[Mt 5:6] Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

What is righteousness here?  He said, hunger and thirst for righteousness.  If you look closely at Jesus’ words, you see that righteousness is the Kingdom of God.

[Mt 6:33] But seek first his Kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

In his words, righteousness refers to the Kingdom of God.  So those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are those who wait and hunger for the Kingdom of God.  What is the Kingdom of God?  It is the Kingdom of righteousness.  Jesus is telling us that we should be hungry and thirsty for that Kingdom.

Were you ever starving?  It is said that this is the most difficult message to give to people in the U.S.  Because unless you experience hunger, you won’t understand it.  The place that Jesus gave this Word, and the place where we are standing have a great gap between them.  People a long time ago were so hungry.  In Palestine, there weren’t that many wells.  They were so thirsty and so hungry.  So to those who are truly hungry and thirsty, when this message is given to them, it will feel real.  So being hungry and thirsty is such an earnest situation.  It is such a difficult and hard situation.  When you fast, you feel this. You realize food is very important.  You realize that being hungry is so hard.

So in the desert, where there is no water, you seek and thirst for water.  Just like that when you hunger and long and thirst for the Kingdom of God, then you will be filled. That is what Jesus is saying.

A long time ago, Pastor said, ‘did you ever wet your pillow longing for the Kingdom of God?’  Without that kind of hope and wish, how can you expect to enter the Kingdom of God?  That message hit Pastor Borah’s heart.  People tend to think of it as so easy.  Thinking “I will just go in, just enter the Kingdom of God.”  But if that world is truly so precious and valuable, then we do need this kind of thirstiness and hunger.

Thirst and Hunger for the KOG  So Jesus is saying, those who truly have this kind of burning thirstiness and hunger for the Kingdom of God is blessed.  The ones who truly long and thirst for the world of righteousness will be filled.

Never Lose Hope for the Kingdom  When we walk this path of faith and face difficult situations, we tend to just give up.  When reality is good to us, we can have hope.  But when reality is hard, when everything is difficult, and you have to give up so many things, it is so easy to forget the hope and desire you have for the Kingdom of God.  We must be the ones who in whatever situation never lose our hope for the Kingdom.  When we are thirsty and truly hope like this, God will not abandon us, He will come to us.

[Isa 41:17] “The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the Lord will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.

[Isa 48:21] They did not thirst when he led them through the deserts; he made water flow for them from the rock; he split the rock and water gushed out.

[Isa 49:10] They will neither hunger nor thirst, nor will the desert heat or the sun beat upon them.  He who has compassion on them will guide them
and lead them beside springs of water.

[Isa 55:1]
“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!  Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.

These verses tell us that, to those who are thirsty and hungry, God will not abandon them, but will go to them.

[Pr 21:21] He who pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.

The one who truly pursues and hopes and longs for righteousness and the Kingdom of God will gain and find life, prosperity, and honor.  Jesus said, that person will be fulfilled, and satisfied.  God will truly answer that wish, fulfill that wish and hope, and satisfy him.

Remembering this, we need to remember this word and follow the truth, follow the way of Christ.  We must first go on towards the Kingdom of God, the righteousness of God.  Not worrying about what to eat or what to drink.  We should not be filled by whatever we eat or drink, but by the righteousness of God.

[Mt 6:25-33]
25. “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.  Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
26. Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not much more valuable than they?
27. Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
28. And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow.  They do not labor or spin.
29. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
30. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31. So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
32. For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
33. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Jesus taught us how we should live this life.  What kind of way.  There is a way to live a life.  Birds have a way that they fly, their path, and deer and airplanes.  Just like that humans have a way and path.  Men must follow that way, follow that path.

Hunger for Kingdom of God  Jesus is saying, don’t follow worrying about what to eat or what to drink.  There is something more important than that.  Go towards the Kingdom of God, and the righteousness of God.  Then God will give everything else to you.  Don’t be thirsty and hungry for what to eat and what to drink, but be thirsty and hungry for the Kingdom of God.

Live Free  Even the birds of the air, God feeds them.  Birds don’t store their food in storage.  They don’t store up their food.  Birds are free.  Men are supposed to be more free than birds.  So Jesus is telling us, do not get held up by possessions.  Aren’t your lives more precious than birds?  Your lives are more precious and valuable than lilies and flowers.  Jesus is saying, when you follow the way, the truth, then you will find freedom.

[Jn 8:32] Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Jesus said the truth will set you free.  When we truly go on following the words of Jesus, we will find freedom.  Don’t suffer working for what to drink and what to wear, but be thirsty and hungry for the Kingdom of God.

Becoming Original  The English language uses the word “have” a lot.  So many people love to have things.  You cannot judge a person by how much they have.  More important than that, what kind of person are they?  The Bible teaches us this, how to become original Man.

Finding Happiness  Jesus said, compared to the Kingdom of God and righteousness, everything else will fall away.  When you change your priority, then suffering will fall away.  Although the way of the truth may be narrow and different from the way of the world, if you go on then it will get broader.  Jesus said it will be filled.  When you live a right life, then you will find true happiness.

[Mt 5:5] Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Here the meek heart also has a connection to humble heart.  Who are the meek?  The ones who are meek are the ones who are soft.  How can soft people inherit the earth?  In this world, if you want to possess land, then you need strength, you need to be powerful.  You need great strength in order to possess land, you cannot be soft, right?  In this world, people without strength cannot use the gun well.  Here meek is soft.  So the ones who are meek will inherit the land.

Strict Non-violence  In the Bible, Jesus is explaining everything that is so difficult to understand.  So what Jesus is trying to teach us here is that the Bible teaches strictly non-violence.  This is telling us that the world where everything is ruled by violence will end.  Jesus is telling us that the future world, the world that is to come, is the world of non-violence, and the world of peace.

Promised Land  It says, inheriting the earth.  What is the earth?  It is the land.  To the Jews, there was the promised land.  God gave the Jews a promise, promising them that they would get out of the land where they were once slaves, and lead them to the promised land.  This land is the promised land.  Inheriting the land and earth is having their hopes fulfilled.  So this earth is not the earth and land that we think of.  This earth and land refers to the Kingdom of God.  This means you will inherit and possess the Kingdom of God.  In other words, this message that you will inherit the earth, is a message of blessing, and it is telling you that you will inherit the Kingdom of God.

Hx Hard Violence ? Hx Soft Peace  In the history of mankind, until now, everything was ruled and controlled with knives and swords and violence.  The world was ruled and controlled with knives and violence and blood.  But Jesus is introducing to his disciples a totally new and different world.  Jesus is saying that the world that is to come is truly different and opposite from this world.  Jesus is saying that in the future world, the ones who are soft and weak will inherit the land.  He is saying, if the world has been hard and strong until now, the world will become a soft and weak world.

Softness > Hardness  Jesus is saying, in that softness is greater power.  Something that is strong is not always strong.  Instead, in something that is soft, there is greater strength.  It is true; like love is something soft but it is powerful.

Like the teeth are stronger than the tongue; but when you grow old you lose all your teeth, so your tongue remains.  Then they say that the tongue is stronger than the teeth.  Although it is softer, it lasts a longer time.
Pastor David said, ‘you know the computer company Microsoft?’  People like large and big things, but micro is small and tiny.  People like strength and power.  But it is soft.  Something like Microsoft, tiny and soft, came out and is ruling the world.  So he said there are signs hidden like this, even in the world.
Did you guys ever hear the story where the wind rain and sunlight were competing to see if a man could take off his coat?  In the end the sunlight won.  So something that is soft and warm is stronger.

Jesus Lamb of God  The Bible is talking about this kind of world.  Jesus was like this.  The Bible doesn’t record Jesus as a powerful person with strength.  The Bible tells us that Jesus is the little lamb.  So the Bible depicted Jesus as the person who suffered.  Little lamb is truly soft and so weak.  Jesus was like that too.  But in that weakness there is great power inside.

Take Out Short-Temperedness  What kind of heart should we have then, as people of the Kingdom of God?  Not powerful and strong, but soft and meek hearts.  We have something so strong inside of us, like short-temperedness. With that kind of thing we cannot enter the Kingdom of God. Soft heart is what a person of the Kingdom of God should have.
– BEGIN MOSES –

Moses Was Hebrew  You have heard of Moses.  Moses was a Hebrew, but he grew up in the palace of the Egyptian, of Pharaoh.  There he was raised for forty years, now realizing that he was a Hebrew, he set out to save all the people.

Did you guys watch the movie ‘the Prince of Egypt?’  I don’t know if you watched it, but it was kind of different from the Bible.  In the beginning, Pastor Borah and church members went to watch the movie together.  They were excited that it was a story in the Bible.  And afterwards, they were so disappointed, no one said let’s go watch a movie.  Because they studied so well, they knew the story.  And they knew what would happen.  But then to get a wider audience they changed the story a little.  Then because the members knew the story so well, they even knew the flaws.  But that is not the point here.

Moses Kills an Egyptian  The history of Moses, as he starts to save his people, begins when he goes down to them and sees an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, and he kills  that Egyptian.  Then Moses escapes.  People found out then that Moses was a Hebrew, so people wanted to kill Moses, that is why he had to escape.

Moses Tends Flocks  Moses went into the Midian desert, and tended flocks. For forty years he suffered.

What are we able to see here?  The history of salvation is not done by violence.  The good history of God, of salvation, cannot be led by violence.  Then in the Bible, when someone came to take Jesus and crucify him, Peter cut the ear of the one who came to take him away.  Jesus rebuked and scolded Peter saying, “the one who lives by the sword will die by the sword.”  He said to take the sword away.  Jesus taught us therefore, thorough non-violence.  Even though the motive may be good, violence cannot be justified.  So the Bible is teaching us that you cannot inherit the Kingdom of God with violence.

Moses Changes  So even for Moses, his motive was good ? he was trying to save his people.  But because he used violence, it failed.  That is why for forty years he tended flocks.  He changed into a very soft and meek shepherd.  Lambs are meek and soft creatures.  It would be funny to see a short-tempered lamb.

Moses Receives Commission Again  So Moses changed like this, and when he changed like that, God called him again.  God gave him the commission, go save your people, and gave him the ability and power.  Then Moses went back and led his people out of Egypt.  Coming out of Egypt, Moses and the people were in the Desert of Sin for forty years.  Moses lived 120 years altogether.

So going back to the movie: the members were so disappointed because the main point and story of Moses starts in the desert, but in the movie it ends as they get there.  The story of crossing the Red Sea began, and they begin to cross, and the members were excited saying ‘it is starting’ ? then the movie ended with credits.

Moses Does Not Enter Promised Land  So in the desert, the people truly wanted to reach the promised land, the Canaan land.  But Moses couldn’t enter Canaan land.

Moses’ Short Temper  There was a reason why he couldn’t.  In the forty years in the desert, the people complained and grumbled at Moses.  Gave him such a hard time.  So Moses had become a meek and soft person, but still there was a tiny short-temper in him, and it just popped out again.  They are looking at that in the Bible.  So then the Israelites kept complaining in the desert, that we are thirsty, then God gave them water.  Then they said, we are hungry, and God gave them something to eat.  It kept continuing like that, then one day they did it again, they complained, then Moses couldn’t take it anymore, and he took his staff and hit the rock twice.  Then later God told Moses, you couldn’t show your people holiness.  In other words, Moses’ short temper and rage came out, that is why He said, you cannot enter Canaan land.  Moses really wanted to enter Canaan land, but he could not and died in the desert.

Hitting the Rock  Of course the people crossed over.  Who entered?  Joshua, one of the second generation did.  So with Joshua as the center, he took all the second generation into Canaan land.  So this is so important.  Moses wanted to enter Canaan land, but why couldn’t he?  He hit the rock twice.  You could think, what is the importance of him hitting it twice.  Does it matter?

Take Out the Rage and Temper  God is not talking about the number of hits, He is concerned with the rage and short temper.  So this is something very important that we must remember, that if we have short temper and rage in us, we cannot enter heaven.  This short temper and rage is violence.  A person of the Kingdom of God should not have this.
– END MOSES –

Christian Lamb Characteristics  Christian symbol is a lamb.  As we said before, it is funny to see a short-tempered lamb.  We have short temper and rage inside of us.  We need to fight this.  The characteristic that a person of the Kingdom of God should have, is to never get mad.  Just as Moses took his short temper out little by little as he tended flocks, we must also go on taking it out as we walk this path of faith.

Rage and Temper Are Serious  We should not leave anything, not even the tiniest sins inside of us.  The meek will inherit the earth.  The opposite of meek is rage and short temper and violence.  So we must focus on this, know that it is serious, and take it out.  Even as we attend church, one day we fight and argue; that happens because of short temper and rage in us. We should not look at this lightly.  We ought to look at it seriously.

OT  In the Old Testament, when people gave offerings, they cut the animals in half and took out the blood.  They cut it and took out the blood.  So there is a very important meaning here.

NT  In the New Testament, we ourselves are the offering.  Our lives are the offering and the worship to God.  So we need to take out that kind of blood in us.  Like our violence and rage and short temper ? when we take out all these, we could be a good offering.  This is the heart of Christ, the heart of Jesus.  When we have this kind of heart, the world of peace will come.

[Isa 2:4] He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples.  They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.  Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.

Isaiah is a book of prophecy.  This is prophesying that the world of non-violence, the world of peace will come.  So Jesus said “blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”  He is saying that the meek ones will inherit the world of peace.  He is talking about the Gospel of Peace.  He is giving hope for the future.  He is saying, the weak and the meek one, don’t worry, the world that is to come will be yours.

Through God’s Power  In this culture, everyone tries to be high, tries to become powerful.  The culture of the Kingdom of God is different.  Christian culture is different; it is being meek and soft.  Although we are weak, we are confessing that we are weak.  But God will give us ability.  Although I cannot do anything by myself, with the ability and power that God gave me, I can do everything.  It is not like in the beginning I say I can do everything and become small in the end.  But in the beginning I am small ? yet it expands, that is the Kingdom of God.  So he is talking about the world that grows stronger with the ability and power given by God.  So I wish that you will be the meek ones who will inherit this.

[Mt 5:4] Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Before we saw the first lesson, blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.  Today’s is the second one, blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.  It says here, blessed are those who mourn. Who are the ones who mourn?

Unique Message  It is very difficult to understand the message of what mourning really means, but it is important for us to know.  In the world, there is no message given to us telling us to mourn.  Instead of telling us to mourn, the world tells us to enjoy life.  Everyone wants to be happy, instead of mourning.  Everyone lives to be happy, no one lives to cry. But today Jesus is teaching us to mourn, to cry.  So this is such a different teaching from the world.

What is Mourning?  What does it mean to mourn?  Does it mean to live a pessimistic life?  Did Jesus mean to tell us to look at everything negatively, and pessimistically?  To live in despair?  That is not it.  There is a deeper meaning when Jesus tells us to mourn.  One of Jesus’ disciples was James.

[Jas 4:9] Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.

A similar message is recorded here.  So it says, change your laughter into mourning and to gloom.  What is the gloom and worry here?

Public Concern  The worry that Jesus teaches, and that the apostle is teaching, is public worry and public concern.  So it is teaching us to look at the sin and evil of the world and be sad and worry about that.  So Jesus is teaching us, don’t close your eyes when you look at the evil and sin and pleasures of the world.  And don’t match yourself to those.  Instead, cry for those sins, then you will be blessed.

Heart of Christ  Jesus lived this kind of life.  The Bible explains to us that Jesus was the little lamb carrying all the sin of the world.  When your child sins, then as a parent, you are sad and you worry.  This was the heart of Jesus Christ when he looked at the world.  Jesus is telling us to have the heart of God, who looking at this evil and sinful corrupted world, is in such great pain.  Remember this heart, and live with this heart.  Jesus is saying, blessed are those who live with this kind of heart.

Patriot Longing for the Kingdom  A true patriot, one who truly loves his own country, when he looks at the sin and evil of his country, he feels sad, he feels pain.  Just like that, the one who truly longs for the Kingdom of God, and awaits for it and loves it, should look at this world and feel pain, must mourn for this world.  Jesus is saying, look at this corrupted world and mourn.

Comfort from God  As the people of God, when we mourn like this, the mourning will not just end at mourning.  We will definitely receive comfort from God.  Mourning could change into greater joyful happiness because of comfort from God.  When we truly want to become the disciples and followers of Christ, then we should have this heart, the mourning heart.

Repenting  Another way we could look at this mourning is, looking at my own sin inside of me, and beating my heart, repenting because of my sin, this is mourning.

[Lk 18:13,14]
13. “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
14. “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God.  For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Here a sinner, a tax collector, comes out. But in verses 9,10…

[Lk 18:9,10]
9. To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable:
10. “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

two men went up to pray, the first one said, I was not like the tax collector, I prayed and fasted, and gave a tenth of what I got.  The Pharisee prayed like this, but the tax collector prayed beating his heart saying, I am a sinner.  Jesus said this tax collector went home as more justified.  So the heart of this tax collector, beating his heart and saying, I am a sinner, this is the heart of mourning.

Humility and Mourning  When we truly confess our sin and cry over it, and have the heart of repentance in front of God, then we will be able to get comforted by God.  So this is the second blessing, those who mourn.  This has a connection with the first blessing that we looked at last week.  The first blessing says, blessed are the poor in spirit.  We said that is humility, modesty.  This tax collector, beating himself, said “I am a sinner, I am a sinner.”  He said, God have mercy on me.  This is the heart of mourning, and this is humility. When we have these two hearts, when we have humble hearts, then we can mourn for our sins, and confess our sins.  Whoever humbles themselves will be exalted.  So this is how the second blessing relates to the first one.  This is the second mourning, the private mourning.

[Ps 51:17] The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

It is recorded here that God is the God who does not ignore a broken and contrite heart.  So a contrite heart is a heart that is torn apart, that feels pain.  When we go to God with this kind of heart, God will comfort us.

Heart of Confessing and Mourning  Here the tax collector was a great sinner who took many people’s possessions.  But how was this tax collector able to be more justified as a more righteous person than this Pharisee?  The Pharisees were called the pious and devout people of that time.  How was the tax collector, a sinner, able to be more justified?  It is because he had this heart, confessing and mourning.  We want to remember that when we go to God with this kind of heart, He will truly comfort us.  When someone cries in front of God saying, please forgive all my sins, God will truly comfort that person.

Maintain the Mourning Heart  Two kinds of mourning come out here.  The first one is public mourning, the second is private and personal mourning.  I wish you would all maintain these two hearts of mourning within you.

[Mt 5:3] “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

Jesus Comforts the Poor  So the first blessing is “blessed are the poor in spirit.”  He is talking about the poor.  In Matthew, it says “the poor in spirit” but in Luke 6:20, the word “spirit” is not included.  And it says, blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the Kingdom of God.  So he starts off by comforting the poor.  So it starts with the way that God comforts the poor and gives courage to the poor.  So who must be the owners of the new world?  He is teaching us that in the new world, those who have prosperity and pleasure right now do not have the priority, because the priority of the new world is for the people who are repressed and so poor and sad right now.  Jesus is saying, those of you who are weak and poor right now, do not be sad because the Kingdom of God is yours.

God Comforts the Poor  In the Bible there are many places where God comforts the poor very warmly.

[Ps 9:18] But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish.

[Ps 35:10] My whole being will exclaim, “Who is like you, O Lord?  You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them.”

[Ps 68:10] Your people settled in it, and from your bounty, O God, you provided for the poor.

[Ps 70:4,5]
4. But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, “Let God be exalted!”
5. Yet I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God.  You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay.

[Ps 140:12] I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy.

Here it records the way God remembers the poor and saves the poor.  So we are able to see the love of God, the way He comes to the one who is poor, abandoned, and in pain in this world.  So God is coming saying, do not be sad just because you are poor and abandoned.  But this does not mean that all wealthy people are bad.

Humility  Matthew recorded that the poor in spirit are blessed.  What does the poor in spirit mean?  This means blessed are the poor in heart.  Those who have humble hearts.  Jesus used Aramaic language, this is a little different from the Hebrew language.  In Aramaic, the word “poor” used in plural form is “modesty.”  So here he is talking about spiritual humility, spiritual modesty, the modesty of the heart.  He is talking about the poor in heart, the ones who lower themselves, the ones with a humble heart, they are blessed.  This humble heart is the heart of Jesus.

[Mt 11:29] Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Longing for the Truth  The gentle and humble heart is the heart of Christ.  When you have this kind of heart, you will be blessed.  This heart is lowering and emptying yourself.  Those people will be blessed, and the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.  In other words, being poor means being poor about the truth.  This is the heart being thirsty for the truth, longing for the truth.

[Am 8:11] “The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign Lord, “when I will send a famine through the land- not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.

Spiritual Thirst  He is saying, there will be a famine, but not for food or water, but for the Word.  We have this hunger for the Word.  A spiritual thirstiness.  He is telling us that the ones who are hungry and thirsty for the truth are blessed.  If you look, the humble ones are truly thirsty for the truth.  The opposite of being poor is being filled.  A poor person is hungry, and a rich person is filled up.  If you are already filled up, then you do not seek.  So Jesus is telling us that those who are hungry and thirsty, poor like this and spiritually for the truth, they will receive the Kingdom of heaven.  So being humble is very important.

Arrogance  We learned the lesson on the first sin that the first sin is arrogance.  In Proverbs, it says that God does not like arrogance.

[Pr 6:16,17]
16. There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him:
17. haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,

There are six things that the Lord hates, one is the arrogant eyes.  When we are arrogant, we get further from God.  When we are arrogant, we abandon God.  So Jesus showed us the way to get rid of this arrogance.

[Php 2:5-8]
5. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6. Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7. but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
8. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death? even death on a cross!

Jesus lowered himself.  How low did he go?  It says he lowered himself even to death.  So Jesus laid down everything.  He didn’t just give out all his possessions, but he even gave out his life.  When he laid down everything, God lifted him up.

[Php 2:9-11]
9. Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
10. that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11. and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

So how was Jesus? Jesus was the one who lowered himself, and by so doing, he was exalted.  So Jesus is teaching these words to the disciples, but not only did he say it, but he really lived like this.  So he perfectly showed them the way of heaven.  So how are the hearts of the people of the Kingdom of God?  The heart should not be arrogant lifting itself up, but be humble lowering itself.  That is the heart of the person of the Kingdom of God.  This heart and this attitude of humility and modesty is the basis and foundation for becoming a person of heaven.

Paradoxical Wisdom  But these words, that we should lower ourselves, are very unfamiliar to us.  The truth of the Word of God is a paradox.  We say, “why do we have to lower ourselves, to die?”  Satan tells us, “why do you have to lower yourself?”  He says, “why should you live that way?”  These words are unfamiliar to us, that is why it is unfamiliar.  When the paradox of the truth is given to children, they say it is a lie.

Fall of Man  So the words of God are very different.  But if men didn’t fall, then these words would be familiar to us.  But because of the fall of man, the Words of God is becoming unfamiliar to us.  So when the Words of God sound familiar to us, then that is when we are closer to becoming the people of heaven.

Foolish Wisdom  If you go to countries that are wealthy and have a lot of knowledge and wealth, they will say this is foolish.  Apostle Paul went to a city named Corinth, a place full of wealth.  A very clever land.  Apostle Paul went there proclaiming the Gospel.  And then the smart people there said, this is all foolish.  Then Apostle Paul replied, yes it is foolish, it is foolish wisdom.  But no matter how wise men are, the wisdom of men is still lower than the foolishness of God.

[1Co 1:25] For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.

According to the wise people of this world, the Gospel may be foolish.  But it is true wisdom.  In the opposite way, looking through the eyes of the Gospel, the wisdom of this world is foolish.

Losing God  Because in this world, no matter how much wealth and material possessions you have, but if you lose God’s Word, then you will live a foolish life.  When man loses God, man will become nervous and lonely, and there will be pain.

Lamb Stronger Than Lion  So although this may seem foolish, Jesus is teaching us the true wisdom that this world does not understand.  Although this life is weak, it is strong.  This is a paradox.  The symbol of Christianity is a lamb, not a lion.  We could have used a strong symbol like a lion.  But the symbol of Christianity is a lamb.  Another example is: an eagle soaring through the air is so graceful and strong, but instead of that, the symbol of Christianity is a dove.  So it is very weak.  The lamb and dove are very weak.  This is telling us that there is strength inside weakness.

God Revealed in Christ  How is God revealed by Jesus Christ?  God revealed himself through Jesus Christ by the way he lowered and emptied himself.  Jesus being crucified on the cross is not strong, that is very weak.  But in that weakness, a very amazing strength is brought out.  What is the strength?  That strength is love.  It is not outward strength, but the strength of love.  We sometimes want to be rich and strong.  But if we truly want to be strong, we must first be poor and weak.  This is opposite, but through this, a new and amazing world of peace will open up.

Peace through Christ  When we try to become weak, so many people could laugh at us, Satan could laugh at us, but when we have this kind of heart then we could find true peace inside of us.  There is something in Christ when we find him inside our hearts, we begin to feel peaceful inside.  These words seem so unfamiliar to this world that desires and longs for power and strength.  But these words teach us to have peace in our hearts.  So in those places where all people try to live by the Word of God, there is peace.  The Word of Jesus Christ is the Gospel, in that place, there is true peace, there is no fighting.  We tend to fight when we try to win.  But in those places where everyone tries to lower themselves, there is peace.  So I wish that we will be able to get rid of the arrogance inside of us and have the humble heart of Christ.

Become Poor in Spirit  In the days of Jesus, all the arrogant people weren’t able to meet Jesus.  Instead, the poor people, the sinners, because they at least had troubled hearts, they were able to meet Jesus.  In this message of the Sermon on the Mount, everything sounds like a paradox.  But I wish that these words would not be unfamiliar, but be familiar to us.  The first teachings were about modesty and humility.  So all the other messages afterward were connected to this message.  So I wish that you would become the poor people of the Kingdom of God.

[Ge 12:1-3]
1. The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.
2. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.
3. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse, and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

Who is Abraham?  We call him the ancestor of faith.  Our ancestor.  Why do we have to study Abraham?  We are walking the path of faith.  Walking the path, we have to see ourselves as an ancestor.  The first path that Abraham walked was leaving behind and going away.

[Ge 12:1] The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.

He left and set off.  What did he give up?  What did he leave and set off from?  Here, it says your country, people, and father’s household.  What is the most important thing to you that can’t throw away?  This is something very difficult for you to leave.  You left something difficult to leave, then how can he be great.  But he is great because he left something that is hard for us to leave.

Leaving your country is so hard.  Leaving behind your parents is so hard.  The land and family is the most important thing, right?  God tells Abraham to leave these.  Abraham’s dad was one who sold idols.  God really hates those who obeys and worships idols.  But Abraham’s dad actually sold them.  He made other people worship them.  That is why God is telling him to leave.

What we can see in this is that just because our parents are bad, it doesn’t mean we cannot become an ancestor of Abraham.  Don’t ever be disappointed in thinking why do I have parents like this.  Even if parents are bad, if we have faith, then God uses us.  Never say, “Why am I born to these kinds of parents?”

Abraham was the one who won with faith.  He overcame with faith.  This is a paradox.  The son of the worst dad became so great.  It is opposite.  It is very easy for a bad child from bad parents.  It is easy for a good child to come from a family with a good dad.  Generally, bad ones come from bad dad.  But if a good man comes from a bad dad, then it is really absolutely great.  He is saying, “I am not going to live like that.”  Unlike their parents, they confirm they are not going to live that way.  They know and they say, “oh if I live that way, then my children will suffer.”  If a child comes out of this, they will be really great one.

For example, it is easy for a bad student to come out from a bad leader because they are similar.  It is very easy for it to be like that.  If a good person comes from a bad leader, then it is really great.  They think, I won’t be like that leader or else others will suffer.  They are really looking at own identity to be different.

How was Abraham?  He did not lose his own identity in the house of father.  My dad shouldn’t be like that.  My household shouldn’t be like that.  We should worship God, but he is selling idols.  We really should not be like that.  He didn’t become like that.

Starting from me, I will change the evil from me and I will become an ancestor of those who believes God.  From me, just because your blood relation is bad, don’t be disappointed.  We don’t have to complain.  The important thing is that you can start.  You can do well.  We have to do well and God will call us.  He will use us.  With faith, he became an ancestor.  Because he had faith, God called.

[Heb 11:8] By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.

With faith, he obeyed and went.  Because he went, he was called.  Because he had faith, he became an ancestor.  In that way, he obeyed when God called.  It says here he did not know where he was going.  But he went because God told him.  This is faith.  In the path of faith, we don’t know where we are going.  Just believe and go.  God will lead the path. Even though I do not know, God will always guide in the path.  When we believe this, we can go.

[Ge 12:1] The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.

It says to go to the land I will show him.  It says He will show later, and not show right now.  It is saying first just leave. Leaving is the first thing and then God will show.  God does not show him then tell him to leave.  This is very hard.  It is only possible with faith.  The path of faith is different than the world.

God does not schedule everything.  God doesn’t schedule that if you work this amount, I give you this amount.  But the world is like this.  If you go to business, they say if you work this many years or hours, I give you this.  This is not the path of faith.  God just tells you to go.  If you go, He will give according to your faith.  If you walk in faith, He can all of a sudden put in high place.  According to faith, He leads us.

What does He demand from an ancestor of faith?  Faith.  To us who are walking the path of faith, God demands faith.  What God wants is faith.

As it says here, He first gives them a promise.  It is a great promise.  What did God give us?  God gives us the promise.  Look at the promise in the walk.

[Ge 12:2] I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.

It says you will be the origin of blessings.  The one who is faithful gives these kinds of blessing.  It means the one who is blessed, gives these blessings.  This is saying that God gave Abraham the blessings so that he could spread them.  What kind of a great blessing is this?  Who is the origin of blessings?  It is God.  It is supposed to be God and we are giving the blessing of God.  But God told Abraham that He will give Abraham the blessings.  Now you give the blessings.  This is Abraham.  God gave him a promise.  A great promise, he held onto this and went.

Although you are alone now, through you, I will make a great nation.  Although you are a mustard seed, just believe.  I will make you into a great nation like stars and sea.  You will form a great nation and be numerous.  You will become an ancestor of that many nations.

Absolutely believe in this province so that you can walk the path of faith.  It is always hard.  You think it is only me.  But God says through you I will make you into a great nation.  You will be the origin of blessings.  You have to look at the promise God gave us, and believe that absolutely and God will open all the paths for us.  God says I will bless those that bless you, and curse those that curse you.

Who are we?  This is a very precious place.  There is something we should look at.  Why did God make Abraham leave his nation?  Why is God telling him to leave his family?  There is a meaning.  When we are walking the path of faith, we are not supposed to be enclosed within the physical, blood-related family.  We have to go beyond this family.  Heaven is the world that overcame.  It is a world that is formed by overcoming blood-related family.  It is the immense spiritual family.

If we think that only our blood-related family is important, we cannot form a spiritual family.  We cannot make heaven if we place our family to a high place.  We must go on, and form heaven when we love all people like our family.  Therefore we must leave blood-related family.  We can receive even more brothers and sisters.  We can receive even more spiritual family. This was demanded to Jesus’ disciples as well.  The ancestor of New Testament, the disciples of Jesus who were ancestors, walked like this.

[Mt 4:18-22]
18. As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.
19. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”
20. At once they left their nets and followed him.
21. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them,
22. and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

This was the calling of the first four disciples.  Peter and Andrew, what did they leave behind?  They left behind their nets.  They are fishermen.  Life of fisherman is nets.  They live and eat through this way.  If not, then they will starve.  Therefore, what is precious in their life?  It was their net and they left it because they met Jesus.

For example, in today’s terms, it is like quitting your job.  People say, are you going to starve yourself.  This situation is like one where you say, “It’s not very important.”

What did James and John leave?  They left their boat and father.  This is also very important too.  The life of a fisherman is their boat.  They also left father.  After leaving those behind, they followed Jesus.  They did not follow their father but followed Jesus.  If they had followed their father, they would still be fishermen.  But they left all these and followed Jesus.

Why does God keep telling us to throw away?  The reason is to give us something greater.  What is greater?  Just because you are holding on to something tiny, God can’t give something big, so He says leave it.  I will give something greater, but then I hold it.

In Africa, this is how they catch monkeys.  They put a banana in a bottle.  The monkeys go for the banana.  But the hole is only small enough to put a hand in.  They grab it, and they don’t let go.  Then the hunter comes, and they still don’t let go.  If they left it behind, they could run.  But they don’t let go and get captured.  This is the image of us.  If we just let it go, it will be OK, but we don’t let go.  Doing that, we just lose what is greater.  We lose the greater life.

To those whom God loves, God tells them to let things go.  God is telling us to let those small things go because I want to give greater, so let them go.  Have you ever heard of President Kennedy?  When he was younger, he was very smart.  He went to a market and a shop.  The owner said oh you’re so cute, grab a handful of peanuts.  But then the boy just smiled and looked at her.  Then the owner grabbed a handful and gave it.  After they came out, Kennedy was very happy.  Then mom said, “If you’re going to eat it, why didn’t you grab it.”  Then Kennedy said, “The owner’s hand is bigger than my hand.”  The reason why God is telling us to let go of the small things is to give us greater.  Of course, God’s hand is greater.

Peter and Andrew left the nets to catch fish with.  God gave them a net that will catch people.  James and John left their boat.  God let them enter a boat of salvation, an ark of salvation.  Although they left their blood-related father, they received a heavenly father.  We must meet our father God and we must receive it first so we can save our blood-related.

When they left those things, how did they leave? They left at once, immediately it says in verse 22.  This is why they are so great.  They did not think about it.  They received with faith.  They did not analyze.  They are not people of knowledge, but by nature they were absolute.  They are so innocent.  Because they were innocent, they were able to see God.  It is when we are very innocent that we can meet Jesus.

Therefore when Jesus told them to leave the road, they left at once.  This is how they were able to be first 4 disciples.  They became disciples because there was this greatness.  They were innocent.  That’s what made them be immediate and great.  We want to become ones like this.  The faith is with this heart.  This is precise.  This is what is right.  People who analyze with knowledge, they are not able to meet Jesus.  They met Jesus with their hearts.  Faith can only be done with the heart.  Voice of our heart is right.  We must obey that.  That is why they left at once.  They were the people of faith.

[Mt 5:37] Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

Say yes when yes, and say no when no.  These people were prudent to the voice from their heart.  They were prudent and frank.  We can meet Jesus with our hearts.  If you are prudent, then our hearts are prudent and we can say yes.  Jews said this to Jesus, you are not right.  We listen to your word and it is right, but you are not right.  Jesus said to say yes to yes and no to no.

[Mt 7:17] Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.

Jesus’ word is right and Jesus right.  Why is Jesus wrong?  They said Jesus’ teaching right, but Jesus wrong.  Say yes to yes and no to no.  That is the evil in you.  The disciples of Jesus said yes to yes.  This is faith.  Although to us, we cannot see anything in the future, can’t see anything right now, we are the ones who can say yes to yes and walk this path of faith.

The ancestor of faith did this.  Then you become ones with innocent heart and walk the path of faith.  Abraham won in this part.  Jesus’ first 4 disciples won in the first path.  This is the first part in the path of faith.  This is leaving after being determined.  It’s not just thinking.  A person of faith has action, is putting things into action.  I hope that you gain victory in this path of faith.