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 Sermon > Theme Words of Life |
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Title |
Heaven(53) - New Jerusalem(11) |
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Speaker |
Rev. Jaerock Lee |
Bible |
Revelation22:12 |
Date |
2008-08-17 |
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Passage
Revelation 22: 12
"Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done."
Introduction
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
This is the 53rd session of Heaven sermon series. In the last session, I briefly explained about the interior of the city of New Jerusalem. The inside of the city of New Jerusalem is divided into three exactly proportional parts, which are the areas of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Centering the area of the Father God, on the right side of the Father is the area of the Son, and on the left side of it is the area of the Holy Spirit.
Mark 16:19 says, "So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God."
Other than this verse, Hebrews 12:2, Acts 7:55, Romans 8:34, Colossians 3:1, and 1 Peter 3:22 say that the Lord is at the right hand side of God. Thus, naturally on the other side, the left side of God, will be the area of the Holy Spirit.
Among the three different areas I will talk to you about the area of God the Father in this session.
I hope you will be thankful for the love of God the Father who lets us know about the heavenly kingdom in detail like this. I also hope you will gain a greater desire and win the good fight of faith every day.
I pray in the name of the Lord that, by doing so, you will surely have your dwelling place inside the city of New Jerusalem.
Main
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the throne of the Father God is located at the apex, which is the most central point of the three areas of New Jerusalem.
And this apex is connected with another heaven, which is the fourth heaven. I briefly talked to you about this fourth heaven in the fifth session of this Heaven sermon series.
The fourth heaven is the space in which God existed alone before the beginning of time. In that space there is no limitation of time or space.
This fourth heaven is not for the people who are saved. It's a space for God the Trinity.
So, only a few people, even among the citizens of New Jerusalem, can go into that place and only with the special permission of God.
God the Father stays mostly in this fourth heaven. Of course, there is a throne of God in New Jerusalem, in the third heaven, too.
And circling this throne are located the dwelling places of those who greatly pleased God.
Primarily it is the prophets of the Old Testament who will stay in this area of God the Father. For example, they are people like Elijah, Enoch, Moses, and Abraham.
The dwelling places of Mary Magdalene and the Virgin Mary are also located in the area of the Father God. They are people from the time of the Lord, but they are the number 1 and 2 in the ranks of the women in heaven.
That is why their dwelling places are located in the area of God the Father. Today, I will talk to you about a couple of the houses of some of the prophets that are located in the area of God the Father.
All the rewards that you will receive in heavenly kingdom will be given in justice according to certain rules.
Revelation 22:12 says, "Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done."
Heavenly rewards will be given according to what we have done on this earth for the kingdom of God.
And every one of us works in a different way.
It also depends on whether we were pastors, Levites, or laymen members.
There are some laymen members who work like a pastor and there are also elders, senior deaconesses, or deacons. There are also cell leaders, group leaders, district leaders in the parish. There are also small group, mission group, and united mission, and consolidated united mission leaders.
There are also choir members, Sunday school teachers, praising teams and voluntary workers. There are many kinds of duties to serve the kingdom of God.
Just in voluntary works, there are services in preparing meals, cleaning, helping with the parking, traffic control, flower arrangements, and ushers.
God the Father pays you back exactly for what each of you have done on this earth in this way.
So, when we visit each individual's house in heaven, we can see how each one worked for God's kingdom.
We can see how he cared for the kingdom of God and how he glorified God.
We can see how he mourned for the kingdom of God and the souls. We can see how he prayed with goodness of heart and how he harbored the souls in his heart.
It's because God the Father pays back according to each one's characters and according to what he has done.
Therefore, the houses of the patriarchs of faith who cultivated the whole spirit have their own characteristics. Of course, if we accomplish the whole spirit, we will all resemble the heart of the Lord.
But since each of them lived in different times, they gave glory to God in different ways and their characters are also different.
In the cases of Elijah, Enoch, and Moses, they all cultivated the whole spirit and completely obeyed God.
But the life Moses lived on earth and the lives of Elijah and Enoch were all different. The aroma of their hearts and the ways in which they glorified God were all different in their lives, too. Therefore, the rewards that these patriarchs of faith will receive in heaven will be different. The shapes and colors of their eternal houses, in particular, will be different from one another.
When a person cultivates the various spiritual hearts, the jewels that represent the spiritual hearts will be given to him as rewards and these jewels are the materials used to build his house.
Therefore, if we accomplish whole spirit, we will receive all kinds of jewels as rewards.
But even among those who accomplished the whole spirit, each one's best point is different.
For example, the apostle Paul tried his best to preach the gospel with such passionate love for the Lord.
He excelled in the spiritual heart represented by the carnelian. So, his house will have a dominating reddish color. Of course, there are many other jewels in the house of the apostle Paul.
But because the light from the carnelian is the strongest, his house will have a generally reddish color.
What kind of color would Elijah's house have? God the Father has let me know that Elijah's house will have a bluish color.
What kinds of jewels have bluish color among the twelve jewels?
There are jasper and sapphire. Each one represents faith and fidelity, and self-control and purity.
Elijah had many agonies to fulfill the will of God on earth. At his time, the whole country was indulged in idolatry, and there was a great persecution against the prophets of God.
The queen Jezebel tried to terminate all the prophets of God. Elijah lived in this kind of dark era and he wanted to show that God is the true God with his love for God. So, he confronted the 850 prophets of foreign gods in a challenge to receive an answer of fire from God.
He risked his life all by himself, and God wonderfully answered his prayer of faith.
As a result, he was able to destroy the forces of idolatry and save so many people from idolatry. This ministry of Elijah is the culmination of faith that is to love God and God alone.
That is why Elijah's house has an overall bluish color, which is the color of jasper and sapphire symbolizing faith and fidelity.
Also, in Elijah's house is a decorative wall painting of the scene of receiving the fire from heaven. There is an explanation of this wall painting, which is decorated with many jewels.
It explains about how Elijah cried out with all his effort to fulfill the will of God, and with what kind of mind God looked down at Elijah, and which angel came down and brought the fire down. This explanation is posted on the wall along with the painting.
In addition to this, his house is decorated with paintings and descriptive writings about his acts of faith including his praying until his head went between his knees in order to bring down the rain to end the 3 and half years of drought, and how he was able to run faster than the chariot of the king while running in a spiritual space.
So, it is somewhat like a museum, too. Even on this earth, to commemorate the great works of some famous people, they establish personal museums in their birth place or at a separate place.
The reason why Elijah's house is decorated this way is because everything he did on earth was for the glory of God.
So, God the Father does not forget even one little act of his and causes them to be remembered forever and ever.
Next, I will tell you about the house of Enoch.
Enoch's house has lots of a somewhat milky white color.
When many colors of lights are combined, it becomes whiter and brighter.
Saying that the house of Enoch has a milky white color means that many colors are combined almost equally.
This means that Enoch did not have any specific point that outstood everything else but he had all kinds of spiritual fruits equally.
Enoch was the 7th generation from Adam. At that time, there were no Israelites or any other countries. There was no need to fulfill a great duty for the kingdom of God like in the cases of Elijah or Moses.
But Enoch became the first fruit of whole spirit in human history.
And just imagine how much God the Father was overjoyed and comforted by this man Enoch. Enoch was the first fruit who was proper according to the purpose of human cultivation.
He became great joy to God that cannot be compared to the firstborn of a couple or the first harvest of a farmer.
That is why God the Father took him to heaven early to have him next to God and talk to him. Enoch, too, loved God and wanted to meet Him so much while he was on earth.
He had peace with everybody, but he enjoyed being alone and praising God.
He thought of God whenever he looked at the sky and saw nature around him, and he took the greatest pleasure in communicating with God.
The confessions that he offered up to God at that time are also recorded in his heavenly house.
They are written in golden letters and put in a place that is easily noticed.
These writings also prove why God loved Enoch so much. He walked with him for 300 years on earth, and He took Enoch alive to be with Him.
God the Father recorded all these things with golden letters to make them shine forever. Let me introduce some of them.
"From what I have learned from my forefathers, I feel the heavenly Father. I open my mouth to praise Him, and my love and longing for Him grows greater and greater day by day.
As each day passes by, I miss Him more, and my yearning only gets greater.
The more I think of what kind of being He is, rather than remembering the teachings of my forefathers, the longing in my heart for Him becomes even greater.
What kind of face does He have, and what kind of smile does He have?
What kind of being is He that He would put us here to feel the breath of this earth and feel the sky and the stars in the sky?
Even while I am breathing I can feel His breath. My Father, who has let me open my mouth to praise Him and confess what I have realized, who is He?
How can I meet Him who dwells in such a vast space, and how can I engrave Him on my heart?
My Father who makes me yearn for Him so much, who is He?"
Enoch's house is made up with so many other jewels that it is beyond imagination.
One of the characteristics of Enoch's house is that it is decorated with so many flowers and trees.
It's because Enoch loved the trees and plants and the things in nature when he was on earth.
But it doesn't mean he loved nature itself, but he loved God who made everything in nature. When you look at a tree or a flower, what kind of thoughts do you have?
Enoch thought of the divinity and love of God embedded in each of the petals and trees to console his yearning for God.
That is why God the Father decorated Enoch's house with an exceptional number of flowers and trees.
Enoch's heart was always filled with thoughts about the Father. God remembered it and gave back to him in the same way.
God made Enoch's house in a way that the aroma of the Father's love is embedded in each part of the house; in the walls, the ceilings, and throughout the foundations of the house.
Now I will talk to you about Moses' house. His house has an overall greenish color.
Among the 12 jewels, emerald, chrysolite, beryl, and chrysophrase have some greenish colors. They symbolize righteousness in goodness, mercy, endurance, and self-control.
Moses guided more than 2 million people in the wilderness for 40 years.
Through his toil, he bore more spiritual hearts that are like beautiful jewels.
If you are the head of just a small company or a small organization, how many people do you have to accept and embrace in it? And how would it have been with Moses?
Moses was recognized as the most faithful in all God's house and the meekest person.
Therefore, jewels like sardonyx and amethyst also beautifully decorate his house.
Matthew 5:5 says, "Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth." And Numbers 12:3, (KJV) says, "Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth."
So, the land that will be given to Moses will be very large.
Moses' house has large buildings, but the grounds of his home are also very great.
There is a special prize for Moses directly given from God the Father, too.
It is a staff. Moses always carried his staff.
When he showed some works of faith like parting the Red Sea, he always had this staff in his hand.
To commemorate Moses' life as the leader forever, God gives Moses a staff decorated with pure gold and precious stones.
Moses' house also has recorded documents that decorate his house.
They are the expressions of Moses' thanks to those who were strength to him while he was going through the tough life in the wilderness with the sons of Israel.
For example, they are his words of thanks to people like Joshua and Caleb who strengthened him with good hearts.
They are the ones whom Moses always harbored in his heart.
When I see workers who are strength to me physically and spiritually, I always give thanks to them. Naturally, I harbor them in my heart.
Among the writings in Moses' house, there is a word of his thanks to Joshua that he made after he spoke his last will.
Also, there are writings about what kind of hearts Moses had in each moment while leading the sons of Israel.
Of course, the Bible also writes many things about Moses. But the writings in his house express the viewpoint from Moses himself based on the facts in the Bible.
They record the kind of heart with which he gave thanks to those who were strength to him in detail. They also record how he mourned for the people, and how he glorified God.
If we can read them, how touching it will be!
I hope you will go into New Jerusalem and be able to read these writings and feel all the beautiful, moving emotions.
Conclusion
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today, I briefly talked to you about the houses of three persons in New Jerusalem, which are in the area of God the Father. But, there are so many things that we cannot express with words about the houses in New Jerusalem.
Even if we may be able to express it, we would not really be able to fully understand it.
Still, the reason why I am telling you about some houses in New Jerusalem is to add to your hope.
Each of the things that you do for God the Father with your love for Him and with faith will never fall to the ground.
Whether big or small, everything will be your reward in heaven.
Therefore, I pray in the name of the Lord that you will believe in the faithful God the Father and store your rewards in heaven everyday with joy.
[Amen] |
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