Subject 13 : The Gospel According to MATTHEW
[Chapter 25-2] Place Your Heart in The Gospel of the Water And the Spirit (Matthew 25:1-13)
(Matthew 25:1-13)
“Then
the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their
lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise,
and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took
no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their
lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and
slept. ‘And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is
coming; go out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed
their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your
oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘No,
lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those
who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy, the
bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the
wedding; and the door was shut. ‘Afterward the other virgins came also,
saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I
say to you, I do not know you.’’ Watch therefore, for you know neither
the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.”
I
hope you have your bibles open for today’s message, this passage of
Scripture tells us a story about the Lord’s second coming, and we are
all no doubt well acquitted with this story. It tells us here that when
the Lord returns back to this earth, there will be ten virgins, five of
whom will be foolish but the other five wise. So we see here in this
parable that five foolish virgins took their lamps, but without oil, but
the other five virgins made sure that their lamps were filled with oil.
They slumbered and slept while waiting for the bridegroom, who took a
long time in coming. But when they eventually heard the call “Behold the
bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!” they all arose immediately
and prepared their lamps.
The
foolish virgins then spoke to the wise virgins, “Give us some of your
oil, for our lamps are going out.” The wise virgins responded to them
saying, “No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go
rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.” When they had left
that place and went out to find and purchase ‘this oil’, the bridegroom
arrived and entered the wedding feast with those who were prepared and
waiting. After they all went in, the door then was firmly closed. These
foolish virgins returned back later, and cried out frantically, “Lord,
Lord, open to us!” Then the Lord replied, “Assuredly, I say to you, I do
not know you. Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the
hour in which the Son of Man is coming.” Even though the door had been
firmly closed, these foolish virgins urged the Lord, “Lord, Lord, open
to us!”
The
foolish virgins mentioned here refer to those religious runners who
obstinately and steadfastly hold onto their false religious beliefs,
even when they are told about the true gospel. They keep working hard at
this false faith. So we see they actually went out to search for and
purchase oil for their lamps, when they returned and frantically knocked
and shouted that the door be opened for them, even after the Lord had
already arrived and received the wise virgins, and the door to Heaven
had been firmly closed.
If
you really desire to know what true faith is, you should know that it
is putting your whole faith in the Lord who saved us completely and
perfectly by taking on all of our sins through His baptism, shedding His
blood on the Cross, receiving all of the judgment for these sins, and
being resurrected. Even though this gospel is all true and displayed for
all to see in the bible, the legalistic Christians on the other hand
keep trying to do things virtuously on their own.
What
is real faith then? Real faith is to believe that the Lord has already
eliminated all of our sins. What is real belief? Real belief is to
believe that He has already eliminated all our sins. It is definitely
not receiving forgiveness for our sins on a daily basis and trying hard
not to commit sins everyday; a person who has received the remission of
sins through faith of believing that the Lord has already accomplished
it, that He has eliminated all our sins through the gospel of the water
and the Spirit, is the one who has the real faith and real belief.
In
this parable there are the foolish and the wise virgins, five in each
group. The foolish ones are so foolish that they keep on trying to do
things all on there own. They continually do things to receive
recognition of their faith before God and to receive the remission of
their sins. But the wise ones were not like that. They prepared the oil
first and quietly carried out the entrusted work by faith. There is a
saying in Christianity that goes, “A religious runner races rapidly, but
the faithful runner wins the race.” Like this we the true faithful
believers are spreading this gospel to the whole world by faith.
But
sadly a large number of Christians in this world who have not been
truly born again, do not believe and reject this gospel, which is so
plain to see in the bible that the Lord came to this earth and
eliminated all their sins, they continually to ‘prepare’ all on their
own, by putting their own righteousness first and foremost, and by doing
this they intend to please the Lord with their audacious wills. But
Praise be to the Lord who is the Healer and the Savior who loves us so
very much. What is there on this earth that we can do to please Him?
When
it comes to the matter of receiving salvation, we have to believe that
God has saved us the true believers perfectly. Real salvation is to
believe that the Lord has given you and me new life by taking upon
Himself your sins and mine and cleansing them through His baptism,
receiving the judgment, dying, and being resurrected. There is nothing
else that pleases the Lord more than a lost soul receiving true
salvation by faith. What is ‘foolishness’ in the Christian faith?
‘Foolishness’ says we will not believe in this gospel message of the
water & Spirit, and not wanting to solve all things by having faith
in the Truth but instead trying to earn our own salvation.
Why
are these ‘Christians’ regarded as foolish people? We will see this in
reading from verse 3, “Those who were foolish took their lamps and took
no oil with them.” It says that the foolish had their lamps but failed
to fill it with oil. Why do we have to have oil? Oil essentially allows
the lamp to give light after the oil has been poured into the reservoir.
Therefore this parable it is easy to understand when it says that the
foolish brought their lamps with but did not have any oil. Like this
these foolish Christians attend church religiously, but the Holy Spirit
is not found in their hearts. They are unable to receive the remission
and cleansing of their sins through the gospel of the water and the
Spirit, which they have rejected.
The
Holy Spirit governs, keeps and guides us, and it teaches us to perceive
the Word and blesses us. The Holy Spirit defends us from Satan and in
all our weaknesses because He is living within us. It is foolish for
Christians not to have the Holy Spirit in their hearts, let alone attend
church and still unable to receive the cleansing of their sins because
they do not believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. The Holy
Spirit cannot dwell in these people’s hearts because they could neither
receive the cleansing of their sins nor solve their problems of sin by
faith. The Holy Spirit can only reside in sinless hearts. Therefore as
the result of this stubborn false faith they become foolish people, with
no oil in their lamps.
A
person with a lamp without oil is a person that goes to church but is
devoid of the Holy Spirit, and a person without the Holy Spirit is not
one of God’s people. How can people be one of God’s people if they do
not have the Holy Spirit? When these kinds of people go through and
suffer all kinds of difficulties; they cannot be clothed in kindness
from God because they do not belong to Him.
In
this parable we see that the foolish virgins had taken their lamps with
them, but did not take oil. This shows us that they believed in Jesus
and belonged to their respective Christian communities, but they could
not receive true salvation. Why is it so? It is because they are living
false religious lives without having the true faith, and have not
clothed themselves in the power of the gospel that the Lord has given.
Although they believe in God they are trying to earn their own salvation
by doing things in their own strength.
Let
me give an example, let’s say a large ship was hit by a huge tidal wave
and you accidentally fell overboard and found yourself floundering in
the vast unkind cold ocean. Would it be possible for you to hold onto
the ship even if you were the strongest person alive? If you know ships
there in nothing to hold onto except to get away from being sucked under
and being ripped apart by the large propellers.
There
is no way of being able to get back on board unless someone would
assist you. Likewise you would receive salvation by someone on the ship
assisting you and pulling you on board again. I don’t know if you have
ever been on a ship. But no matter how small the ship is, once you have
fallen overboard, I am sure it will be impossible for you to get back
in. It is very difficult and you will struggle unless someone helps you.
In the case of a large ship, it is virtually impossible for you to get
back on board on your own. It is only possible if someone on deck were
to let down a line or a life preserver to pick you up and pull you in.
Legalistic Christians are spiritually blind and do not realize what they
are doing is wrong, but instead they foolishly plod on in ‘their own
way of receiving salvation’ all the while living out false religious
lives
In
Genesis 40, there is a story about the butler and the baker of the king
of Egypt, who were confined in the prison. And each of them had a
dream. In their dream, each of them was reinstated, and once again they
were able to go before the Pharaoh. The baker loaded on top of his head
three white baskets with all kinds of baked goods on top of them, and
came before the king. And the butler took the grapes as they were and
pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.
Later, the baker died, but the butler was restored.
If
we continue trying to please the Lord through our own thoughts and
strength, it will then become impossible to live out our faith properly.
We cannot lead a proper life of faith if we do this. If we ignore this
awesome gospel trying to lead a life of faith through our own thoughts
and stubbornness, it will ruin us spirituality. When a false medical
practitioner carelessly opens up a person’s stomach in an attempt to
cure a patient’s illness instead of trying to treat the disease, his
patient’ very life would be put into danger. Similarly if liars who
believe ‘only in the blood of the Cross’ claim to have no sin and spread
this untruth will be ruined along with all who would be caught up in
their false teachings.
We
should believe in the biblical truth that the Lord has saved us through
the water and the Spirit, and we should also reflect on these
questions; Did I really believe in the gospel of the water and the
Spirit, or did I believe in Jesus while thinking that I could receive
the remission of my sins through the blood of the Cross alone? Therefore
we must ask ourselves these questions. Also to include these questions;
“Where was my heart? What did I hold onto? What did it accept?” If your
heart did not believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and if
the gospel of the water and the Spirit was not placed inside your
heart, you have as yet not been truly saved.
If
people confirm by saying they have tried hard to lead a life of faith
in accordance with the Word of God, have not heard or believed in or
have rejected His gospel of the water and the Spirit, then they have led
a false religious life thus far. If they should continue in this way
they would be serving God in vain, all their strength would be consumed
due to all the troubles and difficulties they would be experiencing, and
the road ahead will become one of many troubles and trials. They would
be unable to enjoy peace of mind because they do not have the Holy
Spirit in their hearts. So we can now see people like this lead a false
religious way of life.
They
have become pitiful people who ask the Lord continuously to open the
door of Heaven, even after He has closed the door. So the question will
be posed, do you truly have the right kind of faith in your heart? Today
as I speak we find two kinds of gospels in the world: These are the
gospel of the water and the Spirit, and the gospel of believing only in
the blood of the Cross-as the only complete atoning sacrifice for sin.
The question we need to ask ourselves is; which of the two do we believe
in. The one in which you have believed in is where you have placed your
faith in.
Theories
by and large are compatible with each other. This means that our hearts
can also take in any kind of knowledge that may contain conflicting
information. But the Truth, the object of faith is exclusive. If you
first believe in something as the Truth, other things cannot enter your
heart, even though it is proved to be the ultimate Truth. There are two
gospels today, one is the truth and the other one is false, and we have
to decide which one we will believe in. Which one should we plant our
hearts in? There should therefore be no question about this anymore; the
gospel of the water and the Spirit is the ultimate definitive biblical
truth.
Many
Christians today throughout this world are living a false religious way
of life. Jesus said there were ten virgins, five wise and five foolish.
The foolish virgins went out from them to search for and to purchase
oil. The meaning of this parable means that they were doing things to
earn their own salvation. In the bible the word oil implies the Holy
Spirit. Therefore we need to ask this question, is it possible to
purchase the Holy Spirit? There is no way that anyone could purchase the
Holy Spirit. Tell me; is it possible to purchase the Holy Spirit of God
with money? In the Book of Acts there was this man who had tried to
purchase the Holy Spirit. After he had witnesses Paul and Philip perform
miracles, he thought that he could also have this extraordinary power,
so he decided that he would try and buy this power with money. Would
this be possible? No definitely not!
The
Holy Spirit can never be bought with money, and it is also not possible
by living diligently and by uttering a lot of prayers. Would you be
able to receive the Holy Spirit by offering all those many prayers of
repentances, and would He listen and respond? Would He come into your
heart if you were joyful? Continually living your false religious lives
as you have been doing in the past? By having believed in Jesus for a
long time? By speaking in tongues and serving the Lord as well as you
can? By believing only in the blood of the Cross-as the only atoning
sacrifice for our sins?
The
answer to all these questions is a big No! We need to have the
definitive biblical knowledge that the Holy Spirit will come into your
hearts only by having faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit,
or in other words, only by believing that all of your sins were
transferred to Jesus and you were therefore cleansed by having faith in
His baptism and being resurrected with Him by faith. Your must arrive at
the full righteous Act the Lord accomplished for us.
There
are many people among Christians today who are just like the foolish
virgins. They are like these brides having absolutely no clue as to what
their husbands demand. This parable clearly tells us that the Lord will
come to take brides who are not like those foolish ones and who have
oil in their lamps. Those who know the gospel of the water and the
Spirit spread it until the day the Lord comes, and are faithful even in
little things, these are the wise brides who have the lamps filled with
the oil, and the Lord will receive them.
In
the Parable of the Talents the Lord told the servant who had been given
five talents and made five more, “You were faithful over a few things, I
will make you ruler over many things” (Matthew 25:23). This tells us
that spreading the gospel is actually a small thing. It is a small thing
to have delivered what God had given me to someone else exactly as I
had received it. However the servant who had received one talent did not
do as he was told. He just gave back what he had been given. “I have
taken good care of it. I buried it in the ground. I did it because I
knew all about you, here it is.” This kind of person is not faithful in
God’s work and will not be able to enter the Kingdom of Heaven when the
groom arrives, he is just like the foolish virgins.
Brothers
and sisters, it is very important that we all believe in the gospel of
the water and the Spirit. How did the wise virgins behave? They stored
additional oil in jars and carried them along with their lamps. This
tells us that they stored for themselves the gospel of the water and the
Spirit, which God had given them and all mankind in their hearts. They
worked with the Church including the brothers and sisters, being united
together serving the Lord.
Before
I was born again, I had believed for ten long years only in the blood
of the Cross as the only complete atoning sacrifice for sin, but all the
while having sin embedded in my heart. Do you think that during this
time that I had merely believed in Jesus in a poor way, just like those
legalistic Christians? Let me tell you that I really had believed in
Jesus well. Do you think that I had very limited knowledge of the Bible
then?
On
the contrary I had all the knowledge much like the so-called learned
Bible Preachers today, but excepting for the knowledge of the gospel of
the water and the Spirit. It was not of not knowing the Bible, I had all
the theological knowledge but unfortunately there had been no proper
faith in my heart. There obviously had been sins in my heart back then.
At first I thought that I had already received the remission of my sins,
but it became apparent later that there had been sins in my heart.
Actually to be frank there had been sins in my heart because I had not
known about the gospel of the water and the Spirit. But like all who
reject this gospel, I had held onto the Lord in my own way then, and
resolved never to let go.
In
hindsight I should have had let go of my firm intent. It would have
been right for me to hope that the Lord would save me, and that I should
have believed in just what He had done. My salvation could not be whole
because I had not known about the Truth but instead had been holding
onto the Lord in my own strength. I did believe in Jesus, but my
salvation could not be complete. So I tell you that salvation can never
be attained by believing in the blood of the Cross alone, as the only
atoning sacrifice for sin. Believe me, these are not my words. They are
the definitive Words of the Bible.
To
be honest those who believe only in the blood of the Cross like this
and claim that they have received the remission of their sins have an
amazing enthusiasm, and their emotions are so full that they boil over.
But as time goes by, those things they are chasing get proven to be
nothing. The Bible tells us not to put leaven in the grain offering to
be given before God. And it goes on to say that we should eat the
unleavened bread. Now if you add leaven and mix it into the dough, it
rises and becomes larger. The outer appearance grows larger but really
it is nothing. If the leavened loaf of bread is not eaten and left alone
it will go off and be unfit to eat. We need to know here that God will
not accept bread that has leaven in it.
However
on the other hand, the unleavened bread stays the same and will not go
off even after time has gone by. That is because this bread is not
spoiled very easily. So like this example, I thought I had believed in
Jesus properly by believing in only the blood of the Cross. I had been
sure that I had received the remission of my sins like so many who
believe in the same way I did. As time went by, and I had to contend
with mounting trials and problems as this belief wore me down and
evaporated. The problem was that whenever I committed a sin, I became
more of a sinner before God. So we see with this false belief and faith
by becoming a sinner again after having committed a sin is not
salvation. These two kinds of faith, believing in the gospel of the
water and the Spirit and believing only in the blood of the Cross, are
very different.
However
on the surface there appears to be a slight difference between the two.
But the result of this difference shows a striking contrast. Just as
you cannot see one another if a sheet of paper is placed between the two
of you, this seemingly small difference between the two the gospels
brings about a large difference in the result.
Before
I came to know this beautiful gospel of the water and the Spirit, I had
sins embedded in my heart no matter how fervently I had believed in
Jesus. I then became a real sinner after having believed in Jesus for a
long time. I had like so many Christians spoken in tongues, seen
visions, created commotions, been loyal, and done everything that was to
be done but sadly, I was still a sinner before God.
I
could not but remain a sinner because I could not but commit sins
everyday. During the first years as a Christian my heart was at peace
whenever I had offered prayers of repentance after having sinned. But
after a while I sinned again, and as before continued to offer up those
prayers of repentance, so I believed that my heart was at peace as if my
sins, which I had prayed about, had been removed.
However
I continued in this trend for three years, and by the fifth year my
sins were still embedded there even after having offered so many of
these repentance prayers. I was getting very, very frustrated. No matter
how hard I had tried, sins in my heart did not disappear.
During
this time an evil spirit paid me a visit. I was unable to visually see
the Devil, but he spoke into my ear, “Hey you! You have sinned, haven’t
you? You have sinned, huh?” It was so agonizing because I had been
suffering in pain for some time due to the sins that were embedded in my
heart even though I had offered countless repentance prayers. Brothers
and sisters, I want you to think about this for a second. There was no
one there, and I could not see anything or anybody. But I heard this
voice that definitely was not my own. He said, “You have sinned, haven’t
you? You have sinned, huh?” Would you go crazy or wouldn’t you? My
conscience was pierced to the point of death. I had believed in the
blood of Jesus on the Cross and in Jesus as my Savior, but the reality
was that my sins did not disappear.
I
had offered prayers of repentance, believed in the Word, believed in
the blood of the Cross-, and acknowledged all the rest of the Word of
God. But my sins were recorded in my heart as if they had been written
on with an iron pen and engraved on the tablet of my heart with the
point of a diamond (Jeremiah 17:1). I had so desired to live as a man
without sin, but sadly the truth was that I had sins, so with this
before me I felt embarrassed to look at people. “How can I look at
them?” If someone looked at me, I was ashamed to look at the heavens.
There is a Korean poet who said he would like to live a life without
shame toward heaven. I think may be he had felt that way also because he
too had sins.
Before
I was truly born again, my conscience had suffered a lot of agonies
because of my sins even while I had believed in Jesus. So I had tried
everything imaginable in order to solve my sin problem. I had even gone
so far as deciding to commit suicide. Because of this experience I am
therefore able and qualified to say these kinds of things to you. I am
able to also teach you to discern whether your faith is right or not
when you try to lead your life of faith by stirring up your emotion or
experiencing those spiritual commotions.
I
can also tell those who are drenched in legalistic faith, what it means
to believe in God and the gospel of the water and the Spirit, to really
give themselves over to God, and to lead a proper life of faith.
When
I did not know the gospel of the water and the Spirit, there were sins
in my heart. However, when I read the following passage, “‘Permit it to
be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.’
Then he allowed Him” (Matthew 3:15), I came to realize through this
powerful Act and words of Jesus that He had there in the Jordan River
fulfilled all righteousness, by being baptized.
Through
this passage I thought, “Oh I see. All righteousness has been
fulfilled. All the sins of the world have been transferred to Jesus.
John the Baptist had transferred all the sins to Jesus. Jesus has taken
away all the sins of humankind at once through John the Baptist. And He
had received the judgment of sin on the Cross. He has truly become our
living Savior and God by being resurrected from the dead.” Through these
words, I came to know that the Lord has received all your sins and mine
when He was baptized.
When
Jesus had received baptism from John the Baptist, all of the sins of
the world were transferred to Him. Through these words, I came to
recognize, “Oh I see. Jesus has already taken charge of all my sins. He
has received the judgment for those sins. There is no sin in me then.
God has made us His children. Jesus has truly become our Savior.” Right
after that, sins that were in my heart, that is all the sin that had
been recorded in my heart, were cleansed completely without a trace.
From that time on, I was able to look at people without shame, face
people without spite, and do what is right. And my life itself truly
became worthwhile. I was so very grateful and glad from then on. We are
now glad and happy in the Lord, praying without ceasing, and being
thankful in all things.
A
life of religion and a life of faith are two opposing ways. There are a
large number of people throughout the world living out a false
religious way of life. In Pakistan, one of our faithful coworkers
believed in this gospel and preached it to several people in the area he
was staying. We are informed that the people who were preached too
became truly saved and believed in this gospel and received the
remission of their sins through him. While he was spreading this gospel,
he happened to cross paths with some Christian leaders there and
started sharing this wonderful gospel with them. At first they were
delighted to hear it and even commented that it was a wonderful
‘doctrine’. But they soon began to become irritated and responded
angrily.
Being
somewhat angry over their words and patronizing attitude our brother
replied, “This gospel of the water and the Spirit is not a doctrine! It
is the ultimate Truth!” This brother was young and those he was
conversing with were much older, being Doctors of theology and pastors.
They told our young Brother, “You’re no doctor, and you are young
without any Bible background. How could you be teaching us the Word?” He
replied, “I’m young and have not been educated much, but this is not a
Christian doctrine. It is not of any special doctrine. This is the
Truth. I am in your eyes ignorant in theology, but I believe that it is
right that all of our sins have been eliminated through the gospel of
the water and the Spirit, for the Word of God is the Truth.”
The
difference between a life of faith of believing in the gospel of the
water and the Spirit and a life of religion pursuing one’s own fervor is
the same as that of between the wise virgins and the foolish virgins.
The foolish virgins are those who go on living a false religious life,
and they think that salvation and attaining perfection before God is
earned through their own strength. Those who stubbornly go out to
purchase the oil are people who are devoid of the Holy Spirit.
Brothers
and sisters do not think that you can purchase the Holy Spirit by doing
something. Do not even give it a thought that you can receive the Holy
Spirit by diligently living out a life of religion and going to church.
People
say you can be born again in your dreams, while praying, after hearing
sermons, or in many other ways, but the fact is that you can only be
born again by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. The
Apostle Peter says that you have been born again, not of perishable
seed, but of imperishable seed, which is the Word of God that lives and
abides forever (1 Peter 1:23). He also said, “There is also an antitype
which now saves us—baptism” (1 Peter 3:21). The Lord came to this earth
as our Savior, died on the Cross, and was resurrected from the dead by
taking charge of all the sins of humankind through His baptism by John
the Baptist at the age of 30, and by this righteous Act, was able to
truly become our Savior.
What
kind of heart do you have? And what kind of faith do you have? By
chance, were you not in a state of believing only in the blood of the
Cross? And when you heard about the gospel of the water and the Spirit,
did you not just add it to what you had believed before? Do you believe
that Jesus has saved you only through the blood of the Cross? If you now
clearly believe that Jesus is your Savior, should you not have
denounced and disposed of your old imperfect gospel? And have you
completely accepted the gospel Truth when you heard about the gospel of
the water and the Spirit that has saved you completely? You have to
think about this important matter one more time. If you have believed in
only the blood of the Cross so far, you have to come to the knowledge
that it is a false belief. And in your heart, you have to again hold
onto the truth that the gospel of the water and the Spirit is the only
definitive complete gospel and believe in it.
It
is written in the Bible, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a
new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have
become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Your false religious life is an old
thing, and your life of faith after knowing the gospel of the water and
the Spirit is the new and the true one. Just as the Lord says that you
cannot pour new wine in old wineskins, likewise you will be unable to
let the gospel of the water and the Spirit and your old belief coexist
together in your heart.
Therefore
believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit and believing only
in the Cross are not compatible with each other. The new saved ones are
those who have the correct faith before God, as it is written,
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things
have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians
5:17).
Where
is your heart located? Is it located in the place of the sinners or in
the place of the righteous? Is it in the place of believing in the
gospel of the water and the Spirit? Or is it in the place of believing
in only the blood of the Cross? Whether or not you have received
salvation is determined in what direction your heart is positioned.
Where your heart is located is very important. How about you then? How
about all the people in the world? Tragically today many people’s hearts
are in the place of only believing in the Cross-as the only complete
atoning sacrifice for sin.
Therefore
no matter how hard they try, they can neither please God nor receive
blessings from Him with a faith like this. From henceforth they have to
not only do a paradigm shift but also turn around from the way they have
believed and place their full trust and faith in the truth. This is the
only Truth. This one is perfect the old one is imperfect. Therefore
they should confess, “I will believe in the gospel of the water from now
on and in the Spirit which is perfect.” Their heart should be moved
from an imperfect location to a perfect one.
This
is what Matthew 25 was talking about. You must believe in the salvation
that the Lord had already accomplished for all of us through the gospel
of the water and the Spirit. We have to believe in the salvation that
was completed in the past perfect tense. It declares that all of our
sins had been eliminated and that anyone can be totally saved just by
believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. It is not right to
work hard and determine to do one thing or another in order to earn
salvation in the present tense. We have to believe that all of our sins
had already been eliminated long ago. We must believe in the Savior
Jesus Christ who has saved us by coming to this earth, receiving all our
sins by receiving the baptism from John the Baptist, then taking charge
of it, carrying all the sins of the world, receiving the judgment of
sin by going to the Cross, being nailed to it, dying, and being
resurrected from the dead. We have to believe in the salvation that
Jesus has already accomplished completely.
Those
who have not received salvation as yet should pray like this: “Lord I
have not yet received the remission of my sins. Please save me.” They
have to acknowledge that they have yet to place the gospel of the Truth
in their hearts and sincerely pray to God that He should save them. And
they have to move the focus of their heart to the gospel of the water
and the Spirit. You should have the knowledge and belief that Jesus had
already taken away all your sins back then when He had received His
baptism, shed His blood on the Cross, was resurrected from the dead, and
thus through this righteous Act saved you. You must hold fast and
believe in this truth.
People
who believe like this and choose to unite with God’s Church are those
who have prepared the oil and their lamps. Fleshly speaking, we seem
filthy and lowly at times because we are very week in doing everything
to serve the work of the Lord after becoming truly born again and
believing in the truth. It is nevertheless despite this; wise to expand
the Kingdom of God while humbling our hearts and keeping in step with
the Holy Spirit, pursuing peace, loving one another, uniting in one
purpose serving the Lord, and thereby receiving blessings. Saints like
these are none other than the true people of God, being the wise
virgins.
As
the result of Adam and Eve falling into sin, they hid themselves among
the trees in the Garden of Eden, the Lord God called to Adam and said to
him, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9) Like this scène in the Bible, the
question is posed; Where is your heart now? Is it with the sinners? Is
it with the righteous? Is the gospel of the water and the Spirit in your
heart? Is your heart holding steadfastly onto it? Or is it clinging
onto the blood of the Cross alone for your salvation?
Every
person is a precious person, but who are the foolish? It is those
people who have locked up in their hearts and deny the correct answer,
and sadly this makes up for most people in the world today.
It
is extremely frustrating for us when we see and encounter people like
this. There are a huge number of churches in the world that are serving
God mixed with superstition, making a lot of noise and commotion like
the ‘shamans’ seeking after there good fortune. If you should speak to
them, even if it is only a few words, you will find that their
countenances of hypocrisy are so dirty that it will lead you to the
point of becoming sick. They pretend to be clean before the righteous,
even though they have heaped upon themselves sins that are filthier than
pig’s dung. They are so despicable that you would want to be shoving
them away, saying angrily “Get away from me! Go and clean your crap-like
sins before coming back.” Their faith is not even faith. They do not
acknowledge the Word of God, but instead just make a huge fuss by
speaking in tongues, brag that they have the gift to heal, casting out
demons, and dazzling people’s eyes. I tell you this what they are doing
is a big fraud in front of God.
Some
time ago, a former magician named James Randi came to Korea and
appeared on a television program called “James Randi Paranormal
Challenge.” He declared, “There are no paranormal powers that cannot be
proven scientifically.” He said that he would be testing and examining
people all over the world who perform wonders or miracles and would give
$1,000,000 to those who could really perform them. There are also a
large number of such false prophets in our country Korea, who claim that
they could heal diseases if they were to pray by ‘the laying on of
their hands.’ James Randi said that if someone among them were to cure
the disease of a really ill person, he would give that person
USD1,000,000. So inevitably the TV programs started to send this
challenge into our country, but it was soon revealed that there was not a
single person who had these paranormal powers. In fact there was not a
single person in the entire world that could be found. So it was proved
what these people were claiming was indeed all a fraud.
One
ridiculous man was able to stick coins to his chest, but that too was a
fraud. It was found that this man had an oily skin, and he also
perspires a lot, this resulted in the coins getting stuck onto his
chest. So it was proved that there was not a single person on this
planet that really had that kind of power. So in the end James Randi
kept the USD1,000,000, as no one could prove beyond a doubt that they
could do this. Anyone who claims that they can perform wonders or
miracles, are lying through their teeth. The truth is that demons are in
fact working inside of them.
These
people keep on saying, “I will heal your diseases” but in reality
nothing gets cured at all. All the so-called psychic healers in our
country who are renowned for having the gift of healing were invited on
this TV-program, to demonstrate their techniques for all to see, but
they were also proved to be frauds and liars. And in the end they even
acknowledged that they had failed in front of all who were watching.
Christians
who believe only in the blood of the Cross are mere religious runners.
They are the foolish. They are continually trying to earn their
salvation in their own strength. The biblical truth is that the Lord has
already saved them long ago, but they do not believe the Scriptures.
That is why they are continually offering those miserable repentance
prayers with the mindset that these sins would be removed if they do
these things. True genuine faith is to believe that our sins have
already been eliminated, through His full righteous Act. Actually
knowledge and belief according to the Truth is faith; it is not true
faith to think that you can change yourself through self-discipline.
Doing this is not the Truth. Actually to be honest, it is so easy to
have true faith.
Brothers
and sisters, let’s say there is a beautiful flower in front of you. It
is known as a ‘gladiolus.’ Faith is finding out that this flower is in
fact called a ‘gladiolus’ and accepting it as it is, saying, “Oh, that
flower is called ‘gladiolus.’” Faith is to perceive the Truth and to
believe in it as it is. Therefore, to have faith is not difficult at
all. Faith is to know and to believe that the Lord has saved you from
sin through the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Is that right or
not? Is it difficult? Do you believe it in your heart? Do you know that
the Lord has saved you through the gospel of the water and the Spirit?
And do you believe it?
If
you intend to follow the Lord, you have to deny your thoughts and
desires. But still there are foolish people who stubbornly hold
steadfastly onto their old wrong line of faith. They do not desire to
abandon their evil ways, by confirming that this gospel is the
definitive truth. After they have heard this truth they say that how is
it possible that they have been locked into a false gospel, and that
they have been wrong for all this time. They then say, “Ha, you have
been secretly and cunningly moving into this direction. You can’t do
that! Oh, so now I see, I have believed incorrectly for so long now.”
You have to confess your wrongful ways of faith that way. You have to
deny yourself. You must confess, “I have believed incorrectly all my
life until now, and I had misunderstood the bible.” The Bible says,
“When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day
long. My vitality was turned into the drought of summer” (Psalm 32:3-4).
David said that the Lord’s hand was heavy upon him because he did not
confess. You have to give up your ways and admit that you had believed
incorrectly, understood incorrectly, and now have come to a correct
understanding. And you have to hold fast onto the truth by faith.
The
question of where your heart is placed is extremely important. The
movements of the heart cannot be seen with the naked eye, but they bring
about huge results. The human heart is always moving, even though it
cannot be seen with our eyes. It is an amazing fact that faith changes
and salvation is determined according to where you have placed your
heart? You must therefore place your heart in the gospel of the water
and the Spirit. Only by doing this will you attain the approval from
God. It is only when we move into this truth, does the effect of Jesus
having eliminating your sins and mine come true within us. Are these
words true or not? If you refuse to make your heart belong to the Lords
gospel of the water and the Spirit, which He gave us, then there can be
no works in your heart.
Works
arise only if we move our heart onto the gospel of the water and the
Spirit. The Lord accomplishes the works only if we make up our mind and
move our heart to the gospel of the Truth by confessing, “Up until now, I
have believed and understood incorrectly, but now I will move my heart
to this gospel Truth.” The Holy Spirit then only comes into our heart.
Even if there is no feeling of sensation in your heart, from that moment
on, you are God’s children. This is now possible because you have no
sin in your heart, for the gospel of the water and the Spirit has
eliminated them.
I
will spread this gospel throughout the entire world. The churches and
Christians in our country, have to also put their heart on the gospel of
the water and the Spirit. There are more people who are aware of and
have some knowledge of this gospel but have as yet not placed their
heart in it. I think it is because the gospel of the water and the
Spirit is unfamiliar to them.
By
the way, the most demonic people in Christianity are those who believe
in the blood of the Cross-as the only complete atoning sacrifice for
sin, and then say that they have no sins. How is it possible that their
sins could disappear when they believe in only the blood of the
Cross-like this? God said it clearly that a person can only enter His
Kingdom, by being born again through the gospel of the water and the
Spirit. The Lord Himself said that in 1 John 5, “This is He who came by
water and blood. And the Holy Spirit, the water, and the blood agree as
one” (1 John 5:6-8). God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is one
God. God the Father sent His only begotten Son to this earth,
transferred the sins of humankind to His Son through John the Baptist,
had Him bear all our sins, made Him shed His blood of salvation to atone
for all those sins by receiving judgment, and was resurrected from the
dead to become our true Savior and the God.
Jesus
Christ is your God of salvation as well as my God of salvation. But I
will continue to fight against all those liars in the world who say that
they have no sins even though they continue to claim and believe only
in the blood of the Cross. “You fools! The history of Christianity is
approximately 2,000 years old. Has there ever been a single person
(excluding the early church members) who had actually become sinless by
believing only in the blood of the Cross? Never! There has not even been
one. There has not been a single person in this world past and present,
whose sins had been removed just by believing only in the blood of the
Cross. Only after spreading of the gospel of the water and the Spirit
have people throughout the whole world arisen for the first time,
claiming to be without sin by faith with a clear conscience.
If
it appears like we can after all receive the remission of our sins by
only believing in the blood of the Cross-, then there is nothing else
for us to do. But this is not the case at all, and sadly, not a single
person in this world would be found who does not believe in this false
gospel in some form or another.
There
is not a single person who does not believe that Jesus has cleansed all
sin by shedding His precious blood. Everyone in the whole world knows
this. How about you and me then? I believe that there are those living
amongst you, who had believed only in the blood of the Cross-for a very
long time, but then after hearing and believing in the true gospel,
changed their hearts and placed their faith in the gospel of the water
and the Spirit. However, these people need to confess that their old
faith was wrong, saying, “That was wrong. The gospel of the water and
the Spirit is the truth! And the Lord has saved me through this gospel
of the water and the Spirit. He has made me free of sin by receiving
baptism and shedding His blood on the Cross. He has taken all my sins
through His baptism and saved me through His blood on the Cross.” They
must change their heart by making confessions like this.
You
and I must believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit
wholeheartedly. If you had believed in just the blood of the Cross,
which is not the gospel of the water and the Spirit, you must admit that
it was an incorrect faith, and then turn around and believe that only
the gospel of the water and the Spirit is the definitive truth. If you
have made a decision in your heart, that “salvation does not come
through the blood of the Cross alone,” then you must know that this
fraudulent gospel can never become the Truth. And as you believe in your
heart that “the gospel of the water and the Spirit is the gospel of
Truth,” you will then become God’s people through your faith, being
approved wholly by Him. When you have fully become children of faith,
the Holy Spirit will walk with you, you will receive the guidance of
God, and you will be changed like the rising sun.
I
thank God that the Lord has saved us and made us wise. I believe that
we have become wise through the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Do
you believe that? When you lead your life of faith, you must always walk
by the gospel of the water and the Spirit. There are heaps of works to
be done after now coming into the truth and believing in the gospel of
the water and the Spirit. This is because there are many people
throughout this world who have not even heard about this truth, and have
not put their faith in it.
If
everyone in this world already had this knowledge and believed in the
gospel of the water and the Spirit, we would just be making unnecessary
fuss and using up our energy, as they would have known about it and
believed in it for 2,000 already, while we have just arrived at it now.
If this example were true, which do you think the better believer was,
them or us? Of course, those who have believed in the gospel of the
Truth these many years are far better believers than we are. However, if
they have believed only in the blood of the Cross-, then there is not a
single person among them who is righteous.
Brothers
and Sisters, do you know of anyone abroad who has received the
remission of sin in strict accordance with the Word of God, prior to the
reading our books? In a certain country, there were people who had
taught that sins would disappear by believing only in the blood of the
Cross. But as soon as our books entered their country, they begun
reading and soon changed to the correct faith. They are now confessing
that they have only now become the real Church. In the United States,
one of our fellow workers who had received the remission of sins said
that he had read the 2nd book on the Tabernacle and learned anew that
only those people who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit
could enter the Most Holy. You must realize that for us to enter the
Most Holy Place that being, the very presence of God is now only
possible because we have become holy and without sin by believing in the
gospel of the water and the Spirit. I am at a loss for words to
describe how thankful I am to the Lord and how good He is. We really
have no doubt a huge amount of works to do.
We
are working hard on our literature ministries. The first ten books in
our Christian book series are books that illuminate the gospel from many
sides and angles. From the 11th book onwards, we will be publishing
books in order to foster spiritual growth in all those who have been
born again through the gospel of the water and the Spirit. We have
accomplished heaps of works up to this point. However, the fields are
ripe unto harvest and there is huge amount of works that still needs to
be done.
The
knowledge and the Truth has now been spread, from now on we will be
spreading the gospel of the water and the Spirit in a different form, by
speaking to those who have already been reading or have read our books,
by asking these important questions: “Is your faith right or wrong? It
is wrong if you believe in the blood of the Cross-, as the only complete
atoning sacrifice for sin? You have to believe in the definitive
biblical truth of, the gospel of the water and the Spirit.”
So
you see, there are lots of works to be done. This is an important
season because it is the time of the harvest. It is a time when we must
unite our strengths and our money to do this harvesting.
Brothers
and sisters, do you believe the same way? God is calling you as His
laborers. When you put your heart into this gospel of truth, and place
yourself before God by faith, God will work and hold you fast, bless
you, and entrust you with His works.
I give thanks to God for making us His laborers. Halleluiah!
No comments:
Post a Comment