Genesis 21 - The Revealed and the Hidden - Part 1

The Word of God is Genesis chapter 3, verses 14 to 19. Let us listen attentively together to the Word of God.

 

“The LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.” And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”” Amen.  

 

Covenant Breaking and Its Consequences

We are continuing to examine the content of Genesis. Up to chapter 11, Genesis records the stories of the prehistoric era, before the patriarchal age of Abraham. Then, starting from chapter 12 up to chapter 50, the stories of Abraham and the patriarchs are recorded in earnest. Among the stories of the prehistoric era, chapters 1 through 3 detail how creation progressed, what events occurred during that process, how humans fell, and what God did in response. Therefore, this section can be said to occupy the most important part of the entire Bible.  

 

Adam and Eve broke the covenant they made with God. So, the passage we read today shows what happened to the serpent, the woman, and the man as a result of that broken covenant.  

 

The Curse: Just Cause and God's Righteousness

First, in today's passage, we can see the first appearance of a word we greatly dislike. It's in the sentence, ‘The serpent is cursed above all animals and above all wild creatures; on your belly you shall go and dust you shall eat all the days of your life,’ where the word “curse” is used. Regardless of how it's interpreted, the word "curse" is not a pleasant one. In the Bible, the word "curse" is recorded as something that appears only when there is a just cause and is enacted as a result. From the book of Proverbs: “Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying, a curse that is causeless does not alight.” Right? A curse without any reason, like a sparrow or swallow continuously flitting and flying without landing, is something that does not happen, it says.  

 

You too have probably heard many stories about curses. Some believe that if someone wrongs a pastor, and that pastor curses them during prayer, their family's affairs will not go well for several generations. This is like thinking of a pastor on the level of a shaman. I repeat, even if there is some curse, if it lacked a just cause, as the Bible guarantees, that event absolutely cannot happen. Such a curse has no power. Therefore, if you hear or experience such a curse related to any matter, the first thing to consider is not whether you felt good or bad about the curse, but whether there was a just reason for it. And the most frightening aspect of the curse God pronounces now is that it is just. So, while it might seem like a curse is being received based on the apparent facts, righteousness is actually being revealed within it. Because this is an event where God's righteousness is revealed, our mouths are shut, and we can say nothing.  

 

The Content of the Curse: The Multifaceted Meaning of Death

What we need to understand from today's passage is that its contents are not entirely new. God had already declared, through the covenant made with Adam after finishing creation, that we would surely die if this covenant were broken. Then, is God now talking again about the punishment Adam and Eve must pay for sin? God is not now speaking of other consequences of sin that humans must pay besides the penalty of death. When we think of the death mentioned in Genesis, we tend to easily recall the death where a person's breath stops, they leave this world, and rest in the Lord's embrace. However, the Bible does not speak of death in such a narrow sense. And today's scripture accurately explains what the death that has come upon us truly entails.  

 

Then what exactly is that death? If the death spoken of in the Bible is not simply the cessation of breath and complete stopping of brain function, how should we rightly understand that death? The Bible explains it this way: our death resulting from sin is described as a part of life that deeply affects our entire lives, regardless of our circumstances, in all aspects of our existence. Therefore, not only our physical death, but our personality and all parts of our lives are included within this death. In the passage we will examine today, the contents of that death are depicted very seriously. Women were given pain in pregnancy and childbirth, the relationship between husband and wife was broken, men received the curse of labor becoming painful, and the ground was also cursed, becoming painful. And finally, humans received the curse that because they came from dust, they would return to dust. Literally meaning death.  

 

A Futile Life?: "Hymn of Death" and Returning to Dust

Truly a futile result. If the end for all humans is simply dust, could there be anything more futile? In 1926, during the Japanese colonial period, among the early popular songs in Korea, a song called ‘Hymn of Death,’ sung by Yun Sim-deok, became popular. Listening to the song evokes a sense of emptiness. The song begins with the line ‘O lives running through the vast wilderness’. She wrote the lyrics herself. I don't know if she was a Christian, but she used the word wilderness in the lyrics. And in the middle of the song, she expressed that pitiful life is like dancing on the edge of a sword. The chorus of the song goes like this: ‘Will this world made of tears end when I die? O life seeking happiness, what you seek is futility.’ She was the first Korean woman to study abroad in Japan, majoring in voice, and became a soprano singer. She returned to Korea triumphantly and became very famous as a singer and actress. And she became very popular by releasing an album containing this song, Hymn of Death. At that time, she would have been the foremost elite among Korean women. However, the conclusion she reached about life was embodied in the lyrics of this chorus. Everyone longs for happiness, but the end is always futility. Yet, a story similar to the lyrics of this song is recorded in today's passage. If one considers that humans, originating from dust, return to dust, then that life truly cannot be but futile.  

 

Bound Existence: The True Meaning of the Curse

And this is the curse we must receive. Thus, the word curse in today's scripture indeed gives us an unpleasant feeling. The Hebrew word for this is ‘arar’ (אָרַר, H779). The original meaning of this word is to bind something. Therefore, the meaning that human relationships were cursed implies that all relationships between humans, including the male-female relationship, are bound. Not only that, but our sacred labor, the power and wealth we accumulate, and even death itself are all bound. In other words, it means we have become slaves to everything. Thus, if we possess money, we become slaves to that money; if we have time, that time binds us like slaves; and our strength makes us slaves to power. And finally, we become slaves to death, destined eventually to succumb to death. The curse in today's passage is truly bleak, but as mentioned earlier, the fact that this curse is just makes us even more dumbfounded. The fact that receiving such a curse is just makes us even more despairing. If this were unjust and wrong, we could resist and defend ourselves. But just as we know ourselves all too well, we ourselves became adversaries of God, people sitting in God's place, and the Bible accurately points out our fault in falling into such a situation, making it all the more baffling. That is why today's passage, which seems to end in death and curse, cannot help but be dark.  

 

A Twist in Despair: Adam's Confession "Eve" (Life)

The passage we read today goes up to verse 19. But I want to examine what content appears in chapter 3, verse 20. Verse 20 reads: “The man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.” How about that? Doesn't such a suddenly surprising and astonishing statement give you goosebumps? Until now, we have been continuously hearing about God's curse, judgment, and death. But suddenly, in this verse 20, such a story emerges. According to our thinking, it seems like a scene where a resigned Adam confesses his fault to God and willingly accepts the punishment of returning to dust should appear. Or, it's easy to expect a scene where he falls down at God's feet, begging for forgiveness. If not that, one could also anticipate a scene where he is too shocked to move a single step, frozen on the spot, or runs far away to hide. However, the reaction that follows is truly astonishing to us. Adam, who had been hearing God's curse regarding death, suddenly gives Eve another name, "Eve" (Hawwah). This Hawwah is a Hebrew word meaning life. So, this is somewhat like a child being severely scolded by their mother for poor grades, and as soon as the scolding ends, asking, 'Mom, when do we eat?'—a rather out-of-context remark. Adam is saying something completely irrelevant. While talking about death and judgment, he suddenly changes the woman's name to Life.  

 

Hidden Life: The Gospel Concealed in the Curse

Why did he do that? Adam, in the midst of the revealed situation of God's justice, judgment, and curse, was seeing something we failed to notice. That is, Adam accurately understood the core of the story and, because of that, spoke the word "life". Although God cursed, judged, and spoke of punishment, Adam saw life there. He was seeing the hidden life.  

 

Interpreting the Curse on the Serpent (Satan)

Let's now examine how this might have been possible. First, I want us to think about the serpent. Verse 14 says, ‘The serpent is cursed above all livestock and all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life’. Everyone, we have already examined in detail what kind of being this serpent was. That is, the serpent in Genesis is somewhat different from the common crawling snake we generally speak of. Because the snakes we know do not live by eating dust. As we well know, they survive by eating rodents or small creatures. But today's scripture says the serpent became a being that must continually eat dust, so we can see that this serpent is different from the animal we know. As we examined, this serpent is one of Satan's names. From the expression in Revelation, ‘This is the ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan,’ we can also understand that this serpent signifies Satan and the devil.

Although the name Serpent appeared, the Bible does not clearly reveal in what form it appeared in today's event. Some, based on today's verse, understand that the serpent, which once had legs, lost them after being cursed. Of course, interpreting it literally like this cannot be called wrong. However, if you think about it again, rather than taking it literally that the serpent, which doesn't even eat dust, was cursed and lost its legs, it might be good to consider another hidden meaning within this. God cursed the serpent for what it did, and due to that curse, our entire human race suffers. Yet the punishment is merely losing legs and crawling. Does this make sense logically? You understand there might be another meaning here, right? Today's passage is not trying to find the origin of why serpents lost their legs and had to crawl.  

 

Then in what way and to say what was today's Bible passage written? To understand this, it would be important to find similar expressions throughout the Bible. In the Bible, eating dust or dirt, and crawling on the ground, were often used to describe the most miserable and debased state. Particularly, this expression was frequently used to describe the enemies opposing Israel. Micah 7:17 reads: "They shall lick the dust like a serpent; they shall come trembling like crawling things of the earth out of their strongholds; they shall turn in dread to the LORD our God, and they shall be in fear of you.” "They" in the passage refers to the nations that attacked and harassed Israel. And as you read in the text, it says that before God, before the people of Israel, they will become like worms crawling on the ground, and lick dust like serpents. This is a typical way these words are used in the Bible, and such expressions appear frequently in other parts as well. And what we can learn from this is clearly that this serpent will become lower than livestock or wild animals. It will fall to a position lower than living animals. So, how far does the serpent, Satan, who was in the position of an angel, fall? According to the record in Revelation, they fall into the abyss (mujeogaeng - 무저갱). Here, abyss means a deep tunnel with no bottom. Therefore, the curse received by the serpent in today's passage—eating dust and crawling on its belly—is an expression signifying that Satan receives the severe punishment of falling into the abyss. And through this expression, it simultaneously shows how heavy the sin committed by Satan was.  

 

Enmity with the Woman: War of the Two Seeds (Protoevangelium)

And another curse is that this serpent becomes an enemy of the woman. And also an enemy of her offspring. So a war arises between the two. A literal translation of today's expression means God will put hostility between the serpent and the woman. So, many people commonly think that now, finally, the serpent and humans become enemies, and God will save us through the offspring of this woman, Jesus Christ.  

 

Who are the Offspring of the Woman and the Serpent?

And the fact that the offspring of the woman is Jesus Christ is largely not incorrect. However, the word "offspring" here can be taken singularly, but can also be interpreted as plural, meaning multiple individuals. And it is clear that the offspring of the woman are humans. Because the woman in this passage is Eve. Then, following that logic, the offspring of this woman would generally be humanity, i.e., people.  

 

Then, in contrast, what would be the offspring of Satan? Have you ever heard a story about devils and Satan perhaps having children? If not, then what exactly are their offspring? Are they demons or similar ghost-like beings? No. And seeing it used in contrast to the offspring of the woman in today's passage, we can infer that the offspring of this serpent are also humans. If we have thought this far, today's content is, in a way, a story that becomes a huge turning point in the entire Bible. That is, the statement that the serpent will have an enemy means God will place some entity completely different from this serpent on earth to make it an adversary to the serpent. This means that now two kinds of offspring will exist on earth.  

 

The Church: Offspring of the Woman

The offspring of the woman are people. Moreover, this woman's name soon becomes 'Life'. So, people possessing life are the offspring of the woman. Then what are the offspring of the serpent? Since this offspring cannot be the serpent's young, here it means those belonging to Satan. That is, they would be people who follow Satan.  

 

Then, physically speaking, whose offspring should all humans actually be? They should be Eve's offspring. Since humans cannot be born from any other being besides Eve. All should be Eve's offspring. Yet, the Bible now speaks of the offspring of Eve, i.e., the offspring of the woman, while simultaneously revealing that there are offspring of Satan who are not the offspring of the woman. Consequently, many people, thinking a bit more deeply this time, interpret the offspring of Satan as the descendants of Cain. They think the offspring of Satan mentioned here are the descendants of Cain, who will appear shortly, and in contrast, the offspring of the woman are the descendants of Seth, Cain's younger brother. Such an interpretation could also hold significant truth. However, a fact that cannot be explained by this interpretation is that the descendants of Cain were all wiped out during Noah's flood. None of Cain's descendants remained; they all died in the flood. Only the descendants of Noah, who was a descendant of Seth, survived. Therefore, we can naturally conclude that the offspring of Satan are not the descendants of Cain either.  

 

Then who are the offspring of Satan? Before examining this, let's first think more deeply about what the offspring of the woman refers to. It is clear that the offspring of the woman does not refer to all of humanity, as we might think. Then whose descendants are they? The offspring of the woman are, first and foremost, entities that will oppose Satan and his offspring. Then, who is the entity today that we can think of as opposing this world? Who is fighting against the world's values, all the evils of the world, the things within that sin, continuing the war in this world right now? Yes, that entity is the Church. And in the Old Testament, it could be Israel.  

 

This fact is again proven in the final book of the Bible, Revelation. If you look at Revelation 12, there is a scene where a woman gives birth to a son. Who does that son later become? Christ. And who was that woman? Was it God? No. Here, the woman was the Church. It expresses God sending Jesus Christ into this world through His people. The descendants whom God protected and guided until Jesus Christ came to this earth are called the offspring of the woman. And speaking of them again, they signify Israel in the Old Testament and the Church in the New Testament, that is, God's people. Then who would that be now? It refers precisely to you, to us. The offspring of the woman appearing in Genesis 3 is precisely you.  

 

For many, finding Jesus in this passage is also extremely important and meaningful. And rightly so. If interpreted singularly, the offspring of the woman in this passage correctly refers to Jesus Christ. However, if this offspring is viewed as plural, it becomes the Church. Because this word includes both cases.  

 

Our Identity: From Offspring of Satan to Offspring of the Woman

An explanation for this is well presented in Romans 16:20. “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.” If a Jew or someone familiar with the Old Testament read this, what would they think of first? It would be the content of Genesis 3 that we are examining today. Naturally. Then who does 'you' (plural) refer to here? Does it refer to Jesus? No. It refers to the saints in Rome, i.e., the Church. He is saying that the saints too will place Satan under their feet. Why did that become possible? It wasn't through their own strength or ability. It was possible precisely because Jesus Christ did so. Because Christ crushed Satan under His feet, we, God's people, can now also become those who crush Satan underfoot, those who bruise them, He is saying. Therefore, we come to understand very clearly what kind of person a saint is. Namely, the saint is one who crushes the head of Satan. And the offspring of Satan are those deceived by Satan and dragged along by this world. They are the multitude of people who do not know God and follow Satan.  

 

Now, if we have reached this conclusion, the words that follow should be sufficient to surprise us. If you have followed my explanation well up to this point, many have come to think that this church refers to the offspring of the woman in Genesis 3, and naturally, you might be thinking that we are the offspring of the woman. However, if you thought of us as the offspring of the woman, I apologize, but that is not true. The offspring of the woman must be God's people. But who were Eve's descendants? If they were God's people, could they become people who rebelled against God and left Him? That is why in this passage, only the phrase "offspring of the woman" appears continuously, and the phrase "offspring of Adam" is not used. Because, strictly speaking, you and I are descendants of Adam, closer to the offspring of Satan.  

 

Adam's Faith and the Beginning of Salvation

Are you upset? But do you understand why, after calling us the church earlier, I am now referring to us as descendants of Satan? Because at the moment the events of this passage are occurring, Adam and Eve are closer to Satan's side than God's side. Yet now, God is speaking about one offspring, one lineage, that naturally could not appear. At this point in time, it is a lineage that could not emerge according to the Bible. Because we are all beings who rebelled against God, left God according to our own desires, listened to Satan's words, took his side, and came forth claiming we would become God ourselves. Therefore, none of us were beings who could be included in the offspring of the woman that the Bible is now speaking of. That being the normal state, God is now saying He Himself will create the offspring of the woman. Adam, hearing those words, finally chooses the side of the offspring of the woman. He declares, from now on, this woman is the living one, the mother of the living, and the woman God promised is you. That is how, finally, all people, starting with Adam, could become the offspring of the woman. The offspring of the living emerge. That is precisely what we call ‘salvation’. He transferred us, who were in darkness, into the kingdom of light. That salvation occurred.  

 

The Greatest Grace: Our Names in the Plan of Salvation

In what way did He do it? It happened by Jesus Christ crushing the head of Satan for us, thereby adopting us as the offspring of the woman. This is precisely salvation. Through such an act, you and I became the offspring of the woman, and could become the Church.  

 

As we believe in Jesus and live our faith, there are truly many joys, big and small. Many moving events also happen. Even during the short span of the past week, you likely experienced many things in your daily lives that felt impossible without God's grace. Some might have received test results at the hospital, learning that a small lump found inside was not a tumor but a small cyst removable by surgery, and sighed in relief, thanking God. Others might have been constantly praying for a troublesome child, and experienced God's grace as that child turned their heart back to God, offering deep gratitude. Some might recall when they first immigrated to America. With empty hands and no bank balance, praying to God for their family amidst hardship, miraculously enduring the tough immigrant life and making it to this day—you have such memories, right? That too is incomparable grace from God and infinite gratitude. We are all people living with such memories. We testify to the many evidences of grace received and praise God. It is such beautiful and precious grace.  

However, do you realize that an event incomparably greater than the testimonies of grace you hold is occurring in the event of today's passage? God, who created the universe and all things, decided to save us, one insignificant creature among His creations, us who abandoned God and sought to live as we pleased. He sent His only begotten Son to bear the cross, made us live in the new history within that time of salvation, and decided to begin and complete that history. Consequently, He enabled us, who were incapable, to come before God, allowed us to worship that God, and granted us the privilege to call that God Father. Although it is such a vast and immense story, this content might not deeply move you. We might still be more thankful for our health improving slightly or finding a good job, rather than the miracle involving the entire history of the universe for our sake.  

 

The Folly of Rejoicing in Small Things

But we must remember this. God planned everything to make you the offspring of the woman from Genesis, to lead you out and make you His people of salvation, and He placed your name within that plan. Your name is on the list of the offspring of the woman in Genesis 3. Are you still not moved by this?  

 

Imagine someone climbing a very high and long railing, missteps, tumbles down a long way, and everyone around thinks they must be dead. They run to the person to see what happened. But the person who fell, after lying on the ground for a while, suddenly gets up, completely unharmed, alive and well. And they exclaim! They rejoice over finding two quarters at the spot where they fell, delighting in that small gain. What would the people who saw this scene think, and what would they say to the person who survived? If you witnessed that spectacle, what would you want to tell that person? We might be just like that person who survived. Completely oblivious, unaware of the fact that they died and barely came back to life, rejoicing only in the small things right before their eyes.  

 

Unshakeable Foundation: God's Eternal Decree

If something good happens to a child you raised so lovingly, you would naturally be happy, right? If a severe illness came upon you, and by God's grace you miraculously recover, that too is certainly a joyous occasion. We know very well that all these are things to be joyful and thankful for. However, we must realize that these things visible in reality can also be things that bring you down. What if your illness doesn't heal even after praying? What if, despite praying, the necessary material provision doesn't come, and your children cause trouble and don't live proper lives? What will you hold onto then? What is the real foundation that makes you content even in such situations? The declaration in Genesis 3, the fact that God, who made your name among the offspring of the woman at the foundation of the world, ultimately gathered us into this place of worship today, at this very hour, to praise Him—that astonishing fact is the basis proving that no one can shake us, and nothing can make us fall. If we know the depth of that great love of God, no one can shake you and me. Even if our lives seem twisted beyond repair, how can my life, saved by God, be unfortunate? Because you are recorded as the offspring of the woman, because of God who planned for me from the beginning of history and accomplished that work, not just because of the mere word that He chose me in His eternal decree, but because He ultimately fulfilled that word and, in a marvelous and mysterious way, made me confess Jesus Christ as Savior—because of that Lord, the more I think about it, the deeper my life must be. It cannot help but be different.  

 

The True Meaning of 'Predestination': Sovereign Grace

Everyone, we sometimes talk about being chosen. That's correct. In God's eternal decree, you became the offspring of the woman and came to this place as the church. Then, because God decreed and chose everything from the beginning, can only those chosen for salvation ultimately go to God? Absolutely not. Nowhere in the Bible is such an expression found. The very important reason why the word "predestination," involving God's decree, is used, is this. If you understood the word "Predestination" simply according to its etymology as 'a state where the destination is already determined,' you have not properly grasped the deep meaning of God contained in the word predestination as spoken of in the Bible. Within this word predestination is included the meaning that not by our condition of inevitably being sinners, but by God's sovereignty, He radically rescued us from darkness and transferred us to the place of salvation, thus making God the Lord of our salvation. And expressing that in other words becomes precisely ‘grace’. And it is not my grace, but entirely God's grace. And the word used as a last resort to express that inexpressible meaning is precisely ‘predestination’. Therefore, only when we understand this correctly do we realize how much God loves us, and that gives us great comfort.  

 

Experiencing Eternity: Called by Faith

Thus, we must properly understand the grace of God contained in this predestination, and if we misunderstand its meaning, it will become a major obstacle to establishing our faith correctly. When the word predestination is used in the Bible, we can see that the word ‘eternal’ is always used alongside it. The reason is to express that it is not within our purview and belongs to a realm entirely beyond our comprehension. We can say things like this. ‘This is eternal,’ or ‘He determined it in eternity’—we can use such expressions. But it means it is a concept belonging to a realm we cannot actually understand or experience.  

 

I once personally witnessed a caterpillar become a chrysalis and transform into a butterfly, then fly away. Looking closely at this caterpillar, it just seemed creepy, and I couldn't possibly imagine this wriggling thing becoming a chrysalis and then a butterfly. We all know that the caterpillar has the genetic factors within its cells to become a butterfly. And eventually, it becomes a butterfly and flies away. However, no matter how much you explain this fact to caterpillars, you probably couldn't make them understand that they will transform into butterflies and fly away. Because for the caterpillar, this is a story on a different dimension. Similarly, neither predestination nor eternity is a dimension we can experience. However, the moment God accomplishes that work in our lives, we become able to experience it. That's why we say, ‘I believed’. And we use expressions like ‘I went to Jesus’ or ‘I received Jesus’. Because that is what we experience and the words we can use to express it. Of course, expressing it like this seems accurate. ‘Not because I believed myself, but because God made me believe’. However, such an expression doesn't aid our understanding. And it doesn't accurately represent what the Bible intends to say either. Because God did not work that way. You and I, very mysteriously, are people who have experienced that work within eternity. Although we cannot fully explain that eternity, we possess it all right now.  

 

Life as the Woman's Offspring: Struggle and Victory

We too come to know all this through God's work. God rescued us from darkness and called us children of light. There was 'that day,' 'that time,' and 'that memory'. Even if we don't remember it all, we can speak of and confess such events. Throughout history, we are still learning about that salvation from God. That's why salvation inevitably includes the past, present, and future. You constantly experience that salvation as you walk with the Lord through life. You constantly confirm and remember that you are the offspring of the woman. God placed that mark in my life—that I am the offspring of the woman—and because of it, we come to know that nothing can shake me. That's why we become thankful. And naturally, we inevitably come forth not as losers in this world, but as those who crush Satan, the representative of this world. And simultaneously, we emerge as those whose heels are bruised.  

 

Suffering with Christ

We know that Jesus' heel being bruised represents His crucifixion. We learned in Bible study that Jesus is the offspring of the woman, and the serpent bruising his heel refers precisely to the event of Jesus being crucified. However, for us, this event always ends as only Jesus' story. That's why, even after learning good doctrine, it doesn't become ours and fails to give us any strength. The power of believing in Jesus Christ does not manifest in us. What does the Bible say today? It clearly states that you are included in the offspring of the woman. The Bible tells us that you are the one who crushes Satan's head, the one crucified with Christ, the one who enjoys everything of Christ together with Christ, the one whose name is included among the offspring of the woman. This word is not dead doctrine, but an event that truly happens to us along with the amazing works Christ performed in your lives. Therefore, it is fitting that we suffer hardship. If Jesus' heel was bruised, ours must be bruised too. It is fitting to suffer with Christ. Believing in Jesus is constantly being crucified with Him. Those who have crucified their sins and desires, those who have crucified their hateful feelings towards others, know well how difficult and painful those acts are. Those who have crucified their own hearts know well how hard it is to yield and be patient for others' sake, even when it goes against their own desires. And today, the Bible requires that of us. Because Jesus Christ lived that way. That is the way we enjoy all things in Christ. If there is joy and pleasure received from crushing Satan's head and achieving victory through Christ, then simultaneously, we must also participate in the sufferings received together with Jesus Christ.  

 

Faith That Grasps the Promise

Such people do not follow the promises of the world but look to the promise of Jesus Christ. One might think Jesus' promise is rather like grasping at clouds. Some, after hearing a sermon, want to apply the message more concretely in their daily lives. But everyone, where in the Bible are there words of concrete application? The Bible does not forbid enjoying alcohol or tobacco. The Bible does not comment on our actions of holding onto our phones all day, surfing the internet. The Bible is not a book containing concrete applications. It simply gives promises. ‘I will glorify you.’ How? Well, how will He accomplish it? It's an abstract promise, like grasping at clouds. Yet, today the Bible tells us that believers are people who grasp that. And He promises that we will become like Jesus Christ, people who share in Christ's glory and power. Even though it might seem intangible, He commands us to look to that cloud-like promise and walk that path. It is by no means an easy task. Yet, the Father asks us not just to be people who see and follow Him, but to become people who live together within the Father and walk that path together. He invites us to live together in Christ. Christ, who accomplished all things, is inviting us. ‘Be with me, hold onto me and live with me, drink from me, live by what I give and enjoy the life that comes from me together, struggle with me, rejoice because of me, and delight in me,’ He tells us. Christ will glorify us. Though money may not appear, nor bread materialize, we are those who look to that promise. So, the desire to clear my name from false accusations, the desire to retaliate against my enemies, even the desire to overturn everything—we lay all these down before God. We offer all our flawed hearts within the Lord's character. We are people who live not by my temperament but within Christ's character. We are people within Christ's success, not my failure. We are people within Christ's ‘righteousness,’ not my sin. That's why we pray, ‘Lord, deliver me, raise me up to live, and let me never fall again’. At that time, we can confess that Jesus' patience is my wisdom and patience.  

 

Finding Hidden Joy and Life (Example of Pastor Ju Gi-cheol)

We daily place Satan under our feet, and simultaneously, we daily carry our cross. And that we dwell not in darkness but in light was one of those hidden secrets. That is why Adam could speak of life in that darkness, in that curse. He saw the life hidden in that darkness and curse.  

 

The song ‘Hymn of Death’ by Yun Sim-deok, which I mentioned earlier, sounds very sad and tragic. However, the original song is a waltz-style military band piece called ‘Waves of the Danube’ by the Romanian composer Ion Ivanovici. The original piece is not sad but bright and cheerful. But here's an interesting fact. Someone wrote Korean lyrics for this song. A pastor you know very well. Pastor Ju Gi-cheol. Although the melody of the song sounds sad and plaintive, within it lay the hidden joy of a waltz. Pastor Ju Gi-cheol, knowing that hidden joy, attached his own poem ‘The Path Outside the Gate’ to this song and made it into a hymn. Of course, this song was removed from the hymnbook long ago. In the current hymnbook, a piece composed by Pastor Kim Nam-soo is attached to Pastor Ju Gi-cheol's poem, remaining under the title ‘Crimson Sunset in the Western Sky’. Perhaps because the original melody was used as a popular song, it was later changed to a different tune. However, in the original hymn, although it appeared as a popular song with a truly futile melody, the song actually contained the joy of a waltz, and its lyrics contained Pastor Ju Gi-cheol's praise, ‘The Path Outside the Gate’. Therefore, I thought this hymn, like Adam who saw a ray of light even in darkness, might be lyrics we who have heard this message could share together. And I would like to conclude today's sermon by reading those lyrics.  

“Binding my aching leg, healing my lame leg, opening my unseeing eyes, showing the path of eternal life, though I fall seven times and rise eight, I carry my cross rightly, let me too go to Golgotha’s high hill. Though the hill of the cross be ever so difficult, since it is the path the Lord walked, how could I not go? Lord’s disciple Peter went even upside down, so how could I not go for hardship, how could I not go for death ”  

 

Closing Prayer

Let us pray. In the midst of death, in the terror of death, in a world where one cannot help but sing of death, like God's people who knew there was actually life within it, like Adam, in this world where everything is dark, seems like despair, feels stifling and gloomy, Lord, allow us, Your beloved children, to see and grasp life. Lord, let us see it. Let us cling to Christ who came to the place of the woman's offspring for us. Let us thereby discover that our names too are in the name of the woman's offspring, realize we are not in the world of darkness but in the world of light, and rise up once again. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen!