Genesis-167 – Beginning and End

Isaiah 46:9–11

“Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’ From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do.” Amen.

 

Hope for the Eternal City and the Puzzle of Scripture

At the moment Joseph’s final breath was fading, his last cry was the promise: "God will surely come to your aid." This earnest confession was majestically fulfilled years later through the Exodus. As we well know, God not only guided Joseph’s remains to the Promised Land but also cared for the people of Israel until the end. This was because the Lord heard their cries of suffering and came to them personally. Thus, on the stage of history called the Exodus, we discover Moses, the savior sent by God.

 

However, according to the testimony of Hebrews, Joseph’s proclamation was not merely pointing to Moses, who would appear in the near future. It was a longing and hope for the eternal City of God far in the distance. In other words, it was the ultimate promise that He would surely come to lead us not to a terrestrial Canaan, but to an eternal kingdom. Among the countless people in the world, we are truly grateful to be those who know that Jesus Christ has come to this earth. Through His coming, Joseph’s prophecy has already been perfectly fulfilled.

 

Therefore, I believe that Genesis does not simply conclude as a story of the primordial creation, but rather, it proclaims a new beginning and a new creation. In that sense, Genesis may perhaps be a sermon that never truly ends. Tell me, have you ever tried to assemble a jigsaw puzzle? You might have done so with your children, but completing a large-scale puzzle with countless pieces is by no means an easy task.

 

The Blueprint Required to Assemble the Puzzle of Life

If a puzzle has over a thousand pieces, it cannot be finished in a day or two; sometimes it takes an entire year. Some recommend puzzles because the process of fitting numerous pieces together can strengthen family harmony. Do you know what character trait is most needed when doing a puzzle? It is patience. The frustration of not being able to find a piece that clearly ought to be there is no small matter.

 

Yet, there is a fact even more important than patience that must never be forgotten: you must never throw away the box the puzzle pieces came in. The front of the box displays the completed picture we are meant to assemble. Only with that overall image can we begin to fit the scattered pieces into their proper places. Without the final picture of what is to be completed, even the most brilliant person cannot possibly finish the puzzle. Our process of reading through the Scriptures is very much like this.

 

God's Plan of Salvation Contained Within Broken Fragments

The Bible is composed of a vast volume of 66 books and 1,189 chapters. It is like a massive panorama made up of countless pieces. At first glance, they may seem scattered without any order, but these pieces eventually complete one magnificent picture. One might think of this as a mechanical process of fitting pieces together, but I would like to use this metaphor:

 

Imagine someone received a seven-piece puzzle as a gift. It was not made of paper, but was an exquisitely crafted glass puzzle. When first assembled, its brilliant colors and the radiance of the glass were truly beautiful. However, by mistake, it was dropped on the floor. The beautiful puzzle instantly shattered into thousands of shards. Now, that person begins to reassemble the broken glass pieces. Because they remember the beautiful original image they saw when the seven pieces were first joined, they use that memory as a guidepost to fit the fragments back together one by one.

 

God's Blueprint Completed Within Providence

The puzzle of our lives is not merely a repetitive task of putting pieces in place. Even if life is shattered like glass, God eventually continues to complete it, guiding us minutely through the words of Scripture. That God allows such history in our lives is a promise that He holds the scattered fragments with perfect wisdom so they do not vanish in vain. The most important fact is that God already has the completed picture, and even if trials come that shatter life into shards, He will surely achieve the picture He planned.

 

The text we face today testifies to this solemn fact. God is the one who makes known the end from the beginning. He shows things not yet accomplished from ancient times and declares, “My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.” From the very moment of beginning the world, the completed picture of the end was already drawn in God's heart.

 

The Clear Plan of God, the Alpha and the Omega

This is a truly wondrous proclamation. Through this Word, we realize that God did not start the world without a plan. He is not one who leads history through improvisation, changing direction here and there depending on the situation. God has a clear purpose and a meticulous plan. Even before the majestic command “Let there be light” echoed across the earth, the ‘end’ was already situated within His plan. It means the conclusion of God to be achieved at the end of history was already fixed from the beginning.

 

The Bible refers to God as the ‘First and the Last’ and calls Him the ‘Alpha and the Omega.’ In Isaiah and throughout the Scriptures, such confessions of faith appear repeatedly. That end, where God's will and plan will be perfectly fulfilled, actually existed in God's heart even before the creation of the world or our salvation. This is a mysterious providence possible only for the Almighty God who transcends time and space.

 

The Design of Completion Contained in the Beginning of History

Because God's plan existed from the beginning, we do not view Genesis merely as a fragmentary record of God creating the world in six days, the fall of Adam and Eve, or the narratives of Noah and Abraham. We realize that the Bible revealed God's completed picture of the end from the start, and that human history is the process that has progressed to manifest that picture into reality.

 

Naturally, we cannot help but be interested in the appearance of that final completion. Questions arise: How will history conclude? What is the reality of that finished picture? While hints are scattered throughout Genesis, the book that most clearly envisions the end of history is undoubtedly Revelation. Let us look at the words of Revelation 22:1–2:

 

"Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations."

 

The Restoration of Eden and the Completed Picture of the End

When we see the words of Revelation—the river of the water of life clear as crystal and the trees of life by the river—what comes to your mind? Indeed, if you do not immediately think of the Garden of Eden at this scene, the journey we have taken together through Genesis 50 becomes colorless. It is a clear fact that the place where the tree of life stands and the river flows is the very image of the Garden of Eden.

 

Through this, we realize that God's final picture already existed at the beginning of Genesis. Often, when we ask about God's ultimate purpose, we answer, "to save us." Because we are sinners, being rescued from sin is our most desperate and greatest concern. However, if you could peek into God's puzzle box in advance, you would discover that the completed picture at the end does not stop merely at the scene of the cross rescuing us from sin. There, a new heaven and a new earth are majestically spread out, and those created in the image of God are depicted as glorious people ruling the entire universe together with God. This is God's final master plan.

 

God’s Design: Moving Beyond Salvation Toward Dominion

However, if you could peek into God’s puzzle box in advance, you would discover that the completed picture at the end does not stop merely at the scene of the Cross rescuing us from sin. There, a new heaven and a new earth are majestically spread out, and those created in the image of God are depicted as glorious people ruling the entire universe together with Him. This is God’s final master plan.

 

Thus, we can glimpse the end of history by meditating on Eden. Yet, there is a distinct difference between the first Eden and the final Kingdom. Certain elements that existed in the first Eden disappear in the last Kingdom. Among these, the most striking difference is that the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil no longer exists.

 

This fact suggests a vital truth: the landscape where God created the world by His Word and placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden was not the final, completed picture. It was a grand beginning moving toward a glorious conclusion—a prototype of the perfected form to be achieved in the future.

 

The Reason to Read Genesis Through an Eschatological Perspective

God began a great history by declaring the blessing of "be fruitful and multiply" to humanity. While that was the original picture of creation, the blueprint of the end—the eschaton—was already contained within it. This is because God has held the end in His heart since the very beginning.

 

Because of such a purpose, God allowed us the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. This was a gateway toward the kingdom of God, the true destination we were meant to reach. Through that process, we finally discovered the eternal kingdom of God and came to cherish the hope of moving toward it. At the same time, we have enjoyed the grace of deeply realizing what God's purpose is and what He desires to accomplish.

 

In fact, today's discourse is the final hour wrapping up the entire book of Genesis, and it also serves as a guideline for the perspective you should adopt when approaching Genesis, the beginning of the Bible, in the future. Looking back, three years have already passed since I began these sermons on Genesis.

 

Concluding the Long Journey of Genesis Exposition

As this exposition has continued for over three years, some of you may wonder how time flew by so quickly, while others might think we have spent a truly long time on a single book. Those who have visited their homelands and returned might even be surprised, asking, "Are you still preaching on Genesis?" Whenever that happens, I share an anecdote as a sort of defense.

 

When the modern expository preacher Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones was preaching through the Book of Romans, World War II broke out. Many young people from the church left for the battlefield and could only return after the long war had ended. What sight did they behold upon their return? The pastor was still preaching through Romans. The young men asked, "What? Has Romans not finished yet?" as it had been many years since they left. That exposition continued for nearly 14 years.

 

Compared to that vast period, our three years is but a drop in the bucket. Considering that Genesis is much larger in volume than Romans, we have actually concluded it quite swiftly. Regardless, the confession I wish to share in this final hour is the core truth that flows through this entire series.

 

The Mystery of Genesis Read in the Light of the End

What should be our perspective on the original purpose for which Genesis was recorded? If we approach Genesis confined only within a literal framework, we will fall into a swamp of exhaustive debate every day—how much scientific fact this book contains, how it conflicts with evolution, or whether the six days of creation are literal time or long ages. Although the Bible was never recorded for such apologetics, we often miss the essence by being trapped in our own narrow views.

 

However, the truth the Bible testifies to is clear. The reason God placed the beginning on this earth is to show in advance how the end will be completed. In other words, when reading Genesis, we obtain the precious hint that we must read the beginning backward through the lens of the ‘end.’ This principle of interpretation is a method unique to the Bible, consistently found in the epistles of the Apostle Paul and the Psalms of the Old Testament.

 

The Biblical Way: The Future Invading the Present

The most important fact we must notice in all historical events is that the completed conclusion God will achieve at the end powerfully invades the present from the future—that is, from the end. This is the amazing way the Bible views history. We often think time flows from the past to the future, but God allows the hope of the completed future to seize our present lives. Thus, He enables us to bring that radiant future into today and live by its strength.

 

Therefore, we must remember that the Bible, contrary to our common notions, does not begin with ‘sin.’ The starting point of the Bible is not sin, but God, the people created in His image, and the world governed personally by Him. Each piece of creation possesses an incredibly rich and profound meaning. This is not only the core summarizing all of Genesis but also a majestic theme penetrating all of human history. Genesis began that way, and Revelation continues that flow, bringing the curtain down with the same conclusion: “They will reign for ever and ever.” This is the final scene of human history.

 

God's Promise to Rule the Universe Together

Jesus clearly proclaimed to His disciples: "You will reign as kings with Me forever, and you will rule together." Friends, meditate deeply on this. Though we have many dreams and small plans in this life, we are often ignorant of the ultimate destination and the end of our lives. In fact, it is reality that we rarely have the luxury to seriously imagine this amidst the busyness of daily life.

 

Those of advanced age often sink into the thought, ‘I, too, will one day lie in that place,’ whenever they attend a funeral. On the other hand, young people may think, ‘I do not want to meet such an end,’ or resolve to be careful as years pass, but generally, they live treating death as a mere inevitable process that comes when the time is right. But where will the period be placed in your life? Does everything truly end in the cold coffin we have prepared?

 

Our Identity to be Restored as the Image of God

Did Joseph’s life truly end in that narrow coffin? The Bible never testifies so. Toward that vast universe—with countless stars you look up to every night, which would take hundreds of millions of years to reach even at the speed of light—God promises us: "I will rule this universe together with you. You will be My people, and I will be your God; you will enjoy Me forever there, and you will experience true peace, joy, and justice in that kingdom free from sin."

 

I am not merely introducing a vague paradise to reach after death. You have been called as citizens of a kingdom and, at the same time, as protagonists who govern that kingdom together. The true completion of democracy, which the world has so yearned for, is finally realized there. Though God is the King of kings, we all become sovereigns united with Him, ruling that kingdom together with God. Friends, is this a story possible only through limited human imagination?

 

The Great Blueprint of Salvation and Our True Identity

God has confirmed for us things that the world could only dream of as ideals, things that no one could even dare to imagine. He offers us everything that is His, tells us to share in His abundant inheritance, and invites us to walk every step of our journey with Him. Furthermore, He promises to shape His eternal attribute—His holy character—within us, restoring us into the image of God that resembles Jesus Christ. This is the great diagram of salvation that God is drawing.

 

This overwhelming story may not be easy to believe at first. You might feel doubtful, wondering how we, who find it burdensome just to endure daily reality, could ever embrace such a grand vision. However, if anyone asks about your identity, please do not forget this majestic picture. This is because this picture is the true self-portrait of your life. It is the glory you will enjoy in the future and the most certain covenant given by the Creator of heaven and earth.

 

The Gospel of Glory and the Tragedy of Human Ambition

This news is the Gospel that we should rightfully tremble at and rejoice over. It is because the path of our lives is heading toward that brilliant road of glory. The Lord has made this promise. God's purpose is not merely to rescue us from sin; His true purpose is for us to restore His image, walk with Him, and reign as kings forever.

 

Regrettably, we have a history of abandoning this glorious blessing ourselves. Perhaps that is why the inspiration in our hearts has run so dry. We used to dream of our own kingdoms without God. We were those who refused to let God's kingdom be ours and voluntarily walked into the "East of Eden," away from Eden itself. It was because we wanted to be king instead of God. This sinful tendency still remains within us. We insist that the sovereignty of our lives belongs to us, yet we live in a miserable and tragic reality where we cannot even fully trust ourselves.

 

Human Limitations and the Burden Borne Alone

The only answer people of the world can reach is, ultimately, themselves. But dearly beloved, can a human being truly obtain rest on their own? What can possibly guarantee us eternal happiness? We often trust in our brilliant minds and health, taking our education and skills as our sole refuge. Yet, regrettably, all those things grow helplessly frail before the passage of time.

 

A mind that was once truly bright eventually reaches a state where even recalling a single word becomes difficult. Keen judgment becomes dull, leading to moments of confusion where one struggles to decide whether to move the car forward or backward. With all due respect to our elders, there are times when I, too, find it increasingly burdensome to drive with my wife by my side. Seeing myself take the wrong turn or scratch the car in unexpected places—unlike before—I often find myself bewildered, thinking, "This shouldn't be happening."

 

The Tragedy of the Self Without God and the Need for Restoration

The day inevitably comes in life when we face such limitations. If we were to remain merely saved from sin and spend the rest of our lives simply enduring until we stand before God, would that not prove just how terrifying and miserable sin truly is? The reason we have come to lead such weary lives is clear: all the weight of life that we were meant to shoulder together with God, rule together with Him, and rejoice in together with Him, must now be borne alone. We have been cast into a desperate place of survival where we must judge for ourselves, provide for ourselves, and survive by our own strength.

 

Human Responsibility and the Weight of an Isolated Life

We have even found ourselves in a position where we must take responsibility for our own future and the matters after death. How can we, who find even managing our immediate lives burdensome, take responsibility for what follows eternal death? Because we try to resolve the load of life—which was meant to be shared in companionship with God—by placing it entirely on our own shoulders, pain and sorrow never leave our lives. Having departed from God, the source of all goodness and virtue, the path to fully enjoying true goodness and love has been blocked. Though traces of love brought from the nest of creation may remain, they will soon run dry.

 

The Limits of Human Love and Christ Who Loves to the End

Reflecting on my own memories, when my eldest child was born, his very existence was an incomparable blessing to me. I lost sleep out of the joy of becoming a father, and I truly understood the saying that just looking at your child makes you feel full. However, that profound emotion did not last long. On nights before work, soothing a baby who woke up crying every four hours became a practical exhaustion. Being so sleepy that I lacked the strength to hold him, I would lay him down and rock the cradle with my foot until I fell asleep. Awakening to a strange dampness at the tip of my toes in the middle of the night, I found that my hungry child was sucking on my toe, mistaking it for a breast. Recalling that memory still makes me feel sorry for him.

 

In this way, human love is so finite that it is nearly impossible to endure and protect that love until the end. Therefore, the biblical passage stating that Jesus "loved them to the end" is by no means ordinary rhetoric. It is a majestic proclamation of a divine love that we humans could never hope to imitate.

 

The Price of Rejecting the Source of Life and God's Unchanging Love

Who among you could even slightly imitate such a love? One might love someone once or twice or pretend for a moment, but to love someone until the very end is a truly grueling task—nearly impossible by human strength alone. This is because we have departed from God, the source of love. Even if we feel we could love forever with our initial passion, we eventually hit a wall as time passes.

 

Furthermore, we rejected God, the source of life, and as a result, death has swallowed us. The depth of the sin in which humanity turned its back on God, betraying and rebelling against Him, is beyond description.

 

However, the truly fortunate thing is that the Bible does not end in Genesis 3, which deals with the fall of man. God never forgets the completed picture drawn on the puzzle box, and amazingly, He does not regret His plan. He has never once regretted the design to make you His precious child. Even in that miserable moment when we rebelled against Him, the Lord's heart remained unchanged. Rather, He began to work to restore that broken picture. Piece by piece, the Lord began to reconnect the fragments of our shattered lives using the adhesive of the blood of Jesus Christ.

 

God's Salvation Perfected Through History

God has now begun to complete that picture once again. Through history, He proves that no obstacle can stop His plan and that our sin, betrayal, and even stubborn rebellion cannot frustrate the Almighty God. "Even if it means giving My Son to you, I will not give up on this picture and will surely fulfill it." This is a love truly beyond our imagination. We cannot even dare to fathom the deep intent held within God’s heart.

 

In this very context, does not the Ark of Noah appear? It is an event that foreshadows how God loves and protects us. Noah ruled over all the animals inside the ark. Within that narrow vessel, the order of Eden was reenacted. In other words, the image of the Kingdom to be completed at the end was already typified through Noah's Ark.

 

Not only that, when the Israelites left Egypt, God dwelled among them through the Tabernacle. When the power of God was revealed through the Ark of the Covenant, we witnessed how the Lord accompanied and protected His people. The promise in Revelation, "I will spread my tabernacle over them," was already shining like a shadow on the wilderness path of the Exodus long ago.

 

God's Covenant Fulfilled Through One Son

Within the long flow of history, we discover one solemn truth: neither Noah, nor Moses, nor Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—whom we have studied deeply—was the ultimate 'Son' we had been earnestly waiting for. They were merely figures who, through the covenant made with God, foreshadowed the One who was to come. The Bible shows us the process by which God reveals His plan more clearly, specifically, and certainly as time progresses.

 

While humans constantly build towers of Babel to make a name for themselves, God constantly seeks us out toward the lowly places. Even if humans endlessly betray Him, God never lets go of us for a single moment. Because God perceived that no one could save themselves, He sought out Abraham and planted the seed of promise. Just as He spoke in the beginning of Genesis that the offspring of the woman would crush the serpent's head, He now promised a son to Abraham and declared that through him, all nations of the earth would be blessed.

 

Finally, a nation was born according to that promise, and through the lineage of that nation, the true 'One Son' came to this earth. Through that Son, true salvation has come to us, and the glorious kingdom that God designed from the beginning has finally been completed as a reality.

 

The Value and Calling of Life for the Kingdom of God

As we remember, Joseph was also used as a precious puzzle piece to complete God's grand design. How great was the joy Joseph enjoyed when he realized this fact, and how wonderfully his life was transformed! I earnestly hope that such a history of realization occurs in your lives as well—just as Joseph, who once did not know God's deep will within his years of suffering and might have thought, "I will just forget the past and live peacefully in this land," eventually faced the fact that he was called as an instrument for the Kingdom of God.

 

Dear saints, never forget that God has called each of you as an essential piece for His Kingdom. I hope you always cherish the holy self-awareness that "through me, God's love, grace, and His holy will are being fulfilled even now." Every word you share in daily life, every small action, and every decision you make is actually intricately placed within God's vast blueprint. The moment you capture this truth, you will finally realize the noble value of your life. Remember that even at this moment, you are protagonists drawing that glorious Kingdom together as pieces of it.

 

The Last Adam, Jesus Christ, and the Restoration of Life

As was the case with Joseph's life, the Bible constantly introduces the narratives of specific figures to gradually herald the coming of 'another Adam' who is not the first Adam. This second Adam is also the image of God. However, He is an image fundamentally different from the first Adam. While Adam was a creature made according to the image of God, the last Adam is the image of God itself. To perfectly restore our destroyed image, He, who is the true image, had to come directly into the scene of history.

 

As the Apostle Paul testified in 1 Corinthians, the first Adam became a living being through God's breath of life, but the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. It is through Jesus Christ that we have finally become beings with true vitality. In fact, Jesus reversed the steps of Adam. He did not start in a lush Eden like Adam, but voluntarily left the throne of glory and descended to the East of Eden—the heart of this earth stained with sin. The One who should have arrived in the most dignified way stayed in the lowliest place.

 

The Suffering and Victory of the Lord Who Came for Us

The Lord did not come to the dense forests or peaceful flowerbeds of the celestial paradise, but to a lowly stable where the stench of livestock lingered. This was to rescue the descendants of Adam who were shattered by sin. The Lord descended to the broken places of life, no different from ours, and personally passed through the journey of failure that Adam walked and that we walk today.

 

The Lord endured with His whole body all the pain and tears, the indescribable frustration and heartache, and the bitter failure and fear that accompany such failure. He even silently bore the extreme agony of the cross, the final penalty for sin. Only then could He straighten the crooked path of failure we were walking and pay the price for the sin we had to pay. The Lord walked the path we were supposed to endure, strictly in our place.

 

All this providence was to restore us as true Adams. It is not a passive restoration back to the state before the fall, but a re-creation of us as victorious Adams who have completely subdued sin. The Lord came to this earth to mold us into steadfast beings who will never crumble before any temptation of sin, and as unchanging children of God forever within Jesus Christ.

 

Jesus' Ministry and Resurrection Showing the Kingdom of God

As the last Adam, Christ revealed God's final blueprint to us through His life on earth. Why did the Lord heal the sick, cast out demons, and preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God? It is because that is the final picture God designed from the beginning. Through His public ministry, the Lord directly demonstrated that Kingdom where sorrow, disease, and tears are wiped away, all suffering and sin vanish, and the power of Satan is destroyed, so that God may dwell with us forever.

 

The Lord did not come merely to heal physical illnesses or fill worldly deficiencies; He showed in advance the reality of the Kingdom of God that is to come. The most brilliant pinnacle of that ministry is the Resurrection. Through the Resurrection, the Lord illustrated the spiritual body and eternal glory we will put on at the last day, confirming that such a mystery will also happen to us. This is why the Bible calls Jesus' resurrection "the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." In this way, every day Jesus lived on earth was an eschatological life. This is because He pulled the completion of the Kingdom of God into the present.

 

Completing the Faith by Walking with the Lord

The Lord speaks to us with a voice of earnest love: "Now abide in Me. I have walked this path first, so now rest in My arms. I will carry you and hold you in My heart as I walk this path. Now, let us walk together. Fight against sin and move toward the Kingdom of God together. Never indulge or wander. How could another walk this glorious path in your stead? Only continue this holy march with Me."

 

Therefore, Genesis can never be fully read without the lens of the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As with the entire Bible, we must first clearly recognize God's completed picture and approach Genesis within that perspective. This is because Jesus is the One who fulfilled all the promises of Genesis. We must clearly know God's true purpose. If God's purpose were merely to take root in this land and enjoy secular prosperity, we would have lived only seeking materialistic blessings.

 

The Restoration of Adam as God's Image and the Church as Christ's Bride

Through the Bible, we have finally realized what God's true purpose is. It was the perfect restoration of 'Adam,' the image of God. To remold the broken Adam, Jesus Christ came to this earth. Also, the last Adam came to restore Eve, who stood by Adam's side. Thus, the eternal bride of Christ was born on this earth; that is the church, and that is you. You have now become beings who form a holy spiritual family with Christ.

 

The Bible teaches that the church, as the bride of Christ, should naturally bear children of life. Although Jesus Himself could go out into the world and preach the gospel, He delights in accomplishing that work through us, His bride. It is because we are the spiritual Eve of this era. Therefore, we must cherish the gospel in our hearts and run wherever the Lord calls to give birth to children of the gospel. God did not limit the number or insist on only one method, but He clearly gave us a mission. That is the creative command to "be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth," which is the Great Commission.

 

Deep Intimacy Enjoyed with Christ the Bridegroom

Where are we, who are called as the church, the bride of Christ, pouring our hearts right now? Of course, we cannot ignore the mountain of reality before us, and personal spiritual maturity is also very important. Then, how can we walk that path of maturity? The Lord shows a clear model through the institution of 'family.' Just as a home becomes peaceful when a wife deeply trusts and loves her husband, and the gift of children is given as a fruit of that love, the principle is the same.

 

Going out into the world to preach the gospel and bearing spiritual children is certainly a noble mission. However, there is an essential task that must precede that ministry. It is to share love more deeply and intimately with the Lord, our Bridegroom. Without the power of that love, how can we go out into the barren world? When spiritual intimacy with the Bridegroom is established, we finally gain the strength to conceive and give birth to true children of the gospel.

 

This is why the Bible constantly emphasizes staying close to Christ, our Bridegroom. Regardless of the era, the answer every pastor gives for spiritual growth is consistent, from Sunday school children to adults: "Read the Bible. Pray." What does this counsel—so natural and familiar that it is sometimes taken lightly—truly mean?

 

A Mature Family of Faith Realizing and Enjoying the Bridegroom's Love

Become intimate with the Lord, your Bridegroom. Listen to His delicate voice and honestly confess your heart to Him. Spend deeper time with the Lord and feel with your whole being how much He dearly treasures and loves you. Yet, why do we often react so indifferently whenever the Bridegroom expresses His love? Why do we avoid His gaze and look elsewhere whenever the Lord says He loves us?

 

Sometimes we complain that He does not immediately answer what we want. "I need a pair of good shoes right now, but my husband just keeps saying he loves me. Don't just say it; buy me the shoes!" Is this not a self-portrait of our faith? In such moments, God says to us: "The shoes are not the issue right now; look at Me. Am I not loving you this much?" This is why it is more precious than anything else for you to personally realize that deep love of God.

 

Of course, we should not just settle there simply because the time with the Bridegroom is overwhelming. A healthy family is a place where, based on love, children are born and raised, and through that series of processes, the couple matures together. All these dynamic processes are essential for our journey of faith. You have been called into such a heart-pounding history of God's salvation and are already within that glorious flow.

 

A Life Like a Missile Exploding the Gospel in the Field of Life

I feel the greatest regret when I see many people who believe in Jesus Christ but are buried in a lifeless religious routine. When our church was first established, I often told the saints: "Do you know why our church avoids big events and does not demand excessive church meetings from you?" It was not simply a consideration for you to have an easy religious life, but rather an encouragement for you to willingly suffer for the gospel in the world.

 

The place where you must explode the power of the gospel, the place where you must become a spiritual bomb to cause a holy ripple, and the place where you must actually prove the change in your life is never inside the church. There is no reason to consume precious energy by clashing with fellow believers inside the church. This place is merely a charging station where we learn the truth and receive grace through the fellowship of saints. The actual battlefield where you must launch the missile of the gospel is the field of life where you live.

 

In the fierce workplace every day, in the small conversations you share with your children, and in the place of the family where you dearly love your wife and truly respect your husband—you must gallantly explode with the gospel. Because that is the place of calling where God has sent you.

 

Loving the Saints and Becoming Dynamite Working in the World

Often, I see those who, due to excessive zeal for the church, lose the power to live out the Lord's will in the world. If you spend all your energy on church meetings and have no strength left to look after the field of life, that is not the healthy image of faith we should pursue. It is also different from the essential direction our church seeks.

 

Of course, being loyal to the community is a very precious thing. It means truly loving and serving the saint next to you. Since accepting and loving someone is never easy, the training of loving the saints itself becomes a holy process of preparing the gospel missile to be launched into the world. Furthermore, all the time spent working for missions or for souls in need is undoubtedly a noble dedication as well.

 

Dear saints, I earnestly ask of you. Do not become a bomb that causes conflict inside the church, but become protagonists who explode the power of the gospel outside in the world. Thus, prove to the people of the world that God is the One who works powerfully like dynamite and what kind of work He is doing in your life. Proclaim with your life why we can rejoice even in the midst of suffering and what is supporting us so firmly. I hope you live confidently, never forgetting that Jesus Christ is truly who He is and that we are within the history He reigns over.

 

The Meaning of Independence and Maturity as Citizens of the Kingdom of God

I often mention the independence movement of our country. What was the essential reason so many people were so joyful while shouting "Manse for Korean Independence"? Of course, the noble joy of recovering national sovereignty was great, but for most commoners, the sense of relief that "now the Japanese who oppressed us are gone; the fear that restricted our freedom and drove us to the battlefield is no more" might have been greater.

 

In fact, immediately after independence, there was no time to deeply ponder how to rebuild the country, what we were liberated for, or what we should prepare to reconstruct the nation. And we had to pay the price for that. For the past 80 years, we have spent a truly long time realizing one by one what a nation is, who the owner of this country is, and what I must do as a citizen.

 

During that short yet long time, we had to experience numerous trials and even the pain of dictatorship. However, through such painful experiences, we finally came to know what the rights of the people are and why those values are specified in the constitution, and our society has undergone a great change. In this way, Korea is gradually transforming into a more mature country, using its painful history as a foundation.

 

The Sad Sight of Faith Wandering Without a Mission

Although there are still many shortcomings, there is a fact we must remember. Confirming one's identity itself, such as "I am now a citizen of free Korea" or "I am a citizen of the United States," should not be the ultimate goal of our lives. It is in the same context that there are many concerned eyes toward current American society. The spirit of pursuing noble moral values and the common good that America once aimed for is gradually fading. Now, individual wealth and comfort have become the top priorities, and a value system is prevailing where people say, "As long as you let me eat well and live well, I don't care who becomes the leader." It is a truly fearful thing for a nation to drift away, losing its essence and direction.

 

But if such a phenomenon occurs within the church—that is, in the Kingdom of God—what could be more regrettable than this? Friends, we are already citizens who have entered the glory of the Kingdom of God. Yet, must we continue petty disputes over interests even within that holy Kingdom? If we argue over who is more capable or who is in a higher position, envying one another or trying to reveal ourselves, that is truly a meaningless thing. It is merely a waste of spiritual time and a waste of the noble life God has granted.

 

Our goal within the Kingdom of God is not to compete with each other to gain dominance. Rather, it is to advance toward God with one heart. Now is not the time to waste precious hours on vain pride battles, but a time to live faithfully, remembering the mission and purpose of existence that God has delegated to each of us.

 

People Clothed in Heaven, Living as the Image of God

Now is the time for us to seriously reflect on what we should live for as citizens of the Kingdom of God. We must deeply meditate on where my current spiritual coordinates are as His people, where we are ultimately headed, and how we can rejoice together with God. We must also contemplate how to love our Bridegroom, Jesus Christ, more passionately and how to live sharing intimate fellowship with Him.

 

Friends, do not forget. You are the precious image of God. Right now, the perfect Eden promised by the Bible has already begun within you. This is because the Holy Spirit of God has made His dwelling within you and is indwelling. You are those who possess a kingdom where sorrow no longer rules, and you are people who live looking toward that glory. Therefore, you can sing a song of joy instead of sorrow, put on the garment of praise instead of anxiety, and you are glorious beings who wear the crown of victory instead of being covered in ashes.

 

Never forget who you are. You are the people who have put on heaven. To borrow the rhetoric of the prophet Isaiah, you are 'trees of the LORD.' You are the trees planted personally by the LORD, the holy trees of life that will reveal God's glory to the whole world.

 

Trees of the LORD Bearing Fruits of Truth and Life

Today, too, you will stretch out the branches of faith in your respective places of life. You are the ones with the mission to stretch out branches of truth instead of lies, and branches of life instead of death. You are beings who must spread wide the branches of love instead of hatred. Also, you must produce lush leaves. You are those who produce words of encouragement and praise instead of harsh and ugly words, and people who sprout leaves of patience instead of impatience. You are the ones who bloom fragrant flowers in the garden of life today—beautiful trees blooming flowers of kindness, consideration, and mercy. This is the very essence of you who belong to the Kingdom of God.

 

Our prayer should naturally be like this: "Dear Lord, I will live a life of bearing fruit today. I will produce branches of life from the root of my existence and grow leaves of hope. Lord, let those leaves be leaves of consideration and kindness, and let those stems be stems of love and patience. I earnestly desire to bear fruit that pleases the Lord today. Lead me to bear the holy fruit of God, and fully clothe my life with Your Kingdom."

 

Let us pray.

Lord of love, please clothe our entire being, from head to toe, with Your Kingdom. Let us clearly realize what kind of fruit we should bear today and in which direction we should stretch our branches. Let us stretch out stems of life in union with Christ, the true vine, and let the whole world see and know that God is with us. We earnestly hope that the majestic glory of God will be revealed through us.

 

In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.