Our Lord Jesus Christ John 14:1-6, NIV “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” I would like to share the grace of God under the title, “Our Lord Jesus Christ,” which is based on John 14:1-6. Please repeat after me: Our Lord Jesus Christ, Our Lord Jesus Christ. People dread the fear of death more than anything. Generally they will despair when death suddenly comes close to them. Losing all hope, they will collapse; indicating that they feel a strong attachment to their lives. However, death is unavoidable. Each man is born to die in his time. We must give thanks to the Lord Jesus, whom we believe and serve as our Savior because He came to earth and removed the sting of death. Death is then no more dreadful to Christians. I witnessed both my grandfather’s and my grandmother’s death. My grandfather went to heaven on a chariot of praises. He left us as if in a peaceful sleep while all his family gathered and sang hymns. My memory of this is still very vivid. A year later, my grandmother followed him in exactly the same way. She too was ushered into a peaceful sleep in the midst of her family praising and worshiping God. In Korea, dead bodies are disinfected with alcohol. In Western culture, dead bodies are moved into a funeral home where they are embalmed, clothed in garments brought in by family members, make-up applied to their faces, their hair styled and then their bodies are placed into an open casket as if they were resting peacefully. The open casket is moved into a quiet viewing room so that family members and close friends are able to privately grief and bid their farewells. Sometimes the deceased is holding a bible. The day after an evening wake of viewing; a memorial service is held at which time many flowers are brought as a token of last regards and love to the deceased. The casket is then closed and taken to a graveyard as their final resting place. A deceased holding a bible in his hands is a good testimony that death is not the end but only a new beginning for a Christian. Death is the gateway to the eternal world. Jesus Christ went there before us to prepare a place for us. John 14:2-4 says: “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” Then Thomas, one of the disciples of Jesus, asked. John 14:5 says: “Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?’ ” Jesus replied. 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.’ ” Hallelujah! Then, who is Jesus whom we believe and serve? First, Jesus is the way. I would like to speak about Jesus who is the way. In John 14:6, Jesus answered: “I am the way and the truth and the life.” There are many ways and roads. There are roads for pedestrians, roads for vehicles, aerial routes, and sea routes. If we are going the wrong way, we may befall an accident. There are also invisible ways as there are ways people seek to success and happiness. However, the most important way is the way to eternal life. Jesus is the way to eternal life. In fact, our life on earth is like a highway surrounded with thick fog with extremely low visibility. Last Wednesday evening, I went to Kangneung on Korea’s east coast to lead an inauguration service for Rev. Jung-Chul Kim. The fog was so thick on our way back to Seoul that we could not even see a few meters ahead. All the drivers had to turn on their emergency lights as added safety precautions as they had to drive so carefully. While I was in this thick fog, I thought, “Ah, our life is just like this. We cannot see anything ahead of us. The Lord leads my way. The Lord is everything to me. Lord, please make me walk the most pleasing way to You.” Hallelujah! We will be in trouble when we take a wrong route. We will also encounter huge failure, hopelessness and despair when we follow wrong people or a wrong religion. On November 18, 1978, the world was stunned by the mass suicide of the cult leader, Jim Jones and his 914 members of The People’s Temple in the jungles of Guyana, South America. While the US government was investigating The People’s Temple, Jim Jones panicked and led his entire congregation into committing mass suicide. Over 900 people followed a wrong man and they all ended their lives most miserably. According to a recent study, there are approximately 20 people in Korea who call themselves a god, 50 people who call themselves Jesus on a second advent, some who call themselves the comforter, the Spirit of God, and still others who claim to be Elijah or David. Do not follow people. Follow Jesus. Jesus is the only way to salvation. When Jesus said, “I am the way,” He meant that He was not one of many ways but the only way. Jesus is the only way. Hallelujah! Jesus Christ is the one and only way through which sinful man can approach God. This is why 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.” There is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. Jesus is the only way to salvation. God sent His one and only Son Jesus to us while we were still sinners. He opened the door to salvation by letting Jesus take all our sins and die on the Cross. Romans 5:10 says: “For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!” Jesus Himself became the way and opened the door of salvation for us. We should never forget that Jesus is the only way to salvation and that He wants to use us by pouring His wonderful grace upon and through us. “My Lord Jesus, the way to salvation, I march forward with faith in You, trusting and looking up to You alone.” The way to salvation will open when we come to the Lord. The way to the fullness of the Holy Spirit will open. The way to divine healing will open. The way to God’s blessings and prosperity will open. The way to heaven, the second coming, and eternal life will open. This is the five-fold gospel. When we believe in Jesus, the way to all the blessings of the Lord will open to us. We will ultimately reach eternal heaven when He calls us as long as we walk this way. When we believe in Jesus, wonderful blessings and miracles will come to us. The wonderful grace of God will be upon us. Yesterday, we had a worship service of thanks for the successful completion of the 60th Anniversary of the Korean War Prayer Meeting. Rev. Billy Jang-whan Kim, a close friend of Rev. Yonggi Cho, gave his book, Miracle Will Happen When We Meet God to each one of us. I began to read this book as soon as I received it. Rev. Kim very impressively develops his success through his book. Rev. Kim was born in 1934, two years prior to Rev. Yonggi Cho. When the Korea War broke out, Rev. Kim’s father had already passed away; leaving his mother to support her children. The Korean War created many financial problems and when the boy Jang-whan was 16, he was unable to finish his education. He would often hang around the US camp sites with his friends. The US soldiers would give them chocolate and food. One day he was there with seven friends. A soldier came out and said: “You, come in!” as he pointed at Jang-whan. He later realized that it was God who was calling him by his name when the soldier called him. Hallelujah! There were several other boys around but the soldier specifically pointed at him and called him in. Although Jang-whan could not understand English; he figured out that the soldier wanted him to gather and cut firewood and start a fire. So he rushed out to the field, gathered some wood, cut it, and started a fire in the tent. He saw that the tent was dirty so he cleaned it, folded blankets and neatly arranged things. The soldier who had initially called him praised him for a job well done. Jang-whan was unofficially hired as a house boy, as a cleaning boy in the tents of the US soldiers. He was popular among the soldiers. He did all their chores, waxed their books, cleaned their tents, and ran all their errands. The soldiers would give him gifts in exchange for his job and he would share them with his family. Jang-whan Kim worked very hard as a young boy anticipating the many military supplies that needed his attention. Then he met a faithful Christian, Sergeant Major Carl Powers. He watched the boy Jang-whan with interest. One day this sergeant called him and said: “Would you like to go to the United States to study?” Jang-whan was both overwhelmed by the thought of going to the States and unsure that his mother would let him go. Initially as he had anticipated, his mother did not want to let him go until the sergeant went to visit and assure her that he would take full responsibility for his care. His mother released him to go to America with tears in her eyes. At the age of 17, Jang-whan got on board a ship at Pusan Port with 130 American dollars in his hands. After 42 days, the ship arrived at San Francisco Harbor. He was enrolled in a prestigious private school called Bob Jones School where he continued his school work as a 9th grader. One day, Jerry Mays, one of his roommates, opened the Bible and asked Jang-whan to read the open page. Stammering, he read John 3:16 from the English Bible. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. After reading it, Jerry suggested Jang-whan believe in Jesus. Jerry said: “Why don’t you repeat this prayer after me?” He then led the prayer of conversion, “Lord, I am a sinner. I have lived without knowing where I came from, what to live for, or where I am heading for. I accept Jesus Christ as my Savior.” He was touched the moment he accepted Jesus into his heart. Jesus Christ, the Savior, who is The Way, came into his life. That day Jesus became the Master of the boy Jang-whan Kim, and has thereafter led him throughout his life. He could not speak English at all when he first went to the States. But he prayed to the Lord, studied hard; and at his senior year of high school won the first prize at a national oratorical contest. Wasn’t this wonderful! Then Mr. Kim came back to Korea after graduating from college. He became globally famous in 1973 after his work as a translator in the Billy Graham Crusade in Korea. Later, Rev. Kim became the superintendant of the World Baptist Church Fellowship with a membership of 150,000,000 Baptists. When the Assembly of the World Baptist Church Fellowship met in Cuba; Rev. Kim had the privilege of sharing Jesus with President Castro for 2 ½ hours. Hallelujah! Glory to God! He indeed is a precious and faithful servant of God. Jang-whan Kim found the way when he was a boy. He found the right way. He could dwell in such wonderful blessings and grace of God after he met Jesus and chose to take the way to salvation. Jesus is the only way. There is no other way. We will be bound to despair in hopelessness and frustration when we take the way leading into the world. All things have meaning only in Jesus. Are you by any chance wandering around lost? Believe in Jesus now and find the way. Please walk into the way of salvation. The Lord is calling you with open arms, saying: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened.” The way to salvation, eternal life, blessing, and miracles will open for us when we march forward with faith in Jesus. Second, Jesus is the truth. I want to talk about Jesus who is the truth. John 14:6 says: “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth …’ ” Jesus is both the way and the truth. John 1:14 says: “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 the Father, full of grace and truth.” Jesus is full of the grace of the Spirit and the truth of the Word. This is why God wants us to know Jesus, who is the Lord of truth. 1 Timothy 2:4 says: “…who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” Many religious leaders and philosophers talk about truth. However their truth changes over time. Ideologies and logic also change. On the other hand, Jesus Christ, the Truth, can never change. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hallelujah! Some people believed that communism was the truth. The Russian Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 was fueled with the theory of communism. This bloody revolution overturned the oppressive Russian dynasty but was it able to bring true happiness to Russia? For 74 years the communist political system deluded people with dreams of earthly paradise and social equality without any poverty. But then it completely collapsed because Russia was overrun with poverty and hopelessness. The foundation of the political system of communism crumbled in both Russia and other Eastern European countries because it was not the truth. Our church started a Bible School in Russia and between 1992 and ’93 I went there to give lectures. I was greatly surprised there. As we were traveling into Moscow from the airport, I saw a big sign board of Samsung Group. I thought, “Korean businessmen and firms work really fast. When did they start business in this former communistic country?” I saw skyscrapers and the famous 100-meter deep subways of Moscow. These subways are said to be safe even if an atomic bomb hit. I was stunned, not at the skyscrapers or magnificent facilities; but at the fact that people were living near to starvation in the midst of all these technological wonders. Most Russia’s people generally ate only two meals a day. They drank tea for breakfast. They ate hard bread and watery soup for lunch and something similar for dinner. Hard bread was their main food. In 1992 their average monthly was $20.00. It is now hard to believe. Russian doctors were then paid about $50.00/month. I marveled at how a country that looked after their own in such a poor way competed with America. I had a hard time understanding the situation. The former Soviet Union made nuclear weapons, and had launched space rockets to the moon. However, their false philosophy destroyed their strong country. It deprived their people of any means of living, pushing them into poverty, curses, and despair. The nation had to finally give up the ideology of communism. No theory or philosophy can bring true happiness to us. The communist political philosophy sounded reasonable. They were going to take the wealth from the rich and give it to the poor. Wealth would then be equally distributed. This is why poor countries adopted the communist political system. However, in reality, everybody became poor. The rich became poor and the poor remained poor. Only Jesus can give us true happiness. Jesus is the only Truth. Truth should not change. This is why Hebrews 13:8 says: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” “Jesus Christ is the same forever. Jesus Christ is the same forever.” When we meet Jesus who is the Truth, we will be free from sin. We will be healed from diseases. We will be released from curses. We will be blessed. John 8:32 says: “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” The truth will set you free. The truth will release you from all kinds of shackles and make you free. The truth will set you free from sin, hopelessness, death, poverty, and curses. The truth will set you free! Hallelujah! I want you to meet the Lord Jesus, be renewed in Him and live for the glory of God. How wonderful the grace of the Lord is! When we have Jesus, who is the Truth and the Way; we will be filled with the joy, grace, and blessings of the Lord. We will not lack anything in our lives. Jesus is everything to us. Let us give glory to the Lord alone. Hallelujah! We should give thanks to God because we are dwelling in His great blessings through the Lord Jesus, who is the Truth in our lives. If you have not accepted Jesus Christ, who is the truth, make up your mind and accept Him into your life. Then your destiny will change. You will enter into the great blessings of God. Third, Jesus is the life. Please repeat after me, “Jesus is the life.” John 14:6 says: “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life.’ ” Jesus Christ alone is the true life and the light of true life. John 1:4 says: “In him was life, and that life was the light of men.” Why did Jesus come to earth? He came to earth in order to give us life, and life to the full. John 10:10 says: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Jesus Christ is the only life. He is eternal life. John 3:16 is the key verse of the whole Bible. We must always remember and confess John 3:16; giving thanks to God for giving us eternal life. Let us read John 3:16 together. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. We shall not perish but have eternal life! Have you received eternal life? We receive eternal life when we believe in Jesus. We are then renewed. We are changed. We are healed. We are forgiven. We are living in the grace of the Lord. The cursed life of the past has nothing to do with us anymore. All the wounds, misery, and problems of the past have past. We are living in God’s blessings as changed people in the Lord. Before we believed in Jesus we lived a life of pain and groaning in the middle of sin. Romans 5:12 says: “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man (Adam sinned), and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.” The wages of sin is death. Death came into man’s life because of sin. A sinless man had to die to pay the price of sin. No human was qualified since all humankind was born in sin. This is why God sent His One and Only Son Jesus to earth. God let Jesus die on the Cross to take away all our sins. Hebrews 4:15 says: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin.” Romans 4:25 says: “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.” Jesus came to earth and paid the price of sin and thus opened the door of salvation for us. John 10:28 says: “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.” “No one can snatch them out of my hand! No one can snatch them out of my hand!” No one can snatch us out of the hand of the Lord after we are saved by believing in Jesus. The devil may try to make us fall by attempting to snatch us from His hand. He will push us into frustration, failure, pain, and destruction. However, the Lord says: “No one can snatch them out of my hand!” Hallelujah! Christians will participate in the resurrection of Jesus and live eternally. John 11:25-26 says: “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’ ” Jesus is our resurrection and life. He guides us to the way to eternal life. Missionary Ha-Jin Choi wrote a book Commit Your Life to the Lord. He is a genius, having received a Ph. D. of Engineering from KAIST at the age of 28. He had a good job and a promising future as a researcher in a research institute at Dae Duk. He was given a chance to continue his research at Stanford University because he was working on a joint project with a research team from Stanford University. His fellow researchers would get tired at the end of a hard day of work under pressure and would relieve their stress playing cards and drinking during their evenings. Mr. Choi would not join his fellow workers and read his bible instead. Mr. Choi read the story of Abraham leaving Haran in Genesis, Chapter 12. He read that Terah, Abraham’s father, journeyed to Haran with his family and died there. The Scripture verse “…he(Terah) died in Haran” hit him. He thought, “Terah died. Terah died. Everybody dies. We have only one life to live. What kind of life should I live on earth?” Then he heard the voice of the Lord. The Lord said, “Leave where you are now. Go to the place I will show you.” He replied back to God: “Lord, are you telling me to leave? Do you want me to resign from this research position?” “Leave everything.” “Where should I go?” “Go to the numerous young people of China.” He decided to resign and go to China as a missionary. People were surprised at his decision. His boss at the Research Institute and his colleagues tried to dissuade him. They could not understand Cho wanting to go to China. They said, “This guy is a fanatic. He went too far with his belief in Jesus.” But he could not reject the calling from the Lord. He went to China and started teaching students as a professor at a college. He preached the gospel to them. He prayed openly at restaurants. Students would gossip behind his back, saying: “Religion is like a drug. He must believe some strange religion.” However, Choi didn’t care what other people said about him and took care of his students as best as he could. He wrote in his book that an average of 15 Chinese students stayed at his place at any one time. Mrs. Choi would daily cook and do all their laundry. Her testimony was equally touching. She used to like shopping at Korean Rodeo Street for brand name products. She used to hire a maid and she enjoyed shopping. But God also dramatically changed her. Imagine her work in China. She cooked and washed clothes for 15 people. It must have been very difficult for her; but by the grace of God, she did her duties with thanks. Hallelujah! Let us give glory to God. After six months the heart of each of these fifteen students would soften towards the Chois. They would go to Professor Choi, and ask him: “Who are you?” He would reply, “I am a Christian.” Hallelujah! Professor Choi talked to these students about Jesus. One by one they would bow their heads, weep and accept Jesus as their Savior. They were renewed. Hallelujah! Many people have heard the gospel of the Lord Jesus through Professor Choi. God sees one soul as more precious than the whole world. It is a wonderful work of God since today many young Chinese students are coming to conversion. It is true. Jesus is the only way, the only truth, and the life. We must preach Jesus to people. We must preach Jesus to those who are dying in the middle of sin. We must preach Jesus to our family and our neighbors. We must preach Jesus to those who yet do not know Him. We must preach Jesus to the people of North Korea. Jesus is the only hope for humankind. Jesus is the only way, the only truth, and the life. “Lord Jesus, help us preach Your gospel to people all over the world. Make us worthy of Your calling so that we will meet You with joy when You call us home.” We are truly blessed because Jesus, who is the way, the truth, and the life, is our Savior. I pray that, in the name of the Lord, this wonderful grace of the Lord Jesus Christ will be with you throughout your life. It is my earnest prayer for you. Let us pray. Our Father of infinite love, grace, and mercy, we thank You for Your great grace and love. We thank You for sending Your One and Only Son Jesus, who is the way, the truth, and the life. We thank You for the salvation we have received through Jesus. Help us believe and trust in Jesus, who is the way, the truth, and the life throughout our lives. Help us follow His teachings. Make us Your precious servants so that we will preach about Jesus to people all over the world. I pray in the Name of Jesus, giving thanks to you. Amen. 2