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 Sermon > Sunday Morning Service |
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Title |
Heaven(34) - 2nd Kingdom of Heaven(3) |
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Speaker |
Rev. Jaerock Lee |
Bible |
1 Peter5:4 |
Date |
2007-12-02 |
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1 Peter 5:4
And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Today we will enjoy the grace through the 34th session of the series sermon "Heaven."
Today we will continue the previous session on the "2nd Kingdom" and those believers who will enter the Second Kingdom.
Many of you may think that it is easy for you to enter the 2nd kingdom because you have such a strong longing of the heart for New Jerusalem.
As I have told you, those who are in the 3rd level of faith and have the faith to be able to practice the word of God are the believers who will enter into the 2nd kingdom of heaven.
The minimum condition to enter the 2nd kingdom is that you should not do whatever the Bible tells you not to do.
You have to get rid of any actions that it commands you to cast off.
Additionally, you have to completely keep the Lord's Day and to give the full tithe in order to be able to enter into the 2nd Kingdom.
Are you are quick-tempered or tend to raise your voice at some offensive words spoken?
If you are, you have not passed the gate to the 2nd kingdom of heaven yet.
If you have failed to keep the Lord's Day once or twice in a year's time, you are not deemed to be worthy for entering the 2nd kingdom.
If you never fail to keep the Lord's Day, but habitually drowse during the services, you are not worthy of entering the 2nd kingdom yet.
A few members of Manmin Central Church who went back to heaven are found to have barely passed the gate to the 2nd kingdom.
Some of them had passed the 2nd kingdom and reached the gate to the 3rd kingdom, but fell back to the level of the 2nd kingdom because of a couple of weak points.
I will give you the examples today. Through this message, I wish for you to measure your present faith exactly.
I urge you not to stay at the 2nd kingdom but to enter through the gate to the 3rd kingdom.
Thereby may you advance toward and lay hold of New Jerusalem, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ I pray!
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
First, let me explain a person who was in difficulty of receiving salvation but gained the qualification of entering the 2nd kingdom by the grace and unfailing love of God.
She had much misunderstanding concerning the shepherd being confirmed by the power of God because she had evil things in her heart.
She was taught not to listen to or tell or relay gossip about anything if it does not belong to the truth. But she did it.
Later she realized her faults and tried to repent of having misunderstood the shepherd, but it was not complete.
It was because she committed the sin of blaspheming the Holy Spirit.
As a result, she was stricken with a serious disease.
The sin of blaspheming the Holy Spirit is not forgiven anyone, but God tried to open the door to salvation for her because God considered the shepherd who harbored her in his heart.
God did not turn His eyes from her like an illegitimate child, but instead allowed her to suffer from diseases so that she might gain a chance for repentance.
She suffered a lot of pain in the body because of that disease.
That's why she looked back at her wrongdoings and repented of them.
Meanwhile God told me that it would be more beneficial for God to take her spirit up with Him.
No matter how eagerly she petitioned to God, she could not be healed of her disease according to the justice of God, so increased pain would come upon her the longer she survived.
If she had completely committed her life into the hands of God, she would not have suffered those many pains but instead passed away in peace.
But she clung to the cord of her life instead of letting loose of it.
Because she had a strong desire for life, God did not take away her life.
As time passed, she had to suffer more pains in her body.
At last she reached the limits of her physical life and died.
She tried to repent of her sins in the midst of long-lasted pains, and endeavored to show her faith. These were recognized as her faith by God.
Thanks to this recognition of faith, she was permitted to enter the 2nd kingdom that those who have this faith can enter.
After she realized her faults for having misunderstood the shepherd, she had felt too ashamed to look into the eyes of the shepherd.
And she shed many tears of thanksgiving for forgiveness and love of the shepherd who had prayed on her behalf.
When she took off the perishable body, her spirit realized how great the love of the shepherd was.
And she clearly came to understand how wicked and sorrowful it is to misunderstand and gossip against the shepherd.
That's why even if she had been healed and lived longer she would have felt oppressed in her heart because of her previous transgressions.
She might have been troubled from within herself because of the fleshly thoughts she had not cast off.
But when she left her perishable body and reached heaven, she felt so happy and joyful and at peace. She confessed her thanksgiving.
Why do you think I am giving you these illustrations? It is because even if you have committed an unforgivable sin of blaspheming the Holy Spirit there is a way for your salvation transcending Justice.
Thus, she could not only be saved, but also enter the 2nd kingdom of heaven.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
After the church was founded a member was known to enter the 2nd kingdom.
Before she died, she always prayed diligently without ceasing.
Her husband did not believe in God at first, and was so hot-tempered and very wild in his nature.
Meanwhile he was stricken by a stroke and colon cancer. She found that he could not be cured with modern medicines. So, she and her family came to me.
That incident took place in 1982, while I was attending the seminary.
I was leading the Wednesday service and I saw a man lying down on the ground of the sanctuary.
I told him to sit up and attend the service. A member of his family responded, "He is in so much pain that it is impossible for him to sit up, so he is lying on it."
I could understand his situation, but my heart was strongly moved and advised for him to sit on the ground and worship the holy God.
His family obeyed and helped him to sit up half way at 45 degrees.
After the worship service I prayed for the man.
When they obeyed and made him sit up even though it seemed impossible, God considered it as their faith and healed him of his colon cancer through my prayer.
If the family had complained saying, "Do we have to get this sick person up?" or if the sick person had continued to lie down on the ground thinking, "It is too painful to sit up and listen to the word of God," he would not have been healed.
Because they immediately obeyed he could be healed of his colon cancer.
At that Friday All-night Service he was also healed of the stroke and walked about inside the sanctuary by himself.
How thankful and joyful the family was!
In particular his wife was so grateful.
She did not forget the grace, but focused on praying and was faithful to the works of the Lord.
And she always gave thanks whether she walked around or sat or stood or cooked.
She was not in discord against any other person but instead tried to serve everyone with love.
She comforted others rather to be comforted herself and encouraged and took care of others in love.
She desired to live by the word of God and endeavored to struggle against and throw way her sins to the point shedding blood.
She did not either covet or was jealous of the earthly things. Instead she was fervent to preach the gospel.
Seeing these good points of hers, I asked her to become a member of the cleaning department.
It was because I believed that when she fulfilled the task, she would receive various blessings in spirit and flesh.
But she looked at her own situation and condition and failed to obey it in midst of her fleshly thoughts. Some while later she drew her last breath.
I was so pained in my heart and prayed to God for her. God let me hear her confession through a special way of spiritual communication.
"I repent of my having disobeyed the shepherd, but even if I try to repent of everything I have done, I cannot take the time back.
So, I am just praying for the church and the shepherd.
There is one thing for me to tell my dear brothers and sisters - Every word that the shepherd is speaking and proclaiming is the will of God.
Not obeying the will of God is the greatest sin.
Hot-temperedness is one of the greatest sins and brings us difficulties.
I was commended for I did not get hot-tempered, and did my best to put my mind to death in obedience to His word.
Here in heaven I have become a trumpet player."
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, she said that she had become a trumpet player.
She could be assigned for this heavenly duty because praises did not leave her mouth while she lived a religious life on earth.
Whether sitting or standing or whatever she did, she sang praises with her lips.
That's God's reward to her with this duty as a special present.
In midst of spiritual communication she confessed that she could not enter the 3rd kingdom because she disobeyed a few things.
"I have disobeyed a couple of things before I reached this kingdom.
I have a few times said, "No, no!" during the worship services on earth.
I didn't obey when the shepherd appointed a task and duty for me.
Fundamentally I had thought I would be able to do that when everything would go better, but following my own thoughts I committed a great sin before God. "
She really meant that she had disobeyed when I appointed this duty for her.
And she said that it is a great error to doubt the word of God preached from the podium just because it does not agree with your thoughts.
The Bible very often tells us that we are not to judge any other person, because no one can completely discern anyone else before he has entered the level of spirit.
Then, it is never a trivial thing at all that you judge a servant of God who preaches the word of God accompanied by demonstrated power of God because the messages are not consistent with your thoughts!
If you judge the messages preached by a servant of God who is confirmed with powerful works of God, you will be deemed to judge God Himself.
Until you have gotten rid of all your fleshly thoughts, the negative thoughts will break in, so you have to drive out those thoughts right away.
If you do not trust a pastor who preaches the message or judge him/her with words because the message is different from your thoughts, it is something very inappropriate in the sight of God.
Satan will accuse you and it will become a snare to you, and finally troubles and trials come upon you.
Therefore I eagerly ask you not to judge any part of the message even if it is not understandable to you.
It is because now you cannot understand it but later if you improve your faith and enter higher level of spirit, you can do it.
Didn't the deaconess confess that she did something seriously wrong before God because she said "No" a few times?
Picturing how great their rewards in heaven would be, she was jealous of servants of God and financial committee members who helped the shepherd with his works.
But after she arrived in heaven she found it is not so.
She said, "I had thought that servants of God who help the shepherd and financial committee members who faithfully fulfilled their duties would receive great rewards. I was jealous of them whenever I saw them. But it is not necessarily so. Only those who do the will of God will receive greater rewards and blessings.
When leaders err and sin, it is much more serious in the sight of God than for a member to commit sin. Leaders have to pray more and to be more faithful. They have to be better at teaching and more sensible at watching over everything.
The Gospel speaks of a 'blind man' guiding a 'blind man.' That's partly the reason why another verse says, "Let not many of you become teachers." Blessed is anyone who does his best according to the duties assigned to each one."
Yes it is, James 3:1 says, "Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment."
Luke 12:47-48 say, "And that slave who knew his master's will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more."
If you are assigned for precious tasks and fulfill them properly, your rewards will be great.
But you should not desire to receive higher positions just like the worldly people covet for fame and honor.
On the Judgment Day he who is entrusted with much will be asked of much.
How sorry will you be if you have been assigned to duties but have no fruit to offer?
You have to long for the duties but to accomplish the righteousness of heart in accordance with the duties.
And when you fulfill the duties properly, you can bear the fruits.
There is the last thing that the deaconess asked me to convey you. The Day of the Lord's Coming is very near.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the day when we will meet as the children of God in the everlasting kingdom is drawing nearer.
I eagerly wish you all will be awake and prepared to receive the Day.
I want you to cast off the flesh and to become men of righteousness.
Thus, when you stand before God, you will have to be qualified as the brides of the Lord and to have confidence with nothing for which you can be blamed at all.
It was in 1985 that God let me hear her confession.
Now over 20 years have passed, so how closer it is the time of the Second Coming of our Lord!
It implies that the time has been shortened when you will prepare yourselves for the brides of the Lord and store rewards in heaven.
I wish for you to stay awake and clear-minded and to accomplish the righteousness of the heart.
And I ask you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to fulfill your God-given duties more faithfully and to bear more fruits.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Today we have looked into the cases of the two people who would enter the 2nd kingdom.
For you to pass the gate to the 2nd kingdom and to enter the 3rd kingdom, you have to circumcise your heart and become sanctified.
But sanctification is not something that suddenly goes "pop" and you become sanctified.
As much as you obey the word of God, you can accomplish sanctification and advance toward the 3rd kingdom.
On the other hand, to the same extent that you disobey the word of God, you will backslide from sanctification and the 3rd kingdom.
The first person in the examples I explained to you who disobeyed the Word saying, "You must not see nor hear nor speak what is not truth."
As a result she fell behind.
And she had to suffer pains of her disease for a long time.
She tried and struggled to recover her faith, but she barely reached the level of faith by which she could enter the 2nd kingdom.
The second person disobeyed the word of the shepherd that he told her by the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
That was one of the reasons that she failed to enter the 3rd kingdom.
Whether you advance toward or retreat from the way to New Jerusalem depends on the decisions that you make each and every moment.
In other words, it depends on whether or not you obey the word of truth.
I want you to joyfully obey the word of God.
May all of you powerfully advance every day toward a better place of heaven, and up to New Jerusalem, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ I pray!
Amen |
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