You Must Stand Before Caesar (Acts 27:10-25)
The Roman emperor Caesar was the most powerful person in that age, but God told Paul he must stand before Caesar. Why do we have to stand before successful people? We need to go to the seat of success to save the successful. Paul went as a prisoner on purpose, he didn’t have to do that, but he did that on purpose. If someone moves according to the condition God gives them, they will make decisions that are hard to understand. There were prophetic women who told Paul, “If you go to Jerusalem, you will be taken as prisoner.”
1. Worldly Lessons
1) Sinner
2) Heretic – Prison
You wouldn’t do this, would you? But this was the way he would make his plea before the Roman emperor that he was not a sinner. As he was on a ship to Rome to do that, something happened.
2. Typhoon
From the beginning, Paul told them to not sail at that time, and without a doubt, he told them, “We should rest before we leave,” and Paul didn’t say that just because he had a feeling.
1) God’s Word – Words of the Evangelist
(1) Captain, Ship Owner
Listen to what people teach you, learn to gain more knowledge, but you must make a decision, are you going to trust in God’s Word more or these expert words more?
(2) Comfortableness
The centurion listens to the words of the ship captain and owner, and they set sail. When the winds start to pick up, they maneuvered their sails as they normally would. They did what was comfortable for them. There’s a Korean war memorial park in Arlington, half funded by Americans and half by Koreans, and there are also memorials for the Vietnam War and World Wars I and II. Something is written there, what does it say? “Here lies the sons and daughters of America who gave their lives for the names of people they have never met or heard of,” so they gave their lives to fight for democracy in a land they did not know.
There was a lake where the US army was defeated by the Chinese army in winter. In the middle of winter, the lake was frozen solid and the Chinese pushed down and surrounded them, so you need to go into the military. The American soldiers retreated, but if you’re surrounded, you cannot run away. There’s only one way to retreat, If anyone knows how to retreat when surrounded, you get a gift card for 10 coffees. There is no way to escape but one way to retreat. You just break through the weakest point, so you take all of your artillery to break that weakest point, right?
You have to make a decision. Then, a lot of people are going to die on the way, otherwise everybody would die, but as you make that decision, you cut through the breaking point. Many people make mistakes, it was so cold and the tanks were frozen and wouldn’t move, and the Chinese army came with insane numbers and surrounded them. There was a monument where ten people made this barricade to break through. These young men and women in America went to fight for Korea, a nation they had never been to nor heard of. Americans like Koreans rather than dislike them. Everyone who knows this history in America will like the Americans because they did this for Korea.
Have you been to Columbia University? Or Princeton? There are so many young adults who died in the Korean war while studying there. Many American elites went to war and died. America has many good things like this, America has something that other countries do not, but if you look at the education, it’s not like that at all, it’s always about my convenience or comfort. Being centered on your comfort cannot break through difficulties.
When they faced a storm, they should have stayed at an island, but it was uncomfortable because it was winter. If anything, there was a nor’easter wind that should have helped the ship, but they were under a misconception, “The wind was on our side,”
(3) Momentary Comfort
Things may get better for some people, you know Jonah the prophet? God told Jonah to preach the gospel in Nineveh, and he has a similar personality to me, he went the opposite way on purpose. The ship was going in a place where it was easier for him to play, so for a moment, things were okay. They thought, “This must be God’s will,” but then right after that, he faced difficulties. A lot of people wondered, ‘Why is this difficulty in my life?” This person believes in God, that was Jonah. They throw Jonah into the ocean because this is the person who is causing this difficulty, so Jonah goes into the belly of a fish. God did that.
In the beginning, when you follow your own thoughts instead of God’s Word, it’s easier and comfortable only for a moment, but that Jonah began to repent in the belly of the fish. He comes out after three days. You guys might be under a misconception, you might think, even if I don’t follow God’s Word, my work is comfortable and things work out well, even if I don’t receive God’s Word and His grace, it seems things work out naturally,
2) Hurricane
(1) Way X
The moment you think you’re okay may go for a few days or for many years, it may go from when you’re in elementary school or to middle school, you may be okay even in college because that momentary comfort, feeling that you’re okay, can go on for years. But that’s why we fall into a misconception, “I’m okay even without God’s grace and Word,” but even there, there’s a great storm awaiting you. It may be predictable but even the ship owner and captain could not predict it. The captain of the ship had gone this way many ways, but he could not have ever predicted the storm.
Nobody could have predicted COVID, then do you think things in the future will work out according to your prediction? It may seem like it, but when you face that great storm, there’s no way, but most people think they won’t face a storm. A lot of people beg and pray to not get the storm. But God gives you that storm because you absolutely need it. In this storm, you need to use different methods. Like what?
(2) Scientific Methods
(3) Efforts X
They all have their own methods like maneuvering the sails and throwing all the cargo overboard, these are very expert words we’re not sure of, since we’re not sailors, but they hoist the sails, things like that.
Jesus Christ moves all creation, creation moves for Christ. The storm is also moving for Christ. Paul who was going on a mission for Christ is on that boat. You need to quickly realize what that means. If you don’t, it means you’re really numb. When I say this, your eyes must brighten up. My studies and everything I do is for Christ. Then, when a great storm comes your way, it will be irrelevant to you.
I told you, when someone has this, COVID is irrelevant to them, but someone without this will use all the methods they have. When we first got COVID, people got all these remedies with steamed root and vinegar, but nothing works. Can we solve the common cold? Even until now, we still have the common cold. We have to endure it. But why do we get the cold? I get it for Christ. Whether I get it or not, everything is for Christ.
Your problems shouldn’t matter to you. If you don’t study this, you’re going to study your whole life, you’ll have problems, and struggle. Remnants, do your problems not matter to you? The person who says these problems don’t matter, that is a victorious person. That person can just study however they want. I’m not saying you can just purposely not study, but if you don’t know this, you cannot solve your problems. You’re studying to tell others of this, but does anyone’s problems not matter to them? As long as Christ is not your master, you’ll have problems no matter what.
You face a storm, so Paul went under the ship and prayed. God gave Paul the Word.
3) Angel
(1) Do Not Be Afraid
(2) An angel of the Lord
People were doing crazy things in the midst of COVID, and I’m not telling you to stop yourself from doing crazy things, but if you know the mission and know you’ll go ahead, your studies and problems won’t matter to you. If you don’t have a mission, whether you’re good or bad at studying, it’s still a problem. Not anyone could be a ship captain or Roman centurion, but these people cannot solve the problem. Even if you graduate from the Naval Academy, they should’ve listened to the words of the evangelist from the beginning but they didn’t. Ultimately God calms the storm for whom? It wasn’t for the rest of the people. It was for Paul.
(3) Paul
It wasn’t really Paul, it was because of the mission inside of Paul. It’s not just one storm, but you get multiple storms, so you’re shaking. Do you think that if you’re doing well right now, you can block that? Your studies are just studies. You can do the studies that can block the storms, but even if you’re standing still, you can stand at the seat of success. Caesar was at the highest position at whatever level you’re at now.
If you still don’t understand, it’s okay as we keep talking about it, but why do adults not understand? They hold firmly to whatever they think, but remnants should not do that. You can just keep listening, and once the correct things go inside of you, the correct things can take place. But as you fill yourself with unnecessary things, you’ll achieve success that cannot block a storm. You say everything, you say Jesus is the Christ, but you’ll say someone else can build a bartizan, meaning there’s another life that you want or like. But one day, as you face a great storm, even that person will have to kneel.
But God quieted the storm because of the mission in Paul. Because of Joseph, God moved the seven years of harvest and the seven years of famine. In reality, it wasn’t because of Joseph, but God had to relay the gospel to Joseph and the whole world, so He created that situation. The remnants must have this, too, then they will change the environment of their company. Joseph went into Potiphar’s household and God blessed that because of Joseph, but without that mission, God will just stay still, but if you do have the mission from God, then God can work. That’s what this means. You must understand.
A few years ago, a pastor and some people from Hana church taught deep breathing. One senior deaconess brought her son, and I was doing some ministry at Seoul National University with this person. His mom introduced him to me. He used to study medicine at some Korean university and then transferred to Seoul National University. He’s very tall and proud of being at Seoul National University, and he was from the countryside, but he had a stiff neck because of that.
Then he went to Samsung and then he left for graduate school in Boston because Samsung was too hard for him. He had a mental problem. We sat at a table with his mom and him, but he wasn’t in his right state of mind. His mom had heard the gospel so she wanted him to do healing ministry and study medicine in Korea, but he wasn’t in a state where he could study so he went back to Korea. His daughter’s name is the same as my daughter’s name, “Possession.” I saw on Facebook what happened.
I’ve seen his whole life, and it’s not just him, but there are other students, too. But I have to go through multiple people to tell you. There was one person who got depression and is still in Busan. These students all think they’re smart and that’s how they got into the University. Even though they’re not all like this, I saw the people with spiritual problems and they’re not able to function. At least, for the people who receive a little bit of God’s grace, they return to some normalcy but they can’t communicate with others as they think they’re better than anyone else.
“I’m doing better than anybody else,” why is that? That’s how they grew up since they were young, they thought this was normal and haven’t been in second place, they’re always in first place so their words are first, so they don’t need God’s Word; they just need their thoughts, and it’s hard going to a company. You need to know your friends well. But if people do not acknowledge them, they suffer so much because they’ve always been so acknowledged. That’s a mental problem, that’s abnormal, then one day, they face an incident and their pride is hurt. If their pride is hurt, they need to absolve their name.
The people above you may step on you, “You might’ve graduated from Seoul National University, but I’m still your superior,” so they haven’t learned what’s real. If you have a spiritual problem, your thoughts cannot change and you guys shouldn’t study like that. That’s not real studying. I’ve seen so many students, I’m not telling you not to study, you have to study well, and if possible, you need to go with the answer so that a problem isn’t a problem.
If you do everything and you can’t solve the problem of the storm, who cares? Then you’ll have to do drugs, so many lawyers do drugs. They do expensive drugs because they have money. When you snort things, their brain feels happy very fast but the low happens very fast, too. The expensive things tend to damage your brain less, but there’s cheap drugs too that hurt your body. Same thing with alcohol, expensive alcohol disseminates more quickly. I’m not saying to study well or not, but you must study so problems aren’t problems anymore. Being in America is not a problem, but being in America shouldn’t be a problem. Being in Asia is not a problem, but the issue is not having Asia as a problem even as you live there.
This message and Word goes into Paul and it is finished. You need to be used to the Word of God. If the Word of God doesn’t become your nature, you’ll go back to your old ways. Even as you fall asleep, listen here. My daughter didn’t sleep until 4am yesterday and she said she couldn’t fall asleep. I told her, “You’re going to fall asleep during worship,” and she said, “Dad, you said even if I fall asleep I can listen.” So at first, if she’s falling asleep, she should be sitting here, but she’s not. It’s spiritual so the spirit inside can hear, and the answers don’t come immediately right now, but later on, these things will go rooted into you and you’ll bear the fruits.
You should have real success, not fake success. Blessings should come to my office because of me. The blessings of heaven should rest on the remnants. Blessings are not everything, but you must give this to everyone to save them. God gives these blessings when you go to the office so people will look at you. But what’s the goal? God is moving all of this with a goal so everyone may acknowledge and worship the name of Christ. But people come to you with problems in the school or field?
Give them the answer that is not the problem, then what must you do? You need to change your Master, then it’s no longer your problem. The Master must take care of it, enjoy this every day. It is so simple but people hear it for decades and still don’t get it. But later on, they’ll hear it again so we keep talking about it; if they don’t, it’s disaster. What’s a disaster? It’s a storm that comes your way; it’s a blessing if the storm goes away but that only comes with the Word of the covenant in faith.
It’s the same for anybody. What does it mean to build the bartizan in your field? Many people are suffering from problems and you need to give them peace so it’s not a problem for them. If it’s not Christ, even if they don’t have depression, it doesn’t matter, but it may be hard to understand. If someone is depressed, they can treat that but your interest must go towards Christ. Then one day, that depression will flee. Even if it’s there right now, it’s okay.
Some people told me, “That person hears demons,” so what? If the demon is here making noise, let them make noise. They said, “It’s so surprising,” but what’s so surprising? Christ Who is stronger is in you. My interest is only in Christ, only in the power that comes from the Throne of Heaven, and it may be troubling at first, but it doesn’t matter. Do not be stuck on the problem; get stuck on the answer.
Why are you stuck in the storm? That’s what I’m saying. Christ can finish every problem and you have to listen to this while you’re young. One day, when you guys face a great storm, the Holy Spirit inside of you will remind you of these words. That’s when the kids will confirm, “I am a remnant.” Right now, people tell them they’re remnants, but you think, “I’m such a rascal, how could I be a remnant?” If that were the standard, I couldn’t be a pastor. I don’t have a good personality, I don’t speak eloquently. In the past, I wasn’t like this. When I was a nonbeliever, I had to package myself. I had to speak eloquently to others to have them listen to me, and if I said the wrong thing, it would damage me, so if possible, I was reserved for myself, but once I heard the gospel, the things coming out of me kept coming out. I thought this wasn’t who I was, but the original “me” kept coming out.
You’re all like that. Are you never angry? You’re angry but the things inside of you are the same. You package yourself and pretend you are not, but that doesn’t mean I’m the same. This isn’t right, you can’t act this way but you don’t have to worry about it. The only one whose opinion matters is the Triune God. What is God doing, and what’s God’s plan for the region? Worry about that. Instead, when you go into your field, you worry about what people are going to think about you.
You have to pretend like you’re not. You’re a Christian but you pretend you’re not; the people who pay attention to what God thinks, it doesn’t matter so that anyone can come. In order for that to happen, you need to have the peace of being with Christ. If a problem is not a problem to you, people will recognize there’s something about you.
It’s the same in the world, as well, have you not seen the movies? There’s a war going on but someone isn’t afraid. Forrest Gump, he was running around on the battlefield even though everyone was afraid, and if we enjoy the Kingdom of God and peace just a little bit, people will be attached to me and success takes place. If we try to succeed without that, then we’ll die. It must be success that comes from saving people. That success is true. That is the person who can conquer this region.
Occupation
In your own area, there is a specialization. If you’re into dancing, there is a great dancing group in that region, and they give influence, so you can practice dancing. That’s just one example. No matter what you do, may you have this blessing.