Genesis 33 – And he did just as he was instructed

God's word is from Genesis 6:18 to 7:5.

 

“But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you. And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you to keep them alive. Also take with you every sort of food that is eaten, and store it up. It shall serve as food for you and for them. Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him. Then the Lord said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation. Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals, the male and his mate, and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and his mate, and seven pairs of the birds of the heavens also, male and female, to keep their offspring alive on the face of all the earth. For in seven days I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground.” And Noah did all that the Lord had commanded him.”  

Amen.

 

The Core of Noah's Story: 'But Noah Found Grace'

When we watch movies, we often see truly suspenseful scenes. It's the same when watching sports broadcasts. I often feel that same anxious emotion when watching documentary videos of people rock climbing. When I see those rock climbers hanging onto the cliff by a single finger, supporting their entire body weight as they ascend the mountain, I often worry, thinking, what if even one finger slips? Because the climber's entire weight rests on that one finger.

When we read the story of Noah in Genesis, we can discover a verse that supports and holds onto this entire Noah story like that rock climber's finger. It is the word found in chapter 6, verse 8: "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." This verse, starting with 'But', plays the role of that finger, supporting every part of Noah's story, including today's passage. Everything about Noah's story, including the ark and the flood, is hung on this statement.

 

The Results of Grace: Righteous Man, Blameless, Walked with God, The Ark

The expression that Noah was righteous does not mean he lived righteously well, but signifies that because Noah received grace, God considered him righteous. Because Noah received grace, the Bible calls him blameless. We examined how receiving grace was expressed in another way: the phrase 'walked with God'. So, in previous sermons, we looked in detail at how Noah was righteous, blameless, and walked with God.

 

The ark was the same. Because the ark explained grace, God designed it, carried it out, and even when Noah entered the ark and closed the door, the Bible tells us it was not Noah, but God Himself who closed that door. God presided over everything not only then but also during the entire period of the flood. We learned that during the long years Noah spent building the ark, God did not just issue commands and stand by, but was present with continuous guidance and love throughout the entire process. And as a result, when they entered the ark, they came to dwell with God within it, and the kingdom of God manifested inside it.

 

Miracles and the Presence of God's Kingdom

It may seem that many events we commonly call miracles are frequently recorded in the Bible, but that's actually not the case. Many prophets delivered amazing prophecies and God's word, yet we cannot find many miracle stories from them. However, if there are places in the Bible where miracles are concentrated, one could mention the times of the prophets Elijah and Elisha, and next would probably be the story of Noah. But the greatest miracle story, incomparable to any other, would surely be that of Jesus Christ.

 

Yet, when such miracles occurred, there was always an accompanying characteristic. It was that those miracles happened when the kingdom of God broke through into this earth and the appearance of that kingdom was shown to us. Jesus spoke of the kingdom of God having come among you. Because Christ Himself is the kingdom of God. Therefore, the kingdom of God manifested within this ark, and the fact that peace, rest, and joy accompanied it can be known through the lion and the lamb, and all the animals, dwelling in harmony.

 

Next, the most surprising fact we can learn by looking at the ark was that it gave us salvation not from the water, but through the water. This ark played a role similar to baptism. Just as the baptism Jesus received on the cross involved all of God's wrath and curse being poured out on Christ, those things happened to the ark as well; the storm and waves were God's wrath and curse directed at Jesus, and all those inside were saved through that ark.

 

The Structure of the Ark: Echoes of Creation and the Tabernacle

Today's sermon seems likely to be the final part of Noah's story hanging on this grace. We intend to first examine these events that happened to Noah and the ark through the lens of the ark itself. There are many features of the ark we haven't examined yet. One of them is the structure of this ark; the fact that this vessel consisted of 3 levels.

 

This 3-level structure corresponds to the cosmology held by the Hebrew people at that time. Because this Hebrew cosmology is precisely the structure of creation. It signifies the three realms of creation: the heavens above the heavens, the sky we see including the atmosphere, and the earth and the region we live in. Thus, the Hebrews thought of the universe divided into these three parts, and interestingly, this structure also matches the structure of the Tabernacle. The court, the Holy Place, and the Holy of Holies, also called the heaven above the heavens – these three parts.

 

Therefore, the Bible is actually talking about one structure in all these things. It is the story of Eden and the story of creation. Thus, we realize that the story of Noah's flood and the story of the Tabernacle are actually showing us one single fact.

 

The Flood: Un-creation and the Passage to New Creation

That is the concept of creation, the most important theme of Genesis. This ark tells us the story of creation. Today's passage, verse 20, records this: "Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you to keep them alive." This wording sounds familiar, doesn't it?  

 

When God first created the world, He created the animals according to their kinds. Therefore, in God's command to Noah for the animals to come out according to their kinds, we can see that this story is very similar to when God first created the world. Thus, considering the structure of this ark and the stories of the animals, we can easily understand that these stories are closely related to God's creation.

 

Then why did this story end with a flood? In the process of finding the answer to this question, you will come to realize God's great grace and love. If God decided to judge humanity, He could have judged by fire, or even split the earth in half, but God chose water. Do you remember the words of Genesis 1:2? "The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters." Water was present when creation began. And the era when that water existed was one of chaos and emptiness.  

 

Then what does covering the world with water mean? It means reversing creation backwards. That's why some have called this un-creation. Because it goes back against creation, returning to just before the command 'Let there be light', i.e., just before order was established. If you understand this, you realize that the Bible is not simply a story of God destroying the world He created with a flood, but that extremely theological content is hidden within it. When the word theology is used, it might seem difficult to understand, but simply put, it means God did all this within His meticulous plan and intention, and the Bible records this exactly as it happened.

 

Therefore, the Bible is not merely a book recording history or events factually, but a book showing and informing us about matters concerning who God is – the subject of our theology and faith – along with God's deep intentions. So through this, we understand that the ark is talking about creation, and this creation is not simple creation, but creation that breaks through the process of creation and un-creation to emerge elsewhere. The statement that it broke through un-creation means, in other words, that in such a situation where everything is going backwards, it even broke through sin. It broke through death as well. Nothing can stop it. Neither sin nor our weakness could stop God's creation.

 

This Noah's flood event shows us that the creation we now enjoy is creation that conquered sin, creation that conquered death. The story of this flood tells us the fact that no curse, punishment, not even hell itself, can stop or overcome this history of creation. Because it shows God preserving the seed of the woman through Noah's family to the end, thereby carrying out His history of salvation.

 

The Scope of the Flood: Global or Local?

Even if it takes a little time, it seems better to explain this part a bit more. If you understand that the Bible proceeds this way, it would be good for you to reconsider the event of this flood. In many traditional Bible interpretations, since this flood is expressed as applying collectively to all people on the face of the earth, some wonder if it's really possible for the entire globe to be submerged in water. And regarding this, some doubt how it could be possible for the entire earth to be submerged.

 

To understand this part, there are several things we need to consider. First, as mentioned before, Noah's story is not just the Bible telling about Noah's life alone, but depicts Noah as a second Adam. Thus, Noah's story can be received as a message that God will show a new creation on behalf of all humanity destroyed in sinfulness, and all the words used in this passage repeatedly emphasize that this happened on the entire earth by continuously using words like 'all' or 'every'. Therefore, taken literally, the entire globe becomes the scope of Noah's flood.

 

The Meaning of 'All' and Ancient Perspectives

However, another interpretation is possible here. This too is not easy to understand. This second interpretation explains the flood through the usage of the word ‘all’ as it appears in the Bible. Let's look at the story of Joseph, which you know well. When Joseph became prime minister of Egypt, he prepared well for Egypt's seven-year famine, so many nations at that time, even Jacob's family in Canaan, came to buy grain. Among the Genesis expressions describing that time, there is the phrase ‘all countries came to Joseph to buy grain.’ The word used then is the Hebrew word for ‘all’. And this word is also used when describing the nations that frequented Solomon's era.

 

Then, among all these nations, did people also come from the Korean peninsula during the Gojoseon era? Since it says 'all nations', Gojoseon should be included. But that probably isn't true. Similar expressions are found in the Gospels. When Jesus preached the gospel in a certain region, it is expressed that all the people came out to hear the word. Then that statement probably didn't refer to every single village resident including all nursing infants. Therefore, the expression ‘all’ used in the Bible is not a concept of entirety in a mathematical or scientific sense, but a general description expressing a great many.

 

Then let's look back at the situation at that time through Noah's eyes. Or let's look back through the eyes of Moses, who first recorded this Bible. In the era of Noah and Moses, what would the concept of the whole world mean? At that time, they probably wouldn't have thought the water covered the entire earth because the earth is round. In the era when Genesis was recorded, they likely thought of the world centered around the Mesopotamia region known to them through their eyes at the time, and therefore, the meaning of the whole world being submerged in water in today's passage might perhaps refer only to that region, not the entire globe.

 

Core Message: Salvation in Sinfulness and a New Beginning

Of course, as mentioned earlier, since the Bible doesn't record this in detail, it wouldn't be wrong to say the entire globe was covered by water. However, if the flood described by Noah or Moses did not cover the entire globe, does that mean there could have been people who survived the flood? This is a slightly different issue. Adam and Eve, from these two people, humanity began to multiply and continuously moved eastward – that was the beginning of Genesis. Then how far did they move? Do you think they might have reached the Korean peninsula? Probably not.

 

Over that long period, humanity continuously moved east, but we can see it took a very long time. So historically, although about 4,000 clay tablets with records of this flood have been discovered, almost all were found concentrated in the Mesopotamia region, i.e., the Turkey region. And the number of tablets found in Africa is the smallest. Of course, they were also found in Asia, but the number is not large. Inferring from these facts, we can see that the focus of this flood story is its religious and theological meaning, not its precise scope or scientific facts.

 

In other words, what's important is not whether the entire globe was submerged in water, including the world's highest Mount Everest, but the message God wants to convey to us through Noah's flood today is that because of the sinfulness of the whole world, God preserved Noah as a second Adam to accomplish His salvation through the seed of the woman.

 

Faith and Science: A Mutually Complementary Approach

The stance we should take regarding this flood story is not choosing one side to believe, but rather a matter of understanding God's workings. This is clearly not an object of faith. Therefore, there's no need to absolutely convince yourself that you believe the entire globe was submerged in water. We just need to clearly understand God's workings within these events. Whether this event happened globally or partially, we just need to understand God's work in that process.

 

That is, it is a clear fact that God used Noah as a second Adam to do His work because of the sinfulness of all humanity, and those events occurred, but in that process, the whole earth might have been submerged in water, or perhaps the flood occurred partially. And since the Bible does not clearly reveal this, nor can we prove it, this fact cannot be dogmatized.

 

Actually, to explain this flood better, the side arguing the entire globe was submerged is much more advantageous. However, on the other hand, this claim also presents many difficult questions we struggle to explain. For example, if the entire globe were submerged, freshwater and saltwater would inevitably mix, and in such a situation, the environment would become one where all the numerous fish not recorded in the Bible would inevitably die. But of course, the Bible has no record of this. Conversely, there are no records in the Bible to suggest that only parts of the earth were submerged either. Because, as mentioned before, the Bible is not a book making scientific descriptions, but a book making theological descriptions conveying a message.

 

Of course, there might be parts in the Bible that can acknowledge scientifically verifiable facts. However, many attempts to read and understand the Bible solely through a scientific approach, despite having many beneficial points, cannot correctly interpret all of Scripture due to the limitations of the scientific worldview, which only recognizes facts proven by repetitive experiments. Because most of the events recorded in the Bible are often things that cannot be repeated. Therefore, these biblical facts cannot be reproduced in a laboratory.

 

However, we have absolutely no need to concede that all records in the Bible might not be historical facts. Because the Bible is indeed historical fact, and all of it can be explained. Many people think science and the Bible conflict in many areas, but in reality, there are far more areas where they complement each other than where they clash. Therefore, when reading the Bible, rather than stubbornly insisting that only what I believe is fact, the correct approach would be to understand that science can explain the Bible, and for parts it cannot, the Bible can explain.

 

Looking at the flood from this perspective, the center of this story is the fact that a new creation occurred through Noah as the second Adam. This is precisely the message the ark conveys to us.

 

Clean and Unclean Animals: Difference in Chapter 7

However, this is not all. Now we need to examine the meaning of Noah more deeply. If the final meaning of the ark was new creation, the final meaning Noah holds is scattered throughout today's entire passage. Let's look again at the content of chapters 6 and 7. Much content is repeatedly recorded here. For example, the event of animals entering the ark, the story of the ark being built, and the story of Noah being righteous are facts continuously recorded repeatedly. That is, the content from chapter 7, verses 1 to 5, has a structure repeating chapter 6 again.

 

However, within this repeated structure, there is one verse that is uniquely and completely different. That makes today's passage, chapter 7, verses 1 to 5, somewhat peculiar. Let's examine what that is. The preceding chapter 6 records that male and female pairs entered the ark. But today's passage, chapter 7, records that seven pairs of clean animals, male and female, and one pair of unclean animals, male and female, entered. This is content that was absent in the preceding chapter 6.

 

Meaning of Clean/Unclean: Holiness and Worship

The story about clean and unclean things was also absent, appearing for the first time here in chapter 7. It's clearly different content. That is, in this chapter 7, an amazing story about clean and unclean things appeared for the first time. Where in the Bible does the story about clean and unclean appear most frequently? Not in Noah's time, but much appeared in the era of the Law, in Moses' Exodus and Leviticus. Content appears stating that animals with split hooves are unclean and should not be eaten.

 

At that time, the basis for dividing clean and unclean was primarily whether it could be eaten or not. And the clean things were considered holy and could be used when offering sacrifices to God. For example, the pig, which has a split hoof we like, was it a holy animal or an unclean one? It was an unclean animal. That's why Jews do not eat pork. Then, is pork a bad animal for health reasons, or various other reasons?

 

As I recall, traditional Korean medicine doctors always said pork should not be eaten together with herbal medicine when prescribing it. Perhaps they thought pork, containing much fat, was not good for the efficacy of the medicine. However, nowadays, some argue that pork is more beneficial to health than beef. Which one is true, of course, might not be important. But one thing is certain: pork itself is not unclean.

 

Even in the Bible, it's not saying at all that pork is unclean because its quality is far inferior to beef. It's just that to explain the concept of God's holiness, He divided things into holy and unclean. Do you remember the event that happened in Joppa when Jesus Christ came? What happened then? God commands Peter to eat all the unclean and holy things descending from heaven. Peter is shocked and retorts to God how he could eat this, as he has never eaten or touched unclean food and is clean. At that time, God tells him not to call unclean what He has declared clean, and makes Peter eat those animals.

 

Thus, Gentiles and Israelites became one, and we no longer need to worry while eating pork. If this law still remained, we would still be living unable to eat pork belly (samgyeopsal). Do you see the big difference now? The division of unclean and clean is not about the nature or qualification of the animal itself, but explains the concept of God's holiness. Through this division, God shows His holiness, and in a narrower sense, also explains matters concerning sacrifice and approaching God.

 

Then why did clean and unclean appear together? Was it also for dividing food in Noah's time? In fact, it's much more likely that it wasn't about food in Noah's time. Because at that time, people did not eat meat. God permitted humans to eat meat only after the flood ended. Only then could people eat meat, excluding the blood. Therefore, it's much more likely that people did not eat meat at all before the flood. At least, pious people probably didn't eat meat.

 

Then what was the reason for dividing clean and unclean based on food? If they were all animals and not food at that time, what was the basis for dividing them? Yes, it shows that this holiness applies to worship and sacrifice. That is, the clean animals entering the ark symbolize worship and sacrifice. I can say this because this concept of sacrifice and worship within the ark also corresponds with the concept of Noah.

 

Repeated Verse: 'He Did All That God Commanded Him'

This division was the major difference seen in chapter 7 of the text. Then what is the verse repeated identically in chapters 6 and 7? It is chapter 6, verse 22: "Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him." This verse is translated a bit more clearly in English Bibles. In English Bibles, you can see the word ‘Did’ appearing twice. It's an expression strongly emphasizing that Noah did everything.

 

In the Korean Bible, this sentence is expressed as ‘he did all that was commanded’. However, this translation expresses a very deep intention, so in fact, the Korean Standard New Translation translated it more accurately: “Noah did according to all that God commanded him. He did just so.” It says Noah did, and truly did so. It strongly emphasized the fact that Noah did everything exactly as commanded.

 

But please look again starting from today's passage, chapter 7, verse 5. How did that verse end? Let's read chapter 7, verse 5: “And Noah did all that the Lord had commanded him.” Looking at this verse simply, you'll know immediately. This is clearly the Bible intentionally repeating the same content structurally, and there is a definite intention of God here.

 

Meaning of 'Did As Commanded': Obedience Within Grace

The meaning of ‘did as commanded’ (준행, junhaeng) literally means Noah did everything God told him to do. Then what is the first thing we can think of? The message of today's Bible is probably that we too, like Noah, should obey God's word, follow it, and live keeping it, right?

 

However, do you remember the illustration I mentioned at the beginning of this sermon? Like the climber holding onto the rock edge with fingertips bearing the entire body weight, the sentence corresponding to the fingertip supporting everything in today's passage was the phrase ‘found grace’. In other words, this verse ‘Noah did all that was commanded’ is likewise dependent on ‘found grace’.

 

False Faith vs. True Faith

If we misunderstand this fact in reverse, it's very easy for us to live considering false faith as true faith. For example, when talking about a person's faith, we very often use criteria like how many times they have read the entire Bible, or how diligently they attended early morning prayers, or how much theological knowledge they possess. Sometimes, we evaluate their faith by the way they pray. I don't fail to understand our feelings and reasons for talking about faith based on such things, but precisely those things become evidence that we do not properly understand what true faith is.

 

We all know well. Following God's word is what we call obedience. So we live considering it important to keep the word with determination, even though it's hard, for the sake of this obedience. That's correct. And I fully agree that the conclusion of all scripture is obedience, keeping God's word. Because if you hear the word but don't act on it, it might be of no use at all. What meaning is there in just hearing the word, not keeping it at all, and only knowing it intellectually?

When thinking this way, the destination of obedience will only be distinguished by whether there is action or not. We commonly think that becoming God's children saved is by God's grace, but we who are saved by that grace must then live diligently obeying God's will according to that will. There seems little reason for us to object here. Because there isn't really a reason to object to the statement that we were saved by grace and must now live diligently according to God's word.

 

However, there's a reason why saying this can be dangerous for us. Because two concepts are placed separately in two sentences. Grace is in one sentence, and our diligent obedience to the word exists separately in another sentence. That is, if we obey diligently, we end up exerting all our strength according to our will. But unfortunately, such diligence originating from will leads us into two major errors.

 

One is that this diligent obedience doesn't work well. We clearly want to obey, but it doesn't work out. So, those among you who, after struggling for a week to live according to God's word, can offer full thanks before the Lord during Sunday worship for having lived the entire week perfectly, are probably nonexistent, including myself. We cannot achieve perfect obedience even for a single day, let alone a week. Therefore, frustration about this aspect of oneself inevitably arises. It's frustration about oneself still not having changed at all despite believing in Jesus for decades. Because we always seem to remain the same. We are still living with the same worries we had in the past, and we are still living unable to do the things we couldn't do in the past.

 

That's why we end up clinging to the Holy Spirit. It's not bad at all. We end up praying to the Holy Spirit for fervent faith. Relying on the work of the Holy Spirit, we can only move in the direction of overcoming our weaknesses. Because we ourselves amount to nothing. However, relying on the work of the Holy Spirit, getting fired up and jumping around might last a year or two, but how can we live jumping like that for a lifetime? That too has its limits. It's the same for me. I too once jumped like that and tried flying around, but eventually, there were limits.

 

Along with such frustration, we also build up our own righteousness. We stack up the good deeds we have done one by one. 'I still called the person who wronged me this week and forgave them,' or 'This week, I didn't miss a single day of Bible reading and early morning prayer' – holding onto such things, we pray to God. And that prayer becomes somewhat different from other times. When praying, our head facing God lifts slightly. It means we have something to boast about to God. But even such things are equally dangerous for us.

 

The Essence of True Faith: Reliance, Not Works

Then what exactly is true faith? We fall into similar worries daily regarding the issue of salvation, which is, 'Why is my faith always only this much?'. So sometimes, it seems we often lack conviction about whether I am truly a saved person. Friends, how does the assurance of salvation arise? It doesn't depend on how strong or certain that assurance is. It solely depends on the issue of whether that assurance of salvation came from true faith or not.

 

And what clearly distinguishes true faith from false faith is well represented in the Westminster Confession of Faith. According to this confession, even the smallest faith, if it is within true faith, is sufficient to save you. However, no matter how great someone's faith appears, even if they have served extensively in the church, are respected by many people, have extensive biblical knowledge, and have become pastors or elders teaching others, they can still be false believers. Because true faith is not hung on such actions, but on what is believed. Because what we believe determines all faith.

Then what is it that we believe? It originates not only from the content and actions of faith, but as the word faith literally implies, from the heart that tries to rely on everything to the end. It's the heart that tries to rely on everything to God.

However, false faith does not try to rely on God but pretends to rely on God, yet ultimately relies on the power I possess. And such things often flow out naturally from my life and my mouth without me realizing, as if this were the right way. We sometimes call that merit, or self-righteousness. It is boasting about oneself.

 

Evidence of True Faith: Denying Self and Exalting Jesus

Not that we boast outright. We always boast about ourselves subtly, indirectly. If we diligently attend early morning prayer, rather than criticizing those who don't attend, we diligently explain how wonderful that early morning prayer time was. And we kindly encourage those who couldn't attend to do so. It seems like we care greatly for the other person, but often the intention is to reveal that I was at that place while you were not.

 

We ultimately tend to explain our faith based on how faithfully we lived for God's work. If you ever try to explain your faith by how well you are believing, you are being deceived by Satan. Our faith must go towards relying on the strong Lord Jesus, even though I am weak. It must go towards relying only on the Lord, although I can do nothing. Because this is the content of our true faith that should never be forgotten under any circumstances. We may be strong, or we may be weak, but we must live a life confessing that I cannot make it without God. We must live a life turning away from the tendency to constantly rely on ourselves or what we have done.

 

However, we can live acting as if that false faith is true faith, deceiving others and even ourselves. But we must not forget. Only true faith can save us. How long one has attended church, how well one memorizes Bible verses, or whether one is a pastor, elder, or deacon, actually holds no meaning before God. Our true faith solely depends on how much we rely on God, rely on the cross of Christ. When we stand before the Lord, we must offer this confession back: ‘Lord, among all I have done, there is nothing I did well; my appearance was weak and lacking, but I held onto only the Lord. I lived holding onto only Jesus.’ This is one of the most important criteria distinguishing true faith from false faith. If someone asks us about our faith, about what we believe, what should flow from our mouths is not how diligently we lived church life, but praise like ‘Though I am weak, yet He is strong’, ‘Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me’. This is true faith.

 

Why Should We Obey? (Heidelberg Catechism)

The determination 'I must do it' is always just a heavy burden for us. This kind of strenuous obedience is not wrong, but we must not forget it can lead to the result of grace being separate, action being separate. Our obedience must always flow naturally as a result of grace. Only then does true action emerge.

 

This word 'act' as we examined earlier, is the same as obedience. 'He acted according to the word'. So it's not a resolve to grit teeth and manage it despite the difficulty. There's a part of the Heidelberg Catechism I like most, excluding question 1, let me read it to you. Catechism question 86: ‘Since we are redeemed from our miserable state by God's grace through Christ, without any merit of our own, why must we obey and live good lives?’ If all salvation is due to God's grace regardless of my obedience or good living, it asks if there's really a need for me to try to live well or cleanly by yielding to others.

 

1. Salvation: Rescue and Reshaping (Perseverance of the Saints)

Regarding that, this catechism explains in two ways. ‘Because Christ, having redeemed us by His blood, also renews us by His Holy Spirit, so that we become like His image.’ First, it says because Christ, who redeemed us by His blood, also restored us to His image by His Spirit. In other words, it clarifies that Christ not only redeemed us by His blood but also renewed us by His Spirit to resemble His image. This is the first reason.

 

This statement re-explains the concept of salvation. You often think of salvation as rescuing a large stone sunk in a pond. But God considers salvation to include breaking that stone and creating a work of art. That's why you can never know for sure from your conviction whether you are saved or not. Salvation is not accomplished by loudly proclaiming you have assurance of salvation, but can be known by whether God's hammer blows are present in me or not.

 

It's very clear. Only those who have the marks of His hammer blows on our bodies, in addition to being rescued, possess true faith. Because God will ultimately shape us into the image of Christ. That is precisely what we know well as the ‘perseverance of the saints’. It's not shouting 'I'm going to heaven anyway' based on a one-time belief, but that history of God shaping you as His child must continuously occur in my life. Until we are perfected, God will not stop those hammer blows.

 

2. Motive for Obedience: Gratitude, Not Duty

That was the first explanation of the concept of salvation, and secondly, it answers like this: ‘This is so that with our whole life we may show ourselves thankful to God for His benefits, and that He may be praised through us; also, that each of us may be assured of his faith by its fruits, and that by our godly walk we may win others to Christ.’ This might be a somewhat complex translation, but let me read this part again from the CRC version:  

‘So that through our whole life we may show that we are thankful to God for his grace. So that he may be praised through us. So that we may be assured of our faith by the fruit of our lives. And so that by our godly living our neighbors may be won over to Christ.’

 

The reason I like this passage is the part stating that what we can offer following God's grace is not ‘obedience’ but ‘thankfulness’. It's not showing my salvation is certain by living obediently according to the word, but uses the expression thankfulness.

 

Friends, have you heard that the Heidelberg Catechism consists of three parts? The first part deals with how miserable humans are, the second part deals with how God resolves that human misery, and the third part consists not of questions and answers about how the person who received that resolution lives in ‘obedience’, but how they live in ‘thankfulness’. So our obedience is an action expressing gratitude. It means obedience, as you and I think of it, is not something that just needs to be done unconditionally or used in the sense of 'must do', but emerges as an action of gratitude.

 

David's Confession: The Source of Strength is God

Here is David addressing God in the Old Testament Psalms: ‘O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name.’ This was right after David had gathered many materials to build the temple. At that time, praying to God, he gives thanks to the Lord and praises His glorious name. And then in the continuing prayer, he says this: ‘But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly?’ In other words, he is confessing that preparing to build this temple commanded by God was not possible due to any strength in us who obey that command. And he confesses that he could do that obedience with a willing heart.

 

Obedience Offered with God's Strength

Friends, this is the real core of the content that the obedience we are talking about holds. The first part is acknowledging that we have no strength. And then, it's performing that obedience with a willing heart. In other words, for us who know Jesus Christ and have become God's children, obedience should no longer be a burden, nor can it be. We ourselves cannot accomplish that obedience. We have no strength. David had no strength either.

 

But let's continue looking at David's confession: “For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you.’” This is David's way of obeying. No strength comes from ourselves. Yet the Bible says we have strength. What is the reason? Because we constantly receive something from the Lord. Because you have received something from God. That's why God tells you to come to Him with that. And because this is something all believers commonly possess. That's why we can go to God with that strength.

 

Let me give an easy example. In elementary school, the teacher gave the children homework. It was a very difficult arithmetic problem, but when they opened the homework at home, the answers were already all attached, and all the problems were already solved. And the children just had to take that homework back to the teacher. Then the teacher would praise the children and give them a score of 100. We don't have the ability to solve that homework again, but we just need to take it back to the teacher as it is. And that strength came precisely from the teacher. The attitude shown to the teacher by the children who solved the homework with the teacher's strength is the 모습 (appearance/figure) of obedience we should have. The children offer nothing but unconditional gratitude to the teacher. That is the 모습 (appearance/figure) of obedience.

 

This is the obedience we should offer to God. Please do not try to serve with what you possess. Do not live as if you are someone who can abundantly obey God with your abilities. We are people who do not need to be frustrated or despair because we cannot do this. We are people who go to God holding what God has given. The work of following the word is because everything comes from the Lord, so we go to God holding the grace and love received from God, His things, and rejoice and give thanks. That is why the Bible commands us to give thanks in all circumstances.

 

The Link Between Obedience, Gratitude, and Love

Noah's obedience was the same. That obedience was not something Noah just had to do. Friends, that's why whenever we talk about gratitude, we cannot help but praise and give glory to God. What else could we possibly say? If you understand this, I think you can easily understand the story of Simon and the sinful woman in the Gospels as well.

This famous story from Luke is about a sinful woman anointing Jesus' head with perfume when Jesus visited Simon's house. At that time, Jesus speaks these words: “Turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her many sins are forgiven—for she loved much.’”  

 

Friends, I said obedience is living according to God's word, and it's a life of gratitude. It comes from gratitude. Then where does that gratitude originate? It is love. Because we are thankful, we follow the word, and the reason we can do so is because we love. If you want to love, you must first receive love. That is why Noah is a person who walks with God.

 

Knowing God's Heart: Spirit and Word

Friends, we must not only tell our stories to God, but also learn God's heart together. Have you ever thought about why God feels heartbroken? If we can't fathom that, we couldn't be called friends. Do you perhaps know when God rejoices? If we don't know that, what kind of friends can we be? What kind of person is a friend? If I unilaterally tell my private affairs, can a true friendship be formed through that? You must listen to the friend's story too.

 

So we need to know the depths of God's heart. How can we know? We know by ‘the Spirit who searches everything, even the depths of God’. (cf. 1 Cor 2:10) And that Spirit is with us! This is it. That's why we need to know the words of the Bible. The Bible explains in detail the reasons why God is pained. And the Bible talks in great detail about the moments when God rejoices.

 

God: My True Friend, My Joy

That's why we need to read and understand this Bible. God, who knows me better than I know myself, becomes my everything, tells me He loves me, and walks with me. He is my friend, my true love. We have come to know God who calls me righteous, even though I seem to fail and fall daily. God who creates me anew every day, God who knows my name and calls me, and the true friend who clearly acknowledges me whom no one else acknowledges, and truly rejoices in me – we have met Him.

 

I greatly envy those who have many good friends and maintain good relationships with such friends. Having lived alone for a long time since childhood, there are many times I don't properly know the rich meaning that friendship holds. So I think I learn the true meaning of that friendship more from God. Since Jesus is my friend, I want to know the heart of Christ better, and so reading the Bible is enjoyable. It's not enjoyable because the Bible gives me knowledge, nor is it good because I understand more of the Bible's truth, but simply because I meet Jesus. When I learn more about the depths of Jesus' heart, the fact that I have come to know Him more, who might be my only friend, is joy to me.

 

Relationship Beyond Failure

Because He truly acknowledges me and rejoices in me. Therefore, for me, failure, frustration – these things can become nothing. Even if this church where I minister encounters many problems, and everything collapses and falls, although it would be heartbreaking, from my perspective, it could mean nothing. It's heartbreaking because it's God's church; there's no reason for me to be hurt because it was my work. Because my failure is not such a big deal. Even if my ministry is very successful and the church grows large, that holds no meaning for me. If there is meaning, it's only that because of it, many of God's people have come to live as God's people in God's kingdom. My failure and my success are not important to me at all.

 

When I was young, I often hammered nails into wood with my father. My father told me to try it once, but being too young, I kept hitting my fingers with the hammer. Watching this, my father held both my hands together and hammered. But being scared, I suddenly pulled back my left hand holding the nail, and the hammer hit my father's hand. Yet my father didn't get angry at all; he kept encouraging me and giving me courage, so eventually, I managed to hammer that nail into the wood.

 

It's the same. God is not a father who scolds you for not being able to do it. God is the one who holds your hand, and even while His own hand gets torn, He ensures we can finish the work. That God holds onto me to the end – can our numerous failures, frustrations, and despairs overcome that Father's hand? New creation is happening to us daily. Then what could possibly tear it down?

 

Fearless Obedience: Standing on the Rock

Living according to God's will is truly a joyful thing. That work is not something difficult, upsetting, or uncertain of success. That work is still joyful even if it doesn't go well. In the world, a person who doesn't lie is called excellent. When we see such a person, we praise them. There probably isn't any society that curses someone for trying to live truthfully. Likewise, it's not strange at all for us believers not to be ashamed of trying not to sin. Trying to live out God's will is neither upsetting, nor hard, nor shameful.

 

It might be upsetting, but it's not wrong. It might hurt because it doesn't go well. It's okay. Failing is nothing to worry about. Did you try to obey but it didn't go well? There's no reason to be upset. Because it's not something to be ashamed of. Did you try to live according to the Lord's will but it didn't go well? It's okay. We have won as much as we tried, and we are thankful. Striving to obey is not a sin. Not trying to do it is the sin.

 

Therefore, do not be afraid. There is no reason to fear failure or success. Since you are on the rock, falling on it is nothing to worry about.

 

Hymn: 'My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less'

Friends, do you remember the hymn ‘My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less’? It's known to have been translated by Chunwon Yi Kwang-su. It's a very well-done translation. However, the Korean translation of verse 3 seems to contain quite a bit of free interpretation: ‘When all earthly hopes give way on that final day, trusting the Savior's covenant, my hope grows ever greater.’ The original text of this hymn is as follows:

 

‘His oath, His covenant, His blood, Support me in the whelming flood. When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my Hope and Stay.’ Translated, it means: ‘The Lord's oath, the Lord's covenant, the Lord's blood, upholds me in this flood that tries to swallow me. When everything surrounding my soul gives way, when everything feels like frustration, despair, and failure, the Lord becomes all my Hope and Rest. On Christ the solid Rock I stand; All other ground is sinking sand.’

Failure, success, whatever you consider great – they are like sinking sand. But we have a solid rock. We can stand upon it. So we don't need to be people who fear obeying. There's no reason to be discouraged beforehand about whether we can obey.

 

Thanksgiving: Giving Thanks Through Love

That obedience is love, as much as it is done. That obedience is gratitude, as much as it is done. Now is the Thanksgiving season. How should we give thanks on this day? Love. Love the Lord. Lord, I love you.

 

Closing Prayer

Let us pray. Lord, today we shared Your word together. We desire to spend the day of thanks according to Your word. We will stand on that solid Rock. We will stand upon Him. Because the Lord who never changes, the Lord who is the same yesterday, today, and forever, becomes my rock, we will give thanks without worry or fear. We will live a life of thanks. Help us to go forward without fearing to live according to the word. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen!