Category: Evening Altar

Praise — “How Great Thou Art”

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 Correct Temple Is Given by God as Evidence” (Mt 28:16-20)
Transcript…Video

Prayer — 7 Bartizans · 7 Journeys · 7 Guideposts

Sunday 1st Service Worship
Title/Scripture: The Risen Christ (Matthew 28:1-10)
Speaker: Rev. Ryu Gwang-soo
Date/Location: June 5, 2022, Immanuel Church (Busan)

Matthew 28:1-10 (NIV)

1 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. 2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. 5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” 8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

Summary

▷ In every nation there are kings who left nothing behind, and there are kings who left something behind. There is one thing that the kings who left something behind had in common. They built temples or shrines. Then what, in the end, are we going to leave behind?

▣ Introduction – The Event of Christ’s Resurrection

▷ What we must remember is that unless we settle our answer through Christ, we can never overcome Satan. Satan does not fear our education, our ability, or our wealth. In fact, Satan has the power to attack and tear those things down. There is only one thing Satan fears. That is Christ, and the one whose answer has been settled through Christ.

1. Matthew 28:2 The Lord’s angel rolled away the stone – this is spiritual evidence.
2. Matthew 28:4 Those keeping watch over the tomb were afraid and fainted. They were bribed with money to keep silent. – this is historical evidence.
3. Matthew 28:6 He has risen just as he said – this is scriptural evidence.

▣ Main – Three Answers We Must Settle Through Christ, a Complete Answer (What He Did upon Rising)

1. We must settle the answer that completely changes our destiny through Christ.
▷ That Christ rose from the dead means my destiny has been completely changed.
1) Once you know the word Christ, the power of the Triune God works.
2) Once you know the word Christ, you come to enjoy the blessing of the throne.
3) The three ages of past, present, and future come alive.
▷ How do you find this answer? You must succeed completely in worship. On the Lord’s Day, when you worship, do not listen to what people say. If you completely hear the voice of God, it is finished. Works will surely take place. Most people do not worship this way, and that is why no works happen. Many people miss worship, and they will surely fail. If you try to just listen to the pastor’s sermon, you will fail. You must listen to the word of God.

2. That the answer has been settled through Christ means the future has been completely changed.
1) Matthew 28:16-20 In this very hour when you are holding onto the covenant, he works with all authority in heaven and on earth, and together with you! He has changed the future.
2) Mark 16:15-20 Christ, seated on the throne, works together with them! This is happening even now.
3) Acts 1:8 He said you would receive power to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth.
▷ You must make the decision for 24 prayer. The future will surely change. When you go and see, the answer is already there. In this very hour of prayer, the kingdom of God is being established and the Holy Spirit is at work. The word is being fulfilled. God sends his messengers to accomplish his plans, sends his angels to run errands for you, and sends armies so that you win spiritual victory. In this very hour of prayer, Satan is bound. So if you do not do 24 thinking but do 24 prayer, if you do not do 24 scheming but do 24 in the Spirit, the future will surely change.

3. By rising, he changed our background.
1) He changed things so that the blessing of the heavenly throne would be given to us — this is our background ↔ the unbeliever’s background is hell and Satan (John 8:44)
▷ So if you actually enjoy 24 prayer, 24 word, 24 evangelism, 24 God’s power, 24 the blessing of the throne, any background can be moved.
▷ I grew up watching my father always sick, and I changed it to 24 health. I went to church and found out that people think evangelism is too hard, so I changed it to 24 evangelism. My destiny was changed. My future was changed. My background was changed as well (the testimony of an evangelist).
2) Christ will bless us from the throne until he comes again as the returning King. We have been given a background in which prayer in that name of Christ receives an answer.
If this happens, the blessing of the throne is bound to come first upon your work. Then you become a solid witness.
3) Whatever crisis comes upon us, it is all right. When problems and crises come, do not worry — enjoy them. Within this there is always an answer called “absolute.” In the meantime, all you need to do is be renewed.
▷ The early church was falsely accused as heretics and faced death. They were not a match for their enemy. Yet they won. The early church knew that Rome was not their enemy to fight, but their territory to conquer. And they did conquer it. For 250 years, people were killed simply for believing in Jesus. Yet during that time the gospel continued to be testified to the whole world. In the end, no one could stop it — within 250 years, Rome and the world completely bowed the knee before the gospel.
▷ Through the covenant called Christ, change your destiny, your future, your eternal background. This is Christ. You must hold onto this covenant and pass it on to the next generation.

▣ Conclusion – If This Happens, Evangelism Occurs without Even Speaking; We Must Reach That Point. Without Evangelizing, the Other Person Sees You and Comes to Believe in God (Joseph).

1. Joseph, called before the king though he had not gone to evangelize (Genesis 41:1-38) He answered that God would make known the meaning of the king’s dream.
2. Joseph, who became prime minister (Genesis 45:1-5) He did not trouble Potiphar’s wife or his brothers. He told his brothers, “It was not you who sold me, but God who sent me ahead of you.”
3. Joseph after Jacob passed away (Genesis 50:1-20) To his brothers, who fell to their knees begging for their lives out of fear that Joseph would kill them, Joseph said that though they had meant to harm him, God had turned it into good, and he promised even to take responsibility for their children.
4. Joseph’s last will in the last days (Genesis 50:22-26) He spoke of going to the land of Canaan, and at that time, of carrying his own bones with him to be buried in the land of Canaan.
▷ If you hold onto God’s covenant, no difficulty is truly a difficulty. Christ becomes our Lord. He changed our destiny. Christ becomes the Lord of our future. Christ is our background.

Transcript

When I came in this morning, our elder handed me a booklet on building the temple. As I received it, this thought came to me. When a king is established in each nation, the people live together with that king. There are kings who left nothing behind, and there are kings who left something behind. The kings who left something behind all did one thing. They built shrines or temples. The kings who did not do this are the same as kings who did nothing at all. Even if it made things a bit harder for the people, they kept telling them about building a great idol shrine — such kings existed. There were also kings who built great temples. Either way, those things remain today. That is why, in countries like those in Europe, later generations make their living from the tourism revenue those structures bring in.

So then, what will we leave behind?

▣ Introduction – The Event of Christ’s Resurrection

The important covenant you must pray over today is that the event of Christ’s resurrection is recorded right now.

I know an elder well — a person who is really fine in every way. This person even has a good job. His family background is good too. And on top of that, he’s good-looking. He’s capable. There was just one thing about this person that didn’t work out. I don’t know where he came from, but he came to our church. And then one day I noticed he wasn’t there anymore. So I quietly asked around, and it turned out he had gone off to some strange heretical group again. Ah, at that moment I thought to myself, “Ah, I really did something wrong.”

There are many people like this. Simply put, the answer through Christ was never settled in them. You must remember this. Unless the answer is settled through Christ, you can never defeat Satan. Satan does not fear your educational background. He knows far more than you do. Satan does not fear your ability. He has far greater power. Satan does not fear the wealth you have. He has the power to attack it and tear it down. There is only one thing Satan fears. It is Christ, and the person whose answer has been settled through Christ. You must remember this.

1. Matthew 28:2 The Lord’s angel rolled away the stone – this is spiritual evidence.

Today’s passage says, “There was a great earthquake, and an angel moved the stone at Jesus’s tomb.” What is this? It is spiritual evidence.

2. Matthew 28:4 Those keeping watch over the tomb were afraid and fainted. They were bribed with money to keep silent. – this is historical evidence.

And it’s recorded that the guards who were keeping watch, the ones standing guard, collapsed when they saw Christ rising from the dead — they were startled. And when the rumor started spreading rapidly, there’s also a record that they gave out money to have it suppressed and denied. What is this? It is historical evidence.

3. Matthew 28:6 He has risen just as he said – this is scriptural evidence.

And the angel said this: “He has risen, just as he said.” What is this? It is scriptural evidence. The evidence is certain.

▣ Main – Three Answers We Must Settle Through Christ, a Complete Answer (What He Did upon Rising)

Today you must settle a complete answer through Christ, and there are three answers you must settle.

1. We must settle the answer that completely changes our destiny through Christ.

First. You must settle the answer that completely changes your destiny through Christ.

1) Once you know the word Christ, the power of the Triune God works.

Once you know the word Christ, the power of the Triune God works.

2) Once you know the word Christ, you come to enjoy the blessing of the throne.

Once you know the word Christ, you come to enjoy the blessing of the throne.

3) The three ages of past, present, and future come alive.

The three ages of past, present, and future come alive.

How will you settle this answer? You must settle it in two ways. You must succeed completely in worship. And on the Lord’s Day, when you worship, do not listen to anyone’s words at all. On the Lord’s Day, listen completely to God’s voice. That’s it. You will surely see works happen. Most people don’t do this, so no works happen. When people come to church, they worship so half-heartedly that they even notice whose bag someone else is carrying. Of course, you can’t help seeing certain things, but even so, they go so far as to check whose bag, whose pen someone is holding, and whose watch someone is wearing. They hear every single sound of every single person. Right or wrong, they hear it all. The only thing they don’t properly do is worship. They will surely fail. It’s not a difficult thing.

I’ve shared this testimony a few times before. Even now I pray while holding onto this, but I once said this to the pastor I was serving under: “I served as an associate pastor for a long time. I missed worship. Because I had to take care of church work. I would linger in the back row, always running errands for the church. It’s not that I didn’t understand spiritual things. I simply had no strength.” I confessed this fact to my senior pastor. I said, “I will work hard on other days, but please let me worship on the Lord’s Day.”

Many of you associate pastors do not worship on the Lord’s Day. Isn’t that right? Many of you. You will surely fail. Church leaders who have to do a lot of work and miss worship will surely fail as well. If you try only to listen to the pastor’s sermon, you will fail. You must listen to God’s word. Do you understand? Christ has risen — this means my destiny has been completely changed. It’s not difficult. You must fully recover this blessing.

2. That the answer has been settled through Christ means the future has been completely changed.

What is the second point? The resurrection of Christ, the answer being settled through Christ — this means the future has been completely changed.

1) Matthew 28:16-20 In this very hour when you are holding onto the covenant, he works with all authority in heaven and on earth, and together with you! He has changed the future.

Do you know why? Right now, in this hour when you are holding the covenant, it says he works with all authority in heaven and on earth. Isn’t that right? He changes the future. “I have all authority in heaven and on earth, and I will always be with you.”

2) Mark 16:15-20 Christ, seated on the throne, works together with them! This is happening even now.

And it’s recorded like this in the Gospel of Mark: “In my name they will drive out demons, and when they lay hands on the sick, they will be healed.” More importantly, at the end of Mark chapter 16 it says, “The Lord, seated on the throne, worked with them” — this is happening right now.

3) Acts 1:8 He said you would receive power to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth.

Jesus said we would receive power to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth. I really mean this. This is what I made my second decision on. What did I do? “I must do 24 prayer.” That’s the decision I made. “24.” I don’t know how good it is. It completely changed the future. When you go and see, you will find the answer is already there. In this very hour of prayer, the kingdom of God is being established. Isn’t that right? In this very hour of prayer, the Lord’s Spirit is at work. Isn’t that right? In this very hour of prayer, the word is fulfilled. In this very hour of prayer, God sends his messengers to accomplish his plans. In this very hour of prayer, God sends his angels to run errands for you. In this important hour of your prayer, God sends armies so you win spiritual victory. In this hour of prayer, Satan is bound. Christ is at work right now. Isn’t that right?

When I come in the morning, the first thing I do is receive this piece of paper. On the left side is the list of writing tasks I must complete during the week. On the right side is the list of gatherings I must attend. I take this first, fold it, and put it in my pocket. I confirm the 24. Then there’s something else I do. Only these papers, my staff prints out four copies. One copy I put in my pocket. One copy I attach above the notebook for the meetings I must hold that week. I carry the 24 with me. Another copy I attach onto the paper for next Sunday’s sermon. I carry the 24 with me, two of them. Since these might get wet, I carry them in a plastic sleeve. There’s one copy left over, right? I just leave that one somewhere close by. What is this? It’s my 24. Then, today, I carry the paper for the sermon I must preach as my 24. My schedule is attached here.

Why am I showing you this? Do 24. How happy is that? 24. Do not do 24 worrying, but rely on God’s power —

24. Do not do 24 thinking, but do 24 prayer. Isn’t that right? Do not do 24 scheming, but do 24 in the Spirit. The future will surely be changed. Isn’t that right? If you start now, the future will surely change. You must settle this answer.

3. By rising, he changed our background.

1) He changed things so that the blessing of the heavenly throne would be given to us — this is our background ↔ the unbeliever’s background is hell and Satan (John 8:44)

It’s not just that much. What did Christ do by rising from the dead? He completely changed our background. That’s tremendous, isn’t it? He changed our background, I tell you. What background did he change? He changed things so that the blessing of the throne would be given to you. So I carry this paper around with me, doing 24 prayer, 24 word, 24 evangelism. Many answers happen. Do 24, I’m telling you. Doesn’t 24 make you happy? Shouldn’t 24 excite you? What happens when you worry instead? 24 is power, God’s power. 24 is the army of heaven. 24 is the blessing of the throne. How wonderful is this? This is something God gave you. It can move any background.

As I grew up, I always remembered my father being sick. So I changed it to 24 health. Isn’t that right? Isn’t that prayer too? When I went to church, I first realized that people think evangelism is far too difficult. So I changed it. Evangelism 24. I changed it. My destiny was changed. My future was changed. Isn’t that right? God even changed the background entirely. You must hold firmly onto this answer. You must actually enjoy it in reality. Then works will happen.

That’s why our background is truly tremendous. The heavenly throne and our background. Unbelievers never know when they might be destroyed, because their background is hell. Isn’t that right? They never know when disaster might strike. Their background is Satan. John chapter 8, verse 44 says they are children of the devil. Unbelievers have no choice. It’s not that unbelievers go to hell because they have too many sins. It’s because they are children of the devil. It’s not that those who believe in Jesus go to heaven because they have no sin at all. Isn’t that right? They are children of God. When children finish playing all day and the sun sets, they go home. When your life on this earth ends, you go home too, don’t you? What’s even more important is your background — an incredible background, my background. There’s no comparison between a person whose background is heaven and a person whose background is hell.

That’s why Jesus said this: “Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever hears my word has eternal life, and has crossed over from death to life.” Jesus said this. This is what you’re enjoying, from now on. Then you won’t need to worry. Evangelism will happen naturally.

Right now, Immanuel Seoul Church has finished preparing its temple building, but last week I felt something — I felt, “Ah, this too is already cramped.” Right away, once the congregation started gathering for worship, even the parking lot ran short, even though it’s such a large church, and there’s a sense that the facilities are inadequate. So I’m even praying about whether we now need to change our worship system.

2) Christ will bless us from the throne until he comes again as the returning King. We have been given a background in which prayer in that name of Christ receives an answer.

It’s been said that Christ will bless from the throne and then come again as the returning King. Praying in that name of Christ receives an answer, doesn’t it? It’s tremendous. The question is why we don’t enjoy this. This changes everything completely. The blessing of the throne is bound to come first upon your work. Isn’t that right? Then you become a solid witness. It never changes either. He promised that he would carry out world evangelization together with you forever. You must hold firmly onto this.

This week I set a prayer topic for myself: “I must pray about this.” Last time I sold everything I had and gave it as a building offering, and the question arose in prayer — do I have to do it again? At that moment this question came to me today. As I was praying, I asked, “How much longer can I live?” As I was praying this question to God — “How much longer can I live?” — I need to think about how much more I can preach standing on this platform together with you all. And then, even if I can no longer stand on the platform, how much longer might I still be alive? How much longer could I live?

These days, if you go to a good hospital, they’ll tell you. Isn’t that right? It’s not that I asked the hospital myself, but my staff asked, and apparently a person can live to 110. That means I would have to give offerings for the next 40 years. That’s the calculation that comes out. Having settled on the answer of building the temple, I wonder how much I should give over 40 years of giving. This prayer will likely continue throughout the week. I’ll tell you the answer next week, once I’ve prayed about it for a week and received an answer.

3) Whatever crisis comes upon us, it is all right. When problems and crises come, do not worry — enjoy them. Within this there is always an answer called “absolute.” In the meantime, all you need to do is be renewed.

The truth is, whatever crisis comes upon you, it’s all right. Why is that? The early church, I tell you, faced death after being falsely accused as heretics. They weren’t even a match for their opponent. They won. Because they were a subject people of Rome, they had to obey Roman law. You must understand this. The early church knew. Rome was not their opponent to fight. It was their territory to conquer. And they did conquer it. The evidence is absolutely clear. Wicked kings rose up and, for 250 years, killed people who believed in Jesus. The most representative figure, someone like Nero, killed the most. It was utterly horrific. They burned them alive. They killed those who believed in Jesus. They had them torn apart by wild beasts, all because they believed in Jesus. This continued for 250 years, I tell you. And yet, during those 250 years, the gospel kept being testified to the whole world. So at that time there were true believers, people who truly prayed. In the end, no one could stop it — within 250 years, Rome and the world completely bowed the knee before the gospel.

If a problem ever comes to you, don’t worry, just enjoy it. There is surely an answer. Or if a crisis has come, don’t worry, just enjoy it. Within it there is an answer called “absolute.” Isn’t that right? Because God holds the answer called “absolute,” he is waiting. In the meantime, all you have to do is be renewed. If you can’t be renewed, there’s conflict, but if you are renewed, it’s fine.

This is the covenant for you to hold onto today. Through the covenant called Christ, change your destiny. Simply put, change your future too. Change your eternal state, change your background. This is Christ. You must hold onto this covenant and pass it on to the next generation.

▣ Conclusion – If This Happens, Evangelism Occurs without Even Speaking; We Must Reach That Point. Without Evangelizing, the Other Person Sees You and Comes to Believe in God (Joseph).

Let me conclude. Even when you say nothing, evangelism happens. You must reach that point. Even though you didn’t evangelize, the other person sees you and comes to believe in God. Even though you said nothing, your family sees you and comes to believe in God. Even though you said nothing and simply stayed quiet, people suffering hardship at work who had been hiding will come close to you and find their answer.

1. Joseph, called before the king though he had not gone to evangelize (Genesis 41:1-38)

Even though he hadn’t gone there to evangelize, the king called for Joseph. This is the kind of thing that happens, I tell you. The king asked, “Can you interpret dreams well?” Joseph answered simply, “I cannot.” The king must have been quite startled. “Then why are you even here?” “God will make known the meaning of the king’s dream.”

2. Joseph, who became prime minister (Genesis 45:1-5)

He became prime minister. Once he became prime minister, he did not trouble Potiphar’s wife. He did not trouble the wife of Potiphar, the very man who had thrown him into prison, I tell you. He did not trouble his brothers either. When his brothers fell to their knees, admitting they had done wrong, he said, “It was not you who sold me, but God who sent me ahead of you.” That’s what he said.

3. Joseph after Jacob passed away (Genesis 50:1-20)

The final moment on the timeline had come. Jacob passed away. Simply put, their father had died. This Joseph wept so loudly that many people could hear it. So Joseph’s brothers said, “Joseph’s weeping is no ordinary weeping. We held back because of our father, but now that our father has died, we’re all going to be killed by that prime minister.” When they begged Joseph to spare their lives, didn’t Joseph answer this way?

“You intended to harm me. But the Lord turned it into good. I will raise all of your children.” He truly helped them.

4. Joseph’s last will in the last days (Genesis 50:22-26)

This is what Joseph said in his final moment. “We will go up to the land of Canaan. When you go, do not simply go — carry my bones with you and bury them in the land of Canaan.” This is Joseph’s final word.

When you hold onto God’s covenant, none of your difficulties are truly difficulties, in fact. Look closely, I tell you. Christ becomes your Lord. Isn’t that right? Your destiny has changed. Christ becomes the Lord of your future. Christ is your background. I bless you, in the name of the Lord Jesus, to surely win the victory, and to enjoy this answer starting today. Let us pray.

Prayer

We thank you, God. From this hour on, give new strength to the saints so they can hold onto this covenant and win the victory. Grant us, God, great spiritual strength. Open our eyes to see problems. Open our eyes to see crises. Open our eyes to see the world. In this very hour, open the gates of heaven and pour out the blessing of the heavenly throne. In this very hour, send the army of heaven to our workplaces and places of study, and let your kingdom, God, be established. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Praise — “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today”

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 Resurrected Christ” (Mt 28:1-10)
Transcript…Video

Prayer — 7 Bartizans · 7 Journeys · 7 Guideposts

Praise — “Are You Washed in the Blood”

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 — “Parable of the Ten Virgins What to Prepare” (Mt 25:1-13)
Transcript…Video

Prayer — 7 Bartizans · 7 Journeys · 7 Guideposts

Sunday 2nd Service, Healing and Welfare Committee Dedication Worship Service
Title / Scripture: The Parable of the Ten Virgins – What to Prepare (Matthew 25:1-13)
Date / Location: May 29, 2022, Immanuel Church (Seoul)

Matthew 25:1-13

01 At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
02 Five of them were foolish and five were wise.
03 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take oil with them.
04 The wise ones took oil in jars along with their lamps.
05 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
06 At midnight the cry rang out: “Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!”
07 Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.
08 The foolish ones said to the wise ones, “Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.”
09 “No,” they replied, “there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.”
10 But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut.
11 Later the others also came. “Lord, Lord,” they said, “open the door for us!”
12 But he replied, “Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.”
13 Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

Summary

We must heal and we must carry out welfare work, but what is the most important thing? The parable of the ten virgins is a story about a wedding — the story of ten virgins waiting for the bridegroom to come. Israel held weddings in three stages, and there is a tremendous meaning in this.

▣ Introduction: The Meaning of the Wedding

1. Betrothal ceremony (coming of age) – held with the families gathered.
1) Covenant – given and received.
2) Talent – confirmation
3) Expertise (on-site readiness) – preparation

2. The bride’s house – the believer, the bride, waiting for Christ
▷ Waiting for the bridegroom to come, not knowing when he will come.
1) Christ who existed before eternity
2) Christ who became incarnate
3) The resurrected Lord – invisibly with us
4) Christ who will come as the returning Lord

3. The bridegroom’s house
1) The kingdom feast
2) The feast of the throne
3) Our background (our home country)
▷ Right now we are within the covenant. We will be together with Christ until we welcome him as the returning Lord. Someday we will participate in the kingdom feast and praise God.

▣ Main Point: Preparing the Oil

1. Oil – that which saves me. You must prepare the oil in order to be saved.
1) Genesis 41:38 “I have never seen anyone so filled with the Spirit of the Lord as this.” – The oil of the Holy Spirit, the oil of life.
2) Exodus 3:18-20 “Go and set Israel free. Go and offer the blood sacrifice. I will be with you with my mighty hand. This will be the proof.” God worked invisibly.
3) 1 Samuel 3:1-19 The astonishing work of power that came upon Samuel — not one of his words fell to the ground.
4) 1 Samuel 16:1-13 To David: “From that day the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him.”
5) 2 Kings 2:9-11 “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit.” This is what Elisha asked for.
6) Daniel 1:8-9 He had it from the very beginning. He set his resolve according to God’s will.
7) Acts 1:1, 3, 8 The resurrected Christ spoke of the kingdom of God, of the Holy Spirit alone.

2. Oil – healing. With this oil we can heal others.
1) The age of slavery – free those who have become slaves to the world and Satan with the oil of the Holy Spirit.
2) The age of war – even now spiritual war continues to break out. Nothing else will do. Only the Holy Spirit!
3) The age of captivity – completely taken captive by the world and Satan.
4) The age of subjugation – when subjugated to darkness, one does not even realize it. Only with the Holy Spirit, only with the oil!
5) The wandering nation – our descendants go together within this. The work of the Holy Spirit, who is equal with God, and the oil, must be within us.

3. Oil – welfare. With this oil we can carry out welfare work.
1) The recipients of welfare – only this oil, only the Holy Spirit, can heal the recipients of welfare.
2) The helper – must be made into one who builds up strength and helps others.
▷ The purpose of welfare is to eliminate the need for welfare recipients.
3) The missionary – must be made into a missionary. The only way to do this is through the Holy Spirit alone.
▷ Any other way only brings us down to our own level. At our own level we cannot accomplish world evangelization. Understanding this, only through the Holy Spirit, who transcends time and space!

▣ Conclusion: The Flow of the Answer

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Do not be troubled because you believe in God. Also, do not be troubled because you believe in me. Do not be troubled because heaven has been prepared for you.” This is what Jesus said.

1. John 14:16 “If I go, I will send you the Advocate, the Holy Spirit.”
2. John 14:26 “This Spirit will cause you to understand many things.”
3. John 14:27 “I give you true peace.” When the Holy Spirit comes, true peace comes.
4. John 16:13 “When this Spirit comes, it will bring to your remembrance everything I taught you.”
5. John 20:22 “Breathe and receive the Holy Spirit.” Prepare the oil, prepare the power. If you are to save others and save yourself, no other power will do.
6. Acts 1:8 “When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will receive power and be my witnesses to the ends of the earth.”
7. Acts 2:1-13 “When the day of Pentecost came” — the true answer came to those who held onto this promise and gathered together. The oil had been prepared.
8. Acts 13:1-4 The same work happened in the mission field.
9. Acts 16:6-10 Even when the door was blocked, this power was received. At that time, they were beckoned to come to Macedonia.
10. Acts 19:1-7 What happened in the upper room in Mark also happened again.
Acts 19:8-20 The Ephesus revival broke out.
Acts 19:21, 23:11, 27:24 “You must also see Rome. You must testify in Rome. You must stand before Caesar.”
▷ The very first thing that all believers who carry out discipleship movements must do is to tell those who have been saved the secret of prayer. Healing must come first. When I evangelize, I make this preparation first. I go and see the person God has already prepared — the disciple. I bring this person to church, and then I move on to another area. A true disciple does not waver. A disciple, regardless of any help received, comes to discover the power of God. In evangelism and missions, we must give life and make people know the power of the Holy Spirit. We must give the oil and then leave.

Transcript

Today’s second service is the Healing and Welfare Committee’s dedication worship service. It is an extremely important dedication worship service for the Healing and Welfare Committee.

“The Parable of the Ten Virgins” (Matthew 25:1-13)

What word did God give for this — he gave the word concerning the parable of the ten virgins. I believe God gave this precisely. This is the text that appears in Matthew chapter 25. We must carry out healing and welfare work, but what is most important? He gave us this in today’s text. First of all, the parable of the ten virgins is a story about a wedding. Right?

▣ Introduction: The Meaning of the Wedding

It speaks of the ten virgins waiting for the bridegroom to come. Now, in this wedding — in Israel’s wedding — there is a tremendous meaning. Israel holds a wedding three times.

1. Betrothal ceremony (coming of age)
The families gather and hold the betrothal ceremony like this: “Let us marry this way. Let us do it this way.” This is the betrothal ceremony.
1) Covenant
Simply put, since they have now become adults, they exchange a covenant.
2) Talent
And what is very important is that, since they have now become adults, they also confirm their talents. This is basic for the people of Israel.
3) Expertise (on-site readiness)
They make preparations equipped with both expertise and on-site readiness, and hold the betrothal ceremony in this way.

2. The bride’s house
And where is the second wedding held? It is held at the bride’s house. At the bride’s house, they now wait for the bridegroom to come. But they do not know when he will come. That is the Israelite way of holding a wedding. This carries a tremendous message for us. We do not know when the last day will come, and we do not know when Christ will come as the returning Lord. We must wait. That is why the bridegroom usually comes rather late at night. Coming late allows one to see many things — the health and the flaws of the other side. So when the bridegroom comes, the feast begins.

[ Christ ]
Simply put, this refers to us believers, the bride, waiting for Christ.
1) Before eternity
Christ existed before eternity. Right? Because he is the triune God.
2) Incarnation
He came clothed in a human body.
3) The resurrected Lord
And now, as the resurrected Lord, he is with us invisibly. So if we pray in his name, the answer is certain to come.
4) The returning Lord
What is the fourth? He will come as the returning Lord. This is what is symbolized here.

3. The bridegroom’s house
And now, after the wedding is held here, they go to the bridegroom’s house and hold it again. What is it?
1) The kingdom feast
In our terms today, this is the kingdom feast that will be held.
2) The feast of the throne
Simply put, it is the feast of the throne.
3) Background (home country)
This is our background now, and it is truly our home country.

Jesus told an important parable — he told the parable of the wedding. If you do not know what this means, you would not understand what he is saying. “Ah, I see!” Where are we now? We are here, within the covenant. Someday we will be together with Christ and then welcome him as the returning Lord. Someday we will participate in the kingdom feast and praise God. There is a tremendous meaning in this.

▣ Main Point

Now, you know the story of the ten virgins well, don’t you? Simply put, the difference comes down to whether they have something or not. What is it? Since the bridegroom came so late, those who had prepared oil were able to welcome him. Those without oil could not welcome him, because they had no oil. So they said, “Lend us some,” and the others said, “No, we cannot lend it. What I have is not even enough for myself — how could I lend it to you?” What does this mean? In Israel, when a wedding is held, there are virgins who stand together as bridesmaids. There were ten of them, and it says that five of them had prepared oil.

▣ Main Point: Preparing the Oil

Preparing the oil. This is the covenant you must take hold of today.

1. Oil – that which saves me
You must prepare the oil in order to save yourself. Holding a lamp without any oil is of no use at all in saving you. What is this oil?
1) Genesis 41:38
This is what Joseph had. “I have never seen anyone so filled with the Spirit of the Lord as this.” That’s right. This is the oil of the Holy Spirit. This is the oil of life. Isn’t that right? Take hold of this precisely.
2) Exodus 3:18-20
“Go and set Israel free. Go and offer the blood sacrifice. I will be with you with my mighty hand. This will be the proof.” After that, when the ten plagues came, God worked in a way that was completely invisible. So those who live at the level of animals — no matter how well they eat — do not understand it, because they cannot see it. How ignorant are they? They do not even know that they have a soul, so they lie freely and live however they please. They think that all they need to do is take their own benefit like an animal. And so they die. No matter how prestigious a university they attend, no matter how high a position they hold — from where I stand, it is only at the level of an animal. They themselves do not know it. These days it has gotten even worse. Politicians keep scheming, using their wits, lying constantly, and thinking that’s how it’s done. At that level, you cannot save others, and you cannot even save yourself.
3) 1 Samuel 3:1-19
This is the astonishing work of power that came upon Samuel. From that time on, not one of his words fell to the ground.
4) 1 Samuel 16:1-13
To David: “From that day the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him.” That’s right. The Spirit of the Lord.
5) 2 Kings 2:9-11
2 Kings chapter 2, verses 9, 10, and 11. Elisha understood. “Bethel, Gilgal, Jericho — none of that is needed. Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit.” That’s right. I must live. Oil! What is it?
6) Daniel 1:8-9
He already had it firmly from the very beginning. He set his resolve firmly according to God’s will. Ah, he came to a high position — he did not think of it as success. Difficulty comes — he did not think of it as difficulty coming. He wins. Prepare this.
7) Acts 1:1, 3, 8
So Jesus, the resurrected Christ, spoke of the kingdom of God, of the Holy Spirit alone — this oil. Those who offer dedication worship must be sure to remember this. Because this cannot be seen, someone living at the level of an animal finds no value in it. Isn’t that right? No matter how much you love a dog, if you give it something like a diamond, it doesn’t understand. Right? You must be the first to always enjoy this precious thing.

2. Oil – healing
With this oil we can heal others.
3. Oil – welfare
With this oil we can carry out welfare work. You cannot know how important an answer this gives.

2. Oil – healing
What does it mean to say that only oil can heal? It is the same even now.
1) The age of slavery
We have entered an age of slavery. Many people think of being enslaved in Egypt, but that is not it. Even now, people have become slaves to the world and Satan. These people can be set free with the oil of the Holy Spirit.
2) The age of war
Even now, spiritual warfare continues to break out. Nothing else will do — only the Holy Spirit. It is the same, all of you. It has gotten even worse.
3) The age of captivity
Now people have become completely captive to the world and Satan.
4) The age of subjugation
Now they do not even realize it. They have become subjugated to darkness. When subjugated, you do not realize it. “Only with the Holy Spirit, only with the oil.” You must remember this.
5) The age of wandering
In the future, Israel and the church will become a wandering nation. Our descendants go together within this. This (oil) must be prepared. Right? The work of the Holy Spirit, who is equal with God, and the oil, must be within us.

3. Oil – welfare
1) The recipients of welfare
Only this oil, only the Holy Spirit, can heal the recipients of welfare. This person must be healed first. Unbelievers give food first, but although we also give food, we must heal first.
2) The helper
What is even more important? These people must not remain recipients of welfare but must be made into helpers. What is the purpose of welfare? It is to eliminate the need for welfare. The purpose of welfare is to eliminate welfare recipients, that is what I mean. The true purpose of welfare work is that those who do welfare work should have no work left to do. Right? The purpose of a doctor is to eliminate patients.
3) The missionary
This person must be made into a missionary. The welfare recipient must be healed, and the helper must be raised up and made into a missionary. The only way to do this is through the Holy Spirit alone, that is what I mean. Any other way only brings us down to our own level. Honestly, at our own level we cannot accomplish world evangelization — there is no need even to calculate this. At our own level, all of you cannot accomplish world evangelization. Understanding this, only through God, who transcends time and space, only through the Holy Spirit. This is an extremely important matter. That is why those of you who carry out this ministry of welfare and healing are important, and you must first gain great strength.

▣ Conclusion: The Flow

Now, in conclusion, let us look at the flow of this answer. When Jesus was nearly at the end, he spoke like this: “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” Why? Because troubling things would happen. “Do not be troubled, because you believe in God. Also, do not be troubled, because you believe in me. Also, do not be troubled, because heaven has been prepared.” This is what he said.

1. John 14:16
“If I go, I will send you the Advocate, the Holy Spirit.” That is the introduction I gave.
2. John 14:26
“This Spirit will cause many people to understand.” When this Spirit comes, it will bring understanding.
3. John 14:27
“I will give you true peace, not a false one. When this Spirit comes, it will give true peace.”
4. John 16:13
And what else? “When this Spirit comes, when you have this oil, it will bring to your remembrance everything I taught you.” And then Jesus spoke again at the very end.
5. John 20:22
“Breathe, and receive the Holy Spirit.” That means: prepare the oil. Prepare the power. No other power will do. If it were merely to scrape by and survive, that might be enough, but to save others and to save myself, it will not do.
6. Acts 1:8
Now, he called them all the way up to the Mount of Olives. And he said again: “Only!” Nothing else will do. “When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will receive power and be my witnesses to the ends of the earth.”
7. Acts 2:1-13
The true answer came to the people who held onto this promise and gathered together. “When the day of Pentecost had fully come” — this is the highest answer. This power came upon them. Simply put, the oil had been prepared. And this was not the end of it.
8. Acts 13:1-4
In the mission field, the same work happened again. In order to be led by the Holy Spirit, Paul even fasted, it says. They understood it well.
9. Acts 16:6-10
It is the same. This is a well-known passage, Acts chapter 16, verses 6 and 10. Even when the door is blocked, we must receive this power. When our way is blocked, we keep trying to force it open. Do not force it open. At that time, they even beckoned him, saying, “Come to Macedonia.”
10. Acts 19:1-7
The same thing continues. What happened in the upper room in Mark’s Gospel happens again at the beginning of Acts chapter 19.
Acts 19:8-20
When this happened, a truly great work broke out. This is the Ephesus revival. And it did not end there.
Acts 19:21
After this covenant was concluded, verse 21 says, “I must also see Rome.” It does not end there.
Acts 23:11
“You must testify in Rome.”
Acts 27:24
“You must stand before Caesar.” In this way, the flow of this work keeps happening, one after another.

All of you must take hold of this. So the very first thing that all believers who carry out discipleship movements must do is to make known to those who have been saved what the secret of prayer is. Right? This is the secret of prayer. You must not miss this.

Healing? We must heal first. You came all the way here from a foreign country to Korea? That is no ordinary thing. Heal first. Someone crossed over here from North Korea? We must heal first. They carry many wounds. They cannot speak of them. Living in Korea actually becomes harder for them later on. Why? Because we have not delivered to these people the oil that heals them. It is difficult.

And what is it? The way we truly help these people, the way we genuinely help them, must be this blessing (the main point). Right? Do we keep making them into permanent objects of charity forever? In a sense, that is doing it wrong. While carrying out welfare work, a work of the Holy Spirit must occur in which the recipients of welfare are transformed into missionaries. You must always remember this.

That is why I have never made evangelism so difficult. I always made this preparation first. Once I make this preparation firmly first, then when the door opens, I go. It becomes an enormous grace. Because I have already received the answer before I even go. I go and see the person God has already prepared —

Is this the person or not? That is the first thing I look at directly. The person God has prepared understands even when spoken to in difficult terms. What do I look at next? Whether this person is a disciple or not — that is the question. When they are not yet a disciple, I stay longer. I keep going. When it becomes clear, “This is a disciple,” then it is finished. I make this person come to church, and I move on to another area.

A true disciple does not waver. False disciples get sulky when you treat them well for a while and then fail to treat them well. Isn’t that so? That makes them false. If you treat someone well like this and then one day something happens that upsets them, or they suffer some loss of benefit, they betray you. Even after receiving 99 kinds of help, if you fail them in one thing, they say they are hurt. A disciple is not like that. A disciple, regardless of any help received, comes to discover the power of God.

What would God want? If we are not careful, we can easily do the wrong thing. Everywhere I went on the mission field, I would think, “Ah, this is the opposite of what God wants…” and yet keep doing the opposite. These people have no interest at all in that. What are they interested in? What will be given to them — that is what they are interested in. When I actually went to the mission field, I thought, “Ah, is this really how it has to be?”

I have told this story a few times before. As soon as Russia’s doors opened, I went there. I traveled for fourteen days that time, holding a mission conference. It was not something I organized — it was organized by the Koshin denomination, and they invited me as the speaker, so I went. I traveled together with the Koshin denomination’s moderator and other pastors like that. It was chaos, sheer chaos. This person asked me bluntly, “What did you bring?” That is the first thing they ask. At that time I spoke up, since I was the speaker. I said let’s not give out whatever it was we were giving. They were coming to receive bread, that’s all. I watched this for several days, and that night, after seeing it, I came back to my lodging at the hotel, and there I made my decision.

I had thought Russia had become a nation of beggars, but it was not so. At night, an enormous number — in today’s terms — of Maybachs and Mercedes-Benzes, cars like that, kept streaming in one after another, at night. They kept coming continuously into the underground parking lot of that huge hotel. It seemed their gathering had a set time. Streaming in. They were probably going to party all night. Russia was not a nation of beggars. We were the ones using the wrong mission strategy right now.

So the next day I said it plainly: let’s stop giving out bread. That missionary said that if we don’t give bread, they won’t come. Still, I said let’s not give it out, just this once. Because I insisted so much, it seems he went ahead and announced that we would not be giving anything out. Since I am only human too, after that announcement I grew worried that night. I really did wonder, “What if, just as that man said, not a single person shows up?” But it turned out to be his own misunderstanding. So many people came that, in the crush, the glass window was broken.

We must do this well. We must give them life, and we must make them know the power of the Holy Spirit — we must give them the oil and then leave. That is what I mean — we must make them possess it themselves. In missions, in evangelism, if we do the opposite of what God wants, what result comes of it? Then something terrible happens. We must be sure to remember this. I bless you in the name of the Lord Jesus to take hold of this important covenant today and begin to pray. Let us pray.

Prayer

We give thanks to God. We give thanks for the grace that allows us to carry out this ministry of healing and welfare through today’s dedication worship. Let us become spiritual disciples who prepare the oil. Let us become witnesses who save the whole world with this power. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Sunday 1st Service Worship
Title/Scripture: When Will the End of the World Come? (Matthew 24:1-14)
Speaker: Rev. Kwang-Soo Ryu
Date/Location: May 29, 2022, Immanuel Church (Seoul)

Matthew 24:1-14

01 Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings.
02 “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”
03 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
04 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you.
05 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.
06 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.
07 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
08 All these are the beginning of birth pains.
09 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.
10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other,
11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.
12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,
13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Summary

▷ This is a sermon Dr. Torrey preached at the home of a bereaved family who had lost many family members in an accident. “When you look at a situation like this, you can resent God. Or you can fear God. You must choose one of the two.”

▣ Introduction: What must we tell new believers and Remnant?
1. The three endings we have
1) The end of the individual 2) The end of the age 3) The end of the earth
2. At this point Jesus gave an answer that summarizes all of his words in a single word — hold on to the absolute.
1) The most important thing is that we must hold on to the absolute covenant. The reason Christians lose to the three groups is that while the three groups do things absolutely, Christians unconditionally work hard at things they may or may not do. We must hold on to what is absolute.
2) We must realize the absolute plan. A big problem has come? We can overcome it only when we realize the absolute plan. There are times in life when we are bewildered, and times when there is nothing we can do. At such times too we must realize the absolute plan. Conversely, when doing business or work, it is likewise only when we hold on to what God’s absolute covenant and absolute plan are that we receive an answer.
3) We must hold on to the absolute background.
▷ There is only this one thing that Jesus taught his disciples.
(1) He told them to go into the field and proclaim that the kingdom of heaven had come near (Matthew 10:7).
(2) While teaching the Lord’s Prayer, he told them not to pray for other things but to seek his kingdom and his righteousness (Matthew 6:10, 33).
(3) Even when the Pharisees criticized him, he said that if the Spirit comes and Satan is bound, the kingdom of God has come (Matthew 12:28-30).
(4) The risen Christ said that with all authority in heaven and on earth he would always be with us (Matthew 28:16-20).
(5) Even at the very end, he spent forty days explaining the matters concerning the kingdom of God (Acts 1:3).
▷ What is the absolute background? We must firmly believe this. The triune God, invisibly, promised to be with us forever. And Christ, while speaking of the blessing of the throne, told us that we would be witnesses to the ends of the earth.

3. The question and prayer we must always have — what is God’s absolute plan?
1) The disciples’ question — What will happen to this temple? What will be the sign of the end of the world? (Matthew 24:1-3)
2) Jesus’ answer
(1) The temple in Jerusalem — He prophesied that not one stone would be left on another.
(2) The signs that appear in the world — He told them to beware of being deceived. He said that many would appear here and there claiming to be the Christ, and that there would be wars and rumors of wars. Nation would rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and famines and disasters would occur in various places. But he said this is only the beginning of disasters.
(3) The signs that appear in the church — He said that at that time believers would be handed over to tribulation, that all nations would hate them, that they would hate one another and cause one another to stumble, that at this time false prophets would arise, and that because lawlessness would grow strong, love would grow cold. But he said that whoever endures to the end will be saved.
(4) The end of the world — He said that the gospel of the kingdom would be preached to the whole world, and only then would the end come.
3) The question we must always ask — what is God’s absolute plan? Then we come to know the reason. At this point God gives an “absolute promise.” For the rest of our lives we must have this prayer. Remnant and young people must begin this prayer. We must hold on to the absolute covenant of why God called us.

▣ Main
1. What gospel must we have? (Three gospels)
▷ Everything has been finished through Christ. It has ended through Christ. So why then do I have problems? That is the beginning of blessing. It is the beginning of the blessing that tells us not to get it wrong.
1) Christ, who existed before eternity and became incarnate to save us — He put an end to all the power of Satan and to eternal curse and disaster. We must believe this firmly. We have been moved from sin and death.
2) The risen Christ — Even now, when we pray in his name, we receive an answer.
3) Christ who will stand as the returning Lord — With this covenant of Christ he will save me and save the world. Then, because he attaches to you an absolute disciple, an answer is bound to come.

2. What evangelism must we do?
1) Healing the hidden root causes within all the sick people of the world
2) Healing the sickness related to culture
3) Healing different imprints, roots, and constitutions

3. How far must we go? To the ends of the earth!
1) We must supplement theology and doctrine so that a proper evangelism movement can take place
2) We must change into a church system where the 237 nations can come, be healed, and stand as a summit
3) We must transform into an industry with enough capability to influence 70 regions. Only then can we go to every nation.
▷ We must know why the first, second, and third temples of Jerusalem were destroyed. That is when the absolute answer comes.

▣ Conclusion: Ask about God’s absolute plan. Why did you make me a member (church leader) of this church? Why must I do this work? Ask. God is certain to answer that prayer, so we come to hold on to an answer that no one else can give.
1. At this point the “absolute covenant” comes forth.
2. Because the world’s methods cannot save the world, he gives us the “absolute journey.”
3. Because the things of the earth cannot save the things of the earth, he gives us the “absolute goal.”

Transcript

There was a couple who were in a park talking together, like this. Some thugs came for no reason and killed the two of them. This is an old case. You have probably seen it on the news. What should we say to the children at a time like that? I don’t know — I wasn’t able to meet them, but I mean, what should we tell them, that’s the point. The evangelist, Dr. Torrey (Reuben Archer Torrey), went to a certain house, a house of mourning. It wasn’t just one person — several family members had passed away together in an accident. At that time the pastor preached this sermon: “When you look at a situation like this, you can resent God. Or you can fear God. You must choose one of the two.” He once preached like this.

▣ Introduction: What must we tell new believers and Remnant?
When our new family members begin their life of faith, what should we tell them? That’s the important thing.
Today marks the point where Jesus’s ministry was coming to a close, and he said something very important. When we meet Remnant, what should we tell them too? Of course, it is Christ. Since they are Christians, the question is what we should tell them within Christ. Also, there are many adults present here today.

1. The three endings we have
We have three endings.
1) The end of the individual
There is an end of the individual. Since it certainly comes, it cannot be stopped.
2) The end of the age
There is an ending for each age. We must watch it carefully.
3) The end of the earth
There is an end of the earth. Now, the question is what we should tell people.

2. At this point Jesus gave an answer that summarizes all of his words in a single word — hold on to the absolute.
1) The most important thing is that we must hold on to the absolute covenant.
At this point Jesus gave an answer that could summarize all his words in one word. What is it? “Hold on to the absolute covenant.” That’s right. There are many young adults here and also many elders — what is the most important thing? You must hold on to the absolute covenant.
The reason we Christians lose to the three groups is that the three groups take hold of what is absolute. Most Christians work hard unconditionally. They say “I believe” and just charge ahead. That’s not right. You must pray about this today. Why do we do things we may do or may not do? We must hold on to what is absolute.
2) We must realize the absolute plan.
A big problem has come? We must realize the absolute plan, or else we cannot overcome it. Isn’t that right? As we live, there are times we are bewildered and times when there is nothing we can do. On the other hand, there are also times when we simply go about doing business and work like that. In those times too it is the same. It is only when we hold on to what God’s absolute covenant and absolute plan are that we receive a proper answer.
3) We must hold on to the absolute background.
What Jesus taught his disciples was only this one thing. And so he told them of an absolute background that no one can take away.
(1) He told them to go into the field and proclaim that the kingdom of heaven had come near (Matthew 10:7).
From the very beginning. He told the disciples, “Go throughout the whole earth, go into the field, and proclaim that the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
(2) While teaching the Lord’s Prayer, he told them not to pray for other things but to seek his kingdom and his righteousness (Matthew 6:10, 33)
Even while teaching the Lord’s Prayer, he said, “Do not pray for other things; seek his kingdom and his righteousness.”
(3) Even when the Pharisees criticized him, he said that if the Spirit comes and Satan is bound, the kingdom of God has come (Matthew 12:28-30).
Even when the Pharisees criticized him, he said, “If the Spirit comes and Satan is bound, the kingdom of God has come.” He was telling them the absolute background.
(4) The risen Christ said that with all authority in heaven and on earth he would always be with us (Matthew 28:16-20).
And after rising from the dead he said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” He said, “I will always be with you.” Isn’t that right? If some beggar at the train station said “I will always be with you,” how difficult would that be for us? If someone who is a bit mentally unwell said, “I will always be with you,” that would be difficult too. But Christ, who holds all authority in heaven and on earth, said, “I will always be with you.” If that is so, we must receive that answer.
(5) Even at the very end, he spent forty days explaining the matters concerning the kingdom of God (Acts 1:3).
At the very end also he said this. “He explained the matters of the kingdom of God for forty days.” Then the meaning becomes clear. What is the absolute background? You must believe it firmly.
The triune God, invisibly, promised to be with you forever. This is the promise of Scripture. People who are like beasts cannot even understand this. Why? How can they understand the triune God? Even if they succeed, it is useless. All they can talk about every day is that — talk fit only for beasts. Why? Because they don’t know. That Christ spoke of the blessing of the throne. Isn’t that right? And he said, don’t worry. Only — as he spoke — he said we would be his witnesses to the ends of the earth. Why is that?

3. The question and prayer we must always have — what is God’s absolute plan?
Today, Jesus is nearly at the end of his life, and though no one else knows it, Jesus knows. That’s what this is about today.
1) The disciples’ question — What will happen to this temple? What will be the sign of the end of the world? (Matthew 24:1-3)
The disciples asked. What will happen to this temple? — and they pointed to the Jerusalem temple as they spoke.
2) Jesus’ answer
(1) The temple in Jerusalem — He prophesied that not one stone would be left on another.
At that time Jesus said, “Not one stone will be left on another.” You see, stones stacked one on top of another become a building, don’t they? “This will not remain.” It will be destroyed, that is. It has not yet been restored. It was destroyed in AD 70, and it still has not been restored. Jesus prophesied it, you see.
(2) The signs that appear in the world
“Then what will happen at the end of the world?” they asked. “Beware of being deceived. Also, many people will appear here and there saying, ‘I am the Christ.'” Furthermore, there will be wars and rumors of wars. At the last time. “Do not be afraid. This is not yet the end.” That’s what he said. This is what Jesus said just now. “Nation will rise against nation.” It looks just like our own country. “Nation against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. This is the beginning of disasters. It is not the end but the beginning.”
(3) The signs that appear in the church
He spoke of something even more important. “At that time you who believe will be handed over to tribulation.” What is even more surprising is, “All nations will hate you.” They hate you because their spirit is different. Isn’t that right? The spirit is different. Even among people who go to church, there are some who get angry if you keep talking only about Christ. The spirit is different. Isn’t that so? Some people, even while listening to a sermon, keep holding on to something else instead of holding on to the Word. The spirit is different. “At that time they will hate one another and cause one another to fall into temptation.” “Taking advantage of this time, false prophets will arise. Because lawlessness grows strong, love will grow cold.”
(4) The end of the world
“But whoever endures to the end will be saved.” And Jesus said this. “The gospel of the kingdom will be preached to the whole world. Only then will the end come.” He made an absolute promise.
3) The question we must always ask — what is God’s absolute plan?
Now, what must you ask today? What is the important question you must always ask? What is God’s absolute plan? Then you come to know the reason. Look at today. This is the world we live in. Look at the reason. At this point God gives us an absolute promise. “After the gospel has been preached to all nations, the end will come.” Today, for the rest of your lives, you must have this prayer. Remnant must begin this prayer. Aren’t there many young people here full of hope? You must begin this prayer. It is extremely important.
What is God’s absolute plan for me? I always asked this question. It matters a great deal. It’s a very important question. It was my very first question. “God, why must I become a pastor?” There are pastors everywhere. There are already too many pastors. Just in the seminaries alone there are several hundred in Korea. They keep producing more pastors. There are pastors, tens of thousands of them, who work as substitute drivers because there is no church for them. “Why must I become a pastor? Is it a job?” That is the question I asked. I truly asked that question, though I am ignorant. But God gave the answer through my whole life. Do it today. There is no need to rush.
The second question I asked was when I entered Yeongdo and started the church plant. “God, why here?” I asked. “There’s no church building, there’s nothing — why here?” What’s even more amusing is that when a person makes a mistake, they end up making more mistakes. So I started right there in Yeongdo. Though there weren’t many members, they received grace and were very happy about it. But he still lives in Seoul now. A pastor who was much older than me, whom I had been close with for a long time — he came without any notice, together with his wife, all the way from Seoul. Since he was much older than me, the first thing he said was, “Pastor Ryu, I received an answer to prayer.” I said, “What is it?” I asked like that. He said he was retiring from ministry because of his age. He said he had built a church building in Seoul. He said he had a house too. He said he had everything. He said that I wasn’t meant to be stuck in Yeongdo. He said, let’s go. He said the church building was already built and there was a parsonage too. He said, let’s go. In that instant I thought, “You could have come sooner — why come now, when…?” I didn’t want to go through hardship either. Isn’t that right?
But I had already, upon entering Yeongdo, realized God’s absolute plan. Otherwise I would have wavered. “I will do it just as it is written in Scripture. I will not learn from big churches.” I had already seen it all. “I will preach exactly according to God’s Word. Wherever God works, I will follow there. I will preach the gospel only. I will preach only with no other desires.” I had already discovered that. I said to that senior pastor, “Pastor, I too received an answer to prayer, and I am staying here.” I said, “I will never leave this small church plant to go to you.” I said, “But thank you for remembering me after all this time.” That’s what I said. If people make even one wrong step, they can be shaken.
If I had gone, what would have happened, really. I hadn’t even seen the church, didn’t know what it looked like. No, meeting people like you, that blessing of world evangelization — if you make a mistake, you can lose it. Isn’t that right? Someone once said to me, “In that valley out in Gwangju, would church members even come to a church there?” I said, “Our family members climb even to a cliff.” I said that. That’s a remark made out of ignorance. Our Immanuel family members climb even to a cliff. So we must hold on to the absolute covenant of why God called us. Why do things we may or may not do?

▣ Main
Now, there is no time.

1. What gospel must we have? (Three gospels)
The first is this. What gospel must we have? That’s right. What gospel must I have, that is the question. There are three gospels.
1) Christ, who existed before eternity and became incarnate to save us
Everything has ended through Christ. There are still many people who are lost. It has ended through Christ. So why do I have problems then? That is the beginning of blessing. It is the beginning of blessing telling us not to get it wrong. What gospel is it? Christ has put an end to all the power of Satan. The eternal curse and disaster that you were to receive have been ended. Isn’t that right? You must believe this firmly. “You have been moved from sin and death,” it says. Who is this Christ? He is the Christ who existed before eternity. He is the Christ who became incarnate, taking on human form to save us.
2) The risen Christ
Even now, when we pray in his name, darkness is broken — that is the risen Christ.
3) Christ who will stand as the returning Lord
He is the Christ who will stand as the returning Lord. Though it doesn’t quite make sense to say he will come as the returning Lord and also stand as the returning Lord — it has already ended, this is. Hold firmly onto this covenant of Christ. This is the gospel I am speaking of. Take this and save me, and save the people of the world. If it is like this, because he attaches to you an absolute disciple, an answer is bound to come. Today, start over sincerely from your heart.

2. What evangelism must we do?
This is the second point. What must we evangelize about? Now, you have taken hold of what gospel, right? Then what evangelism must we do?
1) Healing the hidden root causes within all the sick people of the world
The whole world is sick. Do the kind of evangelism that heals their hidden root causes. Even last week there was trouble in America. They had a shooting, causing chaos. We must heal the root cause. No politician can solve it. Isn’t that right? The more a life apart from God gains, the more problems come. There is no one they can tell. The higher I climb, the harder it gets. Isn’t it because of this that those famous singers took their own lives? How hard must it have been that an actor with enormous wealth takes his own life? And there are pop stars, idols, who die from drug addiction, so much so that it’s hard to tell whether it was suicide. Nearly all of them. People like Elvis Presley, people like Michael Jackson — these are not ordinary people. All these people, through drugs. Because they were suffering. It’s because we haven’t done proper evangelism. American churches must do proper evangelism. While those people are dying because of spiritual problems, it means that no one has ever once told them.
2) Healing the sickness related to culture
Many people of different ethnicities will come to our country now. They have sickness related to culture. Isn’t that right? We must heal it. We must understand. Do you know how much hardship those North Korean people, those Chinese people, go through as they cross over? We must heal them. That is evangelism.
3) Healing different imprints, roots, and constitutions
Even more important — they have different imprints, roots, and constitutions. A person who came from North Korea told me many things. One man came through Pastor Park Yong-bae and said this: “I defected from the North, but I must go back in again. Why? Now that I know this gospel, I must tell them this gospel.” A person who came from North Korea said something. Do you know what one person said? “I came to live in South Korea, but I can’t make it.” I asked, “Why?” and he said he didn’t know what he was supposed to do. In North Korea you do as you’re told, but here you’re told to figure it out on your own, and he didn’t know what to do. That’s how his constitution had become. We must heal that.
I told you before — one person made a serious confession to me. He said, “I don’t have time, so every week I come to Yewon Church to hear your key message.” He said that. “So I’m thinking of attending Yewon Church now.” But he said another church came and bought him a desk, bought him a chair, and told him to come to their church. They give him so much, and though he’s grateful, when he went to worship there he found the preaching better at Yewon Church, where he comes. He said he wants to hear this. He said that just last Sunday that other church even bought him a refrigerator. Ah, is that so. I answered like this. “Receive what they give you with gratitude, but decide for yourself about worship and church.” His face looked very troubled. Our church must never do such a thing. Isn’t that right? That person who crossed over through death from North Korea carries many wounds. We must heal that. What our church is preparing now is not just something ordinary — going forward, spiritual problems will become serious. We must do proper evangelism.

3. How far must we go? To the ends of the earth!
How far must we go? This is the third point. How far must we go? I told you to go to the very ends of the earth.
1) We must supplement theology and doctrine so that a proper evangelism movement can take place
We must newly supplement theology and doctrine. We must supplement it so that a proper evangelism movement can happen.
2) We must change into a church system where the 237 nations can come, be healed, and stand as a summit
How far must we evangelize? We must change the church system. We must truly change into a system where the 237 nations can come, be healed, and be given what is right for them.
3) We must transform into an industry with enough capability to influence 70 regions. Only then can we go to every nation.
You must change into something capable enough to influence 70 regions. Isn’t it absolute for your industry to see a hundredfold work? This work must happen so that it becomes so. Only then can we go to every nation. God destroyed the first, second, and third temples of Jerusalem. You must know why he destroyed them. It is from that point that the absolute answer comes.

▣ Conclusion: Ask about God’s absolute plan.
Now ask. “God, why did you make me a member of this church, a church leader?” You must ask about the absolute plan. “Why must I do this work?” You must ask. God is certain to answer that prayer. Think about it. “Give it or not, it’s up to you.” Why would he answer that kind of prayer? It means you have realized God’s absolute plan. You come to hold on to an answer that no one else can give. Seeing that, we say, “I have realized the absolute plan.” You don’t need to believe what people say. People are objects to help, not objects to believe in.

1. At this point the “absolute covenant” comes forth.
From this point on, what comes forth? The absolute covenant comes forth.

2. Because the world’s methods cannot save the world, he gives us the “absolute journey.”
The world’s methods cannot save the world. That’s why God gave us the absolute journey.

3. Because the things of the earth cannot save the things of the earth, he gives us the “absolute goal.”
The things of the earth cannot save the things of the earth. That’s why he gave us the absolute goal.

I have no testimony to give you. Because my level is too low, I have nothing to testify about. But I do have something I can stand as a witness to you about, through God’s Word. It turns out that God let me experience this so that I could preach the gospel for the sake of such people. How could our childhood have been so difficult? This was training so that God could carry out world evangelization. While everyone else had things, I had no background. I kept asking, “Why is this so?” and that became the secret to realizing what is God’s absolute. I truly have nothing to envy now. Why? Because I have you, and if world evangelization happens, what else is needed? Nothing. When I look at the churches that evangelize, when I look at you, when I look at our Immanuel churches, is there any greater thanks than this? If world evangelization happens, that’s enough. Nothing more is needed.

You must pass this covenant on to the next generation and to the whole world. Once this prayer begins today, you will surely be victorious. I hope that all the disciples among our family of faith around the world will hold on to this covenant. I bless you in the name of Jesus to become key figures of the absolute covenant. Let us pray.

Prayer

We thank you, God. We believe today in God’s absolute sovereignty. Let us see God’s absolute plan in our lives. Grant us the absolute covenant every day. Let us walk the absolute journey that can save the world. Grant us the absolute goal that changes and saves the things of the earth. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Praise — “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name”

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 — “When Will the End of the World Come?” (Mt 24:1-14)
Transcript…Video

Prayer — 7 Bartizans · 7 Journeys · 7 Guideposts

Sunday 2nd Service Worship / Temple Building Dedication Worship
Title/Scripture: The Church, a Model of the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 22:1-14)
Speaker: Rev. Ryu Kwang-soo
Date/Place: May 22, 2022, Immanuel Church (Busan)

Matthew 22:1-14

01 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying:
02 “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.
03 He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.
04 Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’
05 But they paid no attention and went off — one to his field, another to his business.
06 The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them.
07 The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
08 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come.
09 So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’
10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
11 But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes.
12 He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless.
13 Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
14 For many are invited, but few are chosen.

Summary

You must always remember what time it is right now, and what kind of time it will be from Monday onward once worship ends. Knowing the church correctly is a tremendous answer.

▣ Intro_ You must know what is happening right now.

1. Identity – the children of God have a different identity.
1) John 8:44 – unbelievers belong to “your father the devil” and are constantly attacked by the devil through fortune-telling and shamanistic rituals.
2) 1 Corinthians 3:16 – those who are saved have God’s Holy Spirit dwelling within them, invisibly.

2. Prayer – what happens during the time of worship
1) Psalm 103:20-22 – angels, heavenly host – the word is fulfilled, God’s presence occurs, and God’s plans are accomplished. At this time God sends angels, the heavenly host.
2) Revelation 8:3-5 – the prayer being offered now rises to the throne and is placed in a bowl before God.
▷ Those who pray knowingly come to enjoy the tremendous power of the spiritual world.
3) Daniel 10:10-20 – the moment you pray, from the very start God sends his messenger.

3. Fullness (History) – when this timetable (Intro 1, 2) continues and a moment of fullness comes, history occurs.
1) Matthew 12:28-30 – “When the Holy Spirit comes and Satan is bound, the kingdom of God has come.”
2) Acts 1:3 – for 40 days he explained the things of the kingdom of God.
3) Acts 1:8 – when the time of fullness comes, power appears and you become witnesses to the ends of the earth.
▷ The figures who completely changed the world of politics by holding this secret of prayer were Joseph and David. Figures like these must begin to rise. On the Lord’s Day you must enter into deep prayer. During the six days, the answer gets confirmed.

▣ Main_ Worship (Church)

1. Participating in the kingdom of heaven banquet
1) The Triune God – participating in the special gathering where the Triune God is present
2) The throne – the time when the blessing of the throne comes
3) Calvary, Mt Olive, Mark’s upper room – the secret of enjoying, exactly as they are, the answers that happened at Calvary, were promised at Mt Olive, and occurred at Mark’s upper room

2. Participating in the wedding banquet
▷ If Christ is our bridegroom, the believer is the bride.
1) A place where there is covenant
2) A place where there is joy
3) A place where the future is contained
▷ In the nation of Israel, weddings are held in three stages. The gathering of only the family is called the betrothal ceremony. The second wedding is held at the bride’s house. The time for the groom to go to the bride’s house is not fixed. So it is similar to the second coming of Jesus, our bridegroom. The wedding is held again at the groom’s house. We too will hold a wedding banquet again when we go to the kingdom of heaven.

3. The gathering of those wearing wedding clothes
▷ At that time, clothing indicated one’s status. Only those wearing wedding clothes were gathered.
1) Genesis 3:15 – those who knew moved the age.
2) Exodus 3:18 – when they became slaves, “go and offer sacrifice.”
▷ This was a promise of Christ. Human beings can never overcome disaster, the background of hell, and the dark background of Satan. The word that overcomes it is “Christ.” That is why it is said, “clothed with Christ.”
3) Isaiah 7:14 – this appeared again when they had fallen. Daniel and the three young men who understood this word overturned Babylon.
4) Matthew 16:16 – when they forgot again and became a subject nation, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
▷ The gathering of those clothed in wedding garments who save the world and transform the world is the church, it is worship. That is participating in that banquet.

▣ Conclusion_ The Temple

The temple is what can properly send out this tremendous truth through evangelism and mission.

1. The court of the Gentiles, the court of the children, the court of prayer – the reason the first, second, and third temples in Jerusalem fell, and the reason churches around the world are closing down, are the same. He commanded three courts, but they made them and then sold animals and exchanged coins there, until they did away with them.

2. 237, healing, summit – a temple is a facility where people from the 237 nations can come and receive healing to their heart’s content and become summits.

3. Culture – whether it is God’s culture or idol culture is judged by the temple.

▷ This is spiritual warfare. Pray earnestly before God about what record you will leave in God’s work going forward. What kind of footprint will you leave behind? What is needed? You must be a servant, using the power of this gospel to save many people across the nation and the world.

Transcript

There are also people who worship all day on the Lord’s Day, from morning to night, at church. What’s the difference? Some people, well, just barely attend the first service and leave. Others don’t even realize it’s Sunday. Then after a while, “Oh, today is Sunday.” There are people like that too. And you must always remember. You must remember what time it is now, and what kind of time it will be from Monday onward after worship ends.

This morning, Jesus confirmed for us something very important — what the cornerstone that builds our lives is. If that is set properly, the answer just comes. If you build a building on the wrong foundation, it’s a disaster. That is what Jesus was talking about.

Today, our families in Europe, America, and elsewhere are also joining us in worship. What kinds of things might be happening? Also, today we are glad that Assemblyman Yang Jun-mo is joining us in worship. Candidate Seo Seong-han is also worshiping with us. Originally, Assemblyman Yang Jun-mo — Elder Yang is an elder at Dongsam Church now and has been a great help to our church. Also, Assemblyman Yang Jun-mo’s aunt is Deaconess Yang Hye-eun of our Immanuel Seoul Church. We are practically all one family. This week, in regard to our nation as well, you must pray especially hard. The moment I heard these people were coming, I realized, “Ah… now is the time for us to pray for our nation.” That is what I thought.

Jesus said this. Today in chapter 22, verse 1, “The kingdom of heaven is like,” it explains in verse 2. Then it goes on to say that a banquet was held, and when people were invited to the banquet, they didn’t come — that kind of story. The servants who were sent to invite people to the banquet were beaten and even killed — that kind of story comes up. So the servants went out to the street corners and invited many people to come to the banquet — that is the story. At first glance, you might think this is just a parable Jesus told, but if you understand it well, there is a tremendous answer contained in it.

“The Church, a Model of the Kingdom of Heaven”

Knowing the church correctly is a tremendous answer. It is the church, a model of the kingdom of heaven.

▣ Intro_ Now

So you must know what is happening right now. Now, you must know what will happen tomorrow.

1. Identity

The children of God have a different identity.

1) John 8:44

No matter how much you explain, why do unbelievers go to fortune-tellers and shamanistic rituals? They belong to “your father the devil” right here. It’s very unpleasant, but there’s no helping it. So it is entirely normal for unbelievers to go find a person possessed by a demon for fortune-telling and rituals. Why? Because they are children of the devil. And so they keep being deceived and attacked by the devil like this.

2) 1 Corinthians 3:16

Those who are saved have God’s Holy Spirit dwelling within them, invisibly.

These things are about the kingdom of heaven. Ordinary people don’t even know about this. Most of you take it for granted, but this is what I always talk about. If you really meet a person possessed by a demon, the moment they see you, they know instantly that you are a child of God.

I’ve told you this before too, and you’re probably hearing my sermon right now. In America too, just like in Korea, there are places where people pay money to have their fortune told. Usually friends say, “Let’s go, come on, let’s go.” A friend who believes in Jesus keeps saying no, but they kept insisting she come along. So, inwardly, she wanted to go too. “Let’s try it.” When they had their fortune told, it cost something like 50 dollars. The moment she paid the 50 dollars, this person took her hand and got everything right about her. It’s astonishing. This person, being possessed by a demon, got the past completely right and talked about the future. Who wouldn’t be drawn in? But the moment this fortune-teller took the hand of this deaconess — she was a deacon at the time — this person began shaking all over and couldn’t speak. So he pushed the money back and told her to leave. “I can’t do this with you,” he said. Her friend saw this and thought, “Wow, there really is something here.” There is indeed.

The moment you are saved, you become a child of God, and the Holy Spirit comes to rule over you. Many people succeed like this, so why do they fail like this instead? It’s because of this part (John 8:44). You must know this.

2. Prayer – Worship

What happens during your time of prayer, during your time of worship?

1) Psalm 103:20-22 – angels, heavenly host

If you look at Psalm 103, verses 20, 21, and 22, you’ll see that the moment you worship and pray, the word is fulfilled. Right? The moment you pray and worship, God’s presence occurs. By the Holy Spirit. Right? God’s plans are fulfilled there.

At this time, it’s explained that God sends angels, an invisible heavenly host. This is tremendous.

2) Revelation 8:3-5

When the apostle John was in exile, if you look, it’s recorded in Revelation chapter 8, verses 3 and 5, right? The prayer you offer right now all rises up to the throne and is placed in a bowl. Before God. Right now. So it’s tremendous, everyone. Those who know this and pray come to enjoy tremendous power in the spiritual world.

3) Daniel 10:10-20

If you look at Daniel chapter 10, verses 10 through 20, it’s recorded that “the moment you pray, from the very start, God has already sent his messengers.”

3. Fullness (History)

The important thing is the third point. We often say things like, “I suddenly just collapsed…” That’s how we talk. As if something happened suddenly. But it’s not sudden. It’s been building for a long time. Right? Many people also say, “My heart suddenly hurts…” It’s true the heart suddenly hurts, but it’s been building for a long time. Someone told me, “I always had physical exams and there was nothing wrong, but suddenly I found out I have terminal stomach cancer.” But there’s no such thing as sudden. That’s just because the checkups they went to were done carelessly, that’s all — there’s no such thing.

The really important third point for us is this thing called fullness. Jesus talked about this. Right? When this timetable (Intro 1-2) continues, and this fullness happens, history occurs. Someone who is always in disbelief — when this fullness comes, one day a spiritual problem erupts. Right? Someone who is always troubled in a spiritually dark world — one day a spiritual incident erupts, some day.

1) Matthew 12:28-30

If you keep praying like this, Jesus said something. What did Jesus say? In Matthew chapter 12, verses 28 and 30, “When the Holy Spirit comes and Satan is bound, the kingdom of God has come.”

2) Acts 1:3

If you look at Acts chapter 1, verse 3, “For 40 days he explained the things of the kingdom of God.”

3) Acts 1:8

When this time of fullness finally comes, power appears and you become witnesses to the ends of the earth.

You must remember this. I always share this as my testimony with you — I don’t have a special prayer time. I just always keep praying, continually, 24 hours. You have no idea how good it is.

Now, the figures who completely transformed the world of politics by holding this secret of prayer (Intro) were Joseph and David. Isn’t that right? Now, figures like these among us must begin to rise. It’s certain. It’s happening right now, I tell you.

If you see someone who, during the time of Sunday worship, just gathers and always gossips about people — that person is a real fool. On Sunday, you must go deep into prayer. During these six days, this is when the answer gets confirmed.

▣ Main_ Worship (Church)

Now then, what is it that we gather for in worship today? It appeared in today’s Scripture.

1. Kingdom of heaven banquet

Worship is participating in the kingdom of heaven banquet.

2. Wedding banquet

If so, then it’s not just any banquet. What is it? It is like participating in a wedding banquet. Jesus used a parable.

3. Gathering of those wearing wedding clothes

So then what is it to worship at church right now? It’s the gathering of those wearing wedding clothes. Those without wedding clothes were driven out. This is a tremendous statement.

If you know this (Intro), you won’t get bored even if you sit here all day long. You get to enjoy many blessings of prayer. Those who enjoy many blessings of prayer don’t need to talk much, because they are constantly enjoying prayer.

1. Kingdom of heaven banquet

What does it mean to have participated in the kingdom of heaven banquet?

1) The Triune God

It means participating, exactly as the model of the kingdom of heaven, in the special gathering where the Triune God is present.

2) The throne

What is the kingdom of heaven banquet? It’s the time when the blessing of the throne comes upon you. That’s tremendous, isn’t it?

3) Calvary, Mt Olive, Mark’s upper room

So now, simply put, it is telling of the secret of enjoying, exactly as it is, the answer that happened at Calvary, was promised at Mt Olive, and occurred at Mark’s upper room.

2. Wedding banquet

Now, why is it called a wedding banquet? This is because, if Christ is our bridegroom, the believer is the bride. What does that mean?

1) Covenant

It means a place where there is a covenant.

2) Joy

It’s not just a place of covenant. What happens at a wedding banquet? At a wedding banquet, there is a great deal of joy, praise, and glory — those kinds of things. Among them, the greatest thing is joy, isn’t it? Right?

3) Future

Here there is also contained a tremendous future.

Why is it called a wedding banquet? In the nation of Israel, marriage involves three banquets. The gathering of only the family is called the betrothal ceremony. In our terms, that’s the engagement.

Then comes the second wedding, the wedding ceremony. How is the second ceremony done? It’s held at the bride’s house. But by Israelite law, in principle, by tradition, the time when the groom comes to the bride’s house is not fixed. It’s not that he’ll come tomorrow or the day after — say he says he’ll come Tuesday, but even the exact time on Tuesday isn’t fixed. He usually comes very late at night. That’s why the story of waiting with lamps lit comes up. So that’s why some people fall asleep from exhaustion — the story of the virgins comes from this too. It’s very meaningful. This includes something similar to the second coming of Jesus, who comes in place of the bridegroom — that story is included in this, right now.

Then, after the wedding ceremony is held at the bride’s house, they take her to the groom’s house, and hold it there again. This has a tremendous meaning. We too will hold a wedding banquet again when we go to the kingdom of heaven. It’s a tremendous thing. You get to enjoy these enormous secrets during worship.

3. Gathering of those wearing wedding clothes

What does it mean to have worn wedding clothes? These wedding clothes refer to garments. For example, right now we all wear the same kind of clothes. But back then, clothing indicated one’s status — it was fixed. Nowadays, President Yoon Seok-yeol and the rest of us wear the same kind of clothes. But back then, there was clothing worn only by kings. So you had to wear clothes fitting your status. That’s why only those wearing wedding clothes were gathered here. It’s very important.

1) Genesis 3:15

The most important flow in Scripture — those who knew Genesis 3:15 moved the age.

2) Exodus 3:18

After being forgotten, it came up again in Exodus 3:18, when they became slaves. “Go and offer a sacrifice of blood.” This is the Passover. Can you easily understand this? You probably can’t. This was a promise of Christ.

Human beings can never overcome disaster, the background of hell, and the dark background of Satan. The word sent that overcomes it is Christ. That is why it is said one is “clothed with Christ.” That’s a very important statement.

3) Isaiah 7:14

This appeared again when they had fallen. Isaiah 7:14: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel.” Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and Esther, who understood this word, overturned Babylon.

4) Matthew 16:16

They forgot again and became a subject nation. “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

The gathering of those clothed in wedding garments who save the world and transform the world — that is the church, that is worship, that’s what it means. It is participating in that banquet.

Now, if you don’t recover this thing I am talking about right now, your life of faith is entirely useless. The answer won’t come either. Even if it comes, you won’t recognize it. This always happens (Intro). Your identity has changed, I tell you. When you pray, this is bound to happen, and when it becomes full, history occurs.

(Church)

The place where such people gather is the church, and that is worship.

▣ Conclusion_ Temple

Let me conclude. Today is our temple building dedication service, so then, what is the temple? What is the temple? The temple is what can properly send out this tremendous truth through evangelism and mission. In other words, the first, second, and third temples in Jerusalem all fell, didn’t they? Why did they fall? You already know that. If you know that, you’ll know why churches around the world close down. It’s the same thing.

1. The court of the Gentiles, the court of the children, the court of prayer

God commanded the court of the Gentiles, the court of the children, and the court of prayer. But they built these in the temple and then sold animals and exchanged coins there, and eventually did away with them entirely. You must remember this without fail.

2. 237, healing, summit

A temple is a facility where these people can come from the 237 nations and receive healing to their heart’s content and become summits. You must pray with this in mind. We shouldn’t just chant slogans — we must build a system that allows the 237 nations to come. That is what the temple is.

What era are we in right now? Right now. If we can’t connect with the 237 nations and if diverse peoples can’t come, that can’t be considered a proper church. That’s why we’re looking at this screen right now, right? This is different, everyone. Even our church now, both the field team and the headquarters, is putting this together so well, and I’m grateful. Already, this — the materials — are different. When viewed from other countries, when everyone sees it, it’s already different. Through the RUTC broadcast, it’s going out to over a hundred nations, and now it’s being made in more than a dozen languages for each country.

Now, the church can gather without a building, but the reason the temple is important is because it’s important for doing things like this (Conclusion 2).

3. Culture

The truly important third point is this. Is it God’s culture or idol culture? This is judged by the temple.

Now, we here in Yeongdo — building the most outstanding temple? That completely overturns culture. Right? Build it. Build at least one part of this temple so cultural performances can be held there. Build it so many different peoples can come and rest there. I will prepare the content, so you prepare the system. This is war, spiritual warfare. There’s no way we can fail to receive an answer.

Especially, our Immanuel Church here in Busan is a bit different too. When I watch you all, it seems like you have no strength at all, yet you do have strength — like that. I don’t understand it. This time too, only you — while hosting the missionary and holding our mission conference, you gave so much in offering that it was sent up to headquarters with surplus. Headquarters is having a hard time. Only our Immanuel Church. Other places can’t do it, because they don’t have the strength — they can’t. We didn’t even ask for anything, but when they came and saw, that’s how it turned out. “The elders gave this much, so it just kept adding up…” “I already figured it would be about that much.” That’s what I said.

Please pray earnestly before God about what kind of record you will leave in God’s work going forward. We don’t know when we’ll go, when we’ll have to leave this earth. We don’t know when. What kind of footprint will we leave behind? And also, once we reach our appointed time, nothing else is needed. What is it that is truly needed?

Someone suddenly fell ill, and when I asked, they said they were in so much pain they wanted to go quickly. They were in so much pain. In that kind of situation, no knowledge, nothing you possess, is of any use. Wow, how much pain must they have been in, to want to go so quickly, from so much suffering. I looked at that person — no ordinary person — and thought, “Ah… we human beings amount to nothing unless we stand before God.” I thought that. You must see this accurately.

You must be a servant, using the power of this gospel to save many people across the nation and the world. I bless you, in the name of Jesus, that this week will be a week of receiving new grace. Let us pray.

Prayer

We thank you, God. We thank you that we are able to worship today with this temple building dedication service. Please restore true prayer, true worship, and the blessing of the church. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Praise — “It Is Well”

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 Church, the Model of Heaven” (Mt 22:1-14)
Transcript…Video

Prayer — 7 Bartizans · 7 Journeys · 7 Guideposts

Sunday 1st Service Worship
Title/Scripture: The Stone the Builders Rejected (Matthew 21:33-46)
Speaker: Rev. Ryu Kwang-soo
Date/Place: May 22, 2022, Immanuel Church (Busan)

Matthew 21:33-46

33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place.
34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.
35 The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.
36 Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way.
37 Last of all, he sent his son to them. “They will respect my son,” he said.
38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, “This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.”
39 So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
40 Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?
41 “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”
42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
43 Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.
44 Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”
45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them.
46 They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.

Summary

If the foundation is not firm, it shakes and collapses. Today Jesus said that the stone which many builders rejected has become the cornerstone of the corner. The cornerstone means the foundation stone. It is not the answer that is important, but the source of the fundamental answer that is important. More important than healing is the fundamental strength of the body.

▣ Intro_ On what foundation will you build your life? Set the cornerstone that makes the foundation of your life firm, correctly.

1. Unbeliever – because they do not believe in God, they go to a person possessed by a demon for fortune-telling or shamanistic rituals, and that becomes the foundation stone of their life.

2. Church members whose foundation stone is wrong – they distort the gospel so that unbelievers cannot receive help.

3. Believers who have set Christ, the Rock, as the foundation of their life – from that point on, the answers keep coming.
1) Satan, who tries to destroy you, is afraid only of Christ.
2) What Satan likes most is that people who attend church do not know the value of the gospel.

▣ Main_ What to confirm – “Have you never read that the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone?” (verse 42)

1. David, who held on to this covenant (Psalm 118:1-22)
1) What Jesus quoted from what David said in Psalm 118:22 – “The stone the builders rejected will become the essential cornerstone.”
2) The reason David never collapsed – he set the foundation of his life on the Rock called Christ.
▷ Realizing the gospel is impossible without the grace of God.
3) One who truly knows God – God will deliver him from any crisis.

2. Jesus’ parable of the vineyard farmers (verses 33-42)
1) The owner entrusted the vineyard to the farmers, and when he sent servants and his son to ask for the fruit, they killed them, so the king brought his army and destroyed them.
2) When prophets are sent, they are killed; when someone comes speaking the word of salvation, they are killed; when an evangelist or a righteous organization engaged in gospel work arises, they are branded a heresy, and Jesus is opposed.
3) “The stone the builders rejected has truly become the foundational cornerstone.” (verse 42)

3. Peter, who held on to this covenant
1) Matthew 16:16 – what Jesus said when Peter made his confession of faith – Matthew 16:18 “You are Peter, and on this rock that will never be shaken I will build my church.”
2) Acts 4:11-12 – Peter’s confession when he stood in court after raising up the lame man – “Do you not know that the stone which many builders rejected has become the cornerstone? There is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”
▷ Hold on to this covenant. Any problem may come, it is fine. It is not a problem. It is rather a blessing.
3) 1 Peter 2:7-9 – “Do you not know that unbelievers, the stone the builders rejected, has become the cornerstone?”, “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, called to proclaim this light.”
▷ God entrusted world evangelization to this Peter.

▣ Conclusion_ We must break free from religion. Christianity is not a religion but the gospel.
▷ A church that only fights has set that as its foundation. I decided to break free from that. So I do not fight. A church that relies too heavily on humanism has set humanism as its foundation. A church built on self-assertion and doing things its own way has set that as its foundation. Here, people who are prepared to preach the gospel are gathered, and people who preach the gospel come. That has become our foundation. Just think about it for one week. You will find yourself in a place of important answers.

Transcript

Last week we heard the lesson of the fig tree. Do not try to get a special answer; if you engrave it in your heart for one week, the answer will come on its own. Most people will not do it. Jesus said that if you do it, you could even move a mountain.

So then, what covenant should we hold on to this week? It is quite urgent.

Long ago, the Seongsu Bridge in Seoul collapsed. Inspectors had reportedly said several times that it was dangerous. Even so, it was somehow left neglected, and suddenly the bridge fell. When the bridge fell, the cars that were passing over it at the time all fell into the water. Also, long ago, the Sampoong Department Store collapsed. When it collapsed, many people died. There too, inspectors had reportedly said several times that the Sampoong Department Store was cracking. They had said it, but nothing was done. Then one day it collapsed and the accident happened. Many people died, and we heard many stories about those who died. One person had gone to Seoul just once and happened to enter that department store and died there. And not long ago, an apartment building collapsed in Gwangju as well.

Why did they collapse? It is not that the top of the Seongsu Bridge suddenly flew off and it collapsed. It is not that the Sampoong Department Store suddenly shook and collapsed. It seems as if it suddenly collapsed, but if you look into it, there is one cause. The pillars supporting that building had shaken. The pillars that were supposed to hold up the bridge shook, and so it collapsed. And what are those pillars related to? They are related to the foundation. If the foundation is not firm, it shakes and collapses.

That is what Jesus was talking about today. You might pass over it lightly, but Jesus said something very important today. There was a stone that many builders rejected, and it became the cornerstone of the corner. That word “cornerstone” refers to the foundation stone. It is very important. Today you must grasp this covenant precisely.

You must grasp it well. Simply put, it is not the answer that matters, but the source of the fundamental answer that matters. Healing is important, but more important than healing is the fundamental strength within your body. Once you obtain this, the answers will keep coming from then on.

▣ Intro_ On what foundation will you build your life? Set the cornerstone that makes the foundation of your life firm, correctly.

Your life is like a building, so the question is on what foundation you will build. If that building shakes, quickly set the cornerstone that makes the foundation firm — that is the meaning. So for your bodies too, if you keep getting sick you will have to go to the hospital here and there, but if the body is fundamentally weak, it will keep hurting here and there. Those who are fundamentally healthy, for example, can overcome even COVID well and not get infected, and overcome sickness — that’s how it goes. The foundation of this building is important.

Today the district chief Kim Cheol-hun came to worship, and I thanked him. The chief said he was thankful to me, but no, I thanked him. Why? Because this building we are in was not built by us. We bought an existing one. In the meantime, the road disappeared, and this building is now in a situation where it could face an accident because a building permit cannot be issued. There could be a fire, this could collapse, and the building below us has been legally ordered to be unusable because it might collapse. So for a long time now, permission has not been granted to build. If this were to collapse or if a fire were to break out now, there would be no way to respond. In truth, we are barely holding on right now. It’s been this way for a long time. So even though many National Assembly members and the district chief were present in front, no matter how much we explained it, they wouldn’t listen. Understanding this danger and listening carefully to our explanation, so that this could get done — though it may not be strictly the right law, in principle there was just one person, our district chief. So I thanked him today. There is another vote coming up on June 1, and he must be re-elected. He must continue. What party matters to us? It doesn’t matter to us. For us, what matters is the person who helps people live well, for the sake of salvation. Even if it’s just this once, if he keeps doing it, keep doing it. That way Yeongdo can live. Why? Because the person who helps us and helps us live well is the important leader. Right? That’s why I thanked him today.

1. Unbeliever – because they do not believe in God, they go to a person possessed by a demon for fortune-telling or shamanistic rituals, and that becomes the foundation stone of their life.

If this building we’re in now were to collapse, that’s exactly what Jesus was talking about today. If the foundation is not firm right now, it becomes a big problem. Today, as you build your life, on what foundation should you set the base on which to erect the pillars completely? Without realizing it, unbelievers have no choice — they go to fortune-tellers. Because they don’t believe in God. That becomes their foundation stone. What will happen? Many people, being too exhausted, unknowingly go to shamanistic rituals. And a person possessed by a demon performs the ritual for them. That is where the foundation stone of that person’s life is laid. It is no small problem.

2. Church members whose foundation stone is wrong – they distort the gospel so that unbelievers cannot receive help.

I have attended church since I was young, and among all that, I’ve lived 70 years. I lived a life of faith. Churches have many problems. I’ve rarely seen church members receiving answers to prayer. Unbelievers see this and say, “Why do you even go to church?” I’ve made that my one regret. This enormous gospel gets distorted, so unbelievers cannot receive help.

Do you know what that means? A tremendous building is supposed to go up, but the foundation stone on which the pillars are set is wrong — that’s what it means. That is what Jesus was talking about. I tell you to lay the foundation of your health from the ground up too. Exercise, pray, breathe — what does that mean? It means laying the foundation from the ground up. If someone attends church while worshiping idols and ruins their life, that can’t be helped, but there are far too many people like that who go to church.

I’ve never been good at anything since I was young. But I am quick to notice things. I am very quick to sense things, so much so that if I worried my mother or the elders might have a hard time, I would keep quiet and endure the hardship myself rather than speak up. I couldn’t do other things well. But using that sense of perception, I watched the elders and thought, “They really live happily and rightly” — I never felt that. So although I never told an outright lie, I couldn’t help but live as if it were one.

3. Believers who have set Christ, the Rock, as the foundation of their life – from that point on, the answers keep coming.

Then one day, though I was young and immature, I set Christ, the Rock, completely as the foundation at the bottom of my life. From that point on, it became real. The answers kept coming. Many people say, “Do this, do that,” but I don’t think that’s it. The answers kept coming. For example, in a nation, suppose there is a great king. The nation’s prosperity keeps coming, right? It’s not that it changes back and forth. It’s been 30 years since I came to this town. To what extent? The answers came pouring in without pause. Now it’s not just all of you, but the whole world — that is why our broadcast matters, because now the whole world hears the message together.

1) Satan, who tries to destroy you, is afraid only of Christ.

So Satan, who tries to destroy you, is afraid of only one thing. It is not your ability. He is not afraid of that. He is not afraid of the small amount of money you have. This Satan is afraid of only one thing. What is it? It is Christ. That is the word he hates most. There are unbelievers who, when you even mention Christ, foam at the mouth out of fear.

2) What Satan likes most is that people who attend church do not know the value of the gospel.

What Satan likes most is that people who attend church do not know the value of the gospel — he likes that very much.

Now, do you understand? Your life is like a building — don’t you have to set up many pillars and rise up? Make the foundation something that will not collapse. People did not know and rejected it, but today’s Scripture tells us that the stone the builders rejected became the cornerstone.

▣ Main_ What to confirm – “Have you never heard that the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone?” (verse 42)

1. David, who held on to this covenant (Psalm 118:1-22)

Now then, since you have gotten the answer today, let’s confirm it a little. Jesus said this: “Have you never read that the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone?” He asked this. Who said this? It’s asking who said it.

1) What Jesus quoted from what David said in Psalm 118:22 – “The stone the builders rejected will become the essential cornerstone.”

As you know, this is what David, the King of kings, said. In Psalm 118, David made an important statement in verse 22. “The stone the builders rejected will become the essential cornerstone.” That is what David said. Jesus is now quoting what David said. That means David knew this.

2) The reason David never collapsed – he set the foundation of his life on the Rock called Christ.

Why did David never collapse? It’s because the foundation of his life was firmly set on the covenant of Christ. “Most people will see it as worthless and throw it away. But it became the cornerstone.” That is what David said.

Realizing the gospel this deeply is so important. How difficult it is to realize the gospel truly! Right? In some sense, it is impossible without the grace of God. I still remember this. When I went to America, a pastor named Kang greeted me and said, “Ah, thank you so much for helping me realize the gospel.” He said this to me, pastor to pastor. And then he said something interesting. “Ha, for a pastor to realize the gospel is like getting struck by lightning while walking down the road. It’s that hard.” He said that. “That’s right. That’s right. I got struck by lightning.” It’s hard.

Have those pastors truly realized the gospel and laid it as the foundation of their building? They never use or exploit church members or make it into a problem. They simply cannot do it. How could they exploit the church and the members like that? That’s absolutely impossible. Right? It’s also hard for them to fail, because once the foundation is firmly set on the Rock called Christ, the building never shakes no matter how high it rises. David saw this. Amazing, isn’t it?

3) One who truly knows God – God will deliver him from any crisis.

Let me read Psalm 118 that David wrote. This is what David said. “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let Israel say: ‘His love endures forever.'” This is the praise David is offering now. In verse 3, “Let the house of Aaron say: ‘His love endures forever.’ Let those who fear the Lord say: ‘His love endures forever.'” This is the psalm David is writing now. “When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord; he brought me into a spacious place. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? The Lord is with me; he is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies.” David never once took revenge. He never once got back at his enemies. He kept fleeing while winning victory in a high position. One who truly knows God — especially our district chief here who truly knows God. God will deliver him from any crisis. That is David’s confession.

He also said this. “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans.” He said, “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes. All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord I cut them down. They surrounded me on every side, but in the name of the Lord I cut them down. They swarmed around me like bees, but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them down. I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: ‘The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things! The Lord’s right hand is lifted high; the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!’ I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done. The Lord has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death. Open for me the gates of the righteous; I will enter and give thanks to the Lord. You answered me and have become my salvation.” That is what he said. Then in verse 22, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” Jesus is now quoting this. Amazing, isn’t it?

I hope you will think about this over the coming week. Almost all unbelievers have no choice, but even believers, when building an enormous structure, imagine that its foundation is shaking. They fail to realize that part at all, and keep blaming others. That’s it. David is the witness.

2. Jesus’ parable of the vineyard farmers (verses 33-42)

1) The owner entrusted the vineyard to the farmers, and when he sent servants and his son to ask for the fruit, they killed them, so the king brought his army and destroyed them.

And Jesus spoke directly about this. You heard the parable today. The owner went far away and entrusted the vineyard, and when he sent a servant to the workers in the vineyard asking for the fruit, they killed the servant. How wicked they were — later, when he sent his son, they killed him too. And this is what Jesus said next — the king himself brought his army and told them to destroy those farmers.

2) When prophets are sent, they are killed; when someone comes speaking the word of salvation, they are killed; when an evangelist or a righteous organization engaged in gospel work arises, they are branded a heresy, and Jesus is opposed.

And this is what Jesus said. What is this parable about? You send prophets, and they get killed. Even now, when someone comes speaking God’s word of salvation, they get killed. Strange, isn’t it? When someone comes just to evangelize, they get branded a heresy. It’s remarkable — it has happened without fail, every single time. Whenever a righteous organization rises up to do gospel work, it is unconditionally branded a heresy. They even opposed Jesus himself.

3) “The stone the builders rejected has truly become the foundational cornerstone.” (verse 42)

So the stone the builders rejected has truly become the foundational cornerstone. That is what Jesus said. You must remember this.

3. Peter, who held on to this covenant

1) Matthew 16:16 – what Jesus said when Peter made his confession of faith – “You are Peter, and on this rock that will never be shaken, I will build my church.”

Peter held onto this covenant, right? After that. When Peter had already made his confession of faith, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” Jesus said this: “You are Peter, and on this rock that will never be shaken I will build my church. On this rock that can hold the whole universe, I will build my church.”

2) Acts 4:11-12 – Peter’s confession when he stood in court after raising up the lame man – “Do you not know that the stone which many builders rejected has become the cornerstone? There is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”

After this, Peter, remember, raised up a lame man and then stood in court, right? You remember that. After raising up the lame man, he stood trial, and when Peter was being questioned, he answered — Jesus had asked him, “Which is easier: to say, ‘Go in the name of Jesus of Nazareth,’ or to heal the sick?” Both are difficult. Since this lame man is standing there, isn’t he a witness? The witness is right there. That’s when Peter said this: “Do you not know that the stone which many builders rejected has become the cornerstone?” That’s what Peter said then. And he added, “There is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” God entrusted world evangelization to this Peter. Right?

You must truly grasp this covenant today. There’s no need to worry about anything, and no need to worry even if problems come. That’s what I’ve realized after 40 years of evangelism. It doesn’t matter what problem comes, it’s fine. It’s not a problem. It’s rather a blessing. People say our nation has many problems, but I don’t see it that way. It is a nation that can evangelize the world. Right? Faith matters, but even the very character of Korea makes it a nation capable of world evangelization, like this. In the middle of COVID, churches still gather stubbornly — only in Korea. Only in Korea, I tell you. In fact, church members are the ones shouting because church construction isn’t happening fast enough. Only in Korea. It can only lead to world evangelization. Korea cannot fail. Hold onto this covenant firmly.

3) 1 Peter 2:7-9 – “Do you not know that unbelievers, the stone the builders rejected, has become the cornerstone?”, “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, called to proclaim this light.”

Do you know what Peter eventually said? In 1 Peter chapter 2, verse 7, he said the same thing. What did he say? “Unto you who believe, this stone is precious, but to those who do not believe, the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” And he said, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, called to proclaim this light.” That is 1 Peter 2:7-9. God entrusted world evangelization to this insufficient Peter.

You must truly hold onto this covenant today. You must break free from religion. Religion creates all sorts of things and oppresses people — you must break free from that. Christianity? If misunderstood, it becomes a religion. Christianity is not a religion. It is the gospel. Right? You must break free from religion.

▣ Conclusion_ We must break free from religion. Christianity is not a religion but the gospel.

I have told you this many times. This is the first church where I have served as senior pastor. Before this, I was an associate pastor. There were five churches where I served as an associate. The first was my home church. And the seventh church, where I came last, may be my first and last, but this is where I came as senior pastor. In those seven churches I saw many things — our first home church had nothing but constant fighting, though there was nothing to fight over. That became its foundation. I decided to break free from that. So there are probably few people who fight with me. I don’t fight. Why? There’s no need to fight. At one church I went to, they relied too much on humanism. That became their foundation, laid in humanism. At another church, it was completely self-assertion and doing things their own way. That became their foundation. At the church I was at right before coming here, there was so much fighting that police had to come to stop it. That church had fighting as its foundation. And then I came straight here. People prepared to preach the gospel are gathered here. It’s a thankful thing. And people who preach the gospel come here. That has become our foundation. It’s tremendous. Just wait and see.

This week, just think about this one week. In some ways there will be another message next week, so just think about it for this one week. You will be in a place of important answers. May God’s blessing overflow upon Yeongdo and the whole world. Let us pray.

Prayer

We thank you, God. Let today be a precious day of laying the cornerstone. Let it be a timetable for setting the foundation on the Rock. Let it be the beginning of a new start for my life. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.