Subject 13 : The Gospel According to MATTHEW
[Chapter 13-4] The Power of the Gospel of The Water and the Spirit (Matthew 13:31-43)
(Matthew 13:31-43)
“Another
parable He put forth to them, saying: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a
mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is
the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the
herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in
its branches.’ Another parable He spoke to them: ‘The kingdom of heaven
is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal
till it was all leavened.’ All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude
in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, that it
might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: ‘I will open
My mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the
foundation of the world.’ Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went
into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, ‘Explain to us
the parable of the tares of the field.’ He answered and said to them:
‘He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world,
the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons
of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is
the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. Therefore as the
tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of
this age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather
out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice
lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be
wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as
the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him
hear!’’”
It
is my hope and desire that the gospel of the water and the Spirit would
be spread forcefully throughout the whole world. I believe that God
will open the door to the whole world, including the unreached regions
of the world, so that this gospel of the water and the Spirit may be
proclaimed everywhere. I believe that the true gospel will be spread
vigorously throughout the world, and that it will be testified fully to
everyone who is looking for the Truth, leaving none behind. I believe
that regardless of whether it is our desire or not, God’s Great
Commission, that propagates the gospel of the water and the Spirit
throughout the entire world, will surely be accomplished in the near
future. I also believe that it is through us that God will spread the
gospel in the whole wide world, for this is what God has decided to do
so.
God
is also the Master of world history as it is written in Psalms 127:1,
“Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain.” This
is just like the fact that South Korea went all the way up to the
semi-final in the 2002 World Cup. My country, South Korea, had never
survived the first round of the World Cup Tournament, and it had never
won even a game, and yet in the past World Cup, it went up to the
semi-final. I am sure that this is God’s amazing providence and
blessing. To spread the gospel of the water and the Spirit throughout
the whole world, God made sure that South Korea would be known to the
world. I believe that God helps those in many quarters who seek first
His Kingdom and righteousness.
I
am sure all of you are eager to serve the gospel of God’s
righteousness. Therefore, we must pray more fervently for the spreading
of gospel of the water and the Spirit. We need more material means to
support our main ministries, that is, Christian literature ministries.
Our Lord admonishes us, “Make friends for yourselves by unrighteous
mammon” (Luke 16:9). However, we cannot support the gospel ministries
enough with our possessions, for our own resources are limited.
Therefore,
we should pray to God to give us more material means. I believe that if
we pray to God, He will give us far greater material blessings than now
and work in our lives. Since it is to spread the gospel throughout the
whole world that we are praying for financial means, I believe that God
knows this better than us and will answer our prayers.
We
pray to God by trusting in Him. All we have to do is ask for God’s help
by placing our faith in Him, and preach the gospel of the water and the
Spirit throughout the whole world. When we labor by faith to spread the
gospel of the water and the Spirit, God will hear our prayers and work
forcefully.
God
is pleased when we preach the gospel of the water and the Spirit
throughout the whole world. I believe that this true gospel will be
spread even more and further than now, so that there would be no one in
this world who has not heard the gospel of the water and the Spirit. It
is my ardent desire that the Lord would do all these things in the next
few years.
What Is the Power of the Gospel of the Water and the Spirit That Is Like a Mustard Seed?
We
just read Matthew 13:31-43. Verses 31 and 32 say, “Another parable He
put forth to them, saying: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard
seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least
of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and
becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its
branches.’”
Jesus
said that the Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed that a man sowed in
his field. Our Lord said that the mustard seed is the least of all the
seeds, but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a
tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches. Our
Lord was speaking about the power of the gospel through this parable by
this passage. Put differently, through the power of this true gospel,
God has enabled sinners to receive the remission of sin, to be freed
from the bondage of their sins, and hence, to receive new and restful
life.
In
short, this passage shows us how the power of the gospel of the water
and the Spirit works to expand His Kingdom. In this parable, the Kingdom
of Heaven here refers to the Kingdom of God, and the mustard seed
refers to the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
When
people first come across this gospel of the water and the Spirit, it
may seem very small and not particularly valuable, but for those who
accept it into their hearts, the greatness of God’s Kingdom is fulfilled
in their spirits. It refers to the process that a born-again saint
becomes a worker working for His Kingdom. The Kingdom of God, in other
words, begins from and is perfected through faith in the gospel Word of
the water and the Spirit, whose power is like a mustard seed. When we
believe in this gospel of the water and the Spirit that Jesus has given
us, we will become God’s own children, and those who thus have become so
will turn also into God’s servants who lead sinners back to God. Jesus
told us through this parable that the servants of God build the Kingdom
of God, embrace countless sinners in their arms, and lead them all to
the Lord.
The Lord Did Not Speak without a Parable
Matthew
13:34-35 says, “Without a parable He did not speak to them, that it
might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: ‘I will open
My mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the
foundation of the world.’”
What
are these things kept secret from the foundation of the world? They are
the gospel power of the water and the Spirit that can build the Kingdom
of God. Our Lord has kept the power of the gospel of the water and the
Spirit, the gospel of Heaven, secret on this earth.
Through
His parables, in other words, the Lord spoke about how the Kingdom of
God can be built on this earth. We can see that it is through the
believers in the gospel of the water and the Spirit that His Kingdom is
built on this earth. Put differently, it is through the faith of these
sinless people who have been born again by the gospel power of the water
and the Spirit that the Kingdom of God is built. This is why the Lord
has perfectly turned His believers into God’s own people with the gospel
power of the water and the Spirit, so that our spirits would lack
nothing to become God’s people.
By
giving us the power of this gospel, the Lord has brought perfection to
each and every one of us, and He has enabled us to become God’s people
and the workers of His Kingdom. Therefore, through such workers of God,
many sinners are hearing the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit,
the true gospel, and gather under their teachings. This is how they are
saved from all their sins, becoming the people of the Kingdom of God who
receive all His blessings and protection. This is the power of the
gospel of the water and the Spirit.
The
gospel power of the water and the Spirit is the perfect Truth for the
Kingdom of God. This gospel power establishes the Kingdom of God and
turns sinners into God’s people by enabling them to be born again. It is
when we believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit that the
Kingdom of God is built in us, sinners are turned into God’s people, and
the salves to the world are transformed into God’s workers. Many who
had belonged to Satan can now become the people of the Kingdom of God by
placing their faith in the gospel of the power of the water and the
Spirit.
This
is why when the Lord spoke of the gospel of the water and the Spirit,
He said that the Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed, and He was
right on the money! This Truth that Jesus said, that the Kingdom of
Heaven is like a mustard seed that a man planted in his field, is a
secret that God kept hidden. The Triune God planned as such even before
the foundation of the world.
Because
of Satan and their own weaknesses, mankind could not avoid but fall
into sin and drown in it. Yet God has given a way through which even
such people can still become God’s people. This is why our Lord said,
“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and
sowed in his field.” The Kingdom of God, in other words, is hidden in
the mystery of the gospel power of the water and the Spirit.
Therefore,
when people believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, they
will all receive the remission of their sins and become righteous. They
will become God’s people by their faith in the true gospel. They also
will become God’s workers by faith. Through this gospel, the accursed
children will become the very objects of God’s blessings. Apart from
this faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, nothing else can
turn you into such blessed ones. Did you become God’s people when you
had believed only in the blood of the Cross? What has perfectly and
completely turned you into God’s own people and has shaped you into the
workers of His Kingdom is the gospel of the power of the water and the
Spirit.
The
Lord of this gospel power of the water and the Spirit is none other
than our own Lord. You and I should never underestimate the powerful
gospel of the water and the Spirit, for it is our Lord who came to this
earth and has given us this gospel out of His grace. At first glance,
this true gospel may look similar to the pseudo-gospel that believes
only in the blood of the Cross, but strictly speaking, the gospel of the
water and the Spirit is on an entirely different dimension from such
other gospels.
We
must become God’s people by believing in the gospel Truth of the water
and the Spirit. Through this gospel, we must first be remitted and
cleansed from all our sins, and become God’s people and His precious
workers. We must also preach this powerful gospel of the water and the
Spirit to those who still remain enslaved to Satan. It is when we do
this that countless people can come to receive their remission of sin.
Jesus
spoke of this mystery of Heaven in parables so that not just anyone
would understand. He said that the Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard
seed that a man sowed in his field; and that though this seed is small
at the beginning, in time it grows into a tree, and the birds of the air
come and nest in its branches. When people did not have faith in this
powerful gospel of the water and the Spirit, everyone was enslaved to
Satan, only to reach death. But through the believers in this true
gospel, there arose the people of God on this earth, and many have come
to be blessed by God.
Is
there any other real gospel of power apart from the gospel of the water
and the Spirit? There is none. If there are some who are still
wondering and searching, “Is it right for me to believe in the gospel of
the water and the Spirit and follow the Lord? Or is there any other
true gospel other than this gospel?” I admonish them to turn around from
this foolishness.
The
religionists of this world are still like the seed that fell on the
wayside. They think that just because they have converted their
religions into Christianity and are trying to live their lives to the
best of their effort, they believe in God properly. But the fact of the
matter is that they cannot even turn themselves into stony fields, for
they cannot acknowledge the Word of God. Blocked by the solid wall of
religion, they do not even realize just how sinful and insufficient they
really are.
Even
now, therefore, these people must know how lustful they are, know
themselves, and seek the Word of Truth. They must believe, in other
words, that our Lord, by giving us the gospel of the power of the water
and the Spirit out of His compassion for us, has remitted away all our
sins once for all, and has saved us perfectly. All of us must believe in
this, and thereby become God’s children. What we need to do afterwards
is thank God.
Yet
because there still are those who do not believe like this and are
hesitating, God is disappointed. “Is this really the gospel of power or
not? Should I believe in this or not?” To all those who are hesitating
like this, I beseech them to put away their doubts now and make sure to
believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
A Mustard Seed Is Small, but Has an Enormous Potential
Jesus
said that the Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed that a man sowed
in his field. How small is a mustard seed? It is so small that you can
hardly see it with your naked eyes. And while you are looking at it, if
you happen to breathe too heavily, it will be blown away. This is what a
mustard seed is. How, then, can this seed turn into a tree, when it is
so small? Everyone may wonder like this. But once the seed sprouts, it
eventually grows into a huge tree. It can then provide nesting grounds
for birds to sing, a shadow to seek refuge from the scorching sun, and a
windbreak that to find shelter from the rain and wind.
When
we first encounter the gospel of the water and the Spirit, we may very
well think, “What’s so great about this?” But referring to this gospel,
the Lord said that it was the mystery kept secret from the foundation of
the world. He said in today’s Scripture passage, “I will open My mouth
in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the
world.” One of these parables is that Heaven is like a mustard seed that
a man sowed in his field.
The
Kingdom of God emerges through the believers in the gospel of the water
and the Spirit. Jesus said that it is through those who are born again
by the gospel of the water and the Spirit that the Kingdom of God arises
and expands, and His people emerge. Just like a small flame can be
turned into a great fire and burn all the vast forest, it is through
those who spread the gospel of the water and the Spirit, in other words,
that many people can become the children of God.
This
is why we shouldn’t think that there isn’t much to this gospel of the
water and the Spirit, nor think, in our ignorance, “I am sure there is
something better than the gospel of the water and the Spirit.” “So many
people in this world have researched so much and produced so many
studies. Does this then mean that what the theologians have been saying
is all wrong?” If you really have such thoughts, you must cast them
aside.
Realize
the fact that a mustard seed, which seemed worthless and was ignored by
all, eventually grows into a huge tree. Admit the fact that it is the
power of the gospel of the water and the Spirit that has turned you and
me, who had been sinners, into the righteous.
Have
your sins been ever remitted by any doctrines such as the doctrine of
the incremental sanctification or the Calvinist doctrine of
justification? Have you become righteous by attending the Pentecostal
Movement that emphasizes your personal mysterious experiences? Theology,
doctrines, and the righteousness of man have no power to blot out the
sins of mankind. Only the power of the gospel of the water and the
Spirit can blot out our sins, turn us into God’s people, and by making
us the people of the Kingdom of God, build this Kingdom on this earth.
By
whom is the Kingdom of Heaven built? The Kingdom of Heaven is built by
those who believe in the gospel of the power of the water and the
Spirit. Even before the foundation of the world, God chose us in Christ,
predestined us in Christ, and made us His people in Christ. In short,
it is in Jesus Christ His Son that God the Father planned our salvation.
That is, because Jesus Christ was born unto this earth, was baptized,
died on the Cross, rose from the dead, and has thereby saved us, He has
made it possible for us to become God’s own children by believing in the
power of the gospel of the water and the Spirit. By doing all these
things, He has enabled us to praise God, to believe in Him, and to thank
Him. He has made us praise the glory of God.
We
therefore have come to know God’s will toward us, which had been kept
secret from the foundation of the world. By our faith in the truth
revealed in His parable of the sower, we can understand the Word of
Truth. Heaven, the Kingdom of God, belongs to those who have this kind
of faith. Put differently, the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who
believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
None
but the spiritually wise deserve the Truth. Those who are spiritually
stubborn are sticking only to the prevailing knowledge, even though it
has turned out to be untrue. There is a saying that goes, “We never
think twice on the matters that are under the support of the majority.”
As such, many Christians do not even think about the possible fallacies
of their faith, for the absolute majority of Christians believe that the
blood of the Cross is the only truth of their salvation. That’s why
today’s Christianity is full of such blind believers.
However,
it is not okay for us to just have strong faith in whatever. Having
faith in Jesus according to your own thoughts as the religionists of the
world do, as if it were only a matter of religious creed, is not to
believe in the true gospel of the water and the Spirit. Before knowing
the gospel of the water and the Spirit, we did not have the gospel of
God that really blots out all our sins. To become the real children of
God is not something that is feasible for only such empowered servants
as the Apostle Paul or Peter.
Yet
despite this, those who are ignorant of the gospel of the water and the
Spirit say, “How can a man be without sin? That’s possible for only
God’s special, powerful servants, like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Elijah,
Ezekiel, or Daniel,” and assert that though we may believe in Jesus, we
will not necessarily become like these servants. They became Christians
all because it only seemed to them that Christianity is the greatest of
the many religions of the world; because the Bible seemed like a great
text and truth, something that they felt they should all know; because
they were touched by Jesus’ love of the Cross; because not to believe
seemed like a sin, but to believe would make them wiser; because it
looked as if they would be more cultured if they believed in God;
because it looked as if they would be somewhat more classy if they
walked elegantly having the Bible tugged at their side, sat in church,
prayed and listened to the Word; and because they thought they would be
turned into great intellectuals if they heard philosophical discussions
about Nietzsche, Hegel, or other such great thinkers of the world.
In
short, most Christians aimed to attain desirable personalities when
they converted to Christianity. Put differently, there was almost no one
who actually became sinless by believing in Jesus, who belonged to the
people of God, who turned into His child, who was made righteous, and
who became God’s precious worker; hardly anyone believed in Jesus with a
desire to have the same faith that the righteous and the servants of
God in the Bible had, to live his life like they did.
However,
our Lord does not want us to become religionists. He only wants us to
believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, which has the power
that enables us to become God’s children and to build His Kingdom on
this earth. My fellow believers, do you believe that the gospel of the
water and the Spirit has made you God’s children? Yes, this powerful
gospel has indeed turned us into God’s children.
The
gospel of the water and the Spirit has granted us the same faith as
that of Abraham. How did Abraham believe? He believed in God’s Word in
hope, despite his desperate situation. His faith was like this: “Lord,
even though Your Word may not seem to be fulfilled in my thought, I am
sure it will be achieved perfectly, for You are the Omnipotent God.” Our
present faith is the same as the faith of Abraham that God had
approved. Sarah’s faith was also the same as ours. How could Sarah bear a
child? She became pregnant when she believed in God’s promise that
said, “Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will
return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a
son” (Genesis 18:14).
It
was humanly impossible for Sarah to bear a child. She was almost 90
years old at that time. But this came true because Sarah and Abraham
believed, “Since God promised us, He will surely give us a child by this
time next year.” Of course, Sarah couldn’t believe God’s word of
promise at first, but she eventually came to believe even though it was
humanly impossible. Sarah might have thought, “I have lived long, but
this is the first time that I hear such a comic story. It was decades
ago that I went into menopause, and so it’s impossible for me to bear a
child now. God is saying such strange things.” But she turned her heart
around and said, “But since You said so, I believe.”
Abraham
and Sarah could have a child actually, and were so happy that they
named their son Isaac. The name Isaac means ‘laughter.’ Abraham had a
child at the age of 100. Abraham was so joyful. So when Isaac was
weaned, he threw a great party.
My
fellow believers, it was at the age of 75 that Abraham had left his
home according to God’s promise, and it was only now, at the age of 100,
that he finally had a child. How long had he waited, and how much had
he been led? Abraham was truly a man of faith who followed God’s Word,
even though he couldn’t see any possibilities under his prevailing
situations. This is why God approved Abraham’s faith as the true faith
in God.
Now,
the same principle of faith should be applied to us. God is telling us
that through the gospel of the power of the water and the Spirit, He has
made us His own people, moving us from our place of sinners. The Lord
said that He has blotted out all our sins including the sins we will
commit in the future by taking them upon Himself through His baptism and
atoning them with His blood on the Cross. While this may seem
impossible, it is the reality.
My
fellow believers, have faith in the powerful gospel of the water and
the Spirit. It is written in the Bible, “Now, faith is the substance of
things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).
Therefore, when you hold onto the Word of God, God’s promises of
blessing will be all yours. But if you do not hold onto the Word, you
will lose them all.
A
Korean proverb says that the salt in the kitchen is not salty unless it
is actually used. No matter how much salt you might have in your
kitchen, your food tastes salty only if you actually put salt on it; if
you don’t, your food is not salty at all. Like this, you must hold onto
the written Word of God by faith. Unless you do so, the gospel of the
water and the Spirit will be completely useless to you, no matter how
much power it may have. If God is telling you that He has blotted out
all your sins with the gospel power of the water and the Spirit, then
you must hold onto the very gospel by faith. If, by this faith, you
indeed hang onto the Word of God, this gospel will then be yours.
My
fellow believers, I beseech you all to believe that the mustard seed in
this parable is the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Faith in the
gospel of the water and the Spirit is faith that is like a mustard seed.
It may look tiny, but in it there is a strong life force, and when it
grows, it turns into a huge tree and bears countless fruits. The gospel
of the water and the Spirit makes it possible to receive the remission
of the sin not just for me, but for everyone who hears this Word and
believes in it.
The Gospel Word of Heaven Spreads Like Leaven
Let
us read Matthew 13:33 together. “Another parable He spoke to them: ‘The
kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three
measures of meal till it was all leavened.’”
Here
the Lord spoke through yet another parable, telling us that the Kingdom
of God would prevail over the entire world through the gospel of the
water and the Spirit. The Kingdom of God, in other words, would expand
like this. While the passage that we just covered, Matthew 13:31-32,
speaks about the Kingdom of God that is fulfilled in our individual
spirits, this passage from verse 33 speaks about the power of the gospel
of the water and the Spirit that spreads throughout this planet. When
it says here, “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took
and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened,” it means
that this gospel power will spread throughout the whole wide world. The
Kingdom of Heaven refers to the Kingdom of God and the leaven that was
hidden in three measures of meal till it was all leavened refers to the
gospel of the water and the Spirit.
The
gospel of the water and the Spirit is the perfect Truth that is leading
sinners to the righteous Kingdom of God. God will spread this powerful
gospel throughout the whole world in the end times. He will propagate
the gospel to every corner in this world, so that every one would have
heard of this true gospel without exception.
Jesus
said that the Kingdom of Heaven is like leaven that was put in three
measures of meal. How much are three measures of meal? In the old days,
flour was sold by measures of meal, from one measure to two, three, and
so forth. Three measures of meal would be no small amount, rather it is a
considerable amount of flour that is enough for a village feast.
Jesus
said that the Kingdom of Heaven is like leaven that is put into three
measures of meal. This means that while the gospel of the water and the
Spirit is as small as a mustard seed, when this Truth is sown in this
world, it will spread to the hearts of all the people in this world. In
other words, the gospel of the water and the Spirit, which is the gospel
of the Kingdom of Heaven, will spread far and wide, so that everyone
living on this earth would come to hear this Word without any exception.
And it also means that the power of this gospel is enough to save
everyone from sin. This gospel is more than capable of saving everyone,
and it will be spread throughout the whole world.
So
when I read this passage, I have every confidence that the Word of God
will indeed be spread throughout the whole world. There are so many
small island countries that I have never heard of their names. But even
to such small and remote countries, the true gospel will be sown, and
there will remain no country where this gospel would not have entered. I
believe so because Jesus said that the Kingdom of Heaven is like the
leaven that was put into three measures of meal. Without fail, this
gospel of the water and the Spirit will be preached throughout the whole
wide world: It will surely enter even to North Korea, and it will make
to not just Arabic countries, but even to the small, unknown island
nations. This is because the Lord Himself said that the gospel of the
water and the Spirit is like leaven.
Though
we ourselves may not have enough power or material means, the gospel of
the water and the Spirit is tremendously powerful, and therefore it
will surely spread throughout the entire world. Is this not the case?
This is why with faith we must prepare our ability to forcefully preach
the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
“The
true gospel will surely spread throughout the whole world. It will fill
the entire world. Having faith in this, what, then, should we do?” When
we go through a chain of thought like this, we realize that all
creations belong to God, and we reach the conclusion that we should pray
to the Lord to give us the financial means to preach this gospel
everywhere. We should pray to God to give us a hundred times more than
now—no, a thousand, a million, a billion times more, so that we may
preach the gospel to every remote corner of this world in the shortest
time possible.
Since
God spoke to us about this powerful gospel and revealed it to us before
the foundation of the world, He will surely spread this gospel
throughout the whole world fully. I believe, of course, that He will
fulfill this very soon. My faith is not groundless, but it is concretely
rooted in God’s Word, so that I can truthfully believe in the Word of
God from the depth of my heart.
If
a farmer only wonders, “Is it going to rain or not?” and just watches
out for the weather, he will not gather much crop when the fall harvest
comes. When the Word of God says so, we should have faith in His Word,
saying, “Yes! It will surely come to pass as it is written!” And the
Word of the water and the Spirit enables us to believe that it is the
Word that turns us into God’s people and allows us to enter the Kingdom
of God. We must realize that the powerful gospel of the water and the
Spirit is the Word of Truth on the remission of sin, and we must realize
that this gospel will fill the whole world to its fullness. And we must
believe so. I, for one, believe this. Do you also believe?
Do
you know the gospel power of the water and the Spirit? Do you believe
that the gospel of the water and the Spirit is the Truth that enables
you to become the people of God’s Kingdom? Do you believe that the
gospel of the water and the Spirit will cover the entire world? God has
revealed this to us today. By revealing this gospel to the entire world,
God will surely fulfill His plan.
Let
us now turn to Matthew 13:36-43. “Then Jesus sent the multitude away
and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, ‘Explain
to us the parable of the tares of the field.’ He answered and said to
them: ‘He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the
world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the
sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the
harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. Therefore
as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the
end of this age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will
gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice
lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be
wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as
the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him
hear!’”
My
fellow believers, we must have the ears to hear. “Lord, give me the
ears to hear and understand the Word of God.” Like this, we should pray
to God and ask Him for His help.
Jesus’
disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the tares
of the field.” The Lord then said to them, “He who sows the good seed
is the Son of Man.”
Like
this, the One who spreads the gospel of Truth about the Kingdom of
Heaven is God Himself, and He is Jesus who came as man. What is the
field, that is, the object to which Jesus preached His Word? This object
is the world itself. Everyone living in the world is His field. Jesus
then said, “The good seeds are the sons of the Kingdom.” Those who
believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, in other words, are
the ones who belong to the Kingdom of God.
In
short, the good seed is the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and we
can become God’s children by believing in this gospel. The sons of God
are the good seeds, and at the same time, they also sow the good seed in
obedience to their Lord. Actually, we all have been saved from all our
sins by the gospel Truth, and then we have devoted ourselves to the
spreading of the Word of salvation.
As
Jesus said that the enemy who sowed the tares is the Devil, it is the
Devil who sowed and planted the false gospels in people’s hearts. The
tares grow more vigorously, but when we take a closer look, we can see
that they are different from the rice. The tares have white strips at
the back of their leaves. It is the tares that pretend to be more
righteous. They pretend to be more virtuous and to have less sin. Just
as an imitation flower is more splendid than a real flower, the tares
look stronger than the real grain. As the Gresham’s Law says, “Bad money
drives out good,” the tares have been prevailing throughout the history
of Christianity and become the absolute majority of today’s
Christianity. But, what is clear is that the tares will be gathered and
burned in the fire in the end.
Jesus Said That the Tares Are the Sons of the Wicked One
Jesus
said that the tares are the sons of Satan, and that the enemy who sowed
the tares is the Devil. It is the Devil who sowed them. The enemy of
God, our enemy, is the Devil. Jesus said that the good seed, on the
other hand, is sown by the sons of God. He said that the good seed is of
the Son of Man, and that it is the Word of Jesus who came incarnated in
the flesh of man.
Our
Lord came to this earth and has saved us through the gospel of the
water and the Spirit: Our Lord took upon our sins with His baptism, died
on the Cross, rose from the dead again, and has thereby saved us.
Before we believe in this Word, we must first believe that Jesus is God
Himself. We must first believe that Jesus is God, the Son of God, and
our Savior, and we must also believe in the gospel of the water and the
Spirit, which tells us that to save us, the Savior Jesus was born unto
this earth and took upon all our sins when He turned 30.
Although
Jesus was born into this world incarnated in the flesh of man to come
as our Savior, He is fundamentally the same entity as God Himself. But
even so, He did not show off His own Divinity, but He lived His 33 years
of life in humbleness and humility, all in order to save us. He stood
on our side, took upon all our sins, bore our condemnation of sin, died
in our place, rose from the dead again, brought Himself to life again by
His power to bring us alive also, completed our salvation to
perfection, and has become the God of our perfect salvation.
The
Bible clearly declares that Jesus is the true God and eternal life (1
John 5:20). This is why we must believe in Jesus as our God. We must
believe that Jesus, as God Himself and the Son of God, has become our
Savior. Our Lord fulfilled the gospel of the water and the Spirit on
this earth. He spoke about the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and
He fulfilled all His Word of the prophecy on this true gospel with His
own body by coming to this earth. He also has made us believe in and
preach this gospel of power, the Word of the gospel Truth of the water
and the Spirit.
The
sowers of the bad seeds are the sons of the Devil. This is why Jesus
said that those who spread the good seeds are the sons of the Kingdom of
Heaven, and those who sow the bad seeds, the tares, are the sons of the
wicked one. The two are clearly distinguished in this way. The tares
and the real grain are not similar. They may look similar to the
ignorant, but to anyone who looks at them closely, they are not the
same. It is the tares that have white strips at the back of their leave,
that are thicker and greener. But the tares will eventually succumb to a
sudden fall. Do these tares fall because they are weak? No. It is
because they are not approved by God that they succumb to their
downfall.
Our
Lord spoke in exact precision that it is the gospel of the water and
the Spirit that builds the Kingdom of God and that enables us to enter
into this Kingdom. In other words, by the gospel of the water and the
Spirit, we can discern clearly the grain from the tares. Many people,
however, do not know it, because it is a mystery to them. This is why
the Lord has revealed it to us.
Continuing
to explain His parable, our Lord went on to say, “The harvest is the
end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. Therefore as the tares
are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this
age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out
of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice
lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be
wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
Jesus
said that He would send His angels at the end of the age. He said that
it is not we who would bind the tares and cast them into the fire of
hell, but God, Jesus Christ Himself, will send His angels to reap the
tares and bind them together to cast them into the furnace of fire.
Jesus also said that the righteous would then be gathered together, and
at this time, they will shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom of their
Father. The real grain, in other words, will live in shining glory in
God’s barn, the Kingdom of Heaven, but the tares will live in suffering
in the pit of fire forever and ever.
Are You the Real Grain?
When
it comes to the parable of the wheat and the tares, it is crucial to
find out who is the real grain and who are the tares. Through this
parable, we can see how the gospel of the water and the Spirit enables
us to enter the Kingdom of God, and to become God’s children; we can see
that the gospel of the water and the Spirit is the only true gospel
that delivers every sinner from all his sins; and we can see that our
Lord told us that the gospels of the tares, even though they may look
similar to the true gospel, are fundamentally different from the gospel
of the water and the Spirit.
The
gospel of the water and the Spirit that we are preaching is more than
sufficient to be propagated throughout the whole world. It will spread
without fail. Regardless of how insufficient we are, the gospel of the
water and the Spirit will be preached for sure. Because this is not just
our work, but God’s own work, He will surely accomplish this work.
My
fellow believers, why did the tares turn into tares? Isn’t it because
they heard and accepted the gospels of the tares preached by the sons of
the wicked one that they turned into tares? How have we become the sons
of God? Isn’t it because those who first became the sons of God by
believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit beforehand preached
the Word of the gospel power of the water and the Spirit to us? Yes, we
had been sinners before God, but when we heard and believed in the true
gospel, the gospel of the real grain, we became the righteous. Just as
the tares and the real grain are fundamentally different from each
other, we must first find out whether we are the real grain or the
tares. And we must draw a dividing line in our hearts.
You
must ask yourself: “Am I standing in the line of the real grain? Or, am
I now standing in the line of the tares? There still are opportunities.
What is clear is when the end of the age comes, God will surely bind
the tares first and cast them into the everlasting fire. And He said
that for the tares, “There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
No
matter how insufficient we might be in our acts, and no matter what
kind of sin we might commit, we must believe that through the gospel
power of the water and the Spirit, the Lord has perfectly turned you and
me, who had all been bound to hell, into the children of God, so that
we may become God’s sons. We must believe that the gospel of the water
and the Spirit has turned us into the righteous. We must believe that
only the gospel of the water and the Spirit is the real Truth and the
real salvation.
And
we must confess, “Lord, You are the Christ and the Son of the living
God.” Just as Peter acknowledged that Jesus is the Son of God, God
Himself, and the Savior, we, too, know and believe so, and have made the
same confession of faith. By doing so, our faith has been approved and
commended by God, and we have become His children, His workers, and the
laborers of the Church. All of us, you and I alike, must believe that
the gospel of the water and the Spirit is the only real Truth, and that
only this gospel has blotted out all our sins.
“Should
I step this way or that way? I can’t step into this direction entirely,
at least not yet. I still need to leave some room. I will not bet
everything here. I don’t think this is all that there is.” Is there
anyone who, having put down one foot, is nonetheless still hesitant to
put down the other foot? It is only the gospel of the water and the
Spirit alone that has save you and me from all our sins. Only the power
of this gospel of the water and the Spirit is sufficient to make us
sinless. Nothing else can do this. As it is written in Acts 4:12, “Nor
is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven
given among men by which we must be saved,” there is no other name but
Jesus Christ who has cleansed away our sins by giving us the gospel
power of the water and the Spirit. He has cleansed us completely and
perfectly. Though our sins are like scarlet, He has washed them away as
white as snow (Isaiah 1:18).
In
His parable of the sower and four fields, our Lord said, “From the very
beginning, you had worshipped idols, neither acknowledged nor listened
to My Word, but were lustful, worldly, and hedonistic. You cannot avoid
but be thrown into hell for your sins. But I came to save you and
fulfilled your salvation to perfection through the gospel power of the
water and the Spirit. I have blotted out all your sins. By being
baptized, dying on the Cross, and rising from the dead again, I have
perfectly saved you from all your sins. You should then believe in what I
have done for you and become God’s people. Won’t you believe in this to
become God’s people? Don’t you want to become God’s own people? Don’t
you want to enter the Kingdom of Heaven? Don’t you want to come into the
Kingdom of God that I have prepared for you?”
Our
Lord is admonishing us, “When I love you so much, when I will love you
forever, why don’t you accept My love?” This is what our Lord is
speaking to all of us, to all the people of the world, through His
parable of the sower.
Fundamentally
speaking, we had left God and worshipped idols instead. We had been the
seeds of evildoer who were born in this world with the twelve kinds of
sins in our hearts, destined to live our entire lifetime only to bear
the fruits of sin. We had always committed wicked deeds, and all the
while we had been carnal, lustful, and hedonistic. Like this, we had
been so wicked that it was simply impossible for us to become God’s
children on our own.
Yet
to save such people like us, God Himself came to this earth in the
flesh of man, and when He turned 30, He was baptized to take upon our
sins. He accepted all our sins through His baptism, and then went to the
Cross to be crucified. And shedding all His blood and dying, He then
said, “It is finished!” (John 19:30) He shouted out, in other words, “I
have now saved you perfectly!” And by rising again from the dead, the
Lord has become the Savior for you and me.
He
is now asking us, “I have saved you all. I have given you the Word of
the gospel power of the water and the Spirit. Can you now believe in
this? I have fulfilled your salvation by taking upon your sins with My
baptism, dying on the Cross, and rising from the dead again. Can you now
believe in all these things that I did out of My love for you?”
My
fellow believers, fundamentally speaking, we had been no more than
tares. Adam and Eve, our ancestors, turned into tares deceived by Satan.
But, they were saved by believing in the Word of God, and we, too, can
also be saved by believing in His Word.
You
have now been given an opportunity. Jesus is asking you, “You were born
tares, but don’t you now want to become the real grain?” Now,
everything depends on our choice. If we think that it’s okay to become
Satan’s servants, and we let our hearts stay as they are, then we will
remain as the tares. But, if we think, “Though I am insufficient, I
don’t want to end up as the Devil’s servant. I want to become God’s son,
despite my insufficiencies. Lord, please have mercy on me and accept
me,” then we must admit that we had been bound to hell, and we must
believe that the Lord has saved us through the gospel of the water and
the Spirit. Such people can be turned into the real grain.
Through
the parable of the wheat and the tares, God is ultimately asking us
where we belong, that is, whether we are the tares or the wheat. Where
do you want to belong? When the Devil provokes your hearts to think,
“But I still like the tares; it’s fine with me if I go to hell,” you
should say, “No! I may live my wretched life like this in this world,
but I want to live happily in my next life. I want to live in a place
where there is love. I want to be rewarded. At least, I want to go to
the good place. Though my acts may be insufficient, I would like to be a
worker of God’s Church, and to live for His righteousness.” I beseech
all of you to have this kind of heart that seeks righteousness. This is
what you should do.
Through
the parable of the wheat and the tares, the Lord told us how truthful
the gospel of the water and the Spirit is. Our Lord likened the gospel
of the water and the Spirit to a mustard seed, and He also likened the
Kingdom of Heaven to leaven. Although the mustard seed is so tiny, in
time it grows into a big tree that the birds can nest in. The leaven can
diffuse and spread widely. The gospel of the water and the Spirit is so
powerful that it is more than capable of covering the whole world.
I believe that this will surely come true in the near future, because the Lord said:
“Now it shall come to pass in the latter days
That the mountain of the LORD’s house
Shall be established on the top of the mountains,
And shall be exalted above the hills;
And all nations shall flow to it” (Isaiah 2:2).
And
we believe that when a new world dawns on us at the end of the age,
those of us who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit will
shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom of Heaven. Do you believe so? You
and I will live our lives shining forth as the sun. Jesus said that when
that day comes, the righteous would shine forth as the sun.
What
kind of life is the life that would shine forth as the sun? It is a
glorious life in the Kingdom of Heaven. Who did Jesus say would live
such lives there? The righteous will live there. In what do the
righteous believe? They believe in the gospel power of the water and the
Spirit. Whom do they ultimately follow? They follow our Lord. I give
all my thanks to God.
Even
as I preach this Word, I sense that though this Word may bring so much
comfort and benefit to us, for those who remain as the tares, it may
only seem too tiresome and boring. But it is only owing to their
stubborn perspective that their hearts are too hardened to hear the
tender voice of the Lord. When I think about what they will face in the
future, I feel so sorry for them. This is why I cannot stop preaching
the true gospel. The gospel of the water and the Spirit will spread
throughout the whole world without fail, and will cover it all.
And
those who believe in this gospel will enter Heaven even if they are
insufficient in their acts, but those who are standing in the line of
the tares will be all cast into hell no matter how upright their acts
might be. The tares are absolutely bound to be cast into the everlasting
fire. This is why I feel so sorry for them.
When
the last days come, the happy and the tragic will be clearly
distinguished. As I preach the Word, there are times when I am unsure as
to where to lay my focus. If I were to just ignore the tares and think
only about the glory that awaits us, I can preach the Word in joy, even
while dancing. But I can’t be joyful to my heart’s content, for there
still are so many people throughout this world who do not know the
gospel of the water and the Spirit that can make them to be the good
field.
It
is my hope and prayer that you would all realize just how wicked,
lustful, and insufficient you had been before God, and how you had all
been bound to hell; know that because of this, it is only by believing
in the gospel of the water and the Spirit that you can become God’s
children; and reach the faith that believes in this. The road of faith
still remains long. Your lives are still there to be lived.
We
are God’s workers. So I give my thanks to God. Whether we work hard or
not, the will of God will be fulfilled regardless. I want the servants
of God, His saints, and His Church throughout the whole world to first
have faith in the Word of God. It is not a matter of saying, “Let’s do
something.” Rather, it is to say, “God has thus spoken, and it will be
fulfilled without fail.” It is, in other words, a matter of having faith
in the Word, to rise to the challenge, to pray and ask, and to believe
that the Lord will surely give us power and enable us to fulfill this
work.
God
wants to save even the tares from all their sin. That’s why we are
trying to preach the gospel of the water and the Spirit even to the
remotest corner of this world. I believe that by enlightening the hearts
of many people in this world to recognize and believe in the gospel
Word of the water and the Spirit, God will make it possible for them to
enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
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