The Work of God Revealed Through Weakness (Jn. 9:1-12)
Let us bless and greet one another, “Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God.” The title of today’s word is, “The Work of God Revealed Through Weakness.”
1. The person seen by Jesus
1) A man blind from birth (Jn. 9:1)
In today’s main scripture, Jesus Christ is walking through a town and He sees a man who was born blind. It’s very important how we interpret situations that we see. How did the disciples interpret the situation they saw? The question they asked itself was incorrect. In order for us to receive the correct answer, we must ask the correct question. If there are any of you who have not received answers from God yet, maybe try changing your question or waiting a little longer.
(1) Disciples’ question (Jn. 9:2)
So, right now, we’re able to see the questions the disciples asked and the eyes with which they saw the situation. They asked Jesus Christ, “Is it because of this man’s sin or his parents’ sin that he was born blind?” The reason they asked this question was because in Exodus 20:4-5, the idolatry of the parents will bring curses to the next 3-4 generations.
(2) Who sinned that he was born blind? (Jn. 9:2)
In other words, the disciples are asking, “Whose fault is this problem?” That is a question that can never receive a solution. Children are born to the parents to whom they are born, but what if they don’t like their parents, or what if their family is so dark? Then that child must think, “Oh, I hate my family,” that child will never be able to receive answers. Or maybe you get married and you have children and you don’t like your children, and you think, “Whom does this child take after? Is this child taking after my family or your family?” That war will continue until the day you die. The reason is because the question is wrong.
(3) Standard of disciples
Our walk of faith changes our perspective. It doesn’t matter how much you look at a situation with the incorrect eyes, you will only have the incorrect answer.
2) Jesus
(1) Neither this man nor his parents sinned (Jn. 9:3)
What does Jesus Christ say? Jesus Christ responds, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned.” It means that it’s neither his fault nor his parent’s fault.
(2) Through the blind man – Weakness (Jn. 9:3)
(3) So that the works of God might by displayed in him (Jn. 9:3)
Jesus Christ says that through this situation, through the weakness of this man being born blind, there is a work that God desires to reveal. Until we’re able to see that work, we cannot escape from the problem. It doesn’t matter what methods or strategies you use to try to solve the problem; it will not work. Until you acknowledge the fact that God has allowed this situation, you can never solve this problem. If there are any of you who are weary and heavy burdened, may you let go of your burdens and ask the right question. Then, what exactly is the work that God is doing?
3) The work of God
(1) Light of the world – Jesus Christ (Jn. 9:5)
God has sent Jesus Christ into this world, and Jesus Christ Himself proclaims, “I am the Light of the world.” If you’re not able to understand the words of the Bible, then we are bound to always ask the incorrect question, then it doesn’t matter how many generations of your family were believers. It also doesn’t matter how much knowledge you’ve gained in the world because your eyes will always be incorrect. We study the things of the world so that we may open our physical eyes towards the world. There are also some times we get laser surgery to fix our eyes, so we get the doctor to help, but that’s not enough. Your perspective itself, the fundamental question must change.
(2) Opened his physical eyes (Jn. 9:11)
Jesus Christ says He has come as the Light of this world, then Jesus Christ spits and creates mud, puts the mud onto the eyes of the blind man, and tells him to go wash in the pool of Siloam and come back, and the blind man was able to see. But Jesus Christ did not come to this earth to let this man see, because there are more people in the world who are born with the ability to see, but a person who is living a religious life will say, “Fix my problem,” but even if their problem is fixed, it’s not going to be enough. Until this person’s eyes to see the problem changes, it will never be done. Jesus Christ is teaching us something that the world and schools can never teach us. Then what exactly is the work that God is doing? What is the reason God made this man born blind? Did He do that just to make him see? Yes, that may be the case, or perhaps it is not.
There is a very famous Christian songwriter named Fanny Crosby. When she was young, she became blind because of a doctor’s mistake, and this young child may think, “If it weren’t for this doctor, my eyes would not be like this; if my mother had not taken me to this hospital, then I would not be like this,” but if that is how Fanny Crosby thought, she would always be stuck in darkness and never escape. I’m sure you all have scars and traumas of your past. I’m sure you also have problems you are facing in the present reality. Today, you must ask the correct question. If you are asking, “Whose fault is this?” that’s the wrong question. No matter how much you ask that question, you will never find the answer, and you will never escape from your scars. That is the reason, because your scar turns into anger, and that anger wells up and results in shootings. That anger explodes and becomes the reason for your mental illness.
(3) Believed in the one sent by God (Jn. 6:29, Jn. 9:38)
There is nothing that can be a reason. What does the Lord say? What is the work that Jesus Christ does? It is so that we can believe in the One He has sent. For this blind man, being able to see is not the end of his journey. In John 9:38, he said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped Jesus. What does it mean that He came to believe in Jesus?
2. The work of the one sent by God
1) Sent to the world
Jesus Christ came to this earth as the Light of the world.
(1) World – Darkness (Jn. 1:5)
John 1:5 says that this world is darkness. The schools will not teach you this. There is no religion that teaches you this. Only Jesus Christ can give you the truth. “Darkness” is not talking about physical darkness; it’s talking about spiritual darkness, and the characteristic of “darkness” is not being able to see. I’m caught in a problem but I’m not able to see why I have that problem. From the moment I was born into this family, there was a problem in the family line and I’m not able to see it. That is darkness.
(2) Authority of darkness (Col. 1:13)
Then, what is the content of that darkness? That darkness is being used by Satan to conquer the world.
(3) Under the law of Sin and Death (Rom. 8:2)
He has completely trapped us under the law of sin and death. From the moment we are born, we are born as sinners. Right now, the issue is not whether somebody is born physically blind or handicapped, no matter how they are born; what’s more important than that is, we are born in darkness. From the moment you’re able to acknowledge that, you will begin to receive answers. May that blessing be upon you today. This Satan is conquering everything with darkness. What is the characteristic of Satan? He used to be an angel but then he challenged God because he had the greed of wanting to be God himself. That is how an angel became Satan and is working on this earth even now.
In Gen. 3, Satan goes and finds Adam and Eve, the first humans, and gives them greed. He tells them, “If you eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you can be like God.” That greed is the beginning of all problems. That greed and desire in your heart, that is the beginning of all problems. The fact that we’ve come to America with the American Dream can be a blessing, but it can be the beginning of all problems because those things don’t really exist. It doesn’t exist, but you’re holding onto it, so everything becomes vain. There are many people flocking to America, hoping for the American Dream. It’s because they’re holding onto something that doesn’t exist, but they’re not able to see that because they are in darkness. The characteristic of Satan is that he challenged God with his greed. And, he is a liar from the beginning. He is a murderer. This is the work that the invisible devil does.
In order to free us from that darkness, the Lord has come to this world as Light. The problem is not that this man was born blind, it’s the fact that he was born in darkness. So, the Lord is saying, “It’s not anybody’s fault, there is a work that God is doing,” that is, to free this man from darkness into light. If we do not escape from the darkness, then we will live our entire lives as slaves to Satan, under religion and idolatry. Children will resent their parents, or, they resent other people thinking, “I failed because this person conned me,” and then when people own a business, they look at their employees and think, “My life is failing because of them,” and the disciples thought that way as well. Parents come to America to live a better life, and they have children, but the children don’t do what the parents want. We need to change that desire to do whatever we want to, to begin with.
Why should things go according to what I desire? If God is alive, then things should go according to His will. That is why God allowed this man to be born blind from birth. It’s not unfair, there are many people who are able to see with their physical eyes but are spiritually in darkness. There are still many people who are lost in useless darkness, and they think they can see. They are not able to see the true Light that sets us free.
Ultimately, Jesus Christ shines the light on this blind man so that he can escape from darkness. When the True Light comes into us, then all the things that have been lies inside of us will be revealed. We will realize, “Oh, it’s not because of my Mom and Dad. Oh, it wasn’t because we came to America. Oh, it wasn’t because I was bullied and outcast at school, it turns out it wasn’t because I met the wrong friends and they made me do drugs. There is a work that God is doing through this situation,” from that point on, your life will change. People try to avoid their problems and if it’s hard to live in California, they’ll move to another region, but they’ll be seized their entire lives like that. That person is seized under the lie that this is the right thing to do, but we must come into the light right now, we must go into the truth, then nothing is a problem.
2) Mission (Jn. 9:4)
In Jn. 9:4, Jesus Christ says, “We must do the work of Him Who sent Me.” If God sent Jesus Christ, then why doesn’t just Jesus do the work? Why do we have to do it too? If you are still not realizing that this work is a blessing and you are opposing and rejecting that, then your life will be hard. There is a mission, a work that God has sent you for, and it is not only done by Jesus; we do it with Him, so what exactly is that work?
(1) Cross – Death, Resurrection (Jn. 19:30)
Jesus Christ Who is God and Who is without sin, died on the cross for us and finished all of the curses of our sin and the authority of Satan. That’s something invisible to our eyes; we cannot see it. We must be able to have faith through the light of the Word of God. If you’re not able to believe it now, then keep on listening, then the works will take place, so I hope you will not stop; continue to listen. He has finished all of the problems on the cross, that is the work He did. Then, did only the Lord die? No, I was also crucified on the cross through faith. There are people who live their walk of faith thinking, “Jesus Christ can die on the cross for me, but I want to stay alive,” that’s why you’re in pain. Of course, you’re still alive, so when you face a problem, it hurts, that’s why you’re in pain, because of addiction or depression or bipolar disorder or panic attacks.
We have died with Christ on the cross through faith, then what? The new “me” is a life I live with Jesus Christ as the resurrected Lord, as the Lord of my life. So, the new, resurrected “me” is a “me” who is living with Jesus Christ, the resurrected Christ, as my Lord, so I’m different from my past self; God lives inside of me. That is the new “me.” Is there anything that can be a problem, then? The Lord God is living inside of me, guiding me forward; what can be the problem? The Lord guides me with His sovereignty.
(2) Mission given by God – To will (Phil. 2:13)
Then in Phil 2:13, Jesus Christ is talking about the work God is doing in you. It’s not just the work He is doing, but the work according to God’s good purpose. If I’m aligned with God, then it brings me joy as well. People keep trying to make their momentary joy and happiness, but that’s not enough. The One Who lives inside of me places His will inside of me and changes my will to desire it. Then, we become happy. As we pray for God’s will, God gives us joy and wills us more to do that. That is the work that the Lord does inside of us. It’s not about your goal, but the Lord’s goal must become your goal, now. God did not bring you into America to accomplish the American Dream; God brought you here to fulfill the dream of God’s Kingdom. Then, people who are still holding onto the American Dream right now, when they are passing away, they will say, “It was all in vain.”
King Solomon was one of the greatest kings of Israel, he had the greatest wisdom, he wrote books, he married thousands of times, he was a king with great treasures, but he said, “It is vain, vain, vain, none of these things are worth holding onto.” He did hold onto them, but it doesn’t really exist, and that’s why people live their lives, but it seems so empty and pointless. It’s not as if we don’t really need those things, yes, we do need them, but those are things that God must give to me as answers; they are not things that I should be holding onto.
(3) God fulfills through the works of the world
So, stop holding onto people. This means only God is true. That was King Solomon’s confession. If you hold onto something that is in vain, then the only result will be emptiness and hopelessness and disappointment. Only God is someone we should hold onto. Through our job and our studies in the world, God reveals His light. I’d like it if that blessing were upon you today. Then, there’s no reason to cry because of your job. Are there any of you who are suffering or crying because of your business or because of your children? It’s because you have the incorrect question that you are suffering needlessly. I hope you will come out of that. There is a work that God is doing. Even if you ask God, He will give you an answer because the correct question can give you the correct answer.
When you’re taking a test but you misunderstand the question, you will get the question wrong. You need to understand the question correctly in order to come to the correct answer. You must acknowledge God’s sovereignty. What is the Kingdom of God? It is the place where God’s sovereignty reigns. But inside of me, I want to establish my own kingdom. It turns out, it’s actually the devil’s kingdom because the devil has been deceiving us with lies from the beginning. “Oh, I need to raise my children like this,” quickly let go of those thoughts. Why are you trying to overtake the sovereignty of God? Why are you trying to build your own kingdom? You have no acknowledgment for God’s sovereignty; that is the kingdom of the devil, and that is why all problems of your family begin from there. May the Kingdom of God that acknowledges God’s sovereignty be established upon you.
3) Time of mission
(1) No one can work at night (Jn. 9:4)
Jesus talks about this mission, but there’s a time for it. Jn. 9:4 says, “It is still day.” Once the night has come, we can no longer work. We are not people who live forever with our physical body. There will be an end to our physical body–death–and after that point, even if you want to do God’s work, you cannot. Yesterday, we had a heavenly ascension ceremony for a pastor who passed away at 68 years old, which is young. I was presiding and I’m familiar with the people who come because I’ve presided through multiple of these, because in front of death, it doesn’t matter if you are a believer or nonbeliever, nobody can say anything. Even the people who do not have faith may gather for their friend’s funeral. Before their death, they become reverent. Why did God call this pastor so early? I was reading through his biography and then I realized, he became an elder when he was 33 years old, and then he became a pastor, and he planted a church and went on many overseas missions. Then I realized that God used him for God’s works from a young age. So, from our perspective, it may appear that God called him away early, but it’s not that. He finished God’s mission and God called him up. Even though I cannot understand all of God’s will, I was able to understand a little bit from that point on.
(2) Make the most of every opportunity- Do not get drunk (Eph. 5:16-18)
We are all sitting here together now, but nobody knows if night will come tomorrow. People are so foolish because they think that the night will never come. But even for a young child, the night can come today or tomorrow. Only when it is day can we do the work of God.
(3) Be filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18)
That’s why Eph. 5:16-18 says, “Make the most of every opportunity,” because our time is limited, and, “Do not be drunk.” In other words, do not live a life that is wandering and debaucherous. Why do you keep wasting your time on fruitless things? People say, “I don’t drink alcohol because I want to; I have no other choice,” but it is not actually because of the alcohol, it’s because you are seized in darkness. I used to drink alcohol every single day in the past, but I don’t drink anymore. Then people say, “Oh, you’re not drinking alcohol now because you’re a pastor, right?” But that’s not true because there are pastors who drink in secret. I’m not saying that there are pastors that get super drunk, but I’m saying that there are pastors who enjoy a beer every now and then. That’s not bad; yes, we can do that, but what the Bible tells us is, do not waste your time, and receive the filling of the Holy Spirit.
The best way to utilize your time is to receive the filling of the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit completely fills you and seizes you, then He will carry out God’s works through you. Then, how can we receive the filling of the Holy Spirit? “Oh, I only accepted Jesus Christ yesterday, how can I receive the filling of the Holy Spirit?” There’s no condition; anyone who is a child of God. Do I have to go up to the mountain side? No, it’s here now. It’s possible in the field of your school or your job. If anything, the harder your situation is, the more you have to receive the filling of the Holy Spirit, because your business will be used to show the work of God, you must receive the filling of the Holy Spirit. If somebody is an alcoholic, then they must receive the filling of the Holy Spirit even more, because there is a work that God reveals through our weakness. There is something that is strongest when I am weak. For Christians, the weaker we are, the more strength we receive, so you shouldn’t live an incorrectly pious life.
“I have no money,” it seems like you’re very honest, but that’s a lack of faith. That person will hold onto the incorrect honesty and die. You say, “I have no strength. May the power of the throne of heaven be upon me. Allow me to be a witness of Jesus Christ until the ends of the earth.” There’s no doubt; I hope you are praying right now, that’s what it means to make the most of the time. Stop thinking so deeply, that’s all nothing. When you think deeply, it should be to solve math problems; you must not think deeply about life, because the answer to the math problem is not the answer to your life. The answers you received in school are not the answer to your life. The answer is only with God, that is why we must pray, that is why we pray for His Holy Spirit to completely overtake me.
The condition to receive the filling of the Holy Spirit is to confess, “I cannot do this, I cannot do this with my physical strength alone. I can only overcome the world and become a witness if I receive the spiritual strength of God’s Holy Spirit.” I prayed that continuously. Do you know what humility is? True humility is acknowledging that I can do nothing unless God does it. There are a lot of people who think somebody is humble if they’re always looking towards the ground, if somebody is full of arrogance inside, but on the outside, they lose all of their strength and they look down only, that’s not a real Christian. Receiving the filing of the Holy Spirit is true humility, and that is why one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit is humility. The opposite of that is arrogance. If you do not pray, that is arrogance, because you think you can do it with your own ability. Or, on the other hand, you cannot do it with your own ability so you’ve given up? That’s also arrogance. God lives inside of me and only He can do it, when? Now. May the Holy Spirit inside of me completely take over my emotions, thoughts, spirit, and body.
I have a cat and we bought her a leash so we can take her out on walks and exercise, but she won’t follow like a dog would, and I told her, “You met the wrong owner because my talent is being able to drag you along this walk,” and I’m not coaxing her with treats; I’m just pulling her with the leash, so she has to get dragged around until she finally gives up. I’m not telling you to abuse animals, I’m telling you about the filling of the Holy Spirit. If this cat sticks with its stubbornness and tries to oppose the master, that’s their stubbornness. The cat must let go of its own desires and follow the will of their owner, “I will be filled with your Word and your spirit,” and then, first, the cat will benefit from the exercise and the fresh air, and they get good food, too. I hope you will stop being filled with alcohol but instead be filled with the Holy Spirit. I hope you will stop being filled with your worries, anxieties, and fears, and be filled with the spirit of Christ. That is the mystery to live your life with greatest efficiency and optimality.
3. The mission given by Jesus
1) Jesus Christ – My lord
(1) The lord of my life lives in me (Gal. 2:20)
Jesus Christ died on the cross, he resurrected, and now He lives within us as the Lord of our lives. So, when you look at yourself, you need to acknowledge, “I am not the Lord; the Lord inside of me is the Lord.”
(2) Strongholds (2 Cor. 10:4-5)
Moment by moment, whenever you feel or go through something, acknowledge Christ as your Lord, then the fortified stronghold inside of you will break down. When you acknowledge the sovereignty of the Lord, then the stronghold inside of your individualism will break down. That stronghold of capitalism, “All I need in life is money,” will start breaking down. Instead of holding onto the real freedom, people are holding onto the fake freedom of democracy, and that stronghold will begin to break down, because all of those things are not the real deal; they are only shadows of Jesus Christ. The real freedom is only within the words of Jesus Christ. Equality, people talk about that, but it’s only a shadow of what is in Christ. Anybody who is in Christ, whether they have a lot, whether they are sick, whether they are capable, they are all equal, why? Because our lives are determined based on who is our Lord, so if you are inside of Christ, we are brothers and sisters. If humans are owners, then there is a hierarchy, there are people above and below me, but inside of Christ, we are all equal sisters and brothers. Even people who are successful in the world, when they come into the church, they use their success to help the weak, and then they take the knowledge of the world and use it to serve the Kingdom of God. If there were politicians who acted in exactly the same way, we would be such a classy nation.
This is the time for the church to really enjoy this. If the churches are worse than the kingdom of the world, then that church must close down. Why are the churches of America closing down now? It’s because they are not the same as they were in the beginning, the image of the church when it first began. In other words, it is not aligned with God’s will. The church is trying to move with democratic ideals, and the church is trying to be moved with money. Those are things that are capitalistic. I’m not saying we don’t need money and democracy; I’m saying, these are not enough. God must give us the money, and God must do His work through God’s power. Therefore, our standard must be God’s Kingdom, not money. Our standard must be God’s Word, not democracy. There are people who are confused when I say things like this, “Is he denouncing democracy? Is he a Communist?” Communism is also not the standard, only God Himself is the standard, that is the Kingdom of God. When that becomes the strong bartizan inside of us that we can hold onto, then the darkness will start to break down. You shouldn’t trust or rely on your family. Even if your family has power, do not rely on them because you must rely on God.
(3) Triune God – My bartizan
Only the almighty Triune God is the object of our faith and our reliance. He is our stronghold, our bartizan, our refuge, and our fortress; then without a doubt, you will receive answers. No matter how weak you are, that’s not weakness because God does His work through that. So today, you might think, “I’m so weak,” but that’s wrong. You must not fall into that. You must realize that there’s some work that God is revealing through this. When you restore this, your weakness actually becomes a blessing. That’s what the entire content of the Bible tells us. Joseph didn’t go as a slave. Joseph went to Egypt to save his family and the entire world, not as a slave, but it’s a fact that he did go as a slave, and that’s for people who see incorrectly and they cannot escape from that. Joseph told his older brothers, “God sent me ahead of you to save many.” Why did you come to America? When you discover God’s reason, then you will be liberated. I don’t want to tell you to let go of your American Dream, but I do want to tell you that that is not the reality. It’s not about the dream you desire, but the Dream of God’s Kingdom that God desires, that’s the reality. If you think that your life has failed because you didn’t accomplish your dream, I hope you can get back up, because that is the time when you must hold onto God.
2) After resurrection
(1) All nations – Disciples (Mt. 28:19-20)
(2) All peoples – Gospel, Healing (Mk. 16:15-18)
(3) Young lamb – Future generation (Jn. 21:15-18)
So, after Jesus Christ resurrected, He told His disciples to make disciples of all nations, to proclaim the gospel and heal all people, and to raise up the next generation. That is the mission God gave to the Early Church. That mission is carried out even now. If you’re completely seized by this work, then God’s power will follow you around. It’s not our power; God’s power follows this person around, all the way until the ends of the earth. Freedom to the ends of the earth, we live our lives to the ends of the earth, dreaming the joyful dreams of God’s Kingdom. People get so excited while they date, it’s just a happiness that is short-lived, and then in order to face that excitement again, you have to go date someone else, and now you get rid of the same date, so you go find someone else. If there are any of you who are living like that, quickly come out of that.
3) Field
(1) Power to save (Ac. 1:8)
(2) Power of the throne – Transcend time and space – Light
(3) Raise the bartizan of light in the field of darkness
What must you have? The dream of God’s Kingdom. The dream that never goes away. The dream that nobody can take away. The dream that cannot be disturbed, even if you go to jail. The dream that cannot be taken away even if you get diagnosed with cancer. The dream that cannot be taken away even in your elderly age. That is our strength and we are the ones who live with that dream. People of the world will look at us and think that we are crazy, but that’s when you know you’re a true Christian. If somebody asks, “Oh, you’re not crazy,” then you’re fake. I’m not saying to live irrationally, but It’s because we have a different dream. Your dream for going to work is different. Your dream for living in America is different, your team for raising your children is different. Your dream for going to church is different. People of the world will look at that and think we’re crazy because for them, we are holding onto something that they cannot see, but the Bible is telling us that that is the reality. I hope you will become the bartizans who are bound to save your field.
Conclusion
1. 3 Concentrations (Morning, Day, Night)
2. 3 Answers (Problem, Conflict, Crisis)
3. 3 Courtyards (237, Healing, Future Generation) – Temple
Let us conclude the Word. Am I weak? Then there is a work that God is doing, to remain within the light of Christ, to come out of the darkness, just like it is the sick who need a doctor, I believe the grace and power of God will be upon those who are weak.
Message Prayer
Let us pray together holding onto the Word we have received.
Offering Prayer and Newcomer Blessing
God, we thank You. We have returned your materials as offering. We pray that this offering will be used to shine the Light to the world. May it be used to reveal the work of God. May you work with the economy of light upon the businesses so that this truth and light may be spread until the ends of the earth, and may it be changed to the light that reveals the darkness of our family. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray, amen.
Announcements
1. Online zoom early morning prayer (Mon.-Fri. 5:30, Sat. 6AM) – Raise the bartizan of prayer
2. Mexico Tecate Camp, 10/19 (Saturday)
3. Florida Camp/Hollywood Camp – Temple
4. West Coast Synod Meeting 10/14 (Monday), Christ Covenant Church of California.
5. Kim Yunsun’s daughter’s wedding (Korea), Ahn Jumsun’s daughter’s Lois, Michael’s wedding (Chicago).
6. 10/31 (Thurs.) Holy Wind Camp
7. Offering can be given to the church venmo: @Antiochmissionchurch
Benediction
Now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the unending love of God, and the indwelling, guidance, and working, fellowship, and filling of the Holy Spirit, be upon the people of God, the people of all nations, and the remnants who desire to show the work of God through their weaknesses through the filling of the Holy Spirit, be with them from now until forevermore always, amen.