John 13:31~14:1-4, Matthew 12:32

God, who determined to save mankind, is achieving His plans to redeem mankind through the seed of the woman, with unfailing precision. (Genesis 3:15) All of the dates and years since the creation of the universe to the moment when Jesus destroys sin to save man and rings the new bell have been predetermined. And the center of this redemptive history is Jesus.
History starts from Jesus and will end with Jesus. Even on the last day, everything will be completed through Jesus' name.



Jesus’ worldview from a redemptive historical perspective

Jesus teaches us about this age and the age to come?namely, this life and the afterlife.

Jesus said to them, "The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage”(Luke 20:34-35).
“Who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come, eternal life” (Luke 18:30)
“Far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come” (Ephesians 1:21)

While "this age" and "the age to come" are realms of time, they are often described as the realms of space, such as "this side" and "the other side," (Exodus 14:19-20) or even "here" and "(the city) which is to come" (Hebrews 13:14; Philippians 1:23-24). The Apostle Paul once referred to this age as "now" and the age to come as "then" (1Corinthians 13:12).

Everything in this world will decay. It will go bad and produce stench or wear away. Our flesh will go rotten also. However, our inner man gets stronger day by day, if we receive God's grace. While the tribulation we go through in "this world" is light, the glory we will receive "in the age to come" is immeasurable and eternal. God promised that we suffer "here," yet will receive God's glory as a gift "in the age to come." This world is like a vapor and weaver's shuttle that goes back and forth without rest(James 4:14). Our physical body will collapse, like the earthly tent (2Corinthians 5:1). However, God has prepared us with tents in heaven that are not made with hands, and will never be destroyed.
This world is both a transient moment and a temporary place, which exists for the age to come. It is a scene of history of redemption where the kingdom of God is being built. Thus, this world, filled with sinners, needs the church, the Word of God, and the work of redemptive history that will save mankind.
"This world" refers to the whole present generation of sin. The age to come arrives after Jesus comes and judges the sins of men (Revelation 20:12-15, Hebrews 9:27). Sins of men originated from themselves as men deceived their own conscience. Therefore, we who live in this world need to pray that the Word and grace of God remain with us all the time, lest we should be separated from sin (Psalms 119:11). In this world full of sin, everything we see and hear is sin. That's why we need to pray earnestly that the Word of grace, blessing, and life dwell upon us throughout the day in order not to fall into sins.

We must keep the age to come in our minds when we live. We shouldn't thoughtlessly say, "I don't care whether I go to heaven or not," without fearing God: things will happen according to your word.
Speaking carelessly is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which can't be forgiven either in this age or the age to come. (Matthew 12:31-32) The sin will be passed down from generation to generation.

The reason why this world exists, why we live in this world

This world exists for the forgiveness of men's sin. That is why Jesus came to this earth: to forgive the sins of His people and deliver them from evil (Matthew 1:21). See that He went all the way to Jericho in order to save one man Zacchaeus, a highly criticized superintendent of the tax office of the city. Jesus was starved for days and tired yet traveled such a long distance to save that one soul. It is God's will to not to lose even a single soul on earth (Matthew 18:14, Luke 5:32, 15:7, John 10:28, 17:12, Matthew 9:13, John 3:17, Romans 4:25, Luke 13:3-5, 15:10, 24:47).

However, we are not like Him. We turn away from people who are not wealthy or educated as we are and delay to visit them. God said we will be condemned for such sins. The reason why God allowed us to believe in Jesus is to make us respondents to His call, not just to save us.

This means that God has an earnest hope to save the world through us. We must recognize it. That is why we are most valuable in the world (John 6:39). Thus, God will never lose us. He will certainly find us and take hold of us. He gives us the blessing of transfiguration to live forever without dying. A Korean old saying has it that one travels tens of kilometers to make merely five cents. If that's how passionate a businessman can be, we who believe in Jesus must have even stronger passion to recover sinners from this world filled with sins. It'd be too late if we think "I have so many days to live?why don't I do it later?" God's Word must be accomplished "right away," or "immediately." We must not put it off from day to day. If God's saints, who were called by Him don't work, His name becomes disgraced and mocked. If God eventually loses patience and says "I'd step up to preserve my name, since you are being spectators with your arms crossed," then all men will be destroyed.

We often don’t have true faith in God. We seek His name only when we are desperate for help and discard it when things get back to normal like we do with a disposable cup. Imagine the agony of a mother who says "Don't even call me your mother. You can't call me so while you treat me worse than you do a maid." To those who claim to believe in Jesus but are not truthful, who don’t devote themselves wholeheartedly, love God, obey His Words, or live holy lives according to the Bible, God says "I had concerned for My Holy name." (Ezekiel 36:21)




God’s love?unchanging in this age and the age to come

Jesus came to this world not to be treated well, glorified, or praised, but to save us by giving up His own life (Matthew 20:28, Mark 10:45). He offered a sacrifice once and for all, for the sins of humanity(Romans 6:10, Hebrews 7:27, 9:26-28). So when we believe in Jesus, we don't have to worry, even if we had countless sins. We are the people who came to the workplace of God, being called by Him.
(Matthew 20:1) Whether we worked since morning or evening, we get the same wages: perfect salvation.
We can't die. The perishable must put on the imperishable in a moment. (1Corinthians 15:53)

Jesus promised the age to come. He said that new Jerusalem will come down from heaven. He said "A slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever." (John 8: 35-36) He said that those with sins couldn’t come or know where He was going, as He was saying, "Love one another, it is a new commandment I give to you," to His disciples. Peter, without understanding what He meant, insisted, "Lord, where are You going? I will lay down my life for You."



“The Lord turned and looked at Peter and Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, "Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times" (Luke 22:61).



At this, Jesus prophesied "Will you? A rooster will not crow until you deny Me three times." (John 13:38) And the words came true exactly. (Matthew 26:56, 69-75, Mark 14:27, 30-31, 66-72, Luke 22:58-62) When Peter denied Him the third time, he spoke in such a strong voice that his eyes and those of Jesus, who was bound with ropes, met. Peter felt so miserable that he wailed.
Here, when He "looked," He saw him with the gaze of love, not curse. It meant that "Although you denied me three times, I won't let you go. I will save you." And Peter saw that. Jesus loves us whether He lives or dies (Matthew 1:21, Luke 19:9-10).

“Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end” (John 13:1).

Jesus loved them "until the end." His love is not bound by time or space. The love doesn't change in this age and the age to come, or on this earth and in heaven. Since we have received His love that keeps us until the end, we don't need to worry about the sins we had committed in the past. We can repent. Apostle Paul made the following confession, after realizing such boundless love.

"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” (Galatians 2:20)
"But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.”(Acts 20:24)

Apostle Paul understood the love of God although he was beaten, starved, and suffered in the cold. We want to emulate such faith.

The age to come, which we must enter

Where our Lord goes and where we are going is our Father’s house (John 13:36, 14:2). That is where we were born. That is where we grew up. That is where we are very familiar with. That is our home sweet home. Our father’s home is our birth place. Heaven is where the Lord has originally come from. The Lord came from heaven (John 6:38, 3:13). Our house in English is a “mansion.” The place we are going to is a beautiful and grand mansion, and a perfectly sweet home. The house of this world needs to be repainted and renovated after three to four years. Yet the heavenly mansion is not so. “Dwelling places”
in Greek is topos, meaning many mansions, freestanding residences owned by individuals, perfect houses, and an ideal sweet home. It is where Jesus Himself prepared (John 14:1-3). We don’t need clothes or bathroom there. It is filled with fragrances and songs of angels everyday (Revelation 4:-5:).

To get to where Jesus has promised?the age to come

“And you know the way where I am going” (John 14:4). The way is Jesus Himself
“Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

Therefore, we may forget everything, but we must not forget Jesus, who is the beginning, the process, and the conclusion of all things. When we have Jesus, we have no concerns or worries. In this world, money talks. However, in the kingdom of God, faith is what matters. We are the saints who are marching toward the age to come. We must survive the glorious world that is soon to come. It will certainly happen. When Jesus came to this world as a son of a carpenter, no one recognized Him. Yet the two prophets, Simeon and Anna, who had prayed ceaselessly, did. We should not have wavering faith. We should always be awake and be prepared so that we can stand before Jesus, who may come today (Matthew 24:42-44, 25:1-13).

Pray each morning, “Lord, I am worried that I may sin today. Please let Your Word dwell in my heart by your grace (Psalms 119:11).” I bless you in the name of the Lord to live that kind of life of prayer. We are living in the half hour when it is silent. God is seeking for the multitudes who have been saved and who have understood redemptive history. That is because they must do God’s work through the Word of the last days. Dear Saints! You need to be healthy. You need to survive. Please pray for yourselves not to get old and to understand and believe the Word.(John 14:5-6)

The whole world including the seas, mountains, and skies is the realm of Jesus. So wherever you go, pray earnestly in the name of the Lord. Faith is the assurance, actuality, and existence of things hoped for. If we have faith, His heavenly kingdom doesn’t only exist in our heart, but we can actually go to our true homeland (2Timothy 4:18).
We, the saints of Pyungkang Cheil church, are the sailors of an ark called “Pyungkang.” If there is any leakage in the ark, everyone needs to come and stop it. Without complaining or grumbling, we need to work in the Word in an orderly fashion.
It is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy. Those with trustworthiness can go through fire and water. They cast all their matters such as to live or die upon God. They don’t become their own master to control what’s going on in their lives. That is what trustworthiness is about. Don’t be an escapist or opportunist who sees the crack in the wall yet pretends not to see it. We should not be like the disciples of Jesus, who followed Him at a distance (Matthew 26:56, Mark 14:54, Luke 22:54).



Even when the whole world complains and cries out, let us sail on in the ship called Pyungkang with a flag of the cross of heaven, going against a strong windstorm. While we give thanksgiving, sing praises, listen to and learn about the Word of God inside the ship, we will arrive at our destination without realizing it. When those who have not understood the Word and not read the History of Redemption Series come running from across the world, let us host the honored guests as crewmen of the ship Pyungkang. I believe that such precious work of God will certainly happen.

Sermon from Lord’s Day 2nd service, April 21, 2013