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2016.02.21_The Weightier Matters of the Law

in 2016 Lord's Day, Ki Dong Kim

Senior Overseer Ki-Dong Kim

Outline

[Matthew 23:23-24]

God

is love.
His concern for the world
is on account of His great will (Mt 6:10).
The will of God is that He loves His Son (Jn 6:39-40),
for whom He created all things (Heb 1:3).
Therefore
when God sent His Son to the world,
He sent Him as the word of God (Jn 1:14).
The Word
is the will of God which was in His bosom (Jn 1:18),
and man has to receive His words as His commandments (Jn 10:17-18).
The Law is God’s word,
and so is the truth,
both of which the foundation is love.
Hence
there must be love in righteousness;
love in mercy;
and love in faith.
Though we know the Law and believe the Gospel, if we have not love,
then we have neglected the great will of God.
○Woe to him who understands the Law perfectly
but has not love,
which is the foundation of righteousness.
○Woe to him who fully accepts the Gospel
but has not love,
which is the foundation of mercy.
○Woe to him who has faith
but has not love,
which is the foundation of faith.

※As warned by Jesus Christ,
let us not neglect the weightier matters of
the Law, the Gospel and faith.

Summary

Obey and persevere in order to receive God’s blessings
God is love. Though He is invisible, He displayed Himself through His exceeding love for His Son. We can somewhat fathom God’s love for His Son through the love parents have for their children. Parents love their children more than their own lives. And God’s love for His Son is exactly the same. Our faith is about understanding that love of God.

It is common where people consider materialistic fortune such as winning the lottery when it comes to blessings. We may often see people asking God for materialistic wealth, only to later abandon their faith in disappointment when they receive no answers from God. We have to understand that the word of God is like a seed that contains God’s blessings. Whoever desired to be blessed must receive that word, for rejecting the word is equivalent to rejecting God’s blessing.

To accept God’s blessing is like planting a seed in the field. God promised Abraham, “I will bless you”, and indeed Abraham received the seed God planted in him. Farmers first plant seeds, in order to later harvest fruits. It requires time and patience for that seed to grow into a tree. In the same way, it is imperative for one to wait and persevere to reap the fruit of God’s blessings.

God does not break His words. He never changes His words but surely fulfills everything He says (Num 23:19). Hence God’s words never disappoint us. We should not doubt God’s words, for to doubt mean to reject God’s blessings. We ought to patiently wait and persevere so that the seed which God planted within us can root itself and grow healthily.

Be a source of blessing, so that our children will be blessed for generations to come
When God promised His blessings, He always said, “You and your children will be blessed” or “Your children will be blessed for a thousand generations”. Though we might not immediately see the fruits of God’s blessings before us, if God’s word roots itself within us as we fellowship with God, one day its fruits will grow, and our children will eat those fruits for generations to come. On the contrary, idolatry is equivalent to planting a seed of curse, and as a result, the children of idolaters will eat the fruits of curse to the third and fourth generations.

Every parent desires their children to be born healthy and be happy. However, there are unfortunate cases where children are born disabled or experience unforeseen accidents, and parents have to bear the agony for the rest of their lives. None of us knows what could happen to us in the future, or who will be born to us. The best choice we can make is to receive God’s blessings. If we become a source of blessing, our children can eat the fruits of blessing for generations to come. The population of Israel is only 8 million, and yet they are able to stand against the neighboring Arab nations with more than 400 million people. Moreover, roughly thirty percent of recipients of the Nobel Prizes to date are Jews. The reason they enjoy these fruits of blessings today is because their forefathers had chosen God’s blessings.

Prove your love for God
If we were to describe the central theme of the Bible in one word, we could say it is relationships. The Bible firstly talks about the father-and-son relationship, which is bound by love and filial piety; secondly, the relationship between husband and wife, which in turn, explains the relationship between Jesus, the groom and the church, His bride; and thirdly, brotherhood, that is, how the saints form one body in Christ. And in all of these relationships, love is emphasized as the most important and fundamental element. The Bible strongly emphasizes that even if we abide by the Law perfectly, it means nothing if we do not know the love of God which is more important than the Law; though we accept the Gospel completely, it means nothing if we have not love for our brothers; and though we have the faith move mountains, it means nothing if we have not love for God.

It may seem foolish in the eyes of the unbelievers in the world, however we give tithes to God because we love God. Tithing is different to the offerings we give to God voluntarily out of our own. If anyone is burdened to tithe, it is because he considered tithes as his own from the very beginning. Tithes belong to God (Mal 3:7). A person who struggles to give tithes properly, will also try to give as little offering as possible to God. The word offering originally has the meaning of “blessing”. When we give offerings with joyful hearts, we are proving and boasting of the fact that we are the blessed ones.

It is very difficult for someone who used to belong to the world to become a Christian. Yet it is neither easy for a Christian to remain faithful until Christ’s return, and enter the wedding banquet with Christ. We need to repent before the door is shut. We have to love God while we still have the chance. People like Judas Iscariot and King Saul who lost their opportunity to love God, took their own lives. We must not neglect the chance God gave us to repent any more. How many times have we challenged God, beginning with robbing Him of what is rightly His? When God gives us His words, we ought to quickly repent and turn back.

Do not neglect righteousness, mercy and faith
When it comes to our faith life, it is vital that we know God’s righteousness. Otherwise, we cannot but live a religious life out of a sense of obligation. The Pharisees’ lives were absolutely spotless, that one could find no fault in them in terms of the Law. However, they did not know the righteousness of God. Righteousness refers to how God demonstrated His love for His Son. Whoever understands this relationship of God and His Son understands God’s righteousness, and such a person can see the glory of God.

God loves us with the love He has for His Son. We must accept that love which God revealed to us. Not only should we, but our children should also be taught about that love. How great is the love people have for their own children? If God gave such love to man as his nature, how much greater will the love of God be? At times, people think they are not being loved by God. However, that fact that God gave us His words to hear and desires to plant those words into our hearts itself proves His love towards us.

In the same way that God revealed His love for us through Christ, we ought to demonstrate our love towards God through the church, the body of Christ. Our relationship with Jesus Christ is like that of husband and wife. This marriage relationship is not a contract agreement that is forced upon, but based on genuine love. That love is not ephemeral; both husband and wife sacrifice themselves for each other. Even though they discover a fault in the other person, they endlessly forgive and maintain their relationship.

What Christ desires from us, His wives, is righteousness, mercy and faith. At the heart of all these is love. Though we might observe the Law perfectly, if we have not love, it is the same as straining out a gnat but swallowing a camel (Mt 23:24). Though a person is outwardly perfect like the Pharisees, it means nothing if he does not receive God’s love; though a person received God’s grace, it means nothing if he does not love the church; and though a person has great faith, it means nothing if he does not love God. We have to understand what God desires from us, and demonstrate our love towards God. To love God is what our faith is about. We must turn away from our unbelief and disobedience before God, and instead love God.

Semuon’s Letter

I’ve had many friends in my life who I’ll never forget, though I won’t name every one of them. However there is a friend I do want to share about. Being a pastor is a very unique and demanding job. People desire pastors to be perfect like god, while a pastor is perceived in the world as but a gentle and refined sage. Thus there is one too many things a pastor has to struggle and overcome on his own, as a mere human being in the flesh.

There is an old fable about a barber who went to give the king a haircut. He was shocked to see the king’s ears for they were like donkey’s ears. He was strictly warned not to tell anyone about having seen the king’s ears; if not, he would be executed. From that day, the barber had to keep this a secret but it became too much for him to bear alone that he fell ill.

One day, a doctor examined his conditions and noticed that it couldn’t be cured with any medicine. So he told the barber, “Go and cry out the secret you have in your heart, into the hole of an old tree stump on a windy day”. The barber did as the doctor prescribed and immediately, he recovered his health.

People can’t keep what they have seen a secret. Instead people can fall ill from trying to hide a secret. Yet a pastor has to live like that barber his whole life. Otherwise he would have to bear severe consequences. What if there is another person like this barber close to the pastor?

A pastor is not a god; he is a man with flesh, an average human being. The only difference is that he lives a holy and devout life on account of his heavenly office. It is difficult since he has to bear the agony by himself, but actually it’s not easy for his close friends either. Still, I couldn’t be happier if there was someone who genuinely knows me to stand in my defense. In the Bible, there is the story of Ham (Canaan) who was eternally cursed along with his descendant, because he couldn’t keep it to himself but told his brothers how he saw Noah’s nakedness. This demonstrates how significant a subordinate person’s conduct can be.

Elder Kwi-Il Cho was first employed as the church bus driver 36 years, and finally became ordained as deacon and then an elder. During those 36 years, he was with me every single day except when I was overseas, but now he has left my side due to his old age. I want to commend him, for he was not just an employee of the church but had a sense of ownership. He was a true steward indeed.

As one who attended to every matter that concerned my residence and family, as well as my every move as a pastor, he was most faithful and knew how to keep silent. There’s probably no pastor, lay minister or deacon who haven’t received a scolding from elder Cho at least once, not because of his character, but because he had a real sense of ownership of the church.

He indeed brought me great joy. I hope we would all have this sense of ownership.

Pastor Ki-Dong Kim
Lord’s Day Worship Column

2015 Audio

2015 Video

Credits

2016.02.14_Before the Door is Shut

in 2016 Lord's Day, Ki Dong Kim

Senior Overseer Ki-Dong Kim

Outline

[Matthew 25:1-13]

God

is absolutely infallible.
The years and time
of the world He created are perfect,
in accordance with
the Creator’s will and nature (Ecc 3:1-8).
Hence
the day and hour for all things
are in God’s authority (Mt 24:36-37).
We must observe the time in order to know God.
One generation passes away and another comes,
but God is forever immutable (Ecc 1:4-11)
There is a time when God opens the door
and a time when He shuts (Mt 25:13).
Wise is the Christian that discerns this,
but anyone that ignores this and acts on his own
will fail to enter through the door.
Fleshly ordinances ought to become spiritual discipline
that profit our spiritual life.
Man is under the restraint of time.
The one born of the Spirit must observe the time (Jn 3:8).
○When the time came, the Lord came up out of the Jordan;
when the time came, He preached the Gospel;
when the time came, He foretold of His resurrection.
○Do not be as the foolish virgins
who regret after the door is shut,
but enter in before it is shut.
○Do not think about the persons in the grave;
save souls before they are gone;
save your own soul.

※Worship time is a model that symbolizes
that hour in heaven.
Enter in before the door is shut.

Summary

Be ready before the time is up

God is absolutely infallible. The atomic clock, which is said to be the most accurate clock built by humans, will only lose or gain one second in 3 million years. Yet God is more accurate than such an atomic clock. Over the span of eternity, God does not permit even one second of error and carries out everything according to His timetable. The prophecies in the Bible foretold of what God was going to do in the future. People in the past waited for the coming of Christ in accordance with those prophecies, and Jesus came as prophesied, died, and ascended to heaven after He resurrected.

To the disciples who asked about the end times, Jesus said, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority” (Ac 1:7). The Lord made it clear that we cannot know the times which God has appointed (Mt 24:36). However some people deceive others by claiming that they know when that time and season will be. In doing so, they are in opposition to God, for trying to know the times which God only knows essentially mean that they are trying to become like God.

Satan is the one that fell while trying to make himself equal to God (Isa 14:14). Though Jesus Christ is originally equal to God, He did not take equality as granted but humbled Himself, taking the form of a servant and obeyed to the point of death (Php 2:6-8). Yet an angel who is merely a servant, tried to make himself equal to God. It was with a similar message that the serpent tempted Eve, for it said to her, “You will be like God” (Gen 3:5).

Though it is essential to know God in order to have eternal life, we must not try to know of the things which God put only in His own authority. The Son of God is equal to God, and yet there is a clear hierarchy between the Father and Son. Therefore the Son respected this, and did not seek to know that which the Father put in His authority. And this should be all the more so for us who used to be sinners and became children of God by grace.

In regard to the things God forbade, we should not insist on finding out, but rather obey with a humble heart. Parents do not tell their children of certain things which they deem will not benefit their children if they knew. This is the same with God. Thus, instead of trying to find out the times and seasons, we ought to be on guard always and be ready for that day as Jesus said (Mt 25:13).

You can’t enter once the door is shut
Traditional Jewish wedding ceremonies are quite unique. The groom goes through the entire town with his guests during the day and enters the wedding hall around sunset. What is unusual about the ceremony is, once it is time, the doors to the hall are shut, and nobody is allowed to enter thereafter. Even if it is a close friend of the groom, if the doors are shut, he has no choice but to congratulate the groom from outside the wedding hall.

There is a need for us to self-examine whether the door has been shut or not when it comes to our spiritual life. Although everyone is worshipping together in the one building, some would have entered through the door, while others are still standing outside. The Lord said that though ten virgins all waited for the groom, only five were able to enter and the other five could not. We have to take these words of the Lord seriously. Once the door is shut, it is impossible to enter even if a person might have prepared his oil later on (Mt 25:1-13).

A person once said in his testimony, “There was a time when I used to make a lot of money, and I could’ve easily dedicated to build a worship sanctuary all by myself if I wanted to.” Perhaps some of the people listening to his testimony might think that he has great faith. But his story is just a thing of the past. He did not enter through the door while the door was opened.

The Lord described the five virgins who failed to enter the wedding banquet as foolish. A foolish person ignores the Lord’s word when they have a chance, only to panic after the chance is gone. We need to observe whether or not the door is already shut upon our families and be watchful. If the door is shut, it will be useless even if others lend their oil to that family.

From the moment we start our faith lives, we ought to be true saints, that is, the Lord’s brides. Many people come to the Lord and cry out, “Lord, help me!” However, in a lot of instances, the help they are after is tied to the prosperity of their flesh. No matter how well-off a person is in his flesh, he cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven with that (1 Co 15:50). A person who was baptized in the name of Jesus Christ and united with Him is His bride already. Such a person should not be wandering astray still by neglecting the fact that he has become the Lord’s bride. Instead, the bride is required to love the groom fervently.

Love the church before the door is shut
We have to love God before the door is shut. And if we do sincerely love God, we ought to love our neighbors as our self. To love as our own self means to love with a mother’s heart. It is a mother’s heart to feed her children with the best, even if she has to starve; a mother provides for her children in order that they succeed, even if that means to sacrifice everything she has.

The church is our closest neighbor which we must love with such a heart of a mother. People of different backgrounds, gender and personality come to church, but everyone unite to form the body of Christ. Later, the Lord will say to some, “Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels, for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me” (Mt 25:41-46). Those people may then answer, “Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?” We have to understand that it is when we love the church, that we truly love the Lord.

It is meaningless to later reminisce over the past and regret. We must love the Lord when we have the chance to love Him. Once the door is shut, we cannot show our love to Him even if we want to. In the Bible, there are many scenes where Jesus walks past some people. After the Lord passes by, there is no second chance. “Do you know how hard I worked until now to get the oil ready?” a person might say, but the door will never again be open after it is shut. The Lord forewarned us of this. We have to love the Lord before the door is shut.

Semuon’s Letter

It is my earnest dream to keep writing unto the end of my life that is slowly coming to a close. As I didn’t have many opportunities to receive proper education, being able to read and write was to me a great blessing. Thus, I strived to zealously read, learn and write, and was able to write numerous books which is certainly not easy for most to achieve. In so doing, my hope is for my works to take real effect once I am gone from this world, rather than at present. Perhaps my life will end before I accomplish everything, yet I will continue working through my writings.

Before I pick up the pen, I earnestly pray for several months, even a whole year, to have the inspiration, wisdom and knowledge to write. Never would I rush into write anything hastily, but only after I receive God’s answer, would I pick up the pen to write. Then by hand, I carefully write each and every letter which I treasured in my heart and soul, not stored inside a machine. Though others may not understand or believe me, this is my truth; I have written from the inspiration of God.

Therefore, it cannot be denied that the Holy Spirit works together with my writings, touching the readers and manifesting His powers and signs. For the people who have my books, they, or even their children could get the chance to read it at least later on if not now, and I’m confident that great wonders of God will accompany them.

Readers will benefit from reading my books if they start by reading the ones written first. Also, I strongly discourage introducing new releases to those who are new to church or unfamiliar with these books. As a person plants a seedling for the tree to root down, prune the branches for the tree to flower and finally bear fruits, I want to recommend everyone to read my books in series, beginning with the first one I wrote, which I’m sure, will establish a balance in knowledge and give inspiration to the reader. Then, anyone will come to know that this word is the living water that comes from the Rock. This Rock is Jesus Christ. My books are not written for Jesus, but to impart the message of Jesus.

As I always write an introduction before going on to the contents of the book, I would like to encourage readers to always have a thorough read through the introduction first. Once they digest the introduction, it will guide them to comprehensively understand the book’s actual contents. The key is not in finishing the book quickly; one has to receive the message, for then the contents of the book – written by God’s power and inspiration – will become a blessing to the reader. The word of God is a blessing, His gift.

Pastor Ki-Dong Kim
Lord’s Day Worship Column

2015 Audio

2015 Video

Credits

2016.02.07_Receive Power

in 2016 Lord's Day, Ki Dong Kim

Senior Overseer Ki-Dong Kim

Outline

[Acts 1:6-11]

God is living.
Since all the worlds
were made according to the word of God (Heb 11:3),
God is the one and only true god (Jn 17:3).
God made a covenant with us
in order to give us eternal life (Jn 3:16),
and to reward
those who obey His will (Ac 5:32).
The Lord Jesus desires
that we receive power (Ac 1:8).
To give us power,
He gave the Holy Spirit into our hearts, and for that
He said we must receive the forgiveness of sins (Ac 2:38).
Only then can we be witnesses of Jesus
in this world.
He shed His blood on the cross
to fulfill all these things;
this is the truth (Jn 14:6).
He who loves God
must love his neighbors as a witness of Jesus.
○Put your trust in God’s word.
Jesus is the Word and the truth.
The Bible is His words.
○Jesus Christ is the same
yesterday, today, and forever.
Every word of God is effective.
○We must receive power.
This is an earnest request of the Lord Jesus
who died on the cross and resurrected.
※It is our duty
to become a witness of Jesus.
This is all that we must do in this world.

Summary

Semuon’s Letter

It’s the beginning of another year, after a year flew by at 80km an hour. Exactly how much more remains before me, I do not know, but it is only very short and for that I thank God. I look back on my long journey past as though looking from the top of a high mountain. There is a surge of regrets, shame and disappointments. Now my flesh is weak and there’s no time to spare, nor do I have any social qualifications. I am in anguish, for there is nothing more that I can do, and yet I must keep myself to the end, and fulfill the spiritual responsibility given me unto my last breath.
While I put things behind me one by one, I now want to immerse myself into literature just as I have always wished. But realizing my ignorance and lack of knowledge, I feel abashed and quite embarrassed. Knowledge requires a teacher, from whom one acquires fundamental principles and theories. I will never be able to deny that I am indeed and ignorant man.
Despite my efforts to study my entire lifetime, I never learned anything properly, and resultantly, gained nothing. Though I try, my aged brain and body do not allow me to practice what I learned. I have no real teacher whose name I can engrave in my bones and treasure. This is because I didn’t have much interest in studying.
Not only that, I lack the common sense which I should actually have. While in today’s world, people can access information and obtain knowledge easily using their handy smart phones, yet even that I do not have. I’m simply living as but a blind man in this world. Nowadays, even farmers in rural areas are able to utilize the internet, whereas I cannot. I’m just a fool, feeling abashed by my ignorance.
But how fortunate it is that I came to know God and the Bible early on in life! I know and believe in God, who revealed Himself in the Bible more than anybody else, as well as Jesus Christ whom He sent, and the Paraclete Holy Spirit whom Jesus sent. Though some might call me arrogant and proud, this is an undeniable truth.
My knowledge of God and the wisdom I thus have are an enormous blessing to me who is ignorant and lacks the wisdom of this world. Even if I lose everything in this world, I cannot lose God; even if I know nothing in this world, I know Jesus. Is this not why He still uses me to preach to this day?
I wish for another fool like me to appear, one who is full of the knowledge of God, though ignorant in worldly knowledge. I am nothing but a man of many flaws covered in dust and stains in this world. Still, I am holy and living because I know and believe in the blood of Jesus. For me, time is not simply fleeting; it is flashing past at the speed of light. I celebrate this short life of mine, and give thanks to God.

Pastor Ki-Dong Kim
Lord’s Day Worship Column

2015 Audio

2015 Video

Credits