2017.12.10_The Good Man
in 2017 Lord's Day[Luke 10:25~37]
God
is love.
He sent the Word to the world
because He loved the world (Jn 3:16).
The Word appeared as the Son of Man – this is God’s love (Jn 1:18).
Jesus Christ was sent for this.
Since the creation of the world,
the world has been suffering from the devil’s attack (Jn 8:44).
The devil separates man from God, leading them to death (Gen 3:1-5),
and through sickness and poverty, drives them to despair.
However
God gave the Law and the priest (Ex 15:26).
The Levites are those who observe the Law entirely;
they are Pharisees.
The priest is the one entrusted with the duty
to offer sacrifices in the temple according to the Law.
Since they had the Law, the Israelites believed that
Israel will not suffer any more afflictions (Jn 2:20).
Nevertheless
even a person from Jerusalem is still under attack by a thief
and dying.
Neither the Levite nor the priest can save a dying person.
Only the love of God and the gospel can save the dying person.
◌ True love is life and grace.
Jesus Christ is love and grace.
One must have faith in Jesus to be saved.
◌ Today, even those who attend church are being cursed.
The devil is cursing man irrespective of time, place or person.
The gospel is that which saves the cursed.
◌ Saints ought to become the Good Samaritan.
When the Church has met a thief and is suffering in pain,
the whole congregation must stand up and take care of the Church.
※ Man cannot be saved by the Law and religion.
Only the Holy Spirit and the truth can save man.
True love alone can rebuild the Church.
Coming Soon
When I was a young man, I did not know the name Jesus. And because I didn’t know and therefore couldn’t call on His name, I was truly a wretched man. I experienced life as a person of lowest status in this world. I was ashamed of myself as I had no courage to talk about my status in front of my friends or other people. Because I was of low status, I had no money and couldn’t do much as a person. I was ashamed in front of my parents, I was ashamed even in front of my brothers and sisters that I always thought of committing suicide. The thought of death constantly crossed my mind that I was left with no hope whatsoever. Then one day, the sound of the church bell cried out and drew me to the church, and that was when I got to know Jesus. From that time on I called on the name of Jesus. From the time I started to call on Jesus’ name, remarkable miraculous signs that never happened before started to manifest before me. Eventually, after my faith grew, I was able to enjoy the fruits that faith had produced. As I believe in Jesus, what my soul knows and what my life bears witness to is a promise between me and God and my testimony. People look at the richness of my life and covet it, suspecting me of unlawful gain. But that is not true. The Book of Life before God will record everything in detail. God, who has seen me diligently call on the name of Jesus and honor the authority of that name, has enriched me and filled me with “the fullness of him who fills all things in every way”. I have worked hard to teach God’s word and build worship centers all my life. But I have never received a bribe from any businessperson or anyone for that matter. I have solely received the inspiration of the 5 loaves and the 2 fish from the Lord Jesus by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, whether it was a church or a family, wherever I put my hands to, there were miraculous signs and great wonders. Yet even I have several times experienced being dried up like a lake in a drought, as well as being filled as a lake overflows in the wet season. When I carefully ponder over the past, I realized that there were definite reasons for that. When my soul was filled with the name Jesus, my life was filled like an overflowing lake. But when I was like a dry lake when my soul was not filled with Jesus’ name. From now on, the work of my soul is to exalt the authority of the name of Jesus that God has given me and exalt it even higher. When my soul was full of the authority of the name Jesus, all the works of both my body and soul were abundantly filled. But the moment I dozed off and the authority of Jesus’ name diminished, all the works of my body and soul became stagnant and even in jeopardy. I do not want to resent anyone. I know the difference between honoring the authority of Jesus’ name and not doing so. Therefore, I will always be filled with His name (Jn 17:11-13). [gmedia id = 82]
Outline translated by Sarah Lee Chief Editor: Helen Nam
Letter translated by Sung-In Hong
Interpretations by Sarah Lee
Korean Summary by Ki-Taek Lee