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 Sermon > Official Service |
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Title |
2018 Prayer Title(3) - True Sanctuary |
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Speaker |
Rev. Jaerock Lee |
Bible |
Isaiah 60:1 |
Date |
2017-12-31 |
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[Passage]
[Isaiah 60:1]
"Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you."
[Introduction]
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Today is the last Sunday of the year, and we will have the General Assembly after this service. Throughout the year, we hear sad and heartbreaking news more often than happy and good news. But you had peace by the grace and love of God in this year, 2017. Let us give all thanks and glory to God who protected us and gave us answers and blessings.
I will talk to you about the 3rd prayer title for the New Year, "True Sanctuary". Through this message, I pray in the name of the Lord that you will all become instruments that are used for noble purposes in the providence of God at the end time.
[Main]
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
After David's son Solomon died, Israel was divided into two: the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. The people of the Kingdom of Judah worshipped God in the Jerusalem Temple built by Solomon. But the people in the Kingdom of Israel built their own altars in Dan and Bethel and worshipped there. But these altars were made with human thoughts and had nothing to do with God's will. There was neither presence of God nor works of God.
Even though people build altars in order to worship God, not all of them will be recognized by God. Some of them are just useless altars. It's the same for today's churches. There are many church buildings in the world, but not all of them are recognized by God.
A temple is a place where God puts His name and glory; it's a place where those who come there to seek God can meet and experience Him. On the one hand, even though the building is small, it can be recognized by God if there is evidence of God's presence and the works of the Holy Spirit are taking place.
On the other hand, even if the building is big and splendid, it is not really a sanctuary if there are no works of God taking place. Of course, it's better if the building is larger and more beautiful so as to reveal the glory of God, and having the fiery works of the Holy Spirit taking place at the same time.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
The title of todays' message is "True Sanctuary". Now, what is a true sanctuary?
First, it is a sanctuary built by those people who are right in God's sight.
King David wanted to build the Temple but instead God had his son Solomon build it. David shed a lot of blood in wars, so God handed over this duty to David's son Solomon.
In order to build the Grand Sanctuary at the end time, we Manmin members must also have the proper qualifications. As you heard in the Sunday morning service, we have to become holy and cultivate sincere hearts and full assurance of faith. Of course, the actual money and technology to build it will be supplied by God's ways. But God can give us those things only when the believers lay down the spiritual foundation.
Especially, in spiritual sense, sanctuary today refers to believers themselves where God the Holy Spirit dwells. Therefore, we must become holy and true temples of the Holy Spirit before we can build the true sanctuary.
Our Grand Sanctuary has very special meanings in it.
The first meaning is that it is a symbol that God has won the victory against the devil in human cultivation.
When Adam committed sin by eating from the tree of knowledge, the devil said God had failed. When the sons of Israel betrayed God and committed sins to cause the destruction of the nation, again the devil said God had failed. When the Savior who came to this earth was crucified, and when the people reject the gospel and go the way of destruction, the devil said that they had won and God's providence of human cultivation had failed.
But when the Grand Sanctuary is built in the name of Manmin, God's victory will be proclaimed all over the world. God has won the victory in a sense that there are many children who are worthy and qualified to build the true sanctuary. It means God has achieved His goal of human cultivation, which is to gain true children who resemble Him.
I ask you to strive to cultivate sincere hearts and perfect faith so that God's victory and His glory will be proclaimed all over the world even more quickly.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
The true sanctuary, secondly is the sanctuary where the heart and will of God is proclaimed and God's works are taking place.
The reason why altars of the Kingdom of Israel were not recognized by God is that their sacrifices were not in accordance with God's will. They offered the sacrifices not out of their fear of God but only to receive blessings. They were saying they were giving to God, but in the temple was placed a calf of gold. Anyone could be a priest even though he was not a Levite. They didn't keep the regulations of giving sacrifices, or the festivities. So, among the Israelites in the northern kingdom, those who feared God moved to Judah in order to give proper sacrifices to God in Jerusalem Temple.
It's the same for today's churches. In order for them to be true sanctuaries, the messages preached and the ministry conducted in them must be in accordance with God's will. Preachers of true sanctuaries have to teach the believers to struggle against sins to the point of shedding blood and take after the image of God, and the members must be cultivating holiness.
In true sanctuaries, they don't teach that believers can go to heaven simply by calling the name of the Lord even though they compromise with the untruths and commit sins. True sanctuaries are not places to discuss philosophy, theories, or politics during the sermons, or to promote business or friendships. Believers in a true sanctuary break the bread of the word in the sanctuary, and they spread the gospel outside. The worship, prayers, and praising must not follow the trend of the world. They must be offered in the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
In true sanctuaries as these, there will be the evidence of God being with them by the power of the Holy Spirit. They will be set free from diseases, infirmities, and demon-possession. All life problems will be resolved. Then, just like in the Early Church, even the unbelievers will fear God and acknowledge God's glory. Acts 2:47 says, "praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved."
The soon-to-be-built Grand Sanctuary will be a church as in the above verse.
I explained the first meaning contained in the Grand Sanctuary is that it is the symbol of God's victory in human cultivation. Furthermore, the Grand Sanctuary is a symbol to reveal God's dignity and glory all over the world, too. All peoples of the earth will witness the works of God taking place in this sanctuary. Those who come there with longing for it will experience and meet God and accept Jesus Christ.
Then, you should also partake in the ministry of power with your shepherd. When a multitude of souls rush to this sanctuary, you who have heard the holiness gospel first should act as the leaders. You should be able to teach them the heart and will of God correctly, and for most of their problems, you should be able to solve them with the handkerchief of God's power. In order to be able to do so, you should be united with the shepherd in trust and love. The more quickly you are prepared as such workers, the more quickly the Grand Sanctuary will be built as well.
[Conclusion]
Dear brothers and sisters,
When we finished mega crusades all over the world and then the 3-year missions in Israel in the 2000's, God proclaimed the 3rd stage of take-off for this church. He let us know that we had to focus on the work to build the Grand Sanctuary. But it began in a way that we never expected. When God gave us the prayer title for the construction of the sanctuary in 2010, the passage reading was something that made us feel nervous rather than excited.
It was Matthew 21:12-13. And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of those who were selling doves. And He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer'; but you are making it a robbers' den."
And in 2010, full-scale repentance began. And after filling up the measure of justice for 7 years, Isaiah 60:1 is given as the reading passage. Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. The following verses say that the world will be covered by darkness but the kings and nations will come toward the light of God that is upon this church.
And God will surely fulfill this overwhelming word of promise. For that to happen, you Manmin members have to cultivate sincere hearts and perfect faith and get ready to be used as instruments of God's power as soon as possible. Also, all pastors and leaders, all departments and missionary groups must united as one centering around the shepherd and store up fervent prayers.
I pray this in the name of the Lord that abundant spiritual and material blessings will be added to you in 2018, as you are fulfilling the providence of God for the Grand Sanctuary. |
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