"The Recovery of the Lost Eden." (Gen. 2:15~17) God was extremely joyful after He created the heavens and the earth. He was joyful after creating light. He was joyful after creating the sky, the ground, seas and various living creatures. He was joyful after creating Adam and Eve. God created the Garden of Eden in the east and made Adam and Eve to stay there. Eden was a place filled with joy and happiness just like its name. 1. An event that made God sad However, an event took place that broke joy and made God sad. God commanded Adam, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”(Genesis 2:16-17) Because Adam and Eve rebelled against the command of God and ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, all people were born as the descendants of Adam face death. The fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and of evil indicates the sovereignty of its eater. "Good" means virtue and "evil" means vice; as they took the forbidden fruit, they came to judge whether good or evil by themselves. God is only sovereign in the universe, but Adam and Eve took the fruit and acted as host. It led them to conflict with their Creator. Sin is to not invite God as the owner but live by becoming an owner yourself. "Who is the boss?" It is very important. Jesus likened our hearts to house. Luke 11:24-26 says, "When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first." This empty house can be an individual or a home or a society or a country. Good or evil owners can occupy any empty house. However, if the devil enters it, whether an individual or a home or a society or a country will become painful and ruined. Ephesians 2:2-3 says, "in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath." When the devil becomes our owner, we can't help but live a life that rebel against God and disobey Him. Furthermore, we commit sins gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and live on our own. However, if you leave God, you will lose the Eden of joy and happiness and live a life filled with thorns and thistles. Genesis 3:17-19 says, "To Adam he said, 'Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,' "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return." After Adam and Eve took the forbidden fruit, curses were given to human life and also their spirits were dead and severed from God. Any human that is separated from God can't be happy at all. In my childhood, I once lived apart from my parents. Because of frequent infiltrations of North Korean communist guerrillas, our family decided to move to Busan, but my grandfather didn't want to leave his hometown. Therefore, my parents decided to leave me with him and moved to Busan. At that time I was fifth grade in the primary school. When I came home after school, everyone left except me. I was greatly shocked! I ran into each room and found no one was there! I cried a lot while looking at the sky and the ground without ceasing. How anxious and restless I was left alone without my family! Separation is always sorrowful! At that time a brief separation from my family tore my heart and mind and even every bone in my body seemed to ache. If severance from family gives such sadness, how about separation from God? We are made happy only when we serve God. Therefore, if we are severed from God, we have to live in anxiety and pain. Nevertheless, since the fall of Adam, humans are not the only ones who suffer. All creation also suffers. Romans 8:22 says, "We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time." God saw all that He had made, and it was very good, but now the whole world is filled with pain and groans due to sins. As our enemy devil tempted humans to rebel against God and the whole world has been filled with sins, God has pain and sorrow in His heart. Nevertheless, God who is full of mercy and compassion prepared the way of salvation for humanity. The way is Jesus. Genesis 3:15 says, "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." At this God promised the oncoming of Jesus. Jesus’ coming to die on the cross is an amazing plan of God to destroy death of humanity and to restore life. It was such a marvelous plan of God the Father. Romans 5:18 says, "Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men." Jesus came to the earth as the second Adam and died on the cross in our place to give life to all who believe in Him. Therefore, Jesus is the only way to salvation. Since Adam and Eve were cast out from the Garden of Eden, the whole human history lies in seeking the way. There are numerous religions in the world and each of them insists that it has a way of truth. But it is not true; it can't be the way to salvation. When we run in the race, if we take first place but did not run the designated course, it is to no avail. There is only one name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. It is the name of Jesus of Nazareth! John 14:6 says, "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" No one has ever gone into heaven except Jesus who came from heaven and died and was resurrected and ascended to it again. As Jesus came from heaven, He is the only One who knows the way to God. Acts 4:12 says, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Therefore, the way of life is only Jesus. We should come before Jesus to receive life. We sinful humans lose the way. We don't know where we came from, why we are here and where we are going, but just live day by day without aim. Yesterday one newspaper reported that half of the students of Seoul National University suffered from depression. Even though they attended the most prestigious school in Korea, they lived with a heavy burden in their hearts due to extreme competition and various stresses. However, the fundamental reason lies in that they have lost God who is the source of their life and the home of their souls. They don't know where they came from, why they are here and where they are going. So their hearts are depressed. You know, as they lose the way, they are seeking God in their hearts. In the past, after the Soviet communism was demolished, I held a crusade at the Kremlin. As I entered the tremendous and terrifying Kremlin to have a crusade, countless Soviet people gathered and I stood before Lenin Statue. In front of that statue, when I preached Jesus who died and was resurrected, all Soviet people said, "Amen." When I asked them to raise their hands if they would believe in Jesus, all of them did! At that moment I thought I made a mistake. So I asked them again to raise their hands if they would first believe in Jesus. Then all of them did the same thing again. I asked why all of them raised their hands. They answered, "In Communist society we have learned that humans are mere materials without any soul. However, we still have a heart for eternity. Today we know the reason why." Thus they were determined to believe in Jesus. After the demolition of the Soviet Union, I visited several cities in Russia for a crusade and found that wherever I went there were always so many people who came to believe in Jesus. No matter how long they were taught that humans would be only materials, they were seeking God. In order to enjoy true happiness, we need to meet the living Jesus. He invites all those who get lost to Him saying, "Come to Me." When we go to Jesus, we will receive a new status and live a new life. When a prisoner is released from prison, he removes prison uniform and dresses a new robe. Now he is no more a prisoner but dresses a new robe and lives a new life as a free man. Likewise, when we didn't know Jesus, we were sinners in a sinner's uniform, but after we believe in Jesus, we are forgiven our sins and born again as the righteous and dress a robe of righteousness Jesus bought with His blood. 3. The Fivefold Gospel is the recovery of Eden. Furthermore, Jesus gave us the grace of the Fivefold Gospel and the Threefold Blessing through His cross. When Adam The Fivefold Gospel given by Jesus restored Eden that was lost by Adam. When Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden, there were no sins, filth, evil, diseases, poverty and curses, and death. All of these came from human sins. However, as Jesus took away our sins through the cross, we were able to restore righteousness, holiness, the fullness of the Holy Spirit, health, healing, abundance and eternal life that were enjoyed in Eden. Therefore, the Fivefold Gospel Jesus gave us is the recovery of the lost Eden. God is a good God. If we do not know about our good God, we cannot gain joy anywhere. The greatest discovery during my 60 years of ministry is that God is a good God I found in my first ministry at the slum area of Bulkwang-dong. In the midst of nakedness, starvation, difficult situation and poverty, as I found that God was a good God, my heart was filled with joy and happiness. Even though we had to endure coldness, sweltering heat and hunger on the rice mats of the tent church as seasons changed, our hearts were always filled with spring of joy God gave and enjoyed happiness. Our good God always rejoices to give us good things. Jesus said, "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 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!" Therefore, when we face problems, we shouldn't be discouraged or despaired but believe in our good God and pray to Him. Jesus gave us the grace of the Fivefold Gospel and the Threefold Blessing and restored the joyful Eden to us. Now we must enjoy the grace of the Fivefold Gospel and the Threefold Blessing in our daily lives. Even if two people work in the same mine, one of them dug gold while other just worked a whole day without finding anything. Even if we are living the same life, those who do not know God are just digging without finding anything. However, those who enjoy the Fivefold Gospel and the Threefold Blessing in their lives are digging gold! 3 John 2 says, "Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well." If we live while looking at our good God and having dream and faith in our hearts, there will be always overflowing joy and happiness in our lives. Therefore, I pray that all of you who come to this worship service may think of the Fivefold Gospel and the Threefold Blessing Jesus gave and dream of it and believe it and proclaim it with your mouths and live a life of Eden of joy and happiness. Hallelujah!