The Solution to All Problems, Jesus Christ (Mt. 15:21-28)
Let us bless one another, “Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God.” May God’s blessing be upon all of the families, especially as today is Father’s Day. Last week, there was the Word that we must honor our mother and father. There’s no reason to make any conditions on God’s Word. God knows us so well, and He wants to bless us, and He has given us those words with that meaning. He has promised us so that you may live long and be prosperous on this land. That is one of the things I taught to my daughter especially. I tell her, “You’re very far from living a long and prosperous life on this land right now, and because I love you, I’m disciplining you, so I hope you may obey your father and mother.” May God’s blessing be upon every family today.
Why do you think our “today” is today? Do you think it just happened all of a sudden? Today is the result of our past. Do you want to reject “today”? Then you are rejecting your past. Today is the beginning of your future, but we always want to get rid of the past, present, or future, and we want to change it to whatever we imagine it to be. Then you are rejecting “Today.” If you reject “Today,” then there is no future for you. So, “today” is the result of your past, and “today” is your future, then what’s important is, how will I live today? How will I live today before God? That will become my future.
There’s no reason to get your fortune told, “today” will be your future; there’s no reason for you to reject your past because the accumulation of your past is your “today.” And that’s why “today” is so important, and we are giving the most important times of our lives as worship before God.
1. Region of Tyre and Sidon (Mt. 15:21)
In today’s scripture, Jesus Christ is going into the region of Tyre and Sidon. Jesus Christ is not just going to these regions randomly and arbitrarily; these are destined from long ages past, and He is going according to His plan, to Tyre and Sidon. Then, there was a woman from Canaan, a Canaanite woman, in that region. “A Canaanite woman” means she was a woman from the tribe of Canaan. The first time the people of Canaan are mentioned was when Noah had three sons, and one day, he was drunk and naked on the ground, and one of those three sons mocked his naked body, and then Noah cursed that son, and that son’s descendants became the Canaanites.
1) Coastal cities
(1) Old Testament: Canaan’s son, Sidon (Gen. 10:15)
Gen. 10:15 says, “The son of Canaan, Sidon.” Then, you can know what the history of the tribe of Sidon is like, right? These are a people and a region that is cursed by God.
(2) Solomon, Wife of King Ahab: From Sidon
(3) Brought idolatry to Israel
The wives of King Solomon and King Ahab were from Sidon. In other words, the crushed and idol-worshiping people of the region of Sidon went into King Solomon’s temple, so the only thing they had learned and had been instructed in was idol worship. These are people who have never once received blessings. So, they brought all of their idols into their palace, and then King Ahab’s wife, Jezebel, brought all of the idols of Baal and Asherah into Israel.
2) Region – State
(1) Cities are physically abundant
(2) Spiritual – Idol worship (Ex. 20:3-5, Col. 3:5)
So, this region served idols for a very long time, but what is the beginning of idolatry? The meaning of “idols” begins in Exodus 20:3-4, “You shall not make for yourselves an idol, nor bow down to it.” In Col. 3:5, it says our greed is idolatry. Then, all the background of idols needs to come back to Genesis 3:5. Human beings were originally designed and created in the image of God so that we live with God, for God, and by God. However, Satan comes and deceives mankind one day, saying “You don’t need to be with God, you can be God yourself.” In other words, he has placed into our heart the greed and desire of wanting to be like God.
(3) Satan – Rule over (Jn. 8:44), Sin, Death – Solution×
From that point on, we think we are God, and we begin to worship our own ego. The beginning of all curses and disasters and Satan’s interference is idolatry. It’s not just about bowing down to a physical form of an idol; the idol is already inside of our hearts.
3) A Canaanite woman (Mt. 15:22)
(1) Cried out – Reached limit (Mt. 11:28, Ex. 2:23-24)
(2) Daughter – Demon-possessed and suffering terribly (Mt. 15:22)
The longstanding history of worshiping idols in the regions of Tyre and Sidon resulted in the Canaanite woman’s family today. In the Canaanite woman’s family, the daughter is severely demon-possessed. This state of demon-possession they are facing today did not happen out of nowhere, but it was a longstanding problem of multiple generations of family problems.
(3) Family – Suffering
If there is one person in the family that is demon-possessed, then the entire family suffers. If only one person in the family is suffering from a mental illness, then the entire family cannot live a normal life. Why is this happening? They are in a state with no answers.
2. The Canaanite woman – Gentile
1) Lord
But this woman, the Canaanite woman, heard that Jesus Christ had come to the region of Tyre and Sidon, which is where the Gentiles were staying, and she rushed over to Him. She was crying out to Him, meaning she had tried so many other methods, and she could not solve her problems. She’s tried bowing down to all the idols she served, she’s tried offering them money, she went to their temples, but nothing was working. Does it work if you educate your child? Even in the midst of that education, this demon-possession takes place. If something like this happens in your family, it is so difficult. Even if there is one autistic child in the family, the entire family goes through difficulty. So, this Canaanite woman heard that Jesus Christ is healing diseases and casting out demons, she has felt the limitations of her life.
(1) I am my own master (Gen. 3:5)
(2) Change master to Jesus
When does one believe in Jesus? We cannot believe in Jesus in our normal state of mind. We don’t believe in Jesus when we’re doing well. Because if you think you’re doing well, then you try to find the source of that success within yourself, then there’s no reason for you to look for Jesus. When we try and try in life, but there’s still no hope for us, that is when we go to Jesus.
Then people ask, “Why are there so many broken people in the church?” That’s normal, that is why Jesus goes and finds these people. Before these people came to the church, they had another religion and they would have lived with their own success. At that point, if you go to another religion, it seems there are so many great-looking people, but even so, their family problems cannot be solved. Only when we face our limitations and we give up is when we find Jesus.
(3) Son of David – Messiah, Christ
What does this woman cry out when she sees Jesus? “Lord, son of David,” that’s very important. For the first time in her life, she is confessing, “You are my Lord,” and it’s not easy for us to make that confession. In my life and in my family, I thought my idol was everything, and I thought working hard and diligently was everything, but that doesn’t solve the problem. Finally, we are trying to change Jesus to be our Lord, and that person is the Son of David. The “son of David” means “Messiah,” or the “Christ.” “You are my Lord, our Lord, the only One who can solve the problem of my life and my family.”
When does your suffering go away? The moment you change Christ to be your Lord, the problem you face will no longer be a problem. But there are a lot of people who go to church but they still remain as the master of their own life, then what’s going to happen? They will face many things they cannot resolve. Even if you are the Lord of your own human relationships, your human relationships will not work out well. If somebody like this succeeds, the more they succeed, the more suffering they will face because they want to do everything according to their own will, but nobody wants to follow them because everybody is their own god. If people get married in that state, everybody is their own lord, they are their own god. Then now, there are two gods in one family, and everybody says their own words are correct, then they have to make a decision or split.
God must work as one, so they must separate, and they say, “I have to remain as my own god alone.” It’s the same thing in your job and the same thing in your business, “I have to be my own god, that’s why I have to succeed.” People want to succeed so, “Everybody has to listen to every word I have to say.” That’s a misunderstanding.
2) Have mercy on me (Mt. 15:22)
(1) Me – No solution – Samaritan woman (Jn. 4:22)
The real God is alive. The Canaanite woman came to Jesus Christ through her family problems. The only way for your family problems to turn into a blessing is not by changing your thoughts; you have to turn to Jesus. There is no way to turn the problems of your past into a springboard of blessings with your own abilities. You must entrust your life into the hands of Jesus Christ. Those hands are the hands of creation, power, and blessing. Before that point, your life will not work out. If there are some people who are under the misconception that your life will work out fine, one day, you’ll realize that you’re under a misconception.
This woman is crying out to Jesus Christ, but Jesus does not answer a word. But what is the message underneath what this woman is crying out? She is saying, “I don’t have the answer to my life.” When Jesus Christ went to Samaria, He met a Samaritan woman who had been married five times. Imagine how much she was lacking an answer that she married five times. The point is not in the remarriage, it is in the fact that she is looking for an answer and she was not able to find one. She thought that, “My life will work out if I find a good partner.” Are there any of you who feel that way? Everyone says no. It doesn’t matter how good of a partner you find, you yourself have to find the answer. Your partner is not the answer to your life. They might help you from the side, but they are not your answer. But for young adults, you marry this other person saying they are your answer, but they are not. That is an opportunity for blessings for you to find the real answer.
(2) Christ – Solution (Jn. 4:25)
So, Jesus Christ starts speaking to the Samaritan woman pretending He needs water. The history of Samaria is that they were taken as captives, so their blood is mixed with Assyrian blood. Jesus says to the Samaritan woman, “Instead of this water that you must take from this well, I will give you eternal, living water.” Jesus Christ is saying, “It is I, I am the eternal water of life.” Then in John 4:25, the woman responds, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When He comes, He will explain everything to us.” Christ is the One Who can give every single answer regarding everything to us. Only He has the answer to your life problems, your family problems, your business problems, problems of your past, present, and future. The answer to the problems of America are not with the politicians; it is with Christ. So, if we live our walk of faith without knowing “only Christ,” we are living our walk of faith with no answers.
(3) Seek grace and mercy
So, we’re talking about two or three different types of women today, the Canaanite woman, the Samaritan woman, and one more woman later on, so pay attention. Even though it’s Father’s Day, we’re talking about a lot of women, so I hope you will be a father who has the answer, then all of these different women will find the answer. But the Samaritan woman married five different men without the answer, so she’s wandering. The Canaanite woman says, “Have mercy on me,” that is the best prayer. There is no reason to pray for anything else; just, “Lord, have mercy on me.” If someone is facing death in a war at the hands of their enemy, there is nothing for them to ask except, “Please have mercy on me and spare my life.” If you say anything else at that time, your head is going to get cut off, “Only your mercy can save my life.”
3) Disciples
This woman is saying this to Jesus Christ, and the disciples are annoyed by that. Because the disciples are annoyed by that, they say, “Jesus, send her away, for she keeps crying out after us. I wonder, I feel like many believers are around that state.
(1) With Jesus – Not the law, but enjoy Gospel
By “this state,” I mean they are no longer living by legalism, like the teachers of the law or the Pharisees that we talked about last week, they think their walk of faith is simply living with Jesus. However, if there’s anybody who is dying or suffering in the field, they want to look in the other direction and say, “I just want to enjoy being with Jesus by myself.” That is the time schedule of the walk of faith for the disciples. But what would happen to the world if the church was filled with believers like this? The world is waiting for the answer of Jesus Christ, but if the church members are turning away from that, what’s going to happen? So, God has to create some kind of program.
(2) Wanted to send the crying woman away (Mt. 15:23)
In order for us to pay attention to the voices of the people who are crying in the field, God places us in the field with them. So why is it that, even though I believe in Jesus Christ, this problem in my family will not go away? It is so that you will realize, no matter how much you pray for it to go away, it won’t, because God gave you this problem so that you will realize, “This is one of the problems of the world that needs Jesus Christ.”
The prophet Hosea married a prostitute. He thought that she would change, but after a little bit, she would go sleep with another man, have a baby, and that would repeat. The prophet Hosea asked God, “Why did you give me this woman and why is she not changing?” Do you think God is too weak? God is allowing the prophet Hosea to see something.
God said to prophet Hosea, “Just as your wife keeps on betraying you to go sleep with other men, Israel is betraying me spiritually by serving these idols, and I want you to realize this problem.” If Israel really realized this gospel and their mission, they would not have to be dragged off as captives to Babylon, but because they are not realizing the gospel and their mission, they are not going out to preach, and then God has to drag them by force to save Babylon.
Why are the problems in the church “problems”? First of all, it is because we do not have the gospel. Just like the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, we are under the misconception that keeping the law and the Word of God is our walk of faith, but the gospel is living with the Lord together. There is no condition. The only condition is believing in what our Lord Jesus Christ has done on the cross. If you go to church and you have to do this and you have to do that, that’s that person’s walk of faith. We just have to be with the Lord, living with the Lord 24 hours a day, that is the first thing that needs to happen.
Second, with the state the disciples are in today, it’s not going to work. God wants us to know the reason why the world is dying. This demon-possessed child’s family is healed, then how do you think they would live in the future? Later on, in Acts 21 and Acts 27, the disciples go to the town of Sidon, and there are disciples of Jesus there. The people who live their walk of faith who think that following the law and the Word of God is the definition of the walk of faith, they actually got further from God’s blessing; however, the people who were demon-possessed and then met the gospel because of that actually become the source of bringing life to many.
I hope you will stop blaming your family problems on other people. “I thought that if I go to this church, my family problems will be cured, but they’re not.” Stop making excuses. God wants you to know the cause and the answer for your family problem, and for you to pray. God is allowing this family problem to happen to you so you realize, this is not just a problem for your family, but for every family in the world. It’s not very abstract or random.
God does not work randomly; God is His Word, and God is someone who allows us to hear the Word so we can really understand it. Just like the woman said, “If I go to this person, He will make me understand all things,” we go to His Word. There was a blind person who as blind since birth and the disciples asked Jesus, “Is this person blind because of his sins or his parents’ sins?” They keep asking legalistic questions, but Jesus says, “There is a work God wants to do through him.” Whenever we face a problem, we ask legalistically, “Whose fault is it?” Even in the family, we say, “Is it your fault or is it my fault?” We need to go in deeper; we need to ask, “What is God’s plan? Why has God allowed this problem?” That is the way for your family problem to be solved. Even if the problem doesn’t go away, it will no longer be a problem to me.
(3) Evangelism and healing – Eyes not opened (Mk. 3:14-15)
So, the disciples are in a state where they have received the gospel and they are enjoying being with the Lord, but they are not interested in the people who are suffering without the answer in the world, and that is not what God wants, but that is a process we must go through. In Mark 3:14-15, Jesus Christ said He had called these disciples to be with them, just as the disciples are with Him now, and that He might send them out to preach and to have the authority to cast out demons, so He wants these three things. Later on, after Jesus Christ resurrects, He gives each of them the filling of the Holy Spirit and they begin to do these works.
3. Jesus’s work
1) First
(1) Lost sheep of Israel (Mt. 15:24)
(2) Taking the children’s bread (Word) (Mt. 15:26)
(3) Not right to toss to the dogs (Gentiles) (Mt. 15:26)
At first, Jesus Christ does not answer the woman at all, but then He says, “I did not come to give the Word to Gentiles like you, but to give the Word to the lost sheep of Israel.” What this means is that there are many people inside of the church who do not have the accurate gospel yet, so you must give them the gospel first. First, put the gospel into the people who are fighting inside the church about who is right and who is wrong, lost in legalism instead of the gospel.
2) Woman
Now, we talk about the final woman for today. There was a woman who was caught in the field committing adultery. The law of God says you need to stone her to death immediately. But when the people hold onto their stones, trying to stone this woman to death, Jesus Christ comes and what does He write on the ground? He wrote something on the ground and then He said, “You who are without sin, cast the first stone.” One by one, everybody lets go of their stone, starting from the eldest to the youngest, because the eldest have the most sins in their lives, and everybody leaves. We are under a misconception that our walk of faith is about holding ourselves against this ruler of the law and striking ourselves if we ever go outside of it. If that was right, then Jesus would have left the woman to be stoned, but what is the law? The law was given to us so that every single person will be trapped under the law as a sinner.
Shall I give you one example? There was a commandment that said, “Do not murder,” and I’m sure none of you have murdered, right? But all of you have murdered. Hating somebody else, that is murder. Then, maybe some of you may say, “I’ve never hated anybody.” You’ve never once had a momentary thought of disliking somebody? That momentary thought means hell. The reason why God gave us the law was to see our own limitations. But the legalistic people and the many people inside the church use the law as their standard of faith saying, “You weren’t able to keep this law? You have to die,” but the words that Jesus Christ spoke are the gospel. “You who are without sin, cast the first stone and make your judgment.” Jesus Christ says, “I, who am without sin, will not judge you.” That, too, is the gospel. Through the gospel, through Jesus Christ, we live. Isn’t that right? But do we have the gospel? Is the gospel in ourselves and in our families? Everybody knows Jesus when they hear it, but even though they know Jesus, they want to stone this person, starting from “myself,” that’s not the gospel. Only the righteousness of the gospel can save somebody. There are no more women, just those three.
(1) Eat the crumbs that fall that fall from their master’s table (Mt. 15:27)
After Jesus Christ responds this way to the Canaanite woman, she responds this way, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the master’s table.” The “dogs” here refer to the Gentiles because the Jewish people referred to Gentiles as animals, and that’s why Jesus used those words, but when the woman responds like this, there’s nothing for Jesus to say. It’s not that he’s speechless, but it’s that her confession is correct. Jesus Christ did not only come to save the Jews. In other words, Jesus Christ did not come to only bless the people in the church. Even right now, Jesus wants to be the Christ for all the people in the field who do not know the answer and are suffering.
(2) Faith – Healed her daughter (Mt. 15:28)
Then Jesus says to her, “Woman, you have great faith,” and the very moment Jesus gave His Word, the daughter was healed. For us, we have to go somewhere in order to help somebody, but for Jesus Christ, the moment He gives His Word, the works take place in that field. We cannot escape from time and space, you cannot get back the time from your past. You cannot change all of the things that are limited by time and space in your past, but Jesus Christ transcends time and space and can work even in your fields at this moment. The very moment you confess that God’s Word is correct and you accept it with faith, God can work in your field at that very moment. But for the people who think of worship as just an act or tradition or form that we have to keep, like the Jewish people, they’re just forced to live like that.
The location where we worship, whether it’s Mount Gerizim or the Jerusalem temple, it’s not that, but the Lord is with you, and that is worship. You are the temple, and on the Lord’s day, we all gather together, receive God’s Word, and share fellowship with one another. Then, when we all scatter, we go back to our homes and live a living worship there. Jesus Christ said, “Worship in spirit and in truth,” it’s not about your actions, and that means you can give worship in your business fields as well because you are the temple. You can worship no matter where you are. How? It is not about the forms of the pianist and choir, wherever you are, worship in spirit and in truth because God is with you wherever you are, and He receives your worship there. That is where God’s Kingdom is established.
The Jewish people emphasized the location, and because they think, “You cannot worship outside the Temple,” they lived however they wanted. But the ones who have the gospel, the ones who have life, worship when they gather together, but even when they scatter apart, they still worship. The answer to all of the questions I have is given to me by the One who has all the answers, that’s why you receive His answers when you pray. So, there’s no reason to ask the pastor because we’re all a nation of priests. If you pray yourself, then you will cast out demons, heal diseases, and receive answers. You yourselves are able to give the answer to other people in the field if you’re able to live a life that is with the Lord.
So, it’s not just about knowing the word, “Gospel,” but enjoying the content of what that word means in my everyday life. People who have gone to church for a long, long time, there are two types: they complain a lot, they use their own ideas of the law and say, “This is a problem,” or, “that’s not a problem.” Those people are walking the path of the Pharisee. But on the other hand, the longer they live their walk of faith, the more thanksgiving they have? Then they have found their answer. If that person is causing a problem, then you can pray for the Jesus Christ Who is inside that person to guide them. Then, instead of judging and criticizing that person, you’re thankful, saying, “God, thank You for the opportunity to pray for this person.” So you should examine yourself to see what side you’re on.
Today is Father’s Day, but are you really thankful for your husband? “I’m so thankful because my husband never does anything that I tell him to do, because this is how I’ll pray for him and open my eyes to save the world.” But the people who are legalistic will continue to judge their husband legalistically, “I’ve believed in Christ for such a long time; why isn’t he changing?” So there are two types of people, either people who get more thankful, or people who are filled with more grumbling, resentment, and complaining.
I hope you and I will continuously have more thankfulness. There are so many supplements nowadays like Omega-3s, and Vitamin C and D, but if you’re continuously filled with thanksgiving, you won’t need those supplements. If you receive grace from God, you will have multiple-fold endorphins released from your body. You know how your body releases endorphins when you’re happy? People who exercise a lot do so because their bodies release endorphins when they exercise, and they exercise so they can keep on feeling that, and because of their workout, they don’t come to worship. So I’m telling them now, receiving God’s grace releases multiple-fold endorphins than when you work out. That’s the reason why Christians live a long life.
It’s hard to understand, isn’t it? People who only live with the law are filled with complaining and grumbling, so Satan and demons work upon them, and their bodies react to that. Do you know that every time you get angry, your body releases toxins? It doesn’t matter what a good environment you live in, if you’re always getting angry, your body releases toxins, then you cannot live a long life. Even if you do live a long life, it will be a very difficult life. However, when you receive God’s grace and you really see your family problems as a blessing, you’ll face gratitude that you cannot even express.
(3) Gentile – Salvation, Disciple (Ac. 21:5-7, 27:3)
So, in today’s scripture, the disciples only care about themselves being with Jesus, but one day, they completely change. Now, they are staking their lives to tell about the works of Jesus. That was through the incident of the cross. From the moment Christians really understand and realize what the meaning of the cross is to them, their life will change 180 degrees.
3) Christ/Resurrection
(1) Completed the Law, Destroyed (Rom. 13:10, Eph. 2:15)
Romans 13:10 says that the incident of the cross is the completion of the law of loving God and loving people. That’s the incident of the cross. Jesus Christ, dying on the cross for us, completed all of the law. Then, by fulfilling the law, He has destroyed the law. Now, only by believing in Jesus can we go to God. Proclaiming the gospel means that you tell anybody who has a problem that the way they can be with God is by believing in Christ because through the law and the commandments, they cannot go to God.
Gentiles like us, we are supposed to receive salvation by following the law? We don’t even know what the law is. Jesus Christ has broken down that law, He has fulfilled that law Himself and He has broken down that law. Now, God’s grace says, anybody who believes in Jesus Christ is regarded as sinless. Even if you sin again, if you say, “Lord,” and hang onto Jesus Christ, He will forgive you again. But if you’re sitting there saying, “You did this wrong and you did that wrong,” you’re killing them. That person has no gospel. Even if they talk about the gospel, they don’t have the gospel. The characteristic is that people around them don’t come to life; in fact, if anything, people run away from their correct words.
(2) Jesus Christ – Faith (Gal. 2:20)
However, I’m just like that person; we both think that we’re right. That’s a Pharisee. They say, “I’m correct and my actions are correct,” but their lives are not coming to life. Because the churches nowadays are just giving the law, they are not coming to life. You need to give them the gospel, that is the answer for all people. Whatever problem you have, it is not a problem for the Lord. The Lord is the Creator God, and He moves everything with His Word. When His Word comes into me, then the works of re-creation take place. It doesn’t matter how old or weak you may be, that’s just your circumstance, that is not God’s circumstance. When Christ comes into my life and He moves me as my Lord, then my situation doesn’t matter.
So, there’s so many great things about America, but because people are not able to confess “Only Jesus Christ,” there are so many disasters. The presidents and the politicians are not able to give this answer because their main job is being a politician. Their main job needs to be enjoying and testifying Jesus Christ, and their side job needs to be “president” or “politician,” that is how America can be saved. The main job of the pastor needs to be proclaiming the gospel, praying, and evangelizing. However, if there is a pastor who is giving the message to make a living from his job as pastor, then everybody will die, and if any of the members of the church are holding onto their job or their work as their main job because they need to eat and survive, they and everyone in their field will die.
For us, we are disciples of Christ and ambassadors of Christ. We are the ones who worship in the field with Christ, His life. In order to testify of this answer in the field, I’m going into my job, which is my side-job. The moment you have the correct order of your main job and side job, your family, yourself, your field, everything will come to life. I hope you and I will use the basis of today’s Word to ask yourself, “What is my main job?” Only when you believe that your main job is to be a Disciple of Christ, Ambassador of Christ to testify of the gospel of Christ will you be aligned with God.
(3) Disciples, Healing in all nations – Temple construction (Mt. 28:19, Mk. 16:17-8)
David had a heart that was aligned with God when he was young. David’s main job was not being a shepherd. His main job was worshiping God and being with God, and God is looking for that person. God is looking for the people who think that being with God and doing God’s work is their main job. When that is aligned with God, God pours His power upon them, and your side job, it just naturally follows. That’s what it means to seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, then all these things will be given to you as well.
That doesn’t mean you evangelize and do missions to gain other things. Because missions and evangelism is your main job, everything else just naturally follows. Buying the Temple Construction is not our main job. People who think that will one day be afflicted by this. The Lord is not telling us to pray for Temple construction because He lacks buildings. What God desires is a Temple that proclaims the gospel to all peoples of the world, to heal them with the gospel, and to raise them up. For that main job, we need the side job of the Temple or the building, and if somebody is aligned with God in that, then He begins to work.
Then you and I should ask ourselves, which way are we going? That is the way for you to see your current spiritual state through the Word of God. The One Who has all authority in heaven and on earth is with me. Whenever I pray in His name, the things of heaven and earth are bound to come as answers. Jesus said, “Therefore, go in my name and heal diseases and cast out demons.” In His name. You’re not researching a lot of the Bible and giving that content; it’s enough with just the name of Jesus Christ. The one who thinks that this is their main, for that person, God will bring everything to follow just like He did for David. That is a truly successful person that the Bible talks about.
(4) Only Holy Spirit – Authority – Witness (Ac. 1:8)
God knows that you and I are lacking, so He promises to give us the filling of the Holy Spirit and the power to do this work.
Conclusion
1. Join together in prayer (Ac. 1:14)
When the people who know this gather together and pray, the works are explosive. That is “Only,” and that is everything. Everything on the side just follows naturally.
2. Power of the Holy Spirit (Ac. 2:3-4), God’s time schedule (Ac. 2:1,5), Doors of evangelism (Ac. 2:9-11)
When we devote ourselves to only doing this, God opens the doors of our businesses on the side to follow. That was in Acts 2:9-11 where businesspeople from 15 different nations gathered together and opened their doors. Who will God open the doors of blessings upon their business? The one who knows that this is the only thing that is important, and this is their main thing. Without a doubt, God is bound to work upon those people.
3. My life’s field – Lives are saved (Ac. 2:41)
There are many church officers in the church of Rome. The way they express this is, “I would even pluck out my own eyes for Paul,” meaning that is how important the gospel is. “I will use all my material possessions to be the host, to clothe and to feed all the evangelists, because that is my main role. All of my skills, I will use to raise the future generations and save the church,” those are the people whom God is searching for and uses. God has never used the people who have strength from the world’s perspective. The people of the world who are powerful may be used momentarily, but they are not precious to God. But the one who believes that doing God’s work is the first and main priority, that person is aligned with God. Then because God Himself is power, power will follow them. May you become members of the church like that.
Message Prayer
Let us pray together holding onto the Word we have received. What kind of person am I, and how do I want to be in the future? Your prayer today becomes your future. Let us pray together.
Offering Prayer and Newcomer Prayer
God, we thank You. We have returned Your materials as offering. We pray that everywhere this offering is used, You will work with the answers of the economy of light, to do temple construction, to save the future generations, the 237 nations, and the church. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray, amen.
God, we thank You. I pray that you will be with young adult Nathan Park so that he will be able to receive the answer of life of the gospel of Jesus Christ that is the solution to every problem in his life. We believe you will bless and work upon Nathan Park so he will be like the Canaanite woman who stood as a disciple to proclaim the gospel in the regions of Tyre and Sidon. 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. Sunday 3PM Bartizan camp around church.
3. 6/19(Mon.) – 24(Sat.) Sedona, Navajo camp.
4. West Coast Children’s Retreat: 7/7(Fri.)-8(Sat.). Registration fee: $85.
5. West Coast Youth Retreat: 7/13(Thurs.)-15(Sat.).
1st Registration Period (6/11-6/30): $200
2nd Registration Period (7/1-7/9): $230
On-site Registration: $250.
6. Offering can be given to the church venmo: @antiochmissionchurch
Benediction
God, we thank You. Though we are lacking, we desire for You to raise us up as witnesses to testify of the gospel of the Life of Jesus Christ, holding onto the evidence that overcomes all our limitations. We pray that You will have mercy on us every single day and that You will fill us with the Holy Spirit of the Lord.
Now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the unending love of God, and the indwelling, working, guidance, and communion of the Holy Spirit, be upon all the heads of all the people of God, the people of all nations, and the remnants and the work they are doing, for the people who want to hold onto the answer of only Jesus Christ that is the solution to all of their problems, and to testify and enjoy that, be with them from now until forevermore always, amen.