Hello everyone, as the Incheon and Daegu Bible Crusades are going on, and as we’re having the Seoul Bible Crusade in the Jamsil Indoor Gymnasium and the Gangnam Church Seminar, we always look like we have a lot of weaknesses and lackings, but it’s so beautiful that God is working inside of us. More than anything else, I don’t know how thankful it is for people who were tied to sin receive the forgiveness of sins and receive salvation and become happy people. Yesterday evening, I met one lady and she had gone to church for a long time, but when she came this time, she received the forgiveness of sins. And when they showed their heart of happiness, even though they had difficulties and hardships, it was so happy to see people change and become new. Just like the Samaritan woman who changed, and the little maid in Captain Naaman’s house who changed, I’m so thankful that the Lord is giving us happiness and change in our lives. So you don’t know how thankful it is for us to be able to speak about God and praise the God who’s working for us, every time we have this cyber fellowship or this kind of meeting.
Exodus 14:29. But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. If we look at the Bible, the Israelites were leaving Egypt, and now they were headed to Canaan, but the very first thing that blocked them was the Red Sea. But now, even though they were the same people, they were passing through the Red Sea, and when the people of Israel passed through, the water became a wall to them on their right and their left, and they weren’t drowning in it. But when the Egyptians tried to enter in, all the water of the sea swept them away, and all the Egyptians died and drowned. We are discovering that spectacle inside of the Bible.
But how could the Israelite people cross the sea like it was dry ground? It wasn’t that they walked really fast, or that they were good at swimming, or they were smart or wise. I don’t think that’s it. We see they just walked on the sea like it was dry ground. And the Egyptians tried to follow them, but when the Israelites passed through, it was a wall to them and they didn’t sink, but when the Egyptians entered in, the sea turned back to the way it was before, and all of the Egyptians sank in the water. That’s what the Bible is telling us.
When I was in the army, I was trained in the training academy for 16 weeks, and the rest of my army life ended there. What’s always thankful when I think about it is when I had to do the night watch in the barracks. I’d always say “I’ll take the last night watch.” So that’s why from 4 to 6 in the morning light, I was about to read one or two hours of the Bible as I stood watch. But when we went to the training room, we had one hour of free time as they were preparing the training, so I was able to pray for one hour in the room. I was together with God and passed my army life. There were so many officers, and their ranks were higher than mine. Starting with the head commander, the drill instructor, the officers, the company commander, the battalion commander, and the barracks leader, and above us were barracks staff sergeant, and the sergeant. But I could strongly feel that my life was totally different from theirs. When pain came to them, they fell into pain, and when they were difficult, they fell into difficulties. Their situation was so much better than mine, and because I was a trainee in the communications training school, I was in the most difficult position, but it wasn’t difficult for me. As I preached the gospel, people received salvation, and every Saturday, when the juniors would come in, I’d do a count, and when it was Sunday, we’d gather and have a service. After the service, we’d have individual counselling. For three years in the communications training school, I never once went out or slept out. On Saturdays and Sundays, I was always busy. But the difficulties or sadness or pain they experienced just came and went with me, but they were sick of their army life and it was so painful, even though their environment was so much better than mine. That’s what I could feel. While I was living inside of God, it wasn’t that it was comfortable and secure on the outside. Sometimes, I too would go through difficulties and hard things and things that were too much for me, and I met those problems, but the truly peaceful thing was those difficulties didn’t come into my heart. And, actually, the smell of it came close, but I wasn’t tainted by it, and when I think about how grace was everywhere, I’m so thankful I can’t express it all in words. The people of Israel were the same as the people of Egypt. The reason they could enter into the sea when they did was God was with them. There was no God in the Egyptian people, just the desires of their flesh and their cravings. That’s what they were full of. Now, it wasn’t that they were well off or smart that the sea water became a wall to them when they crossed the sea. It was because they were the people of God, and God was with them, so God has to protect his people, and God couldn’t help but to make the water a wall to them. On the other side, because the Egyptians were defying God and following after their desires, they passed through the same waters, but in the hearts of the Israelites, there was God, but in the hearts of the Egyptians, it was full of the world. Sometimes, the brothers and sisters who are imprisoned by something, they only believe that their sins are forgiven, but their heart has to be full of Jesus, and they have to listen to the voice of Jesus from his heart and from his word, and everything has to be through Jesus, but they’re full of desires and pleasures and lusts from the world. There are saved brothers and sisters like these. But now, as time passes and when I see them, just like they’ve fallen into the chaotic sea, they’ve fallen into the waves of the world and floundering and tossed around. And I when I see that, I can’t tell you all in words how pitiful that is. On that day, it looks like so many Christians are enjoying the world and its pleasures and they’re rich in things, but the love and grace that Jesus gave them are so big, and because their hearts are full of the desires and lusts of the world, it’s uncomfortable. Because you can’t have desires and serve Jesus, there are people who serve Jesus in their hearts. They were the same people who went inside the water of the ocean, but when the Israelites went in, the ocean became a wall to them, and they could truly walk on dry ground. They were the same people who entered into the ocean, but when the Egyptians went in, the ocean wasn’t a wall to them, and it flowed back to the way it was, and we can see that the curse and destruction that killed so many people came to them. Everyone, it’s not just the ocean, but many storms of life that come in our lives, the troubles and trials and fear comes, but while I’m with Jesus, and while he’s walking with me, Jesus becomes a wall to me and he repels everything away. And when I think of that, I’m so thankful I can’t tell you everything in words. While we’re preaching the gospel, there are those who believe the gospel and there are those who take it the wrong way, and there are those who don’t get it, and there are those who attack us, and who oppose it, too. Those things come to us and give us pain and fear and sadness, but the loving Lord lives in my heart. And truly, if the Lord hadn’t been with me before, my heart would have fallen into materialistic things because of the desires and such pleasures. I would’ve been caught up in those things, but I’m so thankful that he fished me out of there and didn’t let me be swept away. And I wasn’t tied down to money, I’m so thankful to God who led me to live like that.
When I think about it, the God who saved the Israelites from the Red Sea saved me from misfortunes, and from fear, and from oppositions. He protected me and I’m so thankful for his providence. Today, if the brothers and sisters who are born again truly serve the precious Jesus in their hearts, when they pass through the ocean, the ocean would become a wall to them. But some people, even though they received salvation, their hearts aren’t filled with Jesus, but with things and pleasures and such things. That’s why the ocean doesn’t become a wall to them, and they really fall into difficulties and depression and wander. They come back to church and complain. I meet those kinds of people from time to time. IN the beginning, even when we flowed to the sins of the world, and loved the flesh, and even though we flowed to the flesh, it looked like it would be okay. But as it fills our hearts little by little, it comes the time when we can’t tell if we’re Israelites or Egyptians. Just like that, there are times when we can’t tell if we’re people who follow God or people who follow the world. Those people say, “you know, I can’t really help it with my flesh, it’s just a little flesh.” It looks like it’ll be okay if you just allow the flesh a little bit, but when the big wave is rushing down, you go under and you can only be swept away. So if Jesus is in our hearts, then truly, the fire won’t hurt us, the water won’t harm us, and even if difficulties or hardships come, they can’t take us over and they leave. The woman who was caught in adultery was together with Jesus, and while she was filled with Jesus, even though there were so many stones, they couldn’t fly through the air and hit her, and they fell. Just like that, while we’re with Jesus, he becomes a wall to us so that the many disasters, many fears, and many worries can’t come to us. Jesus becomes that wall, but people don’t have eyes to see that. In the middle of the heart where Jesus has to be, in the center, it’s filled with desires and pleasures, and a little “these days, it’ll be okay” and then, these days I want to do more, and so as it goes on and on, they become like the Egyptians and, in the end, they give up spiritual life and fall down. I see many people like that. When the Israelites passed through the Red Sea, the Egyptians drowned, but the Israelites walked on dry ground. The water became a wall to them. In the Israelite people, there was God, and that God was big and amazing and precious. And I can only talk about that God. Thank you.
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