“Zechariah’s Question” (Luke 1:5-20) - Hope Is on the Way I –

“Zechariah’s Question” (Luke 1:5-20)

- Hope Is on the Way I –

“I Was Still Eating Sugar”

There is a story told about Mahatma Gandhi. One day a lady brought her son and said to Gandhi, "Sir, my son eats too much sugar. Would you please tell him to stop?" Gandhi answered, "Please, bring your child back next week." So, the next week she brought the child again. Gandhi said to her son, “Stop eating sugar child.” And the child did. A month later the mother came back and asked Gandhi, “My child has done what you asked, but why could you not have spoken to him the first time I came?” Gandhi answered to the woman, “A week earlier I was still eating sugar." Gandhi needed at least a week to prepare himself.

Advent: A Time of Preparation

Advent is a time of preparation. Today we meet a man who needed nine months to prepare his heart. His name is Zechariah. He was a priest. He was upright and blameless before God and observed all God's laws. In today's terms, he was a good Christian. But, there was one great concern for him. He and his wife had no child through old age. That brought great disappointment and disgrace in their lives (v.25). So, Zechariah prayed hard to have a baby for a long time. One day an angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, "Your prayer has been heard. You will have a child." His prayer is heard. This is great news. Zechariah’s proper response should be, "Amen! Thank for hearing my prayer. Praise the Lord!” But in reality it was not. He doubted and said, "How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years" (v.18). This good news was too much for him to accept as the truth. This good news uncovered his reality, his lack of faith. When God calls, we should respond. God’s call always invites us to reorganize our former way of life. But, Zachariah was not ready. He was not ready to bring up a prophet. He was not ready to bring up a martyr. Many faithful believers are in the same boat. We know God's will is always good, pleasing, and perfect. But we often forget his call is also radical and beyond understanding. When God reveals his will, many of us say, "Lord, please slow down. I know what you mean. But, it is too much for me. I am happy with where I am spiritually, so I will follow you at my own pace." This is exactly what Zechariah said to the angel. He needed more time to be prepared. God graciously gave a special time for him to reflect. For about nine months Zechariah became mute. For nine months he had a quiet time with God alone. For nine months he set aside himself to study, mediate, and pray to see if the Scriptures really supported what the angel said.

Advent: A Time of Transformation 

Advent is a time of preparation. It is also a time of transformation. After nine months had passed, Zachariah’s wife, Elizabeth gave birth to a son. On the eighth day the relatives and neighbors came to celebrate and circumcise the baby, and according to the Jewish tradition they were going to name the baby after his father's name. But, his mother said, "No! He is to be called John!" So, they asked his father. Zechariah wrote on a tablet, "His name is John!" Then, immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak and praise God. His attitude totally changed. He became a different person. So, something must have happened in the meantime. What happened to Zechariah? The answer is, Zechariah found the “Incomparable Christ.” As he believed and received this Christ, it became a life-transforming experience. In the same way, as we receive the same incomparable Christ, Advent can be a time of life-transformation. In particular, we meet the Christ whom Zachariah found in his prophetical praise written in vv. 68-75.

Jesus Christ, the Savior (vv.68-75)

Zechariah found the Christ who was Savior – his personal Savior and the Savior of the world. For nine months Zechariah was able to see a desperate and hopeless state of his soul and Israel. In the past he thought he was ok, but when God came to him and opened his spiritual eyes, he was then able to see the truth. The truth was that Israel and he himself were living in darkness and in the shadow of death. Then, he saw the light, the rising sun, who was Jesus Christ, the Savior, would come to shine upon them and to guide them to the path of peace. The strategy of the enemy is always to keep us from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ (2Co 4:4). In particular, the strategy of the enemy in our culture is to dilute the gospel with many other virtues and make the gospel powerless and lifeless. But salvation comes no other way; no other name has been or will be given to us by which we can be saved, only Jesus Christ our Lord (Acts 4:12).

There are countless people who accept Jesus as Savior and surrender their lives to him. All of them have one thing in common. They acknowledge Jesus Christ to be at the center of their conversion experience. Sundar Singh is one of many examples. He was born in 1889 into a rich family in India, and he grew up to hate Christianity as a foreign religion. He even expressed his hostility at the age of fifteen. He publicly burned a Gospel book. But three days later he was converted through a vision of Christ, and in his late teens, he determined to become an itinerary preacher. On one occasion Sundar Singh visited a Hindu college, and a professor accosted him aggressively and asked, “What have you found in Christianity that you don’t have in your old religion?” Sundar Singh replied, “I have Christ.” The professor continued impatiently, “Yes, I know, but what particular principle or doctrine have you found that you did not have before?” Sundar Singh replied, “The particular thing I have found is Christ.” What we must have is Christ, not institution or doctrine. What we must preach is good news of salvation through Christ, nothing more nothing less.

My Child, the Voice of One Calling in the Desert (vv.76-79)

Zechariah found the incomparable Christ, and it transformed his life. Probably, for Zechariah the child used to be the first priority in his life. But, when he found the Christ, he surrendered his child, his precious, to the Lord. In verse 80 the Bible says, “And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel.” How would any parents want their child to live in the desert? But, when Zechariah found the Christ, he was willingly able to reorganize his former way of life and to surrender his child without reserve.

Two Questions

We can learn important spiritual lessons from the story of Zechariah. Sometimes righteous people do have disappointments in life. Sometimes the answer to their disappointment is not clear. Whether it be the absence of a child, a financial collapse, a fatal disease, or an unfortunate accident, the hard times are not always self-explanatory. We must not see struggles in life as evidence of the consequences of sin. God never guarantees that life will come without pain and disappointment. The central issue is how we handle it. God gave Zechariah nine months to reflect on his lack of faith. Zechariah did not take this period of time as a punishment but as a honeymoon period with God. In spite of his personal disappointment, he faithfully served God and waited patiently on him. And finally in God’s time, his eyes saw God’s salvation.

It is well known that professional mountain climbers climb high mountains around or after midnight. It is obviously against our common sense. Around midnight our physical condition is worst. But for high mountain climbing midnight is the prime time because snow is frozen hard and it reduces the risk of avalanches the most. Perhaps you are going through the valley of disappointment in life. Perhaps you are getting weary and tired of enduring life. But in God’s eyes this hard time might be a golden opportunity for you to find the Christ in special ways. Advent begins today. It is a special time to check our relationship with Christ. It is a time of preparation. And it is also a time of transformation. As we wait on Christ and receive him, Advent can be a life-transforming experience. As we enter this Advent season, I would like to ask you two questions. (1) Have you received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior? If you have not, wouldn’t you like to receive Him into your life, to make a transforming difference for you? (2) If you have received Christ, how would you renew your commitment to Him? When Christ comes to our lives, we cannot remain the same. My prayer is that all of us in this room may find this incomparable Christ and experience transformation of life in this season of Advent. Amen.

“My Utmost for His Highest” (Daniel 6:10) - The 2014 Thanksgiving Service –

“My Utmost for His Highest” (Daniel 6:10)

- The 2014 Thanksgiving Service –

Three Levels of Thanksgiving

According to Open Doors USA’s report, North Korea ranks first where Christian persecution is most severe in the world for the 12^th consecutive year. About 50,000 to 70,000 Christians suffer daily in political prison camps. One time Pastor Eric Foley, founder of Seoul USA mission organization, had a chance to meet North Korea underground Christians for the first time. He said to them, “Oh, how difficult it is! How can I pray for you?” Their answer really surprised him. They said, “We always rejoice and give thanks to God. We don't ask God to deliver us from persecution. We pray we'll stay strong and faithful in the midst of this suffering.”

The Bibles gives us three levels of thanksgiving. The first level teaches us to be thankful in the most basic sense. “Thank you, Lord, for all your blessings!” Then there is the second level of thankfulness that truly thanks God for more specific things. It is an intentional effort to find something for which to thank God in everyday life. “Thank you, Lord, for your guidance!” But then there is another level of giving thanks. This is the kind of thanksgiving in every situation, even in the most challenging of circumstances. It is a thankfulness that trusts God and is even grateful for the bad things. “Lord, I thank you because you are faithful and trustworthy!” This morning we meet one person who does his very best in thanking God in the worst of circumstances. His name is Daniel. Daniel 6:10 says, “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days” (NKJV). What a wonderful verse of scripture on thanksgiving! And what a challenging verse to all of us! Daniel gave thanks to God at the risk of his life. The question is now – how is it possible? What caused Daniel to give thanks to God even in that situation? There are at least three main reasons behind.

His Convictions

First of all, it is because of his convictions. Daniel already knew that the decree had been signed (v.10a). The enemies slyly deceived the king and published the decree that anyone who prays to any god or man during the next thirty days, except the king, shall be thrown into the lions den. Daniel knew it was the enemies’ scheme to destroy him. But, he resolved to continue to pray and give thanks to God at the risk of his life. He could have compromised. He could have shut his windows and pray in secret and in silence for the next thirty days. But no, Daniel had the windows open wide and gave thanks to God, not once, but three times a day! He knew that in times of trouble the only way to live was to run and take refuge in God. When he was young, he saw how Israel collapsed because of idol worship. So after he was exiled into Babylon, he resolved not to defile himself with the king’s food because that food had been offered to idols first. It was not simply a matter of food. It was a matter of worshipping the true God or worshiping false gods. It was a matter of life and death. And Daniel always chose God.

During the 2nd century there was a devout Christian named Polycarp who was a bishop of Smyrna at that time. He was arrested for his faith and sentenced to be burned at the stake. Many tried to persuade him to change his convictions, but he answered, “For 86 years I have served Christ, and He has never done me wrong; how then can I now blaspheme my King and Saviour?” Pastor Eric Foley says, “If we carry a cross daily in public, it will be impossible to avoid being noticed.” Not only under persecution, but in everyday life there comes a time when we must choose whether we act up to our convictions or compromise in essentials. We need more godly men and women like Daniel.

His Consistency

Daniel gave thanks to God at the risk of his life because of his convictions. He also continued to pray and give thanks because of his consistency. That is the second reason. The Bibles says, “… Daniel prayed and gave thanks before his God (three times a day), as was his custom since early days” (v.10c). The year was 539 B.C. when Darius took over the kingdom. At this time Daniel would have been approximately eighty-one years old. Someone estimated that if Daniel was 81 years old and had prayed three times a day for those most of his life, he had perhaps prayed over 88,000 prayers. Daniel was a man of prayer. He was a man of thanksgiving. He started each day with a time of prayer and thanksgiving. At the middle of the day he stopped what he was doing and took a moment to pray to refocus on God and seek his guidance. And again he returned at the end of the day, meditating on God’s goodness and giving thanks to him!

The author of Psalm 119, the longest single chapter in the Bible, is unknown, but most scholars agree that it was written by David, Ezra, or Daniel. Whoever it was, in Psalm 119:164, the author says, “Lord, seven times each day I stop and shout praises for the way you keep everything running right!” (Message) This practice was retained by the early and later monks. Seven times a day they interrupted their activities and had a time of prayer. Whether it is three times or seven times a day, it doesn’t matter. The essentials are the same: it is to cultivate a personal authentic relationship with God in our daily lives. Daniel was able to pray and give thanks at the most difficult times because he already had an intimate relationship with God since his youth.

His Confidence

There is a third reason why Daniel did what he did. It is because of his confidence. Daniel believed that God answered prayer. The Bible says, “And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day…” (v.10b). Then, why did Daniel pray before an open window toward Jerusalem? To answer this question we need to go back to 2 Chronicles 6, “Solomon’s prayer.” After Solomon had built the temple in Jerusalem, he prayed to God in this way: “If your people Israel pray about their troubles or sorrow, raising their hands toward this Temple, then hear from heaven where you live, and forgive. Give your people what their actions deserve, for you alone know each human heart” (6:29-30, NLT). After this prayer, God answered his prayer as follows: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices… if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land”(7:12, 14, NIV).

Daniel believed there was power in prayer. That’s why he had been praying that same prayer in the same manner for seventy years: Prayer for revival! Daniel was convinced that when he prayed God would surely hear him and work for him. In his upper room Daniel prayed and resolved not to defile himself with the king’s food (1:8). Then, God did hear his prayer and soften the official’s heart and deliver him. In his upper room, Daniel prayed for mercy concerning King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (2:19). And then, God revealed the mystery to him in a vision. So here’s why. Today during the height of the crisis, Daniel went to his upper room as usual. He had windows opened facing Jerusalem. He had confidence that when he prayed God would work. David had the same confidence. When he volunteered to go and fight Goliath, Saul said, “No way!” But, David gave Saul grounds why he was able, saying, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine!” (1 Sam 17:37). David had confidence that the God who delivered him up to this day would work for him today as well. A waterfall begins with only one drop of water. The more we experience God in prayer even in small things, the more convinced we become that God will surely come and help us even in the worst of circumstances.

My Utmost for His Highest

However, that does not necessarily mean that God takes away our troubles when we pray. Instead, he gives us strength to take the bull by the horns, and he gives us peace during that time. The Bible says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:6-7, NIV). In 1974, North Korea communists uncovered one of the hiding places of the underground Christians. These Christians were told to lie down on the road, and the officials ordered a steamroller to run over the prostrate Christians. To maximize the pain, the steamroller started by rolling over their feet and then up toward their heads. While the Christians were waiting for their death, one of them began to sing praises, and soon the others joined their voices: “내 구주 예수를 더욱 사랑, 엎드려 비는 말 들으소서. 내 진정 소원이 내 구주 예수를 더욱 사랑, 더욱 사랑!” (“More love to thee, O Christ, more love to thee! Hear thou the prayer I make on bended knee. This is my earnest plea: More love, O Christ, to thee; more love to thee, more love to thee!”) They prayed and gave thanks to God. And God did come and help them. He gave them strength to finish the race and peace to keep the faith until the last moment.

What gift can we bring this Thanksgiving? God is not after our begrudging sacrifice. He is after our heart, particularly our grateful heart. You may find a “Thanksgiving Post-It” in your bulletin. During the offertory please take a moment to ponder over what the Lord has done for you and what you are thankful for over the past year. Write it down and post it to “Thank You Lord” board after the service. In joy and in sorrow let us trust in God and give thanks to him with conviction, with consistency, and with confidence. That’s the most pleasing sacrifice of thanksgiving in God’s eyes. Amen.

“Thank God Today!” (John 11:38-44)

“Thank God Today!”

(John 11:38-44)

Experiencing God

William Wilberforce was an English politician, and he was a leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade. He had a conversion experience when he was 26 years old. He was also a close friend of William Pitt. Pitt was a youngest Prime Minister, and he was a man of great capabilities. One Sunday Pitt and Wilberforce went to church together. That Sunday a pastor preached on “How to be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Wilberforce thought that it was the best sermon that he had ever heard. So after the service, he was about to share his thoughts about the sermon, but his friend Pitt started a conversation first. He said to Wilberforce, “Did you understand what the pastor said this morning? I tried hard to pay attention to him, but I couldn’t understand what he was talking about.” Wilberforce was shocked by what his friend said. He realized that not all people would understand the word of God and experience God in their lives. Today’s scripture teaches us how to experience God in our lives today.

In today’s Scripture we meet three main characters – Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. They were close friends of Jesus. They were like an extended family for Jesus. So, when Lazarus was getting sick, his sisters knew where Jesus was, and immediately they sent word to him, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” They had confidence that as soon as Jesus heard the news, he would drop everything and come running to them. But, against all expectations, Jesus didn’t come to them right away. Instead, he stayed where he was two more days. I think that must have hurt them badly. They might have felt forsaken by Jesus. I think even their faith would be severely shaken. However, the Bible clearly affirms Jesus’ love for these three siblings. Verse 5 says, “Jesus loved (egafa) Martha and her sister and Lazarus.” Here in verse 5 Apostle John uses the word, “agafao,” which means unconditional love. Jesus unconditionally loved these three people. But in verse 3, when Martha and Mary sent word, “Lord, the one you love (fileis) is sick,” they used the word, “fileo” which means a friendship-like love. They loved Jesus as a friend, but Jesus loved them more than himself. In other words, Jesus loved them much more than they thought. The more striking fact is that in Greek manuscripts between verse 5 and 6 there is a conjunction (“woon”) referring result or consequence. In other words, Jesus loved Lazarus, “so,” “therefore,” he stayed two more days (ex. ESV, NET). Jesus waited until Lazarus had died. Why? Jesus answers his disciples the question in verse 15, “For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe.” Jesus had to wait until God’s time, so that the three siblings, the disciples and all the people there might experience the God of today.

God of Yesterday

When Jesus arrives in Lazarus’s house, Lazarus has already been in the tomb for four days. Both Martha and Mary say to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (vv. 21, 32). They are saying, “Lord, it’s too late. Now there’s nothing you can do. It’s over.” They believe in “Jesus of yesterday,” but they don’t believe in “Jesus of today!” All of us in this room have our own testimonies. We have our own experiences, healing experiences, and love stories with Jesus at some point of our lives. We believe that Jesus died for our sins. We believe that Jesus was raised from the dead to make us righteous. We believe in Jesus of yesterday. But sometimes, we think that there is nothing even Jesus can do in front of our endemic problems that we have “today.” We think, “It is too late,” “Even Jesus cannot do anything at this point!” However, today Jesus comes to Martha, and he says to her, “Your brother will rise again today!” (23)

God of Tomorrow

Then, Martha answers, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”(24) Now she believes in “Jesus of tomorrow,” but she still doesn’t believe in “Jesus of today!” She has an abstract belief in the far future resurrection of the last day. But she doesn’t have a present experience with Jesus Christ. She doesn’t have a personalized belief in him who is at work in her life here and now. So, Jesus says to Martha, “I AM the resurrection, and I AM the life today!” (25)

I could see myself in Martha. I was born into a pastor’s family. I have experienced miraculous divine healings several times. I had a saving faith. But I didn’t have faith in God of today. I started to serve a local church as a youth pastor since 2006. But after a year I had to resign from the position because I was burnt out. The most serious problem was that I didn’t have faith in God who is at work today. Although I read the Bible, it was just a history, poetry, and narrative. The Bible story was just a pie in the sky. Although the word of God is almighty, it was almost powerless in my life because I didn’t take God at his word. Since that time, my top prayer request was to experience the living God of today. God is faithful. He answered my prayer. In December 2008 Joyce and I attended the intercessory prayer conference. During the conference he healed my wounded soul. He showed me my broken relationship with my father. On the surface there was no problem, but in a deeper level I had damaged emotions. But God touched me and healed my broken heart. That night I also received the gift of tongues. I had been praying for 17 years, and God did answer my prayer. That experience was very meaningful to me in my spiritual journey because it took away the stone of my doubts and unbelief whether God was really at work in my life. Since that time, God started to open my eyes to see and experience the God of today one by one.

God of Today!

Now Jesus says to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this? (26) In a word, “Do you believe in the God of today?” And she says, “Yes, Lord” Then, Jesus says to her, “Then, take away the stone” (39). She is shocked and says, “But, Lord, by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” In Jewish tradition, if someone is buried in a tomb for 4 days, then people consider a person dead completely. So, from a man’s perspective, Lazarus is completely dead. But now, Jesus says, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God? Take away the stone!”(40) So the people take away the stone. In the same way, Jesus is asking each of you in this room, “Do you believe in the God of today?” “Do you believe that I am able to solve your chronic problems today?” If you answer “Yes, Lord,” then he will ask you “Take away the stone!” Jesus wants us to expand our faith by putting it into practice. He wants us to believe with our heart. He wants us to confess with our mouth, and he wants us to put it into practice before we see the result.

In August 2010 I went on a mission trip to China with the church members. One of the members was pregnant at that time. The mission trip schedule was heavy, and we had to move a long distance each day. One night she discharged blood heavily and had several other symptoms of miscarriage. One member said, “My wife had exactly the same symptoms like this, and finally she had a miscarriage. So we have to prepare for the worst.” As I heard what he said, my heart was so heavy. I didn’t know what to do. The word, “miscarriage” was ringing in my ears. The next morning I had a personal devotional time before starting a day, and the word of God came to me. It was Psalm 27:12-14, “Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence. I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.” As soon as I read that passage, I knew that God would make the baby alive and keep both the mother and the baby safe from all harms and dangers. So, immediately, I wrote down that scripture and gave it to the baby’s mother before she went to the hospital that day. While we were waiting for the result, we had a prayer meeting. In the meeting I shared my testimony and read Psalm 27, and then we earnestly prayed all together. By faith all of the members took away the stone of our doubt and unbelief, and then we did see the glory of God. Both the mother and the baby had no problem at all. Everything was ok. Finally, the baby was born healthy and completely normal. Praise the Lord!

Thank God Today!

Now Jesus stands in front of the tomb. Everyone is weeping. Everything seems to be over. But Jesus looks up and says, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me!” (41) Jesus completely trusts in the God of today. And he calls in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” Then, the dead man, Lazarus, does come out. The God, in whom we believe, gives life to the dead and creates new things out of nothing (Rom 4:17). God wants us to believe in the God of today as well as the God of yesterday and the God of tomorrow. He wants us to experience him today. And he says to us, “If you really believe that I am at work in your life today, take away the stone.” What is your stone? It might be the stone of sins, doubts, unbelief, prejudice, wounds, pride, or fear. Whatever it is, by faith let us take away our stone and thank God today. And we will see the glory of God and experience the God of today! Amen. 

"9:1" (Luke 17:11-19)

"9:1" (Luke 17:11-19)

 A Month of Thanksgiving

Yesterday morning I got a call from our DS Rev. Pat Machugh whether we would need to reschedule the church conference because of snow storm. After asking several church members from both churches, we finally decided to postpone until next Monday, November 10^th. It was ok, but that meant I had to prepare the message for the regular service. At first, I didn’t know what to do. So I prayed and asked God for guidance. He gave me desire to share things that we can be thankful for. November is the month of thanksgiving. It is time to stop and think about what the Lord has done for us in our lives. We, as a church, are going through a hard time this year. Several of our beloved church members are now battling with cancer. We don’t feel like we have much to be thankful for. But, in today’s scripture we meet one person who did not forget to say “Thank you, Lord!” What on earth made him so different from the other nine and thankful? The Bible says, “Give thanks in all circumstances” (1Th 5:18). Today’s story tells us how we can give thanks always and why it is so important.

Give Thanks for the Past

First of all, we give thanks when we remember the past. In today’s scripture ten men are healed, but only one of them comes back and gives thanks to Jesus. Verse 16 says that this man was a Samaritan. Who were the Samaritans? Samaritans were normally considered “half-breeds” or “the pagan half-Jews” because they had intermarried with the foreigners during the Assyria occupation period. So Jews did not associate with Samaritans. In verse 18 Jesus said to him, “Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” Yes, this man was a discriminated foreigner, despised Samaritan, as well as a forsaken leper. He must have had all kinds of wounds and negative past experiences. But, because of that, when he is healed, he is more thankful than anyone else. I think he may say to himself like this: “Thank you, Jesus! Do you even come to me and heal me?” That is the reason why this man is different from the other nine.

                  

Apostle Paul is another good example. He always remembers his past and is able to be thankful. In 1 Co 15:9-10 he says, “For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not in vain!” He always remembered the past. Because of that, whether he was successful or persecuted, he was able to be thankful to God all the time. Many of us have our past. At some point in our lives we did make wrong choices or mess up our lives. If we remember this, we can be thankful to God always. Apostle Paul exhorts us to remember our spiritual past lives. In Eph 2:11-12 he says, “Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision," remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.” All of us in this room have been to that place. But now, by the blood of Christ we have become children of God. Jesus came to our life and turned our scars into stars. If we remember this, how can we be silent? How can we stop giving thanks to him?

Give Thanks for the Present

Secondly, we give thanks when we are sensitive to the Holy Spirit today. In today’s scripture ten lepers meet Jesus, and they ask him for healing. On the way to the temple all ten are cleansed. I believe that all of them must be thankful to Jesus for their healing. But the nine of them put off expressing their gratitude to Jesus until tomorrow. But we know that tomorrow never comes. Verse 15 says, “(Only) one of them, when he saw he was healed, (immediately) came back, praising God in a loud voice… and thanked Jesus.” There is an Indian proverb that says, “Everyone has two wolves in his heart: good wolf and bad wolf. Then, who will win? The one that gets more food from the master will win.” All ten were healed and were thankful, but the nine chose to put off and only one of them chose to express his gratitude. It was 9 to 1. In other words, it is much easier not to give thanks than to give thanks to God. In 1 Thessalonians 5:18 Paul says “Give thanks in all circumstances,” and then he says, “Do not quench the Spirit” (v.19). In other words, in order to give thanks always, we must not quench the Spirit. We need to be sensitive to the Spirit and obey him without delay. When I look back over the past year, every time I obeyed the Spirit, there was joy and gratitude. But, every time I quenched the Spirit and put off obeying him, there was regret and sorrow. Do you listen to the Spirit today? He constantly speaks to us. He speaks to us through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church. Basically, by all means available the Holy Spirit speaks to our hearts. Do you want to be thankful always? Then, be sensitive to the Spirit and choose to obey him today. Express your gratitude to God today. Contact the person in mind today. Help those in need today. Then, your heart will be filled with joy and gratitude.

Give Thanks for the Future

Thirdly, we give thanks when we have the hope of eternal life. In today’s scripture when the man comes back and gives thanks to Jesus, Jesus says to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” Literal translation of this verse would be, “Your faith has saved you.” In other words, this man is healed spiritually as well as physically. He is healed and saved. When he gives thanks to Jesus, he receives a much greater gift than physical healing, that is, “salvation.” Pastor Charles Spurgeon says, “Be thankful for moonlight, and you shall get sunlight: be thankful for sunlight, and you shall get that light of heaven which is as the light of seven days.” Today some of you in this room may not think that you have much to be thankful for. But still, I commend you to choose to be thankful to God even for small things. Then, he will make you whole and give you eternal life. And this hope, “the hope of eternal life” makes us thankful in all circumstances.

Lastly, I want to share a life story of Korean Pastor Sohn Yang Won. His nickname was "Atomic Bomb of Love." In 1948 the communist rebels captured the city where he had ministered to. The rebels captured his two young adult sons, Dong-In and Dong-Shin. The two sons refused to renounce their faith; instead, they boldly preached the gospel to the rebels. They were beaten, tortured, and murdered. Few weeks later the South Korean troops recaptured that city. At the trial Pastor Sohn forgave the sons’ killers and even adopted the rebel leader as his own child. The adopted son later became a pastor. On the day of his two sons’ funeral Pastor Sohn read thanksgiving address, titled, “9 things to be thankful for”:

1.       My God, I thank You, for having allowed martyrs to be born in the family of sinners such as mine.

2.       My Lord, I thank You for having entrusted me, out of countless believers, with such precious treasures.

3.       Among my three sons and three daughters, I thank You for my blessings through which I could offer You my two most beautiful children, my oldest and second oldest sons.

4.       I thank You for the martyrdom for two of my children, when the martyrdom of one child in itself is much more precious than I could bear.

5.       I thank You for the martyrdom of my sons who were shot to death while they were preaching the gospel, when dying peacefully on his deathbed in itself is a tremendous blessing for a believer.

6.       I thank You for my heart is at peace as my sons, who had been preparing to go and study in America, are now in a place that is much better than America.

7.       God, I thank You for giving me a heart of love for repentance of the enemy who murdered my sons and compelling me to adopt him as my own son.

8.       My Father God, I thank you for there will now be countless more sons of heaven through the fruit of the martyrdom of my sons.

9.       I thank and thank Our Lord Jesus Christ, who has given me these eight truths in times of such adversity, the joyful heart seeking faith and love, and the faith that provides me with composure.

This morning what are you thankful for? And how shall you express your gratitude to God?