[Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called the children of God] (1 John 3:1).
[In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him] (1 John 4:9).
From my favorite book, [Early Writings] on page 151, I once read, "Think ye that the Father yielded up His dearly beloved Son without a struggle? No, no. It was even a struggle with the God of heaven (our Father) whether to let guilty man perish, or to give His beloved Son 'who knew no sin' (2 Cor. 5:21) to die for them." Yes. It was an unbearable, agonizing, and sorrowful situation to the Father of infinite mercy and love, whether to give His innocent Son to the world of darkness abounding with evil spirits (Satan), to be torn by wicked hands and slain mercilessly by them or not. On page 126 it is written, "I then saw the lovely Jesus ... approach the exceeding bright light which enshrouded the Father ... The anxiety of the angels seemed to be intense while Jesus was communing with His Father. Three times He was shut in by the glorious light about the Father, and the third time He came from the Father, we could see His Person ... He then made known to the angelic choir that a way of escape had been made for lost man."
After having read this book, I was often moved by the thought of what a great pain and sacrifice our Father paid in sending His Son to save us! The news that earthly children had fallen by transgression filled all heaven with sorrow and astonishment, and in the heavenly courts, there was mourning and woeful silence. The sorrow and perplexity of our heavenly Father was too great to be described in words: whether to let man perish in their sins or to give His beloved Son who knew no sin to die for them. These were sorrowful and tormenting hours of agony. Jesus who had been waiting outside the sanctuary with the angels in deep sympathy with the Father, could wait no longer and went to the Father in the sanctuary, entreating Him earnestly for permission to give His life as a ransom for the children of earth. Now imagine the countenance of the Father beholding His Son, beholding His Son entreating so earnestly. How can He lose His Son so lovely? The Father asks to be left alone for more time to think. And more hours of agony and struggle pass on. But the Son aching at the sight of the Father's great pain, can wait no longer and goes to Him, to entreat once more. The Father who beholds the face of His Son standing before Him can never, never give up His Son who is innocent of sin; He once again asks His Son to leave Him alone for more time to think of a solution. And the terrible hours of agony and struggle begin. But Jesus waiting outside the sanctuary for the Father's decision, with the angels equally absorbed in the same sorrow, can no longer merely watch the ever deepening agony and unceasing struggle, so with a firm resolution, He goes in to see the Father for the third time, and pleads all the more earnestly. Beholding His countenance and listening to the pleading of His Son, God finally yields. God was to give His only Son, [that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life] (John 3:16). What a tremendous sacrifice and agony for the Father it was! There are many who speak about the agony of Jesus on Mount Gethsemane, but few speak about the agony of the Father which had taken place in heaven beforehand. The agony of Jesus on Mt. Gethsemane was only for the sinful children on earth, but the Father was moaning in agony pressed down by double burdens. He was under a tremendous agony for Jesus His only Son "who knew no sin," on top of His enormous anxiety for the fallen race. Oh what a grievous agony for the Father it was! As Jesus the Son of God fell prostrate in agony, He at least had the presence of the Father by His side to reply to His prayer and the attendance of angels to give Him strength and encouragement, but the Father who had been agonizing over this tremendous double burden had no such help. How many are there who give sincere thanks to the Father for His tremendous sacrifice? So immeasurable is the love of the Father for sinners, and so great is the suffering in sacrificing His dear Son. God's boundless love is a mystery hidden from the sinners of earth and from the angels of heaven - a love that neither earth nor heaven can comprehend. Let us at this moment bow down and give thanks to the heavenly Father. His love is [higher than the heavens - what can you do? ... deeper than the depths of the grave - what can you know?] (Job 11:8, NIV).
[He is kind to the ungrateful and the selfish,] [as the heavens are higher than the earth] (Luke 6:35, Isa. 55:9).
I would like to introduce a passage from another favorite book titled, [The Desire of Ages] which particularly illustrates the life of Jesus. It is written on page 478, "In all ages, philosophers and teachers have been presenting to the world theories by which to satisfy the soul's need. Every heathen nation has had its great teachers and religious systems offering some other means of redemption than Christ, turning the eyes of men away from the Father's face, and filling their hearts with fear of Him who has given them only blessing. The trend of their work is to rob God of that which is His own, both by creation and by redemption. And these false teachers rob man (soul) as well. Millions of human beings are bound down under false religions, in the bondage of slavish fear, of stolid indifference, toiling like beasts of burden, bereft of hope of joy or aspiration here, and with only a dull fear of the hereafter."
What a terrible and miserable religion it is! What a great disappointment and distress it must be to our Father and Jesus! Therefore, it was to remove this absurd fallacy, to reveal to the world the infinite love of God, that Jesus came to live among men. It was to make manifest the Father that the Son of God came from heaven. [No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him] (John 1:18). [No one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and he to whom the Son wills to reveal Him] (Matt. 11:27).
Jesus wanted the children of earth to know how much God loved and cared for them. He taught them that God is in search of every lost child, [As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him] (Ps. 103:13). Though this kind of God had never been introduced to the world by any other religion, it has always been ready to be revealed in the Bible. But churches falsely represented God, not as the God of love, but as an evil God who is pleased with sacrifices. Even the Israelites were ignorant to the extent of God's love taught by His prophets. This revelation of the parental love of God is a new, precious gift to the world.
Just before His crucifixion, Jesus said to His disciples who, though boasting of their loyalty to their Teacher, would flee away for their lives, leaving Him alone, [Indeed the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, every man to his home, and will leave Me alone; yet I am not alone, for the Father is with Me] (John 16:32, RSV). Yes. When the God of mercy and love sent His Son to save sinners, He did not send Him alone to this world of darkness full of evil spirits (Satan), but He came together with His Son and was at His side from the manger in Bethlehem to the cross of Calvary. Even the evil, corrupt parents of earth do not allow their own children to go through rough paths and dangerous places alone. They rather carry them on their backs, hold them in their bosom, or grasp their hand. Then how much more would the loving, merciful God let His Son, who is as innocent as a lamb, to enter this cold world alone. Jesus said, [He who sent Me is with Me: The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to Him] (John 8:29). He again said, [I am not alone but I am with the Father who sent Me] (John 8:16).
Perhaps you remember Matthew 27:35, [They crucified Him.] This verse fills me with aching sorrow and makes me drop my head. The thought of the ungrateful, outrageous mob jumping at Jesus like [brute dogs] (Ps. 22:16), nailing the tender hands of the Son of God to the cross so mercilessly who had given up His position as a heavenly Prince to come down and save them. Now behold the Father standing beside His Son, never having left Him alone, not once. He who had always been with Him was now watching His Son's last hour, watching with pain how His Son was being treated. As I imagine the Father's countenance, I cannot help but drop my head. The outrageous mob cruelly nailing the hands and feet of the Son of God ... the sharp pounding heard echoing amidst their laughter - who are completely ignorant to who He is, not knowing that they are also nailing down and piercing the heart of God as well. The Father who is grasping His Son ever tighter with heart-wrenching agony... As I imagine the scene, I am unable to lift my head, too overcome with sorrow. How can mere words express the torment?
And there is a verse that makes me weep with tears, Matthew 27:46, [My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me?]
Here Jesus the Son of God, after this final cry of agony, dropped His head and breathed His last. As I behold the Father holding His Son [who knew no sin] (2 Cor. 5:21), my heart feels as though it will burst with grief. For Jesus the Son of God, everything ceased with His innocent death, but now behold the wailing Father hugging the dead body of His beloved Son who was slain unjustly without sin.
On how He loved the world so much! [Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him] (1 John 3:1). [In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him] (1 John 4:9). [In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins] (1 John 4:10), [For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him] (2 Cor. 5:21). [For surely it is not with angels] of heaven [that He is concerned but with the descendants of Abraham (sinners)] (Heb. 2:16, RSV), to [deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage] (Heb. 2:15, RSV). [For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son...not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him] (John 3:16, 17).
But it is the darkness of the misapprehension of God that is enshrouding the world. Men are losing the knowledge of His character. It has been misunderstood and misinterpreted. At this time a message from God is to be proclaimed, a message illuminating in its influence and saving in its power. His character is to be made known. Into the darkness of the world is to be shed the light of His glory, the light of His goodness, mercy and truth.
This is the work outlined by the prophet Isaiah in the words, [Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings, lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, 'Behold your God!'] (Isa. 40:9, RSV).
All heaven is waiting for the sons and daughters of God who will go forth into the world with the love of the Father and proclaim it. This is the final, glorious work to occur at the end of earth's history prophesied by the prophet Malachi, [Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And He will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse] (Mal. 4:5, 6).
May the Elijahs of today raise up their hands and answer to the voice of the Lord. [And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, `Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?'] (Isa. 6:8) .
Oh, the agony of the Father greater than that of the Son! The struggle of the Father more intense than that of the Son! The love of the Father thicker than the blood of the cross! The love of the Father stronger than the death of the cross! The love of the Father broader and wider than the whole universe! The love of the Father that neither, the world nor sinners can ever fully comprehend! The love of the Father that neither righteous people nor angels can ever know! The love of the Father that is unknown to both heaven and earth! The love that [no one knows except the Father] (Matt. 11:27). Where are the Elijahs today who will go forth with this love? [And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, `Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?'] (Isa. 6:8).
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Saturday, April 11, 2009
3. Our Real Father Who Has Truly Begotten Us
[Jesus, When He began His ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi... the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God] (Luke 3:23-38, RSV).
To rephrase this, "Jesus’ father is Joseph, whose father is Heli, whose father is Matthat, whose father is Levi... whose father is Noah, whose father is Lamech, whose father is Methuselah, whose father is Jared, whose father is Mahalaleel, whose father is Cainan, whose father is Enos, whose father is Seth, whose father is Adam, whose father is God."
To put it still another way, it means that "Jesus was born of Joseph (Mary), born of Heli, born of Matthat, born of Levi... born of Noah, born of Lamech, born of Methuselah, born of Enoch, born of Jared, born of Mahalaleel, born of Cainan, born of Enos, born of Seth, born of Adam, born of God." Therefore, our Father in heaven is our real Father who has personally given birth to us.
< A QUESTION! >
You may ask, "In Genesis 1:26 God said, `Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness.' He never said He would give birth to us, so why do you insist that God has borne us personally from His body (womb)?" This is natural question. But I must still give the same answer; for the heavenly God is truly our real Father who personally gave birth to us.
Please allow me to clarify this fact.
Animals such as the cow or the deer bring forth their young that look just like themselves. In the same way, flying birds such as sparrows or pigeons also bring forth their young bearing resemblance to themselves. With humans also, they give birth to young (children) who perfectly resemble themselves. In all these examples, the young bear a close resemblance, if not identical to their parents. However, the process by which the young are brought forth among all the various species of God's creations are all considerably different. Animals such as the cow or the deer bear their young through their womb and nurture them through milk sac in their belly. But birds like sparrows, pigeons or chickens are different. As we know well, they bring forth their young from their bodies, not by means of the womb, but through an egg-sac, and not through the genital organs but through the anus. Their young are at first like a round stone with no eyes, nose, or mouth. Then they spend a period of time in the bosom of the brooding mother during which blood vessels, bones, eyes, nose, and feathers are formed; after which they hatch in considerable resemblance to their mother. Once out in the world, the are not fed on milk but manage to grow by pecking on worms and grain. Now, we can see that there are great incomprehensible differences between four-footed animals and birds with feathers in respect to their various methods of reproducing and breeding their young. And yet, the results are the same. They all end up having lovely offspring resembling themselves almost perfectly in character, shape, face and body. Only the way they bring forth and breed their offspring is entirely different.
Likewise, there is a complete difference in respect to producing lives between us bodily creatures and our heavenly Father, who is the bodiless Creator - [a Spirit] (John 4:24). While humans as bodily creatures like animals, give birth to babies by means of the womb in their bodies, God the Creator, because He is a bodiless Spirit, produces lives by means of His Creator's womb and raises them in His own unique way. It is through this Creator's womb that He produces and brings up His children. Understanding one another's methods of producing and breeding their young may be rather difficult as it is quite mysterious and strange. It is difficult for us bodily creatures to understand the way the Creator God, the bodiless Spirit, produces lives. But if we ponder upon it deeply, it is not that impossible to understand. For us, when a baby is born after a period of nine months in the womb of the mother, the baby is first fed on the liquid from the milk sac of her breast just like the four-footed animals. On the other hand, in the beginning, our heavenly Father gave birth to Adam and Eve by means of His spiritual Creator's womb, and fed them with coarse foods such as herbs yielding seeds, all fruits of the garden, and Fruit of the Tree of Life rather than milk, since He is a spiritual Father. Just as the flying birds have no breast and feed their young on coarse foods instead of milk, so our Father does it also. Flying birds and crawling animals are entirely different in their methods of giving birth to their young, but consequently, they all end up having young that resemble themselves perfectly. Likewise, the way we bodily men have our children is entirely different from the way God the Spirit, as the Creator has His children. But in the end, we both have children who perfectly resemble us.
He said, [You thought that I was one like yourself] (Ps. 50:21 RSV). But people have such limited and narrow minds that they are not willing to acknowledge or understand matters concerning God the Creator, who is a bodiless Spirit. Some even ridicule Him, as the flying birds laugh at the way four-footed animals produce their young, and the four-footed animals mock the flying birds with their stone-like eggs void of eyes, nose, or mouth, that will eventually be their young. But Jesus assures us, [Do not call anyone on earth your father, for one is your Father,] who has begotten you personally, [who is in heaven] (Matt. 23:9). And Malachi, who knew this fact, said,[Have we not all one Father?] (Mal. 2:10). That is why Jesus said, [Pray then like this: Our Father which art in heaven] (Matt. 6:9, RSV), and from now on call Him your [own (real) Father](John 5:18). While Jesus was on earth, He [called God His own (real) Father] (John 5:18). [Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him] (John 5:18), and eventually they did kill Jesus, the real Son of God.
Likewise, who can guarantee that in the last days also, those who have not accepted God as their real Father will not, out of jealousy and hate, persecute those who have accepted Him as their real Father? [But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, "This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance'] (Matt. 21:38). Jesus, the real Son of God, assures us again today that we are God's real sons and daughters as He is and says, [Go to My brethren and say to them, I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God](John 20:17).
But even regardless of all this, we have an inseparable blood relationship with God. We are His offspring and He is our real Father, because God gave birth to man (Adam), and man (Mary) gave birth to God (Jesus). Therefore, based on the Biblical genealogy as well as by blood ties, it is an undeniable truth that the only true God in heaven is our real Father. It would have been much better if the writer of the Bible had written Genesis 1:26 as [Let us give birth to man in Our image] rather than, [Let us make man in Our image, after Our likeness.] [The Lord (our heavenly Father) ... said to me, 'You are My son, today I have begotten you'] (Ps. 2:7).
Dear brothers and sisters of the world! Let us not pray spiritlessly as we used to while we did not know our real Father, but from now on let us offer powerful prayers which is our deserved right as His real sons, prayers that will touch the deep heart of our Father, by saying, [Our Father in heaven!] (John 5:18). [My Father in heaven!] (Matt. 26:39). [My real Father in heaven!] (John 5:18.) [My Daddy in heaven!] [My real Daddy in heaven!] (John 5:18, Gal. 4:6 in the Common Translation of the Korean Bible Society).
So let us not behave awkwardly as we kneel in prayer, as if we were foster sons and daughters, but act boldly with great dignity as real sons. If even the sons and daughter of the kings and presidents of this world behave themselves with such dignity and enjoy great privileges, how much more do we not deserve to be proud as princes and princesses of the King of heaven, the King of the universe, the King of kings and Lord of lords! But in spite of this incredible truth, if you my brethren are ashamed to testify to the world that the only true God in heaven is your real Father who has given birth to you, and has raised you, listen then to the word of God, [I tell you, everyone who acknowledges Me before men, (I) also will acknowledge before the angels of God; but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God] (Luke 12:8, 9). I hope you will keep in mind that eternal life is given by the only true God to those who acknowledge and serve Him as their real Father.
In this world, there are many adopted sons and daughters, stepsons and stepdaughters under one father, and in orphanages, there are hundreds of sons and daughters under one president whom they all call their father. But there are only a few who can inherit the father's estate, his birthright, and succeed his line age - his real sons and daughters only. We all know this well so [what does the Scripture say? 'Cast out the bondwoman and her son; for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the (real) son of the freewoman.' So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free] (Gal. 4:30, 31). [Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has a great reward,] [for yet a little while, and He who is coming will come and will not tarry] (Heb. 10:35, 37). then Jesus will exclaim, [Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world] (Matt. 25:34). This joyful call will be heard only by God's real children. May we all meet together with Jesus then!
Praise the Lord! Glory to our real Father!
Our Prayer
"My real Father in heaven!
I am very thankful to You for showing me so plainly that the holy God in heaven is my real Father. Now all of heaven and earth, and everything in the universe has become new and is mine because the whole universe is Yours, my Father.
But Father, my real Daddy! Please send Jesus Christ, my eldest Brother quickly so that He can take my brethren and I back to our heavenly home, to be by Your side. I do not want to stay in this world any longer where abound innumerable evil spirits of Satan, for only in heaven are found everlasting joy, peace, and happiness. To my Father who has borne and brought me up, in the name of Jesus Christ, my Eldest Brother, I pray."
To rephrase this, "Jesus’ father is Joseph, whose father is Heli, whose father is Matthat, whose father is Levi... whose father is Noah, whose father is Lamech, whose father is Methuselah, whose father is Jared, whose father is Mahalaleel, whose father is Cainan, whose father is Enos, whose father is Seth, whose father is Adam, whose father is God."
To put it still another way, it means that "Jesus was born of Joseph (Mary), born of Heli, born of Matthat, born of Levi... born of Noah, born of Lamech, born of Methuselah, born of Enoch, born of Jared, born of Mahalaleel, born of Cainan, born of Enos, born of Seth, born of Adam, born of God." Therefore, our Father in heaven is our real Father who has personally given birth to us.
< A QUESTION! >
You may ask, "In Genesis 1:26 God said, `Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness.' He never said He would give birth to us, so why do you insist that God has borne us personally from His body (womb)?" This is natural question. But I must still give the same answer; for the heavenly God is truly our real Father who personally gave birth to us.
Please allow me to clarify this fact.
Animals such as the cow or the deer bring forth their young that look just like themselves. In the same way, flying birds such as sparrows or pigeons also bring forth their young bearing resemblance to themselves. With humans also, they give birth to young (children) who perfectly resemble themselves. In all these examples, the young bear a close resemblance, if not identical to their parents. However, the process by which the young are brought forth among all the various species of God's creations are all considerably different. Animals such as the cow or the deer bear their young through their womb and nurture them through milk sac in their belly. But birds like sparrows, pigeons or chickens are different. As we know well, they bring forth their young from their bodies, not by means of the womb, but through an egg-sac, and not through the genital organs but through the anus. Their young are at first like a round stone with no eyes, nose, or mouth. Then they spend a period of time in the bosom of the brooding mother during which blood vessels, bones, eyes, nose, and feathers are formed; after which they hatch in considerable resemblance to their mother. Once out in the world, the are not fed on milk but manage to grow by pecking on worms and grain. Now, we can see that there are great incomprehensible differences between four-footed animals and birds with feathers in respect to their various methods of reproducing and breeding their young. And yet, the results are the same. They all end up having lovely offspring resembling themselves almost perfectly in character, shape, face and body. Only the way they bring forth and breed their offspring is entirely different.
Likewise, there is a complete difference in respect to producing lives between us bodily creatures and our heavenly Father, who is the bodiless Creator - [a Spirit] (John 4:24). While humans as bodily creatures like animals, give birth to babies by means of the womb in their bodies, God the Creator, because He is a bodiless Spirit, produces lives by means of His Creator's womb and raises them in His own unique way. It is through this Creator's womb that He produces and brings up His children. Understanding one another's methods of producing and breeding their young may be rather difficult as it is quite mysterious and strange. It is difficult for us bodily creatures to understand the way the Creator God, the bodiless Spirit, produces lives. But if we ponder upon it deeply, it is not that impossible to understand. For us, when a baby is born after a period of nine months in the womb of the mother, the baby is first fed on the liquid from the milk sac of her breast just like the four-footed animals. On the other hand, in the beginning, our heavenly Father gave birth to Adam and Eve by means of His spiritual Creator's womb, and fed them with coarse foods such as herbs yielding seeds, all fruits of the garden, and Fruit of the Tree of Life rather than milk, since He is a spiritual Father. Just as the flying birds have no breast and feed their young on coarse foods instead of milk, so our Father does it also. Flying birds and crawling animals are entirely different in their methods of giving birth to their young, but consequently, they all end up having young that resemble themselves perfectly. Likewise, the way we bodily men have our children is entirely different from the way God the Spirit, as the Creator has His children. But in the end, we both have children who perfectly resemble us.
He said, [You thought that I was one like yourself] (Ps. 50:21 RSV). But people have such limited and narrow minds that they are not willing to acknowledge or understand matters concerning God the Creator, who is a bodiless Spirit. Some even ridicule Him, as the flying birds laugh at the way four-footed animals produce their young, and the four-footed animals mock the flying birds with their stone-like eggs void of eyes, nose, or mouth, that will eventually be their young. But Jesus assures us, [Do not call anyone on earth your father, for one is your Father,] who has begotten you personally, [who is in heaven] (Matt. 23:9). And Malachi, who knew this fact, said,[Have we not all one Father?] (Mal. 2:10). That is why Jesus said, [Pray then like this: Our Father which art in heaven] (Matt. 6:9, RSV), and from now on call Him your [own (real) Father](John 5:18). While Jesus was on earth, He [called God His own (real) Father] (John 5:18). [Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him] (John 5:18), and eventually they did kill Jesus, the real Son of God.
Likewise, who can guarantee that in the last days also, those who have not accepted God as their real Father will not, out of jealousy and hate, persecute those who have accepted Him as their real Father? [But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, "This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance'] (Matt. 21:38). Jesus, the real Son of God, assures us again today that we are God's real sons and daughters as He is and says, [Go to My brethren and say to them, I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God](John 20:17).
But even regardless of all this, we have an inseparable blood relationship with God. We are His offspring and He is our real Father, because God gave birth to man (Adam), and man (Mary) gave birth to God (Jesus). Therefore, based on the Biblical genealogy as well as by blood ties, it is an undeniable truth that the only true God in heaven is our real Father. It would have been much better if the writer of the Bible had written Genesis 1:26 as [Let us give birth to man in Our image] rather than, [Let us make man in Our image, after Our likeness.] [The Lord (our heavenly Father) ... said to me, 'You are My son, today I have begotten you'] (Ps. 2:7).
Dear brothers and sisters of the world! Let us not pray spiritlessly as we used to while we did not know our real Father, but from now on let us offer powerful prayers which is our deserved right as His real sons, prayers that will touch the deep heart of our Father, by saying, [Our Father in heaven!] (John 5:18). [My Father in heaven!] (Matt. 26:39). [My real Father in heaven!] (John 5:18.) [My Daddy in heaven!] [My real Daddy in heaven!] (John 5:18, Gal. 4:6 in the Common Translation of the Korean Bible Society).
So let us not behave awkwardly as we kneel in prayer, as if we were foster sons and daughters, but act boldly with great dignity as real sons. If even the sons and daughter of the kings and presidents of this world behave themselves with such dignity and enjoy great privileges, how much more do we not deserve to be proud as princes and princesses of the King of heaven, the King of the universe, the King of kings and Lord of lords! But in spite of this incredible truth, if you my brethren are ashamed to testify to the world that the only true God in heaven is your real Father who has given birth to you, and has raised you, listen then to the word of God, [I tell you, everyone who acknowledges Me before men, (I) also will acknowledge before the angels of God; but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God] (Luke 12:8, 9). I hope you will keep in mind that eternal life is given by the only true God to those who acknowledge and serve Him as their real Father.
In this world, there are many adopted sons and daughters, stepsons and stepdaughters under one father, and in orphanages, there are hundreds of sons and daughters under one president whom they all call their father. But there are only a few who can inherit the father's estate, his birthright, and succeed his line age - his real sons and daughters only. We all know this well so [what does the Scripture say? 'Cast out the bondwoman and her son; for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the (real) son of the freewoman.' So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free] (Gal. 4:30, 31). [Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has a great reward,] [for yet a little while, and He who is coming will come and will not tarry] (Heb. 10:35, 37). then Jesus will exclaim, [Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world] (Matt. 25:34). This joyful call will be heard only by God's real children. May we all meet together with Jesus then!
Praise the Lord! Glory to our real Father!
Our Prayer
"My real Father in heaven!
I am very thankful to You for showing me so plainly that the holy God in heaven is my real Father. Now all of heaven and earth, and everything in the universe has become new and is mine because the whole universe is Yours, my Father.
But Father, my real Daddy! Please send Jesus Christ, my eldest Brother quickly so that He can take my brethren and I back to our heavenly home, to be by Your side. I do not want to stay in this world any longer where abound innumerable evil spirits of Satan, for only in heaven are found everlasting joy, peace, and happiness. To my Father who has borne and brought me up, in the name of Jesus Christ, my Eldest Brother, I pray."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)