this person is. Whether persecution comes or not, we hold firmly onto this, and these are people who have become a strong support for us. Since these people are in America, in the future there is nothing else to give the Remnant—it is delivering this important blessing of hosanna to them.

1) Paul confessed, “He gave us what was hidden before eternal ages and what will bring glory forever,” and called this “my gospel” (Romans 16:25-27).
Do not be deceived. Why do I say this? Paul confessed this. He gave to us what had been hidden before the eternal ages. Right? And he said, “He gave us this so that glory would be given forever, without end.” Seeing that, he said, “and my gospel.”

2) Paul delivered this gospel to tremendous men of success and to Governor Festus.
What Paul was saying, the tremendous men of success thought, since Paul was such a remarkable figure, “That man has gone mad.” Right? Who, in the end, was really mad? This Paul, who held this gospel, spoke of it even before Governor Festus. Paul truly was a remarkable figure. When he spoke of it, Festus said, “Ah,” and said this. He knew Paul well. “Ah, all your great learning has driven you mad.” That means, they knew Paul had great learning. And so, since he spoke only of Jesus, they said he had gone mad.

At that time Paul made a certain statement. Festus was a person of high position, a governor. Paul said this: “I would wish that your excellency also might become as I am.” He said, “I wish that your excellency also might come to know the Lord of Christ’s resurrection alone.” Before that he added one qualifier. What did he add? “I wish that you might become as I am, except for these chains.” He said this because he himself was bound as a prisoner. Truly, it’s hard to understand, the governor said. “You, you have done nothing wrong.” And yet he appealed to Caesar.

3) After Paul asked to be allowed to stand before the emperor to preach the gospel to the Roman emperor, the road to Rome for world evangelization opened, and a situation came in which the emperor had no choice but to declare Christianity the state religion.
Let me be allowed to stand before the Roman emperor. This Paul was truly a remarkable figure. Let me stand before the Roman emperor. Then he could go before the emperor and preach the gospel. “What was hidden before the eternal ages has now been revealed.” They said Paul had gone mad, but not long after, Pompeii in Rome erupted, and after time passed, Rome faced great hardship, and through this the road to Rome for world evangelization opened up. In fact, a situation came where the emperor had no choice but to declare it the state religion. And so the power of the gospel began to go forth.

▣ Conclusion_ Do not be deceived.

1. Having entered into this covenant, the household that faced the greatest hardship became the family of the greatest witness.
Do not be deceived. In our neighborhood, our family was the one believing in Jesus, and we faced the hardest situation—my father passed away and things turned out that way. But even so, to this day we have become the family of the greatest witness.

2. When I attended seminary, I was the most incapable student, but now I am running hard for world evangelization.
Do not be deceived. Even when I was studying theology, I was the most incapable student. I entered into this covenant, and now I am still running hard for world evangelization.

3. It was a life of the greatest persecution, but I have come to stand in the place of world evangelization.
Do not be deceived. It was a life of the greatest persecution, but here we are, together with the missionaries sitting here now and people like these, in a place where we can carry out world evangelization together. Right? Isn’t that enough? What else could we possibly need?

Hosanna—what a tremendous word. May all the missionaries, all the members who are praying, receive great grace this week, in the name of the Lord Jesus. Let us pray.

Prayer. We give thanks to God. We thank You for letting us enjoy the blessing of hosanna. May it be delivered to America and to the whole world. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

Praise — “10,000 Reasons”

Confession of Faith
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
…Maker of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, Our Lord,
…Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
…Born of the Virgin Mary,
…Suffered under Pontius Pilate,
…Was crucified, dead, and buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven,
…And is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty;
From there He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
The holy universal Church,
The communion of saints,
The forgiveness of sins,
The resurrection of the body
And life everlasting. Amen.

Message — “Hosanna!” (Mt 21:1-11)
Transcript…Video

Prayer — 7 Bartizans · 7 Journeys · 7 Guideposts

Sunday 2nd Service, Lay Missionary Dedication Service
Title / Scripture: An Essential Person (Matthew 20:17-34)
Speaker: Rev. Ryu Gwang-su
Date / Location: April 24, 2022, Immanuel Church (Busan)

Matthew 20:17-34

Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, ¹⁸ “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death ¹⁹ and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!”

²⁰ Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.

²¹ “What is it you want?” he asked.

She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”

²² “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”

“We can,” they answered.

²³ Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.”

²⁴ When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. ²⁵ Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. ²⁶ Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— ²⁸ just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

²⁹ As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. ³⁰ Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

³¹ The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

³² Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.

³³ “Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.”

³⁴ Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.

Summary

There are people who worked hard, yet time passes with no answer. There are people who receive an answer even though they did not do very much work. The Pharisees lived a very devoted faith life, yet when time had passed, even their descendants were ruined. Why is that? We must do what God requires, what is needed in this world.

In Matthew 20:17-34, the mothers of two of Jesus’ disciples come and ask that one son be seated at the right and the other at the left. Hearing this, the other disciples became angry. Many people live this way. It is unnecessary. In the midst of this, a blind man comes and asks to be saved, and Jesus heals him.

Introduction — We must know why difficulties keep coming, and do missions accordingly.

1. “I want to die”: the word that came up the most
This is something that, once you know it, you realize what role the missionaries scattered around the world are playing. Even if you simply set up a lighthouse holding the light of the gospel, darkness is dealt with.
1) Mental illness
2) Addiction
3) Suicide (murder): one must be caught by Satan to do this.
Because this is spreading throughout the whole world, your ministry and the missionaries’ ministry is the most important work on earth.

2. Indifference (powerlessness): a church with no interest in the field, powerless
1) Doctrinal insistence: this is all it does
2) The three organizations: those in difficulty go there
3) Churches closing: fakes come into the church and take it all over
Remnants and workers must join their strength and buy churches that are being sold off to other places. Just deciding to do it is enough. The missionaries must gain strength. Darkness is spreading over everything, and people are dying.

3. Situation
1) Only wanting to give and receive human help
2) Beginning to fall into illness
3) The Nephilim movement has become the backdrop
Meditation, temple stay, Muslims — the church has completely fallen asleep.

Main — “The Substitute [Ransom]”

No one can solve it, but God alone has prepared and given the answer. He sent Christ as a ransom (v. 28). Satan trembles at this story. What does it mean to be ransomed?

Original sin – calamity | Satan – darkness | hell (background)

Because of original sin, having left God, the calamities that keep coming cannot be stopped; the more things develop, the worse it gets. Satan keeps dragging people into darkness. It cannot be stopped. While on this earth it is the backdrop, and when one leaves this earth, hell, one’s true home, is always pressing down on humanity. Life itself becomes hell, and then one goes to actual hell.

The word that completely resolves these three things is Christ. The cross — this word means He came as a ransom and resolved this problem. In the text He said He would die and rise again.

Those of you who know this and devote yourselves to missions will receive the answer that is in Scripture. If you do missions and devotion without knowing this, I dare say there will be no answer — truly, it will only bring loss. If you have built the right church, it will crush all darkness completely. A church building without the gospel is the same as an idol.

1. Jerusalem (17-19): We must be brought out of this from Jerusalem itself.
High priest – cross / resurrection
When Jesus came up to Jerusalem, He said that He would be despised greatly by the chief priests and scribes and die on the cross, and that He would rise again after three days.
Pharisaism: Israel’s Pharisaic religion must be brought out of this calamity.
Medieval church – Luther: God raised up Luther to bring the church out of this calamity.
You are giving offerings and devoting yourselves to this very thing. Bring the church itself out of calamity first.

2. Saints – Disciples (20-28): The saints and disciples must be brought out of this calamity first.
The twelve disciples
Bring the twelve disciples, who were thinking of worldly success, out of calamity.

3. Future (29-34): We must deliver the secret of the ransom so that people come out of darkness, calamity, and the background of hell.
Do not simply see this as a blind man having come. God was showing the future.
The sick, future generations
Bring out the many sick people and future generations, so they come out of calamity.

Conclusion

1. Multi-ethnic: We must build a church where people of many nations can come and rest comfortably.
2. Talented people: We must give the right gospel to talented people so they become platforms, watch-towers, and antennas.
3. The weak, the abandoned, the sinful: A system is needed where the weak can receive healing, a place where the abandoned can gain strength, and a church is needed where sinners can become new.
Courtyard — there is no courtyard where Gentiles, remnants, and people with problems can come and pray comfortably.
This week, ask God just one thing about missions — what He wants from you. Try it.

Transcript

The Necessary Person (Matthew 20:17-34)

There are people who worked hard, yet after time passed there was no answer. So we need to know why. There are people who received an answer even though they hadn’t done very much work. Isn’t that strange? The Pharisees lived their faith very devotedly. But looking back after time had passed, even their descendants were ruined. That truly is astonishing. Why is that? What does God require? That is what we must do. And also, what does this person really need? Today we read the long passage from Matthew 20:17 through verse 34. It is all already there.

At a truly precious moment, someone even spoke unnecessary words. What came up? Among Jesus’ disciples, one mother came and said, “Please look after my two sons well.” She said, “Let one sit at the right of the throne and one at the left.” Hearing this, it is recorded that the other disciples became furious and were indignant. There are many people who live like this. So it is unnecessary. In the text, Jesus also says something very important. And in the midst of it, we see a blind man come and say, “Save me.” And Jesus heals him again.

Introduction — Why

Now, we must know why these difficulties keep coming upon us right now. Doing missions without knowing this is meaningless. Anyone can do missions. Every denomination, every church does it. Even other religious groups do it. We are not trying to do that kind of missions. There isn’t much time — shouldn’t you precious people do what is necessary?

1. “I want to die”

To what extent have people become troubled now? The word that came up most is “I want to die.” It came up a lot. Apparently there are even organizations formed around this, agreeing to die together. Even children join and connect with each other. Looking at this, some strange culture has formed where even elementary school students are getting drawn into connected networks. We need to understand why this is happening. If we understand this, you will realize what role the missionaries scattered around the world right now are playing. Even just holding up the light of the gospel like a lighthouse is enough to resolve it. Isn’t that right? On a pitch-dark road, children passing by get into accidents and even die. Female students passing by have died too. There have been many such cases. So if you simply light it up and install CCTV, that problem disappears entirely.

1) Mental illness

What is happening more and more these days? As the days go by, this kind of mental illness keeps arising. People are so exhausted that they say, “I have to live this way in the faith, do that in the faith — I don’t need any of that. I want to die.” That’s how it is. Some, when being evangelized to, say, “Whether I believe in Jesus or not, if it’s hell either way, wherever I go quickly is fine — I’m out of my mind right now.” That’s how far it has gone. People used to hand out tracts and speak comfortably as they went about. Now, the number one thing people say is “I want to die.” This is the most common thing now. It’s coming up everywhere.

2) Addiction

Now that there is no way to escape, what do people do? Addiction was the second most common. What I’m talking about isn’t something that happened in one particular region — it’s overall, the word that comes up the most right now. “I want to die.” This is it. At one time Germany actually ranked number one in this statistic, but these days Korea is far ahead. It’s very common in Korea.

3) Suicide (murder)

People commit suicide because they think it’s too hard. They kill themselves. To kill someone else is murder. Someone with a nastier temperament kills others, and someone a bit gentler kills themselves — but it’s the same thing. It’s murder either way. This keeps dragging on and on. Some people, wanting to commit suicide, have even asked me: if I kill myself, do I go to hell or heaven? Can’t go to heaven, right? People actually ask this. Committing suicide or committing murder isn’t really about that question — it’s about being caught by Satan. Isn’t that right? Even someone who was temporarily saved can be caught. When we are spiritually weak. Isn’t that so? Because this is spreading throughout the whole world, your ministry and the missionaries’ ministry and this work may look like something small and unimportant, but it is the most important work on earth.

2. Indifference

Given this, what’s the more serious problem? The more serious problem is that even though there are so many people like this (Introduction 1), the church is indifferent. Rather than indifference, it is more accurately powerlessness. “I’m about to die myself, why should I care about someone else’s problems” — that’s the mindset that develops. People don’t say it outright, but when you yourself are starving, how can you worry about what someone else is eating? This is the situation that has come about.

1) Doctrinal insistence

While people are dying like this (Introduction 1), many churches and organizations have only one thing they can do — they just keep insisting on doctrine. They have no choice. It’s not that they’re wrong — they simply have no other option. Israel became a subject nation; Israel is now full of dying people and many who are sick, but the Pharisees have nothing else they can do but this.

2) The three organizations

An even bigger problem: where do the many people suffering like this go? This has been happening since long ago. They go to the three organizations. Even today, look at the very end of it. A sick person came looking for help there too — no interest shown.

3) Churches closing

So what does this mean? Why is your ministry so precious? Churches beginning to close down has started. It’s urgent. You need to hold devotion services that are meaningful. You need to receive a blessing meaningful enough that you can bear that responsibility. An even bigger problem — go look at videos on the internet sometime. It’s not that these churches are closing down —

people are living inside these churches as if they were strange organizations, lying in wait. Muslims scam people, the three organizations scam people, strange groups live there. Even stranger, there are places doing all sorts of bizarre things — running bars, holding strange homosexual gatherings — this is what’s living in these places now.

An even more serious matter: European law prohibits altering buildings that were built as churches. That’s how the law is there. In our country, buildings can be freely altered — we can even tear them down. But in our country too, buildings designated as national treasures cannot be altered. Because European law blocks this, people simply buy the church building and do whatever they want inside it. Churches kept teaching falsehood, and because they had no power, everyone left, leaving the buildings empty, and fakes moved into the church and took it all over. And the prices aren’t even that high.

I want to say, “Remnants, rise up and buy all of these.” If remnants join their strength, they could take these over even by paying a monthly amount. I really mean it. Let our nation’s working people rise up and pool their strength, and in each of your regions buy up these so-called churches that have lost God’s glory and been handed over elsewhere — buy them. If it were me, I would never just leave it be. Why would you let this go on? All it takes is deciding to do it. Isn’t that right? Just deciding is enough. This is why the missionaries must be given strength — the missionaries must gain strength. Everywhere darkness is now spreading and people are dying.

3. Situation

What situation has come about?

1) Dependence on human help

Right now the gospel is not being preached; instead, people only keep wanting to give and receive human help. This is the situation that has come about.

2) Illness

And so people are beginning to fall into serious illness.

3) Nephilim

The hardest problem behind all of this is that the Nephilim movement has become the backdrop.

Given all this, our church is still doing fine — but right now, Christianity as a whole has fallen completely asleep.

[Meditation]

What is happening now? Meditation schools, universities being built — there’s been a huge stir over this. Don’t just take my word for it — search “meditation” on the internet and see for yourself. They are taking over prime locations across the country and the world, and it’s a mystery where the money is coming from, but they’re building enormous buildings — it’s a huge commotion right now.

[Temple]

Not wanting to fall behind, Buddhism is now doing temple stays, right now. In this age when COVID has blocked so much, last year five million people came and went on temple stays. What will happen once COVID restrictions are lifted? Five hundred thousand people from overseas went on temple stays. Even during COVID, when travel was restricted, five million people still went because they felt it was truly necessary. Once you go, it’s easy to quarantine and it’s basically an automatic path in now.

People look at our churches doing early morning prayer meetings and think we’re strange — but that’s ignorant talk. That’s what people who are asleep say. Our church isn’t strange at all. Right now, there are hardly any mission conferences like ours anywhere. People call us strange. It’s not strange at all. Our elders, working hard to carry out this gospel movement, are the normal ones. Many people in developed countries have already lost all interest in the church. No wonder it’s headed for ruin. It’s a huge crisis.

[Muslims]

Unexpectedly, there’s another group causing great confusion right now — the Muslims. They too cannot be stopped. They are now attacking into Korea. Many have already come in. When I last checked, Muslims had already built over 100 prayer sites in Korea. Now it’s far beyond that. You all need to know what you are doing right now.

Main — “The Substitute [Ransom]”

So what is today’s answer? This is important. God has given the answer to something no one else could solve. This is what matters. Now, this (Introduction) — no one can solve it. If it could be solved through meditation movements or temple stays, wouldn’t that be a blessing? Isn’t that right? If it could be solved that way, we could just support and help that side — but it’s not, in the end.

Today’s text gives a tremendous answer. No one else can solve it, but God alone has prepared and given us the answer. What is it? It’s found in verse 28. “He sent Christ as a ransom.” This is a statement that shocks people — Satan is shocked by this. You may not be very surprised, but Satan trembles at this. As a ransom. This is the promise of Scripture.

[Original sin – calamity | Satan – darkness | hell (background)]

What does it mean to be ransomed? Three things.

Because of original sin, having left God — we were made to leave God. The calamities that keep coming cannot be stopped. The more things develop, the worse the calamity gets. Now, a serious era is approaching for all of you. The more things develop, calamity is inevitable.

As I mentioned in a sermon before, for me, carrying and writing by hand is much faster than using a mobile phone or computer. Storing things on a computer is convenient, but it takes time to go in and search for things — I always carry paper with me and write things down right away. I always carry it with me. Even when I go somewhere alone, I carry it on the way. I record a week’s worth of prayer in it. Why? Because with my own ability and strength, I cannot carry out your errands. Isn’t that right? If I don’t know this blessing of truly praying 24 [hours a day], I cannot carry out these errands. So I always carry that with me. That’s faster than a computer for me — carrying it and writing in it as I go. Because of this, I don’t use technology much and I fall behind in that area. But our remnants and future generations are becoming faster in that area.

Why am I saying this? Read the Bible. Because that tremendous spiritual problem is coming. So many future generations, apart from us remnants, no longer sit and write by hand — already. They don’t even read books anymore. They go into their devices and just look at things that way; they don’t read books. It has already come out — damage to the body from that, coming out ahead, has already been called “the calamity of 5G.” In any case, as things develop, what is the biggest problem? Spiritual problems keep coming. I can understand that much, but this calamity cannot be stopped — the more things develop.

Now, Satan keeps driving people into darkness. This cannot be stopped. It cannot be blocked. While we are on this earth, it is already the backdrop, and when we go, hell — which becomes our true home — is always pressing down on humanity. Now life itself is hell. And then we go on to actual hell.

The word that completely resolves these three things is Christ. The cross — this means He resolved this through becoming a ransom. And the text also said it: “He died and will rise again.” This was said.

Now, this is it. Those of you who know this and devote yourselves to missions will receive the answer found in Scripture. I dare say this — if you devote yourself to missions without knowing this, there will be no answer. Truly. It will only be a loss. That’s what I believe. Isn’t that so? If you have built the right church, it crushes all darkness. A church building without the gospel is the same as an idol. Isn’t that right? You must understand that saying. Your church-building and missions work are different things.

When Jesus said this, it’s why the Pharisees thought He was crazy. When Jesus said this, it was the same thing I’ve just been saying — “What you all are doing is wrong.” When He said that, they got furious. And so their generations made the choice to be forever ruined, while God moved so that the gospel would be testified to.

1. Jerusalem (Matthew 20:17-19)

First. Let me put it simply. From Jerusalem itself, people must be freed from calamity. From Jerusalem itself, people must be brought out of this. That is today’s passage, verses 17 through 19. This is important.

2. Saints – Disciples (Matthew 20:20-28)

What comes next? Very important parts come out here. These saints must be brought out of this calamity. More precisely, starting with the disciples — they must be brought out. That’s in what we read today, from verse 20 through verse 28. Here the disciples got upset, and their parents came and said, “Please take care of our son — seat him at the right.” This kind of nonsense is the calamity they must be brought out of. Isn’t that right?

3. Future (Matthew 20:29-34)

And then what? What matters even more is the future. Your devotion today is not a small devotion — it is delivering the secret of the ransom so that in the future people may come out of this darkness, calamity, and the backdrop of hell. Don’t just see this as a blind man having come. God showed us the future.

These are the three things. In one sense, even without explaining the content, you already know and will receive this blessing — but it’s still good to confirm it.

1. Jerusalem (Matthew 20:17-19)

What came out here? Jesus finally arrived at the city of Jerusalem. This holds a great secret — what is contained in it?

[High priest – cross]

When Jesus arrived there, He was greatly despised and mocked by the chief priests and the scribes. He said He would die on the cross. And Jesus said, “I will rise again in three days.” This is very important. The church itself must be brought to life. Would it make sense for the church to remain stuck in this calamity? It must be brought out. “But pastor, does that even make sense?” No, it does not.

(Pharisaism)

Look now at Israel’s Pharisaic church before you. It must be brought out.

(Medieval church – Luther)

Look at the medieval church that arose and the modern church. God raised up one man, Martin Luther, and brought people out. You are now devoting yourselves to this very thing. You are giving offerings for this. Bring the church out of calamity first.

Devote yourselves so that the disciples first, the saints first, come out of this calamity.

3. Future (Matthew 20:29-34)

(The sick, future generations)

Bring out the many sick people and our future generations with nowhere to go, out of calamity.

2. Saints – Disciples (Matthew 20:20-28)

(The twelve disciples)

This is the state of the twelve disciples right now. They must come out of it. Even though they hadn’t yet seen Jesus’ resurrection, what were the twelve disciples already thinking about? How they could succeed in the world. Our church, our early morning prayer meetings, have no such next generation. When I was in seminary, that’s how it was — we thought about worldly success. Isn’t that right? But now, the students studying at our RTS don’t think that way at all. We used to think that way. That was the atmosphere back then. It’s calamity. It must be brought out. Right now the churches of the world are stuck in this. They compete. We too, out of necessity, are preparing internet resources, but churches nowadays are in an uproar trying to become great. I don’t even know what they think they’re achieving. We must properly carry out the mission of freeing the church from this calamity.

Conclusion

1. Multi-ethnic

What kind of church should we build? A church where people of many nations can come and rest comfortably. It doesn’t exist yet. We must build it. In our denomination, in all our early-morning-prayer churches, at our Immanuel Church, we must build this. Our building isn’t complete yet, but places like Imseo can build this. A place where truly multi-ethnic people are not interfered with but can rest comfortably. A place to pray truly comfortably. It doesn’t exist. We must build it.

Please think this over carefully.

2. Talented people

Second. There are many talented people. If left alone, they will simply be led to ruin. We must give them the right gospel so they become platforms, watch-towers, and antennas. Understood? This kind of devotion is needed, and the church is needed for it.

3. The weak, the abandoned, the sinful

What else? There are many weak people. A system is needed so they can come and be healed. Even a place is needed where the abandoned can come and gain strength. Even a church is needed where sinners can come and become new.

In some sense, such a church doesn’t exist right now. Isn’t that right? People can’t go because they feel judged. The weak can’t go. The abandoned can’t go — the atmosphere doesn’t allow it. The church is increasingly heading in a strange direction. This isn’t said about you, but about the churches of the world right now. They’re absorbed in, “How can we gather many people and make money?” “How can we become a famous church?” I don’t even know why. What will they do after that? That’s the direction things are heading. We need the church that God actually requires.

(Courtyard)

Because of this, there are always three things missing that we must pray for. There is no courtyard where Gentiles can come and pray comfortably. There is no courtyard where remnants can pray and learn, no courtyard for the children. There is no place where people with these problems can come without feeling judged, pray comfortably, and receive grace. In one sense, that’s not about people — it’s about a system, now. This is exactly why we are devoting ourselves and holding this mission conference this time.

This week, just ask one thing — ask God what He truly wants from you regarding missions. Just one thing. Even if you don’t get an answer, just ask — the very act itself brings about a work. Think about it from every angle: if everyone were like me, wouldn’t missions come to a close? If there are people like that, they are as good as dead. They must repent quickly. Isn’t that so?

One day something struck me hard. “Ah” — I used to not give offerings, back when I was in ministry. I had this bias that ministers have no offerings, no money. But it’s not true. There is money. There is. I meet friends, eat meals, go around — there is money. At that moment, this thought crossed my mind: “If everyone were like me, world missions would surely come to a close. Then I am a cursed person.” Isn’t that right? I came to my senses right then. From that point on, I prepared an offering envelope in advance. God has never once made things difficult for us economically. Isn’t that right?

So think about this. Right now, I ask — church building? Church building is the greatest mission. I ask myself, “How do I build the church?” Don’t try to get an answer right away — you are precious people. So since this is a precious matter, don’t rush to get an answer — ask through prayer. You rarely even try that. In this question lies an answer that changes the times. “God, why must I go into ministry when there are already so many other students?” I asked that. And from that, I received an answer that changed the times. I bless you in the name of the Lord Jesus that this week you would have a deep time of prayer asking such a question. Try it. I will pray now.

Prayer. We thank You, God. May this week become a week in which we bring to You in prayer the most important question of my life. Let me become a witness confirming that my life, once fallen into darkness, has been completely transformed. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Praise — “O For A Thousand Tongues to Sing”

Confession of Faith
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
…Maker of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, Our Lord,
…Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
…Born of the Virgin Mary,
…Suffered under Pontius Pilate,
…Was crucified, dead, and buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven,
…And is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty;
From there He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
The holy universal Church,
The communion of saints,
The forgiveness of sins,
The resurrection of the body
And life everlasting. Amen.

Message — “An Essential Person” (Mt 20:17-34)
Transcript…Video

Prayer — 7 Bartizans · 7 Journeys · 7 Guideposts