2026.05.31 District Message Week 22
「Abraham’s Unbelief」(Ge 12:10-20)
Abraham’s Unbelief
Introduction
1. Original sin – destruction
2. No condition for salvation
3. Christ
4. Grace – no one can stop it
5. Together to the end
Main
1. Know the reason (children) – God is invisibly with you by the Holy Spirit
2. Abandon unbelief – God’s work begins
3. Hold the covenant – eternal response comes
1) Future generation evangelism
2) Israel evangelism
3) World evangelism
Conclusion
1. Thought + Heart = Brain (imprinted)
2. Imprinted in the soul
3. Imprinted on the throne (Revelation 8:3-5)
Those who have received salvation have the Holy Spirit dwelling with them. Those who have not received salvation do not have the Holy Spirit with them. So they are completely different. Rather, in Ephesians 2:2, we see that they are led by the ruler of the power of the air, by Satan. So naturally they are anxious, naturally they fight, and such things happen.
“Abraham’s Unbelief”
Abraham also had a moment of thinking that way. Looking at this, we should receive a different kind of answer.
▣ Introduction
The Bible teaches five things.
1. Original sin – destruction
The Genesis chapter 3 event, original sin. It records that humanity has been completely destroyed. Because they departed from God, they have completely fallen into darkness now.
2. No condition for salvation
Humans cannot save themselves, anyone. Pursuing spiritual disciplines – that is all false. You cannot be saved. Because they have departed from God, no matter how hard they try they cannot be saved. The Bible explains this.
3. Christ
So God made a promise. He promised Christ. He gave the Word so that through faith in Christ, people could come out of darkness, come out of destruction. The statement that there is no condition means even having a lot of money cannot save you. Even having great ability cannot save you. This is something unbelievers completely do not understand. Because you cannot be saved, God promised Christ – that is the Old Testament. The fact that Christ came is the New Testament. The evidence of that continues from Acts all the way through Revelation.
4. Grace – no one can stop it
God decided to give us grace and save us. This no one can stop. God is giving grace and saving us, and it cannot be stopped.
5. Together to the end
God is with the saved saint forever, to the very end. So we say someone has died, but they have not died. The saved soul comes out of the body and is with God forever. So there is not much to grieve over. We do not live for hundreds of years. We are bound to come out of the body. Even now, while our souls are in our bodies, we are with God; but when we depart, we will fully understand. He is with us. So “we have received eternal life” – that is what that means.
So Abraham kept falling into unbelief at first. So although it appeared he was following the Word, he went down to Egypt. There he also faced great hardship.
▣ Main
1. When you know the reason, that is enough
Today there are several things – when you know the reason, that is enough. Because God is invisibly with you through the Holy Spirit, when you know the reason, that is enough. So how long do we face hardship? Until we grasp it. Abraham grasped it and then history began.
2. When unbelief is abandoned
At that point Abraham understood the reason and abandoned unbelief. When unbelief is abandoned, God’s work begins to take place. That moment seems like nothing, but at the moment of abandoning unbelief, God fulfills what He promised to Abraham. Worship time is most important. You may be too exhausted to sleep and face situations like that. Or if work is too hard, you may come to church on Sunday and feel drowsy – that can happen. But on Sunday, because it is your worship time, all the responses are being formed. Abraham, when he believed, God counted it as righteousness, it says.
3. When you hold the covenant, eternally
So through Abraham, a few things – when you hold the covenant within that, the response comes eternally. So now, what is the most dangerous thing? You know how during worship time you cannot worship and keep dozing off? That is the most dangerous thing. First it means there is a health problem. There is also a problem with spiritual health. Of course, when you have not slept and have been working all night, even then you will feel drowsy when you come on Sunday. What I am saying now is not about that. There are people who cannot not come to church, and they come and keep dozing off. Something has grown weak right now. From the moment of holding the covenant, the eternal response begins.
4. Everything is a process
Abraham had unbelief and there was plenty of it, but because God called Abraham, everything is a process. This is content to pray about this week, together. Everything is a process.
5. Cannot be destroyed
Abraham absolutely cannot be destroyed. Why?
1) Next-generation evangelism
The reason Abraham cannot be destroyed is because next-generation evangelism must be done. “Through your seed all the nations of the earth shall receive blessing.”
2) Israel evangelism
Through the lineage of Abraham, Israel must be evangelized.
3) World evangelism
What else? “The nations will receive blessing.” World evangelism must be done. He cannot be destroyed.
So the response is not what is visible. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Right now it is not visible to my eyes, and that is why it gets missed. Abraham was told to believe when nothing was visible. No, you have to say something that makes sense. There are no children. His wife cannot bear children. And yet your seed will save the nations. Abraham was not a strange person – it was absolutely unbelievable. So now he comes out with his nephew, and that becomes a problem, and things keep arising. Going through all of this, one day Abraham made a firm decision of faith. From then history began. This must be remembered today.
1. When you know the reason, that is enough (children)
You are children of God. What did God’s children become? “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”
Unbelievers going to fortune tellers – I think that makes sense. Is that not right? They are children of Satan, so they should go find those who are demon-possessed. Do they predict accurately? I do not know about that, anyway. Hardly anyone predicts accurately. These days in our country some strange fortune tellers have become famous and they keep appearing on broadcasts. Ten people came out – what did all ten of them say? They said President Yoon will win. Boldly appearing on broadcasts and saying so. There are even reporters who go back to find those people. All nonsense. You are children of God. So from the moment of abandoning unbelief, history begins. From the moment of holding the covenant, the response immediately starts. That itself is the response. All kinds of things happen. It is a process. There can be a process. “Why does such great hardship come to our home?” It is a process. “Why does such great hardship come crashing down upon us?” There are people like that. It is a process. First of all, you are a great person. You are facing great hardship? You are a great person. They do not give difficult exams to elementary school students. They have just entered school, it is 1+1=2, and if you go and give them integration, differential calculus and all that – is that right? So because you must carry out world evangelism, you absolutely cannot be destroyed.
In the old days Pastor Park Ji-on – he is still alive, but there were several times when word came that he had passed away. So I thought I had better go see him at least once before he passes, and I would go, and he was not shaken at all. What he would say to me was, “Oh, if there is no one left to evangelize, then I should go.” That is what he would say. That is right. A while ago, since he is now old and it is hard for him, when I went, he came out to greet me there. He said he was going off to some mountain, to a convalescent home – it seems like this will be the last time. Well. He spoke calmly and I also calmly said, “I understand.”
God’s children are not afraid of such things. “Paul, do not be afraid. You must stand before Caesar.” From the very beginning I have said: “If we truly are people who preach the gospel, God will give us our church and make us do world evangelization.” I said this to the church leaders in Busan. If we truly are people who preach the gospel, God will open the door to the 5,000 tribes. Until all these doors are opened, you must fulfill your mission here on this earth.
▣ Conclusion
Today also, personally, you must pray with power even during worship.
1. Thought + Heart = brain
It is all imprinted in your thoughts and heart. The brain. What you pray is imprinted, I tell you. It is imprinted in the brain. With that we think and move our hearts, I tell you. This is important. Is it good to cry out loudly in prayer? Actually, yes it is. It is imprinted here (in the brain).
2. Soul
It is imprinted in the soul. It does not end there.
3. Throne
It is imprinted on the throne. Prayer. So “believe that you have received whatever you pray and ask for. And it will be so.” What does that mean?
Yesterday, after the core session finished, I attended a dedication worship service at a church that had newly moved in. The church only has the choir seating. When I started in Busan, I also only had that choir seating. Since we absolutely must do world evangelization, I unconditionally – no question about it – went around looking for large land. Do you have money? No. But now we have acquired tens of thousands of pyeong. We will build. There we will fully open the three-day weekend age, the three courtyards, and the holy meditation age.
(Revelation 8:3-5)
What is imprinted here (on the throne) will certainly receive a response. Revelation 8:3-5.
You can also pray for yourself in the name of Christ. Pray for diseases to depart in the name of Christ. Really try it. All day long. Pray for all incurable diseases to depart in the name of Christ. It is worth doing, right? If you seem to have caught a cold, you do not necessarily need to do it in the name of Christ. But if I have an incurable disease, I can pray in the name of Christ Jesus. Do it all day today. May today be the day of healing, the day of receiving strength, I bless you in the name of Jesus Christ. Let us pray.
Prayer. We give thanks to God. Let today be a day of receiving strength all day long, let it be a day of healing, and work in the saints who are facing hardship, God. Give great strength. Comfort by the power of God. Work in the many sick with the power of the Holy Spirit. Throughout today’s worship, let the Word of God be fulfilled. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.