Let Us Not Forget These Two Things Hebrews 11:6, NIV And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Introduction Today I would like to share the grace of God under the title, “Let Us Not Forget These Two Things”. There are two fundamental principles in our lives of faith. The first principle is that God is alive and the second is that he wants to reward His children. These are two fundamental bases of our life of faith. 1. Three types of people In this world there are three kinds of people. Firstly the Atheist centers his life on eating, drinking and feasting. He is like the prodigal son who is chasing after having fun in life. Luke 16:19 says, "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day.” This rich man dressed in purple. Then people who were highly esteemed among men used to dress in purple. And so this rich man dressed in fine linen reflecting his fortune. He had power and riches, and fared sumptuously every day. He was a good example of an atheist who neither feared nor acknowledged God. He did not care whether there was judgment after life. However time does not wait for any man. The time to say good-bye to a life of luxury was drawing near for this rich man. He aged and one day died; and after he died he got to know first hand that there was indeed a place called hell. This rich man found himself in hell, where in torment, he lamented, “Alas! I lived a wrong life. I did not know!” But it was too late for this man to repent. Psalm 14:1 says, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.” An atheist thinks that there is no God and he lives as the master of his own life. If he knew there indeed was a God, he could not live according to his own will. It is foolish to suppose there is no God. Our conscience is a witness to the existence of God. When we open our hearts, the Holy Spirit very quickly reveals the living God. The rich man who lived in luxury neither acknowledged God nor believed in Him. With bitter regret he looked back on his life. He lived a life of lacking nothing, being able to feast daily; but his end found him in hell with no exit and no access to help. The second type of person is one like Lazarus. Lazarus was a beggar who had faith in God, but failed to realize that God rewards faith. This beggar lay at the gate of the rich man. His body was covered with sores. His only relief was the dogs who came to lick his sores. The beggar’s faith was strong in his suffering. Every morning, noon and night he prayed while in his poverty and pain. This holy soul both worshiped God in his beggar’s seat and showed desire to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Luke 16:20-21 says, “At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.” Luke 16:23-24 says, “In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'” Let us now take a look at Abraham who is enjoying heaven as our “Father of faith.” Was he a beggar in his lifetime? No! Abraham was famous for his riches. God promised Abraham saying, “Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.” A servant of Abraham reported, “The Lord blessed my master abundantly, and he has become wealthy. He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold…” In today’s financial standards, Abraham was a billionaire. The bible also records him as being the first man who obeyed God with full sincerity of heart. On a mountain in the land of Mariah, Abraham proved his sincerity with a willingness to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice to God. God said to him, “Now I know that you fear God.” Yet Abraham was not perfect. He lied to Pharaoh by calling Sarah his sister. He even took payment in exchange for Sarah marrying the Egyptian Pharaoh. He acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, menservants and maidservants, and camels. If God had not stepped in to mediate for Sarah, she would have become one of Pharaoh’s many wives. Abraham took his wife’s maidservant and she gave birth to Ishmael. With so many mistakes, how did Abraham become the father of faith? He lived with his wives. I am sure God intervened in his suffering many times to give him wisdom with how to live with his two wives. Abraham and his nephew Lot quarreled and separated over pastureland. He was also involved in a war. Scripture demonstrated very clearly that Abraham was not blessed because he was a perfect saint. Rather in spite of all his weaknesses, Abraham obeyed God with all his heart and never doubted what God had promised him. Abraham believed in God and God counted his believing to him as righteousness. With all his strength Abraham followed God’s will. Therefore we also have hope. 2. We must experience God to know that He is living The Bible shows us that we should experience the living God in our daily lives. We must realize that our God is a living God. We must realize that we can experience Him in our journey of getting to Him as a living God. Through our many toils and sufferings we learn who God is. In the Old Testament God set kings over his people who revealed His glory on the earth. Experiences in complete contrast give us valuable lessons; light after darkness, health after illness, peace after suffering, sweet after bitter. An experience can cover a thousand explanations. We learn a lot of things through personal experience. Often explanations are too abstract. Just hearing that God is alive, leaves us feeling that maybe this is so, but on the other hand maybe it is not so. In my head I think so but in my heart I cannot feel it. Of course it is natural for non-Christians to not feel God in their hearts; but sometimes there are Christians who would say about God: “Oh, it is written somewhere in the Bible that God is alive. My mother and father went to church and I just followed them. But personally I am not sure whether God is alive.” This position is not faith. God then allows our various trials so that we would call to Him in our hour of need, and thus begin our journey of experiencing Him in our hearts. If all things remain fine with us, we would not ever have any need to seek Him. We call upon God when we are in need. Without calling there would be no opportunity for God to answer us. Exodus 10:2 says, “that you may tell your children and grandchildren how I dealt harshly with the Egyptians and how I performed my signs among them, and that you may know that I am the LORD.” God did great miracles in Egypt. Countless Egyptians were victimized. One of the reasons why God performed great wonders was to demonstrate that He is a living God and to have it recorded for subsequent generations what He had done at that time. When we are in the narrow path of despair it is the right opportunity to see God’s wonder. If we do not make room for God, He will not perform miracles. “I’ll do it by myself. It is my business.” But in the end we would call upon God for help as if we hired an assistant. But God is not an assistant. He is always the master. In the middle of all kinds of troubles if we start to look to God, if we believe in Him and cry out to Him in prayer then He will work for us. As God intervenes in a specific matter there comes a perfect victory. Through His salvation I can experience Him and at the same time people around me can get to know the living God. I didn’t know my living God before He healed me of tuberculosis by His grace. I acutely felt how great my God is. My situation was very critical. There was no proper tuberculosis hospital, and no medical treatment. Everything was quite different then it is today in the 21st century. Just after the Korean War we were in rags and starving. How could I expect good medical treatment? Whichever hospital I went to and whichever doctor I saw they would shake their heads and say that there was no hope. “You cannot live over a year.” My lungs were ruined because of bacillus. I was suffering from TB and the condition was getting worse. In my time of such overwhelming despair, I heard the Gospel of Christ and prayed to God. It was God’s grace that I was healed; and by God’s miracle here I am. How am I supposed to deny Him? If God did not exist I would surely be dead. He is real. He is not only written in the Bible but I personally experienced Him; which is why I can say God is real. I urge every one of you in our church to experience God in a time of your trouble. Today our church needs to experience God’s miracle. We need His grace as well as His miracle. Whether in small or great situations; we need to see God’s face shining on us. Then our faith will find its foundation on the rock of ages. We also experience the living God through the Word and the Holy Spirit. Grace must be poured on us when we come to church. When we listen to the Word and when the Holy Spirit fills us we can experience the grace of God and this grace opens our eyes to see the living God. The Bible says “Anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists.” Romans 10:17 says: “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” As we gather we share the Word of God. John 16:13 says: “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.” When the Holy Spirit comes we are touched by the love of God and we can, with undivided hearts, put our faith in Him. This is a great experience. What a great blessing is the coming of the Spirit! The Bible shares the wisdom of God with us. This Bible is a treasure. Even if you lost everything that you have, you can rise up again when you follow the Word of God. God will make you the head and not the tail. You will always be at the top and never at the bottom. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. Even though somebody might not have a formal school education and lived a hard life, by embracing God’s word he or she can be a 21st century Abraham Lincoln. God’s word gives us special wisdom. In his collection of short fiction, What Men Live By, and Other Tales, the world famous Russian writer Leo Tolstoy wrote, “I have now understood that though it seems to men that they live by care for themselves; in truth it is love alone by which they live. He, who has love, is in God, and God is in him, for God is love.” We live by the love, grace and wisdom of God. We can say this from experience. And this experience is our heritage from God according to His word. Therefore we should pursue heavenly wisdom all the time by reading the Word and asking for the help of the Holy Spirit. Each time we need and call upon God we are personally met with His grace and wisdom. According to the foundation of the Word through the revelation of the Holy Spirit, we come to realize who our living God really is. It is important for us to rely on the word of God; and in your prayers ask the Holy Spirit, to guide you to understand the Word. It is God’s word and the Holy Spirit will enlighten our hearts with God’s wisdom. This divine wisdom will enable you to go through impossible situations. If God is with us everything is possible. Humans reach their limits but God is supernatural. With Him we can walk on the way of infinite potentials. Therefore let us not pay attention to our “ego” but rather let God take control over us. Miracles will happen in our lives. Anyone who comes to God must believe that he exits otherwise he cannot receive God’s grace. 3. False faith, poverty and failure God is alive and He wants to reward His children. These are two fundamental bases of our life of faith. The first principle of our faith is to personally know that God is alive. The second principle of our faith is “to remember that God rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Please repeat after me. “False faith says ‘accept poverty and failure as God’s will’.” Hebrews 11:6 says: “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Not maybe but for sure God rewards people who seek him. How does God reward? “We must believe that he rewards.” Please do not think that our God does not give rewards. Romans 8:32 says: “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” Let us think about this theoretically. If He spared not his Son; how then shall he not also freely give us all things? Philippians 4:19 says: “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Our God doesn’t just meet several of our needs; but He is a God who meets all our needs. History has demonstrated that the God of our fathers is not a God of barely get by. He blessed Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph more than enough. He brought His people into the land flowing with milk and honey. God’s blessings flow like a river on those who are connected to Him. Did Abraham live as a beggar? Genesis 13:1-2 says, “So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, with his wife and everything he had, and Lot went with him. Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold.” Genesis 24:35 says, “The LORD has blessed my master abundantly, and he has become wealthy. He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, menservants and maidservants, and camels and donkeys.” Abraham’s servant gave this report. To go further with this thought, how about his son Isaac? Genesis 26:12-14 says, “Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the LORD blessed him. The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy. He had so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him.” Like the father experienced the blessings of God, so did his son. What about Abraham’s grandson Jacob? Genesis 30:42-43 says, “So the weak animals went to Laban and the strong ones to Jacob. In this way the man grew exceedingly prosperous and came to own large flocks, and maidservants and menservants, and camels and donkeys.” Jacob confessed in Genesis 32:10: “I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two groups.” When Jacob ran away to his uncle Laban’s house; he had only his staff in his hand. Jacob crossed the Jordan River with empty hands. But when Jacob returned to his native land 20 years later, he returned in two groups with each showing much prosperity. His father before him was rich, Jacob was rich and his son after him became rich. God said, “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” He did not discriminate among them. Let’s look at Joseph. Genesis 41:41-43 says, “So Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.’ Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph's finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and men shouted before him, ‘Make way!’ Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.” Out of jealousy Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery. But after 13 years Joseph’s brothers found him a ruler of all Egypt, next in power only to Pharaoh. Deuteronomy 26:6-9 says, “But the Egyptians mistreated us and made us suffer, putting us to hard labor. Then we cried out to the LORD, the God of our fathers, and the LORD heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression. So the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with miraculous signs and wonders. He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey;” God promised to give his people a land flowing with milk and honey not a wilderness. I didn’t cut my wisdom teeth until I got older. These days, as I find myself looking back on my 50 year ministry; I am often touched to tears as I recall how God has led me to a blessed life. I still remember the day when I could only afford a third class slow train from Pusan to Seoul. I felt so discouraged and hopeless thinking of my future. Seoul was an unfamiliar city to me. I did not have any relatives in Seoul and I left Pusan with only Jesus in my heart. This Jesus helped a person like me all the way; and now I can take an express train instead of a slow one. What a wonderful grace I have received! Why did the Lord give me such great blessings? I am learning it is because our God is the one who blesses us from the beginning and will continue until the end. Jesus has shown us His gift of redemption. The Bible tells us how great the grace of salvation through Jesus is. Let us read together 2 Corinthians 8:9: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ; that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” “Let us follow Jesus. We should be in rags and starve. Poor is our motto.” No way! Jesus was rich more than we can imagine. He is God. But he became poor for our sakes. To save us from poverty, He became poor instead of us. Because we believe in Jesus; we should expect riches instead of poverty. His becoming poor must work through us. Let us read also 2 Corinthians 9:8: “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” Everything has already been done beautifully by God. He wants us to have all that we need and to abound in every good work. Conclusion What does God do for those who diligently seek him? We should know in whom we believe in. He rewards us. Can you still remember how good your feelings felt when you won an award in your school days? We should also feel fantastic when the Lord rewards us in our daily life. Our God is a God who gives rewards. I have received many prizes throughout my life. That is why I earnestly want you to receive prizes as well. I have traveled around the earth about 115 times preaching the Gospel to millions of people. I have shared that our God is a good God who wants us to enjoy good health and he wants all things to be well with both our souls and bodies. God has come that we may have life, and have it more abundantly. We should boast about our God who sits on the throne and gives rewards. In our faith life, we should always praise our living God and be assured of the reward that God gives those who earnestly seek Him. We can find life in Him. Yes, we can find rest even in our troubles because He will take care of us. We are not alone. You are not thrown away to this world. God is here. No matter what your relationships or circumstances may be God is near to you. You can call out, “Father!” When Jesus prayed He called God, “Abba, Father!” No other people can call God as their Father except you. Those who believe in Him can call him “Daddy.” Abba, Father, Daddy! He is close to us. He and we are very close. God loves you. That is why you can experience the living God. No matter what difficulties we face there is a living God who is ready to show His power in your lives. While we keep pressing, praying, and trusting in God, he will do great things. Miracles will happen to us and our problems will be solved in a great way. Our faith will grow because we have experienced His goodness. With courage then live positive, active, and creative lives. It will be done to us according to our faith. We will lend to many but will borrow from none. We will not live a life of poverty, begging from people; or lying at the gate of a rich man longing to eat what fell from his table. No we have become a blessed people sharing with others what we have. Let us pray together. Our Father! You are a living God. When we think about You, we are touched in our hearts. Up to this point, we have misunderstood our God. We thought of You as a fearful, strict God turning your back on us. Satan has tried to influence us with negative thoughts. He has said that You are not going to answer us. And we believed his words as if they were true. Many people find themselves in agony. Oh, Father! Do not let us be like the rich atheist who went to hell. Do not let us become like the beggar, Lazarus who was a good believer but did not realize Your goodness in his lifetime. Rather let us be like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph who experienced the living God and enjoyed their rewards of both this life and the next life. Let Your glory shine on every one of us. Let us confess, “My Father! Tomorrow will be better than today. Next month will be greater than this month. Next year will be brighter than this year.” You are a God of miracles. Your miraculous revelation will show up in each person’s heart. Through the grace of the redemption of Jesus Christ we are not poor but rich, not weak but strong. Jesus for your sake we have become rich. Thank you for your overflowing blessings. You have done great things for us! In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen! 1