2016.04.17_Do Not Blaspheme Against the Holy Spirit
in 2016 Lord's Day, Sung Hyun Kim
[Matthew 12:31-37]
Christ suffered
even to the point of death
in order to fulfill God’s will,
for God’s will is as great and precious.
He ascended to heaven
and sent the Paraclete Holy Spirit (Jn 15:26),
which was also for
the fulfillment of God’s will.
God does the works of heaven.
Christ accomplished God’s works to the point of death,
and so does the Holy Spirit
to the end of the age (Mt 28:19-20).
However the ministry of the Holy Spirit
within saints is not coercive but restrained.
Therefore if they obey the Holy Spirit,
the will of God would be fulfilled;
However, it will be limited
if they oppose the Holy Spirit.
Saints must be
inspired by the Holy Spirit.
○Through constant humility and repentance,
we ought to maintain a grateful heart
for the grace they received.
○We must give our best effort
at every worship and official meetings in the church,
in order for the church to be moved by the Holy Spirit.
○We should be moved by the Holy Spirit
to become the church that serves
to save souls and grow the church.
※All of us must be united as one
to partake in the work of the Holy Spirit,
for which everyone needs to submit his own will before the Holy Spirit.
Let us become one and obey the Holy Spirit.
God’s Will God’s will is everywhere. God’s will has existed before the beginning of mankind and the world. Thus, God’s will must be placed above everything. God shall surely fulfill His will. Being against His will is interfering with His work. God continues to fulfill His will, even when people are not aware of it. God’s will is the very reason for the existence of all things, and guides every existing being. There is a reason why people must not abandon His will. Moreover, since Christians clearly know God’s will, they must welcome it. By His will, He saved us, and by His will, He guides us into His everlasting kingdom. God’s will is not something we should avoid. God is our eternal hope. Jesus Christ and God’s Will Jesus Christ clearly showed how God’s will should be treated on earth. He laid down His life in order to fulfill God’s will. God’s loving Son had to be sacrificed. Through this, we know how great God’s will is. Jesus Christ prayed in Gethsemane before He faced death by His Father’s commandment. His will, in the midst of threatening surroundings, conflicted with God’s will. However, He was not in conflict with God’s will. Though He confessed, saying, “May this cup be taken from me”, expressing His heart before God, He finally prayed, “Yet not as I will, but as You will.” (Mt 26:39) The reason that Jesus obeyed God’s will is, firstly, He was in the position of Christ. The task of Christ is to fulfill God’s will. Another reason is that He is the Son of God. The relationship between God and His Son is the origin of all other existing father-son relationships of the world. The position of Son has the obligation of obeying the Father’s will. In God’s will, the position we have is no different from Christ. We also must minister as the Lord has. We have Jesus’ name in common. The reason why God gave us Jesus’ name is to make us fulfill His work and glorify Him. Like Jesus, we are also sons of God. The Holy Spirit and God’s Will Before Jesus’ ascension to heaven, He gave us a Provider to allow us to do His work. He said to His disciples, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait until you receive the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 1:4-5). This is a momentous scene of the birth of the church. 1 John 4:13 says, “This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit.” The Lord guides churches through the Holy Spirit. We must help the Lord, who is in us, be successful in His work. Today, God’s will is in danger. Just as Jesus suffered under people in the past, so God’s will is being rejected by people today. It is not the earthly people of the world who blaspheme the Holy Spirit, but rather the saints in the church. Since the people in the world can neither receive nor know the Holy Spirit, they are not able to reject the Holy Spirit. Saints in the church, however, are in conflict with God’s will many times a day. In Old Testament times, God took His Spirit away from those who rejected His will, but today, since the coming of the promised Immanuel, the work of the Holy Spirit inside that person will gradually dissipate. (1Thess 5:19) The Lord sent His Holy Spirit to us in order to make us obedient. (Jn 16:13) Many people believe the Holy Spirit cooperates with us, but what Lord wants is for us to cooperate with the Holy Spirit. (Psalm 23:3) We often distort God’s will as we please. After repeatedly distorting God’s will, we tend to justify it, even when our work is against His will. That is putting God to the test. When you reject God’s will, it is foolish to test Him, whether He condemns it or not. Jesus also seriously warned that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit would not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. (Mt 12:32) The Church and God’s Will When the Holy Spirit fulfills God’s will through the church, we should especially be careful about our attitude towards the church’s work. We must not let ourselves put the Holy Spirit to the test. Though it is natural that each person has his or her own opinions, without the Holy Spirit, it is impossible for various people to unite to do God’s work. The Holy Spirit uses an overseer to guide the church, which the Lord bought with His own blood. This is by God’s own design, so no one should judge whether it is right or wrong. God regards the worship service where saints gather as something precious, and He especially works through it. As the end times draw near, people take on an intensely individualistic attitude. They think that God guides each believer respectively, but do not think His guidance is fulfilled through their church and overseer. Obedience to the church’s work is a saints’ lifelong task. The purpose of saints is to offer themselves to the Holy Spirit when He works. When Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit He said, “Though I have suffered and been insulted, the Holy Spirit cannot be in that same way.” In order not to be despised like in the past, the Lord said, “I will do My work only in My saints. Therefore live by the Holy Spirit.” Unfortunately, however, the Holy Spirit is blasphemed even by His own saints. During our short time on earth, we should be holy instruments that fulfill God’s will. We are the ones who hope for the everlasting kingdom. The Lord prayed, “I want those who You have given Me to see My glory, the glory You have given Me because You loved Me before the creation of the world.” (Jn 17:24) Seeing His glory itself is reason enough to lay down your life. Our present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed in us. (Romans 8:18-21) We should not feel relieved, but perform the task given to the church of saving souls. Now, you should work to save others. By practicing the new commandment that Jesus has given us, we must not grieve God in fulfilling His work. You must train and control yourself in order not to interfere with the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Saints helping each other is how to practice the new commandment Jesus has given us. The reason why God gathers and build us into His church in our spiritual lives is to encourage each other. If there is someone who lacks power to overcome hardships and enemies, we should help them gain victory. Church of God, we should allow the Holy Spirit of truth to fulfill God’s will as He pleases.
The outer man is perishing, sapped of energy and will. Yet my soul is renewed and strengthened day by day. If I was of the flesh, my soul would fall away; however to love my soul is my true freedom and I desire to enjoy that freedom. I’m free. I live for God, and for my soul. I know what happiness is, for I am free. Freedom means not self-indulgence but rather faith that overcomes every kind of oppression. God is free. He is restricted by nothing in heaven and on earth or anywhere else. It does not concern Him whether or not someone or something ignores and rejects Him, for He alone is everlasting and has the ultimate victory. I know what my spirit desires. My spirit trusts in all the truth that God has permitted. Though the matters of the flesh hinder my spirit, God’s truth sets my spirit free because God’s word and its power bring blessedness to my soul. The inspiration of God’s word, the inspiration of the Blood, and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, comfort, strengthen and satisfy my soul. The flesh follows the way of the flesh but the spirit walks the way of the spirit. Am I of the flesh or of the spirit? In reality, it’s both. Thus if I live according to the flesh, I will certainly perish but if I live for the spirit, I will surely have eternal life. Whenever I preach the word of God and the works of the God’s kingdom on the pulpit, my soul is filled with happiness. I’m happy and blessed because I don’t have any doubts. There is no power in me that can subdue my soul; I accept everything that my soul desires. Looking at the flowers in the streets, it doesn’t matter if they are tall or short, or if the flower is big or small. They are free as they are in their season. I won’t be free if I couldn’t have happiness through faith as a Christian. But God knew the desires of my soul and granted them all through Jesus Christ. I would be wretched if my soul was weak and powerless. When my soul is joyful, it desires to dedicate unto God who delights in my soul. The reason I preach and write is because of the freedom I have – it is to prevent my soul from resting and being idle. To serve God is my soul’s freedom. I dedicate and devote everything of mine to God because that is the freedom of my soul. Though I might sacrifice everything for the sake of my flesh, it has its limits. All that I did for my flesh has left nothing but this aged and weak body. However the life I lived for my soul is drawing me closer day by day to the glory I will receive. My soul thus rejoices for the fullness of the glory it will receive. Pastor Ki-Dong Kim
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Outline translated by Sarah Lee Summary translated by Sung-In Hong Letter translated by Sarah Lee Interpretations by Sarah Lee Chief Editor: Helen Nam
Lord’s Day Worship Column
Korean Summary by Ki-Taek Lee