Invitation
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 9616 |
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October 26, 2014 |
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 "We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him" (1 John 4:16).
Senior Pastor Dr. Jaerock Lee
In the parable recorded in Matthew 22, a certain king held a wedding banquet for his son and invited the guests. But those who were invited declined due to their businesses and family matters. Here, the one who gave the party symbolizes God, and the banquet is a heavenly banquet that will be held in the future. The banquet refers to the wedding banquet of the only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, and the saved believers.
God invited all peoples of the world. Even after hearing such good news, those who are filled with the lust of the world will not accept the invitation, but anyone who accepts this invitation with a poor heart can participate in the heavenly banquet.
Recently God sent an even more special invitation. The invitation is not just to a heavenly banquet but a banquet that will be held in New Jerusalem, the most beautiful of the heavenly dwelling places. Now, what kind of message is written on it?
1. In this invitation is the heart of God who wants to be with the dear ones forever
Some parents of this world say that the most emotion-filled moment of their lives was the time when they held their newborn baby for the first time. In fact, when viewed without love, giving birth to a baby and raising the child is suffering in itself. But parents generally do not feel that way at all.
They do not care about the inconvenience of being pregnant, the labor of childbirth, or the worries and hardships they have to go through for their children. Sometimes, they just forget all the worries of the world just by hearing the pure laughter of their children. They feel the happiness of life sharing love with their children as they grow up. When they work hard to support their children they do not grieve saying they are suffering because of their children. But rather they say they have a reason to live because of their children.
God's love in creating human beings is incomparably greater than this love of parents. God existed as the Light and voice throughout the entire universe in glory, and He Himself molded Adam and created Him. It was because He wanted to share love with him.
Just as parents would want to give only good things to their children, God made the best place, the heavenly kingdom, and He wanted to give him eternal happiness. But this eternal happiness could not just be given. God also had to go through the pains with endurance in the course of human cultivation.
The children will not be happy just because parents give them one-sided love. Parents and children can both be happy when children understand their parents and love them back. Humans cannot understand the value of light unless they experience darkness. They can feel the preciousness of God's love only when they experience relativity through sorrow, death, and pains of human cultivation.
In the course of human cultivation, it is not only the humans that are suffering. God also had to be patient and sacrifice greatly as well. He had to endure those who stood against God and even gave His only begotten Son onto the cross. However, because He looks forward to many souls who will be saved and come into the eternal heavenly kingdom, He still continues human cultivation with love. And it is not just for those children who will be merely saved that He is enduring so much. But it is to gain true children, and the city of New Jerusalem is the place that He prepared for such children.
When we see such a big and brilliant mansion, we can only be awestruck and overwhelmed. Some mansions are so beautiful that they are breathtaking and they make us feel we could just die to live there.
But Heaven and New Jerusalem in particular, is the place that God, who created this Earth and all the universe, made with the best of His wisdom and abilities. It cannot be compared with any place of this earth. He is inviting us saying, "My dear children, let us be here together. Let's live here in New Jerusalem sharing love forever." This is the desire of God contained in the invitation. I hope all of us will remember this desire of His and accept the invitation.
2. In this invitation is the earnest plea of God who is urging us to change our hearts
We are forgiven of our sins when we accept the Lord, but that is not the end. If we really believe in the precious blood of the Lord, we will turn away from sins and purify our hearts.
Today, so many believers live just like unbelievers. They take the lust of the world and practice unrighteousness and lawlessness. They say they will accept the invitation of God, but in fact they are not preparing to participate.
The aforementioned parable in Matthew chapter 22 also explains what will happen to such people. While the banquet was going on, the king was looking around the guests and found out who did not put on the wedding clothes. Matthew 22:12-13 says, "…and he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?' And the man was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."'
Here 'to put on the wedding clothes' is to purify our hearts. It is to cast away sins and evil as children of God who believe in the Lord. Our dwelling places in Heaven will be different according to the extent to which we change our hearts in our Christian lives. For us to enter into the best dwelling place in Heaven, New Jerusalem, we basically have to cast away all sins and become holy. Along with this, we have to be faithful in all aspects.
But being a Christian for a long time does not automatically remove sin and evil from our heart and prepare clean wedding clothes. We have to struggle individually against sins. Of course, nobody can cast away sins and evil and become holy by his own strength. We must receive God's grace and strength and the help of the Holy Spirit. But to receive such grace and strength, we have to exert our own efforts as well.
We have to pray fervently and sometimes offer up vowed prayer or fast to cast away evil. Sometimes we might be disheartened because we keep on finding our own evil even though we try so hard. But if we just keep going without giving up, eventually we will be able to cast away all evil. It means we will progress in preparing wedding clothes that are more pure.
Romans 8:18 says, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us." God knows this struggle is hard, but He also knows the glory of New Jerusalem. Because He has prepared such great glory there, with His love God is waiting for us to achieve sanctification. This is our Father God's love.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, God of love established Manmin Central Church 32 years ago and He has been accomplishing so many things since then. He has revealed to us secrets of the spiritual realm, manifested so many signs and wonders, and accomplished world evangelism greatly.
All those moments were a part of the plan that He made meticulously for a long time, to make true children who would accept the invitation to New Jerusalem and enter into it. It was the providence of God in establishing this church that He wanted to fill New Jerusalem with such children. Through this church, He wanted to send out this heavenly invitation to the entire world.
Later on the glory of God that will be revealed in this church will be incomparably greater than previously (Habakkuk 2:14). Many workers of spirit and whole spirit will lead countless souls to the Lord. With this vision in mind, Manmin Central Church will keep on going with greater fervor and devotion. Let us give all thanks and glory to God who will be lifted high among all nations and the whole world through Manmin.
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