March 17th, 2019
ICA Sunday Pulpit Message
Transcript : MS Word (English) , PDF (English)
Bulletin : PDF (English)
Introduction:
In the church, pastor gives the message. But, the word of the bible records the events not relevant to our daily lives. It is not a story about Koreans or Americans; it’s about the Jewish people, the Israelites. It is the story of the past that isn’t even relevant to the forth revolution happening right now. But, the pastor always talks about the bible while standing on the pulpit. It’d be even better if the pastor talked about the things written in the newspapers or showed up in the TV dramas or movies, but he talks about the things written in the bible.
But, in the headline in the news, if our family or myself was involved in the event, I’d look at those articles more carefully. And, if the actor in the TV or drama was my family member, I’d look at the movie with close detail. It is the same with the bible. This bible, the word of God that is recorded by God, if God is part of our family, and we are able to realize this, we see the bible in a different perspective. So, pastor is giving the message, and this message is the word of God, and if God becomes our Father, than this message, this voice of God, to us becomes a different voice. So, God who created all creations, my Father God, what is He going to tell us today? God who knows the day of our death, if we realize God is our Father, we’ll listen to this message in a more careful manner or a different posture. That is the difference. Although the message is given by the pastor, the source of the message comes from Father God. If we realize this, the message is different to us. I bless you that you’ll have these blessings and answers. And, the fact that God is our father—this only happens when we have faith. But, around us, there are a lot of events that hinder us from having this faith. Because I’ve never met God in person, and there is not greeting of God by appearing before us in real life, and seeing the actions that are taking place in the church, it seems like God does not exist. That is why we don’t have this conviction about the existence of God. It would be easier for us to believe if God was in our presence and spoke into the mic, but it is someone else stating this word. But, surprising, God gives faith to those He chose.
God is living, and He is our eternal Father, and He is helping us. We get to have this faith that God is speaking His voice through His servants. This is the faith that God has given us as a gift and as a grace. That pulpit will come to us as the voice of God, and we’d get to think of this message throughout the week. That voice of God, the message that comes by promise. Hallelujah. We get to see that our God is the God of promise. The bible records all these promises. Those who believe and receive this message, God calls us as the people of the promise. Do you believe this? The bible is the promise God gave to us. So, we are the chosen people of God, of the covenant. We are the people that receive God’s covenant and are the people of His kingdom. We can give this confession.
1. We are God’s chosen people of the covenant.
We get to see what kind of promise God gives to us. If you look at the message points, it records the structure of this pulpit. There are several bible scriptures. And, there were 3 important problems that was given to mankind. It was the problem of sin, going to hell, and the problem of Satan. And, there is no person that doesn’t sin in front of God. With a single sin they commit, they are supposed to go to hell. There is an existence that makes people go to hell, and that is Satan. And, because Satan is living, Satan is creating all these problems to mankind. The offspring of the woman, the Christ, solved all the problems of sin, hell, and Satan. The offspring of the woman broke the head of Satan.
More importantly, He is on my side. There is a great meaning to this. He is on my side because He takes responsibility of my life. It’s the offspring of the woman that allowed the relationship between the Father and the Son, between God and us. Although we haven’t met Jesus Christ in person, He is our older brother. As we have greater faith in our life, God will allow us to have confession that Jesus is our brother and our friend. It is recorded that Jesus is the only Son of God and is the old brother. Like so, Jesus is our older brother. Do you understand? Jesus is your older brother. You should give this confession and praise. It is the same for every church. Many of the churches give the confession that Jesus is my Lord and Master, but if they confess that He is my brother, they tend to see this as heretic. And, although the bible records this, and even the Early Church confessed this, the church of modern days doesn’t accept this. This is the limitations. If we see in the recordings, many of the Early Church members raised their hands and prayed. It is getting better nowadays, but it isn’t common for people to raise their hands and give praise to God. It’s because many people believe it is heretic. That is the limitations of the modern church and their church members.
Christ is our teacher. He is the one who gives us continuous lessons and teachings. We also believe it is the offspring of the woman that solved all our problems. That person is on our side. It is recorded in Genesis chapter 3 verse 15. It means the offspring of the woman, who broke the head of the serpent, is the Christ, is our teacher, and is our brother. God gave this as a promise. It comes to us as a promise because it is recorded in the bible. It is God opening up our hearts and opening up the doors. Anyone who accepts Jesus Christ, God said He’ll be on that person’s side and break the forces of darkness. That is the promise and covenant of Genesis chapter 3 verse 15. Through the blood of Jesus that He shed on the cross, the people who believe in Him shall never be slaves of the world. That is the word on Exodus chapter 3 verse 18, and that is our covenant. It is a covenant that is recorded in Isaiah chapter 7 verse 14, that the virgin will give birth and will call Him Immanuel.
And, just like Peter confessed that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God, Jesus broke down all our problems in our daily lives. Although it was the word of Jesus Christ that Peter confessed, he received the blessings of standing firm of the stone and a church on this stone. He called Peter to this blessing like a firm stone that would never break. It was building the church on this stone and the kingdom of God taking place. It was also given as a promise the authority to cast away darkness. All the blessings in the heavens. All the substance, it is in heaven. It gave the key to the doors of heaven to Peter. If we believe and pray in the name of Jesus, all of things of heaven will fall upon us. All the substance from heaven should fall upon us for that to be realized on the earth. It is the word of Jesus that said may you pray that what is fulfilled in heaven will be fulfilled on earth. After realizing this, it is a tremendous blessing.
Also, there is a reason God allowed this blessing to take place. It’s because the promise is in Christ so we can proclaim His name to the world. God has taken control of all these events. That is why it is recorded in Matthew chapter 24 verse 14, the Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached to the whole world and testified to all nations. God will pour out all these blessings so we can believe in His name that Jesus is the Christ. If we believe in this, the answer record in Mark chapter 3 will be upon us. If we hold onto the covenant of testifying His name, we’ll hold to the covenant of Matthew chapter 1 verse 23. God has promised to give the answer of oneness once we confess we’ll do world evangelization. God gave us this promise not as a ring but as His covenant. It is for us to believe. Those who believe and testify this covenant, they don’t have to worry. There is no need for them to have concerns or worries. There is for them to be nervous or to fall in despair. There is no need for them to follow the cultures of the world. There is no need for them to be swayed by the public opinions or have fortune tellers tell their fortunes. They are free from all the myth. Do you believe this?
To be honest, it is okay even if you fail. It is okay if you don’t have power. It is okay if you have a past that you don’t want others to know. God is still with us. It’s because we are given this promise that our past is gone inside of Christ, and we are created in a new creation. Amen. Therefore we should not be swayed when we face problems, hardships, or crisis. It’s not saying why do we face these problems when we believe in Jesus. It is because God wants to fulfill covenant of Christ through these problems. It is giving the evidence that God is with us in this problem. It is the evidence that God is going to fulfill His plan through the events. It is to enlarge our vessels through the crisis we face. God will give us the evidences of His power if we are in hardship of crisis. It means that because we believe in Jesus, God is with us and will show all these miracles. This is the people of the covenant, the people of God. If we realize this and enjoy this, our characteristics will change. Our values of seeing the world and all of our lives will change. That is why our language and culture will change. It’s because the forces of darkness that was binding our souls will flee. Those who held to this covenant and experienced this were the people of Mark’s Upper Room.
2. They were God’s chosen people of the covenant
That is why the people of Mark’s Upper Room were the ones to fulfill this covenant of God. Is this true? When the day of the Pentecost came, the day of the Pentecost is the time schedule God chose. And, as you know, the day of the Pentecost was the law Moses decided. On the day of the Pentecost, before 1500 years, it was the day Moses decided this. It was the day of God when it was decided, from that day, it was to be 1500 years. They went inside this covenant that was promised 1500 years ago. They went into that place that Jesus promised. Before they received the filling of the Holy Spirit, they held onto the promise to not leave the land of Jerusalem. When they concentrated in prayer for 10 days, they received the filling of the Holy Spirit. When this happened, what did the people say? People said they were drunk in the day time. This was when Peter stood up with the 11 apostles.
We should read the bible carefully and look at this in a careful manner. It was Peter who spoke the words, and when he spoke this, the 11 apostles stood up together. That is the teamwork of the church officers. The people of Mark’s Upper Room enjoyed this answer of oneness. It’s like when the pastor proclaims the word, it is the church officers standing up together to support him. May all the church officers and Remnants who are preparing to receive this answer, may you receive this blessing. When there was a response of why they were drunk in the day time, this is what Peter said. It was 9 in the morning. The Jewish people had a different standard of telling time and based it on the sun. When they said 3, it actually means 9 in the morning. Peter is saying that they were not drunk in the day at 9 in the morning, looking through a different perspective. He explained they were not drunk, but instead fulfilling the what was prophesized by the prophet Joel.
We know the bible of prophet Joel. God prophesized through this prophet Joel that I would pour out My spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesize. The young men will see visions. The old men will dream dreams. And, the servants both men and women will receive this spirit. Whoever calls upon My name will be saved. These words of prophet Joel was being fulfilled. The scripture today is the same as the one in Joel. It was not because they were drunk; Peter was explaining that the covenant prophesized 800 years ago is being accomplished. We could see the people of Mark’s upper room were in the schedule that God wanted, in the place and the event. Just imagine ourselves being in the time and place and event God wants. It would be tremendous. It was the conclusion that the people of Mark’s Upper Room were in the time and the place and the event where God’s covenant was being fulfilled. And, because God was pleased, God recorded them in the bible for the future generations to read. It was giving us the covenant that as we read and see this, we should do the same thing as those of Mark’s Upper Room. We should be really thankful. It’s giving us the covenant that the Jews received this blessing. And, as spiritual Jews, as child of God, we should enjoy this blessing.
3. There is a way to fulfill God’s covenant
So, the people of Mark’s Upper Room were in the path of God’s covenant being fulfilled. What should we do? Should we go to Mark’s Upper Room? How are we supposed to get the Visa to go to Israel? What should we do when our church member doesn’t know the actual day of the Pentecost? I’ll explain this. There is no need for you to go to Israel. No need for you to calculate the day of the Pentecost. But, if you become the people of 3 Today’s, you can enter into the time, place and event that God wants. I’ll end this pulpit by explaining this. I’ve continuously talked about the 3 Today’s. The 3 Today’s means today’s word, prayer, and evangelism. What should we do with these things? The word means the church member following the flow of the word. Then how we ride the flow of the word when it is not like a river? It is recorded in Hebrews chapter 4 that the word of God is living and is moving. Because it is living and is moving, it has a flow. God gives us this word. There is a content. In the content, there is a core and there is a crust. For a long time, the core did not change, but the crust changed as time passed. The Messiah, the Christ, is explained as the offspring of the woman and is represented as a sacrifice. The flow representing the Son of God. Do you understand?
The time for us to gather and give worship is the time to receive the message of Christ. The place of church is where church members gather to follow the flow of the word. It is the servant of God that shows us the direction of this flow. Those who receive this flow and relay it to the future generations are called church officers. Those future generations who prepare their futures by following this flow are called Remnants. That is what the people of Mark’s Upper Room did. Amen. We are riding this flow to break the old frame, to prepare the vessels. That was the people Mark’s Upper Room. And, until March 17 to this worship, for 7 times we’ve changed the outer layer and preach this message. It is the servant of God that fulfills the covenant of God. And, the covenant of God is something tremendous. To those chosen people, God gives the message. Those who hold onto this covenant, God takes interest in those people. God looks over all the believers and non-believers, but God has an eye on those who hold onto the covenant. God pours His power upon those people who hold to this covenant no matter what the situation is. God, going further, pours the blessing upon those who relay this covenant to other people. It is the sure fact. And, the bible is filled with these stories. I bless you that you may become the people who ride the flow of the word.
Second is the church member that concentrates on prayer. The people of Mark’s Upper Room, for 10 days, concentrated on prayer. Concentrating on prayer means doing prayer diligently, but it has other meanings. This is because prayer is going before God. Concentrating on prayer means going before God and concentrating on God. This is as the bible says. To people who went and concentrated to God, God fulfilled all His works. It is the word of Jesus that anything that is fulfilled in heaven will be fulfilled on earth. People holding onto the covenant, God will pour down His power and blessings. It’s recorded in 2 Chronicles chapter 16 verse 9, and also recorded in Deuteronomy, to focus on God with your whole heart and sincere heart. God poured His filling of the Holy Spirit to those of Mark’s Upper Room who concentrated in His covenant. Although it may be a short time, may you set aside a time to concentrate on God. The power of God will take place.
There was no fire, no water falling down. I wasn’t able to speak tongues. God’s power will be in the works that you do. So, if the power of God comes upon us like rushing fire or wind, or if you speak tongues, things won’t work out. If you are not receiving grace, but you suddenly all these answers like fire and wind, you’ll go crazy. To stop this from happening, God is not allowing this. Without you realizing this, God is working with your works through His power. Why is this? It’s because God’s will should be fulfilled through you. Therefore, we should concentrate on prayer. We have this privilege of prayer before His throne. We have this privilege to see God face to face. As you experience this, you get the thought that you can solve everything through prayer. There is no need for you to stand, no need to try or fall into despair. I believe you can receive God’s blessing through concentrated prayer.
God will also allow you to receive answers of evangelism. The answer God wanted to give those in Mark’s Upper Room was the answer of evangelism. God prepared this answer of evangelism and gave them the filling of the Holy Spirit. The answer of evangelism is God preparing those who need this message. It is God allowing them to meet those people who need the answers. It is God preparing the people who need this salvation. Although they have been going to church for several years, those who have shock when listening to this message, those who then believed, they were prepared with this eternal life. That is why it is recorded in Acts chapter 3 that Peter said I’ll give you the things that I have and may you stand in the name of Jesus Christ. This is when God worked upon the word of Peter. This was when God allow him to Cornelius. This was when God allow Paul to meet all these people. This was when God prepared Priscilla and Aquila. This was when God allowed him to meet Timothy and Onesimus. That is the answer of evangelism. And, just like God allows the 12 apostles to Jesus, God will also attach the disciple to us.
So, I made this resolution that I should find at least 12 people in each specialized field. So, although I have 3 children, I’m praying for 12 children in my life. I’m praying for at least 12 church officers. And, I’m praying for at least 12 ministers who can do works. In these 3 fields, I’m praying for these life disciples. You might question that Jesus said 12, so why do you want 36? This is what Jesus did. As He gathered all the people of all the regions, He had 70 disciples. This is how I’m praying. Hallelujah. Through the answers of evangelism, all the answers of health, material and future generations will be included. That is the perfect plan of God. If God just randomly gave the answer of health, material and future generations, Satan would use this. What does this mean? Look at the Old Testament Job. Job received all these blessings, not doing evangelism. This was when Satan came to God, saying that Job believes in You because he has all this wealth and material. For this to not happen, God gives us the vision of evangelism so that you can have these blessings of health, material and future generations. That is the perfect system of answers that God has given. May you catch this and get to enjoy the blessing of eternal happiness. You’ll have this feeling of abundance of whether you should receive all these blessings. God will lead you to the perfect life of the Christian and make you a masterpiece. I bless you so you can live the life fulfilling His covenant.
Let us pray. Dear God, we give you thanks. We give praise to God. Just like the people of Mark’s Upper Room, You have given us this covenant to fulfill. May this become our eternal covenant, and may we have eternal victory. In Jesus Christ name we pray, Amen.