 |
 Official Service(date) |
| Sunday Morning |
| Sunday Evening |
| Friday All-night |
|
 |
|
| 1 John Lecture |
| Revelation Lectures |
| Genesis Lectures |
|
|
|
| The message of the cross |
| Measure of Faith |
| Ten Commandments |
| Heaven |
| Hell |
| Spiritual Love |
| Spirit, soul and body |
| Sinful mind |
| Goodness |
| Nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit |
|
|
|
|
  |
 Sermon > Official Service |
 |
|
|
Title |
Blessing - 2017 Christmas |
|
|
|
Speaker |
Rev. Jaerock Lee |
Bible |
Romans 13:10 |
Date |
2017-12-25 |
|
|
Scripture
Romans 13:10
Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
It is a joyful Christmas today. On this day we celebrate our beloved Lord who came to this earth in a fleshly form. God gave us many kinds of blessings, of which the biggest is Jesus Christ. If Jesus had not either come down to this earth or taken the cross, all men including you and me would have ended up with the miserable and wretched curse of the Law. All men without exception were doomed to fall into the eternal fire of hell.
Just imagine the following situation. A person committed a grave sin and was sentenced to death on the following year. The person was supposed to be burned to death. He could live freely for one year until he would be executed. What kind of life would he lead for the remaining one year? Would he eat savory food, put on silk garments adorned with jewels, and enjoy his authority, and then say he is so happy with those blessings? Just thinking about being burned to death one year later would cause him to lose his appetite and he'd have no desire to adorn himself with good things. While sleeping he would suffer from nightmares.
You and I were in the same condition. The days of our lives are about 80 years, if we are strong, maybe100 years or even longer than that. However at the end of all the days of our life, even if we enjoyed wealth, honor, and power, is the unquenchable fire of hell. During this earthly life, we are already slaves to the power of the enemy devil and suffer from dis-eases and disasters.
God gave His only begotten Son to die on the cross for us and by that sacrifice He saved us from the penalty of death. Today's Scripture Romans 13:10 says, "... love is the fulfillment of the law..." With His life-giving love, He redeemed us from the curse of the Law. Now the promise given to us is not the penalty in the everlasting fires of hell, but the glory in heaven. In addition to this, on earth as well, He promises us to be able to enjoy the authority as children of God and to let us succeed in everything and enjoy good health as our souls prospers. What a bless-ing! Let us give thanks and glory once again to our Father God who gave up His precious and only be-gotten Son and to the Lord who came to this earth.
Today let me talk about the three meanings contained in the blessings of Christmas Father God gave us through Jesus Christ. Through this message, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ that the joy and emotion of Christmas will overflow from within you.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
The first meaning in the blessing of Christmas is forgiveness. Forgiveness also means love. God's sending Jesus to this earth refers to the manifestation of His limitless forgiveness and love.
Since the first man Adam fell to Satan's temptation and betrayed God, mankind has been increas-ingly stained with sins and evils. The same happened to the people of Israel. God let Israel leave Egypt through the Ten Plagues and parting the Red Sea into two. He guided His people with a pillar of clouds and a pillar of fire. Yet, even though they received such great love of God as this, the Israelites still did not obey God. They unceasingly disobeyed God for hundreds of years, and in the end they met with downfall at the hand of Gentiles.
When the nation of Israel went to such an extent in disobedience, just how much more were the en-emies of God to rebel against Him! It cannot be expressed with words. When the sins and evils became extremely rampant, the great judgment of Noah's Flood came upon them. But people didn't keep the lesson but became stained with sins even more severely. Sins have covered the world more and more for thousands of years, so now how much more lewd and dirty is it?
Yet, God's plan for such people was not wrath and punishment but the sacrifice of His only begot-ten Son. God is really worthy of honor and glory, but why did He have to suffer from betrayal and heart-breaking pain? Why did He give up His Son? The answer is given in the Gospel of John 3:16. It says, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." God loved the world so much, that even with sorrow deep in His heart, He could not give up the world even though it was covered with sins and evils and the people were a filthy and adulterous lot. Our Jesus came to this earth and showed a love of limitless forgiveness.
Now what kind of forgiveness have you received?
You were forgiven of the life stained with sins and evils like tax collectors and prostitutes of Jesus' time. Some of you were rescued at the door of death like the robber on the cross or like the woman caught in adultery. Others of you, like Pharisees or priests, were so arrogant and filled with self-righteousness and self-frameworks that you looked down on, despised, judged and condemned others. Some of you opposed God and persecuted those who spread the gospel of the Lord like Paul did before he met the Lord. Some of you were cunning and cowardly like Peter who denied his beloved teacher.
Jesus made up His mind to be crucified to forgive people of all their sins, and for this purpose He was born on this earth. To us who were in midst of dirty and evil sins, the birth of Jesus is the love of endless forgiveness we cannot repay.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Since the Christmas of 2010, the blessing of forgiveness has given you a much more special meaning as members of Manmin. It is because another chance of repentance was given to those of you who were saved by the work of the Lord's precious blood, but later you looked at the world again and committed a grave sin that is unforgivable, and thus lost you lost the assurance of salvation. It is because you had to live in sufferings of quenching the Holy Spirit and in fear of being dis-tanced from heaven. But now have been restored in the light of life once again. The meaning of this forgiveness does not lie only in your shameful salvation but now even in the hope for entering New Jerusalem as well.
In John 8:11, Jesus said "I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more." You all gained great favor in the Lord, so you should never repeat committing the sin and asking for His forgiveness again. If it happens again, you will feel great shame and regret. Therefore, I eagerly ask you to dwell in the truth and to give only joy to the Lord.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
The second meaning embedded in the blessing of Christmas is 'waiting.'
Jesus didn't say, "I have forgiven you, so you have to bear proper fruits right away." He didn't say, "Peter, why are you still rough and boastful though I asked and warned you not to be?" He didn't say, "John and James, why have you not changed your hot-tempers? When will you get rid of it?" He didn't say, "Thomas, are you still speaking such absurd things because you have not yet cast off your fleshly thoughts?" He didn't say, "I've shown a good example of service to you, so why do you dispute and argue with each other over who is the greatest without considering your changes?" He didn't say, "My heart is almost burning to see you all doing like this." He never spoke a word of complaint.
Rather, He looked at Peter's fervor and the yearning hearts of John and James. He also looked at good points of the other disciples including Thomas, Philip, and Nathanael and He waited patiently for them. While He was earnestly praying about the crucifixion ahead of Him that His sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground, His disciples fell asleep. Even at this time Jesus still believed in them and even to His last moments He believed in them and then left them to the Father. "After I depart from them the Holy Spirit will come and change them. Then, they will bring what I have told them into their remembrance and change and finally perform power." He waited for them with this hope.
With the passage of 2, 000 years the Lord is still waiting. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, You have also caused Him to wait that much, haven't you? Some of you just barely even came to church once when someone else had testified to you for years and served you elaborately with love. Other people blinded your ears toward the gospel, and it was only when a big problem happened to you that you could say to God, "God, help me!" The Lord did not dislike such people. He joyfully welcomed them with His arms wide open, saying, "My son! My daughter! Good to see you!"
How long have you let Him wait for you to have true faith despite the profession of your faith in the Lord? So many of you had not lived a proper believing life even with 10 or 20 long years of faith until the year of 2010. You said you believed before powerful works, but you did not circumcise your hearts. You said you have hope for heaven, but still looked at the world. You said you would do your best and surely change, but returned to the former life of your old self. But the Father and the Lord waited for you.
His waiting brought forth your chance and gave you the strength of change. Now, so thankfully, many of you have come to understand the heart of Father God and the Lord's love. You have come to bear the shepherd's tears and sacrifice in your mind. You are coming to understand what it is to truly believe in power and what is to look up to the things above.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
2 Peter 3:8-9 says, "But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance." Because His expectations for true children are so great, the Father God has endured a thousand years like one day. Furthermore, He also felt one day to be like a thousand years because of His earnest hope and mournful sorrow for those people who were dying.
I am so desperate with this Scripture. For the last 35 years and particularly for the last 7 years, I could not but wait patiently with faith. There was nothing I could do in helping the souls change into whole spirit and concerning the mon-ey of the (Comprehensive Blessing) and the Canaan Sanctuary. Father God just said, "Fill up the measure of justice," and accordingly I just had to endure patiently. When all most of my life energy went out and I could hardly move, I was so distressed that one day was like a thousand years. And I felt impatient with the passing of time, thinking "The saints should change quickly... There are so many things to do until the Lord comes..."
However, I have waited and I am waiting like Father God and the Lord waited. The only thing you have to remember is that the promise of the Lord is never too late at all. But the day of His return is destined no matter how long He waits in love. That's why you have to catch hold of the chance when it is given to you. In the name of the Lord I ask you once again to gird yourself with this faith, press on toward the goal and to change quickly.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
The third meaning embedded in the blessing of Christmas is fruit.
Our Lord's forgiveness and waiting has borne abundant fruits. When He was crucified, His disciples fled in fear; but with the passage of time they became capable apostles and spread the gospel with manifestations of power. Sometimes 3,000 or 5, 000 people repented by preaching the Good News and then explosive revival followed. Above all, they were not afraid of being martyred, instead they were thankful for being able to give their lives for the Lord in perfect love.
Through their change and ministry of martyrdom, many more fruits were borne. The gospel spread from Jerusalem to Samaria, the Roman Empire, and to the world and countless fruits of salvation were borne.
John 12:24 says, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit." All of you here in attendance are the fruits of Father God and the Lord as well. I am really thankful that many fruits of salvation, the rock of faith, spirit, and whole spirit have been borne these last 7 years.
But you will have to bear greater and more abundant fruits from now on. You will have to come forth as the fruits of whole spirit that will fill New Jerusalem. You will have to come forth as the fruits of power that will spread the gospel to the ends of the earth just to begin paying back the love of Father God who gave His only begotten Son for you. Now please take hold of this hope more firmly.
I ask all of you to have the assurance that it is not someone else but you who will come forth as the fruit of the Lord and the fruit of the shepherd. Do not be swayed from this at all! You may have been a little late until now, but now you have to make up your mind to bear such fruits because the Lord of love has waited until now and because of the sacrifice and the price of justice.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
The first half of Deuteronomy 33:29 says, "Blessed are you, O Israel; who is like you, a people saved by the LORD." How blessed we are that we have received the gift of Jesus Christ. In this end time of the world, Father God has poured down on this church the blessings of for-giveness, waiting and fruits. It is because you will have to change by the gospel of holiness and then you will perform the power of the shepherd along with him and complete the ministry of salvation that has been prepared since before the ages.
For that reason, Father God and the Lord sacrificed much and loved until each of you attained to the present of levels of faith. I also have kept the souls entrusted by the Lord with the tears I've shed day by day, and filled up the measure of justice with struggling so that your heart and mind can be renewed. I ask you to remember the grace and love you have gained in this blessed space and to change more quickly and come forth as powerful workers. May you all be partakers in fulfilling the providence of Father God and enjoy great glory, in the name of the Lord I pray! Merry Christmas! |
|
