THROUGH HIM

Romans 1:1-7
Key verse: Romans 1:5

“Through him and for his name’s sake we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.”

6 years have already passed since I came to the United States as a missionary. God has been watching over my life, especially through fellowship with his servants in UBF. It seems all I have been doing is struggling to survive. However, God enriched my life through my family and enabled me to pursue a career as a physician scientist in the field of cancer medicine. I pray that God reveals his glory and grace by sharing how God has changed and leading my life in Jesus Christ.

The tile of my message is ‘Through Him’ and the key verse is Romans 1:5. Romans 1:5 is my life key verse which was given by God before I was sent to here as missionary. I would like to share my story along with this passage, Romans 1:1-7, that is Paul’s introduction to Christ Jesus, the Gospel of God.

As we all know, Romans is the letter probably written during Paul’s third missionary journey. It is known the longest epistle in the Bible and a theological masterpiece, which is why it often overwhelms readers by the density and sublimity of the topics, such as justification and salvation through faith in Jesus Christ whether you are Jews or Gentiles. However, I believe God will help us to see who Jesus is through Paul’s introduction and find the foundation of our lives in the grace of God.

Let’s look at verse 1 “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God.” Paul introduces himself as a servant of Christ Jesus. In Greek translation, a servant is a slave who completely belongs to the owner and has no freedom to leave. Why does he call himself this? He had been a persecutor of Christ Jesus, however, when he was on the way to the Damascus to get rid of all the Christians there, Jesus appeared to him as the light. From that moment on, his life completely changed, he was bound to him and he couldn’t think of himself without Christ Jesus. And he found himself to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God. Apostle means someone who is specially commissioned by Christ Jesus. Paul understood and accepted his commission at the moment when he met Jesus Christ. Galatians 1:15 says “But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased” By calling Paul for his special purpose to preach the gospel of God to all people, God revealed his grace to use his worst enemy in his redemptive work. Through this amazing grace, Paul boldly introduces himself as a servant of Christ Jesus and set apart for the gospel of God. God may also help us to find ourselves in Christ Jesus who gives forgiveness of sins and calls us to be apostles in this generation.

In verse 1, Paul introduced Jesus as Christ. What does Paul mean by saying ‘Christ’? We may remember Peter’s confession of Christ during Jesus’ ministry, however, Peter’s meaning was somewhat limited by his understanding of Jesus as the kind of messiah the Israelites had been waiting for. Paul’s meaning here is much bigger and greater since it means a savior for all mankind. We may understand this more clearly when we look at the whole Bible, how God promised to send the messiah and made it possible for us to come to him as we are, for unforgivable sinners to become acceptable to God through the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus. When Paul thought about this mysterious and immeasurable grace, it was beyond description. Yet he is helping us to see the truth of who Jesus is through the scriptures.

Look at verse 2-4 “the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures” “regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David,” “and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with the power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.”  In the book of Genesis, when sin entered into this world through Adam, God promised Jesus and his promise was never lost.  Genesis 3:5 reads “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” Galatians 4:4 also reads “But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law,” It is a still mystery for me how the Son of God could be descended from a human line. Can you imagine God sitting right next to you and talking to you in person? We may have some idea what it would be through John 1:14 “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from Father, full of grace and truth.” God enabled us to see himself through Jesus. Whenever we see Jesus, we see the God the father, yet he is not just human, the Spirit of holiness through his resurrection from the dead. By resurrection from the dead, he declared his power over death and became the complete Christ as perfect human and perfect God. Praise God who gives us the gospel of Christ Jesus.

Let’s read verse 5. “Through him and for his name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.” Paul summarizes all the above in verse 5. We have received grace and apostleship to call people from all the Gentiles. How can we receive this apostleship? Paul says ‘through him and for his name’s sake’. Through Jesus who is the Son of God, we are given authority and the honor to represent him to call people from among all the Gentiles. The Spirit of God opens hardened, broken hearts to come to him and obey him by faith. We are called upon to bring this new life among people through Jesus Christ which would never have been possible without him. Praise God who sent Christ Jesus and calls us through him and for his name’s sake.

Then, what makes this apostleship the grace from God? First of all, we are not born qualified. We are sinners whether we are aware of it or not. Paul was the worst sinner, but because of Jesus, his life was changed and he could be used by God as his instrument. When Paul saw himself, he could say nothing but “by his grace”. Because of God’s grace upon Paul, God allowed gentiles called to be his own and share his amazing grace. Timothy 1:14-15 says “Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” Corinthians 15:10 also says “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them-yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.” Take a look at ourselves. We are here because of his grace. We are sinners, but thanks to him who forgives our sins, we can share his grace with students and many others. We have witnessed how God is changing our lives and creating new life through us. And receiving this grace is not a singular event. Even though we are in God, we often fail because of our sinful nature. However, his grace enables us come to him without any fear and be renewed to move forward to seek him and work together to call people around us and even the whole world. This is the fullness of life which God wants us to have and this is given through Jesus and for his name’s sake.

Let’s look at verse 6-7 “And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.” “To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be Saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul makes it clear that the grace and apostleship applies to the Christians in Rome and this is the God’s love for them. He also calls them ‘saints’. The meaning of ‘saints’ in Greek is ‘holiness’. We are called to be holy though we are not holy through Jesus Christ. I pray that we may respond to this God’s calling to receive grace and apostleship to belong to Jesus and call people from out of darkness to the holiness and peace from God our father and Lord Jesus Christ.

I was born in 1976 in Seoul, Korea as the youngest son with two older sisters. My father and mother worked hard to support our family. However, we were very poor and lived in a very small one room house. When I reached school age I realized how limited things are for such a poor family. I always envied my friends who seemed to have everything they wanted. I wished I was born into a wealthy family, but that was not up to me. In my early school years, I found myself doing well in school work, and I grasped onto idea of doing well throughout my school years in order to get into the top university in Korea, potentially guaranteeing financial and social success. So I worked hard, did well throughout my school years and made a decision to become a doctor which seemed to be a noble profession with social and economic rewards. I was always under stress and pressure to do well, and when I failed on my first try to get into medical school, I was deeply hurt and lost my confidence. However, I controlled myself and retried to get into the top medical school in Korea. Although it was a second choice, I was able to enter Kyung Hee University College of Medicine in 1996.

Even though I was in medical school, my mind was filled with the idea that I had failed again since I couldn’t get into the school where I had wanted to go. While I was suffering from my low self-esteem, God called me to one to one Bible study by Shepherd Sung Do Kim in my freshman year. I never had a religious mind, but was willing to read the Bible to figure out why it was so popular. I kept one to one Bible study with a mind to have some knowledge of Christianity. However, God used my curiosity in the knowledge of Christianity to open my heart to get to know who God is and who Jesus is. It was strange for me to feel something peaceful in my mind whenever I studied the Bible and I was able to see something different in UBF people from others. What was it? During one of Bible studies, one word struck my mind. Matthew 4:4 “Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” I was able to relate this word to my life which had been driven by worldly success, but God says that’s not all, I need his every word from his mouth to live. That was the beginning of my understanding of spiritual life and the first glimpse what makes the difference. Eventually, God led me to summer Bible conference that year in 1996 and I was able to stand alone in front of Jesus at the cross. And I was convicted that Jesus suffered and died because of my sin.

I began to grow as Bible teacher and leader at Kyung Sung UBF by sharing God’s grace with some of medical students through one to one. It was difficult to keep up the studies and serve the ministry, however, God enabled me to do well in school and learn how to manage my time in God for his name’s sake. My heart and mind was filled with joy and thankfulness, yet there was one problem I was struggling. My mother was against my living by faith. It was extremely difficult for me to go against my mother’s wishes. I believe that in her mind, if I live by faith, she would not be able to get what she hoped for through her only son. And I thought that she deserved better since she sacrificed her life to provide for her children. I needed to make a decision which life I would choose. For the gospel or for my family? While I was struggling with this question, somehow, my faith was burned out by worldly desires that were still deep inside of my heart, and I made decision to leave UBF. I wanted to prove to myself that I made the right decision. However, it didn’t take a long time for me to realize I was walking down the wrong road. My heart was deeply troubled without spiritual joy and commitment to God, and He led me to realize that I was longing to live a life driven by God’s words and his purpose. I came back to where I met Jesus and remembered John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” And John 14:6 “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.””

God opened my eyes and heart to receive a vision to be used as a missionary and miraculously, my mother blessed my life in Jesus. Praise the Lord! During my 4^th year of medical school, I visited the US for ISU international Bible conference and God planted a vision to come to the US as a medical missionary. Upon graduation, I received one year internship training in Kyung Hee University hospital and served 3 years of military service as a public health officer. One of the most exciting moments happened at the beginning of my military service. Shepherdess Hannah came to Korea to meet me on her birthday and it didn’t take much time for us to like each other. However, we didn’t get married for three more years during which time I finished my military service. This was God’s real training for us. I felt three years was like 300 years. However, during this time, I was able to finish US medical licensing exams and Msn. Sam helped me to memorize Romans for spiritual preparation. God gave me Romans 1:5 as a key verse before I was sent out as a missionary. In June of 2006, God established house church between me and Hannah.

It was a great joy just to be with Hannah and God helped me to learn and co-work in the Cincinnati ministry while also preparing my residency applications. As a foreign medical graduate, I had doubts whether I would be able to get into a good residency program, yet God opened the door and led me to come to New York for internal medicine residency training at Jacobi Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 2007. The first year was probably the most difficult time in my life, however, God strengthened me to overcome language and cultural barriers and learn American medicine to become a competent resident. At the end of first year, God allowed us to have the most beautiful product between me and Hannah. The birth of Noelle was the sign of new life, great joy and healing in ourselves. God didn’t stop there. Eleanor was born exactly 2 years after Noelle was born and her birth was a great comfort for our family. God also blessed my professional career. In the middle of second year, I was able to get into the medical scientist pathway which is total 5 years training includes clinical and research years. Over the past 3 years, I have been able to publish three first author papers and 4 co-author papers and 2 first author papers are about to be finished. This academic excellence enabled me to get into hematology-oncology fellowship program (specializes cancer medicine) at UCLA which is one of the top programs in US. I never thought I would be able to achieve these things, however, God has watched over me and led me to the best way all the time. Praise God!!

Over the past 6 years, along with these blessings, I was faced with many challenges. First of all, the power of death overtook the spiritual battle with two deaths. My father and my shepherd, Dr. Sung Do Kim passed away. My physical and spiritual father both passed away one year apart. Moreover, when I heard that Dr. James Suh was diagnosed with lymphoma and undergoing chemotherapy, I felt like I was in an endless tunnel of spiritual depression. Secondly, Noelle and Ellie are growing up, and I have to question myself why I want to pursue this academic career as a physician scientist while making decent money as a general medicine doctor is just one step away. Third, I’ve been struggling with my identity as missionary since I am consciously making excuses for not dedicating myself for spiritual discipline due to time limitations and my sinful nature. However, in the midst of struggling with these challenges each day, God helped me to see Jesus Christ who reigns over life and death and gives us victory. 1 Corinthians 15:54 “When perishable has been clothed with imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”” He also helped me to see hope and covenant through Genesis 15:5 “He took him outside and said, “Look up at the heavens and count the starts-if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”” His hope and vision through Jesus Christ is not just becoming a successful physician scientist, but to love and embrace people in order to bring new lives in this world in the name of Jesus. This hope and vision overwhelms me and it seems I am too small to contain it, but he helps me to see God who wants to bring His grace among people generations to come through my life.

Now, it is the time for me to start a new life in LA. I can’t thank God enough for His provision and all the prayer support from my family and co-workers. I will never forget the fellowship we shared with NYUBF and pray that God will richly bless NYUBF ministry. Please pray for my family that Noelle and Eleanor grow as God’s children, become Bible teachers and leaders for their generation. Pray for me and Hannah to be used as God’s servants wherever we go. And pray for my fellowship training to become a professor shepherd in the future. I hope we all have found God’s grace and apostleship through Jesus Christ and pray that we may live a full life by obeying his commands to call people from all the Gentiles. Amen.

The New York UBF Spring Conference was held at Liebenzell Retreat Center in NJ from April 28th to April 30th, 2012. We experienced the kingdom of God through the Word, praise and fellowship! Thank God for His words through the Gospel of Mark!

OPEN YOUR EYES AND LOOK AT THE FIELDS

John 4:27-42
Key Verse: 4:35 

“Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.”

D.L. Moody, a great evangelist, was known as “Crazy Moody” because of his zealous approach to evangelism. He would talk with at least one person each day regarding his or her relationship to Jesus Christ. While speaking in London, this great evangelist was approached by one of his fellow pastors who wanted to know the secret of his success in leading people to Christ. Moody directed the man to his hotel window and asked, “What do you see?” The man looked down on the square and reported a view of crowded streets. Moody suggested he look again. This time the man mentioned seeing people – men, women, and children. Moody then directed him to look a third time, and the man became frustrated that he was not seeing what Moody wanted him to see. Moody then came to the window with watery eyes and said, “I see people going hell without Jesus. Until you see people like that, you will not lead them to Christ.” What do we see in the crowded city we live in, in our friends or our extended family? Do we see people who are tormented and perishing, having been victimized by the enemy Satan? In today’s passage, we see that Jesus was deeply burdened with the lost souls in Samaria and said to his disciples, “Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.”(35)

Jesus had been talking with the Samaritan woman in order to rescue her soul from spiritual dehydration and perishing in the heat of the day while his disciples had gone into the town to buy food (4:8). Look at verse 27. “Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, ‘What do you want?’ or ‘Why are you talking with her?’” The disciples were surprised because in those days a Jewish man would never talk with a woman on the street, not even with his own wife. Yet they found Jesus talking with a Samaritan woman by the well. They could have questioned Jesus. But they didn’t because they completely trusted Jesus’ motives and integrity. Jesus was doing personal evangelism on this lonely and thirsty Samaritan woman. Through Jesus’ personal dialogue with her, she opened her heart and was told that Jesus was the Messiah whom she had been waiting for.

Look at verses 28-29. “Then, leaving the water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, ‘Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?’” We are not sure how much the Samaritan woman understood what Jesus had told her. But she was convinced that everyone in the town ought to hear what he had to say. And she said, “Could this be the Christ?” This woman used to be isolated because of her immoral status. She avoided people and came to draw water. But she had now become so bold as to tell people “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” Her question “Could this be the Christ?” stirred up enough curiosity in the townspeople so that some people came out of the town and made their way toward Jesus (30). Even her former husbands and their friends and relatives were probably among those who came to Jesus.

Look at verses 31-33. “Meanwhile his disciples urged him, ‘Rabbi, eat something.’ But he said to them, ‘I have food to eat that you know nothing about.’ Then his disciples said to each other, ‘Could someone have brought him food?’” The disciples thought Jesus was talking about physical food. But what Jesus meant here was his spiritual satisfaction in sharing the Gospel with the Samaritan woman. Jesus elaborates it further in the following verses. Look at verse 34. “‘My food,’ said Jesus, ‘is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.’”

So what did Jesus mean when he said, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work”? Jesus worked really hard sowing the seed and reaping the harvest. But he wasn’t just talking about his hard work. In fact, Jesus’ ministry on earth didn’t last more than 3 years. If we had only 3 years to serve God, I wonder, what would most of us do during those years? We like to do things our own way. But Jesus didn’t do what he liked. Instead, he always did what God liked. “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” (35) In fact, Jesus repeats almost the same phrase in his high priestly prayer right before his death on the cross in John 17:4, which reads, “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.”

Doing God’s will and finishing God’s work for him means his complete submission to God’s plan of world salvation through his death and through the way of the cross. In fact, Jesus always sought to please God, not himself (5:30). It certainly doesn’t sound like fun. What most of us want is to feel good and make ourselves happy. But can we please both God and ourselves at the same time in our service and acts of compassion? Sometimes, yes, but not all the time. We tend to be controlled by our own feelings. For example, if we live by our emotions, obedience to God’s will is not quite possible. On the other hand, it’s also easy for us to ignore our emotions and try to force ourselves to submit to God’s will without exploring our emotions in a healthy way. As a result, we appear to be spiritually mature and yet remain emotionally very immature. Either way, we live an unbalanced Christian life. So how can we make pleasing God and obeying His will as our primary goal in a healthy way? This is one of the crucial points of discipleship. There should be a balance between emotion, cognition, behavior and relationship. Jesus’ life on earth was very intense, yet balanced.

It wasn’t easy for Jesus to obey the will of God because he was also flesh and blood, like us. Sometimes he didn’t feel like obeying the will of God at all. So he cried out, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. …” (Mt 26:38) “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me.” (Mt 26:39) In this way, he fully expressed his human emotion to God. Yet, he also wanted to obey the will of God. So he said, “Yet not as I will, but as you will.” (Mt 26:39) In this way, Jesus fought a spiritual battle against his own emotion, flesh and blood. By faith in God’s almighty power and love, Jesus was enabled to obey God’s will even to the point of death. And yet, was he unhappy? No. It’s interesting to see that Jesus compared his submission to God’s will to his food. It means that Jesus’ full satisfaction came from his complete trust and obedience to God’s will. Through his complete obedience Jesus became the happiest and the most powerful man who could save humankind from their sins. Here, we learn that we can also be truly happy when we are able to obey God’s will. In fact, Jesus is the only one who perfectly obeyed the will of God in human history.

Jesus knew that at this point his disciples could not fully digest his level of happiness through his perfect obedience to God’s will. In verses 35-38 Jesus teaches them how they could also experience happiness in participating in God’s plan of world salvation through their obedience. Look at verse 35. “Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” The phrase “four months more and then the harvest” might be from Jewish proverbs among farmers in those days. Approximately four months elapsed between the end of sowing and the beginning of reaping. But Jesus says here that he didn’t have to wait four months to reap the harvest. According to Jesus’ view, the time for harvesting had already arrived. The Samaritans, who were coming from town, were ready to be harvested. So he said to his disciples, “Open your eyes and look at the fields, they are ripe for harvest.”

Look at verse 36. “Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together.” Here, Jesus is both the sower and the reaper. In fact, he is talking about his joyous experience of reaping a great harvest among Samaritans through the Samaritan woman.

Look at verses 37-38. “Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.” Here, the phrase “One sows and another reaps” might be another proverb relating to Jewish farmers in those days, indicating their different roles. The sowers’ job is just to sow and the reapers job is just to reap. Psalm 126:5 and 6 reads, “Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.”In these verses, sowers and reapers are the same. But these verses also show that sowing is not always pleasant, compared to reaping, although it is hopeful. If we are called only to be sowers, we might have to sow as many seeds as possible with many tears, without seeing any fruit in our lifetime. Yet, we should believe that someday what we sow would grow and be harvested. On the other hand, if we are called to be reapers, we might enjoy reaping the great harvest but should always remember that there were those who labored a lot in order to sow the seeds ahead of us.

In fact, Jesus said to his disciples in verse 38, “I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.” The others who labored may have been some of the Old Testament prophets or, more likely, John the Baptists and his disciples (3:23). God’s redemptive work is compared to farming which requires both sowing and reaping. Either as sowers or reapers, we must know that we are God’ fellow workers. Saint Paul said in 1 Corinthians 3:6-9, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers…”

In verses 39-42, we see that many of the Samaritans had become believers in Christ. They urged Jesus to stay with them, so he stayed two days with them. Perhaps, Jesus had two days Bible conference in Samaritan villages. Even though there is no indication that Jesus had performed any miraculous sign in the town, the Samaritans came to believe in Jesus through his words (41). We don’t know exactly how many Samaritans came to believe in Jesus at that time. The Jews despised the Samaritans. Yet, it seems that they were much more ready to accept the gospel than the Jews in Judea and in Galilee. The Jews refused to believe in Jesus even though they saw many miraculous signs. But these Samaritans had faith in Jesus simply by hearing Jesus’ words. They were indeed ripe for the harvest. Here, we learn that faith comes from hearing the message of Jesus Christ (Romans 10:17)

Look at verse 42. “They said to the woman, ‘We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.’”The world we live in is full of unbelieving people. Many people are dying without Jesus. We are called to share the message of God’s salvation through Jesus Christ. How can people be saved unless somebody preaches to them? Faith comes from heaving the message of Jesus Christ. We may not have been called to convert people, but we are called to share the gospel with them. We may not be called to be fruitful. But we are called to be faithful and obey. We may not be a great evangelist like Billy Graham or D. L. Moody. We may not be able to preach great messages like them in huge stadiums or through televised broadcasting. But we can faithfully share the gospel with one person at a time.

I am not sure if God necessarily wants to evangelize the whole world through a few great evangelists or through mega churches or mega movements. But I am sure that God wants all His children to participate in His work of redemption in one way or the other. D. L. Moody once said, “If this world is going to be reached, I am convinced that it must be done by men and women of average talent.” He believed that every Christian should be involved in evangelism.

This great evangelist was converted through Edward Kimball, a timid man, who was Moody’s former Sunday school teacher. Edward Kimball didn’t know what God was doing when he shared the gospel with young Moody who was working at the shoe-repair shop. Either as sowers or as reapers, we are called to participate in the most wonderful, meaningful and glorious enterprise on earth, the salvation of men and women of the world through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We may think a lot about effective strategies of evangelism. But if we don’t preach, nothing will happen. What is the best strategy of evangelism? Preach the word in season and out of season because there are always people who are ripe for the harvest. We may not be able to preach or teach the Bible to a great number of people. But Jesus showed us his good example of taking care of one soul at a time through his encounters with Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman.

Let me finish my message with a video clip “Who cares?” It’s the story of true experience from life of William Booth – founder of Salvation Army. (Video) What do you think the greatest barrier to witnessing is? It’s not indifference. It’s fear. Witnessing is sidelined by fear more than any other reasons. We feel awkward to share the gospel with those who do not seem to appreciate it. It’s fear of being rejected. But we should not assume that fear is God’s way of telling us that witnessing is not our gift. Fear is natural, but God intends for Christians to overcome it and share our faith with others. During this summer, let us challenge our fear, open our eyes, look at the fields and diligently sow and reap the harvest, knowing that our labor in the Lord is not in vain. Read verse 35. “Do you not say ‘Four months more and then the harvest? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” 

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The Kingdom of God Belongs to Such as These

Yvette S.

Mark 10:13-16
Key verses 10:14-15

The theme of this conference has been, “The time has come. … The kingdom of God is near.” We saw that Jesus not only heals the body but also the soul through the forgiveness of. We also learned that Jesus wants us not to be afraid and just believe, that we can be healed and even raised to life. Forgiveness, healing, courage, faith, belief and new life—these are all essential to experiencing the kingdom of God. But today, we are going to learn about another essential component that is required to experience the kingdom of God, maybe the most important one of them all.

First, I want to show you this:

and now this:

There’s something different, right? And I’m not just referring to their ages or their physical appearance. Children have something that we have lost. Something happens to us when we grow up. And it’s this thing—this seemingly unattainable quality—that Jesus speaks about in the passage.

Let’s look at verse 13,

People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them.

At this time, Jesus’s ministry was in full swing. Crowds chased him. People packed the houses he visited. He had to teach from a boat because so many came. People came from far away to ask, no to beg, for healing. Jesus was in high demand. So when some parents elbowed their way through the crowd of poor, lame, blind, and sick people to have Jesus bless their perfectly healthy children, the disciples were annoyed.

And so they rebuked them. They rebuked the little children probably saying, “You don’t belong here! Go home! Where are your parents?” And if we take a moment, we could understand the disciples’ point of view. They were protecting Jesus. Maybe they were even protecting the kids. But there is something about adults yelling at kids that are not their own that gets under my skin. And Jesus, I believe, felt the same way.

When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. (14a)

The word “indignant” is a strong word that implies strong emotion. Jesus was very angry with his disciples. Other things made Jesus angry too, things such as greed, unbelief and injustice. But this was the first time his anger was directed specifically at his disciples. The text doesn’t mention that the kids were running around, making distracting noises, climbing all over people and what not. It only says that they were coming to be blessed by Jesus.

We wonder how Jesus could be so patient, so compassionate with all the people who came to him. One author said that it was because he could identify with anyone. When Jesus saw the helpless paralytic and graciously forgave his sins, perhaps Jesus looked into his own future when he, too, would be paralyzed, being nailed to a cross, bearing the sins of the world and desperately awaiting to be forgiven. When he met the bleeding woman, perhaps he thought of the time when he, too, would bleed uncontrollably as he hung on the cross and be treated as a sinner and outcast. And when he entered the home of Jairus, a place completely shrouded in sorrow and the power of death, and when he came to the dead girl and woke her up from the sleep of death with a simple word, he must have looked forward to the time when his own resurrection would put an end to death forever and lift the shroud of sin that covered the entire world.

What did he see when he saw the little children coming to be blessed? He probably didn’t see his future, but more likely his past. Jesus had been a child. He had a mom and a dad. He had siblings (he was the eldest son). He had friends (and maybe enemies). He lived in a home. He learned basic Torah. He learned the family trade. He grew up in a small town where everybody knew each other. He was just like any other child. But the problem is that he wasn’t just like any other child. He was the Creator of the Universe existing within the confines of delicate and fallible human flesh. Deity inside the body of a little child: can you imagine how frustrating that must have been?

There is very little mentioned about Jesus’s childhood. But Luke’s gospel provides us with a treasure of a story concerning a 12-year-old Jesus disobeying his parents (one in which he basically gives his parents heart-attacks). I love that Luke did not record a story about how perfect Kid Jesus was, and how he always obeyed his mom and dad in everything, and how he essentially was a goody-two-shoes and the exemplary child. No, it was the one in which Jesus ditches his parents to hang out in the temple and argue with religious leaders for three days straight and in the end gets grounded for it.

Jesus understood that being a kid isn’t all fun and games. It can be tough. And it’s tougher now than it was before. What our kids see, what they hear, what they go through each day at school would probably shock you. Besides all this is the struggle to discover your identity, to deal with the pressure of your studies (and state exams and regents), to resist the temptation to do what everyone else is doing, and to live up to everyone’s expectations of you. Sometimes we hold a romanticized view of Jesus believing that he never struggled humanly. But obedience didn’t come naturally to him. Hebrews 5:8 says,

Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered.

The story in Luke’s gospel ends this way,

And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. (Luke 2:52)

Obedience is learned through suffering, and spiritual growth requires effort to overcome the pull of sin, which is as constant as gravity. When Jesus saw the little children, he said “They were me,” and he remembered his own childhood and he wanted to bless them; with every fiber in his being, he wanted to bless them and prepare them for what lay ahead. So he said,

Let the little children come to me …  

Then Jesus reinforced this affirmative command with a negative one,

… and do not hinder them …

Jesus was making double sure that the disciples understood he did not want any barriers or hindrances to come in between him and the children, not even their good intentions. It seems strange that Jesus would be so strict with his well-meaning disciples. They just wanted to protect their rabbi, right? But here’s a fact of life: good intentions don’t always translate into good deeds. Sometimes it is the most well-meaning people that do the most harm. Sometimes it is the person who sincerely wants others to come to Christ who actually drives them away.

Paul wrote something about this issue in his letter to the Romans:

¹⁷ Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and brag about your relationship to God; ¹⁸ if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; ¹⁹ if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, ²⁰ an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of infants, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— ²¹ you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? ²² You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? ²³ You who brag about the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? ²⁴ As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” (Romans 2:17-24)

Paul was very harsh when he pointed out his people’s hypocrisy, because he knew that their lack of spiritual integrity was causing damage to both new believers and non-believers. I think most of us are at a point in our lives when we should be asking ourselves not “Have I ever hindered anyone from Christ?” but “How many people have I hindered from coming to Christ?” The disciples were young and full of zeal, but they were lacking in maturity, and when zeal is not tempered with maturity, it is a recipe for disaster. Anyone who claims to be a disciples of Jesus must listen carefully to his command, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them…”

Verses 14b says,

Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

This was a surprising statement. Children were insignificant, inconsequential, not worthy of the attention of adults. But Jesus points out that they are worthy of the kingdom of God. He goes on,

I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it. (15)

If the kingdom of God were to have a mascot or an emblem on it’s flag, it would probably look something like this:

What is it about children that make them so compatible with the kingdom of God? Why does the kingdom of God belong to them? Why must we become like children to enter God’s kingdom?

Let’s look at verse 15 again. There is one word in particular I want to you to look at:

I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.

The word is “receive.” Children “receive” God’s kingdom. This doesn’t sound important, but take this into consideration. In each of the synoptic gospels, this passage is always followed by the one involving a rich young man who asks:

What must I do to inherit eternal life? (Mark 10:17, Luke 18:18)

What good thing must I do …? (Matthew 19:16)

When adults think of the kingdom of God, they think of,

• Doing
• Working
• Laboring
• Earning
• Making themselves worthy of
• Striving to deserve
• Etc.

But when children think of the kingdom of God, they just put out their hands and receive it like a gift, because the kingdom of God can only be received as a gift. The price for admission into the kingdom of God is too high, beyond any human being’s capability or earning potential. Jesus paid for it with his own blood. And he bought it for us; he earned it so that he could gift us with eternity with the Father.

And so when the rich young of men of this world ask, “What must I do to inherit eternal life,” it is taking that precious gift that Jesus shed his blood for and rejecting it.

Have you ever tried to get a gift for someone who is impossible to buy gifts for? That would be my mom. It always makes her feel awkward to receive a present. One Christmas, I got her something nice but all she kept saying was, “Why did you spend so much money? I don’t use fancy things! I like the cheap ones better!” A simple “thank you” would have been nice, and it eventually did come, but not before a whole lot of comments about why it was completely unnecessary. Adults aren’t good at receiving fancy gifts. And so receiving the greatest gift—the kingdom of God—is virtually impossible.

At the beginning of this message, I showed you two pictures, and I asked what it was that the children had that we had lost. What is it? It’s trust. It is child-like trust. Notice that none of the HBF boys are smiling. They are concerned with looking cool and manly. But when they were younger, they struck funny poses, showed their personality, even smiled a bit. They were themselves. They felt safe and trusting enough to be themselves.

I read this about young children and trust:

Children begin learning about distrust around age three … but cannot apply that     sense of distrust until around age five.

From: How Do Young Children Develop Trust and Distrust? http://earlyed.newamerica.net/node/60529

We start to lose our child-like trust from the age of three. Three! At this age, children begin to learn distrust. So, we are predisposed to trust, and distrust is learned. Learning distrust is a necessary skill for survival, so it isn’t completely bad, but when applied to other aspects of life, especially our relationships, and especially our relationship with God, it makes things very difficult.

Christians have two people inside them: an adult disciple that hinders them from coming to Jesus because they are unworthy, and a trusting little child that wants to run Jesus confident that he will accept them just as they are. When we first met Christ, we were that trusting child that felt no barriers to Jesus, who knew that all our sins were forgiven and basked in the bliss of being forgiven and saved. But as time passed, we became the hardened disciple, not as sure that all our sins were forgiven (because we tend to commit the same sins again and again), and feeling that we are taking advantage of the grace of forgiveness and no longer deserve it. Rather than come to Jesus, we stay away or even send him away using Peter’s words, “Go away from me Lord; I am a sinful man!” (Luke 5:8)  So we are people in conflict—we want to run to and away from Jesus at the same time.

When does this inner conflict begin? It begins when we gain knowledge—knowledge of good and evil. In the Garden, the man and the woman used to walk with God. But when they became aware of good and evil (not in the world but in themselves) their first impulse was to cover themselves and “hide” from each other, and their next impulse was to run and hide from God. What was it that they hid behind? Genesis 3:8 says,

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

They ran and hid behind a tree. I believe this is very significant. Before they knew or understood anything, they sought protection from a tree—the very place God would provide their forgiveness and redemption and salvation. When we are overwhelmed with the power of sin and condemnation, when we are feeling unworthy of God’s grace and mercy, when we are burdened with guilt and think that we don’t deserve to be loved or forgiven, run to the tree—like a trusting little 3-year-old child that has absolutely nothing to lose—run to the tree and let Jesus prove you wrong.

Some of you may say, “Yes, I’ve run to the tree thousands and thousands of times. God can only bear with so much. My sins are worse now than before. Will he really forgive me now?”

The answer is “yes.” God’s grace NEVER depreciates. His forgiveness is just as powerful now as when we first came to him. In fact, his mercy grows as our sin does. I learned this when Jesus changed water into wine at the wedding in Cana. The master of the banquet commented,

Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now. (John 2:10)

The way of the world is that everything goes from choice wine to cheap wine, or from good to bad, or from young to old, from order to chaos. We apply this to our spiritual lives as well, that we begin as trusting little children and then grow up into doubting, cynical adults. But in the kingdom of God, everything is in reverse. We go from cheap to choice, from bad to good, from old to young, from chaos to order, and from suspicious, unsure adults to happy, trusting little children. In the kingdom of God, we actually “grow up” to be like little children.

How can we trust God like little a child? How can we grow up to be like little children? Here are a few tips:

1. Trust first, think later
2. Always run to the tree
3. Imitate Jesus

Trust first, think later

Adults think first then trust later (maybe). But children trust first then think later. Just before he was going to die, Jesus told his disciples,

Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. (John 14:1)

The disciples had lots of questions. They wanted details. But the more important thing for them to learn was to trust in God. When I was young, my family used to go on lots of road trips. I remember sitting in the back seat, watching the scenery go by and falling asleep as my dad drove through the night to Disneyworld and Mount Rushmore. I trusted that Dad would get us there safe and sound. But now I can never fall asleep in the car. It’s actually more stressful for me to be a passenger than to be the driver, so I always choose to drive. I’m always thinking, always watching the road, always suspicious of other drivers. This is how I am with life sometimes. Even though my Father God is in the driver’s seat, I can’t trust him fully any more, always keeping my eyes open for potential accidents and acting like a backseat driver, dictating what I think is the best way. Sometimes when I’m in the passenger seat and someone else is driving, and I’m thinking too much, I force myself to close my eyes. I force myself to stop trying to control the situation and simply allow myself to be led. It’s like dying. But it’s also very liberating. Trusting in God is surrendering all your stress and worry to Him. It is putting your life and your future in His very capable hands, because we tend to make a mess of things. When we trust God first, we find that our thinking changes.

Always run to the tree

How many here have ever played tag? When I used to play tag in my friend’s backyard, there was always one big tree that was served as base (or “gool”). You were protected from being tagged by the person who was “it” if you could reach that tree successfully. And then you would run off and be chased by “it” again. Life is like a game of tag, we’re always running to the tree for safety. Sometimes we think that if I can get far enough then I’ll be safe. But the person who’s “it” always finds us. And the further we are away from “gool,” the more vulnerable we are to get chased down and tagged. The way that leads you to Jesus is always the right way. (Conversely, the way that leads you away from him is usually the wrong one.) Sometimes the path to Jesus can be a complicated one; it may take you far away from him before it brings you closer. But know that the only place where you can be safe, the only place where you can always be welcomed, the only place where you can truly be your child-like, trusting self is with Jesus. He is waiting for you with arms wide open. Always run to the tree. Let’s read verse 16,

And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.

Imitate Jesus

How did Jesus display child-like trust in his Father? Earlier we said that children receive gifts easily, with joy and gratitude because they trust the giver. They trust that their parents will give them something they will love because they trust their parents. But what if a parent gives his child something horrible, something that causes pain and agony and even death? What if that thing that the Father gives is a cross?

Jesus had full faith and trust in his father. He said in Matthew 7:11,

If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 

Jesus said these words knowing that his mission in life was to be killed—painfully, horrifically, and unjustly. He struggled with it, but in the end he accepted what his Father gave him. He reached out and willingly accepted his cross trusting that even though he would endure unimaginable suffering, his Father still loved him. As he carried his cross, he trusted his Father. As his feet and his hands were nailed, he trusted his Father. As he hung there dying, people insulting him, his disciples abandoning him, he trusted in his Father. And as he breathed his last breath, he trusted in his Father. Jesus shows us exactly what child-like trust looks like. It is accepting not only the good gifts that God gives us, but the not-so-good ones, the ones that cause us suffering but which also lead to new life. Nobody wants to suffer. But the kingdom of God is built on the foundation of Jesus’s blood along with our own blood, sweat and tears. We must trust that God is good, and that whatever he gives us is a good gift.

Being like a little child is an adult-sized struggle. May we all strive to “grow up” to be like little children. Let’s read verse verse 15:

I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.

Daughter, Your Faith Has Healed You

Mary D.

Mark 5:21-36
Key verse 34

‘He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”’

In this passage, we encounter two people who come to Jesus for help in their dismal situations. Both despaired. Both were afraid and desperate for a savior – and they both came to Jesus in faith that he could help them.

This passage will show us that the more we come to know the character of Jesus and put our faith in him, the more we will personally experience his power and love for us. Let us see how placing our faith in Jesus opens the invitation for a fulfilling, deep relationship of healing power and love.

I. Jesus Responds to Jairus’ Humility and Faith

Look at verse 21. “When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake.” At this time, Jesus’ public ministry was gaining popularity and large crowds of people followed him to hear his teachings and see him perform miracles. Many Jews and Gentiles were interested in this man who could teach and perform many miracles. Jesus had many fans that eagerly awaited his next amazing teaching and healing session. Meanwhile, the Pharisees and teachers of the law kept a close eye on him because they disliked him and his teachings.

What happened in front of the whole crowd? Look at verses 22 to 24a. “Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came there. Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, ‘My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.’ So Jesus went with him.” Jairus, a synagogue ruler and renowned figure in the town, came to Jesus and begged him to heal his daughter who was dying.

Wait a minute. Who was Jairus? He was the elected ruler of the local synagogue. He was like a president of a church. Jairus was responsible for overseeing worship services, caring for the building, and managing both the spiritual and business affairs of the place of worship. Jairus was basically like an elder missionary in our church, maybe like Missionary Peter! It was as if Missionary Peter came and fell before Jesus’ feet and said, “Please! Come and heal my Becky!”

Just like Missionary Peter, Jairus was a respected member and person of authority in the local Jewish community. Due to his position, he probably also had close ties to the Pharisees and teachers of the law. However, as Daniel and the mono/duo drama skits effectively pointed out this morning (Mark 2:1-12), the Pharisees and teachers of the law did not like Jesus one bit and around this time, began to plot his murder (Mark 3).

But here came Jairus, the synagogue ruler, kneeling at Jesus’ feet, begging him for his healing touch. For Jairus to bow before Jesus was a huge risk to Jairus’ reputation! Jairus’ humble attitude invited Jesus to go with him to heal his daughter. Jairus didn’t care about his reputation among the Pharisees, instead he knelt before Jesus and earnestly pleased with him to help his beloved daughter – this was a significant and daring act of respect and worship.

Jairus pushed through the crowd and came before Jesus and said, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live” (verse 23). Jairus had great confidence in Jesus. He believed that Jesus had the power to heal his daughter. …But he said, “Come and put your hands on her” which means he believed that Jesus had to be there for it to happen. Maybe it was Jairus’ superstitions; maybe it was because of habit or limited knowledge, but Jairus limited Jesus’ power and ability to heal. He effectively placed Jesus in a “box”.

Jesus responded to the faith that Jairus had, and went with him. In the same way, Jesus simply responds to the faith that we have, even “boxed in”, limited, small faith. Whatever faith we have, if we bring it to Jesus and ask him for help, he will accept our faith and respond. And so, Jesus responded to Jairus with love and care: he dropped everything he was doing and went with him. Among an entire crowd of fans and spectators, he stopped all his plans to have a personal encounter with Jairus.

II. Jesus Heals a Bleeding Woman

Let’s read verses 25-26. “And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better, she grew worse.”  This poor woman had suffered so many years.

Have you ever felt like an outcast? Felt utterly and thoroughly – alone? Isolated, misunderstood, and cut off from the world? Have you ever shed tears, wondering if anyone out there could possibly understand the pain and sadness you were going through?

Three years ago, when my husband Carlos first left NYC for medical school in the Caribbean, I felt so alone. I felt like I lost my best friend in the whole world. I cried for two days straight after I saw him off at the airport. The only person who could patiently deal with my flaws and listen to my struggles, was gone. Yet, at least I had my loving parents, my friends and fellowship members, and all of you to help me overcome my loneliness. Despite that, I still felt so alone.

Maybe you’ve also gone through a period of depression or physical pain at some point in your life that was meaningless, lonely and terrible. I can’t even begin to imagine how much pain and struggles some of you have been through…

Well, the woman at the heart of today’s encounter with Jesus is quite the embodiment of someone suffering from isolation and feeling like an outcast. Beyond her own personal loneliness, her rejection goes beyond her feelings and extends out to even the community’s treatment of her.

From these verses, we find out several facts about this poor woman: She suffered an illness where she bled or hemorrhaged for twelve entire years; so in desperation, she went to many doctors for help and suffered under their hands without a cure; until she “spent all she had” of her money and energy trying to be cured of her illness – and only found herself getting sicker and sicker, and sicker…

With a bit more investigation, we know that her medical bills and financial bills were very high, but there was another great cost to her during all of this suffering. This cost emotional, mental and social pain and misery. And because of her physical condition, the prevailing religious practices of that day demanded that the woman be left completely alone. Cut off. Isolated. Outcast. Everyone in Capernaum avoided contact with her. This poor woman probably had to leave her own family and live on her own. Every day, she woke up alone, cooked and ate alone. Every day was torture.

Finally one day, she heard a ruckus passing along the street and heard everyone exclaiming the amazingness of a special man named Jesus. They called him the Son of God, the Messiah. “And what a great teacher he was! And the miracles! He can perform miracles! Healing miracles!” they said.

What did the woman do? Let’s look at verses 27 and 28: “When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, ‘If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.’” She decided she needed to take action. Again we see that faith without action is dead. So this woman took heart and began pushing through into the crowd.

By entering the crowd, she was literally risking everything that she had to touch Jesus’ cloak. For her, this situation was “do or die”. She could either take action by faith and reach for Jesus’ cloak – or be caught in her tracks in the middle of the crowd and thrown in jail or stoned for endangering the health and ritual cleanliness of all the people around her. Given the “do or die” moment, by faith, she fought her way through the crowd in order to touch Jesus.

Was the woman correct in thinking that she could be healed by simply touching the edge of Jesus’ garment? I don’t know, some might even call her faith “superstitious”. But ultimately the focus of faith is more important than the quality of faith – and her faith was in Jesus. She believed 100% in the healing power of Jesus.

So touch Jesus’ clothing she does. She reaches her arm forward through the crowd and grabs Jesus’ tzitzit, which were the tassles hanging from the edge of his cloak. However, according to the thinking of the day, if the unclean woman touched Jesus, by Law, it would make him unclean. But because of the nature of Jesus and the power of God, that isn’t how it worked. When she touched his garment, Jesus wasn’t made unclean, the woman was made whole!

In the same way, when we come to Jesus with our dirty sins and lay them at his feet, it doesn’t make Jesus a sinner, but it makes us clean. Because Jesus is the Son of God who is inherently without sin, he is beyond the laws of cleanliness. Yet he still fulfills the law (Matthew 5:17).

And sure enough, what happens? Verses 29-30 says, “Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”

The Greek word for this ‘power’ is dunamin – the same word from which we get “dynamite”. Power, dynamite-like explosive power went out of Jesus! The same dynamite-like explosive power of God that created the entire universe! That dynamic power flowed from Jesus, and he knew it, and he stopped and looked around the crowd and said, “Who touched me?” Which brings a response from the disciples along the lines of “Sheesh, look at this crowd! You have got to be kidding.” But he didn’t ask who touched him simply because he didn’t know who touched himbut because he was giving the woman a chance to come forward.

Let’s read verse 33 together: “Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and trembling with fear, told him the whole truth.”

It seemed cruel of Jesus to put this poor woman on the spot, but it was really kind. She came forward and told him the whole truth. She told Jesus the whole truth about herself, her rejection for twelve years, her search for doctors, her poverty, her feelings of guilt for what she had done wrong but wasn’t quite sure what it was. By confronting the woman and allowing her to confess her story, he was able to have a personal connection, a personal interaction with her.

So she told him the whole truth. And then Jesus probably placed his hand to her cheek, or held her hand in his own. He was the first person to touch her and love her twelve years! And he said to her in verse 34, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

To the woman whose family has fled, he says, “daughter.” To the woman who is alone, cut off, isolated, outcast, he says, “Daughter, your faith has healed you.” With these words, Jesus accomplishes truly explosive healing: the work of restoring her to community, to family, to her Father God. She was finally given her identity back – her identity as a daughter of God! Someone who has been excluded, who had been wasting away, by herself for twelve long years, finally has a family once more! She was reunited with her Father God in heaven.

The bleeding woman asked for a physical miracle; but Jesus gave her a relationship. She asked for a bodily healing; but Jesus transformed her into a daughter of God! And a follower of Jesus for all eternity!

Sometimes we question whether something is a miracle. But every person in this room is a miracle. In a day and age where self-seeking, pride, accomplishments, drugs, addictions, and worldly things are the focus of all goals and aspirations in society – the fact that we are even here, fully knowing the truth of God, is a miracle! Only several months ago, some of our young members confessed that they addicted to drugs, alcohol, pornography, that they were slaves to sin and enjoyed the darkness – but by the prayers of our church and their family members, God intervened and opened their eyes to the darkness they were living in.  And ultimately they came to Jesus for healing and restoration. Thank God!

III. The Time Has Come

The title of this conference is “The Time Has Come”. What does this mean to you? The time has come for you to place yourself in front of Jesus. To pursue him. The time has come to place your faith in him. Yes, again, for many of you. And maybe for the first time, for some of you. The time has come. The time is now. You can either choose to let Jesus pass you by in the crowd, or you can make a split decision of desperation to reach out and touch him. You can let the world push you around and get lost in the crowd, or you can humble yourself, push forward and believe in Jesus.

If any of you have never spoken to Jesus before, have never prayed to God, or you have doubts about whether this whole “Jesus” and “Christianity” thing will work for you – then the time has come for you to give it a try.

I’ll be the first one to admit that I was only part of the “crowd” of the church for most of my life. Being born into a Christian home, I was surrounded by people who followed Jesus, people who believed in, and exclaimed Jesus’ beauty and power. I heard the commotion of other believers and I simply followed the same motions of “following” Jesus, but really, I was pretty disinterested in God. I came to church week after week to “bump” into Jesus. But that wasn’t the same as reaching out to touch him in faith.  For several years during high school and college, I even completely ditched the “crowd” because I wanted to experience the pleasures of this world. I hid from Jesus and the crowd by associating myself with people and environments that were completely devoid of Jesus.

And then there came a moment in my life where I realized – “there must be more than this!” There must be more to life than seeking a great career, than just going to work, receiving a paycheck, eating out, meeting friends, and going to sleep – only to repeat it all the next morning. At that point, I didn’t climb up to the roof of a house and lower myself down into Jesus’ lap. No. I didn’t even sneak up behind Jesus and grab onto his cloak in desperation. Instead, it was a slow process of reconciliation. I simply pushed through the crowd and stopped being a Sunday “fan” of Jesus. I pushed through the crowd and tried my best to be near him, to hear his words, to spend time with him personally. Through weekly bible studies, through testimony writing, through the Word of God, he was able to transform me into who he wanted me to be. And in my actions of faith, through a faithful desire to hear and study the Word of God, Jesus revealed to me that I am God’s daughter. That I am loved. That Jesus is the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world, and took away my sin, once and for all. That I am a child of God!

I asked Jesus to simply take away my emptiness; and he filled my heart, mind and soul, with his amazing love. I asked him for healing, and he gave me a deep, meaningful, everlasting relationship with him.

In life, there are moments where you have to decide between the same familiar path that you’ve always taken, and a new, exciting, and risky path that you aren’t so sure about. You can be a spectator, standing still and remaining stagnant where you are – or you can push through the crowd with all your strength and get launched into a place so special, more special than you can possibly imagine. Jesus is that exciting, new, risky path. Put your faith in him. Reach out and grab his cloak. Choose Jesus.

Both Jairus, the synagogue ruler, and the bleeding woman got more than they bargained for. Jairus wanted a healing, he got a resurrection! The bleeding woman wanted physical healing, she got healed physically, emotionally, mentally and socially! And most importantly, she got a relationship with Jesus.

When we ask Jesus for something out of faith, he will display his power over illness and even death! Ultimately it is Jesus’ love and personal touch that makes us whole. When we come to Jesus, he may ask of us more than we planned to give; but he will give to us infinitely more than we ever dared to ask or think…

Reach out and grab onto Jesus.

Son, Your Sins Are Forgiven

Daniel V.

Mark 2:1-12
Mark 2:5

When Jesus saw their faith the said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 

When God created the heavens and the earth, he did it with his words. He literally spoke everything into being. His words have power to create, to give life and to take it away. My words don’t, and neither do yours. To get my PhD in economics, I’m supposed to produce research that will improve our understanding of economic phenomena in the world. This might give me more authority to talk about economic issues, and people might take me more seriously. But what I say or write will still be just words, they will never have the power to turn nothing into something, poverty into prosperity, or a sinner into a righteous man.

In this passage, we will see how different Jesus’ words are, and just how much God was willing to do for us with his words. Jesus had been going around Galilee preaching, healing and driving out demons, but soon he started hiding from public attention, because the crowds that rushed to him were disrupting his ministry; they were out of control. But after a few days of hiding, Jesus returned to Capernaum to stay at Simon Peter’s house, and immediately he was back in the middle of attention. Let’s read verse 2. This didn’t happen by mistake. The scene in this passage seems disorderly, but Jesus knew that on that day, in that over-crowded house, something exceptional would happen. The time had come for him to reveal himself.

The masses came to him, because they were amazed and touched by Jesus. He healed their diseases and drove out demons from those who were possessed. So many people in Galilee were overwhelmed by suffering and anxiety from diseases, evil spirits, Roman oppression, and especially poverty. It was quite a miserable existence, practically, and the people loved Jesus so much because he brought them relief from their suffering. He had authority over the diseases and evil spirits that tormented them, something they had never seen before.

But Jesus focused on preaching the word to them. His perspective on the situation can be summarized by a prophecy from Amos 8:11-12: “‘The days are coming,’ declares the Sovereign LORD, ‘when I will send a famine through the land-not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD. Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the LORD, but they will not find it.’” The Jews had not been sent prophets in centuries, and the teaching of the religious leaders had become legalistic, burdensome and condemning. God seemed distant, there seemed to be nothing he was doing to restore them, and they did not have God’s word.

Jesus spoke directly to this lack of God’s word, because what they really needed was God’s word. He gave them a message of great hope, and what they may not have understood was that when Jesus said that the Kingdom of God was near, he was talking about himself. He himself is God, and he would become the source of the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. God was preparing to fulfill the promises he had made over the past thousands of years, giving them much more than they could have imagined. Jesus preached the good news, because this good news could truly satisfy their souls and bring them hope.

This is still true today. I study economics, and it’s a very interesting time to be studying economics! It’s a presidential election year in America, and it seems like the main concern for Americans now is “jobs”. Both candidates promise to lead us on the path of prosperity, to a situation in which the American Dream can be a reality for everyone. They both talk about having the solution to the crisis, and about who can be blamed for it. In Europe, there is much fear and doubt about whether the region will be able to avoid another major crisis. Economists discuss the situation extensively and share their points of view, but no one really knows what can be done. People really want security, they long and hope for someone to find solutions, so they can live more comfortably and more securely. But they are generally disappointed. In the end, our words, our efforts and even our best intentions don’t have the power to solve the problem of insecurity and want.

Right now, my own life seems quite difficult because of the amount of work I’ll have to do until the semester ends, in exactly two weeks. I am just about to finish the master’s part of my graduate program, and I can’t even tell you just how excited I am to be done with classes and exams. I look forward to the freedom of getting to do the research that I want, without being constrained by homework. I also look forward to being able to say “I survived”, that through God sustaining me step by step I got through the two most difficult academic years of my life so far. That thought seems wonderful, but the thought of all the work and studying that still need to get done before that happens is dreadful. I long so much to be done with it, to even just finishing the next assignment. My graduate experience has helped me to see more of how God can make extremely difficult situations work out for good even when I feel weak and unprepared. I also believe that for this last stretch of the school year, God is perfectly able to lead me through all the challenges I’ll face. But this passage tells us that God offers us so much more than relief from worldly difficulties. When the crowds came to Jesus, he preached the word to them, because that word has the power to give life, because that word revealed the truth about God and his Kingdom. It gave eternal life to those who accept it, and it even healed their diseases and drove out their demons. No matter what we might be anxious or excited about, it is God’s word that we really need.

At some point during the preaching, four men arrived at the house, carrying a paralytic on a mat. They wanted Jesus to heal him. They were his friends, and they longed to see him walking again, able to take care of himself, restored as a functional person. But then they arrived and saw the crowd flooding the house, separating them from Jesus. But they didn’t stop at disappointment and complaints. Instead, they found a clever way of bringing their friend to Jesus. Let’s read verse 4.

This was disruptive, and it annoyed the rest of the crowd. Everyone was waiting for their turn to approach Jesus. It was bold and insolent, but the friends did not see it that way, or at least they didn’t care. Their friend had to be brought to Jesus, and all that mattered was that they managed to do this. We can see desperation in their actions, but Jesus saw something more. Let’s read verse 5. Jesus saw their faith. Instead of seeing the damage to the roof of the house, or their lack of respect, Jesus saw faith. He could see that it was their faith in his power to heal that was guiding what they were doing. They were convinced that Jesus could heal their friend, that Jesus was their only hope. Because they were convinced of this and loved their friend, there was no doubt in their minds about what they should do, and Jesus saw this action as faith.

This makes us think about what faith really is. According to Hebrews 11:1, “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see”. James 2:17-18 also points out: “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action is dead. But someone will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds.’ Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.” These men were sure of what they hoped for and certain of something they might never have seen. But they accompanied their faith with deeds, and this was natural, because they really believed that Jesus could heal their friend. Jesus saw their action as faith; the only motivation behind their action could be their faith. This kind of faith pleased Jesus: he gladly healed the blind man Bartimaeus when he desperately shouted at the top of his lungs: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”, and he accepted all those who came to him despite the obstacles in their way, because they believed in his power.

These friends show us that faith is about coming to Jesus, by any means, because we believe that he loves us and has power over everything. They were desperate, and they remind us that acting in faith requires a sense of urgency. Indeed, coming to Jesus is urgent, it’s our most pressing need, because he is the one who has power and authority to take care of all our needs and problems. We are privileged, because Jesus is always accessible to us, he’s always willing to receive and hear us. The four friends had to be creative to get the paralytic to Jesus, but they also had nothing to lose. We may think we have something to lose by trusting Jesus because it might seem like we can deal with our problems and our lives better by ourselves, or we might think that Jesus will not accept us or listen to us. This passage shows us how gladly Jesus accepts us when we have faith, and how worthy he is of our faith. The friends give us an example of what it means to come to Jesus urgently, because he is our only hope.

Then,  Jesus blessed their faith by saying to the paralytic: “Son, your sins are forgiven.” This was awkward. The crowd must have expected Jesus to rebuke them, the friends hoped that Jesus would heal the paralytic, but no one expected Jesus to say this. His statement was out of place. This paralytic had come to be healed, not forgiven! But more importantly, who was Jesus to forgive someone’s sins? Understandably, the teachers of the law were upset. They might have recalled Isaiah 43:25, where God says, “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.” They were right, only God can forgive sins. By saying this, Jesus was making quite a statement about himself, and he would have a lot to prove.

He was about to prove himself. But we have to ask, why did he forgive this man’s sins? Jesus knew why he had been brought, just how miserable he was because of his paralysis, and how much he and his friends longed to see him set free from this suffering. But Jesus started with sin, because Jesus knew that this man’s sin was more serious than his physical paralysis. If sins are not forgiven, all are condemned to be eternally separated from God. It was because of sin that the earth was cursed to be overrun by sickness, suffering and sorrow. God will eventually take away these things, but first He wanted to forgive people their sins.

We can think about this man’s life to understand why his sins had to be forgiven first. Being paralyzed, he couldn’t do anything by himself. He had to rely on others for all of his needs: eating, cleaning himself, changing his clothes. It seems that the four friends were in charge of all this. They loved him, but in the end he was still somewhat of a burden to them and to all those who helped him. But then, how did the rest of the world treat him? In those days, such misfortunes were seen as punishments from God for sin. He must have been considered cursed, many probably judged and condemned him when they saw his miserable condition. Even the disciples thought this way. When they saw a man born blind in Jerusalem, they asked Jesus: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”. Some pitied the paralytic, others despised him, thinking he had gotten what he deserved. At the same time, he must have asked himself why he had to take on such misfortune. The Jews knew that as God’s people, they should give thanks to Him for his goodness. They sang: “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.” But it was extremely difficult for this man to give thanks. We can imagine that he might have been full of ingratitude, anger and frustration. No one could truly understand him. Beyond being physically paralyzed, he was full of inner pain and bitterness. He couldn’t move, but he also couldn’t truly relate with people or have a loving relationship with God.

We can imagine how he must have struggled, and when Jesus saw him, he decided to forgive his sins, calling him “Son”. This could truly set him free: no matter what he had suffered and how he had reacted to it, God would not condemn him or hold his sins against him. He was accepted by God and reconciled to Him, restored as a son of God, which is what God created him to be. Once he accepted that God had truly forgiven all his sins, he could be free of any bitterness and sorrow, because he would know that God loved him unconditionally and would grant him eternal life. This is wonderful; but how was it possible? Let’s read verse 9. The former didn’t produce any visible change, but the latter required divine power to accomplish. So he told the paralytic,  “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home”, and healed him right there in front of them all. Everyone was amazed, because no one had ever witnessed such power over nature. Jesus seemed to be just a man, but at his command a paralytic could walk again! This was amazing, but those who were really paying attention became aware of something even more amazing: Jesus’ words had power to raise a paralytic, but they also had the power to forgive a man’s sins. Jesus spoke, and it happened. This was absolutely unheard of, and it meant that God was truly among them, willing to forgive their sins. Truly, God’s Kingdom had come.

Jesus forgave this man’s sins, and he also forgave all of our sins. He showed us that our sins have truly been forgiven by submitting himself to death on the cross, and being raised from the dead. This is the greatest expression of love. As St. Paul described it, Jesus, “being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death- even death on a cross!” Jesus humbled himself and accepted death for us, so that we could be forgiven. This restores our relationship with God and opens wide the way to heaven for us. But it also opens the way for us to live as children of God and experience their peace, joy and love.

The problem of the paralytic is the same problem each of us has. If I am not loved or forgiven, why should I love anyone else? Because of sin, expressed in selfishness, pride, lust and anger, I care more about myself, my success, my comfort and my security than about others, and I can’t humble myself to accept and bless others the way God meant me to. But if God humbled Himself to become like me and die for me, to forgive my sins though I didn’t even ask for it, my attitude can change. I realize that I have no need for pride or selfishness. God’s love and humility saved me, my Lord Jesus became humble for me, so I want to be humble, to deny my pride and embrace others just as he embraced me. When I know that my sins have been forgiven, my relationship with God and with others is restored, and a new life is possible. The world may still be full of evil and suffering, but I can receive love and offer love, and that makes my life beautiful and meaningful. I can accept what St. Paul also wrote: “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus”.

What I see through this passage is that Jesus came to bring God’s Kingdom, and this begins with the forgiveness of our sins. Thinking about where I am now, I see how eager I am to move on to a new stage in my life, to be free from the responsibility of classes for the first time since I was a little boy. These past two years have required so much work, effort and suffering. Now I’m in the final stretch. But then I think, what’s the goal? What’s the purpose of all my effort and everything I’ve been putting myself through? I was thinking it was to be able to have a bit more freedom, a bit more comfort, and the satisfaction of knowing, “I’ve gotten through something big”. But Jesus’ words and actions in this passage show me that the goal is Jesus, his love and his forgiveness, and I already have access to that by faith. No matter what I go through or what I have to look forward to, my sins need to be forgiven, and they are because of Jesus. Nothing can give me peace and confidence like this, and it’s through this that I receive and can then advance God’s Kingdom. As I pursue Jesus as my goal, I also have his assurance for all my needs:  ”Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” I want to ask, how can my education, my effort, my presence at Columbia, my experiences and my research be used to advance God’s Kingdom? In particular, how can I be used to bring the love of God to others, so that they can also know that they are forgiven by God? It’s through accepting his words in my heart. As he told his disciples, “The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.” Jesus shows us that these are the very words that created the heavens and the earth, that gave each of us life. They also have the power to forgive our sins. Because we are forgiven and restored as God’s children, Jesus’ words can work in us with their life-giving power to transform us, to enable us to be like him and love like him.

Jesus shows us in this passage that he is full of love and compassion for all people, ready to forgive their sins. But to experience this, we need faith, expressed by coming to Jesus for healing and forgiveness. St. Paul reminded the Corinthians: “I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation”. May we be reminded that now is the time where God’s forgiveness is offered freely. Now is the time for us to come to Jesus by faith and bring others to him, for us to be filled with his life-giving words.

The Kingdom of God is Near

Saehan H.

Mark 1:9-15
Key verse 15

“The time has come,” he said. “The Kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news.”

At this time, when I hear the title “The time has come”, to me it sounds like “you’re almost done with your message and soon you can relax.” Sorry Daniel, Mary, and Yvette. The time has not come for you. But joking aside, what does “the time has come” mean to you? What are we waiting for? When Jesus came to this world about 2000 years ago and announced, “the time has come” he was announcing a great change was coming. A change that people had been waiting for. Not a small change that would be barely noticeable by only a few people of his time. It was a change that would forever reverse the fortunes of all humanity past, present, and future. This change was, “The Kingdom of God is near.” But, well, what does it mean that the kingdom of God is near? How does it change our lives in a meaningful way?

First, we can understand what “the kingdom of God is near” means through Jesus’ baptism and temptation. What these two, Jesus’ baptism and temptation, have in common is that they are both exclusively human. Heavenly beings are not baptized or tempted, by definition. This is in sharp contrast to how the writer Mark started his gospel in 1:1: The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. If Jesus is the Son of God, how can he start his ministry by going through two exclusively human acts? What this shows is that Jesus is fully God and yet fully human. Let’s first look at his baptism. Verse 9 reads, At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. So naturally, here we ask, why was Jesus baptized since he is sinless? We need to understand some facts about baptism. Unlike popular belief, John the Baptist was not the inventor of baptism. Baptism had been an essential part of Jewish religion for a long time. It was called Mikveh in Hebrew and some orthodox Jews still do it today. Baptism, or Mikveh, had two main purposes: Purification and consecration. For example, after women went through their menstrual period, they had to be baptized because any form of blood was considered unclean. This is purification. Also, any person or utensil had to be baptized before being used for service in God’s temple, because they were considered common, as in belonging to the world. They had to be baptized to be made holy, or set apart for God. This is consecration. Now, Jesus wasn’t baptized in the sense of purifying what is unclean, because Jesus is sinless. He doesn’t need purification. He was baptized in the sense of taking what is common, in this case his human body, and setting it apart for God. So in essence, through his baptism, Jesus was making a public acknowledgment that he was human like the rest of us; that his common human body had to be baptized to be consecrated for God’s mission.

Now, if baptism shows that Jesus is human, the next verses show Jesus is God. Let’s read v. 10 and 11. As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” The Spirit of God converged in the human body of Jesus Christ. And God’s voice confirmed that Jesus, the son of man, was indeed the Son of God. Notice the words “heaven being torn open”. This is reminiscent of when the curtain of the temple was torn open. This was the curtain that symbolized separation between holy God and sinful man. When Jesus died on the cross for the forgiveness and cleansing of our sins, this curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. Jesus is the God-man who tore open the clouds of separation and made peace between God and man. Through this Jesus, the kingdom of God was near.

Next up is Jesus’ temptation. Let’s read v. 12 and 13. At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert, and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him. One of the characteristics of being human is that we face temptations every day. For Jesus to be truly human and truly identify with us, he also had to be tempted by Satan. Having faced temptations while being human, Jesus understands our weaknesses. But here we cannot but wonder: How hard could it possibly be for Jesus, the Son of God, to overcome temptation? But we have to remember that being human, Jesus was just as susceptible to tiredness, hunger, and loneliness as any one of us. And when we’re tired, hungry, lonely, or generally in a really bad mood, we don’t function properly. We let the carnal desires of our bodies dictate what we do without regard for consequences because we can’t help it. We’re too tired. Holiness is the last thing in our minds. Jesus was in the hot desert forty days without food. He was in extreme tiredness, hunger, and loneliness. He was experiencing the worst extremes of human emotion at the time when he was tempted by Satan. So he understands. He understands our weaknesses. Let’s read Hebrews 2:17,18. For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. Because Jesus was tempted like us, we can ask Jesus to help us in our temptation. He will not despise us saying, “Pfft. You’re too weak, you can’t even overcome such an easy temptation?” Sometimes that’s the attitude I have towards my kids. But Jesus does not despise our weaknesses. He fully understands our weaknesses and intercedes for us to help us if we ask him.

But there’s more to Jesus’ temptation. Let’s look again at the last part of v. 13. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him. There must be a reason why the writer Mark wrote this, right? In order to understand the significance of this verse, we have to go back to the creation in Genesis. In the beginning of creation, God put man and woman in paradise. In paradise, there was harmony. God loved man and woman as His own children. Man and woman loved and trusted each other. Man and woman cared for all the animals and the animals looked up to man and woman. Everything was perfect. But Satan came and tempted man and woman. And they chose to listen to Satan instead of trust in God. Then paradise was replaced by wilderness. Man and woman began to distrust each other. Animals began to kill each other and became distrustful of humans. All nature has been in chaos as is written in Romans 8:20, For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it …” The world has been under Satan’s dominion ever since. The desert and the wild animals represent Satan’s dominion of fear, distrust, and death. But in the desert Jesus overcame Satan’s dominion in order to restore the kingdom of God. He was with the wild animals. And angels attended him. This is a preview of the restoration of paradise. Let’s read Isaiah 11:6-9. The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”

What does your desert look like? When we’re distanced from our Father God, we are slaves to sin. We are bound by fear, hatred, distrust, and loneliness. Like an unending desert with no oasis in sight, in our hearts there’s a deep sense of hopelessness that we can’t fully shake away no matter how much we try by seeking all sorts of momentary pleasures. We thirst. We thirst for the truly satisfying eternal love of our Father God. And just like in the desert there’s enmity between us and the wild animals, apart from God there are broken relationships among ourselves. So who are your wild animals or are you a wild animal? Parents don’t know their children because of their ambition for money and other worldly benefits. Children don’t appreciate their parents. Husband and wife can’t stand each other. Even among church members there are many wounds caused by senselessness and lack of forgiveness. Because of lost paradise, there’s a lot of anger, hatred, distrust, and jealousy. We need the restoration of the kingdom of God in our lives.

Let’s read v. 14 and 15. After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” he said, “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news.” When Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is near” he meant that Satan’s dominion over mankind would be destroyed and God’s kingdom would be restored. “The Kingdom of God is near” means that we sinners have been given a golden opportunity to restore the broken relationship with our Father God and to restore the broken relationships among ourselves. “The Kingdom of God is near” means that we don’t have to suffer under hopelessness and sin anymore, but Jesus can bring real joy, real hope, and real peace in our hearts. “The Kingdom of God is near” means that the desert of wilderness that was in our hearts can be replaced by the beautiful and satisfying garden of God’s presence.

But “the kingdom of God is near” meant something very different to the Jews in Jesus’ time. In those days, the Jews were suffering under the dominion of the Roman Empire. They were a slave nation with no future. People were stressed out and tired of their stagnant condition. Our situation in America may not be that different. People feel miserable in their seemingly unchanging conditions. Good satisfying jobs are hard to come by these days. In their situation the Jews blamed the Romans for all their problems. And they were hoping for a Savior that would change their hopeless situation. When Jesus came announcing, “The time has come,” their eyes were widened with curiosity. Perhaps this Jesus was the Savior they’d been waiting for. He could change their miserable conditions. He could overturn the evil Roman Empire and establish a new regime in Israel. “The time has come, indeed!”, they thought.

But Jesus knew that the Roman Empire was the least of their problems. The real evil empire that was reigning over them even worse than the Romans was Satan’s kingdom. Jesus came to overcome the kingdom of the devil and bring the kingdom of God to humankind. In order to do this he died on the cross to make atonement for our sins and he rose again from the dead to set us free from the power of sin and death and to forever set us free from the grip of Satan.

However, this disappointed many people in his time. They thought the kingdom of God Jesus meant would be an earthly kingdom. They thought he would defeat the Roman Empire and establish an earthly kingdom of his own. Instead, Jesus was arrested by the Jewish religious leaders. Then he was crucified by the Roman soldiers. People were confused and disappointed. Two of Jesus’ disciples said, “But we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.” (Luke 24:21) John the Baptist sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” (Matthew 11:3)

People today are also hoping for change. People are tired of working like factory machines. People are tired of the inefficiency of capitalism. They want to “occupy Wall Street” hoping that the rich few will be forced to spread their wealth. People are looking forward to the upcoming presidential elections hoping someone competent will provide the country with the changes they need. We all blame our current situation and we’re all waiting for a change. But when that change does not come, we become disappointed: “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” Let me ask you again, what are you waiting for? Some of you are waiting to get a job. Some of you are waiting for a happy marriage. Some of you are waiting for a green card. Some of you are waiting for my message to be done. Some of us are waiting to graduate. This is already my eight year in my graduate program. And I can’t wait to be done with it. I feel like after I graduate I will be able to do so many things and settle down and be happy and make my family happy. So I was stressed out and in the process I was making everyone unhappy around me. But while I was preparing this message, God helped me to regain perspective. What I truly need is the kingdom of God in my heart. What I truly need is paradise restored in my life through a growing love and trust relationship with my Father God. So I’ve decided that no matter how busy I am with my dissertation I must never skip having a personal time with God through meditating on his word every day and worshiping him. A PhD can’t really change much the overall direction of my life. After I get a PhD I’ll be waiting to get a job. After I get a job I’ll be waiting for my children to go through college. And after that I’ll find something else to wait for. And ultimately when there’s no more to look forward to, we will all just be waiting for our inevitable death. But for us who have the kingdom of God we will be waiting for the glory of Jesus’ second coming and for our faith to be made real in the kingdom of heaven.

Since Jesus has already defeated Satan’s dominion, what is left for us to do? Let’s read v. 15b again, “Repent and believe the good news.” To repent means to turn away from sin. There are many sins we need to turn away from: lust, selfishness, pride. But one of the most pervasive sins that prevents people from receiving the kingdom of God, is the sin of having a worldly value system, because it blinds us from our need for the kingdom of God. People do not value God or spiritual things as much as they value the worldly momentary things. So they despise the kingdom of God: “Kingdom of God? That’s all?” How serious do you think it is to have the wrong values? In Genesis 6:2,3 it says that the Lord was grieved because men were marrying women based on physical beauty alone. The Lord was so grieved that he decided to send a flood to destroy all mankind. Sometimes worldly values look good. But we should be careful to examine our values and thoughts because these grieve God very much. We must repent of having worldly values and we must believe the good news. Not the good news that promise prosperity in the world that many people follow. We must believe that the kingdom of God is truly the good news that I need and my soul has been longing for. We all want change. But outward change is like decorating a cake before cutting it. Real change that lasts is the inner change we experience by receiving the kingdom of God. It is the change that heals our relationship with God and brings inner quality. It is the change that restores our love and kindness for those around us. It is the change that God’s love brings to our hearts to heal us from all the damage caused to our souls because of our sins and because of others. So I ask again, what are we waiting for? The time has come. The kingdom of God is near. Right now at this very moment; so close within our grasp. Let’s receive the kingdom of God and restore inner paradise, enjoying a close walk with our Father God in our daily lives until we meet Him face to face in the Kingdom of Heaven.

THE GLORIOUS RESURRECTION BODY
(The Likeness of the Heavenly Man) 

1 Corinthians 15:35-58
Key Verse: 15:49

“And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.”

In last week’s passage, 1 Corinthians 15:12-34, Apostle Paul discussed why Christ’s resurrection was necessary in reaction to the Corinthian Christians’ denial of the resurrection. Christ’s bodily resurrection is not only important but also essential to Christian faith, all humanity and God’s redemptive work. The resurrection of our body is the climax of God’s redemption for us through our Lord Jesus Christ. If there is no resurrection of the dead, our life in this world is meaningless and those who have lived a dedicated life to Christ only wasted their lives. However, Christ has indeed been raised from the dead. And our glorious resurrection will take place when Jesus comes again as he had promised. But even if we believe that we will be resurrected when Jesus comes again, into what kind of body we will be resurrected still remains as a mystery to most of us. We also raise a question, like some Corinthians in today’s passage, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?”or “Will my resurrected body be ugly or beautiful?”

In today’s passage, Apostle Paul mainly focuses his discussion on our resurrection body. In fact, the word “body”, which is ‘soma’in Greek, is repeated 13 times in today’s passage (15:35, 37, 38, 40, 42, 44) and is not mentioned even once in the first 34 verses. In fact, if only our spirit, not our body, is resurrected, we cannot truly call it “a resurrection.” But the good news is that those who are in Christ will receive the glorious resurrected body when Jesus comes again. Let’s think about what kind of body we will receive.

Look at verses 35 and 36. “But someone may ask, ‘How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come? How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.” By the time Apostle Paul sent his letter to the Corinthian Church, some who considered themselves as wise thought Paul’s idea of resurrection body was absurd. Some of them even mocked Saint Paul, saying that he was out of his mind (Acts 26:24). “Come on! Your idea of resurrection is nothing but your wishful thinking. Our body is evil, how can our corrupt body be resurrected? Are you talking about reincarnation?” Paul answered back by saying that such objection was rather foolish and comparedthe resurrection of the human body to the sprouting of a seed. “What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.”According to this verse, death is the prerequisite for the resurrection. No death, no resurrection! This reminds us of the resurrection principle that Jesus taught in John 12:24, which reads, “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”Jesus’ word here confirms the resurrection principle. In other words, we were not meant to live forever in our natural body. We were meant to live forever in our resurrected spiritual bodies that would be given to us after death.

Look at verses 37-38. “When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body.” Here, we learn that our physical body is a seed. Have you all seen tulip bulbs? Are they gorgeous? No, they are not pretty. Tulip bulbs have to be planted in the ground during the fall. Then in the spring, such amazingly beautiful and colorful tulips come out. Many men and women spend a lot of money in order to look young and beautiful. We have to buy new clothes and new shoes all the time. Why do we need to decorate ourselves? It’s because we are just seeds. Our physical bodies are just seeds. So we are all Mr., Miss, or Mrs. Seeds. We will die someday and be buried in the ground, waiting for our glorious resurrection day. So we don’t need to compare ourselves with other seeds. We don’t need to be afraid of death or dying. In fact, we should embrace death by crucifying our sinful nature and following the will of God in Jesus Christ because wewill be raised in the glory of the resurrection.

Look at verses 39-41. “All flesh is not the same: Men have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kid, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and start differs from star in splendor.” Paul’s main point here is that God is full of wisdom, power and knowledge that He created all things in such wondrous ways. A picture is worth more than a thousand words (Pictures). Who made this beautiful and awesome things and the universe? Do you believe that our God in heaven is powerful and wise enough to make our future resurrection ever glorious? The glory of our resurrection is the climax of God’s creation. And the glorious resurrection of each of our bodies will be glorious and different from one another.

Look at verse 42-44. “So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body is that is sown is perishable, it is raise imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown in a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.” Here, Saint Paul compares our natural body with our resurrected body. Our natural body is perishable, and we only get older and waste away. Some people may get sick and die. But our resurrection body will be imperishable, glorious, powerful and spiritual. Here, spiritual does not mean that we don’t have physical body. It means we will have a spiritual body.

How is this possible? Look at verses 45-48. “So it is written: ‘The first man Adam became a living being’; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven.”  We all die because we are the descendants of Adam who sinned against God. During our group Bible study, one person asked, “What if Adam didn’t sin? Would he be able to live forever?” Other question is “Didn’t God know Adam would fall into temptation and sin?” It’s a very good question, and at the same time it is a very difficult question to answer. But what seems to be very clear here is that God’s creation in Genesis chapter 1 and 2 is not complete. God had planned to complete His creation of men and women through Jesus Christ, a man from heaven. Christ Jesus who died for our sins and rose from the dead is a life-giving spirit. We will be made alive through Jesus Christ, a life-giving spirit.

Look at verse 49. “And just as we have born the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.” What does it mean that we have borne the likeness of the earthly man? It means that our appearance and attributes or inner characteristics resemble those of Adam, the earthly man. Due to the likeness of the earthly man in me, I find that I don’t act or think the way I am supposed to. I find myself limited in my flesh and my weaknesses. In fact, I sometimes find myself acting abnormal at some level. I try hard to correct thisbut I can’t help myself from doing the same things over and over. Maybe that’s what Paul talked about in Romans 7:21-25, which reads, “So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!” What did Paul mean when he said that he was a wretched man?” It basically means that he was stuck in the box of his earthly body, which needed to be set free.

When we are resurrected, we will not do anything that contradicts our will. We will not be sinning against God or against one another. We will be like Jesus Christ, bearing his glorious appearance and beautiful attributes, loving, non-judgmental but understanding, humble, generous, not easily angered, but kind and gentle, not short-tempered but patient. We want to be resurrected not with ugly and nasty characters but with beautiful and wonderful characters, and live forever and ever, don’t we? Read verse 49 again. “And just as we have born the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.” We will be heavenly men and women.

So here we learn that the resurrection of our body is the complete transformation of our nature and appearance. Why is this transformation necessary? Look at verse 50. “I declare to you, brother, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.”  I heard a number of people telling their exciting stories that in their dreams they went to visit heaven. Most of them talk about how beautiful heaven is. Yet, none of them talk about how their bodies were transformed. In order to enter the kingdom of God, our natural body has to be transformed into a heavenly body. In order for astronauts to travel in space, they should wear special clothes. Their bodies will not be able to sustain the pressure of outer space. Likewise, in order for us to inherit and live in the kingdom of God, we should be transformed into heavenly men and women. And that’s a real mystery.

Look at verses 51-53. “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed – in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will all be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.”In these verses, “at the last trumpet” refers to Jesus’ second coming. We don’t know when Jesus will come again. But we know that he will surely come. At the wedding ceremony, the bridegroom marches at the sound of the trumpet, and after that, the beautiful bride marches slowly like the rising sun. The second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ is like the beautiful and glorious wedding day for every believer in Christ Jesus. On that day, at the beautiful and glorious trumpet sound, our Lord Jesus Christ, our bridegroom from heaven, will come and his believers, the church of Christ, will rise to meet him in the air. And we will be changed to be glorious and beautiful. Christians who have died will rise to meet Jesus our Lord first, and then those who are still alive will follow.

In verses 54-57, Paul continues to talk about what will happen to our enemies. Look at verse 54. “When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the say that is saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’”  The phrase “Death has been swallowed up in victory” is the quotation from Isaiah 25:8. Isaiah 25:8-9 according to NIV reads, “He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; He will remove the disgrace of His people from all the earth. The Lord has spoken. In that day they will say, ‘Surely this is our God; we trusted in Him, and He saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in Him; let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.” This prophecy will be fulfilled when Jesus comes again.

In verses 55-57, Saint Paul had become so caught up by the Spirit that he almost shouts. Look at verses 55-57. “‘Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”  No one was able to confront death and shout as Saint Paul did here. We are afraid of death. We don’t want to die. We want to live. But look at Paul, “Where, O death, is your victory?” Paul is not afraid of death or dying at all. Actually, because he had resurrection faith, he could die to himself and to the world and serve the Lord with the glorious hope of the resurrection. Here, the sting is the sting that results in death. We are all stung by sin, and sin gained power in us through the law. But we have victory over the power of sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ who died on the cross and rose again from the dead. This is indeed the good news of great joy for all the people, including you and me.

Now, Paul concludes in verse 58. “Therefore, my dear brothers (and sisters), stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”  Paul encouraged Corinthian Christians to stand firm and let nothing move them. Why were the Corinthian Christians shaken? What might be the reason? The main reason would have been the lack of resurrection faith. Although they might have to serve the Lord’s work very sacrificially, when they got tired and had many discouragements, they began to have second thoughts about their life of faith. “Is this all I get? I have sacrificed so much, but what have I gained?”When they didn’t see visible fruits, they were discouraged to run any longer. Many of us are like discouraged and exhausted runners. But we need to renew our strength by restoring our faith in the glorious resurrection. Paul finally encourages us by saying “Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” We are not running for the glory that is temporary or for human recognition, but for the glory from heaven, the crown of righteousness in heaven. Let us overcome our discouragement and limitations and run the race with the hope of the glorious resurrection to the end. Amen.

“The Time Has Come” 2012 NYUBF Spring Bible Conference

Watch the conference slideshow video!

When:

April 27-29 (Fri-Sun)
Begins with dinner on Friday

Where:

Liebenzel Retreat Center
80 Pleasant Grove Rd., Long Valley, NJ 07853 
(Click here for Google Maps driving directions)

Registration:

Students: $99.95
Working people: $149.95
Includes 3-day/2-night lodging and 6 meals. To keep costs low, linens will not be provided. Please bring a sleeping bag/blanket and a pillow. Other suggested items to bring: a bible, notebook, pens, toiletries, warm and light clothing, sneakers, etc. Give registration fees to your fellowship leader.

Conference passages (Download the questions and messages below):

1. “The Kingdom of God is Near”
   Mark 1:9-15 (Friday evening by Saehan H.)
2. “Son, Your Sins are Forgiven”
   Mark 2:1-12 (Saturday morning by Daniel V.)
3. “Daughter, Your Faith Has Healed You!”
   Mark 5:21-34 (Saturday evening by Mary D.)
4. “The Kingdom of God Belongs to Such as These”
   Mark 10:13-16 (Sunday main by Yvette S.)

Pastor David Baik
Peter Song, President of NYUBF
Campus coordinators of NYU, QC, QCC, St. John’s, Hunter, Bronx, CCNY, Columbia, HBF