November 24, 2024 – Immanuel Church, Sunday First Service
Scripture Reading: Philippians 4:1-7
▣ Introduction
Thank you.
1. Representative biblical figures who were most thankful in the midst of hardships
1) David
In the Old Testament era, perhaps the person who received the most answers was David. But David also suffered the greatest pain. The amazing thing is that David gave thanks the most.
2) Paul
If we pick one figure in the New Testament who had the greatest impact, it would be Paul. Paul endured tremendous hardships. However, thanksgiving came out of Paul’s mouth more than anyone else. So, what is the answer we must receive today? In such great hardships and pain, how can thanksgiving come out? Paul sincerely said, “Rejoice.” He said again, “Rejoice.” “Do not worry about anything.” Then he gave us an important word: “By prayer and petition present your requests to God.” But he didn’t stop there; he said, “Present your requests to God with thanksgiving.”
3) Daniel
This kind of statement also appears once with Daniel. Daniel was about to die, yet without any hesitation, he knelt down three times a day, facing Jerusalem, and prayed before God. At that time, what word appears? It says, “He prayed and gave thanks to God.”
Now, this is where we must receive the real answer today. How was it possible for Paul to rejoice, give thanks, and live like this? Was it because his faith was exceptionally great? Today, we must discover the true answer of the entire Bible here.
2. The reason they gave thanks – They discovered God’s accurate and certain covenant and blessing
They discovered God’s precise and unchanging covenant and His blessings. A person can endure anything when they have a firm hope. In every situation, the most important thing is this: you must confirm what God’s accurate, unshakable covenant is, and what the true blessing is. I pray today becomes that day for you. You must find God’s answer today that turns your problems and hardships into true blessings.
1) God desires to bless you
Satan wants you to perish. People want you to fail. But God wants to bless you. That is the difference. That is why God can give you things even your parents and siblings cannot give. David confessed this: “Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.”
2) “But in everything, by prayer and petition” – When you understand prayer, the peace of God will guard your heart and mind
This is why you must confirm this again today. Paul said, “Do not worry about anything.” That much we know, but the next part is critical. He said, “But.” This “but” means “only.” “But in everything, by prayer and petition.” The reason many don’t enjoy God’s peace is that they don’t understand prayer. But when you know what prayer is, “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
3. How to find God’s accurate covenant and blessings – The three things God has prepared
So then, how do we discover God’s accurate blessings and covenant? Normally, we try to find them using our own thoughts. But that is why God said, “The peace of God will guard your heart and mind.” God has prepared three things for you. You must discover them. Jesus Christ gave us the complete conclusion regarding these.
1) God has prepared 100% the bartizan of the throne within you (John 14:16, 26)
What is the first promise? “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever.” “The Spirit of God is within you and will teach you all things.” Do you see how clear this is? Unbelievers are not interested in this at all, so you have no competitors. Even most church members don’t believe this, so you still have no competitors. What do we call this? God has prepared 100% the bartizan of the throne within you.
2) God has prepared 100% your journey ahead (Matthew 28:20, Acts 1:8)
Yet we still worry uselessly, thinking, “What am I going to do about my future?” The Christ, the King of kings, said, “I am with you always, to the very end of the age. You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” What does this mean? It means God has prepared your journey 100%. That is what you must discover. It’s not 99%; it’s 100%. If you keep doubting, that is unbelief. It’s 100%.
3) Your hardships are the guidepost to establish evidence – God has prepared the system and future 100%
Then why are there so many difficulties? Because that is the guidepost. It is the guidepost where you will establish evidence. God has prepared your system and your future 100%.
※ Jesus told us to pray only this prayer (Matthew 6:33, Acts 1:3). Then the accurate covenant will become visible.
Take this and pray with it today. Whenever I prepare the message, I only pray this prayer. Jesus clearly said, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.” He explained about God’s kingdom for forty days. When you pray this prayer, the accurate covenant will become clear. In our church, I saw that our deaconesses formed a 24-hour prayer team. That is very important. That’s what the Romans 16 people did. Today, I feel we must briefly gather and explain how to do 24-hour prayer.
▣ Main Message
1. Remnants and young adults – Prepare 300% for your studies
First, to the remnants and young adults: prepare 300% for your studies. That’s all you need to do. If Bill Gates could do it, why can’t we? Bill Gates is actually a New Age member. Through demon-possessed meditation practices, he prepared 300%. When he was still a university student—before even graduating—he had already prepared the content, the global field, and the system. Our remnants must rise up.
1) Prayer makes it possible – We are limited, but with God, all things are possible
Prayer is the key. The problem is that we don’t know how to pray. If you don’t know prayer, you’ll end up talking too much. Women, in particular, tend to talk three times more because God created them that way. That means, when women receive grace, they become prayer generals. Everything is finished through prayer. Jesus said, “This kind can come out only by prayer.”
Bill Gates flipped the entire 20th century upside down. Look at the Freemason members—the ones who invented the smartphone. They built it while they were still students! On our own, we cannot do this. But with God, it’s possible. That’s why our remnants must learn prayer when they’re young. Otherwise, they will constantly struggle as they grow older, always limited by their own level. No matter what they achieve, they will never surpass the level of their friends or their parents. They will struggle endlessly. Life becomes hard—hard when you succeed, and hard when you fail. That’s how you end up living your entire life without true rest.
2) Completely prepare the bartizan, journey, and guidepost that God has given you
Remnants, before going out into the world—or even as you go—completely prepare the bartizan, the journey, and the guidepost that God has given you.
3) Role models
I’ll introduce two types of role models:
(1) Those who realized this early – Joseph and Samuel
Joseph is a prime example. He understood this early and did not panic. If it were us, we would have said, “Joseph is finished—he’s been sold as a slave.” That’s what happens when you don’t know prayer: you end up taking the wrong path, like Joseph’s brothers did. They lived a cursed life of poverty because they didn’t know God’s plan.
But Joseph understood. When he was falsely accused and sent to prison, he didn’t even flinch. The Bible records no sign of resentment or despair. And what happened? Even there, God’s works arose. When he later met his brothers, he said, “It was not you who sold me.” But they did sell him! If it were us, we’d have said, “Even though you sold me…” But Joseph said, “You did not sell me. God sent me ahead of you to preserve life.” That’s Joseph’s bartizan.
Another example: Samuel, who realized God’s plan early, and David as well. About Samuel, the Bible says, “During Samuel’s lifetime, there was peace,” “Not one of Samuel’s words fell to the ground,” and “Everyone who saw Samuel knew that he was attested as a prophet of the Lord.” When this foundation is established early, it changes everything.
Be careful not to burden your children with endless activities while neglecting to teach them the true things. I recently saw a family visiting before taking their child abroad, and they were going together, so I thought it was fine. But many children are collapsing today because of parental pressure. In America, statistics show that 40% of children end up on psychiatric medication because of extreme stress. It’s not that parents had bad intentions—it’s that they never taught them what truly matters.
※ Remnants, begin praying today. Then the bartizan, the journey, and the guidepost of the throne will arise in your life 300%.
Start today. Just five minutes in the morning, five minutes at night. If you do this and properly worship on Sunday, the bartizan, the journey, and the guidepost of the throne will arise 300%.
(2) Those who realized this late – Moses
Who realized it late? Moses. He struggled tremendously. For 40 years in the palace, he tried using human effort and failed. Then he fled to Midian, but still nothing worked. It wasn’t until he was 80 years old that he finally understood. Age doesn’t matter. I’m saying this especially to remnants: prepare 300%. When you pray holding onto the bartizan, the journey, and the guidepost, the answers will come.
2. Believers and church leaders – Prepare 300% in your work
Second, to all believers and church leaders: prepare 300% in your work.
1) Abraham – After surrendering everything, he began building altars
Nothing was working out for Abraham—failure upon failure, betrayal from his family, and even threats of death. But one day, Abraham made a decision. He gave up everything, including his rights, and even allowed his nephew Lot to choose the better land first. After that, God said, “Lift up your eyes and look from where you are: north, south, east, and west. All the land you see I will give to you and your descendants forever.” From that moment, Abraham began building altars, and God prepared his specialization, his field, and his future for saving the age.
2) Jochebed – Through the 300% mystery of prayer, she discovered the way to save Moses
There are so many examples of church leaders in the Bible, but one of the most important is Jochebed, Moses’ mother. In the face of crisis—when all the baby boys were being killed—she discovered the way to save Moses. Inside her actions, we find the 300% mystery of prayer and true specialization.
3) Rahab the prostitute – By hearing only the rumors, she confessed the Lord as the true God, delivered information, and became an ancestor of David
Rahab is an amazing example. She said, “I have heard the reports.” She only heard rumors of God’s works but confessed, “The Lord your God is the true God.” She declared that the Israelites would surely enter Canaan, and she even shared inside information: “The hearts of our people have melted, and our leaders have fled.” Rahab was saved, entered Canaan with Israel, and later married and had children—among her descendants came David. Incredible!
4) Obadiah – A royal official, Elijah’s disciple, who hid 100 prophets and became the bridge in the spiritual battle
Look at Obadiah. He was a royal official, yet also Elijah’s disciple—serving the very prophet the king wanted to kill! Obadiah had such great specialization that even the king couldn’t ignore him. He hid 100 prophets in caves and provided for them. Not only that, when Elijah faced the great spiritual battle on Mount Carmel, it was Obadiah who prepared the bridge for it. That’s 300%!
※ Prepare through prayer. Pray holding onto the bartizan, the journey, and the guidepost of the throne. You prepare with prayer. Not just any prayer, but prayer holding onto the bartizan of the throne, the journey of the throne, and the guidepost of the throne. I bless our church in the name of Jesus, that church leaders who truly pray will arise and lead works that save the world.
3. Pastors and church staff – Restore 300% evangelism and missions
Third, to pastors and church staff: when difficulties come, restore 300% evangelism and missions.
1) The answer must come only from Christ – That way you can give the true answer to your members
The most important thing is this: Paul had his complete answer in Christ. A believer who does not have the answer in Christ suffers the most. You’re saved, so you can’t escape, yet without the answer in Christ, you live a lifetime of unnecessary suffering.
This is also true for pastors. If you don’t resolve everything in Christ, you’ll struggle all your life, even while serving. Satan knows this and continuously attacks invisibly, like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. But Paul had his complete answer in Christ. Pastors must also have this answer. Only then can they give their members the true solution.
※ Apart from “Only Christ,” everything else is “anti-Christ.” What Satan fears most is “Only Christ.”
Pastors, take this seriously. Anything besides the gospel is anti-Christ. It’s only the gospel. Only Christ. What Satan fears most is not your effort, not your methods, but Only Christ. That’s why God used Paul in ways no emperor, general, or conqueror could compare.
2) Be completely led by the Holy Spirit
Paul never acted carelessly. He was completely led by the Holy Spirit. This is the 300% preparation for pastors. Don’t just rush into evangelism. Be completely led by the Holy Spirit, and life itself will revive. Even when the doors were shut, Paul followed the Spirit’s guidance completely.
3) Paul went to those the world could not change and brought healing
Paul deliberately went to those who were broken, wounded, and incurable by worldly standards—and they were healed. This will happen wherever you go. Believe it.
4) Paul entered the synagogues – Explaining the necessity of Christ, worship, prayer, and God’s kingdom; those raised in synagogues later transformed Rome
Paul’s final focus was the synagogue. He explained why Christ is necessary, what true worship and prayer are, and what God’s kingdom is. Those who grew up in the synagogue later became the ones who transformed Rome. It’s astounding.
Take Emperor Nero as an example—the worst persecutor of Christians. He constantly wept, carrying a jar to collect his tears, and once asked his servant, “Why do Christians keep increasing no matter how many we kill?” The servant replied, “I don’t know, my lord.” Nero said, “It must be because we haven’t killed enough.” For 250 years, Rome persecuted Christians brutally. Yet after 250 years, Rome was nearly evangelized. When numbers grew, politicians had no choice but to kneel.
Pastors, remember this: prepare 300% for evangelism and missions, and then move forward.
5) Paul’s confession (Philippians 3:7–21) – Being taken hold of by Christ, the reward from above, and heavenly citizenship
Paul said, “I consider everything loss compared to knowing Christ.” People boasted so much about themselves, but Paul said, “I have not already obtained all this, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” He considered all earthly things “rubbish” compared to Christ. He pressed on for “the prize that comes from above.” And when others boasted of Roman citizenship, Paul declared, “Our citizenship is in heaven.”
▣ Conclusion
Today, you must receive a great answer—instantly.
1. To discover God’s special plan and blessing
You must firmly hold onto the fact that in every problem, big or small, God’s special plan and blessing are hidden.
1) Covenant, not calculation
It’s not about calculating; it’s about holding the covenant. Those who calculated all died in the wilderness because the numbers didn’t add up.
2) Relationship with God, not profit or loss
This isn’t about personal gain or loss—it’s about your relationship with God.
3) Not today, but the future
We do not live for today but for the future. When we look at our remnants, we shouldn’t judge them based on today but envision them through God’s plan for the future.
2. Our faith is the budget; God’s blessing is the settlement
Priscilla and Aquila spent their entire lives helping Paul’s ministry. I once researched them and found their burial site in Rome—they had become enormously wealthy! That day, I realized: some people spend their whole lives helping evangelism and become wealthy, while others neglect God’s work and remain impoverished. That’s when this truth came to me: our faith is the budget, but God’s blessing is the settlement. Without God’s blessing, nothing works.
3. Always give thanks (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18)
Finally, the most important conclusion: Paul always gave thanks. Not just in good times—he gave thanks in everything. “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances.”
※ When you find the answer and hold onto the covenant, the answer will come.
I pray today becomes the day you find that great answer. The moment you discover it—even before you do anything—the answer begins.
The 5,000 tribes will gather in the three courtyards. The remnants and the sick will be drawn into the three-day weekend age. The entire global culture will kneel before the age of holy meditation. I bless you in the name of Jesus that today will be a day of healing.
Prayer. God, we thank You. Open our spiritual eyes so we may see the future, today, and the past. Make us disciples who save the age through the gospel movement. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.