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 Sermon > Sunday Morning Service |
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Title |
God''s Heart |
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Speaker |
Rev. Jaerock Lee |
Bible |
Matthew 6:31-33 |
Date |
2015-08-02 |
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[Passage]
[Matthew 6:31-33]
"Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?'"For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."
[Introduction]
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
When children who are living apart from their parents call their parents, the parents would first ask how the children are doing rather than talking about themselves. They try to find out if there is any health problem or financial problem. That's parents' love.
And the love of the heavenly Father is much greater than this. He earnestly hopes that His children will live in peace without any worries or concerns. Today's reading passage contains this love of the Father very well. It says, "Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?'"For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things."God feeds the birds in the air and clothes the grass in the field. He does not only know our needs but fulfils them.
I have met and experienced such a God. I was healed of various diseases and the burden of heavy debt was taken away. For the last 40 years since I accepted the Lord, I've never faced any disasters but lived in peace.
And so, I always pray that you believers too will live without any worries or concerns. With this desire in mind, I'd like to talk about the secret of living such a life, and I pray in the name of the Lord that all of you will live such a blessed life.
[Main]
Dear brothers and sisters,
It is not easy to have no worries or concerns in one's life. It's because, since the Fall of Adam, the land was cursed, and life itself became suffering. As Genesis 3:18 says in the first part, "Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you," it became difficult to make a living in the first place. Furthermore, since the land was cursed, many harmful germs or viruses were created. People now had to live in fear of sicknesses.
Moreover, people came to live in fears of natural disasters or accidents constantly. Poverty, disease, and disasters are the three most prominent subjects of worries and concerns.
An old Korean says goes even the king cannot help with poverty. It means it is extremely difficult to get rid of poverty. Of course the government makes various policies but there is hardly any country where everyone is absolutely free of financial concerns. But it is possible in the kingdom of God. I will tell you that secret soon.
How about diseases? It comes even if you don't welcome it or even though you are very cautious. If you or your family members are sick, you have to suffer from physical and mental pain. According to statistics in Korea in 2012, if they live up to their life expectancy, two out of five men and one out of three women get cancer. If you include other diseases than cancer, of course the probability of getting sick is much higher.
Many people suffer from not just sicknesses caused by germs or viruses, but also from 'infirmities'. The biblical sense of 'Infirmity'is a state where you cannot conduct normal physical activities because one or more parts of the body is paralyzed or degenerated. Matthew 8:17 differentiates infirmities and diseases saying, "This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: "HE HIMSELF TOOK OUR INFIRMITIES AND CARRIED AWAY OUR DISEASES."
Disease in itself is painful, but the family members would also suffer mental pains, and it poses significant financial restrains. You cannot work if you are sick, and it might cause you big hospital bills. Of course, it is still fortunate if you can cure your sickness even at a great price. If you get an incurable or terminal disease, you have to live as a sick person for the rest of your life or you have to die soon.
Recently there was an outbreak of MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) in South Korea. Such little viruses caused so much fear worldwide.
Brothers and sisters, there are also disasters that come to us without prior notice. For example, it is difficult to avoid such natural disasters as typhoons, earthquakes, tidal waves or traffic accidents caused by other drivers. Recently there have been many airplane crashes,ship-sinkings, or accidents of buses or subways that cause a lot of casualties. Sometimes cars mysteriously run into other cars or pedestrians. In February this year, there was thick fog on Yeong Jong Bridge that caused 106 cars to crash and some scores of casualties.
So, people are worried when their family members go to work or to school. As explained, poverty, disease, and disasters are the main cause of people's worries.
But you believers in God and the Lord are different from worldly people. You can live a life free of any concerns or worries. Now, I'll talk to you about the secrets of being able to live a life free of poverty, diseases, and disasters.
First, it is believing in God's Word and obeying it.
Proverbs 1:33 says, "But he who listens to me shall live securely and will be at ease from the dread of evil."If you just obey the two most basic commandments; namely, to keep the Lord's Day holy and to give the whole tithe, most of your poverty, diseases, and disasters will go away.
When the Ten Plagues were inflicted upon Egypt, God protected His people Israel. It's the same today, if your identity is differentiated as being one of God's children, you will not face poverty, diseases, and disasters as easily as unbelievers. The least bit of evidence with which you can prove you are God's children who believe in Him is that you keep the Lord's Day holy and give whole tithe.
If you just make up your mind, it is very easy to keep the Lord's Day holy and give the whole tithe. If you just show the least bit of faith, you don't have to worry about poverty, diseases, and disasters. How great God's love is!
Those of you who have believed the Word of God and obeyed it must have experienced that poverty went away within a couple of years. For example, even the difficult things sort themselves out, and you get more orders from customers. Also, you don't have to waste money since you have nothing stolen nor are you swindled, you don't get diseases, and you don't face disasters. You can keep all your income and even be able to save, so you wouldn't have to worry about your living expenses.
Since I was a new believer, I believed the words in the Bible and practiced them. Even when I had such great debt and struggledto pay just the interest, I always gave more than enough tithes. Also, just to keep the Lord's Day holy, I chose simple labor on construction sites over a very well-paying job. As a result, I have been so blessed that I can confidently say I give the greatest amount of tithe and help the needy the most among all pastors in the world.
Malachi 3:10 says, "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this," says the LORD of hosts, "if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows."
I had suffered from various diseases, but since I met the Lord and came to live by the Word, I've never been to any hospital or taken any medicine. I've never faced any disasters either. The same goes for my family, too. Of course, before and right after the opening of the church, in the providence of God sometimes my daughters were injured or became sick, but when we relied on God completely with faith, God healed them completely. At one time they were dying of carbon monoxide gas poisoning, butthey were revived by prayer.
Brothers and sisters, if you just keep the Lord's Day holy and give the whole tithe, God drives away poverty from you and protects you from disease and disasters. But sometimes, some people get a disease or face a disaster even though they keep these two commandments. Then, there must be a reasonfor it. God's Word is always precise and correct. There is no way He will not bless or He will not protect you even though you obey His Word. If He doesn't, it's because you are going opposite to the way of the will of God.
For example, in case of serious disease like cancer, in many cases they or their family members committed sins leading to death. Of course, there are other cases where such diseases are allowed by God in special providence. More details concerning this are explained in 'God the Healer' or other sermons.
Sometimes people face hardships such as bankruptcy of their business or getting fired. If you search for spiritual reasons, in many cases they committed evident works of flesh that deprive of salvation. In such a case, even though you keep the Lord's Day holy or give whole tithes, God cannot protect you. Therefore, they must repent thoroughly and turn from sins completely.
Because God the Father is love, He has given us in this church many special chances of repentance, like on December 25, 2010 and March 31, 2013. Sins leading to death are very grave sins. Once committed, it's very difficult to repent on your own. And to forgive such sins, God made me, your shepherd, fill up the measure of justice through sacrifice.
Dear brothers and sisters,
God always wants to bless His children and keep them. Now, I hope you will understand this love of God. I urge you in the name of the Lord that you will not cause worries and concerns on yourself by disobeying the Word of God and dwelling in sins.
Brothers and sisters,
The second secret of living a life of peace free of poverty, disease, or disasters, is to seek first God's kingdom and His righteousness.Some people keep the Lord's Day holy and give whole tithe, and they don't even commit grave sins, but they still live in worries and concerns.
It's because their growth of faith is at a halt. Namely, their faith is not maturing to be able to seek first God's kingdom and His righteousness. If little children have grown up to become young adults, and yet only ask their parents to give to them and not give back anything to their parents, it means they are still little children. In the same way, if you have been a believer for a significant length of time and if you still seek only physical things, it is a shame.
Jesus is saying to such people, "Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?'"For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things."And then He says, "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."He promised that, if we do so, God would add all these things, namely food, clothing, and housing, so we would lack nothing.
I believed in this promise since I was a new believer, so I tried all my best to give for the kingdom of God and to help the believers in need. One of the greatest joys since I was a new believer was to give to God. As a result, I was the number one in the amount of offering in my church.
It's not because I had a great amount of income. I just believed God's Word and gave to Him with faith. As a result of such faith, I am still number 1 in the offerings. But I earnestly hope that soon somebody will overtake me.
Also, it's been a long time since I worried or prayed about my family members or physical needs. When I first gave my heart, mind, and soul, money, and time for the kingdom of God and for the souls, He filled all my needs, even for my family members. He protected them and raised my children. He did not only give financial blessings but also protected me from diseases or disasters.
I hope you will all have this kind of faith to seek first God's kingdom and His righteousness. By doing so, I hope you will receive blessings of God, filling your needs abundantly.
Of course, there are some people who are in very difficult physical circumstances to be able to be freed from poverty. For example, there are children who are head of the family or senior people who are sick and cannot work. In such cases, I and the church will provide for them.
Our church members are already trying hard to help those in need like in the early church. I am thankful that the amount of tithe is increasing as the faith of you members is growing up. You are receiving blessings as you have sown.
[Conclusion]
Dear brothers and sisters,
In this church, we have the power of re-creation that can heal all diseases and make everything possible. In other words, there is nothing impossible. Therefore, if you believe the Word, obey it, and practice it, you can at least live a peaceful life free of worries and concerns about poverty, diseases, and disasters.
Exodus 15:26 says, "And He said, "If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the LORD, am your healer."
Of course, some of you still have weak faith or many thoughts and might worry thinking like, "When can I become more perfect? I should be on the rock and go into spirit, quickly."But 2 Corinthians 7:10 says, "For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death."
In sum, lay down all the worldly worries and concerns before the Lord, and have concerns only for the untruths you haven't cast off yet and sorrow for the souls. In doing so, I pray in the name of the Lord, that you will take hold of New Jerusalem by force that has the greatest peace and happiness. |
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