Let us bless one another, Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God.  I hope the great blessing of God will be upon all the families and individuals worshiping in their homes, out of state, and especially in the church. The title of today’s message is Concentrate My Thoughts on Jesus Christ.

1. Holy brothers and sisters

It is said that people think 6000 thoughts per day, and there are also thoughts that go into our subconscious. When we look at something, we think about it and make a decision, and our thoughts determine who we are.  If someone has very narrow thinking, we say that person is “narrow-minded,” and if someone speaks very broadly, we say they are open-minded, and if they think high thoughts, we think them to be high individuals.  If someone thinks creative thoughts, we call them a creative person, and if someone thinks thoughts of failure, we think that is someone who will fail.  A person’s future will be determined based on their thoughts.

We think our thoughts today, built from the foundation of our thoughts in the past.  That’s why the past, present, and future are inseparable in creating the personality of our thoughts today.  All the people who have moved the age are successful people who have thoughts of success.  However, because these successful people thought their successful thoughts were higher than the thoughts of God, they failed on this earth.

  1) Jesus Christ

So the title of today’s message is, “Concentrate My Thoughts on Jesus.”  In other words, make it so that God’s thoughts become my thoughts. Then, even though I’m living on this earth as a very weak individual, because God is working through me, His works will be revealed in my life.  The Jewish people regarded the law as their life for a very long time, so they worshiped the angels and Moses who both did their part in delivering the law.  

    (1) Pioneer of salvation (Heb. 2:10)

So, during these biblical times, they thought very highly of Moses, and in today’s passage, it is saying to think more deeply about Jesus than Moses.  Pretty much, compare what we think about the greatest individual to us with how we think about Jesus. Unless we change those priorities so that Jesus Christ is above, the creative works of Jesus cannot be revealed in our lives. Human beings are not great because we are great, but we are only great because we were created so that we can be in the image of God. 

    (2) One who makes people holy (Heb. 2:11) (3) One who is made holy (Heb. 2:11)

In today’s passage, it says, “Holy brothers and sisters.”  “Holy” here means “set apart.”  We are using this mic right now for this message.  We’re using this mic right now for this message. If we were using it for something else, it would just be a normal mic, but right now, it is a holy artifact, set apart.  We are also holy, we are set apart from the world.  That’s the first thought we must have, why is that?  Because Jesus Christ is holy, whoever believes in Jesus Christ is holy. He is the One Who is Holiness and we have worn His holiness.  It’s normal for us to think in that way.

  2) Those who received the heavenly calling

    (1) Child of God (Jn. 1:12)

For these holy brothers and sisters, John 1:12 calls them children of God.  We all have our biological parents. However, spiritually we are children of God, and our thoughts must say, “I’m a child of God.”  That’s the thought that will reveal the blessings of being a child of God.  As long as God doesn’t fail, the children of God can never fail.  It doesn’t matter what crises come our way, as long as God isn’t dead, we can never fail.  That is a child of God.

That thought will save you.  Your good thoughts will not save you, but your thoughts regarding God’s Word will save you. It doesn’t matter how much you nag at someone, you might be able to change their actions, but you cannot save them.  Only the Word of God saves people. 

    (2) God’s house (temple) (Heb. 3:6, 1Cor. 3:16)

Heb. 3:6 says we are God’s house, just like in 1 Cor. 3:16, we are the temple of God because the holy spirit of God lives within us, that means we are no longer ourselves, but in our thoughts, our heart, and our spirit, the Lord resides.  

    (3) Body of Christ – Church (Eph. 1:23)

We are the body of Christ, the church. The fact that we are the body means we cannot be separated from Christ who is our head.  Even if I am suffering,  the Lord is with me, and even if I cannot see what is before me, the Lord is with me. That means, nothing really matters. That’s the thought that saves us.  

If you think, “I’m going to die,” then that person will die.  If a person thinks, “I’ve failed now,” then they will fail.  However, if you think, “God has a plan for me because I’m a child of God,” that person will be revived.  It doesn’t matter what crises come their way because God will always overcome the crises and I am a child of that God.

Even if war approaches, it doesn’t matter because God is the One Who controls the war. If there’s a reason for me to die, I will die, because death doesn’t matter because I will never die, because my spirit is eternal.  That saves us, but if we think opposite of that, we will always think thoughts that kill us.  You’re going to look at the facts and keep killing yourself, you’re going to look at your reality and you’ll think thoughts that keep killing yourself.  Concentrate and fix your thoughts upon Jesus.

  3) Subject of faith

    (1) Our apostle and high priest (Heb. 3:1)

Who is this Jesus?  He is our apostle and our high priest, the fact that He is an apostle means that He is someone called by God.  In that aspect, we have also been called by God.  Jesus Christ is also the high priest who has forgiven all of the sins of mankind at once.

Why do curses and disasters come to earth?  He finished everything on the cross.  It’s because of the sin of departing from God.  Because of our sin, we are spiritually dead, and for the people who are spiritually dead, we have no choice but to live physically, so we’re always under physical fear, and that fear of death is what kills you, and that thought appears, coming from your spiritual death.  But Jesus Christ says, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life,” the thoughts that have this life will cast out fear.  

So, a person’s thoughts are important.  Let’s say you get so moved because someone buys you a bouquet of flowers and you marry him, and the man who gave the bouquet of flowers and the woman who accepted them are kind of the same because the man thought he could change the girl’s heart with a bouquet and she bought it.  That’s their standard and that standard will determine their future.  That’s how important our thoughts are. 

It doesn’t matter how much you try to think, we cannot think beyond what we think is best, and that’s why we’re so inspired by just a bouquet of flowers and we give our lives to that person, because “I’ve never received flowers before, even my parents never gave me flowers.”  Let’s say if flowers are too much, they give you a stick of gum and they’ve won you over.

Life is not so simple, it’s a person’s thoughts that determine it.  Today, right now, what are you thinking?  That is going to determine the rest of your week.  We think like this, we have a thought where we don’t want to face any problems this week, that’s a person who’s already in fear.  Someone outside of fear will think, “It doesn’t matter if I have any problems. It doesn’t matter no matter what happens,” that’s how you must begin your thoughts.  But someone who is stuck in their fear will think “What if problems happen? What if I fail?” It doesn’t matter even if you do fail because even if you fail, that’s not failure.  

    (2) Freed from slavery by Satan (Heb. 2:15) (3) Creator, Heir, Sustains all things by His Word, Sits at the right hand of the throne of heaven (Heb. 1:2-3)

We think if we fail, we’re going to die, right? That’s a person’s thoughts. You will never die, you and Christ have become one body.  I have become a child of God.  Though I am hard-pressed on all sides, I will not be crushed.  Even if I’m pressed on all sides, how am I not surrounded?  Even if I am surrounded on all sides, my thoughts say, “I’m not done,” don’t you think someone like that needs to be sent to a mental hospital?  They’re surrounded on all sides but they don’t think that they are.  Either that person has to go to a mental hospital, or they have discovered true freedom.

How could Jesus Christ be surrounded on all sides?  Jesus Christ is with me.  That’s what this is saying.  The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.  He did have physical lackings, but it wasn’t his lacking.  Don’t you think that’s just being too stubborn?  It’s undeniable, he’s in a difficult situation with nothing to eat, but David thought, “It doesn’t matter.  Because the One Who is with me is my Shepherd, it doesn’t matter to me.”  

If we don’t have this kind of thought, if we start losing things, it’s a big problem and we have to start saving up again.  We are seized by fear, and you can only feel at peace if you have a lot saved up.  Your thoughts are seized within this, that’s what it means to be seized by money. You think you’re going to die without it, but it doesn’t matter because the owner of money is God, because God is the One Who is moving everything, and Jesus Christ has inherited all creation.

If that thought comes into you, then your situation and reality won’t matter at all. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, it doesn’t matter because I may be going through the valley of the shadow of death, but the Lord who is within me has an answer and plan within this.  That’s the difference between religion and the gospel, which is life.  I hope you will remain within the life.

Religion will always just oppress you more, because you listen to the Word, but it’s still very religious.  You keep thinking you should avoid problems, but God gave you these problems, why? To bless you. Your thoughts are very important, and I hope you will escape from the scars of your past.  

There’s a reason why God allowed them, and when you restore them with the Word of God, they will become your footstool.  “Oh, I only thought about myself.  I thought it was that person’s fault,” and that very state of me thinking only of myself was wrong. “I thought that person gave me a scar, but I had the thoughts that had no choice but to be scarred.”  You must escape from this, then you’ll be able to see many people.

2. Concentrate my thoughts on Jesus

  1) Jesus and Moses

    (1) Faithful one (Heb. 3:2) (2) Builder of a house and the house (Heb. 3:3) (3) Servant and Son (Heb. 3:5-6)

So, we must concentrate our thoughts on Jesus Christ, and the Jewish people at this time thought Jesus Christ was less than Moses and the angels, and we are comparing between Moses and Jesus.  Moses was faithful, and Jesus was also faithful, but Jesus Christ is the builder of the house and Moses is the servant in the house. Moses is the servant and Jesus is the son.

It seems like this has nothing to do with you, right? But this was very important for the Jewish people, because for thousands of years, these people thought that Moses and his laws were life, then what is it that you guys consider as precious as life that is not Jesus?  Is it your own thoughts, or is it some kind of human?  Or do you think that your own ideologies or philosophies are life?  Then try comparing that with Jesus Christ, that’s what I’m saying.  

  2) Disciples

    (1) Jesus, Moses, Elijah – Three shelters (Matt. 17:4)

Is this comparable to Jesus Christ?  These ideologies were so deeply rooted that even the disciples that followed Jesus Christ around, it says in Matthew 17 that they wanted to build a tent for Moses, Elijah, and Jesus.  Even though they believed in Jesus Christ, they didn’t reach the conclusion that everything is within Jesus.  The disciples were relentlessly divided into thinking, “We need the law of Moses, the power of Elijah, and the salvation of Jesus.”  

    (2) God told them to listen to Jesus (Matt. 17:5)

God’s voice came down from Heaven, saying “Listen to the commands of My Son,” God quoted all of His Words to us through His son Jesus, and then only Jesus remained.

    (3) Only Jesus (Matt. 17:8)

Only Jesus, you have to only see this one thing. If you guys start looking at this based on communism vs. democracy, socialism vs. fascism, or the rich and the poor, or the haves and have-nots, it’s gonna be a headache. You have to see everything through only Jesus.  One day, when the thought that everything is contained within Jesus Christ comes into your heart, you will receive those answers.  

But if you say, “I like Jesus, but I also need success,” you’re also going to be divided between Jesus and success, and without a doubt, you will be a slave to success and that slavery cannot overcome the devil.  You have to understand that success is within Jesus Christ in order for you to concentrate on one thing.  People only have one thought, “My future is in Jesus’ plans.  Every work that takes place today, every person I meet today is within Jesus’ plans.”  If your thoughts are concentrated on that one thing, Jesus Christ, it will be revealed in your life. That’s the content God desires in Matthew 17.

God entrusted everything to Jesus, why do you need anything other than Jesus, then?  Col. 2:3 says that all treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden within Christ because He is the creator and moves all creation now with his Word.  When your thoughts change in this way, then your life will be filled with answers according to God’s Word.

  3) Focus on Jesus Christ

    (1) Christ who finished everything (Jn. 19:30)

In Jn. 19:30, Jesus Christ says all problems of our past, present, and future have been finished. He finished everything on the cross.  One day, when this thought comes into your heart, you’ll confirm the answer that everything really is finished, but if it’s not finished for you, you will fear problems, you’re going to be afraid of the future that hasn’t even come yet, and you’ll always be holding onto the fear of death. You’ll be seized by scars of your past, and that’s why you’re just living to survive.

    (2) Life within me (Gal. 2:20)

One day, when you receive the thought, “Yes, it’s true that all my problems have been finished on the cross,” then you’ll receive the answers to your life.  That Jesus is within me as life.  Life is the opposite of death.  Life is what saves me.  I died on the cross with my Lord, and now, that Lord lives within me as life in faith. 

    (3) Thoughts of the spirit – Life and peace (Rom. 8:6)

I must have the thoughts of life, and that life must control my thoughts, heart, and spirit. It’s okay if I fail or succeed, I can do all things through Him who gives me strength. I have learned to be content in all circumstances, whether in poverty or in wealth. It’s okay if the coronavirus comes or not, it doesn’t matter. Because the Lord God will be within me, inside of me, until He fulfills all His plans for me.  But if you don’t have those thoughts, you’ll have to think of some kind of counter strategy for every danger or crisis in your future.   

It was already finished and He is within me. There are some people who are physically alive but they’re still dead, and the characteristic of someone who is dead is that they’re afraid, and sometimes, people struggle to escape from that fear by working very diligently. They struggle so diligently, and other people think, “Oh, they’re so diligent,” but how can you tell whether someone is alive or dead?  

Romans 8:6 says, the thoughts of flesh are death and the thoughts of the Spirit is life and peace, but what are the thoughts of the flesh and what are the thoughts of the Spirit?  The physical thoughts are just how I think and feel, and it doesn’t matter how great those thoughts are, it’s still death. Even if you fail, it’s death; even if you succeed, it’s death, and you can’t escape from fear and the Devil will be using that fear to control you for your entire life.  

What are the thoughts of the Spirit?  These are thoughts regarding God’s Word, then you will have life and peace. This person is okay no matter where you put them, because this person will never die. He guides you forward with life and peace.  We shouldn’t have war, but let’s say a war breaks out?  It’s irrelevant for some people.  If we’re facing a war, we should be filled with terror, right? But the war doesn’t affect this person because they have true life and peace.

We should be careful of the coronavirus, but because a person is filled with the thought of the spirit, they have peace so it doesn’t matter to them. It doesn’t matter if they die or live, because the thoughts of the Spirit are life and peace.

    (4) Peace within Jesus who overcame the world (Jn. 16:33)

Jesus Christ says, “I have overcome the world,” can you overcome the world?  You cannot, the one who controls the world is the devil, Satan, but even if you get rid of Satan in this equation, all your work, and the people you meet, can you control all that?  Even just by looking at that, you reach the conclusion that you cannot, but Jesus Christ says, “I have overcome the world.”  When I remain within the One Who has overcome, God gives me peace.

What is “overcoming”?  Overcoming means you have no fear.  Even if you succeed, you’re afraid, then that’s not really overcoming.  You’re still shaking. You’re shaking because you don’t know when you’re going to fall.  What is true success? It doesn’t matter, when I’m within the One Who has already overcome the world, I will be overflowing with life and peace.

    (5) 2 Corinthians 10:4-5

With what weapon are we fighting? It is not physical.  Our weapon is not for fighting against people.  On the contrary, you need the thing that will demolish divine power and strongholds.  There is a very fortified stronghold in this world, the devil has a stronghold in your family line, and you can’t overcome that with your earnestness, and you can’t overcome that with your great skill.  If you live in a democratic nation, you can’t go against democracy.

Just like what’s going on in Afghanistan, with the Taliban right now. If you want to go against the Muslim religion, you either leave or die there.  Only those who are aligned with the ruling authority can survive there, and we can’t overcome that, so that’s why we have to live, trapped in that ideology, but the weapons with which we fight will overcome that.  That’s in 2 Cor. 10:5, We demolish arguments and every pretension that goes against God and obedience to Christ overcomes the strongholds.  

We are not fighting with our great thoughts.  The only weapon we fight with is to make every thought captive to be obedient to Christ, because the way for me to win is to be obedient to the one who has overcome the world.  But the world teaches me things outside of this, “You have to do this so things will work out.” You cannot overcome fortified strongholds, then. You can’t overcome being seized by your own thoughts.  We cannot escape from the depression that seizes us.  We can’t escape from our suicidal thoughts.  We cannot escape from our thoughts of hatred towards other people.  The only weapon that we have to fight with is to make our thoughts obedient to Jesus’ words, that’s why obedience is so important.  You need to make your thoughts obedient to the Words of Christ.  But instead, if you think that your thoughts are great, then you’re seized.  

3. Strength and method of the one who saves the world

  1) Ambassador of Christ (1 Pt. 2:9)

    (1) Chosen people (1 Pt. 2:9)

We have been called by God, we have received a calling from God.  If you go to Arlington National Cemetery, there’s a memorial for Korean War veterans. It’s a little more than 10 people, and there’s never been a greater mistake in the history of American wars.  These people came to invade and they were completely surrounded, the winters were so cold that the tanks were frozen and couldn’t move.  Then, there was one general who led the people out of that, and that’s what is memorialized there. 

Do you know what’s written on the wall there?  “The sons and daughters of America have received a calling from the nation,” they went into the Korean war with this general because they were called by the nation.  This nation of Korea that we’ve never even heard of, for people whose faces we don’t even know.  They went to die for them. Why do you think they were called by the nation?  They were American citizens, so they were called by the nation of America, but we have been called by the Holy God. For what have we been called?  

We have been called as Christ’s ambassadors, and when that thought comes into you, then you will see the answers. God has called you to do something, however, if you’re still thinking, “I’m in America so I can survive or exalt myself,” then those thoughts will destroy you, but you’re not aware of this because you think your thoughts are great, and that’s what seizes you, and later on, you’re seized by the devil.  You cannot escape from your thoughts.

    (2) Royal priesthood (1 Pt. 2:9)

But we have been called as a royal priesthood.

    (3) Prophet who called us out of darkness into his light (1 Pt. 2:9)

The ones to declare the praises of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.  It’s very important.  Why am I living here right now?  God has called me, why has He called me?  He has called me as an ambassador of Christ.  What does the ambassador do?  We do the work of Christ, the royal priesthood to declare His praises, these are the three roles of Christ, and you have to see all your meetings and work in this way.  This is the reason why God has allowed me to experience my past. It’s for this purpose that God allowed me to be born in America, it’s for this purpose that I’ve come to America.  When your thoughts are aligned with God in this way, then the answers and works will follow in your life.

  2) Only the Holy Spirit – Strength to save

    (1) Early church (Ac. 1:8, 14)

The members of the Early Church had no strength. Look at the Taliban, they’re killing and casting out all the people who are not aligned with their religion.  The members of the Early Church were in a similar situation, the Jewish people had just crucified Jesus Christ and they made a law that anyone who believes in Jesus Christ will be executed if they speak of Him, but there was one thing they didn’t know: they didn’t know who Jesus is.  

But the members of the Early Church gathered, and what did they pray for?  We are ambassadors of Christ and we have been called as the ones who will be witnesses to the ends of the Earth to save.  But the Jews didn’t know that.  They looked at the number of people and the power of those people, “if we attack them a few times, they’ll disappear,” but this didn’t affect the Early Church at all. “God called me and God is doing His work through me, nothing else matters.”

    (2) Joseph who was filled with the spirit of God (Gen. 41:38)

Joseph was dragged into Egypt as a slave when he was 17 years old, but it didn’t matter at all because Joseph knew the fact that he was being sent into Egypt to save.  The outer form was that he was being sold into slavery, but he was thinking “God is sending me to Egypt to save them.”  God poured His power on Joseph to save Egypt.  In Genesis 41:38, the Pharaoh himself confesses, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the Spirit of God?” It’s because he’s called by God.

    (3) David who was filled with the spirit of God (1 Sam. 16:13)

If we also remain within God’s calling, He pours His power upon us.  1 Sam 16:13, God called David through Samuel saying, “You will be the one to save this land.”  God called David not just as a king, but as a king to save Israel and the surrounding nations, and it says, “from that day on, the spirit of the Lord rushed upon David in power.”  The Spirit of the Lord is talking about the Holy Spirit.  He works powerfully, invisibly, so nothing mattered to David.  If we have to live by our own mental strength, we’re always in fear, but even if a war breaks out, it shouldn’t matter to us.  

    (4) Elisha who asked for the double portion of the spirit (2 Ki. 2:9)

When Elijah was about to be called into heaven, he asked Elisha what Elisha wanted.  At this time, think of one thing you want from God. You’ve thought about it, right?  The one thing that Elisha asked for was a double portion of the spirit that was poured out upon Elijah.  I think most people, if they really could wish for anything they want, would ask, “God, make me the king of Israel,” but being a king is not God’s calling.  David becoming king was not God’s calling because someone has to be king, but what’s important is who is king, what’s important is that David was the king to save Israel and the surrounding nations.  Elisha requested a double portion of the Holy Spirit because he had to save Israel and Aram. 

  3) Age of concentration – Method to save

Therefore, your life will change depending on where your thoughts are.  Right now, it’s the age of concentration.

    (1) Transcendental meditation – Concentrate on myself

Steve Jobs had concentration in transcendental meditation, and fascinating things happened.  If you look inside his house, he doesn’t have great paintings on the walls.  It’s very bare, he just has a table with one small vase and one flower.   If someone is so wealthy, don’t you think he should have a lot of artwork on the wall?  He says he doesn’t need it, he just has that one flower and goes into transcendental meditation for a couple of days. He receives all his thoughts and ideas from transcendental meditation. 

If you have pictures on the wall, your thoughts get divided.  I’m not telling you to take the artwork off your walls, I’m talking about concentration.  Transcendental meditation is under the misconception that, “I have unlimited power,” so they concentrate on themselves.  They say things like, There’s a Godlike entity within you. You have unlimited potential within you,” and that’s the voice of the devil.  For us, we do holy meditation on God. How do we do that?  Meditate on the Word of God day and night.  How? With a little bit of concentration. 

    (2) Holy meditation – Concentrate on the word of God (3) Meditate day and night (Ps. 1:2) (4) Save all things (Ps. 1:3)

Those who do that will bear fruit in season, meaning that everything they do will be prosperous in their life, and they will save everyone they meet.  Those who meditate day and night.  It means that, when the Word of God comes into this person’s thoughts, they change into someone who saves.  Everybody else may say, “We’re going to fail,” it means there’s no other way.  But the Lord is someone who has the power of re-creation, He is someone who can create something out of nothing, and He’s someone who can destroy something into nothing.

When you meditate day and night on the Word of this God, then you will have the works of re-creation in your life. “I am not myself, but God is guiding me forward as a completely new “me,” that blessing is within Christ.  There’s a difference between the people who have seen this and know this going to church and the people who go to church without knowing this.  

Every Sunday, there’s a list of Bible verses in the pulpit message.  As soon as you wake up in the morning, read those Bible verses, write them down. if you don’t like writing, just read it in a quiet place.  Just like the quiet location Steve Jobs had.  Keep reading the Bible verses, they are the words of God.  Then at night, close your eyes and think about everything that happened today, and every person you met, and organize it with the Word of God.  

Conclusion

1. Life of Jesus within me

2. Focus on Jesus

3. Strength and work that saves

If you do not reorganize everything through God’s word, then everything that happened to you today will move you.  You need to have that time to reflect upon yourself and organize to realize, “Oh, I was acting outside of God’s Word today“ or, “Oh, I overreacted in that situation,” and through these many circumstances, you’ll find the answer through God’s Word.  What this means is that every incident, or work, or person that I ran into today, don’t turn it into something that kills you, but turn it into something that saves.

What kills?  “That guy did something to me,” that kills you.  “I tricked this person and got a benefit out of it,” that kills you. “I stepped on that person and rose a little higher,” that kills you.  You need to take the Word of God and organize everything that happened to you that day.  The Word of God has to go into you in order for everything that happened to you today to come to life.  

I hope you will be thankful to God in everything that happens, because 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 says, “Give thanks in all circumstances.”  You can only be thankful if you find a reason to give thanks. Be thankful in all circumstances because there is a reason to be thankful. Do you hate the pastor in the church? I’m sure there are some people who don’t like me, and the reason is because they think my messages are a personal attack on them.  I think you’re going to break free from those thoughts when you keep in mind that I pray for you more than you pray for yourself.

Children hate their mom the most because the mom is always nagging, then who else is going to nag?  The mom feeds them and clothes them and takes them to school and gives them everything they need, but the kids still need their moms. Change it into thanksgiving, as a reason to be thankful.  We live without thought. How thankful are you for the people at church?  Because the only people who can pray for me when I’m in an urgent situation are the churchgoers beside me. But if you’re thinking, “I don’t even want to talk to someone like that,” that person is actually praying for you.  

I hope you will find a reason to be thankful, I hope you will be thankful for every person.  There’s no way for everybody to go into the thoughts that save and bless other than going into the words of Jesus Christ.  I bless you so that throughout the rest of the week, your thoughts will go into the words of blessing that will save all the work and people you will meet.

Prayer

Let us pray holding onto the Word God has given us.