Truth, Freedom (John 8:32)
Freedom is something very good. If someone tries to oppress you, it becomes hard for you. To a certain extent, we need boundaries and restraints. We’re under the restraints of the law, but it’s a restraint that’s necessary for us. But the freedom the Bible talks about is different. This is talking about the true freedom that cannot be seen.
Before I met Christ, I definitely did not haver this freedom. Ultimately I was caught within these problems as I lived, especially the second one, idol worship. I keep living so I can fulfill my greed. But that greed doesn’t go away no matter how much I try. Later on, that leads to mental suffering, and led to physical problems. I wasn’t diagnosed but I was at the brink of it. I had the fear of death, “What if I die?” I had that kind of fear. So, I was to the point where I thought, “I can’t marry or have kids because I don’t want kids to end up like me.”
When I first heard this, I wondered, “How is this so applicable to me?” I’d never heard this before, how could they talk about my problems so accurately? But there was a reason for that. That reason was these three fundamental problems, because I couldn’t find the answer to these problems, but the reason behind these problems was the three fundamental problems.
Once the three fundamental problems are solved, the rest of the problems are solved as well, so I was very focused and wondered, what is this?
Christ Jesus
The answer is Christ Jesus. “I’ve heard this before, this kind of seems like what they talk about at church,” many people know about Jesus. I went to Bible study for summer and Christmas, so I know about Jesus, but why do I have my problems in my life? You have to help the other person know why these problems exist. People realistically have problems, and because they don’t know the reason for their problems, they use methods to solve their problems, and this is the lifestyle in which people live.
This isn’t a theory; this is how people live in the world. That’s why they do a lot of good works. Or they need money or success or religion. Dramas always show people going to the Cathedral after a problem, so I thought that Catholics were right, after a breakup. It’s probably because the buildings are nice, but I thought, “If I have to pick a religion, I’ll be Catholic because it seems they’re at a higher level, because the neighborhood church seems like a great place, where people study well.”
But I didn’t know anything about the content, I just knew about Jesus but realistically in my life, I was suffering in this. How does the suffering disappear? Even though I didn’t read a lot of books, I read a lot. Then I thought if I met the right person, they could have the answer for my problems. This is how unbelievers live.
The friends you have at school are living like this, and even if the children don’t face these problems, they may wonder, “Why do my parents face these problems?” As the children look at their parents, what do they think? So, the parents teach, “If you don’t want to live like me, go study well.” So they see their parents’ problems and think, “I don’t want to live like that, so I have to succeed and break out of those problems.”
How can you succeed? Only 1% succeed, what about the 99%? They misunderstand, “I live in these problems because I failed.” But successful people succeed and still have these problems. All people are facing these problems but they don’t have the answer. We’re talking about three fundamental problems. All problems originate from these three fundamental problems, and what’s the solution? It is Christ Jesus.
At that moment, a thought crossed my mind. I thought about my neighborhood church, “The low level church I went to, are they able to hear this amazing message?” So, when I was younger, I beat up my younger brother, “Never go to church. If you go to church, you won’t study, you’ll just play. So go study instead.” If he went to church at that time, his spiritual state may have changed, but I didn’t let him, so I live with a lot of regret.
After hearing about Jesus Christ, I felt relieved. Originally when I saw my family’s life, I thought, “Are we like this because we aren’t successful and don’t have money?” I realized later on this wasn’t it. It was a fundamental problem we had before these problems came. Only Christ Jesus solved this problem on the cross. When I heard I could become a child of God after I accept Jesus Christ into my heart, I gained spiritual strength.
At that time, I also thought, “Why did my friend tell me this?” I told my friend, “I heard about this amazing message,” and he asked, “What is that message?” I said, “It’s about Christ Jesus,” and he scoffed at me. So, he said, “That’s just the basic level.” I thought, “If this is the basics, then there must be much more to this.” But later on, I found he was still in these problems.
My dentist friend came from Korea and lives in these problems even though he’s a Christian. He still has conflicts with church, “I don’t like church, I don’t like this young Canadian pastor. If you make me an elder at your church, I’ll come.” But we don’t need people like that. The wife was saying, “If he doesn’t have a role in the church, he gets mad.” So, this is something that hasn’t changed even though I’ve told him from the very beginning. Even for the past 20 years, it’s the same.
You’ve listened to the gospel but some have never heard this before. That’s me. But once they hear it, it’s the answer to their life. Evangelism is very easy. People who are within this time schedule listen to the message and fall to their knees. You don’t even have to mention church or tithes because they’re just all into the church. This isn’t just a theory, but it’s our life. But for those who are trying to solve this problem through success, it’s not their time schedule yet. But for those within God’s time schedule, they already know there’s no other answer. Successful people know this isn’t the answer.
That’s why you need to relay that true freedom is in Christ. Once I started believing, I just wanted to go to church. A new believer was giving tithes, going to Bible studies, he was recruiting young adults to do Bible study. That church said nothing to me, but I listened to this Word through a missionary and the church started to be revived. Even though one person has received the gospel, the church was in an uproar and the pastor was upset. But the kid didn’t need influence; he found the answer to his life through this.
For you, it might just seem like words, but this is the answer to unbelievers within this time schedule. Why do we go to church? To enjoy the 7 blessings with the Word, so we enjoy our identity and status. The more we root down in this, the less we’re deceived. Although the authority of Satan is broken down and his head is crushed, he’s still alive. Satan makes it so you can’t see these problems.
What is freedom? Christ solved everything. Going within the spiritual throne is when you receive true freedom because you’re a child of God, God is guiding you, when you have a problem, you don’t have to worry because God is guiding you. Don’t worry about your future because God will guide you. Even though these problems exist, you just focus on this and the problems eventually disappear. Because the problems originate from the fundamental problems, once the fundamental problems are solved, the other problems disappear.
That’s why healing is when we believe in Jesus Christ and continue to grow in Christ and enjoy the blessings He has given. Filling of the Holy Spirit. That’s the greatest blessing. You guys have to study, so pray so that God will fill you with the Holy Spirit in your thoughts, heart, mind, body, soul, and studies, because these are the blessings God gave you to enjoy. Pray for the filling of the Holy Spirit in your work, that’s why David wrote psalms and when the choir receives the filling of the Holy Spirit and praises, the forces of darkness will crumble. That’s why the members of the choir have received the greatest blessing.
You have to practice, and during practice, may you receive the filling of the Holy Spirit. As you stand up here and sing praise, the forces of darkness will break for the people in the congregation. Same for your field, lay down all your thoughts and pray so that God will fill you with His Word. Pray so that in all the work you do, God will work. You can enjoy these blessings because you’re a child of God.
Pray for world evangelization. Your work, your school, those are basics. Pray for the world. One day, works will arise. When the works arise, that’s when the forces of darkness crumble and the Kingdom of God is established. People’s lives are saved, so just enjoy these blessings in Christ. The blessings aren’t anything else; these are spiritual blessings. Physical things follow after the spiritual blessings. You may continuously pray for your disease to be healed, but once you enjoy these blessings, you can say “Sayonara” to the diseases.
One day, you enter into these blessings and bad habits disappear. You try to fix it on your own, it won’t work. When you enjoy these blessings in Christ, other things will disappear. Especially for those who aren’t smart, hold onto your head and pray for the filling of the Holy Spirit. Because you’re smart, you may not pray, because you have confidence in your business. That’s why before Christ, you have no choice. People who are humble will pray. Those who are prideful think they can do it themselves, so they don’t pray.
Pray for your school, friends, and the nation to which you will evangelize. Church leaders, pray for the students, and God will give you the blessings first. God always works in the opposite ways. The one who tries to take will lose it, but the one who gives will receive it. This is how the spiritual world works. Don’t try to solve it. If you just enjoy these blessings, the problems go away. You, one individual, will be able to save your family. So, enjoy these blessings within this week. The things you’re seized by will release their hold on you.
Prayer
God, we thank You. Bless the remnants. May we receive and enjoy and proclaim this true freedom. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray, amen.