July 22nd, 2018
ICA Sunday Pulpit Message
Transcript : MS Word (English) , PDF (English)
Bulletin : PDF (English)
July 22th, 2018
ICA Sunday Pulpit Message
The 'Me' within the ‘Answers of the Future’
(Ps.78:70~72)
<Intro>
Jesus was rebuking and said, “you can tell what will happen today by just looking at the sky. How can you not see the future and discern what will happen?” You can predict that if the sky is cloudy the whole day will be cloudy. Without seeing the whole picture, by seeing one thing, you can predict what will happen. There is an old saying in English, as the twig is bent, so grows the tree. The twig is bent and when it is bent that way it will grow that way. Last year, my wife was growing cucumbers. When the cucumber grows from the top, the cucumber will grow large. The cucumber that were near the soil, it was bent and not growing. Korean people have this old saying, you will have to see the leaves in order to see how it will grow. What they are saying is looking at a child’s actions they can predict what they will do in the future. Ordain Deacon Kevin, when you look at your grandson what do you see? You can tell by looking at your grandson that he will be strong and have good health. That is the case because the parents are healthy mentally and physically. In America, England, and New Zealand, they did this research with 1037 people. They had the results 2 years ago. It was published in the nature section. The research was over 3-year-old kids if they were repulsive, disorganized, or chaotic they predicted that they will have a greater chance of failing in the future. Over 1000 children they took pictures of their brain and was able to see what was happening inside the brain. They had this result when they were looking at the children’s brain which were weak which led to 80% of the children after 36 years they had dieses, or they were financially very poor, so they had to receive welfare from the government. The Korean old saying of, you need to look at the leaves before it grows was proved by scientific evidence. Have you heard about this genome project? Inside of our cells, they contain genetic information. Inside of our cells we have our 23 pairs of chromosomes. Now days they are doing this research, HGP, human genome project. Essentially, they are laying out genetics like a map, so you can see and know your genetic information beforehand and predict what dieses will come out at a certain age. They can prevent from having that dieses. They can utilize that information to maintain good health. From that little thing they can see the big thing. Because they can see the beginning they can see the end. I am going to talk about this. If you look at today’s scripture Ps. 78 it is about David. What does it say? David was a shepherd. He was tending his flock. This was before he was a king. God called David as a king. Do you know when God called David as a king? It was when David was a shepherd. God saw how David was tending his sheep and that is when God determined him as a king. God called David looking at his heart and his skillful hands. This is what we are going to talk about today. People in the world say this,
1. Today is the inevitable products of all the past, and it is the inevitable cause of all the future. (Ps.78:70)
Today is the product of the past. Let’s just say something terrible happened today. It didn’t just happen suddenly, but it happened as a result from your past actions. Today is the cause of the future. You should not think it is strange that something strange happened today. The things from the past prepares the things from today. God saw David as a shepherd and acknowledged him and raised him as a king. Today’s scripture is Ps. 78:70-72. Let us read it. He chose David his servant and took him from the sheep pens; from tending the sheep he brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel his inheritance. And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them. what does the scripture mean? There are two reasons why God called his as a king. David had an integrity of heart and skillful hands. At the time, being a shepherd was the most low-level job a person could have. It was running an errand in the household. David was the youngest in the family. For David, all his family members are asking him to be the shepherd. David could complain that because I am the youngest all my brothers are making me do the errands of being a shepherd. Having those complaints, is that integrity of heart? It is not integrity of heart. It is a heart filled with complaints. However, David did not think this way. He had an integrity of heart. When he was tending his flock, he had integrity of heart. What does it mean that he tended his flock with integrity of heart? It means he did it before God. I’m not doing these errands because I am the youngest, but I am doing this because God allowed me to do it. He did everything before God and for God he made that heart. He made that determination in his heart to give glory to God. When he was tending his flock, he did it with God. Normally when we are faced with great problems we ask God to be with us. However, David enjoyed being with God even doing the small tasks. That is integrity of heart. When he was doing the small task, he thought of God and was with God and he pray to God. With integrity of heart he was able to fulfill his work. When he was working with God do you think God gave him strength? God gave him strength and wisdom. That is why he had the skillful hands because he diligently worked and was able to improve his skills and became an expert. David confesses, all the sheep that I have tended, I have not lost any of them because this flock was entrusted by God to me, so I did not lose them to lions or bears. To protect the flock from the beasts, he had his sling shot. When he was shooting his sling shot he was with God. God was with him, so he never missed any shots. That later became a skill to overcome Goliath. Is this true? You need to catch on to this. To receive great blessings in the future, what must I do now?
2. Think before God, make up your mind for God, and work with God. (Ps.78:71~72)
Think before God, think to be with God, and do it for God. Then God will look at your heart and say you have integrity of heart. The creator God the King of all kings was entrusting something to you, you will have sincere heart and be thankful. What will happen when you will work for God? You will let go of your personal motives. Things you did for your own benefit will become a problem in the future. When God is with you when you work, he will fill your needs. If you lack wisdom he will give you wisdom, if you lack boldness, he will give you boldness. If you lack money and man power, he will give you people and money. That is who God is. Original mankind was created with God’s image. We are his creations and we are created with his image. Mankind was created with God’s image so when we are with God we enjoy blessings. Not only will we increase in number and subdue but also the power to conquer. These things follow because we are created in God’s image. Because of Jesus Christ our image of God has been restored. If you work for God, by God, and with God, you will increase, and everything will be overflowing. God will place you in the summit. It is not with our efforts, but God has already prepared it for us. We are his creation. Children that resemble their parents what about the heart of their parents? They want to raise their children well. Elder Moon you are sending your son to go play golf today, how are you going to send him? Just go and play? Do you have bad condition? Are you going to give up? Is that what you are going to say to him? That is not what a parent would do. That is not how a father thinks. You will focus on him asking, if he sleep well? Did he eat his meal and have enough nutrition in his body? What about his state of mind? You would think about his emotions as well. Does he have all his equipment? Does he know his location on the field and looking around this place? Looking at the weather and the atmosphere and which way the wind is blowing. Seeing which hole a difficult course is. He would think about everything and calculate them. why? Because he wants his son to win. Because he wants his son to play his best and because he is his son. Saved people who restored his image, God wants them to succeed. For us we must possess the faith that we must be with God. Whatever you do, you need to restore your faith to be with God. That is before God, being with God, and doing it with God. As you give worship do it this way. Do it before God. Do not be shaken because of a church member. That is how you should do when you devote to the church. You have your jobs. Do it this way in your occupation. Same as in the world, when you exercise or when you study in school. Ask God to control you heart and mind. I need this wisdom and skill. God, with that competition that I have, help me to win that competition. When I win, give me that power. When I lose help me to have good sportsmanship. Whatever situation, God will be with you. This is how Joseph was, when he received his father’s love he was with God and when he was a slaved he still was with God. When he was in prison and when he was the governor of Egypt he was still with God. When David was a shepherd or when he was out in the battlefield, he still enjoyed being with God. He was an official in the government a worker for God, he was still with God. Obadiah was with God when he was disciple. When Rahab was working for God, she was with God. Ruth was a woman of faith. She enjoyed being with God. Daniel who was a captive and eventually became king he was with God. Esther who was an orphan when she became a queen she was with God. Apostle Paul when he was building the tabernacle or when he was an evangelist, he was still with God. The centurion Cornelius when he was an official he was with God and when he was working he was with God. Whatever you do, don’t do it with your own strength but do it with God and for God. God saw David as a shepherd and selected as the king of the future. The things that you do today if you do it with God, God will prepare greater things in the future. God is watching over you and leading you and guiding you. you need to believe this. The things that you do today when you do it for God, with God, and before God, then God will guarantee everything for you. That is why it says in Galatians 6:9, Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Do not shake and wait for God’s time schedule. God is telling you this today, do the things for today to prepare the blessings in the future. God is watching over me today for the blessings for the future. Why? For the amazing future. You must give your faith today and put your faith in the center. The things that you do today, God is watching you. Believe the fact that God will guarantee the amazing future for you. God is watching the me today. God must discover you doing your best today. That is why Paul gave this sincere confession.
3. The life that is found by Jesus Christ is the life that has guaranteed future. (Phil.3:9; Mt.28:18~20)
It is recorded in Phil. 3:9, and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God based on faith. What’s the reason? That is which through faith in Christ. Is this true? Everyday as Paul evangelized, he wanted God to look at him. Paul knew the me today God is preparing me for the future. It was Paul that thought of his commission and future. It was Paul that made the determination for God. It was Paul evangelizing to be with God. Paul was doing the work of God to be with God. What kind of commission was entrusted to Paul? It was world evangelization. He said, for world evangelization, I will give one heart, whole heart, and continuation. Seeing that, God has guaranteed a great future for us. Do you want guarantee in your future? What is the way for this? It is this, when you have discovered Christ, your future is guaranteed. The moment when you have been discovered by Christ, your future is guaranteed. Just like Paul, hold on to God’s covenant. God’s desire is world evangelization. The vision of Christ is world evangelization. The way for the Holy Spirit to work is world evangelization. Only to save the souls and changing the field. Only to raise the future generations. This is world evangelization. When we devote ourselves for world evangelization, God will discover us. Do you believe in this? God has chosen all of you. I bless you that you will be discovered by Christ. I pray that you will dwell with Christ. Your future is guaranteed. For you and me, what is our future? It is the dream. There are many dreams that we want to fulfill. But there is one thing that we must remember. Among our dreams, we need to seek God’s dream. The content of the dream is important but what’s more important is that we need to look up to God who give us the dream. We try to fulfill the dream. Our efforts are important but the Holy Spirit who will fulfill our dreams is more important. After the dream is completed afterwards is important. What will happen when you cannot maintain the dream after you have fulfilled it? There are many people who have fallen because of the blessings. We need to enjoy the dream that God has given you. you need to have the power to conquer and rule that dream. Then we need the vessel to do that. We need God’s almighty power. We need that strength to not fall because of the blessings of the world. Father God who will give us the dream, the working of the holy spirit who will fulfill the dream, the mystery of Christ who will allow us to enjoy the dream. What does this all mean? For our future, we need the triune God. We need to rely on God and seek God. Whether it is a big or small task when you are with God, God will give you integrity and skillful hands. I hope that you can live that today. Just as he discovered David, he will watch you and discover you.
Let us pray,
Almighty father God I give you thanks. Thank you for allowing us to remain in the blessings inside the future. Help us to work before God, with God, and for God. May you receive our hearts of integrity. May you grant us wisdom and skillful hands to surpass the things in the world. Help us to enjoy amazing things in the future. Help us to fulfill the dreams of you. I pray and give thanks in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.