Eternal Immanuel (Matt. 1:18-25)
Let us bless one another, Merry Christmas. May the blessing of Christ be upon all the families and individuals worshiping in their homes, in the church, and out of state. When we say, “Merry Christmas,” “Merry” means joyful, and “Christ” in “Christmas” is talking about Christ, and the “mas” in Christmas is about the day he was born, so this is the time we give all glory to God. “Christmas” is the day when all creation on earth celebrates and honors the birth of Jesus Christ on earth.
During Christmas, when I was an unbeliever, I was depressed because I didn’t have a girlfriend. Maybe if I had a girlfriend, I wouldn’t be depressed, but I was. I didn’t even have much meaning in my life and when I looked at people who were ringing the bells, it made my head hurt. People were going around singing Christmas carols and businesses put up decorations, but I wondered, what’s the meaning of life?
I was curious, why is everyone making such a big deal out of this? Personally I wasn’t happy at all, but when I saw people wandering back and forth singing Christmas carols, I didn’t understand it. It’s not my specialty, I’m not someone who can follow the environment and just pretend to laugh along. But from the day I met Jesus Christ, really, all my spiritual state from my personal and family life changed.
If perhaps you’ve gone to church for a long time and you think Christmas is just a day you go to church, the spiritual state of your family line won’t be changed. Your problems of your family line will only be broken when you realize the true meaning of Christmas. I’m sure there are some of you listening now and wondering, “What is darkness and why do we keep talking about iT?” I hope you will keep listening because one day, you will understand.
I hope you won’t be impatient. The forces of darkness are invisible to our eyes so you can’t know this by studying. Simply put, it’s a problem you cannot solve on your own. All the powerlessness or the lack of motivation in your family line. The problem where you’re always so busy and you have no choice but to feel enslaved. There are various ways this will come. The problem where your family line is always divided and conflicted. Why do these problems come? That’s the reason why Christ had to come. May we share the grace of God’s Word with that.
1. Conceived by the Holy Spirit
1) Jesus Christ
(1) Joseph and Mary (Mt. 1:18)
The content we read in Matthew 1 is saying this is what happened when Jesus was born. Jesus Christ had to be born on earth which means he has a mother and a father, but he was conceived by Mary and Joseph before they were married. It doesn’t mean that Joseph and Mary got a little too eager before marriage. Nowadays there are a lot of people who get married because they have the luxury, and maybe they do that because they have plenty of time, they say they want to have babies. However, during biblical times, if people have babies out of wedlock, they would be stoned for sexual immorality
(2) Tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:10)
Jesus Christ did not just come into Mary’s womb. This was already prophesized in Gen. 49:10 where, of the 12 tribes of Israel, the Tribe of Judah would bear a king, and that’s why Jesus Christ is the offspring of David.
(3) Son of David (Mt. 1:1)
These aren’t random words, but the Messiah was prophesized to come through the line of David. The Bible is a book fulfilled exactly according to the prophecies. Every religion has some kind of script, and even professors write their own textbooks, but the Bible isn’t a textbook like that. The Bible is a collection of prophecies written thousands of years ago, fulfilled in the present day, and that’s how God fulfills His Word. When the Word of God, instead of the words of people, come into me, then the works of re-creation take place.
So you can leave your problems alone. When the Word of God goes in, then He will change everything with re-creation, and that means your children won’t be a problem. Everyone goes through a process. We need to go through this process for this day to come where Jesus Christ’s life comes into the individual and family line.
2) Through the Word
(1) Conceived through the Holy Spirit (Mt. 1:20)
Mt. 1:20 says he wasn’t born of a man and woman, but by the Holy Spirit, in other words, Jesus Christ was conceived by the work of God. That’s something impossible from the scientific world we live in today. Do you think God just created Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit to show off? He knew that if someone was born of a man and woman, all humans are sinners and He couldn’t be the Messiah, so to preserve the lineage of God, He made Him born through the Holy Spirit and a woman.
Joseph who was engaged to marry Mary was so nice that he decided to divorce her quietly for getting pregnant before marriage, because he was thinking that Mary was planning to marry someone else, so they would quietly divorce. At that time, an angel comes to Joseph and gives him a message. It’s the same today, when you’re in the midst of a crisis, God will send His angels to give you a message, and the Holy Spirit within you will also give you God’s Word.
(2) Name is Jesus (Mt. 1:21)
The angel says, “This is a baby conceived by the Holy Spirit and you will call Him Jesus.” Names in the Bible have meaning to them. The name of Jesus means, “The one who will save his people from their sins.” So, whenever you say “Jesus,” think of this meaning.
(3) He will save his people from their sin (Mt. 1:21)
If you keep calling someone their name, it gets imprinted in them. There are some nonbelievers who call their children “David,” so that they may become a powerful and brave king like David. Jesus is the name that saves people, but from what? When people are drowning, people say, “SOS” save our souls. If we’re caught in a burning building, we have to be saved from that. If I need money and someone lends me money, I say that person saved me. But the Biblical salvation is different, it means I’ve been saved from something spiritual, and Christ is the One who did that. If you know and believe in His name, you have been saved.
3) Fulfillment of the covenant
Jesus Christ did not come on earth randomly because God felt like it one day, but it was a promise given long ago. As soon as mankind was separated from God, God gave the method for salvation in Genesis 3:15.
(1) Offspring of the woman (Gen. 3:15)
Gen. 3:15 records God’s promise, the offspring of the woman, not the offspring of man, because offspring of men are all sinners.
(2) Crush the head of the serpent – Resurrection (Gen. 3:15)
What would he do on earth? He would crush the head of the serpent. If this doesn’t move you, you’re seized by the devil without knowing it, and that devil is the forces of darkness that has been holding onto your family line for generations. The offspring of the woman would come to do the work no one else could do. If America doesn’t know this one truth, America will be seized by darkness. This has nothing to do with whether you did something right or wrong; it’s the Bible.
Why did Jesus save us from this? We can’t see it and prove it with science, but God tells us through the Word. The repetitive problem in your family line is this problem. If you don’t acknowledge that, then there’s no reason for Jesus Christ to come into you. When Jesus Christ says He will crush Satan’s head, it means resurrection
(3) Strike his heel – Death (Gen. 3:15)
Some people say they shouldn’t talk about this, but they’re seized and cannot control themselves. God says the forces of Satan would strike Jesus’ heel, meaning Jesus’ death on the cross. The death of Jesus on the cross was the incident that solved all problems of our sin and death. This was prophesized in Gen. 3:15.
2. Work that fulfills the Word
According to that prophecy, Jesus Christ was born on earth. Everything in the future will also work out, following the Word of God to fulfill God’s Word. Things don’t take place according to your thoughts; they take place according to God’s Word. I hope you will stop living your life based on your own thoughts and stubbornness, but instead, living and following after God’s Word He promised to you.
1) Prophet
(1) Word given through Isaiah
(2) Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14)
(3) Resides with us
The words Isaiah spoke thousands of years ago in Isaiah 7:14 were fulfilled thousands of years later in today’s passage. If you hold onto God’s word, then that word will be fulfilled in God’s time schedule. For remnants, not knowing the future is normal; it would be weird if you did, but if you hold onto God’s Word, it will be fulfilled in the future, so it doesn’t matter if you’re smart or not. If anything, pretending that you’re smart is a foolish thing. Because you’re making plans for something that won’t take place anyway.
Even if your plans come to fruition, it doesn’t mean anything. The Word of God is so amazing. The things He said so long ago are fulfilled according to the time schedule. If you’re holding onto the covenant for family evangelization, one day God will fulfill it. For people who hold onto the covenant of regional and America evangelization, the Word will be fulfilled according to the covenant.
What does “Immanuel” mean? It means “God with us,” then isn’t everything finished? This is what it means for everything to be finished. There’s no reason for me to meddle with anything anymore. The fact that God is with me means that He will do the work. If you face a problem, God says He will open the way, that’s why problems are not a problem for us.
If we don’t understand these words, even if you listen to 100 Christmas carols, it doesn’t matter. Even if you go to Christmas worship every year since you’re young, if you don’t listen to these words, none of that matters. The hymn I chose today was the hymn the church sang when I was a little kid and they called me to church. I was in 3rd grade and didn’t believe in Jesus, and they told me to come to church and I still recall the song to this day. Don’t you know the things that you heard while young will follow you for the rest of your life?
I went there in the summer because one of my older friends invited me to go, and I still remember the two parables they taught. I’m a witness of remembering the things taught while young. When I went to church, I heard two stories that were very strict, telling me to live an upright life, so that guided my life. Both stories were about death, so when I was a kid, I got a strong impression that I shouldn’t do anything bad. I’m even nice, now. Unlike my face, I’m nice. That’s how scary and frightening it can be for kids.
Yesterday we had our Christmas Eve festival, and all the things they said about Christ will carry them throughout the rest of their lives. Right now, it seems like nothing, but I’m a witness of this. I only went to church once and carry it with me; imagine what would happen if they carry this every week? When I drove here this morning, I was listening to praise.
I was so amazed, how is it that in my family line, I’ve received salvation and the gospel? There was no way I could escape by myself, but by God’s grace, I’ve escaped and have been completely liberated, and I’m so happy. I’m not saying this as a businessperson, but as a pastor. I don’t like business, I don’t like people who say things to make sales, and I’m already allergic to salespeople. Even when I’m in the world, when I hear words that aren’t the truth, it gets on my nerves.
But for me personally, my life has changed so much because I believe in one person, Christ. Just because of this one thing, how much could someone change? Simply put, because my spirit and thoughts have changed, my entire life is changed. Christ does not change your actions or behaviors first, but He changes your spirit first. If you have depression, it means you already have the spiritual background that leaves you no choice but to be depressed. Without knowing this, you have to take medication, but once you have Christ, the spiritual background changes. Once you have Christ, you’re liberated from disasters and the authority of Satan. As you keep listening to these words, your thoughts and spiritual background completely change.
This is invisible to your eyes; nothing changes, it’s not like you make more money, but because your state changes, everything changes. If you look at the world with yellow sunglasses, even the sky will appear yellow. Don’t tell the world to change, but if you change your eyes, everything will look different. Depending on what eyes you look through, the world will be heaven or hell. If you put on the sunglasses of Jesus Christ, these are the glasses that break down darkness, these are the glasses that change all despair into the hope of Christ, and you’re bound to change into hope because you see your life changing with God’s Word.
That day is today. People say “today,” so they think about the day the Roman emperor designated as Christmas but instead, we have Christ every day. Mother’s Day and Father’s Day shouldn’t just be once a year, but it should be every day that we are thankful for our parents. My daughter is at a time where she’s very angry with me, but one day she’ll be thankful. Right now, she doesn’t know. “What have my parents done for me?” We gave birth to her. “Why did you make me like this?” “You were born this way to know Christ, so don’t look at us, but look at Christ.”
I had a video call with my mom a few days ago, and my mom recently became a Christian, “There’s nothing I’ve done as a mother,” but I said, “What do you mean? You raised me as your son.” Because my mother is elderly and I can’t see her in Korea, I tell her about the things that happened in the past. I only talk to her about things that are optimistic and bright. In reality, they might not have been very optimistic or positive, but only now I’m someone who enjoys and testify the gospel, so everything in my past is good for me.
I shared this with my mom, and she said, “I’m thankful you think that way,” but it wasn’t my choice, it was just the words given to me. The way I see my life is different, these aren’t words to make my mom feel better, but it’s true that everything is good. God is with me and with us. Even now, I see God allowed me to be born into this family line and I’m thankful for my mom, for being raised by an uneducated mother. I’m thankful for God sending me into a family that wasn’t affluent. I’m not thankful for anything else. If I was not born in this family with this education, I’m happy and thankful for it being God’s plan.
It doesn’t matter what my mom thinks, it’s irrelevant to me, and I told her, “I’m thankful for my mom and my dad.” My mother knows the way she raised me and the facts of the past, but now she knows the reason I’m able to say that. It’s because I’ve changed, and the eyes with which I see are changed, so nothing is a problem. Because I say words like that, my mother says, “I’m thankful you see that way.”
2) Peter
This covenant is fulfilled in the new testament through Peter.
(1) Jesus is Lord (Mt. 16:16)
During this time, “Lord” is not a simple thing. Back then, only the emperor was the Lord, and whenever they addressed the emperor, they used the word, “Lord.” Jesus asked, “Who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter says, “Lord.” In the Jewish culture, the Jehovah LORD is Lord, but the fact that Peter says this to Jesus, it’s not a simple thing.
(2) Christ (Mt. 16:16)
Today is Christmas, we celebrate Christ, the One Who liberated mankind from three problems.
(3) Son of the living God (Mt. 16:16)
The son of God isn’t a son born of a mom and dad; it means God has come onto earth in human form. If you worship idols, you become very dumb. There was a professor in the Philippines who said, “God the Father is the Father; Mary is the Mother, and the reason you pray to Mary is so that you can get to the Father faster through the Mother than the Son.” If you worship idols, even if you’re a professor, you become very dumb like this.
Lord, You are the Christ, the son of the living God. This confession contains the words that save all mankind. There’s a difference in believing in Jesus Christ while knowing this or not knowing this. People who know this have their problems finished for their entire lives, and now that the problems of our lives are finished, we live for solving the problems of others, to tell them there’s no problem. I’m a witness of that, and that’s what I’m saying. That’s Christmas.
3) Blessing (Mt. 16:17)
When you make this confession, what blessings automatically follow us? “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah,” blessings come for the ones who confess Christ. You don’t receive blessings by going to church diligently; you receive blessings by believing in Christ.
(1) On this rock I will build my church (Mt. 16:18)
The rock means your life is unshaken. The reason you have depression and mental illness and panic attacks is because you’re shaking in fear. The reason we cannot escape from the problems of our past is because they shake us. The reason we’re influenced by the words of other people is because we’re shaken. The reason you’re afraid of COVID-19 is because you’re shaken. You’re busy with work? It’s because you’re shaking in busyness.
On this rock I will build my church, not the building but the people, and on this confession, God will do this work of raising up people. Because your problems have been resolved, you resolve other people’s problems, and that’s raising up the church.
(2) Gates of Hades will not overcome (Mt. 16:18)
At that point, the gates of Hades will not overcome. It doesn’t say the gates of Hades will not disappear, but as we fight, the gates of Hades will not overcome. Meaning if you don’t believe this, you will lose and be overcome by the gates of Hades. You cannot overcome with your strength or success or mental strength. Even if you graduate from an Ivy League school, you cannot overcome, not even with plastic surgery. There’s no method with which we can overcome the gates of Hades. Even if you keep going to church, you cannot overcome.
Only when you make the correct confession of Christ and believe in that will the gates of Hades not overcome you. Only when you confess Christ in faith will the darkness in your family line be overcome and you will overcome. It means there are people who go to church and are still unable to overcome because if you overlook the meaning of Christ, you cannot overcome. The forces of darkness are still seizing that family line, and people say it doesn’t work even if they go to church and work so hard.
I hope they’ll stop working hard and instead believe in Christ. I hope you will stop saying you’re busy. If you believe in Christ, God will guide you because a busy life will be busy for the rest of their life. It is because you don’t have strength to overcome. The only way to move that is Christ. The blessings of overcoming the gates of Hades will take place.
(3) Keys of the kingdom of heaven (Mt. 16:19)
Whatever you loose in earth will be loosed in heaven, meaning whatever you pray for on earth will be done in heaven. It means you can forgive people, because if you don’t forgive that person, heaven will not forgive them either. Within the confession of Christ, love for people is contained. How can we forgive? Why would you not forgive them? If Christ has already given you everything, you don’t have to make enemies with anyone.
Everyone is okay, because nothing is a problem. If they influence me, I would be enemies, but if they’re weak, I can wait for them. If someone says a lot of nonsense, you pray that will be broken down. If someone doesn’t understand this, you wait for them to come. There’s someone who makes enemies with someone for no reason, but if you pray for them, that will be broken down, so the Christ who finished all problems has come to earth.
3. Relay the Word
Once this Christ comes into me, do not become egotistical. The Christ is not just for you, but it is to spread Christ to the rest of the world. If Christ is only your Christ, your life will not be fun because God prepared a path of blessings for you but you can’t see that. Your eyes must be opened to see God is guiding you to stand as a witness of Christ to all nations. If your eyes are opened to see this, all your studies and business will be led by God.
But if your eyes are not opened to see this and you’re just working hard, it’s just to eat and survive. Even now, people work hard and make enough to eat for the day. But instead, we have a life where we can proclaim the Christ to all nations and bring them to life, but they can’t see that.
1) Imprint the Word
(1) It is finished (John 19:30)
Everything has been finished, He has changed the root of our problems, He changed the spiritual background that left my family no choice. Now we have the background of heaven.
(2) New Creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)
It’s the same “me” but it’s not the “me” I knew in the past. I’m the same on the outside but we’re changed into a new creation. My genealogy has changed into one that belongs to heaven and this world is the genealogy of Satan. My face may appear the same but my insides have changed, and people will see the internal change and be shocked. “Oh, they weren’t like this,” because my insides have changed. The software is completely different. The hardware is the same but the software is completely changed. The words I say are different, my decision-making is different. In the past, the output was this, but now it’s that.
People get confused, but now my software is changed and my CPU is heaven. Because I’m connected to heaven, my output is different. Christ has come to change me like this, so nothing is a problem. People shake because of emotions, especially women. Right now it’s rainy. When we wake up, we have emotions and think those are the truth and we follow our feelings. Never do that; follow the Word. It doesn’t matter what kind of emotions or thoughts you have, it’s a lie. It’s possible it’s true but don’t follow that. You must follow the Word.
We’re so used to thinking we receive God’s grace emotionally, but don’t misunderstand receiving grace as crying. You cannot smell or feel God’s Word. As this Word comes into us quietly, our spiritual state changes. Most people who shake a lot are dragged along by their thoughts and emotions, and when we face incidences, we’re dragged by that. You must not be dragged at that time.
Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God. Hold onto this truth; there’s no other truth; there’s no other difference, but people get confused. It’s important for you to constantly maintain this spiritual state by the Word of God’s covenant, then without a doubt, you’ll be a witness, that no problem is a problem. I’m a witness of that.
I’m not selling a business, I’m not selling my pastoral ministry with the Bible. I cannot do that. I’m simply telling you what God has given me. Nothing is a problem to me, it will be the same in the future. Temporarily, I may be slightly shaken by my emotions, but it’s finished.
(3) Resides within me (Gal. 2:20)
Why? Gal. 2:20, He lives within me as the Lord of my life, so there’s no need for me to do anything. Once this Word comes into me, I must root down into it.
2) Root in the Word
(1) Designated time
The way to root into the Word is to set a time to meditate. If you don’t meditate deeply with the Word of God, you will meditate deeply with your worries. The people who meditate on the Word of God every day will overcome the problems they face. But people who do not have the time to meditate on God’s Word will mediate on the problems they face. That’s the bitterness, the suffering of life. What’s the time you spend every day rooting down in?
(2) 24 Hours
(3) Thoughts, what I see
Do this for 24 hours, because eternity, Immanuel. Even right now, Immanuel. No matter the circumstance, because He is with me and promised this to me, I can enjoy this by faith. That’s what you call prayer. Nothing to ask for because He has given everything. If God’s IQ is limited, I would say, “I’m sure He knows,” and we may remind Him a few times, but He already knows. He knows the future and what will happen later today. You’re with Him 24 hours, then without a doubt, you’ll have answers.
As evidence that He’s alive, you’ll receive answers and you follow those answers and go. If I don’t have Christ, I have to worry about my problems, and I’ll have no choice but to be seized by the gates of Hades, dragged around. For now, the greatest blessing we have is to testify of this word.
3) Relay the Word
(1) All nations
(2) Region – Church Member
(3) Remnant – World
How does Satan deceive us? “Keep this to yourself,” and that’s the critical reason the Jewish people fell. Satan made it so that we’re completely stuck in our egotistical nature and self-centeredness. That must be broken down. If the forces of darkness aren’t broken down, we may not know the incredible blessing of testifying of the Word. Inside of testifying of God’s Word is contained all the blessings of your life. For this purpose we build the Temple and do missions. The reason we’re worshiping today is to testify of this word to America. What a huge blessing has Christ given to us.
Conclusion
1. 24 Christ
2. 24
3. Eternity
24 hours, Christ. We need no other name because everything is hidden within Christ and God has put everything within Christ. Then you will receive answers and you enjoy that for the rest of eternity by testifying of this to people. Today is the day we celebrate Christ’s birth. May you be liberated.
Prayer
Hold onto the Word you have received and pray. Let us pray that Christ will be the king and Lord of all lives in America.