Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Field:
As you know, during the May 19th national leaders' conference at East Garden, our True Father
asked us to produce a reference guide of 100 sermon outlines for use in nation-wide evangelical work.
You hold in your hands the fruit of Father's request.
The topically arranged sermon structures herein are particularly relevant and useful during this time of
fervent ecumenical activity. Never before in the history of our movement has there been such an
active and positive interchange with the traditional Christian community.
In keeping with this, our evangelists, many quite new to evangelical work, are being called upon to
produce sermon-type presentations of high standard day in and day out. This is not easy. I am certain
that is why Father commissioned this reference work.
You will notice that we have not chosen to write the sermons out in a word-byword fashion, but have
left them more in an idea-by-idea form. You might say that this leaves you the all-important 5% to
inject: your own thoughts, reflections and references to the immediate groups and circumstances
you find yourselves addressing. In short, this reference work will best serve you as a tool towards an
end, rather than an end in itself.
The 100 sermon structures in this Volume, though many have come out of this office, represent the
work of many of the best speakers within our movement. You will find a number of different
approaches and presentation styles. We have chosen not to blend everything down into one style in
the editing process, simply because there are needs for many kinds of representations and
approaches. Please try to read through the sermons completely. I believe they will express to you .
many good ideas, particularly in the areas of inter-Christian dialogue and co-operation, social. action,
the role of the church at this crucial time, and the daily life of following, God and Christ.
Please understand: these sermons are not intended to be Principle lectures in the strict sense. A
lecture is one thing, while a sermon is quite another.
Our True Father holds the record among all the greatest evangelists of history for the amount of time
he has spent teaching and giving guidance through his sermons.
Over two hundred volumes of sermons could be compiled from his speeches thus far! And yet he
touches our hearts so deeply whenever he speaks. Father has always delivered his sermons
extemporaneously, never referring to prepared notes. In the early days of our movement, Father told
us to give sermons in the same manner. He always emphasised that, more important than preparing
notes, we should meditate, pray, and speak based upon our deepest feelings about the experiences
of our daily lives of dedication.
I have found through my own experiences that, while giving sermons, special unexpected spiritual
inspirations will often come. Many times an audience has responded deeply when I added such
inspirations to the basic idea which I had planned in advance. Therefore, I would like to guide all
of you in your evangelical work in the same way that Father guided us. Please don't rely excessively
upon sermon outlines, but rather upon your own prayer, meditation, and deep experiences. Then
your sermons can become powerful and alive. If you become too caught up in the framework of a
sermon, you limit its vitality. Always give your audience not merely words, but life.
The most important ingredient will be your prayer, faith and confidence as you speak the Word of
God. Our Heavenly Father needs great voices at this time, and you and I have been asked by Him
and our True Parents to stand for them at this key moment in providential history.
I would like to express my gratitude to each of the speakers throughout our movement who have
contributed sermons to this reference guide. My thanks as well to David Hose and the Education
Department Staff, and to Robert Rattley for editing and producing this volume.
God bless you as you use this reference guide.
In Our True Parents' Names,
Reverend Chung Hwan Kwak
A1Who is God, who am I?
A2 Our Father
A3 Touching the Heart of God
A4 Does God know everything?
A5 The three blessings of God
A6 Faith in God's capability
A7 The greatness of the love of God
A8 Our destination is the world of spirit
A9 God's purpose for His people
A10 Where are we waiting for God?
A11 The distance between God and humankind
A12 O Lord, Why Hidest Thou Thyself in Times of Trouble?
A13 A Romance with the Rejected
B1 Repentance
B2 Repentance
B3 The orphanage
B4 The law of sin
B5 The sorrow of all things
B6 Realisation and repentance
C1 Pentecost through the three ages: the Old Testament time, the New
Testament time and the time of the Completed Testament
C2 Restoration of the sons and daughters of God
C3 What can you be proud of ?
C4 The signs of the times: the second coming of Christ
C5 On our way to the promised land
C6 Rebirth - our resurrection
C7 Salvation and the Messiah - the need for the return of the Messiah and
what His mission is
C8 A look at the last page
D1 Feed my sheep
D2 The personality of Jesus Christ
D3 Unprecedented declaration
D4 Jesus and the money changers - some lessons for temple keepers
D5 The story of Zacchaeus
D6 As I have loved you
D7 The faith of the Roman centurion
D8 The reach of the cross
E1 Judge not
E2 The kingdom in my brother (worshipping at the altar of my brother's temple)
E3 The value of life
E4 First aid for snakebites
E5 Love: you don't GET it, you GIVE it
E6 The key to motivation
E7 Faith and our responsibility (the Christian walk)
E8 The miracle of faith
E9 Lessons from Proverbs (I)
E10 Lessons from Proverbs (II)
E11 You eat the fruit of vineyards you did not plant
E12 Becoming a true offering on the altar of God
E13 Three dimensions of faith
E14 Job, and subjugating Satan
E15 Endurance
E16 Sacrificial love
E17 The mind of faith sees the opportunity, while the mind of unfaith
sees the difficulty
E18 Unforgettable person
E19 My brother's keeper - inner responsibility
E20 Prayer
E21 A good person
E22 The gift that keeps on giving
E23 The sacrificial heart
E24 The pathway of happiness
E25 Three types of believer
E26 The most precious relationship we have
E27 Follow the spirit of God
E28 I am my brother's keeper
E29 The four steps in the Christian life
E30 Stewardship
E31 The Self and the Kingdom
F1 The wise investor
F2 You shall know them by their fruits
F3 The importance of hope
F4 Of times and seasons
F5 Education of the heart
F6 The courage of a prophet
F7 The-whole armour of God
F8 The mountain of the Lord
F9 Hope does not disappoint us
F10 Love and justice
F11 A mustard seed
F12 Some have entertained angels unawares
F13 There will be no poor among you
F14 The golden calf - still among us?
F15 Comm-unity building
F16 A company of one heart and soul
F17 Care in the age of narcissism
F18 Serving tables and preaching the word (1)
F19 Serving tables and preaching the word (2)
F20 Doing true love
F21 Unification through Pentecost
F22 Beyond all straining
F23 I'm never going back
F24 The new Pentecost
F25 The water of Rephidim
F26 Love in action
F27 The keys to the kingdom are in your hands
F28 Unity through co-operation
G1 America
G2 The fulfilment of the law
G3 Loving a child named America
G4 America in the last days
G5 The source of America's strength
G6 The truth shall make us free
A1
Sermon Topic: Who is God, who am I?
Bible Verse: Romans 1:20
Sermon Theme: God's character is expressed in creation. We can learn of him, our relationship, and ourselves.
Main Idea: God is like an artist. When we look at a work of art we see the
nature of the artist. The same is true with God (Romans 1:20).
What do we see when we look at Gods handiwork? God created
man in his image (Gen. 1:27): male and female. Therefore we
can say that God's image is the parental form. We can also see
parental character in the way that God has expressed himself in
the creation.
1. Beauty - We see beauty in creation. Just as I relate to beauty with
my emotions, so the creation involves the investment of beauty from the emotional side of God. God is a God of emotion.
2. Order and lawfulness - Order and lawfulness in creation express
the great intellect of the creator. God is a God of intellect who is aware or conscious of me on a personal level . . . "God knows the number of hairs .... 11
3. Purposefulness - Everything has a purpose; everything is moving to
fulfil some preordained purpose. Therefore my creator is a God of will. God has a plan or purpose for creation and, therefore, for my life.
God is emotionally involved with us, he knows us better than we know ourselves, he wants our life to be of the highest potential and ideal. . . . Who is he? God is our True and Original Parent and we are his children.
Summary: God is our True Parent and I find myself through the filial
response to his unconditional, sacrificial, Parental love. We are
therefore his children and also we are therefore brothers and sisters.. One Family.
A2
Matthew 7: 7-12
I. Ways of viewing God: judge, distant, energy, etc. Illustrate.
II. What does the Bible say?
A. God is PARENT.
B. Man is God's child.
III. What does "parent" mean7
A. To self. (Tie in with above notions of God; illustrate.)
B. What's your desire as a parent7
1. To give life, physical and spiritual.
2. To love through everything. (Personal example.)
3. Not necessarily the same as your own parent, but the parent you want to be.
C. Why should God be any different?
1. We are made in God's image (quote Genesis).
2. Learn the heart of God, the parent, through loving others as a parent.
IV. What is your response during times of trouble?
A. Self as parent:
1. Do we kick out our children because they make a mistake?
2. We want to help.
3. Limitations: we can perhaps dominate aspects their external life, but we
cannot dominate their internal life.
B. God is in the same position:
1. People complain that God doesn't care.
a) Do we ever tell Him the problem?
b) Do we ever open our heart?
1) We are often afraid of the junk inside ourselves.
2) We are often afraid that God won't like us.
3) But God already' knows it all.
2. Put yourself in the same position: what is your response to your child?
C. Conclusion: God cares but we must receive him.
1. We must open up ourselves to let God in - share things, talk to God.
2. God is a God of love. That means he loves each of us. It's not
a generalised "them" or "mankind", but a personal "you", me.
3. God is your parent. God is my parent.
That means he loves you.
A3
Matthew 5:8 "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God."
There are three realms in which a person can live: the aesthetic, the moral or ethical, and the
religious.
I. THE AESTHETIC
A. The aesthetic realm is the realm of feeling and experience. It is the non-verbal realm of art:
dance, music, painting.
B. It is also the non-verbal realm of religion pietisrn, monasticism, the mode of the hermit.
C. Feeling is the basis of love, religion - all life. Feeling is the vehicle that takes us into the heart of
God and into the heart of others.
1. However, feeling can be misused.
a) When people centre upon feeling and experience, projecting them into the most important
position in their lives, then the me generation can come into existence. "Nothing matters but how I f
eel about things. If I don't feel good about doing what I'm doing then I won't do it any more."
These are the words of the person who is locked into the aesthetic realm.
b) Commercials often expertly reveal the heart of people. Recently Toyota has been using the
motto OH, WHAT A FEELING. The people of the United States, and all the developed countries
for that matter, have placed feeling and experience upon their altars as the god worthy of their
adoration.
c) If the feeling were the feeling of sorrow and joy that is God's sorrow and joy then that would be
a virtue rather than a vice. However, the feeling that Toyota is exploiting and tapping is the feeling
of pleasure and comfort.
d) The feelings of pleasure and comfort are not evil in and of themselves. They are evil only when
they take the foremost place of importance in a person's life: Then they become idols and must be
cast down from their altars.
D. The aesthetic realm is the most fundamental realm of all: without feeling there cannot be love
and happiness. Without love and happiness, there cannot be a relationship with God, with
humanity, or with creation that is meaningful. But we are not meant to fixate in that realm.
1. Hippies, the Woodstock Generation, have reminded us of the importance of feeling and
experience in our technological world, but they do not do the world or themselves a service if they
fixate upon the experience of sensual pleasure.
E. Once we are in touch with love and experience as the foundation, as the cornerstone, of our
experience with God, each other, and creation, then we have to move on to the next realm, the
moral or ethical realm.
II. THE MORAL OR ETHICAL REALM
A. The moral or ethical realm is the realm of principles of rules.
1. Our feelings need a guide; our experience needs interpretation. Holy Scriptures present us with
the principles we live by.
2. Morality, or ethics, is the guide for feeling, but it does not take the place of feeling - moral
principles are the keel of the boat, not the wind in the sails.
a) The wind in the sails is the Holy Spirit the feeling of God's love within and throughout our heart,
soul, body; the feeling of God's love that binds us one with another; and the feeling of God's love
between the person and creation.
B. There is a danger inherent to being born in a moral or ethical, a "religious" family: that is the danger that doctrine or
ritual will supplant real faith.
1. That is the danger of the established religions. Those who bring new rituals and doctrines, the prophets, are
deemed to be dangerous to society by those who live strictly in the realm of morality or ethics.
2. Morality protects social welfare but its observance can become more important than what it protects: God's Love.
C. The paradox of the moral realm is that although it is essential for the proper guiding of feeling and experience (the
aesthetic), it often solidifies into ritual and doctrine, blocking the way to the next and most important realm, the religious
realm.
1. Those who are locked into the moral realm will usually oppose those who personally encounter the living God, those
who enter the religious realm.
III. THE RELIGIOUS REALM
A. The religious realm is the realm of direct experience with God.
1. It is the realm in which God speaks directly to you.
2. It is the I and Thou realm.
3. It is the realm of personal encounter with God.
B. The religious realm is reached when a person has successfully passed through and incorporates the esthetical and the moral realms. The person is living and moving freely through all three realms at the same time.
1. It is the realm in which the person who experiences love, tempered by moral principles, comes into a direct relationship
with God in which he is able to suspend the moral principles he has been taught if God directs him to
perform an act that requires it.
2. A case in point is the case of Abraham. *2
a) Abraham was a man who loved his family; he was a principled man, a moral man. Yet when God
directed him to sacrifice his only son Isaac, he was willing to do it.
b) The position in which Abraham stood was the position of fear and trembling. Fear and trembling:
What if it were not God who was commanding him to kill his own son? What if it really were Satan
in excellent disguise?
c) What if Satan, who knew that Isaac was to be the heir to many nations, was attempting to
destroy Gods providence by having Abraham kill his only son?
d) Abraham had to work through that critical assessment before he knew he had to perform the
sacrifice.
e) Abraham finally reached the conviction that it truly was God who required him to sacrifice his
son.
i) At that point Abraham was tested. Did he have the strength to enter into the realm of the religious
by suspending his and society's moral principle "Thou shalt not kill"?
ii) Abraham was successful and because of his success the Providence of God went forward.
CONCLUSION
A. Fortunately, most of us are not confronted with trials of the magnitude that Abraham was
confronted with.
B. But those who live in the realm of the religious may be required by God the Holy Spirit to
believe teachings that are considered heretical or perform acts which go against the grain and fibre
of the moral convictions of the society they live in.
C. To walk the path into God's heart requires a heart pure and humble enough to be willing to
fulfil whatever task He might ask.
1. It also requires a heart pure enough to discern when it is truly God whom we stand in the
presence of.
2. It is awesome to stand in the presence of God, but for the pure in heart it is a blessing,
for they shall surely see God.
1. This broad construction is taken from the work of Soren Kierkegaard,
especially his Either/Or, although most of the substance in this sermon is new material.
2. This case is wonderfully treated in Soren Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling.
A4
Sermon Topic: Does God know everything?
Bible Verse: Mark 9:21. Jesus asked the boys Father, "How long has the boy
been like this?"
Sermon Theme: Understanding the concept of Man's portion of responsibility and
the suffering of the heart of God.
Main Idea: In Mark 9:21 Jesus asks a question. But doesn't Jesus, as the son
of the almighty, already know everything, as God the Father
knows everything? The assumed understanding has always been
that knowing everything, even before the fact, was a very
important qualification of the Almighty's nature. But does this
really need to be so? Some people think that even before the
creation God knew through precognition that Adam and Eve would
disobey him. But the scripture gives us a different view.
1. Genesis 6:6-7. God grieved in his heart that he had made
man on earth. Why? Because man did not live up to God's expectation.
God did not expect, therefore, the disobedience of his children.
2. 1 Samuel 15:11. God repented that he had made Saul
king. Again, God had an expectation and it was not realised.
(There are other scriptures as well; see green book,
Predestination chapter. But we focus here on these two.)
If God knew that Adam and Eve were going to disobey him, would he have created? No!
Then is God almighty? Yes. But we need to understand what constitutes almightiness.
1. Almightiness is a matter of heart, not of intellect.
2. God, as a parent, 100% by heart expects man to have faith.
In his heart, God never anticipates man's faithlessness.
3. God created man in order to engage in a perfect love
relationship. The basis of love is trust and responsibility. God gave man responsibility, or,
rather, entrusted man with responsibility to obey and have faith in His word.
4. Entrusting man with the responsibility of faith, God believes
innocently that man will fulfil his responsibility.
Without trust and responsibility, there can be no true love.
Summary God always believes in the original goodness of man and
chooses to relate to that part of us, even in the face of real
evidence that we are not trustworthy. In spite of our history
of sin and faithlessness, God bestows his trust in us, not
because the odds are in his favour but because He is a trusting
being by nature and never changes. As a result, God's real
situation is that man is constantly receiving God's trust but
abusing and taking advantage of that trust. God is a grieving
God because of the sin and faithlessness of man.
Therefore we are compelled to be the same way. Do we
change our hearts when we are betrayed? Do we become
untrusting and cynical? The greatness of Rev. Moon is not
merely that he endured suffering, but that, in suffering, his
idealism and his belief in the goodness of man remained intact.
Jesus on the cross: "Father, forgive them.
A5
Sermon Topic: The Three Blessings of God
Bible Verse: Genesis 1:28
Sermon Theme: Explanation of the Three Blessings
Main Idea: When God created man he said all things were very good. God
made no provisions for evil. God intended that there only be
goodness in this world. What was Gods expectation for man in
his world? Certainly not the present situation of the world, not
the world as it has been throughout history. Genesis 6:6-7 shows
us that God grieved because man disobeyed him. Clearly, Gods
will was not accomplished in the beginning. God expressed his
desire in Genesis 1:28 when he told Adam and Eve to be fruitful,
multiply, and have dominion.
Meaning of the Three Blessings of God:
1. Be fruitful. God wanted Adam and Eve to be one with him, or
perfect as God is perfect (Matthew 5:48). Jesus said that we are a temple of God and God's spirit should dwell in us. In the same way Jesus said he was in the Father and the Father in him. And Genesis tells us God breathed the spirit into Adam. Compare the reality of man (Romans 7:21). God
created us to be divine and to inherit His full nature, which would make sin impossible. Perfect man is one who cannot sin. Adam and Eve were not born this way, but would have achieved this ,state. Now our bodies are not temples of God but temples of sin and death.
2. Multiply. This means marriage. It is interesting to see that even
in the Garden there was a precondition to marriage: become fruitful. Individual perfection was the precondition of marriage. Gods standard of original marriage is very different from today and through history. In Genesis God says that husband and wife should become one. God created man in His image, male and female as described in Genesis 1:27. Therefore the full manifestation of the
image of God must be when a man and a woman of perfection become one as husband and wife and as, therefore, parents. If Adam and Eve had achieved this kind of marriage, then what kind of children would they have given birth to? Children without original sin. And from that family would expand the tribe, society, nation and world. That would be the kingdom of God. Gods image would have expanded to an entire world culture. Adam and Eve would by True Parents. True Parents are parents that pass on benefit, not sin, to the children. We can see that actually Adam and Eve were not True Parents; man has not had True Parents. We have all inherited sin: %. all have sinned and fallen short of the glory ...."
3. Dominion. Man and creation would have a perfect love relationship.
Man would love the creation and the creation would respond in love and beauty.
Summary: Gods original plan for the Kingdom of God was not realised in
his heart, but He has never given up on the prospects of the
kingdom. That is why God sends the messiah: to build the
kingdom and to make us True Parents who don't pass on original
sin to our children.
A6
Matthew 14:25-33 and Matthew 9:20-22
1. Introduction
God is invisible, and man cannot reach God with his five physical senses.
Even in the spiritual world, God is invisible.
Faith is the precious bridge between God and man. Without faith, man
cannot reach God. It is not difficult to believe in God's existence, but it is not so
easy to have faith in the real capability of the living God.
2. Bible passages
Matthew 14:25-33. Peter could walk on the water while he was looking only
at Jesus, but as soon as he became afraid of the wind and lost faith he sank. Jesus
said to him, "What little faith you have!"
Matthew 9:20-22 or Mark 5:25-34. When the woman touched Jesus' garment,
she had faith in God's capability. She had no doubt. Jesus 'said to her, 'Daughter,
your faith has saved you," and she was healed.
Which do you resemble, the woman or Peter? Which do you believe more
common sense or God? Experience, or God? Reality, or God? Faith is the
emotional force by which you can go beyond common sense, experience, or reality
- together with God.
3. How can we have faith in God's capability?
Adam lost faith. Therefore we, his descendants, could not inherit faith.
Therefore we don't have faith. In order to have faith, we have to restore our truth
level faith and gain a clear understanding of the capability of Almighty God.
a) Pray until you can feel God's affirmation: "Yes, my son (daughter). I promise
1 will do it." God says yes. God never lies; therefore it will be done, no doubt
about it. When you have this feeling of absolute surety, you are showing faith
in God's capability.
b) Challenge the human limitations. When man's responsibility is fulfilled, then
God's power is poured out, and the "impossible" becomes possible.
c) You will be sure it was not you, but God, who did it. You can then glorify
God our Lord.
If you have one experience of restoration of faith, you can challenge more, and
your faith will grow.
4. Living with faith
In the pitch darkness of the night, you are not afraid of the darkness, and you
can prepare for the next day's work because you have faith that the sun will rise
the next morning. Already you are living in the next day.
In the dead of winter, you are visualising the advent of spring: flowers are
blooming, greens are budding, and birds are singing in your heart. You are living in
the spring because you have absolute faith that the spring will come.
When you restore faith in this world of suffering and distress, you can live
beyond the world of reality. You can visualise breakthroughs and victories; and as
you are filled with hope and spirit, you can challenge any difficulty.
While others are depressed and hopeless, you are filled with hope and spirit.
When others are in panic, you can have peace in your heart (Hebrews 11:1).
A7
Mathew 5:43-48 - Jesus' exhortation to "love your enemies", and the equating of this love with the perfect love of God.
Introduction:
What is the secret that makes God's Love so remarkable ?
Unconditional love
Indeed, the logic behind God's love is diametrically opposite to the fickle, popularised "love" we find in society today.
Love never withdrawn
1. To illustrate the difference between the Love of God and the love of this
world, I'd like to tell you about a young minister. This gifted teacher has
moved many audiences expounding on the Love of God. Yet there has been a
cruel irony in this man's life. . . . He grew up with a parent who constantly
would remind him, 9f you do that 1 won't love you any more," or "Do this and
I will love you." As he matured, this young person understood love to be
something like wages for services rendered - as something that could be
turned off or on according to his actions and "co-operation." The suffering has
been long and deep as the result of those unconsidered statements by a parent
(surely the parent didn't fully realise the impact on her son). Only now is this
young clergyman recovering from the wounds of growing up thinking of God's
Love as wages for doing the "right thing," easily withdrawn in the case of
mistakes or failure.
2. Our modern society is saturated at all levels with the self-centred pragmatism withdrawn "non"-love. This love has nothing to do with the self sacrificial love of Christ; it is a largely godless form of love
bent on self satisfaction. . . . And the teachers of this love advise us to
quickly withdraw if you find your investment isn't paying off. (In fact, if our
society spent as much energy, time and money on COMMITTING as it does on
WITHDRAWING we would have Heaven among us very soon.)
3. If our churches are also eroded by this kind of ethic, it is hard to look into the
future with any hope.
Before concluding, it is important to bring out one more crucial issue.
4. In our world, there is a presence that compounds and feeds off every failure
by Christianity to mobilise the God-centred, others-centred Love mandate
given by Jesus in Matthew 5:43-48 (and again so powerfully on the cross).
That presence is God-denying Communism. This atheistic "religion" has
managed to convince an ever increasing segment of humankind that the
Christian ethic of love for hate is weak and to be despised. If 1 have been
hated, then I must hate - until my enemy is destroyed.
The good Communist also sees Christian social responsibility as a sham,
incapable of bringing the change needed.
IMPORTANT as an introduction to the conclusion: We do well to remember that it
was, in part, the failure of Christianity to mobilise the love mandate of Jesus and
to take social responsibility that helped deliver this bitter ideology from Karl
Marx. (If it seems right, read Marx poem of hatred to God.)
The poem of Karl Marx, written in 1837.
Invocation of One in Despair
So God has snatched from me my all
In the Curse and rack of destiny.
All his worlds are gone beyond recall!
Nothing but revenge is left to me!
On myself revenge I'll proudly wreak,
On that being, that enthroned Lord,
Make my strength a patchwork of what's weak
Leave my better self without reward!
I shall build my throne high overhead,
Cold, tremendous shall it's summit be.
For its bulwark - superstitious dread,
For its marshall - blackest agony.
Who looks on it with a healthy eye,
Shall turn back, struck deathly pale and dumb;
Clutched by blind and chill mortality,
May his happiness prepare its tomb.
And the Almighty's lightning shall rebound
from that massive iron giant.
If he brings my walls and towers down,
Eternity shall raise them up, defiant.
Conclusion
What remains, then, for our churches to do in response to both our Western moral
breakdown and the threat of Communism?
1 The first thing is to deeply reflect on whether we have taken seriously the
love-mandate of Christ, and the issue of fully committed social responsibility. Are our efforts sufficient?
2. To practice love and responsibility first in our own Christian movement until
it hurts. Can we bear the cross for our brothers and sisters in other
denominations, let alone the world?
3. To refuse absolutely to let the ebb or flow of our love (God's Love) be
determined by the response or reaction of those we serve. (This is to really
join our Lord in bearing the cross.)
4. To realise, in our response to the needs of our world, that it isn't so much a
matter of this world coming to our church, but rather our church going out to
this world.
Let these things be our testimony to God, to the living spirit of Christ among us,
and to the return of the Prince of Peace.
A8
Sermon Topic: Our destination is the world of spirit
Bible Verse: 1 Corinthians 15:44
Sermon Theme: Because Principle clearly shows that our physical life is a prestage to the life of spirit, we must understand the meaning of this short but significant time in the flesh.
Main Idea: Death is not an ending, but an open door to a new life. But if we consider the reality of eternal life, we sense that there must be an important reason for living in the physical world, a reason about which we are not clearly aware. We like to hide from the confrontation of death and its implications. Many people, so afraid of death, pretend that it will never happen. We begin this sermon, by speaking plainly about death and that it is something that we will all experience and cannot avoid. When people recognise that death is the real destination, they become much more serious about preparing for the fife after this death.
1. We may have different faiths, or no faith, but one thing is
for sure: we are all going to one day face our moment of
death. It is guaranteed by our birth.
2. With every passing moment, we draw that much closer to
our moment of death. Our "time clock" is always winding
down. No one is getting younger. It is a never-ceasing
process, this journey to our death. Even in our sleep, we
draw ever closer.
3. But also death can come unexpectedly. Death is not just
for the elderly. Death can come at a moment's notice.
Death can come as a result of a seemingly insignificant
decision (such as turning left instead of right, or catching
the wrong bus, etc.)
4. Whenever we have a brush with death we usually become
more serious about life and lasting values (there are many
examples of this tendency). Many people become very
religious after a brush with death. Think for a moment,
how your priorities would change if you knew your death
was immanent. The terror that people feel when they
know they are about to die is the realisation that all their
life they were alive, but they did not know it to the fullest
or use their life for the greatest purpose.
Then what is our fundamental purpose in this temporal life in our
body?
To understand the answer to that question, we can compare life in
the flesh with another temporal life that we have all experienced
before the temporal life in the physical world. That is our life in our
mother's womb. (This is a good comparison because Father referred
to physical death as the "second birth".) The purpose of our nine
month life in the "first womb" is to develop a complete, functioning
physical body. Likewise, the purpose of our physical life in the
fleshly body is to develop a fully mature spirit body. We could say
that the flesh is the womb in which the spirit body grows and
matures. When the baby has matured in the mother's womb, the birth
comes as a natural and joyous event. So, too, should the "second
birth," that is the spirit's leaving the fleshly body and passing to the
spirit world, be a natural and joyous event.
But how do we enable our spirit to grow in this physical world?
(Simple explanation based on green book, Chapter 1, Section 5,
Subsection C. Here stress the need for good spiritual environment -
God's love and truth - and the quality of our actions, living for the
sake of others, which is the fundamental spiritual purpose and is how
our spirit can grow. Living for the sake of others, or more strongly
expressed, changing the direction of my life from selfishness to
unselfishness.)
The purpose of our life is to create in ourselves a true parental heart.
But that doesn't mean just loving our own -children; it means
establishing an unconditional, unchanging, sacrificial, standard of love
as Jesus so clearly expressed in Matthew 5:38-48, and also in
Matthew 6:33.
Summary: We must live as Jesus said and develop an unchanging, unconditional
standard of love. If we have that heart, then when we pass into the
next life we can know we will go to the realm of the Heart of the
True Parent . . . that is, where God and Jesus surely dwell. Then
there is no fear of death. Death becomes our second birth.
A9
Ephesians 1: 1- 14
God's purpose for us is that our hearts, minds, bodies and spirits should
radiate the love flowing out of the Gospel of Christ. He wants this love to move
beyond an inward, personal experience, and manifest itself in practical deeds
motivated by kindness and good will. Thus the glory of his grace can be returned 'to
him.
1. God wants to reveal his purpose for our individual lives.
A. We must first commit ourselves to discovering God.
B. We must adhere to that commitment under all circumstances.
C. We must ask God to reveal his nature and purpose for our lives.
II. God's purpose is different from that of the world.
A. Education, economics, politics, etc. serve God's purpose; they don't exceed it.
B. To stand together as God's people means to be separate from Satan.
C. The church has to be the main instrument of God's purpose; it must
reject preoccupation with worldliness and burn with a passion for the
redemption of humanity.
III. God wants to reveal his universal purpose to all.
A. His purpose is infinite and eternal. There is no limit to the ways, means,
methods, and circumstances that God can use to fulfil that purpose - to
flood the universe with love.
B. For God's purpose, all things are useful, all people have value.
C. God IS. He can answer all questions, solve all problems, and bring
eternal blessings out of every situation.
Conclusion
The purpose of God will prevail. His will, will be done on earth as it is in
heaven. He will sweep aside all satanic opposition. The tabernacle of God will be
in the midst of his people. As we fulfil our portion of responsibility, God will
prove that all things work together for good to them that love God.
A10
1 Kings 19:9-14
1 Ordinary Concepts of God
God as the judge
God as the rule of the universe
God the Almighty
God who created the universe from nothing
God whom we cannot face directly
etcetera.
But throughout the course of creation God has worked calmly, step by step,
and in an orderly manner. His Spirit was moving upon the waters at the beginning
of the creation. How serene and gentle His voice was throughout the history of
restoration!
For example:
He not only scolded Adam and Eve after the fall, but made coats of skins
for them (Genesis 3:21).
He set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him (Genesis
4:15).
God guided Abraham so considerately.
God encouraged Jacob so kindly and closely.
2. Elijah's Experience (1 Kings 19:9-14)
Neither in the wind nor in the earthquake nor in the f ire was God. God comes
to us with a quiet voice. Whenever our mental state is not stable, God cannot
dwell among us and He cannot work with us. The same is true in the case of an
individual, family, nation, etc.
God cannot work where there is no harmony. He cannot stay where there is
destruction, conflict, etc. He cannot stay where there is complaint, anger,
jealousy, or envy on the individual, societal, or national level.
e.g. When Israelites complained of their situation at the time of Moses,
God could not work with them.
3. In what situation are we going to meet God?
The essence of faith is not a matter of form but of communication with God.
Where and through what events can we meet Him? Not through big events or
revival meetings! Such occasions may be helpful in providing us a first chance to
get in touch with Him, but God hopes to be with us in our everyday life, secretly,
closely, and quietly.
People tend to look for God when they have fallen into an unhappy situation or
when they cannot see their near future. But God wants to live with us in our
everyday life, not only in times of tribulation. The God who has been with us in our
everyday life must be with us in tribulation or emergency. We cannot expect God
to be with us in tribulation if we have not developed our everyday relationship with
Him. God cannot easily come to us when our minds are in a whirlwind. In order to
exterminate the prophets of Ba'al, Elijah laid a foundation, made his best effort,
and prayed. During his quiet prayer, God started working.
God visits with us in a secret voice, in the voice of mystery and harmony.
When Nathaniel came to Jesus, Jesus said to him that he had seen him beneath
the fig tree. Nathaniel did not know, but God had been working secretly.
Even though God has been whispering to us, we haven't always heard him. We
were so busy dealing with the satanic world that we did not know His mysterious
visits, His calling us in a gentle voice, etc. We could not heart Him because of our
greed, egoism, and anger.
Whoever realises God's quite working will not perish.
A11
Genesis 3:8-10
1 . Establishing a perfect relationship with God is the ultimate goal of
Christian life. How happy we are whenever we feel God is near us and concerned
with our life! On the other hand, how uneasy we feel when we think there is a big
gap between God and us! What is the origin of such a gap?
Adam in the Garden of Eden hid behind a tree and shied away from God after
he fell. While God was unchangeable, man kept Him at a distance, which was the
result of sin committed by man. But we very often think that the gap resulted
from God:
Does God know me?
Does God know my suffering?
God does not see-n to love me.
God loves me less than before.
We should know who God is. He is the Lord of love. His motivation of
creation was love; His providence of restoration (salvation) has been based on love;
and the ultimate goal of His providence is to fulfil His ideal of love.
The nature of love is such that God cannot be happy without giving His love
to his object. But there is something God cannot love, and there is something God
can love only after a certain time period: God cannot love anything evil, and He
cannot love anything that is against the principle of creation; and since God is
perfect He cannot give His unconditional love to anything that is not yet perfect,
and in such a case His love cannot help being limited.
2. Sympathetic love and original love.
In most cases people seek the sympathetic love of God, which is related with
accepting repentance and forgiving. This is love that can be helpful to people in an
emergency; love with which God may take better care of people!
But there was no such kind of love planned in the blueprint of creation. Why
did He need to plan for a love concerned with tears, repentance, and relative
happiness, He who aimed at seeing the world of goodness, harmony, and parent-
A 11
child relationship? His original love was supposed to be true parental love toward
true children; love that lasts forever; love which we do not need to modify in any
way; love which is not artificial; and love which He cannot help but keep giving.
3. Even though humankind has betrayed God one trillion times, He has not given
up His ideal of original love. While humankind seeks sympathetic love from God in
many different ways, God's main suffering results from situations in which He
cannot give His original love.
Original love comes to us without asking. Let us think about original love
rather than about limited, sympathetic love! After knowing original love, there
would be no gap between Him and us. That gap was caused by us, not by Him!
After we eliminate the wall between God and ourselves, we can eliminate
walls between each other, and the walls between mankind and all things. The
closer to His original love I stand, the clearer to me the meaning of my life on
earth can be.
A12
Psalm 10
People ask: Is God alive? Where does He live? Throughout history
humankind has tried to answer these questions. How can we understand God in
view of the prevalence of injustice and prospering wickedness? Many historical
events show us the victory of the hypocrite over the pure-hearted. Why is this, if
God lives?
Because of the human fall, God cannot come directly amidst us. He, against
His desire, became deus otiosus. He hides Himself behind the wall of suffering, as
the origin of life beyond death, as the omniscient being beyond the wall of
ignorance, and as the Lord of Justice beyond the wall of sin.
We cannot meet Him without true penance, without noticing our ignorance,
without experiencing the reality of death. God who appeared to Noah, Moses,
David and Mary did so when these people emptied their minds and were ready to
receive His signals.
Jesus as the incarnation of God was ridiculed, mocked and insulted, because
God could not help hiding Himself as mentioned above.
Therefore Jesus was put to indictment. His wonderful promises were
nullified in front of the cross. Seemingly, he could not even save himself on the
cross, let alone save the world! Jesus appeared to be going the opposite way (to
hell!) from what he promised (the kingdom of God).
But was God dead?
He was beyond the reason of the fallen man, beyond morality, and beyond
fanaticism. We cannot meet Him through our customs, our traditions, our logic.
He is hiding Himself behind tribulation, behind ignorance, beyond sin. ". . . but we
glory in tribulations also. . . ." How can we be like this without becoming self
torturing psychotics? In Christian life we cannot find God if we do not face
tribulation. Without participating in tribulation our belief in Jesus will be useless.
It will be no more than a fiction.
To believe in God is to find His hiding place through fighting Satan and
overcoming tribulation. This confrontation can be won only in accordance with
God's desire, God's feeling, and God's wisdom, not with our own human desire,
feeling and wisdom.
God's sending His only son to the cross seemed to be ignoring even the basic
loving relationship between Him and Jesus, but He wanted to teach about Himself
this way, hiding against His desires.
If we do not understand such a situation, then we tend to be idol worshippers,
always soliciting visible happiness from God. And we may want to go our own way
into the heathen world, abandoning the 3udeo-Christian God.
God hides Himself whenever we are in tribulation, not because He wants to
avoid us but because He wants us to overcome our problems and to find Him beyond
them. If we evade the tribulations, we cannot meet the living God even if we live
for a thousand years on earth.
A13
Luke 4:16-21
Introduction
We are often overwhelmed by a sense of meaninglessness and despair,
completely out of touch with the secure feeling of being loved and accepted just as
we are. God sent Christ to f ill our emptiness with his infinite fullness.
I. God's love is unexpected
(A) Hidden in the familiar
(B) Expressed through the commonplace
(C) Extended to the world's unwanted
11. God's love is unaccepted
(A) by the spiritually proud - they know how it is to come
(B) by the socially proud - they know to whom it won't come
(C) by the personally proud - they know they deserve it
Ill. God's love is vindicated
(A) by the Scriptures - they testify to Him
(B) by the steadfastness of his church - it still endures
(C) by His people - changed lives are indisputable
Conclusion
The greatest power of all is the power of God's love. God will prevail, through that love.
B1
Acts 9:3-5
1. Introduction
The most difficult thing in the world is to change myself. Nothing can be
more difficult than this. If you can change yourself, you can change the world.
However, we sinners cannot change ourselves; we need Christ. In order to receive
Christ, we need to repent. But without the work of the spirit of God, we cannot
repent.
2. Experience of Moses and St. Paul
When God called Moses in the wilderness, God asked him to take off his shoes
because his shoes were defiled by Satan. God is pure, and a pure God cannot
receive impurity. Which should be changed, purity or impurity? God or man? If
impurity should be changed and not purity, then it's not God who needs to change,
but man. Fallen ---man's direction must be changed. This changing of direction of
life is called repentance
There has been no one whose life has not changed when they met with God.
St. Paul's experience was a dramatic conversion. When he was struck by the light
of God, his life changed completely, 180 degrees, and he became the most powerful
disciple of Jesus. However, this kind of dramatic conversion rarely occurs.
3. Our Repentance
Our conversion or repentance is a gradual one, usually brought about by the
truth of God. By the truth of God, we realise our own sin, and repentance starts.
a. Realisation of sin
We can understand sin by the word of God, but in order to realise our
own sin (what an impure person 1 am!!) we must pray. Only prayer will let us
realise our sin.
b. Denial of sin
We cannot stand to see our own sin. We can hate sin.
c.Repentance
Sometimes, the next moment after we ask forgiveness, we burst into
tears of repentance: "Heavenly Father, please forgive me in the name of
Christ our Lord!"
d. Confession
No matter how many times you shed tears with God, until you open your
heart to an elder and tell everything, you are not free.
e. Commitment
You must resolve never to repeat that sin again, and show it through
your actions.
4. New Life
When you really repent, and talk to and pray together with an elder, you feel
so free. Many months or even many years of burden and guilt disappear. You feel
so free, so refreshed, so revitalised and very strong. You have to be pure,
otherwise you cannot be strong. You can be more confident in yourself, and you
can now see the pure and beautiful aspects of your own nature - the image of God.
Because God forgave you, God will not judge you, and Jesus will not judge
you. Then Satan cannot say anything. Other brothers and sisters are not qualified
to judge you, and most important, you are totally unqualified to judge yourself
You are free and your conscience will release you.
You will feel like a tree budding in the spring season, filled with new life and
hope. You can now challenge new life!
B2
Matthew 4:17
A. Matthew 4:17 - "From that time, Jesus began to preach and to say, repent,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand."
1. As sinners we need to be cleansed.
B. There are basically four kinds of sins which call us to repentance.
1. Original Sin: The root of all sin which every person is a part of.
2. Collective Sin: The sin for which everyone is responsible even though
they might not have been directly involved: racism, slavery, religious
persecution, etc.
3. Personal Sin: The individual acts we commit which separate us from
God.
4. Hereditary Sin The ten commandments state that the sin of the parents
will be conveyed through several generations (Exodus 20:5). These are
sins inherited through the blood lineage.
At various times in biblical history, God called his people to repentance for
individual and collective sins.
1. Elijah spoke about repentance to the Israelites:
a. People in government were accepting bribes (Isaiah 1:23).
b. The populace, filled with pride and haughtiness, were focusing their
faith on idols (Isaiah 2:17-18).
c. The children were subject over the parents and women were ruling
the household (Isaiah 3:12), drawing attention to themselves in the
streets with gawdy ornamentation (Isaiah 3:18).
d. The harvest of the poor was given to the rich (Isaiah 3:14).
e. The wealthy used up the best land for living and left little ground
for planting (Isaiah 5:8).
2. Repentance brings freedom from accusation by Satan. It brings freedom
from guilt, and peace and freedom in the soul.
3. Helps find the true relationship with brothers and sisters in Christ.
4. Rekindles the perception of God's love, and response in glorifying God in
daily life.
5. The power of repentance establishes the base for the kingdom of
goodness, i.e., the kingdom of Heaven.
F. How to repent: what to do
I. Maintain a strong prayer life, centred on our hope: "Thy kingdom come,
thy will be done. . . ." (Matthew 6:10).
2. Come to a receptive state of Heart to receive Christ.
The result of repentance is the release from the bondage of Satan, the oxen s
yoke is, removed. We can stand again before God as adopted sons and
daughters, adopted families, and adopted congregations, and the spirit of God
may descend to lead us through Christ in our daily life.
H. Are we among those Christians who have failed to implement Jesus' teaching,
or taken the gospels merely as devotional material rather than words to be
lived and used as a basis for social interaction? If we are, we need to restore
our position in a relationship to God and Christ to be able to restore Matthew
5:48 where Jesus said, "You therefore must be perfect as your Heavenly
Father is perfect." These words were not advice, but practical instruction,
which is substantiated in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5 to 7.
I. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son. . . . So all of
mankind must return to God as the perfect body of Christ to meet Him at His
return.
J. This day is near. The last days are now. We must prepare ourselves to meet
Christ.
K. As at the time of Pentecost when 120 people were gathered together in
prayer and longing for Christ, so we as Christians today, disregarding
theological differences, must stand together as one family to receive Christ
when he returns.
L. Let's all prepare our hearts to cleanse ourselves with repentance that we may
be able to unite with him at His coming.
B3
Isaiah 43:5-7
Introduction
1. The saddest thing on earth is when children lose their parents. Whether the
home has been destroyed by the untimely death of a parent, or whether it had
been broken by the failure of a marriage, it is the children who suffer the
most.
2. Perhaps this tragedy has never touched your life. But if we think for a
moment, actually we've all been touched by the tragedy of the fall of man,
the failure of our first parents, Adam and Eve. HISTORY'S FIRST BROKEN
HOME WAS IN EDEN.
3. What person on the face of this earth has not been influenced by the painful
disease of sin? Even we who sit here in celebration of Gods love still, if we
admit it, have to struggle with the fallen nature that attached itself to thati
first father and mother in the Garden through their relation with Lucifer.
4. Adam and Eve failed to set a true, loving tradition for their descendents to
follow. Look at the tragedy of their two boys, Cain and Abel. Eden was,
indeed, turned into a sadly broken home.
5. With the loss of the original and sinless relationship with our Heavenly
Father, and with the loss of our first parents, HUMAN HISTORY HAS, IN A
VERY REAL SENSE, BECOME THE HISTORY OF ORPHANS, AND OUR
WORLD AN ORPHANAGE.
Today I'd like to reflect on this "orphanage", and on Christ as a parent returned.
Life in the Orphanage
I had a good friend in college who had been raised in an orphanage. One day sitting
at lunch he shared with me about life in that institution.
- The rule of the orphanage was every man for himself. It was foolish, he said,
to trust any relationship because everyone was out to get what little they
could, whether cigarettes, drugs, a pair of socks, or loving.
Groups would form around the strongest individuals. The place was full of
rival gangs, tougher than the streets outside, often divided by race. And as
long as there was selfish ambition in the name of an individual or a gang,
peace was unheard of. People survived more by toughness than by brotherly
love.
But he did say that love was important there, in fact desperately sought! He
told me that those young people, deprived of the love of parents, spent days
and nights trying to get love from one another. It wasn't the love of brother
and brother or brother and sister in the sense we seek here in the church. It
was an almost violent sexual society that existed in that institution, with
perversions of very kind. (Ironically and sadly, my friend told me, even the
staff members had their lovers among the children.)
- Finally, my friend mentioned loneliness, cold loneliness deep in the heart,
loneliness that he was afraid to admit, loneliness for something the orphanage
could never provide: true parental love.
Where are our Parents?
Saint Paul says, in Romans 8:19-23:
For the creation waits with eager longing for the
revealing of the sons of God; for the creation was
subjected to futility, not of its own will by of the will
of him who subjected it in hope; because the creation
itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and
obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God. We
know that the whole creation has been groaning in
travail together until now: and not only the creation,
but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the
Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons,
the redemption of our bodies."
Paul speaks for all of mankind and history as he shares his hope for adoption as a
son of God.
- Someone may say, why do you speak of this world as an orphanage? God is
with us, and Jesus already came two thousand years ago. That's true, but
there is one factor that cannot be overlooked: the presence in this world of
one that Jesus called the "prince" of this world, someone that I might call, in
this sermon today, the "chief of staff" in the orphanage, Satan.
Along with our elder brother Paul, we await for adoption as sons (and
daughters), the redemption of our bodies. We wait for the coming of Christ
and the kingdom, and we wait for the end of a satanic world born of Eden so
long ago.
As we reflect back on the story I told earlier of the orphanage, what more
fitting image is there as we look at the world around us today?
- Without God, it is every man for himself. As we walk our city streets it
is so hard to trust. And not just on the individual level: great nations
live in constant fear and insecurity for the lack of trust. (Evangelist:
there may be more that you want to say here.)
- The orphanage of my friend was full of rival gangs or groups. There is
much beauty in the many cultures, races and nations of our earth. But
there is no beauty in racism or culturism. Nationalism is no longer
acceptable in a world which is shrinking, a world that demands global
minds and hearts. As long as there is selfish ambition, whether in the
name of one person, a group, or an ideology, there can never be true
peace. (Here is an important question: What is the difference between
the heart of Christ and religionism? Religious people too are divided
into so many opposing groups. Is that what Jesus intended?)
The point is not which person or gang will rule in the orphanage, but who can
come to take us out of the orphanage. Where are our parents?
- Love was at a premium in my friend's orphanage. Need I say more about our
world today? There wasn't one perversion in that orphanage that couldn't be
found on our city streets today. Times Square in New York City (evangelist:
you may want to use a local example) at this moment is full of pimps,
hookers, dope sellers, and upstanding businessmen shoving quarters in machines
that portray grown men sexually abusing little kids. Yes, a violent sexual
society. But, in truth, aren't all those desperate lives in Times Square, or
anywhere for that matter, simply searching for someone to love them, and to
love? (Evangelist: this, of course, is not to justify the crimes of those in
Times Square.)
- Finally, behind all the pushing and shoving for things, for power, for love,
there is the quiet and seldom admitted loneliness of the heart. "Who will
liberate me? Who will love?" THE IMAGE OF THE ORPHANAGE FITS OUR
WORLD VERY WELL.
Conclusion
What is our responsibility as Christians in the orphanage of the world today?
First, to challenge our own "orphanage mentality." Our world has suffered
too long from groupism. We must break our barriers down, to the world and
between ourselves. Otherwise, sadly, we aren't that different than any other
group.
Second, to realise that God's Heart aches for the liberation of every orphan
in the orphanage as we face the time of Christ's arrival. What virtue is there in
simply waiting for "my own adoption" when our Heavenly Father cries for even the
most hateful orphan, the one we've condemned.
Third, to seek out the Heart of God for His whole human family, the family
that He lost in Eden.
Fourth, to give our lives for that family of God even though we may be hated
for a while by those we serve.
Last, to recognise that when Christ returns he returns as a Parent, or, as
Paul said, as "the last Adam," to bring all of Gods children out of the orphanage of
history, and to end the rule of the "chief of staff," Satan, forever. He may already
be on the porch.
B4
Sermon Topic: The Law of Sin
Bible Verse: Romans 7:21-23
Sermon Theme: Defining and examining our fallen nature and the contradictions
in our life.
Main Idea: First, describe the origin of the contradiction in man (as in the
beginning of the Consummation lecture). The original fall is
ultimately the cause of the battle that Paul refers to in Romans
7:21. But how can we describe this "law of sin!' or nature of sin?
1. Self interest (actually fallen nature number one, but
simpler wording is better). Give example of self
interest. For instance, we only love those who do
good to use, but Jesus said to love your enemy; or
we have a tendency to become So' righteous about
things that affect us directly. We must overcome
this sir-ful nature by doing as Jesus exemplified on
the cross. Unconditional love: love neighbor, love
enemy, pray for those who do evil to you.
2. Self glorification (fallen nature number two). We
replace GocPs love with false gods. Letting other
things define me, or seeking my self identity from
things other than my relationship with God. Things
such as fad, fashion, power, money, fame, praise, or
what people think about me. We must maintain a
relationship with God to find the unchanging source
of our identity.
3. Self gratification (fallen nature number three). Our
flesh priorities outweigh our spirit priorities. There
are many examples!
4. Self justification (fallen nature number 4). Sin
increases by transferring blame as Adam and Eve
did in the garden. Sin is the beginning of bad habit.
Summary: The life of Jesus is the model for overcoming the law of sin
and purifying ourselves. Or you could use the story of lob as
an example of a man who subjugated fallen nature.
B5
Romans 8:18-23
I. Introduction
At the time of the Last Supper, there was the happiest bread in the world and
the most unhappy bread in the world, in the same dish. One was the bread eaten by
Jesus, and the other was the bread eaten by Judas Iscariot.
2. Nostalgia
Everyone has the feeling of nostalgia. Man misses the place where he was
born, and where his parents are living. Mankind wants to come back to the Garden
of Eden, where Adam and Eve were born. Man came from God, and therefore man
wants to go back to the bosom of God. That is the true nostalgia of man. Not only
man, but also the creation's desire is to go back to God.
3. Man, as lord over the creation
Man, as a child of God, is the only being that can understand God's words, and
communicate with God. Therefore man can represent God on this earthly plane.
Man is the Lord over the creation. Other parts of the creation cannot communi-
cate with God directly. Animals cannot understand the truth of God, or pray in
tears. In order for them to connect with God, they must go through man. Man is
the master. The stars, the sun, the rnoon, mountains, rivers, oceans, flowers, trees9
butterflies, and birds - they are calling out to man, "Our master, please take us to
God."
4. The sorrow of the creation
However man is fallen and he is under Satan. Therefore the creation is
suffering under Satan. It is used not for the sake of God, but for an evil purpose.
Creation is crying and suffering. When the bread at the Last Supper was eaten by
Judas Iscariot, it was serving Satan's purposes. That bread was crying and
suffering.
Every part of creation is looking for higher value and higher purpose.
Creation can't sacrifice itself for the sake of a lower being, but it is willing to
sacrifice for the sake of a higher purpose or being. If a man sacrifices his life for
B 5
the sake of animals, people are not so inspired, not moved much. But when a man
dies for the sake of others or for the sake of God, people are really moved. That
man's value is exalted and he can become one with God.
5. Conclusion
The fulfilment of the purpose of creation, the true happiness of creation,
depends on whether or not man is connected with God. If man is not with God, but
is against God, then creation suffers. If man is one with God, then creation also
becomes one wit h God, and can feel true joy and happiness.
Whatever you do, or eat, or use, is not the question. The question is: For
what purpose do you do something, or eat, or use anything? Is it for Gods will or
not? Therefore the Bible says in Romans 8: 18- 23:
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth
comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the
creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of
God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will
but by the will of him who subjected it in hope., because the
creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and
obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God. We know that
the whole creation has been groaning in travail together until
now.
B6
Sermon Topic: Realisation and repentance
Bible Verse: Luke 13:5
Sermon Theme: How can sinners deal with sin
Main Idea: Paul tells us in Romans 6:23 that the wages of sin are death.
That means when we sin we are giving up a portion of our life.
Jesus tells us in Luke 13:5 that there is a way to escape this
death, and that is through our repentance.
What is sin? The Divine Principle defines sin as any thought or
action in violation of Heavenly Law, which makes a base for
Satan to have give and take with me. More simply put, sin is
anything I use to replace the love of God. All desire for sin
begins with the desire for love (including the original sin), which
is not wrong. The problem is that we try to fill our need for love
with false love or self gratification.
There. are two ways that we will deal with our sin, once we've
come to the realisation point. One is the right way, the other
the wrong way.
First, the wrong way to deal with sin.
1. Realisation of sin, but without the simultaneous
realisation of the extent of Gods unchanging love
for the sinner. This is the foundation of unresolved
guilt and accusation.
2. Guilt. I am convicted by the realisation of my sin.
1 am wrong, I have done bad. My conscience comes
to life, exposing me in the most painful manner. It
is like a throbbing toothache or a splinter in my
finger.
3. Accusation. Once we've been convicted, we sen-
tence ourselves to a course of accusation. Accusa-
tion makes us feel not only guilty, but also that we
are essentially evil and have nothing to do with God.
Accusation makes us feel that we can never change,
and that in that in the final analysis we are not the
son or daughter of God. No one can endure accusa-
tion for a long period of time, and so we must
resolve it. We do so, erroneously, by....
4. Self justification and repression. We feel guilt and
accusation because we have allowed Satan to use
the truth against us outside the context of God's
forgiving heart. Therefore, Satan leaves us no
recourse but to disengage ourselves from the truth
that is making us so guilty. (Guilt is the problem,
not sin: that's what Satan whispers in our ear.) This
leads us to a life of constantly justifying our sinful
actions. We justify by replacement "truths" that
tell me my sinful action is OK. Examples: oh, once
won't hurt; or everybody is doing it now; or it's not
really all that bad. To do this, we must also repress
the part of our original mind that tells us the sin is
wrong. That means we bury the sin inside ourselves
and pretend it isn't there. But we then begin to live
a lie and the suppressed sin works on us from within.
The result is....
5. Sin multiplies rapidly. Once we have appeased our
conscience and suppressed our sin, it becomes so
easy to sin and sin again. We become a slave to
Satan, we lose our f reedom and as a result our
ability to love and to feel love. Without the ability
to love and feel love, we are DEAD! And as our
feeling of lack of love increases with the extent of
our sin, the desire for more sin (the replacement of
love) will dramatically increase. We are in hell.
Now, the right way to deal with sin.
1. Realisation of sin. But this time first we must
realise the extent of God's forgiving love. If we
don't understand the forgiving nature of God, we
have no place to take our sin. If we don't let God
deal with our sin then Satan will deal with it, and
will surely use it against us to destroy us.
2. Guilt. True guilt leads us to the strong desire to
take responsibility for our sins. We have realised
how our sins have hurt God, how our sins have hurt
others, and how our sins have hurt ourself. Guilt
gives us the strength to handle the course of restitu
tion under God's love and forgiveness. Guilt brings
us into submission, humbly before God. It brings us
to the place where God can deal with us.
3. Repentance. Now we can repent with all our heart!
Why does repentance free the sinner from Satan?
Because it is one thing that Satan cannot do! He is
the father of false pride. Satan hates to hear the
voice of the repenter, just as God rejoices (Luke
15:7) over the repentance of even one sinner.
4. New determination. Take up the cross and f ollow.
Go and sin no more. (Based on their understanding,
some explanation of the need to lay an indemnity
condition or Tang Gam.) Now we must go the
reverse way of sin. Instead of replacing the love of
God with self gratification, we become the second
self of God and Jesus by sacrificing ourselves for
the sake and benefit of others. We connect to the
true source of love by becoming a temple of God
and letting his spirit dwell in us. As we connect to
the true source of love, then our desire for false
love (sin) will decrease. We are free and have LIFE!
Summary: Let's become the second self of God and Christ, by taking up
the cross and following him, finding his real love in the life of
service to others. GO AND SIN NO MORE
C1
Acts 2:1 (Day of Pentecost) and Leviticus 23:15 (Feast of Pentecost)
Introduction
We can find two passages concerning the Pentecost in the Bible, one in the
Old Testament and one in the New Testament.
1. Report from the Old Testament about Pentecost.
The Israelite priesthood was drawn from the tribe of Levi. Leviticus is
the third of five books known as the Law of Moses; it is the most strict book,
demanding man's strict adherence to the Law of God.
God commands obedience and promises blessings upon the obedient: to
the disobedient come curses and strong warnings.
2. Report from the New Testament about Pentecost.
'The Day of Pentecost marks the birthday of the Christian Church of
which the risen and exalted Christ is head.
It was an altogether supernatural event as evidenced by the suddenness
of its occurrence. There was a sound like a rushing, mighty wind, revealing
the presence of the Holy Spirit. There were tongues of fire. Christ's
message was proclaimed in rnany different languages, as a token of the
ultimate preaching of the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
The fire was a symbol of the holy zeal with which the appointed would
speak forth the divine message.
Pentecost was celebrated 50 days after the Passover.
Now is the fulfillment of Pentecost
Through the revelation of Divine Principle we can see that the moment of
Pentecost is not yet fulfilled in the ultimate sense. The third appearance of
Pentecost will take place at a time of the greatest activity of God on earth. This
means the time when God will end the history of the evil world.
This will be the time when the very last days come. God will send his Son
again to this earth, to bring His heart and His truth, but also His judgement. The
third time Pentecost occurs, God will fulfil His promise of the Three Blessings for
the first time here on this earth.
Jesus promised that he would return "soon" (Revelations 22:20 or Matthew
10:23). Consequently, many Christians in every age have believed that their time
was the time of the last days. With an overall view of God's dispensation of
restoration we can see that we are living in the actual age of the Second Coming.
What kind of spiritual phenomena are occurring in the Last Days? The Last
Days is when men restore on a world-wide scale the level just before the Fall. For
this reason there will be many people who develop their ability to communicate
with the spiritual world. God promises to pour out His spirit on all flesh (Acts
2:17).
Many people in the last days will receive the message "You are the Lord."
This does not mean that they are the Lord of the Second Coming; it means that
they are re-established in the position of Lord over the creation, the position which
man lost because of the Fall.
Just as John the Baptist came to prepare the way for Jesus, there will be
many people with various missions who are to prepare the way for the Lords
second coming.
Spiritual leaders, holy people, and many others already recognise the unusual
phenomena of our time. Twentieth Century people who are aware know that a new
Pentecost is already at the door.
in order to bring it about, we have to listen and to study and pray about this
new revelation which came from God in our time, the Divine Principle. The
Israelites had to live up to certain laws. People of the Twentieth Century have to
live up to much more advanced laws given by God, in order to be ready for the
great Pentecost to come.
Conclusion
The fulfilment of God's will is now. Divine Principle is the greatest
guideline to the fulfilment of the Old Testament and the New Testament, and
leads us to the Pentecostal accomplishment. The Messianic Age has arrived.
Christianity should be the leader in welcoming and fulfilling Gods expectation and
command for our time.
C2
A. Originally, God created all mankind as one family with Him at the centre.
B. Through the fall of mankind, man and creation became separated from God,
man from man, and man from creation.
Man was cut off from God, the source of energy and life. The result was
loneliness, insecurity, powerlessness, and lack of fulfilment of purpose
and happiness.
C. All things in creation, especially man, were created for a definite purpose.
1. (Explain purpose.)
2. The purpose of the individual can only be fulfilled through realising the
purpose of the whole.
a. Each person can be considered as a cell of a gigantic body,
Humanity. As an integral part of the whole, each one has inherent
value with certain responsibility and rights.
D. God has been working throughout history for the restoration of mankind,
trying to restore all interrelationships so as to re-establish the original "cell"
situation of this body, and reactivate the give and take process between
ourselves and all entities.
E. God wants to reunite man with Himself, the source of love, joy, energy, and
unite man and man, and people and societies, to let them fulfil their purpose
of creation. It is man's obligation to participate in this give and take process.
F. Deprivation of love is the greatest sin. Therefore we are obligated to restore
all interhuman relationships in order that the love of God can flow in each relationship.
C 2
G. The family is the nucleus of human society. God wanted it to be His
expression of love.
1. Throughout recent decades we have witnessed the disintegration of the
family unit, etc.
H. Evidenced in history are wars and strife caused by the separation of God and
man, and human societies, races, and religions. To bring peace and heal this
situation, to overcome animosity, one must start at home, by bringing God
back into the families and becoming exemplary to others to live the will of
God. Then we can bring God back into our society, nation, etc.
1. In the family we must learn the respect and love of all age groups -
grandparents, uncles and aunts, parents, brothers and sisters, and young
children - and to relate to others outside the family as an extension of
these relationships.
2. We need to practice the love of God as an extended family and then go
to the world. In this sense, the family unit is the basis for the Heavenly
Kingdom.
I. In order to create harmony in this world, we need to be able to love and
forgive all others and practice the gospel that Jesus brought, and to sacrifice
for the greater purpose. Faith without works is dead (games, chapter 3).
J. In order for the love of God to flow throughout human societies, all peoples
have to be interconnected with each other and have harmonious give and take
with God centred on Christ.
C3
What Can You Be Proud Of!
1. Introduction
Man needs something to be proud of. People display their beautiful houses,
expensive cars, prizes won in sports, big ranches, nice families, etc. They expect
to be admired. But what can you be proud of in a true sense? -
In order to be proud of something, you must have something good, or you
must do something good. It is easy to be proud of something good; you cannot
really be proud of something bad. Man cannot be proud of his crimes, sins, miseries
and poverty. You may be able to be proud of the things I mentioned above, but can
you be proud of those things forever? How long does a beautiful car last? How
long does a beautiful house last? Also, who can guarantee that a nice f amily will
last forever?
2. Testimony (use own testimony)
Last year 1 spent so-ne time in a country in Africa. I met a missionary frorn
the neighboring country. He had laid the foundation' id'that country, but many dif
f icult situations occur red and he had to leave the country he was working in, unable
to re-enter it. He didn't have any money, but he decided to go to the borderline of
his country, to keep in contact with his people across the river. Even though he
couldn't get into his own mission country, his people came to see him from across
the river by canoes. He had to build a mud house for his wife and newborn baby in
the deep and thick African forest, hundreds of miles from the civilized city
There was danger of malaria, and a visit took two to three weeks by river plus an
additional two to three days by truck. 1 was deeply moved by this brother, because
he wasn't thinking of his own situation but was only thinking of his people and the
salvation of his mission country. He was determined to accomplish this.
3. Rev. Moon and the African missionaries
One day, Rev. Moon was talking to the African missionaries from the
Unification Church. He knew how hard the missionaries were working for God, but
he didn't like to praise them. Instead, he wanted to push them more and more. He
said that he didn't like to give them financial support, and wanted to send them back to
their mission countries to suffer more. The time would come when he
would be invited to their country. Then he would invite his own missionaries to sit
beside him, and let each one give their tearful testimony in front of heads of state
and dignitaries, of how they suffered for the sake of the nation, shedding tears and
sweat. He would say, 1f you suffer now, not for the sake of yourselves but for the
sake of the nation, then even if they persecute you you are making the stories by
which the whole nation will cry. Am I a cruel leader?"
4. Conclusion
It is not the temporary beauty of a car or 'house, but the tears, sweat, and if
necessary blood, shed for the sake of others, that you can be proud of forever. The
stories you will proudly tell are the stories of how you suffered for the sake of
others.
C4
Sermon Topic: The signs of the times: the second coming of Christ
Bible Verse: Matthew chapter 24
Sermon Theme: Explaining from the standpoint of biblical reference that Christ
is to come in the twentieth century
Main Idea: Jesus spoke clearly of the signs of the times that would indicate
the time of his return (Matthew 24). By examining those signs,
we can see Jesus was referring to the present time.
Signs that Jesus foretold in Matthew 24.
1. Many false Christs (Matthew 24:5). Today over 600
reported "Christs".
2. Wars and rumours of war (Matthew 24:6-7). Many
examples to draw from daily newspaper. But also
mention three worlds wars in the 20th century.
3. Famines in diverse places Matthew 24:7). More
people starving today than at any time in history (a
lot of statistical information available).
4. Diseases and pestilence Matthew 24:7). Cancer,
the rise of venereal disease, suicide, etc. (again, a
lot of statistical information is available).
5. Earthquakes and unusual weather patterns (Matthew
24:7) (research; much information available).
Daniel 12:4 - even to the time of the end, many shall run to
and fro and knowledge shall increase.
Based on this prophecy from the book of Daniel, a
description of the uniqueness of the 20th century from
the standpoint of the rise of science, technology, communi-
cation and travel is very effective and powerful.
E.g., 99% of all scientists who ever lived in history are
alive today.
Summary We must be prayerful because it is the time of Christ's return.
We must be ready to receive him when and how he appears.
C5
Sermon Topic On our way to the promised land
Bible Verse: Numbers 14:22-23
Sermon Theme: The Israelites, on their way to the promised land, faced many
challenges. Their course to the promised land is similar to the
walk of faith we all go in our personal journey to the 11prornised
land." We can compare their plight with our own and, hopefully,
learn from their failures and mistakes, of which we are equally
susceptible.
Main Idea: When God called Moses to lead the people out of Egypt, He was not
just calling them to change their address, but their entire way of
life. If you read*the book of Leviticus, you can begin to understand
how much God was expecting them to change their life, even to the
smallest detail. Changing our life and putting God first is, of
course, the most challenging matter. The journey of the Israelites
to the promised land is a visual symbol of our personal course in
changing our life from me-centred to God-centred.
Challenges in the journey to the promised land:
1. Going back to Egypt. Whenever things got tough on the
course to the promised land, going back to Egypt always
seemed such an attractive alternative. But it is im-
portant to remember that in Egypt the Israelites were
slaves! They had been so unhappy and mistreated there.
But how easily they forgot whenever the challenge to the
promised land became difficult. In our walk of faith it is
no different. Always our past life is there, enticing us to
return. We also can forget so easily that our past life
never gave us a lasting joy, but gave us many sorrows.
When we choose to walk with God, WE'VE GOT TO CLOSE
THE BACK DOOR!
2. Fear of the unknown. God was always leading the
Israelites into the unTnown, and sometimes, it seemed,
into disaster. In those moments the Israelites com
pounded their difficulty by focusing on their problems and
the risks involved rather than on their goal. Their goal
was that which God had promised. In our walk, many
times God is leading us into uncharted waters, areas we
would never go by our own choice. It is at those times,
when we have to stand on our faith alone, that we get
shaky. Walking through the unknown is like a filter
between ourselves and God: all that can remain is our
faith in Him.
3. Giving up past habits and concepts. When Moses went up
Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments, the
Israelites were placed in a position to have faith until
Moses returned. It was in this period that the old ways
began to creep back into their consciousness. The prac
tice of idolatry was probably chief among their bad
habits. Likewise, when God puts us in a position to have
faith, it is there that the "old ways" can find their way
into our life again. Bad habits, of course, means SIN.
4. Complaining against God. God cites the Israelites for
complaining at least ten times (Exodus 14:11-12; 15:23-24;
16:2; 16:20; 16:27; 17:1-3; 32:1-10; Numbers 11:1; 11:4;
14:2). What is the culmination of complaining? That you
realise the very thing of which you complained! God tells
Moses (Numbers 14:28) that all the complaint of the
Israelites will be realised. What were the kinds of things
they complained about (examine above-listed scripture)?
Usually about things of the flesh - what to cat and what
to drink - and about the quality of the leadership. M1
complaints reflect a doubt in God and self. Man is a co
creator with God, and therefore the direction of our
thinking and speaking has a strong tendency to sub-
stantiate. That's why, for instance, we can chant in order
to gain some desired result, because it works! The power
of positive thinking, and so forth. .
5. Giving up at the crucial moment. The Israelites were
always attacked with faithlessness, just at the moment
before the breakthrough. For instance, they rebelled at
the very border of the promised land; they could even see
it, they were so close. They rebelled right before the
parting of the Red Sea. They rebelled just before Moses
returned with the Ten Commandments. Satan always
attacks in the crucial moment. There are many examples
of this in the contemporary life of faith.
Summary In order to get the the promised land, we must close the door to our
past life, trust God in our journey through the unknown, give up our
past habits (sin), stop complaining and start believing in God and
myself, and never give up until we are residing in the Promised
Land.
C6
John 3:3
Jesus told Nicodemus, "Truly, truly 1 say to you, unless one is born anew, he
cannot see the Kingdom of God.
The Kingdom of God is where God and man live together as one family. No
one else can come. Satan cannot come. The Kingdom of God is where there is no
sin. Therefore, no sinner is qualified to see the Kingdom of God. We inherited sin
from our own ancestors. Therefore, unless we change the lineage we cannot live in
the Kingdom of God. In order to change lineage, we must be born anew from
different parents who have no sin. They are the Messiah. This is the reason we
need the Messiah. The Messiah comes as parents.
Jesus came as our Father, and the Holy Spirit as our Mother. By the word of
Jesus and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, they are as our parents. When we realise
our sin, and repent and accept Jesus as Savior, we receive Jesus and the Holy Spirit
(Father and Mother). We can be born again. We are the children of Jesus and the
Holy Spirit. Jesus has not sin, and the Holy Spirit has no sin. Therefore, we are
born again without sin. What GRACE! This is our rebirth. This is our resurrection.
We thought that Jesus is our Lord. If Jesus is just the Lord, then we
Christians are just the servants. However, our relationship with. Jesus is even much
deeper than we thought: that of children to parents.
We were born of the spirit of God. That which is born of the spirit is spirit.
The wind blows where it will and you bear the sound of it, but you don't know
whence it comes or whither it goes. Our spirits were redeemed, but our body and
flesh is still under the force of evil. The greater our faith in Jesus becomes, the
more the forces of evil come against us, as long as we are living on the earthly
plane. Our original mind is still crying for the redemption of our flesh. Romans
8:23 - 11. . . and not only creation but we ourselves who have the first fruits of the
spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our
bodies."
To do this, Jesus will come back again. He made a promise to come back,
and he will never fail to fulfil it. He will come back. On that day, we will be free
from sin, not only spiritually but also physically. On that day, there will be no
sinners, not only in Heaven, but also on earth. The Kingdom of God on earth will
come! There will be no war, no bloodshed, no crime and no immorality.
Everyone can inherit the nature of the Messiah, because everyone can be
reborn through the Lord of the Second Coming. There will be eternal peace and
happiness on this earth.
C7
A. What would the Messiah need to do if He came back today?
B. Today the world is in turmoil:
1. War, moral decay
2. Disintegration of Christian culture and family life, permissiveness,
atheism
3. Threat of nuclear war
4. Free world versus Communist world: confrontation between good and
evil on the world-wide level
C. If Christ returned today, how would He deal with these situations in the
world? Would He deal just with the spiritual aspects of the above problems?
D. God created the universe as man's environment to be the Kingdom of Heaven
on earth. This ideal was lost through the f all of our first human ancestors,
and must be restored through the process of restoration. Restoration has
occurred in part through Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus, and will be
completed at the time of the Second Advent.
1 . Restoration = salvation. Salvation has two aspects:
a. Salvation of the soul or spirit of man, i.e., becoming one in heart
with God and Christ.
b. Restoration of the physical self, overcoming the law of the f lesh
(Romans 7) as well as the restoration of all things in God's creation.
2. Therefore Jesus did not intend just to bring spiritual salvation, but also
wanted to create a Godly society on earth (as he said in His Sermon on
the Mount (Matthew 5)
E. Since the crucifixion of Jesus, Satan became even more aggressive, expanding
his kingdom on earth as Jesus had intended to bring the Kingdom of God on
earth.
F. Throughout history a greater magnitude of confrontation between good and
evil has come about, and greater separation from God.
1. As Christianity came to its greatest manifestations, meanwhile Satan
also appeared in a strong way through the communist ideology.
2. Today is the greatest confrontation between good and evil in people's
minds to serve either God or Satan.
3. If Christ returned today, He would face these situations.
G. When Christ comes, He will also bring the Kingdom of Heaven, and solutions
to the presence of evil within man and his society. He will inspire the unity
of all mankind to do the will of God and create the Kingdom of Heaven on
earth by uniting all nations and religions, sorting out their differences.
1. To do this, He will bring the.absolute truth, to fulfil the Will of God by
which the world government with Christ at the center could be erected.
2. He would need full co-operation from mankind, especially Christianity,
which was prepared to receive Christ at His coming and proclaim the
eternal gospel of true love, explaining the purpose of creation, of
mankind, and of all things, bringing perfection. Through the discipleship
of Christianity, God and men could be reunited as Father and children.
H. Therefore, Christ at his return cannot just appear spiritually, but has to bring
social reform through the love of God as the central element and, reuniting
man and God, create one universal family beyond the borders of race,
culture, colour, etc.
I. Under these auspices we must prepare our heart and mind to be able to
receive the Messiah, recognise Him and co-operate with him, to build together
the Kingdom of God in Heaven and in the physical world.
C8
Luke 12:22-34
Introduction
These words of Jesus urge us to trust God completely, to look for the coming
Kingdom, to allow God to enthrone Himself in our hearts, to let Him be our heart.
Such a trusting reliance brings great blessings, and fulfills our deepest needs.
I. The Kingdom is at hand. Where?
A. In the common experiences of life, in positive give and take, in the
nurturing warmth of selfless love.
B. In the life of the Son of God, in the spirit, not only the letter, of the
Word of God, in a God-centred Principled life.
Il. The Kingdom is "God with us." How do we know this?
A. When our spiritual vision remains clear despite persecution and struggle.
B. When our lifestyle and the way of the world conflict, and we gladly
choose to be rejected by the world.
III. The Kingdom is a gift. Why do we have to seek for it?
A. The effort involved in seeking develops gratitude and spiritual depth.
B. The effort involved in seeking helps keep the physical and spiritual world
in proper perspective.
IV. The Kingdom is fulfilled in Christ
A. The course of restoration in history points to Christ.
B. In Christ we see the one True Man, the reflection of the fatherhood and
motherhood of God.
C. In Christ we see what is possible for all of creation to be - a "sneak
preview," a look at the last page of the Book of Life.
Conclusion
The promises of God are the same as fulfilled reality. We can, must, and
shall be all that God purposes for us: "It does not yet appear what we shall be, but
we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is."