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Subject 24 : Sermons for Those Who Have Become Our COWORKERS
[24-41] God Blesses Those Who Obey and Believe in The Word of God (Genesis 22:1-18)
(Genesis 22:1-18)
“Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ Then He said, ‘Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.’ So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said to his young men, ‘Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.’ So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together. But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, ‘My father!’ And he said, ‘Here I am, my son.’ Then he said, ‘Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?’ And Abraham said, ‘My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.’ So the two of them went together. Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, ‘Abraham, Abraham!’ So he said, ‘Here I am.’ And He said, ‘Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.’ Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, ‘In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided.’ Then the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, and said: ‘By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son—blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.’”
Do You Truly Think of God First and Foremost?
God called Abraham and said to him, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” Through this account we see that God did not want to receive his son as a burnt offering, but rather God wanted to test to see if Abraham really believed in Him and was willing to follow Him first and foremost.
What did Abraham do regarding the Word of God? He obeyed it and followed this Word just as it was told to him. Now that God was sure of Abraham’s faith, He then spoke to him. Let us all take a look at the Word in the Book of Genesis chapter 22, verses 16 and 17. God blessed him, saying, “By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son—blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies” (Genesis 22:16-17). It tells us here that God bestowed the blessing like this upon Abraham who believed in and followed Him first and foremost. This is the main content of today’s Scripture passage. “Because you have not withheld your son, your only son—blessing I will bless you.” God continued to bless him, saying, “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice” (Genesis 22:18). God promised to give him, as well as to his descendants, the blessing because Abraham had obeyed the Word of Jehovah God. We can say that precisely this is the central theme of today’s Scripture passage from the Book of Genesis chapter 22.
When God told Abraham to offer up his son as a burnt offering in order to test him, Abraham complied and obeyed that Word of God just as it is. Abraham fully obeyed what God had told him to do. Seeing Abraham’s faith, God made a blessed promise to him saying that He will multiply his seed and that through the one born from his flesh all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.
When reading this Word these thoughts flowed through my mind. Actually, we often face many hardships while we are spreading this gospel of the water and the Spirit. Like this, even though the situation we are in is truly hard and difficult and although things do not go as we hope to, I nevertheless have this faith for certain in my heart. I believe that God will be with our Church and keep all His workers and the saints if we just carry out the work of spreading the Lord’s gospel of the water and the Spirit faithfully all over the world. I truly think so, and I believe so too.
To test Abraham, God told him to offer his son as a burnt offering. Abraham then obeyed the Word of God. In other words, Abraham obeyed exactly what God had told him to do. And when God saw that, He gave him a great blessing, allowed his seed to multiply, and told him that he will receive the blessing of all the nations of the earth who will be blessed through the seed from his body.
When I read this Scripture passage like this, what kinds of thoughts arises in my heart? I come to realize that there are hardships in the spreading of the gospel throughout the world. And the circumstances are difficult and hard. Despite all that, I believe that even though the visible circumstances may be hard and difficult, if we carry out the work of spreading the gospel of the water and the Spirit throughout the whole world, God will work together with His Church. I believe that God will be together with His servants and His saints, keep them, and give them all the blessings. Why do I believe this? It is because God said that He would fulfill His work through His Church. And because of this, my heart becomes brave. I believe all the work that we do now will clearly be blessed by God and will continue to prosper.
My relation with my foster mother turned bad all because of our different faiths. Simply said, my mother was an elder of a large Presbyterian denomination here in Korea. Perhaps because of this, the invisible spiritual battle between us was really enormous. Even when we just greeted each other and shared some conversation, the unseen spiritual energy battle caused sparks to fly. It appears she refrains from treating my wife or others harshly, but towards just me, she is more than harsh. But even if we were a mother and son, I could not take a conciliatory attitude in this realm of faith. Because my foster mother refused to receive the gospel of the water and the Spirit into her heart, I could not accept her words either. My foster mother, who was like this, is right now suffering much because of diabetes. And so, I thought that since I have not done anything for her in accordance with filial duty up until now, I should send her a medical device we made. So I sent her one. Yesterday when I contacted her, she said that her body is feeling much better and she sleeps well because of this device.
Up until now, I have pondered upon why our new business of health care products has not been going well. I thought, “Does God have something to say to me? Is He thinking that if it goes well enough to make me prosperous, I will then leave Him and live like Cain did?” But that cannot be. God knows my heart fully. I have died with Christ and was born again with Christ. Hence, how can I possess any other desire? The Lord knows all too well that He is the only Person inside my heart and that I am someone who follows after Christ alone. I think the Lord will not think of me like that.
I have also thought about what would be the secret key in succeeding in this undertaking before the Lord. I came to the conclusion that advertisement should go well for any business to succeed. Just as we could not believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit in the past for we did not know much about it, as for this undertaking, people are not aware of how good our products are for them due to the lack of advertising. And so, from now on, I would like to advertise much, and let people know about this new undertaking. Although this undertaking may be a petty affair right now, I am sure that God will bless you and me through this undertaking so that we can serve the gospel even more.
Let us return to today’s Scripture passage. It tells us that when God, in order to test Abraham, told him, “Take you son Isaac to a place I shall tell you and offer him as a burnt offering,” to this Abraham obeyed God’s Word just as it is. Of course, he did not actually kill his son. God prevented him from doing this at the very moment of slaying his only son. And then He gave this Abraham who had passed His test, the blessing. What must we know through this Word? Abraham was able to receive the blessing of God because he obeyed the Word of God just as it is. Having passed God’s test of faith, Abraham received the blessings both in his body and in his spirit; he received the blessings of bearing many descendants of faith as well. Who came out among the descendants of Abraham? It was none other than Jesus Christ who saved us completely. By believing in this Jesus Christ who was born from the lineage of Abraham, all the nations of this world can receive the great blessing of the remission of sins and lead a life like that of Abraham and become God’s children.
Do You Also Believe in and Follow God’s Word of Righteousness?
Abraham received the blessing from God and became the father of faith precisely because he followed the Word of God just as it is. What about our faith then? What kind of lives are our brothers and sisters, ministers and workers here in Korea and overseas leading? It is the same for us as well. I have every confidence that if we together were to spread the gospel of the water and the Spirit just as it is throughout the entire world, God will surely be bestowing the same kind of blessings as Abraham’s upon you and me. Why do you think this is so? We will be receiving such blessings, in spirit and in flesh, because we have obeyed by faith the Word of God just as it is, just like Abraham had. Dear fellow believers, please engrave this in your heart. If we have received the blessings from God just like Abraham had, it is because we have upheld the will of God and carried out the work of spreading the gospel of the water and the Spirit faithfully. Therefore, we must think about “How can we obey the Word of God thoroughly?” and then carry out His work only by faith, having ousted all cloudy worries and doubts from our hearts.
The important thing for us isn’t the way things are flowing, nor is it our current difficult situation. It is rather, “What is God saying to us?” This is more important, and this is what becomes the basis of our faith. As for me, I have the faith of believing in the righteousness of God and the Word of God. If today’s Word of God clearly shows us that the Lord blessed Abraham according to his faith, then we also can surely receive the very same blessing from God, and I also have this faith in God’s Word. It isn’t something that we can receive by trying to receive it forcibly. “What kind of gospel is the gospel we are preaching? Isn’t it the gospel of the water and the Spirit that we believe in and are preaching by truly upholding the will of God? Is the spreading of this the gospel work of man or the work of God?’ When we question ourselves like this, if we can be convinced that the spreading of this the gospel is the work of God, then we can have faith that God will surely bless our work. We then can strengthen our faith as follows: “When due time comes, God will grant blessings upon every work we do in due season. We will receive the blessing. Every one of us—our brothers and sisters, ministers and workers, both in Korea and in the entire world—and even unsaved souls throughout the entire world will receive from God the spiritual blessing of salvation as well as physical blessings. I truly give thanks to go God for having given you and me such faith. We will thus put all our efforts into the mission work with this faith.
Two Lessons in Today’s Scripture Passage
In today’s Scripture passage, God tells you and me two truths.
The first is that you and I can also receive God’s blessing by obeying and following the Word of God, just as Abraham had done. This blessing of God includes not only spiritual blessing but physical blessings as well. It is because fleshly blessings will follow naturally when we possess this faith of believing in the righteousness of God.
Now, what is the second truth? God tested Abraham’s faith here, and through this account, God is trying to show you and me His will. Then, what is His will revealed in this account?
God appeared before Abraham and said, “Take your only son Isaac and go to the land of Moriah, which I shall tell you, and offer him as a burnt offering.” Abraham, obeying this command, woke up early the next morning, saddled his donkey, took two of his young men and his only son Isaac with him; and prepared this offering by splitting the wood for the burnt offering. And it is said that on the third day, Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the land of Moriah afar off. Abraham now arrives at the place, and he starts to offer this sacrifice to God by taking his son as the sacrificial offering according to God’s Word.
Abraham took two of his servants with him on his way to Mount Moriah, and when they arrived at the foot of this mountain, he told them, “You two stay here.” Then, he took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went up together. And when they arrived, he built an altar with stones. As soon as he finished, he bound his son’s arms behind him, tied them up as well including his legs to make him immobile on the altar. And then, without even saying, “Dear son, I am sorry,” he took the knife and was ready to kill his son.
In that very moment, the Angel of God appeared and spoke to him. He said, “Abraham, Abraham! Do not lay your hand on the lad for I have seen that you have not withheld your son, your only son from Me. And I have seen that you fear God. And I understand. So, do not lay your hand on him.” Afterwards, when Abraham looked back, he saw a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. And so, he took his son off the altar, caught and killed the ram, and offered this ram as a sacrifice to God as a burnt offering.
Dear fellow believers, think about this deeply. Abraham was a man of tremendous faith. What do you think you and I would have done? We might never have been able to understand that command of God by telling us to kill our son and offer him to God, but instead, we might have made a big commotion. But, how about Abraham? Knowing that it was the Word of God, Abraham, in order to obey it, woke up early the next morning and left for the road to offer his son to God without any hesitation, taking his young men, his son, and the wood for the burnt offering with him.
Of course, after hearing that Word from God, he must have agonized over it as a human being. What parent is there that would not agonize over the command ordering to kill his or her son? Moreover, he was a son Abraham had begotten barely after the age of 100. Hence, we can say that this act by Abraham is indeed something truly great. Truly, he is worthy of God setting him up as the father of faith and to receive all the blessings from God. Even if I were God, I would have given abundant blessing to this Abraham.
Isaac Also Had Great Faith
The faith of this Abraham was indeed great, but the faith of his son, Isaac, was also great. When his father tied him up and tried to kill him, Isaac must have been eleven or twelve years old. Think about this. At that age, if your father had tried to tie you up and kill you, wouldn’t you have said, “How can there be a father like you in this world? How can you possibly do this? Am I yours?” But what does the Bible say here about what Isaac did? He did not even say a word, none whatsoever. Are you thinking, “It is written like that because it is the Bible, it is never like that in reality?"
The name ‘Isaac’ means ‘he laughs.’ The spiritual characteristic of Isaac is obedience. Actually, we can laugh and be happy when we obey God and our spiritual father and mother, that is, our Church and its leader. How did this Isaac receive the blessing from God? He received the blessing like this through obedience.
Then, how did Abraham become the father of faith? He became so by the faith of believing in the Word of God. In short, the names, ‘Abraham’ and ‘Isaac,’ have become synonyms for ‘faith’ and ‘obedience.’ Here, when we take a look at what Abraham and his son Isaac achieved—Abraham truly believed in the Word spoken by God and Isaac also obeyed this Word—we cannot but approve them as the fathers of our faith. Truly, these two men are worthy of receiving your respect and mine.
In obeying the command spoken by God, he did not even consult with his wife. “Offer your only son to Me as a burnt offering.” What would have happened if Abraham had told his wife right after having heard this Word? Abraham might have suffered death by his wife instantly. Saying, “I want my child to live. You foolish old bastard! I don’t need someone like you now. If you are going to kill my son kill me instead,” that angry wife might have killed Abraham instead. Mothers’ hearts are like that. Child-loving hearts of mothers of the flesh are stronger than that of fathers. Of course, father’s loves are strong also, but maternal affection is a bit stronger and deeper. I don’t know if it was for this reason, but whatever the case, Abraham did not consult with his wife, Sarah about this matter. There are no records of whether or not Sarah ever found out about this happening; I think that she might not have found out about it to the end. Perhaps Abraham at the time might have said this to Sarah. “My dear wife, I am going to go and sacrifice some burnt offering today. God told me to go to a specific place and sacrifice a burnt offering, and I am going there with Isaac. Take care of the house, and keep the servants well, all right?” “But why are you taking our son?” “I think God is telling me to teach our son how to offer sacrifices. Whatever the case, I will take him along with me since He has told me to bring him along.” For he might have said only this much, would it not be obvious that his wife Sarah made preparations for that burnt offering? I think if Sarah had only known about the truth beforehand, she would never have prepared it for him.
Dear fellow believers, Abraham also did not discuss this matter with the young men he took along with him. Abraham took two servants with him, but when they came close to Mount Moriah, he told them, “You stay here. Do not follow me, but just stay here. It is easier for me if you do not follow me. Besides, if you come, God will not accept the sacrificial offering. So, please stay here.” Like this, Abraham did not talk to anyone, and by himself, took his son up to the mountain.
Such faith of Abraham is something truly great. I think that there isn’t a person on this earth whose faith is as good as that of this Abraham. Of course, there have been many servants and workers of God who in likeness followed God, but whatever the case, it is certain that Abraham was worthy of receiving the respect of all people. Truly this Abraham is indeed worthy of the title, ‘Father of faith.’ And in the end, God, who had recognized this faith of Abraham, protected Isaac so that his father Abraham would not kill him for the sacrifice.
Dear fellow believers, you may question what is so great about offering just his son to God. If you reckon, this is nothing at all. Did you know that in Christian history, there have been many missionaries who have sacrificed their sons and daughters in the mission fields to achieve their objectives? However, the important thing here is precisely this: Could you really approve of the Word of God which orders you to offer your only son and obey it by believing it in your heart? Could you obey God by faith of fearing Him?
In the Book of Hebrews chapter 11, the following is written regarding this matter. “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, ‘In Isaac your seed shall be called,’ concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense” (Hebrews 11:17-19). It is written that Abraham really believed that God would raise his son up again. Abraham believed that if he were to do as instructed by God, that God would raise his son up again, for the Lord God has said that all the nations of the earth shall be blessed through that son Isaac of his and promised that He would multiply his descendants as the stars of the heaven through this child Isaac who was born from his body.
People of Faith Work as Instructed by God
Whatever the case, Abraham’s faith is something tremendous. A true person of faith is not someone who carries out the Word of God right away involuntarily without giving it much thought just because God had spoken. Rather, a true person of faith is someone who first digests that Word by faith, accepts it by faith, and then obeys it by faith. As it is written, “For whatever is not from faith is sin” (Romans 14:23), if we do not carry out something by faith, then everything we do will be wrong. What I am saying is that it isn’t right for you to do things arbitrarily without faith just because God told you to do so. Instead, it would be a grave mistake, and it could become a sin before God.
Abraham obeyed the Word of God by faith. By faith, he offered his only son to God. Of course Abraham’s faith is indeed great, but in today’s Scripture passage, there is one more truth that is more important. Just as Abraham offered Isaac to God as an offering, so God the Father put forth His only begotten Son Jesus Christ as a sacrificial offering for you and me. He did this to save us from all our sins. Having seen Abraham carrying this command out, the Angel of the Lord God stopped him by saying, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” Yes indeed, through Abraham’s act shown in today’s Scripture reading, God is showing us that He as God the Father has truly saved us like this by having given us His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. Here, God is clearly showing us His will.
Isaac was not a baby then; rather he was already a teenager. But nevertheless, he obeyed what his father told him without a word. What is the exact meaning of this? It means that Jesus Christ, whom God had sent to you and I, came down to this earth, and obeyed the will of God the Father just as it is. He indeed did this for us. Coming to this earth in human flesh, Jesus Christ obeyed God the Father by firstly doing the work of taking on the sins of humankind by being baptized by John the Baptist at the age of thirty. And with respect to the work of being crucified at age of thirty three, dying, and then being resurrected from the dead; this Jesus Christ obeyed the Word of God the Father being silent like a lamb before a shearer. In this way, through Jesus Christ who had obeyed the Word of God the Father, you and I have received our salvation.
God So Loved Us in This Way
God the Father sent His Son Jesus Christ down to this earth. In order to blot out all our sins, God the Father sent to this earth His only begotten Son.
In today’s Scripture passage we see Isaac; the son of Abraham refers to Jesus Christ. Isaac obeyed the will of his father Abraham. He obeyed the words of his father Abraham because he knew that his father believed in and revered God perfectly and that it was right. What is this telling us? To save humankind from all its sins and the judgment for those sins, God the Father planned to send His Son Jesus Christ down to this earth. That Jesus took on all our sins by being baptized by John the Baptist, and by being crucified, shedding His blood, vicariously dying, and being resurrected from the dead, He saved you and me once and for all. Through all these works, God the Father was intent on giving His only begotten Son so that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life, because He so loved the world. To give us everlasting life by blotting out all our sins, Jesus Christ, who had done all these works, was born on this earth in obedience to the will of His Father. By obeying, Jesus vicariously took on all the sins by receiving the baptism, and by obeying He gave away His body on the Cross, was crucified, and was resurrected from the dead. Thus, He saved all those completely who believe in this genuine gospel. Yes, this is true. Jesus Christ saved you and me perfectly by being resurrected from the dead. This shows us that God the Father so loved us through His Son and that He has indeed saved us. God the Father, who loves us so very much, fulfilled this impossible work through Jesus Christ who was born in a human body. He did this in order to genuinely save you and me.
Even the primitive men long ago used to offer a living person to their gods. However, God’s work of salvation was never a mimic of this kind of cruel act. Through the work of His salvation, God wanted to show us how much He loved us. As seen here, Jehovah God already prepared a ram for Abraham whose horns were caught in a thicket. What does this mean? It means that there was a sacrificial offering already prepared in advance to save you and me from all our sins. And this propitiation was none other than Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God the Father. Through that sacrificial offering named Jesus Christ, God saved you and me perfectly. Today’s Scripture passage from Genesis chapter 22 is the Word of God which is filled with this truth.
God Bestows the Blessing upon Those Who Obey the Will of God
Dear fellow believers, I believe that through this Scripture passage God is speaking to you and me, as well as to the servants and the saints of God in all the branch Churches in our country, to all of our co-workers abroad, and to all the souls throughout the entire world. We must realize that God spoke this Word to show us clearly that He gives blessings to those who really believe in and obey His will.
God told you and me to spread the gospel of the Lord throughout the entire world. In practice, spreading the gospel of the water and the Spirit in this age and time is such that we cannot do it perfectly through our physical endeavors. So God the Father has allowed us to spread the gospel of the Lord through our literature and Internet ministry. And if we are to diligently carry out this work, God will surely be bestowing His blessings upon you and me, just as He had blessed Abraham. Of course, we have as yet not possessed the perfect faith like that of Abraham. But even though we are not perfect and are lacking and at times we often moan and groan, but if we obey the Word of the Lord and uphold His will, this will in turn lead us to spread the gospel all over the world. I believe God will bless us, as well as all the works that our Church does, and furthermore, I believe that He will bestow His blessings upon the servants of God and His saints here in Korea and throughout the entire world. Yes, I am sure He will do this. We can receive these blessings from God without fail. It is God who blesses us. It is God who does this. And in this way, we will be blessed both spiritually and physically while living on this earth. What God speaks to us today is precisely this.
What standard must we apply to our lives when we believe in God and follow His will? We should always be asking ourselves, “Is this something God will be happy with? If it is something God finds joy in, then will He bless someone who does this work, or will He not? Will He bless that person? God blessed Abraham when he obeyed His will 100%.” If we have reached such a conclusion, then all we have to do is to carry out that work which God is pleased with. Then, just as God had done to Abraham, He will thus bless you and me as well. When we follow after God we must never have shallow or frivolous thoughts. Whatever work we face, we must think deeply. With far-sighted eyes, we must look far ahead and carry out His work by thinking, “Will God bless this work?” If we can conclude that He will bless it, then all we have to do is to carry it out as it is.
Dear fellow believers, there are many difficulties and insufficiencies in us as we serve the Lord. However, even amid this lacking, we must think deeply about, “Would God bless us if we follow the Lord, believe in His gospel and serve Him? Or would He not?” We have such a standard in our hearts. Then we can start receiving the blessings from God. There is nothing else. There is no reason to add on things when we obey His will by faith.
Our Hearts Must Clearly Be Established Uprightly Before God
We who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit have things of the flesh as well as things of the Spirit. Because we have both these things mixed together, we can never become complete or perfect. It is because there is something always deficient in the things of the flesh.
But what would happen if we were to follow God with spiritual faith, believe in the Word of God, and really stand firm before Him by faith in our spirits? We would become people of genuine faith just like Abraham. Therefore, we must set our hearts precisely like this: We must set our hearts by faith, not be swayed by circumstances, and chase after God. Indeed, it is important to set our hearts properly with clarity before the Lord.
Have you really tested your heart by asking yourself these important questions transparently before God? “Do I truly believe wholeheartedly that God has saved me by the gospel of the water and the Spirit? After starting to believe, did I truly set my heart on the work of spreading this gospel of the water and the Spirit in my country Korea and throughout the entire world in union with God’s Church? Did I truly set my heart with a determination that I would live for this gospel regardless of what happens and what my situation turns out like?” When you are determined to do this, God will grant you the blessings from Heaven. Just as God promised, “In every place where I record My name I will come to you, and I will bless you” (Exodus 20:24), God bestows His blessings upon us as we determine within ourselves to obey His will. If so, then God will surely bestow His blessing, and we will surely be receiving that blessing. Do you believe in this? It is absolutely true.
“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain” (John 12:24). This Word is truth. Jesus Christ came down as a grain of true life to this earth, was born, took on all our sins by being baptized, vicariously died on the Cross, was resurrected from the dead, and has thus saved us believers from all our sins and judgments. Indeed, because Jesus Christ made such a sacrifice, it was possible for you and me to receive salvation. What does the above passage really mean? It means that when you and I sacrifice ourselves for the spreading of the righteousness of Jesus Christ after having received the remission of our sins, then many others can receive salvation also. If we do not do the work of spreading the gospel, it would end with just ourselves receiving salvation. Would this be right? Would it be right for just you to bear many spiritual fruits by sacrificing yourself? And would it be right for you to lead a life just for yourself? We have no choice in this heavenly matter. It has already been set. It is an established truth that we will receive God’s blessings if we live by faith with a firm and proper and determined heart. If we go on living having by setting our hearts towards God by faith, we can truly live in peace and abundance; but if we were to live our lives like an unstable ocean wave without having set our hearts properly, God will not be able to give us His blessings, even if He wants to. Thus, we must clearly set our hearts on that very objective of following after God.
I believe God has given you and me the faith by which we can perfectly believe in and follow His Word, just like Abraham. Let us once again arrange and set our hearts uprightly before God and live out our faith until the day He returns. He encourages us, saying, “God will surely find joy in the work that we do. And thus, He will bless us.” Abraham received these blessings from God, and through him, many souls received the same blessings. Likewise, let us believe that God will grant us these great blessings, and I hope you will believe that God will bless you also.
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Copyright © 2021 by The New Life Mission