“Thank God Ahead of Time!” (August 31, 2014)

“Thank God Ahead of Time!” (Exodus 14:10-14)

Peace in the Storm

Have you ever felt like you were pressed on every side by troubles? Sometimes we are surrounded by health problems, difficult decisions, family troubles, or the death of a loved one. Then, we become fearful and perplexed. And we don’t know what to do. We may even find it difficult to pray. In today’s Scripture the Israelites were in the same situation. Many biblical archaeologists assume that they were surrounded on every side. On the one hand was a range of craggy rocks impassable, on the other hand were forts and garrisons upon the frontiers of Egypt, before them was the Red Sea, and behind them were the Egyptians, marching after them. In fact, there was no way out of it. The Israelites totally panicked and cried out to the LORD. God faithfully answered their cry. My prayer is that the God who delivered Israel will also restore us and deliver us from our distress today!

Stop Fearing!

This morning I want you to pay special attention to three important imperative verbs that Moses uses in today’s scripture. First of all, in verse 13 Moses says to the Israelites, “Don’t be afraid.” A literal translation of this phrase would be “Stop fearing!” (èWar"yTi-la) When the Israelites have no way out, they become panic, and because of that fear, they begin to complain to God and Moses. They say, "It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!" (v.12) Although God brought out the Israelites out of Egypt, they still have their old selves and old habits. One of their old habits is “complaint.” It is their spiritual chronic disease. They complain whenever they face with hardships. Today God says to the Israelites, “Stop fearing!” “Stop complaining!” “Stop following your old ways!”

There is one story that I always remember. There was a boy who suffered from mental instability. He always tore paper to pieces. His parents brought him to several different mental hospitals. The first doctor asked the boy about his past experiences. The doctor asked, “By any chance have you bitten by a wad of paper?” The boy said, “No.” The second doctor asked him about his external environment. The doctor asked, “Have you lived near a paper factory?” The man said, “No.” The third doctor asked, “How may I help you?” The boy said, “I always tear paper to pieces. I don’t know what to do.” The doctor said to him, “Stop tearing the paper!” From that moment the boy never tore paper to pieces. The Israelites experienced the Passover. They experienced how God liberated them from Egyptian bondage. They are free. They are a new creation now! But they still stick to their old selves and their former way of life. In the same way, now we are a new creation in Christ. The old has passed away, and the new already has come! (2Co 5:17) Now we have power to overcome our old selves by the Holy Spirit (Rom 8:2). But we tend to stick to our old way of life. When we are surrounded by troubles, we complain, we are afraid, or we just follow our old habits to relieve stress. But the Bible says, “Put off your old self and your former way of life, but put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Eph 4:22-24) Today God says us, “Stop fearing!” “Stop following your old way of life. Put them off now.”

Stand Firm!

Secondly, Moses says to the Israelites, “Stand firm! When we are surrounded by troubles, we are easily tempted to shrink back. Today the Israelites are tempted to go back to Egypt. They say to Moses, “Leave us alone. Let us go back and serve the Egyptians again!” Then the Lord says to them through Moses, “Stand firm! Hold your position!” In times of troubles it is our wisdom to stand still and wait for the Lord. In 2 Chronicles 20, the Israelites were surrounded by the enemy. King Jehoshaphat was very afraid, but he resolved to stand still and fix his eyes on God and prayed, “Lord, we do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.” (v. 12b). Then, the Lord said to him, “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s… You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you!” (vv. 15b, 17a) All he had to do was to stand firm and hold his position.

To stand firm is much harder than to turn back. In fall 2009 I was serving the young adult group in Boston area. I spent much time preparing the Bible study for the group, and I took care of them with all my heart. But, there seemed no fruit for a long time. The number of the members had decreased, and their lives seemed never changed. One Sunday afternoon, after everyone had left, I got very discouraged, and I became doubtful about my calling to ministry. I was really tempted to quit my ministry. I went down to the basement of the church. I entered the young adult group room. I knelt down on the ground and prayed with tears, “Lord, I am so sorry. You are almighty God, and your word is living and active. But, I am so powerless. I can’t deliver the power and life of your word. Father, I am so confused. I am not sure whether I am on the right track.” Then, the Holy Spirit said to me, "Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. I am with you, and I have many young adults in this city.” (cf. Act 18:9-10). Then, I was able to stand firm. There is a time when we are surrounded on every side by troubles, and we don’t know what to do. At the very moment, do not turn back! Instead, hold your position! Keep going! Stand firm and stay in the very place where you are called until God reveals his glory!

See the Deliverance of God!

Thirdly, Moses says to the Israelites, “See the deliverance of the Lord!” He doesn’t know what to do. He doesn’t know where to go. But, he does know one thing that God is faithful and he is mighty to save. God said to Moses earlier in v.4, “I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” So, Moses puts his trust in the Lord although he doesn’t know in detail how God will save the people. This is faith! Sometimes people ask difficult questions, “How do you know that heaven and hell is real? Have you been there? Have you seen it?” But we do know they are real because God said so. They ask, “How do you know that you are forgiven and saved when you believe in Jesus?” “Do you feel it?” But we do know it is true because God said so. They also ask, “How do you know that you will be delivered from the troubles?” But we do know because God said so. Faith is taking God at his word. So, by faith, Moses proclaims, “The Egyptians you see today, you will never see again.” We can see that Moses is confident and excited rather than anxious and worried. Douglas Stuart, Old Testament scholar, interprets this verse (v.13) as follows: “You should be glad you are seeing the Egyptian army coming to you. Because you have seen the Egyptians, it means that God’s prediction that he will trick them and trap them is about to be fulfilled. If you didn’t see them, now that would be cause for worry because then God’s prediction to us would not be coming true.” The time is coming when God will save his people and reveal his glory.

Thank God Ahead of Time!

While I was meditating on today’s scripture during the week, there was one poem that stayed in my mind. The title of the poem is, “Thank God ahead of time.” It is originally written in Korean, and I translated it into English. I will recite it for you:

When you are surrounded on every side by troubles,

Before you is the Red sea,

Behind you are the Egyptians,

On the one side is a range of craggy rocks,

On the other side are forts of Egypt,

Then, begin to praise God and thank him ahead of time,

Because it is time that God will work for you!

There is a time that we want to ask God, “Why me?” “Why do I have to go through all these things?” Then, remember Exodus 14 and this poem. Where there is much trouble, there is great salvation of God! It is God who delivered us out of Egypt. It is God who led us around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. And it is God who will divide the water and make us go through it on dry ground. No matter what season you are in, remember you are always under the protection and guidance of God. God is always with us and goes before us! Nothing can shake our faith. The Bible says, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?... No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!” (Rom 8:35, 37-39) Are you surrounded by troubles? Stop fearing! Stand firm! And you will see the deliverance of God today! Amen.

“My Heart Christ’s Home” (August 24, 2014)

“My Heart Christ’s Home”

(John 2:1-11)

Water into Wine

When in your life have you experienced water turning into wine? In 2003 I was in Thailand as part of an exchange student program. As you know, Thailand is a Buddhist country. According to the official religious demographics figures, 94.6% of Thais are Buddhists, and Christians represent only 0.7% of the population. But, I was amazed when I went to the Thai church. It was just like the early church, the church in the Book of Acts. They worshipped God with joy and passion. They met together and had fellowship together at the church, campuses and homes day by day. Many signs and wonders were taking place. Believers spoke in tongues, they drove out demons, and when they placed their hands on sick people, they got well. They had favor with all the people. People around them knew Christians were something different. They were less than 1% of the population, but they did shine like a star and turn many to Christ.  

God wants us to experience water turning into wine. He wants to do wonderful things in our lives, because it reveals the glory of Jesus and brings people to faith. John 2:11 says, “Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.” How, then, can we experience water turning into wine in our lives? Today’s scripture gives the answer to the question.

Jesus, the Guest of the House

In the text, at first Jesus is invited as a guest. The Bible says, in verse 2, “Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.” Jesus is a guest. Many of us in this room already invited Jesus into our hearts, but oftentimes we treat him as our guest, not the Master. We really want to see the wonderful work of God in our lives, but we don’t, because Jesus remains as our guest. For a guest, there is a clear limit to being involved in private matters. In Robert Munger’s book, My Heart Christ’s Home, one young man invited Jesus into his house. He gave Jesus access to the library, the dining room, the living room, the work room, and the rec room. He thought that Jesus had finally finished the remodeling and was comfortable living there. But then one day he found that Jesus was waiting at the door. Jesus said to the man, “There is a peculiar odor in the house. There is something dead in here, in the hall closet.” The man knew about that closet, but he had the key to it and wanted to keep it off limits. He certainly didn’t want Christ to see what was in there. In fact, he was angry with Christ and thought, “This is too much! I’m not going to give him the key!” All of us in this room have our own hall closet. But, as long as we have the key to it, Jesus is our guest, at best the special guest. But still, he is not the owner of our house. As long as Jesus remains as our guest, he has no authority to run the house. He has no authority to make changes in our lives although he is almighty God.

Jesus, the Master of the House

But later in today’s scripture, Jesus becomes the Master of the house because there were some people who began to acknowledge him as their master. At the wedding banquet there are six stone water jars, which require 120-180 gallons of water. And Jesus says to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they fill them up, not to half, but to the brim (v. 7). They show complete obedience. Then Jesus says to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the chief steward.” And they do so (v. 8). They show immediate obedience. There is no logical relationship between turning water into wine and filling the jars with water and taking it to the head steward. There is no logical relationship between looking to the bronze snake and being healed (cf. Num 21:9). But the key is “obedience.” When we acknowledge Jesus as our Master and obey him, he turns our water into wine.

Let me share my story. In summer 2008 Joyce and I had a chance to attend a prayer meeting at seminary. One of the members asked for prayer for him. His family and he were about to leave to England for further study. His prayer request was about financial issue. He mentioned the exact amount of money which he needed. At the end of the meeting we had a time to pray for him. While we were praying for him, I sensed the Holy Spirit saying to me, “Victor, I want you to help him. I want you to give his family a tenth out of what they need.” At that time, Joyce and I just got married. We were also financially supported by our home church and our parents in Korea. We were hesitant. Shortly after, Joyce had to go back to Korea for visa approval. That week the sermon text for Sunday service happened to be today’s scripture. While I was meditating on the scripture, I was amazed by the complete and immediate obedience of the servants. Finally, I decided to step out and do it. I made a phone call to Joyce to share what I had learned from the scripture. She got very excited and said, “Listen, today I met your grandparents-in-law. They made an offering to our family. And you know what? The amount of money they gave us is exactly same as what we want to give that family.” It was the moment that Jesus turned my water into wine. Pastor Charles Stanley always says that the most valuable wisdom he ever received is from his grandfather when he was 17 years old. His grandfather said to him, "Charles, obey God. If God tells you to run your head through a brick wall, you head for the wall. When you get there, God will make a hole for it."

“Follow Me!” vs. “Charge!”

Some of you may feel pushed when you hear about “obedience.” But actually, our Lord Jesus never forces us to obey him. Instead, he leads by example. He shows us what obedience is. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges. He took the humble position of a slave and was born as human being. He lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death. He became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross! (Phil 2:5-8) He became the Lord of lords by being the servant of all. One time I had a chance to watch the film, Alexandar. There was one scene I was very impressed with. It was a battle scene between Alexandar and Ottoman Turkish Empire. At that time People thought Alexandar would not win because he was so outnumbered. But the result was opposite. The secret of his victory was as follows: Alexander did’t spare himself. He stood in the vanguard to lead the soldiers, and he shouted, “Follow me!” As for Ottoman’s emperor, he kept himself safe first, and then he shouted to his soldiers, “Charge!” Our Lord Jesus never says to us, “Charge!” but always says, “Follow me!”

God gave us his law, but we didn’t follow it. He sent his prophets, but we refused to listen to them. Finally, he sent his own Son, Jesus. He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows. He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was rejected and died on a cross. This love disarmed our sinfulness. This love softened our hardened hearts. This love made us look to Jesus on a cross and turn to him. And now we call him the Lord and Savior.  

Jesus Standing at the Door

In Revelation 3:20 Jesus says, “Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me.” Artist William Holman Hunt is best known for his painting, “The Light of the World.” It's a literal depiction of this verse from Revelation. Jesus is literally standing at a door, knocking. Probably, you may notice at first glance. In this painting there's no doorknob. But it is intentional. Holman Hunt used to explain whenever people asked about the doorknob in this way: “Jesus is waiting for us to open the door of our hearts and welcome him in. There's only one doorknob, and it's on the inside.” The first step to experience the wonderful work of God in our lives is to invite Jesus into our hearts. But there is more! Jesus says this verse not to unchurched people, but to those in the church of Laodicea, who already professed to be Christians. Jesus wants us to invite him, not as our guest, but as the Master of our heart.

All of us in this room are like “inexperienced drivers” who drive along the road called “life” that we have never been before. Though we have a “veteran driver” with us, there is a limit to what he can do for us as long as he sits in the passenger seat. There will be constant danger of accident. The best way to handle this situation is to get out of the driver’s seat and let him drive. Today Jesus says to us, “My son, my daughter, give me your heart.” Before we leave in this room this morning, let us say to the Lord, “Here it is, all that I am and have forever. Now you run the house. I’ll just remain with you as a servant and friend.” May Christ settle down and be at home in your heart as Lord of all! Amen.

“Mission Community” (August 17, 2014)

“Mission Community” (John 21:15-19)

- Our Core Values V –

Biblical Marks of the Church

How do you define church? For five weeks we have explored what biblical marks of the church are. Firstly, the church gathers to hear the word of God and to respond in worship (Acts 2:11, 42, 47; “Worship Community”). Secondly, the church is made up of the people who confess Jesus as Lord and Savior (Acts 2:38-41; “Gospel Community”). Thirdly, the church is devoted to fellowship (Acts 2:42; “Fellowship Community”). Fourthly, the church is an evangelistic community to be disciples of Jesus (Acts 2:47; “Discipleship Community”). Fifthly, the church is committed to Jesus’ mission (Matt 28:18-20; Acts 2:47; “Mission Community”). These five biblical marks will be the core values of our church. And today, last but not least, we will explore the church as a mission community.

Love and Mission: “Do You Love Me?”  

I believe John 21 would be the best text to show what the mission of the church is. There are three steps to be committed to Jesus’ mission. The first step is to experience God’s love and forgiveness. In today’s scripture Jesus reinstates Peter. As we know, Peter disowned Jesus three times. He was deeply hurt by this experience. Many of us are still suffering from guilt and shame, and we make a decision, "OK, I am unworthy to be his disciple. I will go back to my old life." Peter chose to go back to his old life rather than repent. But today, Jesus comes to Peter, not to forgive him, but to let Peter know that he is already forgiven. God's forgiveness is different from ours. We forgive people when they apologize. But God forgives us even before we repent. The Bible says, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom 5:8) Jesus did already forgive Peter. There is no tension in today's scripture. Jesus tenderly asks his disciples to have any fish. He is truly concerned for them. He prepares breakfast for them. He gives comfort to them and fills their needs first. And when they finish eating, he asks just one question. Jesus does not ask Peter, "Why have you done that?" Instead, he asks, "Do you truly love me as I have loved you?"

Human beings never change by criticism. They change only when they experience true love and forgiveness. One of my turning points in my life happened when I was in 6th grade. At that time, I was strongly addicted to video games. I had to play every single day. I could not control myself. I stole my class' public money. I stole my parents' money to play games. I got into bad company. I often told lies to cover up my wrongdoings. One day several mothers from my class came to see my mother. At that time I was taking a nap in my room. The sound of their conversation woke me up. The parents thought that I was outside. They began to talk about me and reveal the truth how bad I was at school. There was only one compliment, and the rest of them were all criticism. I was so embarrassed and afraid. I pretended to take a nap for a long time. After a while, I went out to the living room. My mother smiled and just said one thing, "My son, today we had visitors from your school. They said that you had many friends and popular at school. I am very proud of you." She shared that one compliment that she had heard. I was deeply moved by her love and forgiveness. From that day I was able to quit playing video games forever. Peter saw Jesus crucified, but it didn’t change him. He saw Jesus raised from the dead, but it didn’t change him. However, when he experienced Jesus’ love and forgiveness in a personal way, he has become a new creation. He became a man of love and forgiveness. If you look at 1 & 2 Peter, "love" is a main theme. Peter says "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins" (1Pt 4:8). Jesus’ love raises us up and transforms us. The mission of the church starts from the love of Christ. 

Mission From Above: “Feed My Lambs!”

Jesus’ love has a purpose. Not only does it transform us, but also it gives us a reason to live. His love compels us to take care of his lambs .The second step to be committed to Jesus’ mission is to feed Jesus lambs. John 3:16 tells us how much God loved us, and then 1 John 3:16 tells us how much we must love others as God’s beloved children. It says, "Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers." In today’s scripture Jesus asks Peter, "Do you love me?" Peter answers, "Yes, Lord. you know that I love you." Then Jesus says, "Feed my lambs." Jesus reinstates Peter as a fisher of men and shepherd. This mission from above is not just for Peter or pastors. It is our mission and vocation regardless of race, age, gender and social status. Jesus allows us to work, not to make money but to feed his lambs. He gives us new life, not to live for ourselves but to take care of his lost sheep. In Acts Peter became a leader of the early church. He delivered powerful messages and performed miraculous signs. And he turned many people to Christ. But, Peter had never pursued success as a church leader or preacher. His purpose of life was just one thing. It was to feed Jesus’ lambs. That is our mission and the reason to live.

The Holy Spirit and Mission: “Follow Me!”

Jesus’ love transforms us. His love compels us to feed his lambs. But we need one more thing. We need the power of the Holy Spirit. This is the final step to be committed to Jesus’ mission. Peter is surely restored by Jesus’ love, but he is still fragile. When Jesus says to him, "Follow me," Peter turns and sees John, and asks, "Lord, what about him?" Now Peter is a new creation, but still he is weak. He still compares himself with others. He is still jealous. He still hates others. This is a human being. We are a new creation, but we are still fragile. When Jesus prophesied his death, Peter declared, "Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will." Jesus said, "Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later." Peter said, "Lord, why can't I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you." Yes, he said this from the heart. He truly wanted to follow Jesus. He truly wanted to lay down his life for Jesus. But he could not! Why? To have a sincere mind is not enough to follow Jesus. We need the power of the Holy Spirit to follow him. Peter could not follow Jesus even if he really wanted. But when he was filled with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, from that moment he was able to follow Jesus.

Today Jesus says to Peter what the life by the Holy Spirit is like. He says, "When you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." Before we are led by the Spirit, we go wherever we want, and we spend time whatever we want. This is the life led by ourselves. But, when we are led by the Spirit, we go where the Spirit leads, and we spend money and energy whatever the Spirit wants. This is the life led by the Spirit. When we truly depend on the Holy Spirit moment-by-moment, we are able to follow Jesus. Ironically, when we are fully bound to the Holy Spirit, we enjoy freedom the most. The most satisfying life is a life led by the Spirit. This is the only way to follow Jesus and do his mission.  

The Three Questions

As I wind up today’s message, I would like to share one story about three missionaries to Turkey. It happened on April 18, 2007. One day five young men came to join worship service at one mission organization. They attended the service for three months. But they were actually Muslim fundamentalists. After three months, they revealed their true colors. They threatened three missionaries and began to torture them to deny Jesus. Nezatie, the local missionary, was stabbed 99 times; Tilman, German missionary, 156 times; and Ur, the other local missionary, countless. But all of them endured the torture for three hours, and no one denied Jesus. Eventually, they were beheaded and died a martyr. Right after this incident, Tilman’s family announced on local TV, and said, “We forgive them because they do not know what they did.” Nezati’s wife said, “He lived for Christ, and died for Christ, so his death is valuable. It was my honor to be his wife. And I will follow his footsteps.” And also, hundreds of Christians who had been hiding, now came out to the square and cried out, “We are all Christians. We are also ready to die a martyr.”

Missionary Jim Elliot said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” Mission is not one of the church programs. It is the nature of the church. Based on today’s scripture, the day will come when Jesus will ask each of us the following three questions: (1) “Did you truly love me?” (2) “Did you feed my lambs?” and (3) “Did you follow me to the end?” Sooner or later we must answer those questions. For me, I know that I will be gone soon like a mist. I know I will not preach on this pulpit forever. But my prayer is that I may follow the footsteps of Jesus, Peter, and the missionaries to Turkey by the power of the Holy Spirit. I want to give my all to Jesus, the King of all the earth, before the Day comes. My prayer is that all of us in this room may know the love of Christ and gladly lay down our lives for him and his people. Let us say without reserve, “Yes, Lord. I love you.” “Yes, Lord. I will feed your lambs.” “Yes, Lord. I will follow you!” Amen.