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 Sermon > Official Service |
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Title |
The Heart of the Lord - 2015 Good Friday |
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Speaker |
Rev. Jaerock Lee |
Bible |
Luke 22:42 |
Date |
2015-04-03 |
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Scripture
Luke 22:42 saying, "Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done."
[Introduction]
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, It is the Friday All Night Service of Passion Week. What did you do during this Passion Week?
Did you think of the heart of God the Father who gave His only Son as the propitiation to open a way of salvation of souls? Did you also think of the heart of the Lord who understood such heart of the Father, and obeyed Him even until death?
The suffering of the cross that Jesus received was unbearable for any man. And so, in the night of the day before He took the cross, Jesus prayed to the Father God. As written in Luke 22:42, He said, "Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done."
Jesus knew that 'removing this cup' was not the will of the Father. But then, why did He pray like this? Since Jesus came down to the earth in the flesh, He suffered just as we do. When He didn't sleep, He got tired, when He didn't eat, He got hungry, and when He was hit, He felt pain. Jesus knew sinners would be redeemed as He became the propitiation, and He was willing to do it.
At the same time, however, He also knew how terrible He would suffer when He did it because He was in the flesh. That's why He prayed to God to 'remove this cup' by any chance if God the Father is willing. But He soon said, "Yet not My will, but Yours be done." He eventually took all the sufferings of the cross.
You cannot help but change if you feel such a heart of Jesus as this, and if you believe in the heart of the Father God who loves sinners like us to the point of sacrificing Jesus. As I tell you about the 'Heart of the Lord,' I wish that such a beautiful heart as this can permeate your hearts.
[Main]
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
The heart of the Lord is, first of all, love.
The love of the Lord is in the different level from what people may think of. It is the love that has no strings attached, and expects nothing in return. It is the love that searches deep into the heart of the Father and only obeys.
Jesus understood the heart of the Father who desires to save sinners. With no strings attached before the Father, He only obeyed and came down to the earth in the flesh. To become the propitiation for sinners, He took the horrible suffering of the cross.
Jesus, of course, had no fleshly thought; if He did, He couldn't have taken the cross. He might have thought to Himself, "I am the Son of God, and I don't want to take this terrible cross." But Jesus didn't think like this at all. To be the 'way of salvation' for sinners according to the will of the Father, He came down to the earth in the flesh of man. And He silently took the terrible suffering of the way of the cross.
He did it because He loved the Father from the depth of His heart. And, His heart was also filled with the love for the souls. He freed men from their slavery to sin, and opened the way for them to become true children of God. If you understand this love of the Lord in your heart, you can find the answer to the question concerning how you should live your life. If you have this Love, it will find a way. It is also love that gives you the strength to walk the way.
The title of the Easter Cantata performance of the 2nd half of this service is "Martyrdom." You will see what kind of life those who realized the love of the Lord lived. Nobody forced them to do so, but they joyfully made themselves walk this way of life.
Jesus said in John 15:13, "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends." Those who possess the great love for the Lord can do what the world cannot deal with. Mary Magdalene overcame all the fear with her love for the Lord. And the love of the apostles for the Lord didn't react at all toward intimidation, not even at the threat of taking their lives. In the name of the Lord, I urge you to profess that you can do anything the Lord wants as you become full of the love of the Lord.
Brothers and sisters.
The heart of the Lord is, secondly, the heart of mercy.
A dictionary defines 'mercy' as helping people who are in a desperate situation. But spiritual mercy is not only that, but also treating one soul more precious than the whole world. It is the heart of taking pity on even evil people, betrayers, and sinners, and of giving a chance of salvation to them by whatever means necessary. How great the heart of mercy that Jesus possesses!
Matthew 12:20 says, "A BATTERED REED HE WILL NOT BREAK OFF, AND A SMOLDERING WICK HE WILL NOT PUT OUT, UNTIL HE LEADS JUSTICE TO VICTORY." Jesus endured those whose hearts were stained by sin and those who had virtually no chance of salvation, like a battered reed, or like a smoldering wick, till the end. He approached those who were despised such as tax collectors and prostitutes, and preached the gospel to them.
But evil people criticized such a one as Jesus. Yet, Mark 2:17 says, "And hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners."" What Jesus said shows His heart considered one soul more precious than the whole world. Can you imagine how great a strength and hope His words became to such people as tax collectors and prostitutes!
Jesus took pity on even the likes of Judas Iscariot. Although Jesus knew that he would sell Him out, He treated him with love till the end, and gave him a chance to turn back. Even at the table of the last supper, as written in Mathew 26:24, He said, "The Son of Man is to go, just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born" Even after hearing this, however, Judas Iscariot eventually sold out his master.
Jesus took pity on the Roman soldiers even when He was scourged severely by them. Jesus felt rather sorry for those who put a crown of thorns on His head, spat on Him, beat Him on the head with a reed, and mocked Him. He didn't hate them or curse them. Even when He was nailed in His both hands and both feet to the cross, He gave an intercessory prayer for them. He said, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing."
While He was dying on the cross to become the Savior, He truly felt sorrow for those souls who were used as evil instruments. Jesus wished that His intercessory prayer would pay for justice and that a chance of salvation would be given to them. This is the heart of the Lord. It is the heart to open the way of salvation by all means to the many people of an evil generation. "The way of the cross" was accomplished by this heart of the Lord.
As I have done my ministry as a servant of God so far, I always thought how to save just one more soul, and how to lead them to a better dwelling place in heaven. Since they were the souls who were bought by the price of the precious blood of the Lord, each and every single soul was precious to me.
Most of you have believed in me and followed me well, there were others who didn't do so. I planted faith in them, I helped them possess hope, and I gave them much love, but they betrayed me and left the church. Some of them were so evil that they judged me and slandered me as they pleased, and interrupt the kingdom of God. Whenever I think of them though, I still don't hate them or dislike them. Since I clearly know how their ends will be, I rather worry about their future, and I feel pity for them.
Although the Father gave me the power of blessings and curses, I don't want to use the power of curses against them. "Yet still, they were Manmin members. I know them, and I remember their names..." I just feel pity for them. About this heart of mine, God the Father said, "You are truly gentle in your heart. That heart is the foundation to save all peoples."
Not long ago, however, the Father said that punishment and retribution will be given to them according to their deeds at the time that the Father set. And He said that it is because they themselves denied the fact that they were Manmin members, and their time for repenting and turning back has almost run out. When I hear such words of God the Father, I am so greatly worried.
That's why I gave intercessory prayer for them again in the first of Special Daniel Prayer Meeting on the 15th of March. I should ask the Father so that they would repent and turn back
Brothers and sisters, as I said, mercy is the heart of not giving up even a soul fallen into sin, but saving the soul by all means. To do so, with the support of the heart of goodness, you should put yourself into his position and understand his heart. As you do so, you can find wisdom to save the soul and to lead him to the way of salvation. With this wisdom, you can strengthen the weary soul, and comfort the broken soul.
When you show mercy like this, a fruit of goodness will surely be born. I pray in the name of the Lord that you may have mercy on all souls just as the Lord did, and that you may please the Lord with the fruit of goodness.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
The heart of the Lord is, thirdly, the heart of giving up everything.
Love doesn't seek its own benefit. Love keeps on giving and giving, and searches if others are in need, or if there is more to give. Our Jesus gave everything He had for the souls. From His birth till death, He gave His entire life for the souls.
What is the reason He was born in a manger, not in a comfortable bed? It was to let those who live in sin realize that they are no better than animals. Jesus who is the Word that became flesh was laid in a manger to become spiritual bread to the souls who are no different from animals.
Since to become the Savior He could have no sin, He completely kept the law and didn't commit any sin. Obviously He had no original sin because He was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Moreover, 2 Corinthians 8:9 says, "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich." It means that Jesus lived a poor life in order to allow for those who believe in him to be rich.
He didn't spare any words of heaven, but gave them all to the souls. He manifested every power for the souls as well. And thus, those who followed Jesus were healed thanks to His power. Those who were weak became strong. As they met Jesus, people who were caught up in the darkness were set free by His power of the light.
Jesus didn't save time for sleep or rest; He gave even this time for the souls. He fed those hungry souls. He showed His heart of consolation and respect to those who were despised. He gave again and again, and eventually gave His own body. By putting on the crown of thorns, He redeemed the sinners from their sin that they committed with their thoughts. By being flogged, He wanted the souls to be healed of diseases.
When He was crucified, His garments were divided fulfilling prophesy and as indicator of things to come. Being nailed through His hands and feet, He redeemed the sins committed by the hands and feet. On top of all these, by shedding all his sinless and precious blood for sinners, He redeemed the sin of mankind. He eventually gave up His own life... because He wanted to give what His beloved souls would need most; eternal life.
As you can see, without sparing anything, Jesus gave everything for the souls. Acts 20:35 says, "...remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" "It is more blessed to give than to receive." When Jesus gave everything for the sinners, even His own life, He was truly happy in His heart. He was happy because, thanks to the life that He gave, the sinners could receive eternal life.
I myself am also enjoying such happiness. Thanks to such happiness for the last 33 years since I started this church, I am here today. If you can give anything with love just like Jesus, you can enjoy such happiness as well. When you give what you have to the one you love, you feel joyful. It is hard to give to the one you dislike, but you can give just about anything to the one you love. I hope that you can also taste this happiness which you can find as you give, and that you will enjoy it as much as you want.
[Conclusion]
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
The heart of the Lord is love and mercy. It is also the heart that gives everything. The Lord who loves you this much wants only one thing from you. It is His desire for you to come out as the true children of the Father God. To do so, you must become sanctified and accomplish a sincere heart. You must resemble the Father, and fill your heart with goodness, love, and truth.
When you become a true child of God, is it good only for the Lord? It is for you that it is best. You will receive the best dwelling place and glory in Heaven. While living on this earth, you can enjoy the blessing as a child of God.
In this year of glory, 2015 when God the Father allowed the flow of whole spirit, as you pass this Passion Week and welcome the Easter Sunday, I hope that you will have the firmer resolution of "I will make the Father's wish come true." May you sail on toward New Jerusalem at ease even through the rough waves of the world, in the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ, I pray!
[Amen!!!] |
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