Category: Evening Altar

Praise — “In Christ Alone”

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 New Temple of the Mount of Transfiguration” (Matthew 17:1-8)
Transcript…Video

Prayer — 7 Bartizans · 7 Journeys · 7 Guideposts

Sunday 1st Service Worship
Title/Scripture: The Three Blessings Given from Heaven (Matthew 16:13-20)
Speaker: Rev. Ryu Gwang-su
Date/Location: March 27, 2022, Immanuel Church (Busan)

Matthew 16:13-20
13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
20 Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.

Summary

History occurs even when you simply hold God’s word in your heart and mind. This is because, through the brain, it becomes engraved in the soul and connected to what is eternal. This alone can heal you, make you strong, and change the world.

▣ Introduction

1. You must experience the Christ who ended the three curses.

1) The prophecy of Scripture

(1) Matthew 24 – the temple in Jerusalem will collapse, war, famine, earthquakes, hatred, the abomination of desolation will occupy the holy place, the deception of false prophets, the sun and moon and stars will be darkened

(2) Matthew 25 – many in the church will rise up holding lamps without oil, those who work for the gospel and the Lord will disappear, goats will also come in and make things difficult

(3) 2 Timothy 3 – a time of suffering will come because people do not love God and do not know Him

(4) Revelation 12:1-9, Revelation 1:3 – confusion, spiritual problems, disease, and every kind of disaster will cover the earth. “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein.”

2) The reason why even religious life and church life remain difficult (Matthew 12:43-45) – “The unclean spirit that left the place where the heart was emptied and made clean will bring seven more spirits and enter in.”

3) The real reason – Satan, the backdrop of hell, and disasters keep coming.

4) You must experience the Christ who ended the three curses.

(1) Only Christ removes Satan, the backdrop of hell, and disasters.

(2) The result of not having this experience – the Jews who kept failing. The world church fighting over position and closing its doors.

2. What happens to one who experiences Christ

1) Joseph, who held onto the covenant of Genesis 3:15 and dreamed a dream

2) Moses, who understood the blood covenant and entered the palace

3) David, who understood the preparation of the temple where the ark and true worship would be offered

3. Why you must experience Christ

1) “Whom do men say that I am?” (v.13) – everyone gave the wrong answer (v.14)

2) “Whom say ye that I am?” (v.15) – “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (v.16)

(1) “Thou art the protagonist of Genesis 3:15 and the Son of the living God.”

(2) “Just as we were freed on the day of the Passover blood sacrifice when we were slaves in Egypt, thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

(3) “Thou art the Christ who has broken Satan, the backdrop of hell, and disaster.”

3) “Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.” (v.17) – no matter how much Peter was shaken afterward, he survived. From the moment he discovered Christ, answered prayer came, evangelism became easy, and everything changed.

4) The one and only thing Jesus spoke of throughout His public ministry – the kingdom of God

(1) Matthew 5:3, 10 “Such are blessed. Theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

(2) Matthew 6:8, 10 “God knows your needs. Pray that the kingdom of God would come.”

(3) Matthew 6:31-33 “Do not worry. Seek ye first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.”

(4) Matthew 12:28-29 “When Satan who tears down your household is bound and the Holy Spirit comes, the kingdom of God has come.”

(5) Acts 1:3 for 40 days He spoke of “the kingdom of God and the things pertaining thereto.”

▷ Not having this experience means it has not been engraved, and it has not become yours. The moment you are engraved by Christ, the darkness is utterly broken down.

▣ Main_ On the day you experience Christ, an invisible upheaval (a re-creation of the world) takes place.

1. The moment you experience Christ, the kingdom of darkness collapses and the kingdom of God begins. – “he came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi” (v.13)

1) Caesarea – see what becomes of Caesar and Rome.

2) Philippi – see what becomes of King Philip’s persecution and future.

3) The question asked before the great temple and idols – what has become of Rome now?

▷ Believers can access this through prayer.

2. The moment you experience Christ, three new blessings begin. The kingdom of God is realized (vv.14-19).

▷ Everyone gave a wrong confession (v.14), and Satan and the darkness are not afraid. Disaster is already prepared. Then came the confession, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (v.16). This is knowledge that came down from heaven, and it was God who made it known (v.17). And He gave three blessings.

1) “Thou art the rock. Upon this rock I will build my church.” – I will build you upon that rock which never moves.

2) “The gates of hell shall never prevail against thee.”

3) “I give thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven.”

3. The moment you experience Christ, the true future kingdom is prepared. – “Tell no man that he was the Christ.” (v.20)

1) There will be the experience of the mount of transfiguration.

2) There will be the victory of Calvary.

3) A message that will change the world forever will be given at the Mount of Olives.

4) The kingdom of God that saves the world will come upon the upper room of Mark.

▷ Even the smallest experience brings life alive, like a mustard seed or leaven.

▣ Conclusion_ God works when you make a decision.

1. Joseph – “I do not mind going to Egypt as a slave. God has sent me. I will build the kingdom of God here.”

2. Those who held the covenant in the time of Moses – “Stand still and see the work that God does.”

3. David – “I have a reason to fight Goliath.” He struck down Goliath in a single blow.

4. Elisha – he burned all his farming tools and followed Elijah, who was a wanted man.

5. Heroes of faith in Babylon

1) The three friends – knowing it was a spiritual matter, they said they could not bow down even if it meant going into the fire and dying. They said even if the Lord did not save them, they still could not bow.

2) Daniel – “even though he knew the decree had been signed with the royal seal,” he continued the same action that would lead to his death.

3) Esther – when trouble came she said, “I was placed here for such a time as this.”

6. Paul – he gave thanks for persecution and grieved over Israel’s failure to understand. The darkness of the whole world was brought down.

▷ When you experience Christ, an event of world-shaking upheaval occurs. Only then can you save a world that is rapidly dying. Spiritual problems are spreading across the entire world, transcending time and space. You already carry the blessing that can save others.

Transcript

History occurs even when you simply hold God’s word in your heart and mind. This is because it becomes engraved in the soul through our brain. And it connects to what is eternal. This alone can heal you, strengthen you, and change the world. You must have a lot of worry and difficulty because of COVID.

▣ Introduction

1. You must experience the Christ who ended the three curses.

What matters more is not that. It’s that after COVID, something else keeps coming.

1) The prophecy of Scripture

Scripture is prophesying.

(1) Matthew 24

“This temple in Jerusalem will be torn down.” It still has not been restored. “Deception will arise everywhere. Wars between nations and between peoples will intensify.” This is what Jesus said. “Famine and earthquakes will occur across the whole world. You who hold the gospel will be hated. People hating one another will occur across the whole world. The abomination of desolation will occupy the holy place and stand there.” This is what Jesus said. “False prophets will rise up and deceive, acting as though they have power. The sun and moon and stars will be darkened.”

(2) Matthew 25

In the church, many will rise up holding lamps without oil. A time will come when those who work for the gospel and for the Lord will disappear. They will bury their talent in the ground. In the church there will not only be sheep but also goats coming in to make things difficult.” This is what Jesus said.

(3) 2 Timothy 3

In 2 Timothy 3 it says, “In the last days, because people do not love God, because they do not know Him, a time of suffering will come.”

(4) Revelation 12:1-9, Revelation 1:3

Revelation speaks even more severely. “The whole world will fall into confusion. Spiritual problems, disease, and every kind of disaster will cover it.” This is promised in Scripture. “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear and keep the words of this prophecy.”

2) The reason why even religious life and church life remain difficult (Matthew 12:43-45)

About ten years from now, do you know what the bigger problem will be, bigger than COVID? Almost 90 percent will be spiritual illnesses of every kind — mental issues, heart problems, depression, major illness. Even now depression alone is very common. That’s why so many people diligently engage in religious life. Because it’s hard. They diligently attend church. But why doesn’t it work? They diligently engage in religion, diligently engage in church life, so why doesn’t it work? Jesus told us. It’s because you don’t know one thing. “Even if you empty your heart, make it clean, and sweep it, this evil spirit will still enter into you seven times over.” Even though they worked hard at it. “That spirit that left will bring seven more spirits and keep coming back in.” It’s a hard saying. But it’s something you must not fail to know. Jesus said it. He said that without knowing this, you can never build a house.

3) The real reason

What is the reason? Even now, no scientist, no intellectual, no politician knows it, but Satan, the backdrop of hell, and disaster keep coming. No matter how excellent you are, it comes. No matter how godly you are, it comes. No matter how hard you try, it comes.

4) You must experience the Christ who ended the three curses.

That is why God made this promise. These three curses —

(1) Only Christ removes Satan, the backdrop of hell, and disaster.

Only Christ removes Satan, the backdrop of hell, curses, and this disaster. You must experience this part. You only need to do it once. You all attend church without this experience. “Oh I see, so Christ finished it.” You must have the experience.

(2) The result of not having this experience

The one who’s saved is actually more of a problem, isn’t it? Without this experience, what happens? The Jews kept failing, didn’t they? The Jews are God’s people. As a prime example, they kept failing. Instead, when persecution came and said, “Believe in Jesus and you die,” that’s when they believed well.

Do you know when the problem started? Rome, which was conquering the world, said, “Now we must all believe in Jesus.” Impressive, isn’t it? Wouldn’t you think it was impressive too, seeing that? Now the emperor confessed. “My Lord, my Savior, is Jesus Christ.” Amazing, isn’t it? Because of this, the whole world came to believe in Jesus. Finally the king had to attend worship. The king even had to attend communion. What happens then? The church now has powerful people coming, so where should they sit? A fight over seats began. Who comes to church? Depending on this, all political winds began to shift. Then, in order not to displease politicians, the wealthy began lining up. Because they had to make a living, many commoners began lining up too. This was the beginning of ruin. Right now the world church is closing its doors. You must realize this quickly.

2. What happens to one who experiences Christ

What happens to one who experiences Christ? That’s why Jesus asked. What happens to one who experiences Christ? Just look at the Old Testament.

1) Joseph, who held onto the covenant of Genesis 3:15 and dreamed a dream

What happened to Joseph, who held onto the covenant of Genesis 3:15 and dreamed a dream? Several hundred years passed and it was forgotten again.

2) Moses, who understood the blood covenant and entered the palace

What happened through Moses, who understood the blood covenant and entered the palace? The gospel disappeared, and because they did not know this enormous secret, because they had no experience, they simply attended church. Because of this the ark of the covenant was taken away. The ark has only now finally returned.

3) David, who understood the preparation of the temple where the ark and true worship would be offered

“Prepare a temple where true worship will be offered together with this ark.” David understood this fact. What happened? You have nothing to worry about. You must know what to hold onto. Disaster keeps coming upon this earth. You must know why it comes. Many excellent people only know the results of their efforts and success, so they only know the enjoyment of it, but they don’t know why spiritual problems come. When Jesus spoke, the excellent Pharisees and religious leaders mocked Him, didn’t they? They said, “Nail that person to the cross and kill him.”

And later the people too said, “Crucify him.” When the governor called Pilate tried to crucify Jesus, there was no crime worthy of the death penalty, worthy of crucifixion. But then all the people, the Jews, rose up and shouted with full force, “Crucify Christ.” You see, this is what happens when you don’t know spiritual things. They don’t even know why they should be shouting. They just shout. Because others are shouting. Isn’t the world church like this today? When someone says something, everyone just moves and follows along. They don’t even know what is happening or coming upon them.

But what Jesus said came true exactly as He said. First the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed. It still has not been restored to this day. Two thousand years have passed and it will never be restored. Jesus said it could not be. God’s word said it could not be.

3. Why you must experience Christ

You all, this experiencing of Christ is no ordinary matter. You must know what kind of thing this is. You must know the reason.

1) “Whom do men say that I am?” (v.13)

That’s why Jesus asked. “Whom do men say that I am?” No one could give the right answer. But all the people who had been healed by Jesus and had eaten at His table gave the wrong answer. Isn’t that right? Everyone answered wrongly. The disciples picked up those words and reported them.

2) “Whom say ye that I am?” (v.15)

He asked, “Whom say ye that I am?” The disciples couldn’t answer. Then Peter spoke up. “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” This was no ordinary statement. It was something even the Jews could not understand. How could uneducated Peter say this?

(1) “Thou art the protagonist of Genesis 3:15 and the Son of the living God.”

“Thou art the Lord of Genesis chapter 3 verse 15, its protagonist, and the Son of the living God.” This is what he was saying.

(2) “Just as we were freed on the day of the Passover blood sacrifice when we were slaves in Egypt, thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

“Just as we were freed on the day the Passover blood sacrifice was offered while we were slaves in Egypt, thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” There is absolutely no defeating this.

(3) “Thou art the Christ who has broken Satan, the backdrop of hell, and disaster.”

“Thou art the Christ who has broken Satan, the backdrop of hell, and disaster.” Jesus was astonished. It wasn’t like saying, “Hey, how did you know that?” It wasn’t like saying, “Wow, you’re amazing, how did you figure that out?” It wasn’t like saying, “So it turns out you’re quite intelligent.”

3) “Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.” (v.17)

What did He say? “Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona.” He said this. “Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you.” He said this. “But my Father which is in heaven.” He said something tremendous. And afterward, no matter how much Peter was shaken, he survived. Isn’t that right?

This time and this question that Christ asked is very important. This is the part that must be interpreted in today’s text. I truly have nothing to boast about, and no desire to boast. But I have attended church since I was a child. Even now, I still observe the spiritual condition of many believers. I knew from childhood that it was absolutely not this way.

One day I discovered Christ. “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” From that point on, answered prayer actually came. From that point evangelism became easy. From that point everything changed. In the past I lived like a person who was, how shall I put it, nothing at all. Simply put, like a beggar of sorts. Once I knew the gospel, everything about me changed. What you and I will receive going forward is a different kind of answer. Don’t be deceived. Sometimes, when you see people spiritually deficient, they say things like, “Well, the church being like this…” I say to myself, “You take care of yourself first.” It’s always like that. When you look at the children of a household that is failing, they say, “This household,” referring to their own home. Isn’t that right? They should say “our household,” but instead saying “this household” is like someone who has already run off. That’s the person who has failed. Isn’t that right? People who are bound to fail always say this. They say, “This church.” Looking at God’s church and saying “this church” — that’s all just spoken out of spiritual blindness.

4) The one and only thing Jesus spoke of throughout His public ministry – the kingdom of God

There is only one thing Jesus spoke of throughout His public ministry. What is it? He did not speak of complicated things. He spoke of only one simple thing. What is it? What was the very first thing He said?

(1) Matthew 5:3, 10

He took them up the mountain and said, “Such and such are blessed. Theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Isn’t that right?

(2) Matthew 6:8, 10

While teaching them to pray, what did He say? “Pray that the kingdom of God would come.” That’s Matthew 6:10, but do you know what it says in verse 8? “Even if you don’t pray, God knows everything. He knows what you need. Pray, ‘Thy kingdom come.'” He emphasized it once more.

(3) Matthew 6:31-33

At the very end He said, “I know everything you’re praying about. Do not worry. Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness.” He said this. “And all these things will be added unto you.” So the problem arises when you keep doing something else entirely instead of the one thing Jesus taught.

(4) Matthew 12:28-29

Not having had this experience means it has not been engraved. It means it hasn’t become yours. Why does a person who is perfectly fine keep going to gamble? Because it’s been engraved into him. Why does a person keep going to use drugs even knowing that using them means death? Because it’s been engraved. The moment you are engraved with Christ, the darkness is completely broken down. Jesus said this. “When Satan, who tears down your household, is bound, and the Holy Spirit comes, the kingdom of God has come.” Isn’t that right? That was the only thing Jesus spoke of.

(5) Acts 1:3

At the very last, gathering them on the platform, He spoke for 40 days. About the kingdom of God and the things pertaining to it. Isn’t that right? You must know this. If you live like an unbeliever, you can only end up like an unbeliever.

▣ Main_ On the day you experience Christ, an invisible upheaval (a re-creation of the world) takes place.

You must remember three things today. On the day you experience Christ, an invisible upheaval takes place. The word “upheaval” simply means, in English, the world being re-created. Isn’t that right?

1. The moment you experience Christ, the darkness is bound. The kingdom of God has begun. – “he came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi” (v.13)

First. From the moment you experience Christ, the darkness begins to be bound. Seeing that is how the kingdom of God begins. You must absolutely receive this answer. What about everything else? That comes afterward. A child who hasn’t studied shouldn’t keep asking to be made successful. If you study properly, success will come on its own.

What does this mean? When you experience Christ and the kingdom of God begins, what is the first thing it means? It means the kingdom of darkness collapses. This is the first thing. This is the blessing you will receive.

1) Caesarea – see what becomes of Caesar and Rome.

Verse 13. Look at the evidence. “He came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi” — this was not a place they went often. Jesus deliberately took them there. It was the very town made by Caesar, the emperor who was persecuting Israel. It means: see in the future what becomes of Caesar and Rome. Isn’t that right?

2) Philippi – see what becomes of King Philip’s persecution and future.

Herod obtained that land by flattering that man. Herod’s son’s name was Philip. Together it’s Caesarea Philippi. It means: see what becomes of King Philip’s persecution and future. That’s what was being discussed there.

3) The question asked before the great temple and idols – what has become of Rome now?

There was also a famous great temple called the temple of Augustus. On one side was a statue of Zeus. It was in front of that place that He asked the question. What happened? What has become of Rome now? Jesus asked this right in front of it.

You all, the moment you truly know and experience Christ, the kingdom of darkness begins to collapse. That is why Jesus kept speaking of the kingdom. You must hold onto this and go forward. This is possible even now through prayer. Isn’t that right? Nothing difficult about it. It is possible through prayer, for the one who believes.

2. The moment you experience Christ, three new blessings begin. The kingdom of God is realized (vv.14-19).

Second. The moment you rightly know, confess, and experience Christ, three new blessings begin for you. The kingdom of God actually begins. It is realized.

At verse 14, everyone gave the wrong confession. That is when Peter’s confession came out. They all gave the wrong confession, didn’t they? Satan is not afraid. Darkness is not afraid. Disaster is prepared. The more success comes, the more difficulty comes. Isn’t that right? Because they kept giving the wrong confession. No matter how excellent a person is, if they keep speaking wrongly, they are wrong.

Then he said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” That’s tremendous. What answer came at this moment? This is knowledge that came down from heaven. “Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona. This was not revealed to you by flesh and blood. My Father which is in heaven has made it known to you.” It’s not something you know just because you have a hundred doctoral degrees. It’s not something you know just because you’re the emperor of Rome. That’s why Rome only ever wages war until it dies. That’s what this means. This is what God makes known to you.

And then He spoke of three blessings.

1) “Upon this rock I will build my church.”

“Thou art the rock.” A rock does not simply mean a stone. Not a boulder. It means something that never moves. “Upon this rock I will build my church.” This does not only mean a church building. It means: I will build you upon that rock.

2) “The gates of hell shall never prevail against thee.”

The second true blessing He spoke of. He spoke of the coming of the kingdom of God. What is it? “The gates of hell shall never prevail against thee.”

3) “I give thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven.”

And what else did He do? “I give thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” He is giving a key, a key. You need a key to open and enter, don’t you? He was speaking of receiving these three blessings. Simply put, it is the coming of the kingdom of God. You must remember this.

3. The moment you experience Christ, the true future kingdom is prepared. – “Tell no man that he was the Christ.” (v.20)

Third. From the moment you experience this Christ, the truly genuine future kingdom is prepared. That’s verse 20.

What does verse 20 say? “Tell no man that he was the Christ.” Isn’t that what it says? Shouldn’t He have told everyone instead? But He said, “Tell no man.”

1) There will be the experience of the mount of transfiguration.

What this means is that ahead lies the experience of the mount of transfiguration. There will be a true future kingdom.

2) There will be the victory of Calvary.

Because the moment you experience Christ the darkness collapses, what does that mean? There will be the victory of Calvary. Don’t speak of it yet, that’s what He meant. It’s saying it’s not even at that level yet.

3) A message that will change the world forever will be given at the Mount of Olives.

There will truly be a message given at the Mount of Olives that changes the world forever.

4) The kingdom of God that saves the world will come upon the upper room of Mark.

Finally, what is it? The kingdom of God that saves the world will come upon the upper room of Mark. This is what it means to experience Christ.

You all, even if you experience just a little, life truly comes alive as life. If it’s real, no matter how small, it comes alive. Jesus said this. Look at the mustard seed. Look at the leaven. Can’t see it, can you? That’s not the point.

▣ Conclusion_ God works when you make a decision.

Today you must make a decision. You should always make it, but do you know when God works? When you decide.

1. Joseph

When Joseph held onto this covenant of the kingdom of God and went to Egypt, he made a decision during his time living in Egypt. What was it? “I do not mind going to Egypt as a slave.” Isn’t that right? In the end he confessed, “God sent me here.” When you say this, you win.

You all, when hardship comes, it’s not, “God, why are you making things hard for me?” Instead: “I don’t mind even if this hardship comes. I will build the kingdom of God right here.” That is when all the darkness collapses. Isn’t that right?

2. Those who held the covenant in the time of Moses

Look at the people who came out of Egypt during the time of Moses. How did they speak? “We can’t go. Now that we’re out in the wilderness, let’s go back.” They said things like this. “We chose the wrong leader. Let’s go back to Egypt even now. There’s plenty to eat there.” This is what they kept saying.

How should they have confessed instead? “Even if we march into the wilderness and face every sword and spear of the enemy armies, let us send our descendants into the land of Canaan.” That’s how they should have spoken.

But there were those who held an even greater covenant than this. A few of them appeared. “Stand still and see the work that God is doing.” And so it was that the Israelite people, who came out on the day the Passover blood was applied, crossed the Red Sea and made it across. Whenever you all make this decision of faith and whoever among you who has experienced Christ makes a decision, history happens.

3. David

Everyone had surrendered before Goliath. A hundred percent. There was one man. “I have a reason to fight Goliath,” he said. No one could stop him. His brothers even cursed him, calling him arrogant. Not just arrogant, but calling him an arrogant and wicked man. Looking at David. Why was that? David said it — that he had a reason. He went at once and struck him down. You all must hold firmly onto the covenant.

4. Elisha

Look at Elisha. Following Elijah, who was a wanted man, was equivalent to death. And yet Elisha burned all his belongings, his farming tools, and followed him.

5. Heroes of faith in Babylon

Who brought about history in Babylon?

1) The three friends

“O king, we cannot bow down even if it means going into the fire and dying.” Why? Because they understood it was a spiritual matter. “The Lord will save us.” But what they said next made it even more astonishing. What did they add? “But even if the Lord does not save us, we still cannot do it.” At this the king went mad. He was so furious he ordered the fire made seven times hotter. You must understand that this is where Satan goes mad and dies. Hold firmly to the covenant. Everyone in Babylon acted this way.

2) Daniel

Daniel, “even though he knew the decree had been signed” — what this means is that Daniel knew he would be caught by the law and would die, and yet he continued doing the very thing that would lead to his death. You know who won, don’t you?

3) Esther

Look at Esther. “I was placed here for such a time as this.” When hardship arises in your church, on your ground, know: I was placed here for such a time as this. I don’t mind even if I die. The darkness of the entire world was brought down.

6. Paul

Paul did not suffer because of persecution. Isn’t that right? Paul was deeply thankful for persecution. He was always heartbroken over Israel’s failure to understand, but he was never once heartbroken over his own suffering. He brought down the darkness of the entire world. Isn’t that right?

This today is no ordinary covenant. “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” This important, world-shaking history will happen to you. Why must this be so? So that you can save a world that is now rapidly dying. The spread of spiritual problems cannot even be compared to COVID. It is spreading across the whole world, transcending time and space. You already carry the blessing that must save others. Let us pray.

Prayer. We give infinite glory and thanks to God. We thank You for allowing us to confess that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Now let us experience this covenant. Let this be a day when we hold onto the covenant that completely breaks down the darkness. Let it be a day of challenge. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Praise — “There Shall Be Showers of Blessing”

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 Three Blessings Given from Heaven” (Matthew 16:13-20)
Transcript…Video

Prayer — 7 Bartizans · 7 Journeys · 7 Guideposts

Sunday 2nd Service
Title/Scripture: A Different World That Is Not Mine (Matthew 14:22-33)
Speaker: Pastor Ryu Gwang-su
Date/Location: March 20, 2022, Immanuel Ulsan Church

Matthew 14:22-33

22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd.
23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that evening, he was there alone,
24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.
26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
29 “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.
30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.
33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Summary

Throne – A Different World That Is Not Mine – Heavenly Host

Old Testament → Christ ← New Testament
(Satan) (Hell) (Disaster)

▷ Answers come according to our spiritual condition. If our spiritual condition has collapsed, it will keep collapsing regardless of our efforts. If we are spiritually strong and right, answers will come regardless of how difficult things may be right now. We cannot receive answers with our own things. When we use a different world — that is, God’s things — the throne and the heavenly host are related in this way. The Old Testament is about sending Christ. Whenever people drifted away from this, disaster came, and whenever they returned to it, God’s works occurred. The New Testament is about Christ having come. We must hold on to the Word of God correctly in order for answers to come; if we hold it incorrectly, answers will not come. The word “Christ” means “the true King who has shattered the background of Satan, hell, and disaster.”

▣ Introduction_ What did Christ speak about most after He came?

1. Matthew 5:3 First of all, on the mountain, while teaching about true blessing, He said, “The kingdom of heaven is yours.”
2. Matthew 6:10 God knows what we pray. “Pray that God’s kingdom will come.”
3. Matthew 6:33 When Jesus concluded in prayer, “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness.”
4. Matthew 10:7 When sending the disciples to the field, “Go and tell them that the kingdom of God has come near. The kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
5. Matthew 12:28-30 “If a strong man is in your house, can you protect it?” “If the Holy Spirit comes and Satan is bound, the kingdom of God has come upon you. If you cannot understand this, you have nothing to do with God.” This question was criticized by the orthodox church and the Pharisees.
6. Matthew 13:1-58 He kept speaking in parables about the kingdom of heaven: “Do you know what the kingdom of heaven is? Like a mustard seed — invisible to the eye, yet it becomes a tree. Like yeast — invisible to the eye, yet it transforms the whole flour.”
7. Acts 1:3 At the end, He called them to Mt. Olive and for forty days intensively explained the work of the kingdom of God.
8. Acts 19:8 Paul, who understood this best, spoke boldly about the kingdom of God for three months.

▣ Main

1. The Kingdom of Satan
1) Genesis 3:4-5, 6:4-5, 11:1-8 Satan built a complete organization — making Japan and Korea into things resembling idols and religion, and for developed nations like America and Europe, crafting sophisticated high-quality works so that everyone falls into them. In less developed nations he made things strange so people don’t fall as easily, but in America everyone falls.
2) Technology, Culture – He creates technology and culture that pulls in all young people. Even the mobile phones we already use are under that influence.
3) Academia – He has penetrated deeply into academia, intending to seize even the future.
▷ Satan has completely taken over the world in this way. Currently America is seeing a rapid surge in people with mental illness, and it is clear that the 4th industrial revolution, which is directly related to the next generation, will also be seized.

2. The Kingdom of the World – Knows only one thing.
1) Clothing, Food, Housing – Doesn’t know spiritual things; if you just give them good food and a good life, that’s the best.
2) Religion (threefold office, Trinity) – They think of Christianity as just one religion. Talk of “Christ coming as King, Prophet, and Priest — the threefold office,” or “God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — the triune God,” makes no sense to them.
3) Disciples – Following along with the feeding of the five thousand, moved with emotion, then when Jesus walks on water they say “it’s a ghost,” and when the wind picks up they’re terrified — this is the situation. The message of how to view this Christ, who was promised from the Old Testament, must be delivered to the elites of America.

3. The Kingdom of God – The few who know what the kingdom of God is are the ones who save the world.
1) Identity (healing of the root) – Walking on water is not the issue; one must know the true identity of Christ. The moment you meet Christ, the work of healing at the root occurs.
2) Heavenly Power – The power that comes down from God above.
3) Power of the Throne – It is working through the power of God’s throne, the Master above. The Pharisees and Jews cannot even understand this. Those who know this and pray will receive answers.

▣ Conclusion

1. Exclusively, Uniqueness, Re-creation – Do not do other things; with this, do 24 hours.
2. Lifelong Talent – Lifelong talent, lifelong expertise, lifelong field engagement emerge.
3. Platform, Bartizan, Antenna – Receiving God’s platform where He pours out blessings, the bartizan that shines light, and the answer of the antenna where the light leads you to find a message.
▷ For the sake of our next generation, we must prepare and build to the extent that we would gladly pour out every tear, every prayer, and every drop of blood, and leave it in history.

Transcript

There is something you must always remember every time you worship. And now, with this message, as you follow the flow of headquarters and the world and hold on to the flow of this church and pray, you need to know what happens at that time. Important answers arise then. Some people ask whether those who don’t know the gospel and don’t know the spiritual world can just pray and worship — but that is truly, truly a completely wrong thing to say. Answers come according to your spiritual condition. If your spiritual condition has collapsed, it will keep collapsing. No matter how much you try, it makes no difference. So if you are spiritually strong and right, answers come even when things are difficult right now.

Throne [My Things X, A Different World] Heavenly Host

So it is not my things. We cannot receive answers with this. It is a different world — it is God’s things. At this time, something tremendous happens. What is it related to? The throne and the heavenly host — it is related in this way. You are not the people of the devil but the people of the throne, which is why there is this relationship. Then what message, when grasped, brings this about? This here. That is what is important.

Old Testament → [Christ]

The Bible — the Old Testament, specifically — says one thing above all else: nothing else matters. The most important thing is that He would send Christ. This is the Old Testament. Think about it. Whether we are talking with a friend or with fellow church members, if you keep leaving out the important things and talking about irrelevant matters, you don’t want to talk to that person anymore. Right? No matter who you are on the phone with, you need to know exactly what that person needs and talk about that. If you keep leaving that out and saying irrelevant things, you don’t want to talk on the phone with that person anymore. The Bible, being the Word of God, was primarily recorded by prophets, so it was recorded as it was, but the goal is this — Christ. That He would send Christ. Great works occur or do not occur depending on this. Whenever people drifted far from this, disaster came. So whenever they returned, God’s work occurred. If I had to name one example, it is Moses. Right? “Go and offer the blood sacrifice.” Everything ended with that one word.

[Christ] ← New Testament

Then the New Testament says that Christ has come. This is the Bible. We must hold on to the Word of God correctly for answers to come; if we hold on incorrectly, answers will not come. It is not about judging others — that is not the issue. A person who has the answer clearly on this side — say, for example, a friend of ours has a problem. Then the way you see it is different. The words you speak are different. You genuinely pray for that person. Right? And you want to show great compassion and help them. Don’t you? A person without this gospel — the moment one fault appears in someone, they immediately want to kill them. That is what it is to be without the gospel. Because hatred arises. Hatred is the spirit of Satan. Hatred is why murder happens.

Satan

He keeps grasping at the wrong things — what is the word “Christ”? It is the one who shattered Satan. That is what this word, “Christ,” means. And what else?

Hell

The background that completely destroys you — He shattered the power of hell. It is an extraordinary word. So with this background of Satan and hell, what keeps coming?

Disaster

Disaster keeps coming. He is the true King who shattered all of this. That is what it means. That is something tremendous. So you must look at the flow of the Word — oh, the gospel is lacking right now, or it is present — you need to know this, and that is how answers come or do not come. It is not merely about answers coming or not. If you do not have this answer, if you do not have this certainty about Christ, then this — Satan, hell, disaster — comes upon you, and so even as you age, problems come. At that point, you are too ashamed to even speak. When you are young and collapse a bit, that is something. But if you collapse when you are old, you cannot even say anything — you are too ashamed. What was it that Christ spoke about the most? Right?

▣ Introduction

We are the same way. Whatever a parent has talked about the most is that parent’s message. So what did this Christ — who came in this way — speak about the most? What did He say first of all? Matthew 10:7 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” Matthew 5:3 Before that even, the very first time Jesus spoke — on the mountain, teaching about true blessing — “The kingdom of heaven is yours.” Twice. Right? “The kingdom of heaven is yours.” Everything has the kingdom of heaven as its background, but He directly said “The kingdom of heaven is yours” in two places.

Matthew 6:10

And then, around the time of wrapping up, after teaching the Lord’s Prayer, after teaching the Lord’s Prayer — when teaching the Lord’s Prayer, Matthew 6:10 also says, do not pray other things, and what does verse 8 before it say? “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” And “pray that God’s kingdom will come.” That is what Jesus said.

Matthew 6:33

Even at the very end, when Jesus was wrapping up in prayer, “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness.” He said this. And then He sent the disciples out to the field.

Matthew 10:7

Even when sending them to the field, the first message Jesus gave was: “Go and tell them that the kingdom of God has come.” “Tell them that the kingdom of heaven is near.” These are tremendous things. Jesus — Christ, promised from the Old Testament — came and said only this. But it does not end there, does it?

Matthew 12:28-30

“If a strong man is in your house, can you protect it?” He asked. “Shouldn’t Satan be bound? If the Holy Spirit comes and Satan is bound, the kingdom of God has come upon you. If you cannot understand this, you have nothing to do with me.” He said it had nothing to do with God. Who was it that criticized this question? The long-believing Pharisees who called themselves the orthodox church. Even then He spoke of the kingdom of God.

Matthew 13:1-58

Throughout all of Matthew chapter 13, He spoke parables about the kingdom of heaven. “Do you know what the kingdom of heaven is? Like a mustard seed — invisible to the eye, yet it becomes a tree. Like yeast — invisible to the eye, yet it transforms the whole flour. Like a field that looks like you are working in it, but you have a field with treasure buried in it that feeds you for a lifetime.” Jesus kept saying these things. And what else?

Acts 1:3

He said this even at the very end. Even at the very last moment, He called them to Mt. Olive and for that last message, He intensively explained the work of the kingdom of God for forty days. The one who understood this best was Paul. So in Acts 19, verse 8, Paul spoke boldly about the kingdom of God for three months — that is what it says. When you know these things and receive the Word or serve the church or pray, these things — the throne and heavenly host — happen. Now then, why did He say this?

▣ Main

First.

1. The Kingdom of Satan

Because the kingdom of Satan exists. So if you do not pray this, if you do not know this, your faith life will not work. If you are filled with this, spiritual problems will disappear on their own. Right? They must disappear. Trying to get rid of them yourself takes great effort at that level. Some people absolutely cannot quit drugs, yet other people quit right away. If you ask the person who quit right away, they say they themselves don’t know. They just say they don’t think about it anymore. Isn’t that amazing? The very thing they used to go to prison for back in those days — one day they just don’t think about it anymore. What’s even funnier is that it’s not about enduring — they say they don’t even know why they ever did it. Simply put, it’s not about enduring; it became unnecessary. Isn’t that true healing? Having to endure because you need it — that is not healing. You desperately want to do drugs but you hold back because you’ll get caught. That’s enduring. That is not healing. When the kingdom of God comes upon me, this — the kingdom of Satan — collapses. So the conditions that move me and tear down my household become unnecessary.

1) Genesis 3:4-5, 6:4-5, 11:1-8

This Satan, you see, has built a complete organization. You already know this. With this, he has built a complete organization. In building this organization, for countries like Japan and Korea, he makes things resembling idols and turns them into religion. For more sophisticated places like America and Europe, he crafts extraordinarily high-quality works and everyone falls into them. In less developed nations he makes things strange so people don’t fall as easily, but in America everyone falls.

2) Technology, Culture

These people didn’t just stop there — they completely created technology and culture. This is why all young people are being pulled in. Even just the mobile phones we are already using — we are already under that influence.

3) Academia

It doesn’t stop there either. He has completely penetrated into academia now. When that happens, what comes? He intends to seize even the future.

This is how Satan has completely taken over the world right now. So if things go well this way, shouldn’t we just be helped along? That’s not the case. Right now, in America, there is a sudden surge of people with mental illness. A person with a weak gospel — even if they become president — doesn’t know anything. Doesn’t even know why they came. These people (Main point 1) are now doing this in full force. And doing it remarkably well. So they create works — they create works and everyone falls in. And it is clear the 4th industrial revolution will also be seized. So, everyone, the 4th industrial revolution may seem unrelated to you directly, but it is directly related to our next generation. Simply put, what you are doing now will become like public phone booths on the street. Why? Because everything will change. Right now it is completely going that way inevitably. Is there really a need to build large department stores anymore? Not anymore. Finally, in Seoul — you know those really large buildings in Gangbuk? Those large buildings in Gangbuk are starting to empty. Gangnam is a neighborhood where people from Gyeongsang Province came up and got rich, and Gangbuk is the original — Jongno and all of that is Gangbuk. Those areas are tremendous — they are starting to empty now.

2. The Kingdom of the World

The kingdom of the world. The kingdom of the world knows only one thing.

1) Clothing, Food, Housing

Give us good food and a good life — something like that. No, they don’t know anything spiritual. Just give them good food and a good life — that’s the best. Right? So because of Satan, people have been killed over eating and clothing. He killed through the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil — food. From that point on they wore clothes too. From that point on, the Tower of Babel appeared — the idea of building proper houses. Because worldly people know only this — clothing, food, and housing.

2) Religion (Threefold Office) (Trinity)

These people consider Christianity to just be one religion. Right? It’s culture, religion. Threefold Office

So these people do not understand when told that Christ came as King, Prophet, and Priest — the threefold office. Trinity

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — the Triune God. Words like these make no sense to them. What kind of nonsense is this? Of course they can’t understand. This is the kingdom of the world. So when you make a religion out of it — what’s so good about this? Nothing. Just, something seems to be happening? Then they tag along. Whether it involves lying or fraud, if you make it big, people just go along with it. This is the situation.

So this is not a matter of human ambition — it is a spiritual war. In Ulsan going forward across the entire region — please really pray. You need to establish spiritual commanders who spiritually take hold of the entire region. If that doesn’t work, start from now planting Remnant. That is the Mormon strategy, isn’t it? Adults have tried and it doesn’t work so well? Fine. Just send twenty-year-olds — college students who study hard. Ordain them as elders and send them out. That’s what Mormons do. Those young people walking around in suits — they are all elders. And they are remarkably well-studied kids. Trained kids. With this, right now in America, about three organizations are somewhat intimidated by how much ground they’ve taken. Truly impressive, these people. This is how they operate.

3) Disciples

Even look at the disciples. They followed along because of the feeding of the five thousand, moved with emotion. Then today when Jesus comes — “It’s a ghost!” And when they look, it is Jesus. So filled with excitement, “Let me walk on the water too.” And then the wind picks up and they’re terrified. This is the situation.

How are we to view Christ? Whether He walked on water or walked in water — that is not the important thing. Seeing this Christ — promised from the Old Testament, happening eternally even now — how are we to view Him? This message really needs to be delivered to the elites in America. At that time, I actually had a brief opportunity to speak at the U.S. Congress, but I couldn’t deliver a very long message. The situation wasn’t right for that. But America is serious. They are completely captured. Americans cannot even speak out of shame. You cannot say the kinds of things to kids that you say here. Honestly, unless it is something truly special, it is better not to send children there. Even just those who have gone up to that point — right now, it is serious. It has nearly reached the level of mental illness. Satan has completely captured the next generation. You need to pray about this. It cannot just be at the level of thinking about building a sanctuary. Really pray 24 hours. You need to think: “I am staking my life on this.” I am staking my life so that our next generation can truly come to Immanuel Ulsan and pray.

3. The Kingdom of God

So the few — the people who know what the kingdom of God is — are the ones who save the world.

Now, what does this mean? Jesus walked on water. He calmed the wind. What does this mean? Right now, the wind is not the problem, and walking on water is not the problem. So what is being said right now? Who exactly is Christ?

1) Identity (Healing of the Root)

One must now know the true identity of Christ. Now, look at what keeps happening from Matthew chapter 5 — healing the sick and so on. What is the characteristic? He completely heals at the root. Just healing is treatment, not healing at the root. The moment you meet Christ, the work of healing at the root occurs.

2) Heavenly Power

What do we call this? The power that comes down from God above — that is the power that comes from above. It is not just at this level.

3) Power of the Throne

For you, it is completely not just from above — it works through the power of God’s throne, the Master above. In the end, what is it? This is what Jesus is talking about right now. Of course the Pharisees cannot understand. There are no ears to understand. They are focused on somehow securing a position for themselves — how could they understand this? Even their notion that you must keep all Jewish traditions to be saved — what kind of intelligence is that for saving the world? So it doesn’t work. What? You must keep all Jewish traditions to be saved — is that the right thinking? This is what Jesus was talking about from beginning to end — from Introduction to Main. If you know this and pray, answers will come. What kind of answers?

▣ Conclusion

We are not just waiting vaguely. What kind of answers?

From this point on, no one can take it away. What is it?

1. Exclusively, Uniqueness, Re-creation

This — exclusively, uniqueness, re-creation — comes. So do not do other things; with this, do 24 hours. Even just coming to church and not listening to what people say — God’s work happens. Do not listen to anyone’s words. Respect that person greatly, consider them precious, help them — that is fine. But do not listen to their words. Even just this brings about answers. I have attended church since I was young. I can tell you — church is like this inevitably. There is no prayer room at church, and when people gather they talk. Right? What is there to share from evangelism? Nothing. So you talk about others. What can you do? You hear something negative about someone and you talk about it, and back and forth, and at least the time passes. Right? Isn’t that right? And Korea is somewhat better in this regard. In places like America, Koreans get together and go wild — it’s unbelievable. Because I knew this, even just not listening to people’s words brings about God’s work. Even just worshiping well brings about God’s work. God, what — like some Buddhist monk who suffered ascetically to the point of death and then received an answer? No. You went deep into the mountains barefoot and wandered around — and then answers came? That is not a fraudulent kind of gospel. That is not what this is saying. Exclusively, uniqueness, re-creation.

2. Lifelong Talent

From this point, do you know what comes out? Lifelong talent emerges exactly. You must absolutely teach this to the next generation. Lifelong expertise comes out, and lifelong field engagement comes out. This is something you are responsible for and must teach the next generation — it is the covenant you must hold on to.

3. Platform

From this point, what is it? Previously, you went searching for answers. No. Answers come. Right? Before, I went looking. God looks to see where Joseph is and sends answers. Platform. Hey — God looks to see where the church leaders of Immanuel Ulsan Church are and pours out blessings. That is the level at which you are truly receiving answers. Right?

Bartizan

You go and find — there is light. If it is dark, what good is it? There is light. There is a watchtower — a bartizan.

Antenna

You see the light and go and find — there is a message. That is called an antenna.

This is it. So while you are building — when you build, many words come your way. That is necessary too, but you need to receive a more important answer. For the sake of our next generation — we must be prepared to the extent that we would gladly pour out every tear, every prayer, and every drop of blood. You must prepare. Whether in Busan or Seoul — wherever you build — you must do this. You must leave something in history. When I went to Europe, in those idol temples — there were stone pillars a thousand years old. Satan is truly extraordinary. Some of those churches — they were idol temples — built over 400 years. 400 years. Passing it down as a dying wish to each succeeding generation — can you imagine? Truly remarkable. Who ordered that? Satan’s strategy is outstanding. We must pray.

All of this — Introduction, Main — is about the kingdom of God. Jesus explained this kingdom for 40 days. If you just hold on to the covenant, answers will certainly come. I bless you in the name of Jesus Christ that this will become the day you firmly hold on to the covenant. Let us pray.

Prayer. Thank you, God. May this become a day of covenant. May we become the platform that holds on to the exact covenant of God. May we become the bartizan that shines light across every region. May we become the church that truly has a spiritual antenna where the next generation and the sick gather. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.

Praise — “Amazing Grace”

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 — “A Different World That Is Not Mine” (Matthew 14:22-33)
Transcript…Video

Prayer — 7 Bartizans · 7 Journeys · 7 Guideposts

Sunday 1st Service Worship
Title/Scripture: Life Movement Beyond Life (Matthew 14:13-21)
Lecturer: Pastor Ryu Gwang-su
Date/Location: March 20, 2022, Immanuel Ulsan Church

Matthew 14:13-21
13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns.
14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”
16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”
17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.
18 “Bring them here to me,” he said.
19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.
20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Summary

▣ Introduction

1. What we must check – the final checkup of my life
1) He taught us what true blessing and prayer are (Matthew 5, 6).
2) He took the disciples to the field and taught them what evangelism is and where life comes from and where it is going (Matthew 10).
3) He taught us what the kingdom of God that must come when we pray is (Matthew 12).
4) He explained what evangelism and the gospel are through parables (Matthew 13).
5) Jesus fed more than five thousand people with one lunchbox and had twelve baskets left over (Matthew 14).
6) Jesus asked the final important question (Matthew 16). – “Who do people say I am? Who do you say I am?”
(1) Peter’s confession – “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
(2) From that point on, he told them everything, up to the very last things.
(3) “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church. The gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.”
7) He achieved complete victory at Mt. Calvary. He called those disciples to Mt Olive and gave them a promise. That promise was fulfilled in the upper room of Mark.
▷ These disciples who appeared so weak evangelized the world. This must be thoroughly examined. The gospel and the work of the gospel, the Holy Spirit and the work of the Holy Spirit, are different things. Power comes when the Holy Spirit works.

2. Preparing the vessel for world evangelization – Before world evangelization, one must receive the blessing of world evangelization.
▷ Once the preparation called world evangelization is in place, God begins to work from that point on.
1) Slaves, captives, a subjugated nation – this is the suffering found in the Bible because the preparation for world evangelization was not made.
▷ God’s plan never changes. Someone who only knows their own church is not prepared for world evangelization. Someone who is prepared for world evangelization thinks first of other churches and mission fields.
2) Rome – God blessed Rome because of world evangelization and inserted the gospel into Rome.
▷ God is set to use the church with 237 prepared, along with its members and church leaders.
3) The Remnants of the Bible who were prepared for world evangelization – God took everything to the places where they were.

▣ Main – The Vessel and Path of World Evangelization

1. Jesus looked at the crowd and had compassion on them (v. 14). This is the gospel.
▷ Without the gospel, when you see someone who did wrong you feel hatred, and when you see something incorrect it is hard to bear. Once I understood the gospel, I felt compassion. Without the gospel I was taught to survive in the competition of survival. Once I understood the gospel, I could see that those people were struggling. You must have the strength to have compassion for them in order to save the world.
1) The Romans who were under the delusion that they had to conquer the world in order to survive are pitiful souls. In every age, Satan has entered into leaders and incited wars.
2) The Pharisees, Sadducees, scribes, and Herodians who thought they had succeeded by securing positions in a nation that was under a foreign power are pitiful people.
3) He had compassion on those who came with demon-possessed illnesses, those dying of disease, and the poor.
▷ If the gospel is not shared, spiritual problems spread just as COVID spreads. When God called us, he called us with the eyes of salvation and the gospel. We must also look with those eyes.

2. What God sees as urgent (v. 14)
1) The sick had gathered to hear the word and receive healing, but the sun had set and it had become mealtime. Jesus blessed one lunchbox and with it fed more than five thousand people, with some left over.
2) If Christ blesses you and works in your work, tremendous things happen.
▷ It is a miracle from our perspective, but not from God’s perspective.

3. We must not do a counterfeit movement but a true life movement.
1) “It is the Spirit that gives life; the flesh profits nothing.” We must grasp the real thing (John 6:63). – When the miracle of the five loaves and two fish happened, the people said they would make Jesus king. Jesus fled to the mountain and spoke to the disciples about true life.
2) We have been given God’s blessing that can save the world, and so we must hold on to it.
▷ World evangelization is God’s will, but I feel inadequate. When I was a student I walked into every middle school and high school in Busan and evangelized. During my time as an associate pastor, there were so many trials in every church, so I prayed and evangelized alongside a small number of those with a calling. When I was sent to plant a church in Yeongdo, they told me I could only use the space on Sundays. No matter. I planted 300 churches throughout Yeongdo and all of Busan and did Bible study. God raised up a thousand disciples all at once.
3) Spread the word movement throughout all of Ulsan. – With the eyes of the throne that have compassion, give them what is most urgent. With those eyes. With eyes that can truly give life.

▣ Conclusion – Find the Secret of 24.

1. 24 – It is about thinking of that alone.
2. 25 – The kingdom of God comes.
3. Eternity – Your small dedication will never disappear.
▷ Hold on to the covenant of “70 disciples, 70 regions, 70 tribes, 70 nations.” It does not happen merely by working hard at evangelism. The heart of compassion that God sees, what God sees as most urgent and most longed for by those people – do not do a counterfeit movement, do a life movement. “Seek his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Transcript

A few years ago I boarded a plane to fly somewhere but the plane wasn’t moving. Since I fly a lot and tend to sit near the front, a flight attendant came and told me the reason the plane wasn’t taking off. The plane could go, but when a check was done inside the plane, a red light came on. A red light means something is wrong, and they were trying to find out where the problem was. So the flight attendant said, even though we could go, they were looking to confirm it for certain. Quite a bit of time had passed. Time passed, and then the flight attendant came back and said we were going now. If she had told someone else it would have caused a scene. She came and told me what they had found. The worker up front who fuels the plane had forgotten to put fuel in and left. Well, we could still take off, since there was some fuel remaining. But what would happen then? There’s no fuel. Accidents don’t happen because of lack of skill – they happen because of failing to do these checks. Recently in Gwangju something collapsed too – all because of failing to do the checks.

You all probably have important matters and prayer requests. And there are times when we begin something, thinking, “I must do this now.” In particular, our Immanuel Ulsan Church is now at an important juncture with the sanctuary construction about to begin.

▣ Introduction

1. What we must check – the final checkup of my life

What is it that we need to check? Even if you have no strength at all, there is a way to do world evangelization. Even if you have nothing right now, it is possible. Because God called the people of Galilee who seemed to have no strength at all and accomplished world evangelization through them. So those Jews with darkened spiritual eyes just kept persecuting them. Even Rome persecuted them. But this gospel evangelized even Rome. The important thing here is that today Jesus has fed more than five thousand people with just one lunchbox, with leftovers. Before that, there were one or two important things.

1) He taught us what true blessing and prayer are (Matthew 5, 6).
Jesus took them up the mountain and taught them what true blessing and prayer are.

2) He took the disciples to the field and taught them what evangelism is and where life comes from and where it is going (Matthew 10).
He then took those disciples to the field and explained in Matthew chapter 10 what evangelism is and where life comes from and where it is going.

3) He taught us what the kingdom of God that must come when we pray is (Matthew 12).
And there was a third thing. What was it? He explained what it means for God’s kingdom to truly come when we pray. That is Matthew chapter 12.

4) He explained what evangelism and the gospel are through parables (Matthew 13).
And continuing on from there, he used parables – seven of them – to explain what evangelism is and what the gospel is.

5) Jesus fed more than five thousand people with one lunchbox and had twelve baskets left over (Matthew 14).
Then Jesus went far out into the fields and people just kept following him. So many followed that there were more than five thousand men alone. The sun was going down and there was nothing to eat, but Jesus fed five thousand people from one lunchbox and had twelve baskets left over – that is the miracle story.

6) Jesus asked the final important question (Matthew 16).
But there is something even more important. Jesus asked a final question. Before that he had not said anything important at all. What was the final important question? “Who do people say I am?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

(1) Peter’s confession
No one could answer, but Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

(2) From that point on, he told them everything, up to the very last things.
From that point on, Jesus told them everything. He spoke of bearing the cross and spoke of everything up to the last days.

(3) “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church. The gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.”
“You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church. The gates of Hades will certainly not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” That is what he said.

7) He achieved complete victory at Mt. Calvary. He called those disciples to Mt Olive and gave them a promise. That promise was fulfilled in the upper room of Mark.
And then the final thing – he achieved complete victory at Mt. Calvary. He called those disciples to Mt Olive. Right? And he gave them a promise. That promise was fulfilled in the upper room of Mark. These disciples who seemed so weak evangelized the world. You must examine this carefully. Because you are God’s people, you must thoroughly examine this important work that God has given.

The gospel and the work of the gospel are the same words but they are different things. Right? “Making rice” and “eating rice” are the same words but they are different. You have to eat the rice – rice is just rice on its own. The Holy Spirit and the work of the Holy Spirit are different words. Right? Power comes when the Holy Spirit works. The gospel and the work of the gospel are different. Check this and think, “This is the final checkup of my life.” Think, “I am doing the final checkup of my life and now I am starting.”

2. Preparing the vessel for world evangelization – Before world evangelization, one must receive the blessing of world evangelization.

What is the covenant that all our family members around the world today, and especially those in Ulsan, must hold on to? If we want to do world evangelization, we must first receive the blessing of world evangelization. Right?

Everyone knows the term “world evangelization.” But as for actually doing world evangelization – once that vessel preparation is made, God gives you everything without you even having to ask. This time it is the response that all the churches in our cell group, all the church leaders and ministers, must find. Once you are prepared as a vessel for world evangelization, God is set to pour everything out. Right?

Think about it, everyone. No matter how much money you have, do you give your kindergarten-aged grandchildren pocket money of 100 million or 200 million won at a time? You can’t do that. It would kill them. But your own children, your older children, your successful children – couldn’t you give them 100 million or 200 million for something special? It’s the same. Once you are prepared as a vessel for world evangelization, God begins to work from that moment on. It is nearly because the preparation for world evangelization has not been made that you receive all the suffering in the Bible.

1) Slaves, captives, a subjugated nation
Because the preparation for world evangelization was not made, the Israelites had to be sent into slavery. Right? Because world evangelization must certainly happen, because the spiritual must be blocked, since Israel was not prepared, God had to take them into captivity and make them a subjugated nation. God’s plan never changes. If all the members of our family throughout the country and the world prepare themselves as vessels for world evangelization, God is set to work. Already, when you look at most pastors, all they know is “our church.” I am sorry to say it, but they are people not prepared for world evangelization. God cannot pour into that place. Right? Someone already prepared for world evangelization thinks about other churches first. That is the only way world evangelization will happen. Right? They think about mission fields. That is the only way world evangelization will happen, isn’t it? It is not difficult.

If world evangelization is prepared in Ulsan, God will bring all blessings to Ulsan. Right? One person appeared who was prepared with the word “world evangelization.” That person is Joseph. God took everything to wherever Joseph went. Do not be deceived. No matter how many wonderful things you say, God’s word and man’s word are different. Right? It never changes.

2) Rome
God blessed Rome because of world evangelization. He laid out all the military roads, trade roads, and sea routes, and then God inserted the gospel into Rome. That is how the world is saved. Because the entire world is spiritually growing darker, God is set to use the churches, members, and church leaders prepared with 237. I went to the United States once and there was this Remnant – a truly outstanding Remnant. A certain professor came to tell me about them. He said this person should not be here but if they went to a certain region, they could be enormously successful. I said, “Is that so?” I didn’t know about that part of things, so I would tell them myself. What was so funny was that the church’s church leaders and pastor were holding onto this young person. Why? Because they didn’t want to let them go. This was a person who, if sent to another region, entered a different university, and met certain professors, could become a great figure – and they were not sending them. What do you think? That is not being prepared for world evangelization. It is hard to receive an answer.

3) The Remnants of the Bible who were prepared for world evangelization
Starting today, all the church leaders, members, and Remnants of Immanuel Ulsan Church are going to prepare themselves as vessels for world evangelization. Do not worry. Even if you just stay still – where is Joseph? Where is Moses? Where is Samuel, where is David? Right? Where are Elijah and Elisha? Where is Daniel now? Where is Esther? Where is Paul? It is finished. God takes everything there. What church in Ulsan can do world evangelization? Just prepare for that and you are done. In reality, people are not yet prepared. But once they are, the work happens. Isn’t that right?

In our history, there are those who, when our country was in crisis, truly sold all their wealth – though they were very wealthy – gave it to the independence army, and lived as paupers. That person truly knew the nation. You all know who that is.

▣ Main – The Vessel and Path of World Evangelization

So today if you look closely at this passage alone, you can understand it as, “With just one lunchbox, five thousand people ate and there was still some left over.” There are three vessels and three paths of world evangelization.

1. Jesus looked at the crowd and had compassion on them (v. 14). This is the gospel.

First. The issue is not Jesus blessing the crowd with just one lunchbox. That is simple for Jesus. It says he had compassion on them. Right? This is the gospel. Before I knew the gospel, no matter how much I went to church, when I saw someone who did wrong I would feel hatred. Because I had no gospel. Right? And when I saw something incorrect it was hard to bear. Once I grasped the gospel, I felt compassion. Right? Before, when I looked at the world without the gospel, the only thing I had learned from the world was this: you have to fight. You have to survive in this competition of survival. That is what I was taught, in school. Once I understood the gospel, that was not it at all. Those people are struggling. You must have the strength to have compassion for them to save the world. Is that right or not? If a pastor has no heart of compassion for those dying souls, for those who make mistakes, for those who do wrong – I am sorry to say, but he is not qualified. No matter how many churches there are, if they have absolutely no heart to feel compassion for those dying souls – that is not a church. You must open your eyes.

1) The Romans who were under the delusion that they had to conquer the world in order to survive are pitiful souls. In every age, Satan has entered into leaders and incited wars.
The Romans at that time had conquered Israel. Right? How about that? Do you know what kind of mindset those Romans had? “We must conquer the world to survive.” That is the delusion they were under. These are pitiful souls, right now. This is what is pitiful. To look at this and feel envy? Then praying forever is of no use. It is wrong. Right? Look at Russia right now. They are just attacking, and if you feel, “Wow, Russia is impressive,” then no amount of prayer is of any use. It has been this way in every age. In every age, Satan enters into leaders. He enters and incites wars. There are various reasons, but what is the biggest reason? They think, “If we don’t do this, we will die.” So in the old days Japan thought, “We must conquer Korea. Otherwise we will die. We must attack China and Russia.” Eventually they even started the Pacific War. “This is how we survive” – that was the delusion they were under. It happens in every age. Jesus sees those people and feels even more compassion.

2) The Pharisees, Sadducees, scribes, and Herodians who thought they had succeeded by securing positions in a subjugated nation are pitiful people.
Look at something even more ridiculous. The Pharisees, Sadducees, scribes, and Herodians. They think they have succeeded. They are even more pitiful. The nation has become a territory of Rome. The country is gone. They have secured one position by clinging to Rome. They think that is success.

3) He had compassion on those who came with demon-possessed illnesses, those dying of disease, and the poor.
At this time the people kept coming with demon-possessed illnesses, as we saw earlier. People dying of disease, poor people just kept flooding in. What do you think, everyone? You don’t necessarily have to shed tears from your eyes. Right? Jesus looked at these people and had compassion. They were so desperate that five thousand of them followed him all the way up the mountain. Look at this scene. “With just one lunchbox he performed a miracle, five thousand people ate and twelve baskets were left over.” Is that what this is about right now? Jesus had compassion on them. The first path connecting you and us to the throne that must open our eyes to save the world is that. Because God had compassion on them.

People today do not know. As for why the gospel must be shared – spiritual problems spread just as COVID spreads. This COVID is a tremendous lesson. Spiritual problems spread just as COVID spreads. So it must be stopped. It is the same with the gospel. It is a disaster – people are dying, to a pitiful degree. A politician who understood this – isn’t that Lincoln? This afternoon I will meet the mayor and give him a message and pray for him. When God called us, he called us with the eyes of the saved gospel. So we must also look with those eyes.

2. What God sees as urgent (v. 14)

Second. What is the second path connecting you to receiving the blessing of the throne and to world evangelization? What God sees as urgent when he looks. It is urgent, right now.

1) The sick had gathered to hear the word and receive healing, but the sun had set and it had become mealtime. Jesus blessed one lunchbox and with it fed more than five thousand people, with some left over.
Today in verse 14, the sick had been flooding in again. Even though it had become night, these people had not gone home but had gathered in the field there, following Jesus. Even though there was nothing to eat, they were there. They had not gathered there asking Jesus for food. They had gathered to hear the word and receive healing, and then the sun set and it became mealtime. Jesus blessed one lunchbox. Five thousand people ate from it. What is that miracle? We do not even need to explain it. Because when Christ blesses you, it surpasses imagination. Right?

2) If Christ blesses you and works in your work, tremendous things happen.
The word “Christ” is immense. If this word works in your work, tremendous things happen. It is a miracle from our perspective, but not from God’s perspective. Right?

A while back – I see our daughter had two apples and said, “Give one to your brother and you eat one.” But this child apparently ate them both by herself, alone. So of course that became a problem. I said I understood, and went to the store and bought a whole bag of apples and brought it over. How does that child look at me? She looks at me with immense respect. From her perspective that is a big deal; from mine it is only a few thousand won. When God works, it is incomparable to this world and its power that humans have made.

3. We must not do a counterfeit movement but a true life movement.

Third. What is the third path to enjoying the blessing of the throne and truly doing world evangelization? Do not do a counterfeit movement but a true life movement.

1) “It is the Spirit that gives life; the flesh profits nothing.” We must grasp the real thing (John 6:63).
This feeding of the five thousand appears in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and all of John. We should pay some attention to this. Since it appears in all four. But in John’s Gospel it is recorded this way: when five thousand were fed from five loaves and two fish and there were leftovers, the people became frenzied and said they would make that person king. Jesus fled to the mountain. The disciples followed him there. Then Jesus spoke. “It is the Spirit that gives life; the flesh profits nothing.” We must grasp the real thing. What did Jesus say? Is the miracle of the five loaves and two fish what is important? Jesus explained it directly. “Did not our ancestors eat manna in the wilderness? Is that so important?” They were hungry, so God provided. “That is not so important.” That is what he is saying. He was truly speaking about life.

2) We have been given God’s blessing that can save the world, and so we must hold on to it.
Today you must hold on to this covenant. So because God has truly given you his blessing that can save the world, you hold firmly on to it. It is not difficult.

When I was a student – a university student – world evangelization is God’s will but I felt inadequate. Now, as a student I had no money. Right? I needed to be able to travel the whole world freely, but I had no such money, being a student. But it was not about that. What I did at that time was walk into every middle school and high school in Busan and evangelize. I saw tremendous things there. So it is not something you cannot do. God provides everything.

I served as an associate pastor for a long time. But looking around, there were so many trials in every church. I was not worth a single one of them. They looked truly pitiful to me. It was not that I was disrespecting the elders – they genuinely looked pitiful to me. That was my feeling as an associate pastor. Truly. The elders seemed truly pitiful, I tell you. Those pastors who operate with humanistic thinking and strategy – they truly seemed pitiful when I saw them. So there were a small number of people with a calling. I prayed and evangelized alongside those people. God blessed just that. What is difficult about it? It is not difficult. You must not miss it.

So I was called to plant a church in Yeongdo and when I arrived there was no church building, nothing at all. We needed to have worship services but they said we could only use the space on Sundays. The factory was closed on Sundays so they said use it only on Sundays – but then how would you have early morning prayer in Busan there? How would you have Wednesday services? That was the situation. No matter. I planted 300 churches throughout Yeongdo and all of Busan and did Bible study. God raised up a thousand disciples all at once.

3) Spread the word movement throughout all of Ulsan.
Do it in Ulsan. Once the church building is built, spread the word movement throughout all of Ulsan. You cannot do it with other things. With the eyes of the throne that have compassion. Right? You cannot do it with other things. You must give them right now what is most urgent to them, with those eyes. Whether it’s five loaves and two fish, a lunchbox, or bread – those are not what is important. With eyes that can truly give life. The work will happen. Your time has come. For the church leaders who are in the final stages of their lives – you have encountered the greatest opportunity. Watch and see. Ulsan will be saved. God’s work is completely different from human thinking. At times.

▣ Conclusion – Find the Secret of 24.

1. 24
So this year, according to our theme, find the secret of 24. What is the secret of 24? It is about thinking of that alone. Now, the church has entrusted me with the Sunday school – what do I have to think about? Sunday school and my own studies. I was a student so I thought about just those two things. What else is there to think about? There is nothing to worry about either. If you have nothing, you can walk around. Right? If there’s nothing to eat, you can just not eat. What is there to worry about? You have a solid church backing. You have the church backing. You evangelize with that backing. That is 24. There is absolutely nothing to worry about.

2. 25
Then the kingdom of God comes – that is 25.

3. Eternity
Your small dedication will never disappear. That is what we call eternity. So churches across the country and the world, after this missions conference, hold on to it. 70 disciples, 70 regions, 70 tribes, 70 nations. Especially in Ulsan, do it properly. It does not happen merely by working hard at evangelism. The heart of compassion that God sees. You cannot do it with other things. The Spirit knows well.

The Holy Spirit is not deceived by us, and Satan knows well too. What God sees as most urgent and what those people long for most deeply. Do that – that is what I am saying. Do not do a counterfeit movement, do a life movement. That is all. As our elder prayed today: “Seek his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” I bless you in the name of the Lord Jesus that this will be the greatest beginning. I pray that you spend all of today in prayer and receive answers throughout the whole week. Let us pray.

Prayer. We give thanks to God. We pray that today will be a day to grasp the important covenant. Help us to see with a heart of compassion, open our eyes to see the desperate souls, and open our eyes so that we may do a life movement and not merely a loaves-and-fish movement. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Praise — “My Savior’s Love”

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 — “Life Movement Beyond Life” (Matthew 14:13-21)
Transcript…Video

Prayer — 7 Bartizans · 7 Journeys · 7 Guideposts

Sunday 2nd Service / Lay Missionary Dedication Service
Title/Scripture: The Promise of the Throne That No One Can Take Away (Matthew 13:10-16)
Speaker: Pastor Ryu Gwang-su
Date/Location: March 13, 2022, Immanuel Seoul Church

Matthew 13:10-16

10 The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”
11 He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.
12 Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.
13 This is why I speak to them in parables: Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.
14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
15 For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’
16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.”

Summary

▷ This is a day to pray for missions to the whole world. In particular, today one young adult from India is being commissioned as a lay missionary. When you go, there will be many problems. Do not think it is difficult or hard. Do not think about receiving help either. When you go, the world may seem big. Do not be envious. Those people have no power at all. However, do not take them too lightly either. They are all filled with darkness. To us now, and also to our young evangelist being commissioned, God has promised the things of the throne that no one can take away.

Only, Uniqueness, Re-creation
0th Priority

▷ This promise of the throne is 0th priority because it is about seeking only, uniqueness, and re-creation. You seek and wait for it, and when it comes, you go. Because it is 0th priority, there is no competition.

▣ Introduction

1. Background – The background of the current Scripture passage is Matthew chapter 13. The reason Jesus said “I explained it in parables so that you would understand, and also explained it in parables so that others would not understand” is because if people understand it falsely, anyone would come and try to do it.
1) Trinity – The background is that the Triune God is together with us in a way completely invisible to the eye. There is no reason to fear. Simply wait with only, uniqueness, and re-creation.
2) 9 things – The answer that shines the light of the throne that transcends time and space, and the light of 237, is within me, within my soul, within my life, so an unprecedented answer comes.
3) Era 3 – It is set up so that eras 24, 25, and eternity will be saved.

2. Secret 10 – You survive anywhere and see God’s work anywhere. The answer is on a different side, and wherever you go, people come alive. Even when you enter into a crisis, God’s work happens. The blessing of re-creation rises up so there is no need to fight. God sends us to the wilderness as slaves. Because God has an absolute plan, it cannot fail.

3. Foothold 10 – All of our sovereignty, whether things succeed or fail, is in God’s hands. God’s method is only Christ. God’s power is only the work of the Holy Spirit. The evidence of the promise God gave us is only the Bible. The foundation of every answer is God working in me and in the place where I am. Because God knows all of my life, there is nothing to fear. At some point, we must go to the kingdom of heaven. The afterlife clearly exists. Therefore, in this evangelism, not even a cup of cold water will lose its reward. These are the 10 footholds. Just keep having them.

▣ Main

1. The answer of the Word and the throne – no one can take it away.
▷ In Matthew 13:1-9, 18-33, 37-43, Jesus continues to speak the parable of the sower. Seeds that fall on rocky ground, on the path, or among thorns will naturally die. But do not worry. Because the seed that falls on good soil will bear fruit dozens and tens of thousands of times over.
1) The accurate gospel (good soil) – If you have the accurate gospel, you will bear fruit like a seed that falls on good soil. When you have the accurate gospel and share it, works happen.
2) The reason for not understanding – Verses 18-24 explain the reason for not understanding. “What fell on the path was taken by the devil, and the soul that dies because it has no root is the one that cannot endure persecution and falls, and what falls among thorns dies because it is seized by worldly worries.”
3) Weeds – Weeds appear in verses 37-43. In the church and in the field, there are weeds. Among the workers in the church, among the ministers, among the church leaders, there are also weeds. But do not worry about it. The weeds need to be there so that later, when the grain is harvested and made into rice, there is something to burn as fuel.

2. Value – how much value does it have?
1) The hidden treasure – In verse 44 it talks about value: “There is something like a hidden treasure that you survive on your whole life buried in your field.”
2) The most precious pearl – In verses 45-46: “Though it looks like a traveling merchant, he has the most precious pearl.” This is what it means to have the gospel.
3) Fish – The parable of the fish is given. When a fisherman catches fish, he throws away the ones he does not need. So later, what gets gathered into this treasure, this storehouse, is what is meant.

3. Hidden things
1) Mustard seed – Like a mustard seed, it looks like just a dot, but it has life and grows large.
2) Yeast – Jesus explains: “Though yeast cannot be seen, it gets into the flour and spreads throughout the whole thing. The gospel is like that.”
3) Grain – Weeds. “Do not pull out the weeds now. If you pull them, the grain could get pulled out too. Just leave them.” That is it. When you harvest later, the grain goes to the storehouse and the weeds go to be burned as fuel. Jesus gave an incredibly powerful message.

▷ By the grace of God, we receive blessings, share the gospel, and live.

▣ Conclusion – Prayer

1. Set-time prayer – At least once a day, enter into a very deep set-time prayer.
2. 24 prayer – For the rest, pray with 24. Do this prayer for every field.
3. 25 – Then 25 will surely come. This is the blessing of the throne.

Eternity → Then the work we have done becomes eternal. Starting from now, as you begin to enjoy it through prayer, if we are able to pray for God’s kingdom and the power of the throne to come upon our work, works will surely happen and world evangelism will take place.

Transcript

This is a day for all of us to do missions, to pray. In particular, today one of our young adults from India is being commissioned as a lay missionary as well. When you go, there will be many problems like this. Do not think it is difficult. Do not think things like “this is hard” either. If there is no one to help you, do not think “I need to receive help” either.

When I see people who have worked very hard, I do not really say “you have worked hard.” People with less discernment can get offended by that too. Why? Because why did you work hard? You received grace. Right? The fact that we are doing this kind of work — this is receiving grace.

When you go out and see the world, it may seem big. Do not be envious. Those people have no power at all. But also do not take them too lightly. Because they are all filled with darkness, you must not take them lightly.

The Promise of the Throne

To you now, and also to our young evangelist being commissioned, God has made this promise. He has promised the things of the throne that no one can take away. So always keep that in mind.

[Only, Uniqueness, Re-creation]
[0th Priority]

This promise of the throne is 0th priority because it is about seeking this (only, uniqueness, re-creation).

A certain Remnant sent me a message saying, “Hmm… what should I do?” I told that Remnant, “Do nothing.” We keep thinking of the methods of worldly people — the people of the world who keep failing to do the Lord’s work. That will end up not working out in the end.

So those of you being commissioned, those of you doing world missions, keep this in mind. There is nothing to worry about. You seek and wait for this (only, uniqueness, re-creation, 0th priority). When it comes, then you go. Why? Because there is no competition in this, everyone. All over the world, this is 0th priority, right?

▣ Introduction

1. Background

Why is that? The background of the current Scripture passage is Matthew chapter 13, you know? Look carefully. Jesus said this: “I explained it in parables so that you would understand. And I also explained it in parables so that others would not understand.” That is an extremely important statement. “Hmm… because I am doing the Lord’s work, blessings keep coming.” If people understand it falsely like that, then anyone would come and try to do it, right?

1) Trinity

Look at this background. The Triune God is together with us in a way completely invisible to the eye. This is the background. There is no reason to fear. If the answer does not come, just wait. And how do you wait? Wait very gracefully with only, uniqueness, and re-creation.

So when we Koreans go out, we are too low-level and so we cannot evangelize developed nations. Look right now, those people who came from Japan, people from Spain — look at those kinds of people. Those people are from developed nations. There is none of this business of just chasing after profit like that. So they are already different.

So the reason Korea cannot do world evangelism is that we have everything and yet cannot do it — our level is too low. And we are in too much of a hurry. The more developed a nation is, the slower they go. We need to realize that going slowly is actually going faster. No matter how frustrating it is, this Triune God is working in ways invisible to the eye.

2) 9 things

And what else? The answer that shines the light of the throne that transcends time and space, and 237, is within us. This is within me, within my soul, within my life. So an unprecedented answer comes to me.

3) Era 3

And then, it is set up so that eras 24, 25, and eternity will surely be saved.

This is the background. There is absolutely nothing to worry about. You just enjoy this through prayer while studying. Of course the answer comes.

As for what mistake I made — when I was starting out at the evangelism field, a lot of works were going to happen, and I should have been a bit more humble, but I did not think of that. What that means is that around the churches in Busan too, there were many people, and other churches would feel bad about it. I should have known that. I did not know. Because works would clearly happen, when the works happened, other people were going to be envious and jealous. That is something you need to already know ahead of time, right?

2. Secret 10

The 10 secrets — you would know them even without me telling you all of them now. Survive anywhere. Right? You see God’s work anywhere. The answer is on a different side. So wherever you go, people come alive. What are they going to say? Everywhere you go, you entered into a crisis, but God’s work happens, the blessing of re-creation happens. So there is no need to fight. That is how it turns out. Those are the 10 secrets. God sends us to the wilderness, sends us as slaves, I mean. God has an absolute plan. 10 things. So it cannot fail.

3. Foothold 10

The 10 footholds. Whether all of our things succeed or fail, sovereignty is in God’s hands. That is the first one. God’s method is only one — it is Christ. God’s power is also only one — it is the work of the Holy Spirit. The evidence of the promise God gave us is also only one — it is the Bible. The foundation of every answer is God working in me. He works in the place where I am. Right? And because God knows all of my life, there is nothing to fear. At some point, we will all have to go to the kingdom of heaven. Right? The afterlife clearly exists. If so, then this evangelism will not lose its reward, not even for a cup of cold water. The 10 footholds. You just take these and go. Keep having them at all times. Whatever anyone says, whatever problem comes up, just find the answer to the problem and wait.

▣ Main

1. The answer of the Word and the throne

Matthew 13:1-9, 13:18-33, 13:37-43

Now, Jesus today — we have not all read it, but in verses 1 through 9 he spoke the parable of the sower. And then in verses 18 through 33 he explains it again. If you look at all of chapter 13 of the Bible — it does not end there. In verses 37 through 43 he explains it again. What does that mean?

1) The accurate gospel (good soil)

Seeds that fall on rocky ground, seeds that fall on the path — of course they will die, because birds come and carry them away. Seeds that fall among thorns — they will die too. Seeds that fall on rocky ground cannot take root even if they stay alive. So what does that mean?

“Don’t worry.” That is what it means. Seeds that fall on good soil will bear fruit dozens and tens of thousands of times over. That is what it means. Those of you doing world missions and lay missions have a lot of work to do — but that is not it. When you have the accurate gospel and share it, works happen.

Did I not tell you before? A Korean missionary went to the Philippines and did enormous, great work. He handed it over to a successor, a Filipino person. At that time, the Filipino pastor who took it over gave a speech like this: “Our missionary who is now retiring and going back to Korea is an amazing person. How amazing a person he is to have built so many buildings and created so much property.” At that moment this missionary thought, “Oh, I have failed.” With the accurate gospel, living seeds falling on the ground will come up. Only one seed was planted, but how many come up? If you plant one pumpkin or watermelon, how many come up? How many pumpkins does it bear? That is what it means.

2) The reason for not understanding

And then I will say it again. In verses 18 through 23. Even without my saying so you probably know, but I will say the reason for not understanding again. “What fell on the path — that was taken by the devil, taken away. And the soul that dies because it has no root — that is the one that cannot endure persecution and falls. What falls among thorns dies, right? That is the one seized by worldly worries.”

3) Weeds

Verses 37 through 43 explain again. This time what comes up? Weeds. “Don’t worry about it.” That is the message. The church also has weeds. And when you go to the field, there is fruit but there are also weeds. Well yes, within the workers of the church, among the ministers, among the church leaders, there are weeds too. Right? “Don’t worry about it.” That is the message. Those need to be there so that later when you cook rice with the grain, there is something to burn as fuel. Right? “Don’t worry about it.”

2. Value

How much value does it have?

1) The hidden treasure

Verse 44. “Something like a hidden treasure that you survive on your whole life is buried in your field.” It spoke of value.

2) The most precious pearl

Verses 45 and 46: “Though it looks like a traveling merchant, he has the most precious pearl. This is what it means to have the gospel.” That is what it means.

3) Fish

The parable of the fish was given. When a fisherman catches fish, he throws away the ones he does not need. That is it. So later, what gets gathered into this treasure, this storehouse — that is what is meant.

3. Hidden things

Things of value that no one can take away, and things that are hidden. What does it say?

1) Mustard seed

“Like a mustard seed — though it looks like just a dot — there is life in it, and it grows large.”

2) Yeast

Jesus explains now. “Though yeast cannot be seen, it gets into the flour and spreads throughout the whole thing. The gospel is like that.”

3) Grain – Weeds

The grain and weeds parable — let’s go over it one more time. “Do not pull out the weeds now. If you pull them, even the grain could get pulled out. Just leave them.” That is it. When you harvest later, the grain goes to the storehouse and the weeds go to be burned as fuel. Jesus gave an incredibly powerful message.

So I — you all have so many problems but I do not. People say they worked very hard but I have done nothing. When I see people like that I find it a bit strange, why did they work so hard? We did not. God blessed us. If God did not bless us and instead took everything away, could we do it? If God gave us sickness, could we live our lives? We cannot. By God’s grace we receive blessings, share the gospel, and live.

▣ Conclusion – Prayer

So how do you enjoy this blessing? How do you go to 0th priority? Pray. If you truly want to study, you would go up the mountain to pray and go out to the fields to pray — and you cannot do that.

1. Set-time prayer

At least once a day, enter into a very deep set-time prayer. Think about the Word once through, going like this.

2. 24 prayer

For the rest, pray with 24. For the rest — just every field, prayer.

3. 25

Then this (25) will surely come. This (25) comes. This (25) is the blessing of the throne.

[Eternity]

Then the work we have done becomes eternal. No doubt about it. Starting from now, as you begin to enjoy it through prayer. If you are able to pray for God’s kingdom and the power of the throne to come upon your work, works will surely happen. World evangelism will take place. Just look at this (the conclusion) and do it this way. When you go straight to the field, right away there may be difficulties, but it is alright.

There is one very peculiar church somewhere, in Busan. I was put in charge of the middle and high school students there. There was nothing difficult about it. To give you a sense of the situation — there was an apartment in front of that church where a senior judge lived. His son was the president of our high school group. When I went to visit, the judge was a deacon, and he said this to me: “Hmm… Evangelist, please have our child not be the president.” That is what he said. “Ah, I understand what you mean,” I said. “When the kids come to church, they all get ruined.” That is what I said. As an evangelist. So this senior judge deacon was startled and said, “Evangelist, how did you know that?” “That is right. I will take responsibility for it,” I said. “I see,” he said.

From that point on, I went to the school every day, to see the kids. What else did I have to do — that is what I had to do. Back then there were no phones, you had to go in person. I did that — giving the kids encouragement, checking how much studying they knew how to do, and if they were lacking in something, getting someone to help them — that is what I was doing, just that. So the elders were really praising me, saying all kinds of things — what is there to praise about that, it was just the natural thing to do, as an evangelist.

Works started happening among the kids. Of course they did. Even if I had done something special — I did nothing. What amazing method or skill did I have? None. I have no particular specialty at all. Even so, all you need is to connect with the kids. Then if you go somewhere else, it will be the same — what am I going to do there? Only, uniqueness, re-creation.

Those of you doing missions, and our young missionary going to India — hold tightly to the covenant and I bless you to enjoy the highest answers, in the name of the Lord Jesus. Let us pray.

Prayer. Thank you, God. Through the covenant that we naturally receive, let me live and let the field live. Please bless our congregation’s finances sufficiently to do world evangelism. When we dedicate ourselves for the church, please open the door of the throne. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.

 

Praise — “Father, I Adore You”

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 Promise of the Throne Nobody Can Take Away” (Matthew 13:10-16)
Transcript…Video

Prayer — 7 Bartizans · 7 Journeys · 7 Guideposts

Sunday 1st Service
Title/Scripture: The Kingdom of God (Matthew 12:22-29)
Speaker: Pastor Ryu Gwang-su
Date/Location: March 13, 2022, Immanuel Seoul Church

Matthew 12:22-29

22 Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see.
23 All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”
24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.”
25 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.
26 If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand?
27 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges.
28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
29 Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.”

Summary

▣ Introduction

1. No matter what worry you have, if you enjoy the answer called ‘the kingdom of God,’ it will be resolved.
1) Crosby – Though he became blind, he held on to the covenant of Christ and prayed, and received an answer no one else could receive.
2) The early church – When they were in crisis they prayed, and at that moment God took away King Herod.
3) The evangelist’s confession – From the time he came to understand what prayer was, answers began to come. While going to the Anchang Village entrusted to him by the church, he discovered the reason and content for lifelong evangelism (confirmed 6 conditions of unbelievers).

2. The reason for the kingdom of God – the reality of the field
1) America – There are many mentally ill people on the streets and much drug use. Children have spiritual problems but people don’t know it.
2) Criminals, depression patients – There are many who commit crimes without even knowing it, and many depression patients.
3) Japan – There are far too many people with mental problems and with no one to help them, they commit suicide.
4) Korea – There are 300,000 shamans in Korea alone.

3. Jesus healing the demon-possessed man who was blind and mute (verses 22-29)
1) The Pharisees said Jesus was the king of demons. The crowds were amazed and asked whether he was the Son of David (verses 23-24). This Pharisee-type church cannot save the world.
2) “If a demon-possessed man drives out demons, is it not demons fighting among themselves? Can you carry off possessions from a house without first tying up the strong man? If the Holy Spirit comes and Satan is bound, the kingdom of God has come.” (verses 25-29) This is what Jesus said.
3) “If you cannot understand this, you have nothing to do with God (me). Therefore the greatest sin is not knowing God and blaspheming the Holy Spirit.” (verses 30-32) He spoke of the essence of sin.
4) “They cleaned the house to drive out demons, but later seven demons came in and it became worse.” (verses 43-45) Because the people of the world have no answer, if they do shamanic rituals and fortune-telling and struggle like that, it becomes worse and worse.

▣ Main – The Kingdom of God

Today, as you hold on to the covenant of the kingdom of God during the worship service and prayer time, the answer follows after. If you are too sorrowful and frustrated, you will not collapse immediately, but if you remain in that state you will surely face ruin. That is why it says “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. Give thanks in all circumstances.”

1. The moment you meet Jesus Christ, the kingdom of God comes.
1) The moment you hold the covenant of Christ and experience Christ, the work of the Triune God begins to happen.
2) When the work of the Triune God happens, the blessing of the throne comes upon you.
3) When the kingdom of God comes, fundamental healing takes place.

2. When you hold on to the word that Christ gives and pray, “When the Holy Spirit works and Satan is bound, the kingdom of God has come.”
1) This person is finished the moment they meet Christ.
2) When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, this darkness is completely bound.
3) Then the spiritual sickness disappears.

3. When you accurately and firmly hold on to the covenant word that Christ gave and begin to pray, works happen.
▷ Works happen even before you go anywhere. This is the kingdom of God. Satan is brought completely to his knees.

1) Moses (Exodus 14:10-20) – Moses, who held firmly to the word God gave him and went before the Red Sea, said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and see the salvation the Lord will perform for you today.” When holding the covenant and going forward, “the angel of the Lord went before Moses, and the angel of the Lord went behind Moses” (Exodus 14:19). This is the kingdom of God.

2) David (Psalms 103:20-22)
(1) “You mighty angels who carry out his word, praise the Lord.” – That is why you hold the word accurately. And then pray.
(2) “You heavenly armies who do his will” – This is the reason you worship. When you hold on to God’s word and will, God sends his heavenly armies.
(3) “You who are in all places where the Lord reigns (heavenly armies, angels), praise the Lord.”

3) King Hezekiah (2 Kings 19:35) – He notified Assyria that he would not pay taxes, and 185,000 Assyrian soldiers came against Israel. King Hezekiah went into the temple, faced the wall, and prayed through the night. The night that King Hezekiah prayed, God sent his angel and simultaneously took away all 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. Looking at that, we call it ‘the kingdom of God.’

4) The early church (Acts 12:1-23) – The church leaders who had seized and killed the apostles and taken Peter prisoner gathered that very night and prayed through the night. That night, “an angel of the Lord struck him, and Herod was eaten by worms and died.” (Acts 12:23)

▣ Conclusion – Hold the covenant, pray enjoying the kingdom of God coming upon you.

1. Prayer is traveling to the throne.
2. Prayer is moving the spiritual world.
3. God’s answer
1) He opens the door of world evangelism. – I prayed that the kingdom of God would come upon me and that I would be able to share it, and God opened the doors of the world. You must believe.
2) The moment you hold the covenant and pray, God sends his army to your places of work.
▷ Do not give up. Keep praying until God’s work happens in me.
3) If you keep worrying and being anxious, darkness will surely come later. If you are holding the covenant and praying to enjoy the kingdom of God, works will surely happen.

Transcript

▣ Introduction

1. No matter what worry you have, if you enjoy the answer called ‘the kingdom of God,’ it will be resolved.

1) Crosby
There was a person called Crosby who as a child received eye drops from a quack doctor and became blind. From that time on, he held on to the covenant of Christ and prayed. And yet Crosby received an answer that no one else could receive. Looking at that, we call it ‘the kingdom of God.’ No matter what worry you have, it is alright. If you enjoy this answer called ‘the kingdom of God,’ it is set up so that it will be resolved. Today, while you are worshipping, God is answering at your field.

2) The early church
The early church was facing a tremendous crisis and was praying. At that moment, God took King Herod away. The Bible records, “An angel of the Lord struck him, and he was eaten by worms and died.”

3) The evangelist’s confession
Jesus spoke a very important word today. In the past, I actually couldn’t receive answers to prayer and didn’t even know what prayer was. Today, as Jesus said, I came to understand what prayer is. From that point on, answers began to come.

When I was an associate pastor, the church looked at me and said, “Take charge of this region.” It is still there now in Busan — a place called Anchang Village. Only shamans live there. And people with no homes come up and pitch tents and live there. It is a place where people with no power at all gather. The church was telling me to take charge of that region. I kept going up there. I saw something great. I also discovered the reason why I must evangelize for life. And I discovered the content too. There I confirmed six conditions of unbelievers. How astonishing it was. And that is when world evangelism began.

2. The reason for the kingdom of God – the reality of the field

1) America
Now, an evangelism movement is happening everywhere and the door of world evangelism has opened. So I went to America. When I went to America, there were so many mentally ill people on the streets. Beyond that, they do drugs like that. So many. So our Remnants, when they go abroad, must not walk alone at night. It is that dangerous.

Our interpreter, Esther, Pastor Park Seong-jin’s daughter is studying in America now and is doing well. She told her mom this: “When I grow up and get married and raise children, I will not raise them in America but in Korea.” That is what she said. She has now opened her spiritual eyes and is seeing the field. America — there are spiritual problems with all the children. People don’t know it.

2) Criminals, depression patients
You know there are many people who sin and go to prison. When I did evangelism in prison, that person told me that no matter how hard he tried not to do bad things, he couldn’t help himself. In Korea, about 30 percent of people receive medical help for depression. Well, statistics show about 17% but apparently in reality it is much more than that, far too many.

3) Japan
When I went to nearby Japan, on the streets there were people wandering around in mental distress, or singing, so many. They struggle and struggle and there is no one to help them so they commit suicide.

4) Korea
In Korea alone there are 300,000 shamans.

3. Jesus healing the demon-possessed man who was blind and mute (verses 22-29)

Today, Jesus healed a man who could not see, could not hear, and was demon-possessed. Now, wouldn’t a person with a demon-possessed illness act very strangely? So their eyes don’t see. Try to imagine it. ‘Cannot speak.’ Doesn’t this mean they cannot hear? They cannot hear what others say. So try imagining that scene. Making strange sounds, stammering, crying out loudly — that’s what it would have been like, right? Not knowing how to speak, they would have made all kinds of strange sounds. If that person were your child, what would you feel? Or someone in your family is like that, I mean. What would you do? This is what Jesus healed.

1) The Pharisees said Jesus was the king of demons. The crowds were amazed and said he must be the Son of David (verses 23-24).

Then these Pharisees, looking at Jesus, said something like, “That person must be the king of the demons.” “Otherwise how could he drive out demons like that?” That is what they said. Jesus gave his answer. And on the other side, someone said, “Oh!” — startled — “This person is truly the Son of David.” That kind of person was there too. Today’s text said that. They were startled, saying isn’t this the Son of David. It was all useless. Being surprised and then — gone. The Pharisees said Jesus was a demon-possessed man. This Pharisee-type church cannot save the world. As you know, there are many churches in America today, but they cannot save such people. Because today you must hold on to the word of God.

2) “If a demon-possessed man drives out demons, is it not demons fighting among themselves? Can you carry off the possessions of a house without first tying up the strong man? If the Holy Spirit comes and Satan is bound, the kingdom of God has come.” (verses 25-29)

Jesus answered simply like this. “If I am a demon-possessed person, and I drive out demons, isn’t it demons fighting among themselves? Does that make sense?” He said that. “Without tying up the strong man in your house” — he used the analogy of a robber. “Without tying up the strong man, can you take the possessions of that house? When the Holy Spirit comes and Satan is bound, the kingdom of God has come.” Jesus said that.

3) “If you cannot understand this, you have nothing to do with God (me). Therefore the greatest sin is not knowing God and blaspheming the Holy Spirit.” (verses 30-32)

So if you read through verses 29 and 30, “If you cannot understand this, you have nothing to do with me.” He said that. “You have nothing to do with God.” That is a frightening word. So, “Do you know what the greatest sin is? It is not knowing God and blaspheming the Holy Spirit.” That right there is the very essence of sin.

4) “They cleaned the house to drive out demons, but later seven demons came in and it became worse.” (verses 43-45)

And then he said this. To drive out demons, much cleansing and cleaning was done, and yet later seven demons came in. It became worse. Because the people of the world have no answer, if you do a shamanic ritual you then have to do a bigger one, right? If you do fortune-telling and all these different kinds of struggling, it becomes worse and worse and worse.

▣ Main – The Kingdom of God

Today as you hold on to this covenant, the word is ‘the kingdom of God.’ Now, when the kingdom of God comes, what happens? You must always remember this. Today during worship and prayer time you hold on to the covenant of the kingdom of God, but the answer follows after it. You must always remember this. Today, you are not going to collapse immediately even if you are very sorrowful and frustrated, right? But if you remain in that state, ruin will surely follow. That is why it says, “Rejoice. Pray without ceasing. Give thanks in all circumstances.”

1. The moment you meet Jesus Christ, the kingdom of God comes.

This is the first point. The moment you meet Jesus Christ, the kingdom of God comes.

1) The moment you hold the covenant of Christ and experience Christ, the work of the Triune God begins to happen.
The moment you hold the covenant and experience Christ, the work of the Triune God — it is set up to happen.

2) When the work of the Triune God happens, the blessing of the throne comes upon you.
When the work of the Triune God happens, the blessing of the throne comes. That is the kingdom of God.

3) When the kingdom of God comes, fundamental healing takes place.
Jesus explained today. When the kingdom of God comes, fundamental healing takes place. Do not be discouraged. That is the first point. Because Christ comes with power and the kingdom of God comes, fundamental healing happens. Struggling around doesn’t do it. The root is healed.

Someone who was suffering mentally sent me a text message. “Pastor, I am struggling mentally — what can I do to get better?” they asked. I answered them simply like this. They will probably hear my message now. “Since you know that, if you pray, you will get better.” I said that. Because in the past I would not have said such a thing. I have no mental issues, but others were saying I was strange. Right? Everyone, there is nothing to be ashamed of and nothing to fear. “Oh, I have this kind of problem?” Start praying. Most people are lying, aren’t they? When the kingdom of God comes, you are fundamentally healed.

I told you before. There are so many people who suffer so spiritually. A girl who had just graduated from high school — her mind went strange. Her mother was lying. Saying that it started when the girl started going to church. “Really? Did it suddenly happen like that? Did it start when she started going to church?” That is what she was saying. I am good at checking things like that. When I checked with the school, she had been hospitalized in a psychiatric hospital twice in high school. They lie like that, you see? So I told the girl, “Don’t worry. Until when will you really keep praying? Until God’s power comes upon you and it disappears — that’s how long.” So I just wrote out the Bible passages related to that, right? It wasn’t because of me, was it? Works happened. The moment you experience Christ, the root disappears. Well, it would be complicated for us to heal that person, right? Jesus healed it simply.

2. When you hold on to the word that Christ gives and pray, “When the Holy Spirit works and Satan is bound, the kingdom of God has come.”

This is the second point. When you hold on to the word that Christ gives and pray — when the Holy Spirit works and Satan is bound, the kingdom of God has come. The moment you were saved, that was done and finished, in truth. Right?

1) This person is finished the moment they meet Christ.
This person is finished the moment they meet Christ. Jesus simply drove out that demon.

2) When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, this darkness is completely bound.
When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, this darkness is completely bound. That is the second point.

3) Then the spiritual sickness disappears.
The moment you experience Christ, as the root is healed, when the Holy Spirit truly comes and darkness is bound, this spiritual sickness disappears. You must always remember this.

3. When you accurately and firmly hold on to the covenant word that Christ gave and begin to pray, works happen.

This is the third and most important point. When you firmly hold on to the word, the covenant that Christ gave, and begin to pray, works happen completely. Try experiencing it. When you hold accurately on to the covenant word that Christ gave, works happen even before you go anywhere. This is the kingdom of God. There are earthly kingdoms, but the earthly kingdom and the kingdom of God are different. Satan is brought completely to his knees.

1) Moses (Exodus 14:10-20)
Moses came before the Red Sea leading the people of Israel, didn’t he. He didn’t just come on his own — God had told Moses to lead the people of Israel to the Red Sea. God had said he would let them cross. Holding firmly on to that word, he went before the Red Sea. The people of Israel were so fearful and complaining. Then Moses said this: “Our people of Israel, do not be afraid. See the salvation the Lord performs today. Stand still and see the salvation the Lord performs.” Do you know why? How could Moses speak so boldly? Because God had given him the word before. Holding that covenant and going forward, in Exodus chapter 14 verse 19, after crossing the Red Sea, “The angel of the Lord went before Moses, and the angel of the Lord went behind Moses.” This is the kingdom of God for you.

2) David (Psalms 103:20-22)
David, who received the most answers, said this.

(1) “You mighty angels who carry out his word, praise the Lord.”
“You mighty angels who carry out his word, praise the Lord.” They carry out the word. So you hold on to the word accurately. Hold on to that and try praying first.

(2) “You heavenly armies who do his will”
And what did David pray? “O Lord, you heavenly armies who do your will” — he said that. That is tremendous. The reason you worship is right there. When you hold on to God’s word and will, God sends his heavenly armies — he said that.

(3) “You who are in all places where the Lord reigns (heavenly armies, angels), praise the Lord.”
And what else did he say? “You who are in all places where the Lord reigns” — he said that. That means “you heavenly armies and angels, praise the Lord.”

3) King Hezekiah (2 Kings 19:35)
Everyone, what did King Hezekiah do the very moment he became king? He contacted Assyria. Assyria was a strange nation, but he contacted them. “Until now, our father paid tribute to your nation, but since I am newly made king, starting today I will not pay.” He said that. Isn’t that right? Why should Assyria collect taxes? “I will not send it” — that is what he declared. The Assyrian army, 185,000 soldiers, marched against Israel. King Hezekiah must have been dumbfounded. The Bible says, “King Hezekiah went into the temple and faced the wall.” Why look at a wall? Do you need to look only at people? “Facing the wall.” He prayed through the night. The Bible records it this way. “That night” — it says that. In 2 Kings chapter 19 verse 35 it says “that night.” “The night King Hezekiah was praying” — that is what it means. “At that very moment.” God sent his angel and simultaneously took away all 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. Everyone, what do you call that? The kingdom of God. I urge you to hold tightly on to this covenant today.

4) The early church (Acts 12:1-23)
The early church was falsely accused of heresy. The apostles were arrested and killed. Peter was taken away. That very night, the church leaders gathered and prayed through the night. The Bible records it this way. In Acts chapter 12 verse 25, “That night an angel of the Lord struck him, and King Herod was eaten by worms and died.” There was no need to send an army. We were all called by God through his angel when we were called, weren’t we? When God calls, it is finished. Hold tightly on to this covenant today, everyone. Try it.

▣ Conclusion – Hold the covenant, pray enjoying the kingdom of God coming upon you.

I held this covenant and started praying before meeting you all. I mentioned it last week — Korea’s top theologian asked me a question. He asked it in front of many people. “Why does Pastor Ryu Gwang-su talk about angels?” he asked. He is Korea’s top theologian. I was utterly dumbfounded and said, “It is in the Bible.” And then he made a mistake, saying, “It is not in the New Testament.” So while praying for me, at that public hearing where people were seated just like you, a certain pastor raised his hand and said, “It is written in the New Testament like this and like that — why do you say that?” I just didn’t answer. People who don’t believe in God cannot believe the Bible, right? How can they believe in the work of the Holy Spirit which cannot be seen? So how can they believe in the work of evil spirits? How can they believe in the activity of the Lord’s angels? They cannot even believe there is a soul within them. They cannot believe there is a mind within their head.

When I did evangelism at a military base, a middle-aged staff sergeant looked at me and said, “Where is God?” He was mocking me. “Give me his address,” he said. I asked him right back, “Staff sergeant, where is your mind? Show it to me.” I said that. “Even if you say the staff sergeant doesn’t exist, he still exists,” I said. “If that mind leaves or goes crazy, you become a mental patient.” That is what I said. He didn’t believe it. So then, “Well, let’s just pray.” No. It is not “let’s just pray.”

1. Prayer is traveling to the throne.
Prayer is traveling to the throne.

2. Prayer is moving the spiritual world.
Prayer is moving the spiritual world. Hold the covenant and pray, I tell you.

3. God’s answer
I started praying and how did God answer? Later — it happens.

1) He opens the door of world evangelism.
He opened wide the door of world evangelism. I just prayed for the kingdom of God to come upon me — I didn’t even ask for it — God protected my health too. I prayed for the kingdom of God to come upon me and to be able to share it, and God opened the doors of the world. You must believe.

2) The moment you hold the covenant and pray, God sends his army to your places of work.
The moment you hold the covenant and pray today, God is surely sending his army to your places of work. Don’t believe it? You must believe. Do not give up. Saying don’t give up doesn’t mean keep going to the end — it means keep going until God’s work happens in me. That is what I mean.

3) If you keep worrying and being anxious, darkness will surely come later. If you are holding the covenant and praying to enjoy the kingdom of God, works will surely happen.
So that is why it says “do not worry.” If you keep worrying and being anxious, you won’t collapse immediately, but darkness will surely find you later. Right? If I am holding the covenant and praying to enjoy the kingdom of God, works will surely happen. I bless you in the name of the Lord Jesus to begin with this covenant from today through this coming week.
Let us pray.

Prayer. Thank you, God. Please do not let us miss what you have promised. Jesus called us to Mt Olive and explained the things of the kingdom of God. Please let it become our covenant. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.