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하나님이 우리에게 메마른 광야를 허락하신 이유ㅣ아크크루 월요 정기예배ㅣ유하정 대표 — Transcript

by ArkCrew 아크크루 · 10,957 words · 1,599 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

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0:00The Lord said to Abram, "Go from your
0:02country, your people and your
0:04father’s household to the land I will
0:06show you." I will make you into a great
0:11nation, and I will bless you.
0:16I will bless those who bless you, and
0:18whoever curses you I will curse; and
0:21all peoples on earth will be blessed
0:24through you. So Abram went, as the Lord
0:28had told him; and Lot went with him.
0:31Abram was seventy-five years old.
0:35He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot,
0:37all the possessions they had
0:39accumulated and the people they had
0:42acquired in Harran, and they set out
0:44for the land of Canaan.
0:46Abram traveled through the land. The
0:50Canaanites were in the land at that
0:53time. The Lord appeared to Abram and
0:56said, "To your offspring I will give
0:59this land." So he built an altar there
1:03to the Lord. From there he moved on.
1:11Then he went on.
1:15He continued toward the Negev. There
1:19was a famine in the land, so Abram went
1:22down to Egypt. Amen. Everyone, this is
1:28the story of Abraham and Sarah. Since
1:31it's before the naming, I should
1:33technically call them Abram and Sarai,
1:35but that might be confusing. So I will
1:37just call them Abraham and Sarah as we
1:39are all familiar with. When traveling,
1:41which countries do you think are the
1:44hardest to visit? Places like Somalia
1:47with civil war, active conflicts, or
1:49dangerous regions. Some of you might
1:51even think of India. But while Somalia
1:54is restricted, you can still travel to
1:56India. We can easily think of many
1:58travel destinations that have issues
2:01with hygiene or other dangers. Even
2:03when visiting a mission field for the
2:04first time. Or traveling to a country
2:06for the first time. We have Korean
2:08reviews for everything on Google Maps.
2:12We can see which restaurants are good
2:14or where to stay because fellow Koreans
2:17have left reviews. But in Abraham’s
2:20time, around 2000 B.C., things were
2:23different. Traveling back then was
2:26incredibly difficult. It wasn't about
2:28the romance of travel. It was just
2:29about survival. For starters, most
2:31paths didn't even have proper roads.
2:34And you had to find water and food
2:36along the way. It wasn't like Korea
2:38today where there’s a convenience
2:41store on every corner. Securing water
2:43and food during the journey must have
2:45been a serious challenge. Finding
2:46lodging was also very difficult. There
2:49were regions with no law and order at
2:51all. There were many bandits and
2:53robbers, and travelers were exposed to
2:56the risk of disease in every city.
2:59City-states and nations often demanded
3:02tolls or taxes for passing through.
3:06Sometimes the fee was reasonable, but
3:08often they would demand absurd amounts
3:10of money. They even had to traverse
3:13through harsh wilderness and mountains.
3:16So, the journey itself is extremely
3:18difficult, and he's not young either.
3:21He is 75 years old. They say people
3:24lived longer back then, but he
3:26certainly wasn't in his prime. And he
3:29didn't go alone; he took his family,
3:31servants, and livestock, so they had to
3:34move slowly. If it were us, though.
3:37We’d want to map out the route, check
3:40exactly where to get water, and where
3:42to find pasture for the animals. But
3:45that wasn't an option for him. God asks
3:47Abraham to leave three things: his
3:50country, his kindred, and his father's
3:53house. They all sound similar, and one
3:57might think saying "leave your father's
4:00house" or "leave your country and kin"
4:02would suffice, but God specifically
4:05mentions all three. What was the
4:08difference between these three? It
4:10feels like it’s narrowing down; the
4:13first is his country. It’s the land.
4:16It represents his identity and culture.
4:19We know well where Abraham was born,
4:21but what kind of place was Ur of the
4:23Chaldeans? According to reviews from
4:27people visiting Ur, they say there is
4:29an "Abraham’s house site." Is it
4:31truly Abraham’s house site? Probably
4:34not. Since Abraham is the most famous
4:38person from Ur, they likely labeled a
4:41house as his to attract tourists and
4:45pilgrims. It’s said to be a two-story
4:49house for tourists to visit. It has
4:51several rooms and even drainage systems
4:54. So, it was a very comfortable place
4:56with advanced civilization at the time.
4:58Ur was. And by looking at artifacts
5:01excavated from Ur, we can understand
5:03the era and its level of civilization.
5:06They say golden ornaments, helmets,
5:08cups, and all sorts of jewels were
5:11found. Elaborate sculptures and such.
5:13And another unique thing. There are
5:16cylindrical seals; they carved patterns
5:19on these small cylinders to use them as
5:21stamps. Over 400 were excavated, and
5:25they were used to sign contracts or
5:27mark ownership. Experts analyze that it
5:31was a commercial city with very active
5:34trade and contracts. And another thing.
5:37Lapis lazuli from Afghanistan was found
5:40there. They expect international trade
5:42was also very active. It wasn't a
5:43society where moving was easy like
5:45today. Even now. International
5:47immigration or relocation. It's no
5:49small feat. But back then, it was much
5:51more intense because it wasn't an
5:53individualistic society like today. It
5:56wasn't a social structure like today,
5:59where an individual can unilaterally
6:01decide to migrate to the US, Canada,
6:04Australia, or any other country, move
6:07there with capital, and make a living
6:09on their own. Because it was a
6:13collective and communal society, it was
6:16difficult for individuals to solve
6:18economic problems alone; it was an era
6:20where you had to have land, a hometown,
6:23and family assets to survive. But he
6:26was told to leave that hometown. And to
6:28leave his relatives. This is about
6:31relationships. And furthermore. Beyond
6:33relationships, there was no national
6:35judicial system like we have now. Since
6:38there was no concept of police, living
6:40as a kin group was a social safety net
6:42where everyone protected each other. He
6:45was told to leave that behind. And his
6:46father's house. At that time. It was
6:50far more important whose son you were
6:52than who you were yourself. Being from
6:55a certain family and being someone's
6:57son was the social name that defined
6:59you, but he was told to leave his own
7:01identity. So, if you think about the
7:05hometown, relatives, and father's house
7:07that Abraham had to leave, it wasn't
7:09just moving from one countryside to
7:11another; he was asked to leave behind
7:13his sense of belonging, the order of
7:15civilization, the benefits and
7:17protection it provided, economic
7:19opportunities, and all the safety nets
7:21for his future, to begin a nomadic life
7:23and go to an unknown place. At that
7:27time, these three things. Must have
7:29been everything to Abraham. They were
7:32the entirety of his life's background
7:34and all the security that supported him
7:36. Everyone, it would have been common
7:39sense in that era that survival was
7:41impossible without a hometown,
7:42relatives, and a father's house. Why
7:45would He call him in such a dangerous
7:46way? Why did he have to leave
7:48everything behind and depart so
7:50abruptly? You see, the Mesopotamian
7:53civilization. Where Ur of the Chaldeans
7:55was, was a polytheistic society. They
7:59worshiped celestial bodies like the
8:01moon, sun, and Venus, believing gods
8:04resided in them, and they worshiped the
8:07gods of both Ur of the Chaldeans and
8:10Haran, where they settled midway. The
8:14most famous thing about Mesopotamian
8:15civilization is the ziggurat. You know,
8:17those stepped temples among the
8:19ziggurats. The most famous and largest
8:22one is in Ur. Called the Great Ziggurat
8:24. It is a massive temple that served
8:26the moon god. It is recorded that
8:29Abraham's father also served other gods
8:31. In the Book of Joshua. So, the
8:33ancient world was a religious society.
8:34So, if farming went well, it was
8:36because the god of fertility presided
8:38over it. Even the weather. Was
8:39influenced by the storm god. Even war.
8:42Was conducted by the god of war. It was
8:44a war of the gods. The gods fought
8:45among themselves. Every city had a
8:47guardian deity. The king. Acted as the
8:49representative of the gods. Economy,
8:52religion, society, everything. It was a
8:56system that was impossible without
8:58religion. Not only did the entire
9:01nation and civilization revolve around
9:04gods and religion, but on a microscopic
9:06, individual level, it was almost
9:08impossible to separate life from
9:10religion. Birth, marriage, and all
9:13major life decisions must have been
9:15made in connection with religion. When
9:17we live in Korean society, we don't
9:18really feel it. We barely notice it.
9:20However. When you visit countries where
9:23over 99%of the population practices a
9:25single religion, such as Islamic, Hindu
9:27, or Lamaist regions, you can see it.
9:29We can take a closer look at how
9:31significantly religion determines their
9:33lives. For example, when I met Tibetan
9:36children, I often visited their
9:38dormitories; I went into their rooms,
9:40sat in on their classes, and looked
9:41through their textbooks with them. From
9:44the first grade of elementary school,
9:46the content of every textbook is based
9:47on the Lamaist Buddhist worldview.
9:50Buddhist parables, the Dalai Lama, the
9:52Buddhist worldview—all the examples
9:54in their lessons, all the education,
9:57and even their meals are related to
9:59that. If you don't recite the Buddhist
10:02scriptures, they don't give you food.
10:03Since they are in a boarding school,
10:04there are no other options. So, when
10:06you go to such a religious society, you
10:09see a person growing and maturing
10:11within that religious worldview. So,
10:14would it have been possible for Abraham
10:18to serve Jehovah God and keep his faith
10:21while staying in Ur or Haran, which
10:25were intensely religious-centered
10:28societies? In a society where the
10:31system functions based on religion, it
10:33would have been extremely difficult to
10:35hold a new faith on top of that social
10:37system. Even if he himself could hold
10:40such faith, building a community based
10:42on that faith would have been a very
10:44difficult task. You might think it was
10:48an advanced civilization because so
10:51much gold was found in the royal tombs,
10:53but that incredible wealth was buried
10:56alongside the king when he died. They
11:00say they've found traces showing that
11:02servants, soldiers, musicians, and
11:04other related people were all buried
11:06alive at that time. So, Ur had great
11:09prosperity, but that prosperity was
11:11built upon cruel religious customs.
11:15Leaving Ur—leaving his country, his
11:18kindred, and his father's house—was
11:21not just about being safe or unsafe, or
11:24being radical or not; Abraham was
11:26called to leave behind all the social
11:29stability, structures, and identities
11:32built upon the root of idolatry. When
11:35we read this passage, we sometimes
11:38think it’s a bit problematic to apply
11:40it to us in the modern day. Why does He
11:43tell us to leave everything? Why does
11:44He tell us to abandon everything? We
11:45tend to focus on the abandoning. We are
11:48. Actually, we care more about what we
11:51lose. We worry about letting things go
11:53and what we leave behind. However.
11:56Prosperity without God existed in Ur,
11:58didn't it? Do you know what the end of
12:00Ur was like? It collapsed due to
12:02external invasions. Though it rose
12:06again, eventually, the Euphrates River,
12:11which made Ur prosper, changed its
12:16course. As the river moved away, people
12:19could no longer live there, and it
12:21became an abandoned city. That Ur now
12:23remains as a mound of dirt in the
12:25middle of the Iraqi desert. Prosperity
12:28—prosperity without God. It all fades
12:30away when its source, the water,
12:32disappears. But Abraham, though he left
12:35, what did he gain? He gained something
12:38immense. He gained God Himself. In that
12:42land filled with idol worship, it
12:44wasn't Abraham who sought God on his
12:46own. God found Abraham, chose him, and
12:50called him. Consider the glory of his
12:53life. Despite the small and large
12:55weaknesses and failures in his life,
12:57look at how many people call Abraham
12:59their forefather today. How many are
13:01there? Islam, too. Judaism, too.
13:04Christianity, all call Abraham their
13:06forefather. So. Over half of the
13:08world's population calls Abraham their
13:11ancestor. The beginning of Abraham's
13:13faith. Started with leaving. It didn't
13:18start with worship or some other
13:20encounter, but with leaving when God's
13:23voice came to him. It is a faith that
13:27begins by leaving behind prosperity
13:30without God, abundance without God, and
13:32security without God. We think, what is
13:35wrong with security? Is all culture bad
13:38? Is all civilization bad? There are
13:41good things too. Can't we meet God
13:43while within the security of this
13:46civilization and culture? Why must we
13:49leave it all? Is it impossible to enjoy
13:52both God and the world while in this
13:54world? There are examples in the Bible
13:58as well. Think of Daniel in the
13:59Babylonian Empire. Didn't he enjoy many
14:02good things as a high official in the
14:05heart of that empire? Think of Joseph
14:08in the Egyptian palace. We are. We
14:11don't want a life like Abraham's,
14:13leaving the empire for some unknown
14:15place in the desert; we want to be like
14:18Daniel. We want to be like Joseph,
14:21serving as a high official in the
14:22Egyptian palace. There was Esther in
14:24the Persian Empire, too. We think of
14:27what a good life it was, enjoying
14:29wealth and prosperity as a queen. They
14:32certainly influenced the heart of their
14:34empires and shared much grace, didn't
14:37they? But. They all risked their lives.
14:40Daniel, too. He went into the lion's
14:42den and came out. When he entered the
14:44lion's den. Did he go in expecting to
14:46come out alive? He went in risking his
14:48life. Joseph, too. Years in prison, not
14:50knowing when it would end. We know the
14:52conclusion. We know the ending. But he
14:55had to spend those days not knowing if
14:58his prison life would ever end. Esther,
15:01too. She risked her life, prepared to
15:02die. "If I perish, I perish." We know
15:05she didn't die. But she really risked
15:07her life back then. They were in the
15:09heart of imperial stability. But they
15:12didn't stand on the stability of the
15:14empire. Whether you are in the heart of
15:18an empire, in the heart of a
15:19civilization, or out in the land you
15:21were called to, your life must be
15:23rooted in God. Amen. You have to risk
15:27your life when you leave. And you have
15:29to risk your life when you stay. How do
15:31you do that? You ask what God's plan is
15:34. God, is it Your plan for me to leave?
15:37Or is it Your plan for me to stay here
15:39and risk my life? God's plan for
15:41Abraham was clear. It was to make him a
15:44great nation. God had to. He had to
15:46call Abraham out. He had a massive plan
15:49to make all nations blessed through him
15:52. So he set out with that plan, not
15:55knowing everything or being shown
15:57everything, but going to the land He
15:59would show him. It is future tense. It
16:01is in the imperfect form. Meaning, He
16:03will show you; you will see it once you
16:05get there, so just leave. Why would He
16:08send him without showing him?
16:09Frustrating, isn't it? How could
16:12Abraham have seen the land of Canaan
16:15while in Haran? Today, you can look up
16:18locations on the internet via
16:21satellites. But back then, there was no
16:23such thing. Would he have known if He
16:24had just given him the name of the
16:26region? "Abraham, this is the city and
16:28region you are going to." If He gave
16:30him a course, how would Abraham know it
16:32? Geographic information was extremely
16:34limited at the time. It's not like you
16:36could spin a globe like today. What if
16:38He explained the region? "Abraham, you
16:40are going to stay exactly here." What
16:42would Abraham have done? Once he heard
16:44the name, he would have looked for
16:46someone who had been there. We probably
16:48would have done the same. "Is there
16:50anyone who has been there?" We would
16:51track someone down and ask what it's
16:54like. "Is it okay to live there?""How
16:56do they make a living?""What kind of
16:58people live there?" He could have
16:59listened to that person. But if he had
17:01left based on that advice. Would that
17:03be leaving based on faith in God? Did
17:04you leave just by trusting that
17:06person's word? You left by trusting
17:08their word. Or what if you had gone on
17:10a reconnaissance trip first? You went
17:12and saw it. You saw it and thought, "Oh
17:13, this is okay." Since you have to
17:14stake your life on it, you could go and
17:16check it out. You went and saw it. "Oh,
17:17it’s fine.""Yes, let’s go back, I
17:19think we can go together." If you had
17:20done that. Is this walking by faith in
17:22God? Or is it walking by faith in what
17:24I saw? It is walking by faith in what I
17:26saw. Everyone, God. He wants us to walk
17:29by trusting only in Him, not in people,
17:32information, or that land. Amen. He
17:34wanted Abraham to walk by trusting in
17:36the word of God. Sometimes God doesn't
17:39give us much information about our
17:40lives. We pray all the time, saying, "
17:43Lord, I’m desperate, what will happen
17:44to my life?""What should I do about
17:46this issue, my job, my life, my
17:47marriage?" When we pray earnestly. The
17:49Lord speaks. "I love you.""No, not that
17:53, I mean, should I meet this person,
17:55should we break up, should I get
17:56married? Should I move to this area,
17:59change jobs? We are so curious about so
18:02much information regarding our future,
18:04but when we pray to God, when we pray
18:07earnestly, we do hear a voice." What
18:09kind of voice? "I know you." These are
18:12the kinds of voices we hear. Why
18:14doesn't He tell us? Everyone, God. He
18:17desperately wants us to walk by
18:18trusting Him day by day, not by
18:20trusting information, people, or what
18:23we see. God’s most earnest desire for
18:26our lives is total dependence. "Without
18:30God, I cannot live even a single day."
18:32We come to see that God is very pleased
18:34with that state. It’s around July
18:372026 now, so we have 5 or 6 months left
18:40. About 5 months. What kind of plans do
18:43you have for this year? Can you carry
18:45out those plans without God? We set up
18:473-month or 6-month life plans. Even if
18:50not 6 or 10 years, we think, "I should
18:52spend my time like this in the short
18:54term." We. We can live 3 to 6 months
18:58without God. Instead, it should be, "
19:00God, I truly cannot live today without
19:02You.""I am afraid of tomorrow, I
19:05don’t know how to live tomorrow, so I
19:07need You tomorrow as well." God
19:08desperately desires this kind of faith.
19:11That is why Abraham follows His word.
19:15Everyone, I once went to a gathering of
19:17ministers, a conference from a group I
19:19used to work with, and I received much
19:22grace. But while praying earnestly and
19:24meeting God intensely, suddenly the
19:26back of the person in front of me kept
19:28bothering me. And then, looking at the
19:30back of that person’s head, the Lord
19:31spoke to me. "Give them 300,000 won."
19:33But at the time, my monthly living
19:34expenses were 300,000 won. An alarm
19:36popped up that the money had been
19:37deposited into my account. I saw it,
19:38looked at the back of the person in
19:40front of me, and the Lord told me to
19:41give it to them. But you know that
19:43voice is very clear, right? Don't you?
19:45But I said to the Lord. Lord, I was a
19:47student back then. This is my living
19:49money for the month. I have to live on
19:51this for a month. I need to eat while
19:53going to school. And I need to meet
19:55friends and have a cup of coffee while
19:56I'm at school. How am I supposed to
19:59live for a month? That’s what I asked
20:00the Lord. But the voice in my heart
20:02from the Lord was, "You entrust Me with
20:04your soul, but you can't entrust Me
20:05with a month?" He gave me that feeling.
20:09Everyone, you have entrusted your soul
20:11to Jesus, right? You will go to heaven
20:13when you die. Have you received eternal
20:16life through the precious blood of
20:17Jesus Christ? We entrust our souls to
20:20Him. But we can’t entrust Him with a
20:22month. We can’t entrust Him with
20:24tomorrow. As for me. When the Lord
20:26asked, "Why can you entrust your soul,
20:27but not a month?" I heard that voice.
20:29And I cried a lot. Ah, it was like I
20:33was a person who could entrust 100
20:35million, but not 10,000. So I realized,
20:39this is how far my faith goes. So I
20:41just gave it away. The 300,000 won.
20:44When I gave it to the staff member,
20:45they said they were 300,000 won behind
20:47on their phone bill. It was the exact
20:49amount. But that staff member probably
20:51didn't know that it was my monthly
20:52living expenses at the time. Because I
20:54acted cool, as if I had plenty of money
20:56. I just coolly gave it away because
20:58the Lord moved me, and then I was
20:59crying, wondering how I was going to
21:00live for the month. But I ate well and
21:04lived well. I had 100,000 won in my
21:05wallet to live on for the week, and the
21:07Lord said while we were praying, "Give
21:08it to your friend next to you." Lord,
21:10how am I supposed to live? "Can't you
21:12trust Me?" And when I had a little left
21:13in my wallet, He’d say, "Give it away
21:14again." God is constantly training us
21:17to entrust the small sense of security
21:20that protects our lives and our
21:22tomorrows to Him. Look at verse 4. It
21:24says, "So Abram went, as the Lord had
21:27told him, and Lot went with him. Abram
21:29was 75 years old when he set out from
21:31Haran." Look. What did Abraham follow?
21:35He followed the word of the Lord. He
21:37didn't follow what he saw, he didn't
21:39follow people; he followed the word of
21:41the Lord. But Lot goes with him. Lot
21:44goes with him. Why did Lot go with him?
21:48Did Abraham take him as an alternative
21:49since he had no children? Lot’s
21:52father had already passed away. He must
21:54have received his father's inheritance.
21:56So he was a head of a household with
21:58his own wealth, livestock, and servants
22:01. He had his own property. But at the
22:04same time, since his nephew had no
22:05father, he was part of his uncle's
22:07family, and in a social structure where
22:10the extended family lived together, he
22:12could have left. But above all, Lot
22:14wouldn't have been an elementary school
22:16student. It must have been a somewhat
22:18voluntary choice. However, the Bible
22:20says precisely that Abraham followed
22:22the word of the Lord. But Lot followed
22:26Abraham. You know, on the same journey,
22:30some follow God's promise. They follow
22:32His word. But some people follow others
22:34. Normally, it's hard to tell the
22:36difference. It seems like they're both
22:37going along just fine. But at a
22:39critical moment, what that person was
22:41following is revealed. Abraham, he went
22:44. He went step by step by faith.
22:47Leaving his native land, relatives, and
22:50father's house, he abandoned his
22:52stability and identity, followed God's
22:54word, and arrived in the promised land.
22:57He built an altar there and worshiped.
22:59He continued to live there, worshiping
23:01God. You see, then. If God said, "I
23:04will make you into a great nation," you
23:06would expect that promise to become
23:09reality. Ah, I've finally arrived. I
23:10came this far through faith, day by day
23:11, with difficulty. But as he waits for
23:14that promise to become reality, it just
23:17doesn't happen. If you look at verse 10
23:19. It says, "there was a famine in the
23:21land." This verse is quite perplexing
23:25to us. We do, too. We think if we
23:27commit to a mission, God will send us
23:29supporters, and if we dedicate
23:31ourselves, He will immediately open
23:33doors and solve everything, but the
23:35scenario we expect doesn't always
23:37appear right away. Perplexingly, even
23:39after following the journey of faith,
23:42Abraham encounters a famine. We are
23:44baffled because we basically have such
23:46thoughts inside us. If I follow God,
23:48God will bless me. Since I received a
23:51promise, it’s not baseless—God said
23:53, "I will make you a great nation.""I
23:54will make you prosper." Since we came
23:56believing in God's promise, we think it
23:59will be fulfilled quickly, so how
24:01should we interpret this situation of
24:03encountering a famine? And it's not
24:05even a moderate famine. The famine was
24:08severe. This, you see. In the original
24:10language, it means very bad. I am
24:12following the word, I am living as a
24:15worshiper, and I am living a life of
24:17worship, so why does famine come into
24:20my life? Why must my parents be sick,
24:23why do problems arise in our family,
24:25and why are my career, job, or
24:27financial issues not being solved? We
24:30need an interpretation of this famine.
24:32Otherwise. It's difficult to follow
24:35God's word. Ah, if there's a famine
24:36whether I follow or not, I might as
24:38well not follow. Why did this happen?
24:40If you look at this event. We are well
24:42aware of Abraham’s actions afterward.
24:44First, he goes down to Egypt. He goes
24:47to sojourn in Egypt. They say that in
24:49those days, when the famine was severe,
24:50people in Canaan went to Egypt. It was
24:53a common practice. So, Abraham did the
24:54same. While in the land of Canaan,
24:56because of the famine, he went to Egypt
24:57. But in that process, he does not ask
25:00God. He simply follows common worldly
25:04sense. But as he is going down. What
25:06kind of fear overcomes him? Because
25:08Sarah is so beautiful, he fears she
25:10will be taken and he will be killed, so
25:12he lies and says she is his sister. "
25:15It’s unavoidable to protect our
25:16community." But behind that excuse,
25:18what is ultimately revealed in this
25:21incident with Sarah is that Abraham
25:23wanted to protect himself. He sold
25:25Sarah as a selfish measure for
25:27self-preservation. God rebukes Pharaoh,
25:31and he returns Sarah. What might
25:34Abraham have learned through this event
25:36? What might Abraham have been thinking
25:39as he handed Sarah over to Pharaoh? And
25:43upon getting her back, he returns with
25:46many sheep, servants, male and female
25:49donkeys, and camels in exchange. Oh, he
25:52gave quite a generous return. I guess
25:54it's true that a full granary makes for
25:56a generous heart. Did he get all this
25:59just to use his wife as an investment?
26:02Was this like winning the lottery?
26:04Would Abraham have been happy receiving
26:06all that? Would he have been joyful? If
26:08she were a wife he could easily cast
26:10aside, would he have embarked on this
26:11journey with her from the beginning?
26:14Everyone, how wretched and miserable
26:15must he have felt while bringing her
26:17back? Could he have even looked Sarah
26:19in the face properly? Everyone, this is
26:22how the world works. Through this
26:24famine, it is revealed that Abraham had
26:27human schemes that he thought were
26:29right. And in a situation where it
26:32seemed all was lost, he experiences God
26:34intervening dramatically. We see that
26:37through this first famine, Abraham was
26:40able to experience his own human
26:42limitations and the intervention of God
26:45. Everyone, no matter how diligently
26:47you read the Bible. "You won't
26:49encounter famine when following God's
26:51leading.""There will be no suffering."
26:54I don't think such a promise exists.
26:56The problem is. We end up believing
26:58things that God has not promised. We
27:00should believe the Word and the Bible,
27:03but we have a God we expect and a God
27:05we imagine instead. "If I devote myself
27:07, I will have everything without
27:08lacking anything." Of course, there is
27:10the promise to seek His kingdom and His
27:11righteousness first, and all these
27:12things will be added to you. But beyond
27:14that, when major and minor difficulties
27:16come into our lives in general, we are
27:18bewildered and ask, "God, why? I’ve
27:20been attending church so faithfully."
27:22Why did I devote myself so much? Why
27:23did I trust so deeply? Why do these
27:25hardships come? We find ourselves
27:26asking such questions. Everyone,
27:28famines come into our lives. This
27:29famine was a time of lessons for
27:31Abraham. It was an amazing time to
27:34learn of his own limits and God’s
27:36greatness. Famine provides us...with an
27:39incredible standard for life. I would
27:41like us to read a bit more from the
27:44text, Genesis 13: 8-15. Genesis 13:
27:498-15. Let’s take turns reading it,
27:52brothers and sisters. Genesis 13: 8-15,
27:55if the sisters could start us off,
27:58please. Begin. And Abram said unto Lot,
28:01Let there be no strife, I pray thee,
28:02between me and thee. And between my
28:05herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be
28:07brethren. Is not the whole land before
28:11thee? separate thyself, I pray thee,
28:13from me: if thou wilt take the left
28:15hand, then I will go to the right. And
28:18Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all
28:24the plain of Jordan, that it was well
28:27watered every where, before the Lord
28:30destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as
28:33the garden of the Lord, like the land
28:36of Egypt.
28:39So Lot chose him all the plain of
28:42Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and
28:45they separated themselves the one from
28:48the other. Abram dwelled in the land of
28:51Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities
28:51of the plain, and pitched his tent
28:51toward Sodom.
28:53And the Lord said unto Abram, Lift up
28:55now thine eyes, and look from the place
28:57where thou art northward, and southward
28:59, and eastward, and westward: For all
29:02the land which thou seest, to thee will
29:04I give it, and to thy seed for ever.
29:08Amen. He is returning from Egypt with
29:10all his possessions. As he returns,
29:12because there is so much, it’s not
29:14easy for Lot’s herdsmen, Abraham’s
29:17herdsmen, and the original Canaanite
29:19herdsmen to get along. Too much wealth
29:21actually causes conflict and problems.
29:24They must have fought because water was
29:26scarce. Pastures could be moved, but
29:28without water, the animals couldn't
29:30survive. To stop the fighting, Abraham
29:33and Lot start to negotiate, and Abraham
29:36gives the choice to Lot first. But back
29:39then, there was a social order, you
29:41know. There was seniority and decorum.
29:44He was the elder and the head of the
29:45family, so Abraham should have taken
29:47the choice, but he hands it over to Lot
29:49. Then Lot should have received it and
29:53said, "No, no.""Uncle, you decide first
29:56." Isn't that how it should have gone?
29:57But instead of that, when told to
29:59decide, he says, "Yes.""Understood.""
30:00I’m going this way," and decides
30:02immediately. There’s no "beautiful
30:04concession of faith" here. Right?
30:05Because the Bible isn't a morality
30:07textbook. Everyone, about Lot...Why did
30:09he decide first instead of conceding to
30:11Abraham? If you look at Lot’s
30:14decision, Verse 10 says, "And Lot
30:15lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the
30:17plain of Jordan, that it was well
30:19watered every where, before the Lord
30:20destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as
30:22the garden of the Lord, like the land
30:24of Egypt." So, when Lot lifted his eyes
30:27, he saw a region where water was
30:29plentiful everywhere. The Jordan region
30:31. Before Sodom and Gomorrah were
30:33destroyed, it was like the garden of
30:35the Lord, like the land of Egypt. But
30:36Lot had never actually seen the garden
30:38of the Lord. He seems to be referring
30:40to the Garden of Eden. It was a
30:41paradise he had only heard about
30:42through rumors. But he had seen Egypt.
30:45With the Nile River and plenty of water
30:47. A terrible, severe drought. Because
30:50of this drought, they all went to Egypt
30:52together, didn't they? Though Abraham
30:55suffered greatly and his heart was
30:57heavy giving up his wife, this journey
30:59to Egypt and the experience of the
31:01famine couldn't have been easy for Lot
31:03either. He seems to have suffered too
31:06much. So, in Lot's mind, if it's the
31:08garden of the Lord, there must be
31:10plenty of water. So, because there was
31:12plenty of water, he thought it was like
31:13the garden of the Lord. That's why he
31:15didn't yield to his uncle first, but
31:17decided and chose the land for himself.
31:20Lot’s standard was that there should
31:21be plenty of water. It was like the
31:23land of Egypt. He chose and headed for
31:25a place with a good safety net to
31:27preserve and maintain his possessions.
31:29So, the standard for Lot's decision was
31:31abundance. He had been following a
31:33person, after all. Earlier, Abraham
31:35followed the word of the Lord, while
31:38Lot followed Abraham; so, at the moment
31:40of separation from that person, what
31:43that person was clinging to is fully
31:45revealed. Lot chooses the stability of
31:49his own life. This doesn't show during
31:51times of peace. But when you face a
31:53crisis, you see it. You are forced to
31:55face what you are truly following. It
31:57becomes clear. We said famine is a
31:59lesson. Through the famine, Abraham
32:02learned his own limitations and God's
32:05work. But Lot, it seems, learned
32:07nothing at all. Even when people go
32:09through the same hardships. Some people
32:11learn. There are those who receive
32:13lessons from God in the midst of the
32:15same difficulties. But some people only
32:17learn how to avoid difficulties. And it
32:19seems Lot was the latter. So, chasing
32:22after places with plenty of water like
32:24this, he eventually enters Sodom and
32:26Gomorrah. And the tragedy we know
32:29begins. Everyone, words related to
32:31homosexuality like "sodomite" and "
32:34sodomy" all came from Sodom. It was a
32:37city teeming with lust and moral
32:39corruption. It was the archetype of sin
32:41. It was a city that was wicked before
32:43the Lord. When God was about to judge
32:45the city, Abraham pleaded with Him.
32:47Sodom is the city that perished because
32:49there weren't even ten righteous people
32:51, bargaining down from 50, 45, 40, 30.
32:53But God, hearing Abraham's desperate
32:55plea, sends two angels to save Lot and
32:58his family. But Lot was a righteous man
33:00. He had a righteous heart. So, he
33:04unknowingly welcomed the two angels and
33:06served them a meal at his home, but
33:09when the people heard there were two
33:11strangers, men young and old, from near
33:14and far, they gathered to have
33:16relations with these two new men. As
33:20many of you know, the word "relations"
33:23in this context refers to having sexual
33:26intercourse. So, it was a situation
33:29where men were rushing toward other men
33:31to commit gang sexual assault. Lot,
33:34wanting to protect his guests at any
33:36cost, says, "I have two daughters who
33:37have not known any man." Is this
33:39something a father should say? While
33:41one might think so, Lot himself, is
33:43shown to have a very conflicted inner
33:45state, and it seems he was desperate to
33:47stop it by any means necessary. It’s
33:50like saying, "You’ll have to go
33:51through me first." He didn't mean they
33:52should actually do it, but that they
33:53shouldn't proceed. As he tried to
33:56oppose them and they began to break
33:58down the door, the two angels pulled
34:00Lot inside and struck the people
34:02outside with blindness. The people
34:05outside had been trying to enter Lot's
34:07door, but then suddenly, they all
34:09became blind. Normally, a normal
34:11reaction would be to say, "I'm blind, I
34:13can't see," and then disperse. But
34:15these people, in their blinded state,
34:18started fumbling around trying to find
34:20the door. I mean, they couldn't see,
34:23which isn't normal. They have no
34:25awareness that they are blind. I
34:27believe this perfectly illustrates how
34:30sin functions. Sin, makes people blind.
34:35And it makes them unaware that they are
34:36blind. They don't even know they are
34:38blind. This is the influence and the
34:41hotbed of sin. When people are blinded
34:44by sin and unaware of it, human desire
34:46keeps striving to pursue that sin until
34:48it becomes pathetic. But you see, for
34:51Sodom, the sin of homosexuality was not
34:53the root of the problem. That sin
34:55existed, but other parts of the Bible
34:57later mention the sins of Sodom. It
34:59says that Sodom was prideful. In
35:01Ezekiel. And it says that although they
35:04had plenty of food and lived in peace,
35:07they did not help the poor and the
35:10needy with their abundance. In Isaiah
35:12and Jeremiah, too. They say that Sodom
35:14was unjust, deceitful, and oppressive.
35:17So, it was a city in a total state of
35:19disaster. It was certainly prosperous.
35:21They had plenty of food. Because there
35:23was so much water, farming thrived,
35:25livestock grew well, and it was a city
35:27of abundance. Yet, the end of
35:29prosperity without God is pride,
35:32complacency, and the pursuit of
35:34indulgence, chasing constant
35:36stimulation to the point of only
35:38committing sins—that is the image of
35:41Sodom. But we said Lot was a righteous
35:44man. 2 Peter clearly states that God
35:48rescued righteous Lot, who was
35:50distressed by the filthy conduct of the
35:52lawless. Living in Abraham’s tent,
35:56Lot must have learned to believe in and
35:58revere God from him. So, there was a
36:00righteous heart within him. That is why
36:02he received the two men and tried to
36:04protect them at all costs. However, as
36:06a righteous man, there was nothing Lot
36:08could do other than sit at the city
36:10gate and suffer. The two angels tell
36:12him to flee to the mountains; what kind
36:14of place is the mountain? It has no
36:16city walls. Leave this city of Sodom
36:18and flee to the mountains. Go to a
36:19place where you can live by relying
36:21solely on God’s protection. Yet, even
36:23in the midst of this, Lot says he is
36:25afraid. When he should have obeyed the
36:29word immediately and left, he says he
36:32needs a small city like Zoar to save
36:35his life, claiming the mountain is too
36:38dangerous. Even in a situation where
36:41his life was hanging by a thread.
36:43Instead of trusting in God, he had his
36:45own safety net, thinking he needed at
36:47least this much to survive. He had his
36:49own criteria for the kind of fence he
36:51needed for protection. But once he
36:53entered Zoar, sulfur began to pour down
36:55upon Sodom. Fire rained down. Lot’s
36:57wife is famous for this. I think she
36:59looked back because she was just so
37:00curious. And she turned into a pillar
37:02of salt. Since I was young, I thought
37:04this was too cruel. I am quite curious
37:06myself, so I can't really stand not
37:07knowing things. That’s why I search
37:09for things online all the time. And I
37:10constantly ask "why" whenever anything
37:12happens. I have so many questions that
37:14I feel like I would have looked back
37:16too. Then my life would have become a
37:17pillar of salt. Then what? I would have
37:20looked back too, so why punish her just
37:21for failing to overcome curiosity? It
37:23is not about that; it goes deeper. It
37:25wasn’t just a simple look out of
37:26curiosity. There are several versions
37:27of the word "look" in the Bible. It is
37:29not just seeing; what this woman did
37:31when she looked back is different. It
37:34means to look intently, to gaze, to
37:36contemplate. Lot’s wife was hesitant
37:39even in that critical moment. She was
37:42wavering. We often think. That sin
37:44pulls us that strongly. But that is not
37:47the case. Lot’s wife herself
37:49hesitated, wavered, and made the choice
37:52. In Luke chapter 17. Jesus mentions
37:54Lot’s wife while illustrating the day
37:56of the Son of Man. If you are in that
37:58house to get your belongings that day,
38:00do not go back down to retrieve them.
38:03It says that anyone in the field should
38:04likewise not turn back. He tells us to
38:07remember Lot's wife. It means that deep
38:10inside this woman, there was something
38:12in Sodom that she clung to and was
38:15captivated by. She was afraid, so she
38:18said she would go to Zoar, but she
38:19eventually ends up in the mountains.
38:21Why did she eventually go to the
38:22mountains? "Zoar" means "little" or "
38:24small." There were five small cities
38:26next to Sodom. It was one of them. You
38:28know, cities in the metropolitan area
38:30are all influenced by Seoul. They are
38:32all similar. When something is trendy
38:34in Seoul, it spreads to the surrounding
38:36areas immediately. All the popular
38:38things from the hot places in Seoul
38:40start spreading to the surrounding
38:42cities right away. Sodom was the most
38:45powerful hotbed of sin and a city, but
38:47do you think its influence was
38:48contained only within Sodom? It
38:50probably wasn't. It must have spread
38:52all around. Since Sodom's powerful sins
38:55had spread to all those small cities,
38:57Lot likely saw the same things in Zoar,
39:00which made him afraid or perhaps
39:02rejected, leading him to move to the
39:04mountains. But when God first told them
39:07to go to the mountains, it was meant
39:08for them to leave the city of sin and
39:10go to a place of God's protection. That
39:12was the original meaning, but now he
39:13just goes to the mountains out of fear.
39:15And he ends up going into a cave in the
39:17mountains. Lot, he didn't seem to
39:19realize the true nature of sin. Does
39:21sin disappear just because you cut
39:22yourself off from the world? If you
39:24hide away in a deep mountain, does that
39:25mean you won't be affected by sin?
39:27That's not the case. Do you stop
39:28sinning if you disconnect from the
39:29world? No. Sin doesn't disappear just
39:31by separating your physical space. Even
39:33while inside that cave, his two
39:35daughters, who had fully absorbed
39:38Sodom's values and influence, got their
39:40father drunk and bore children by him.
39:44They must have gone back and forth to
39:45the city to get food. That's how they
39:46managed to get the alcohol, too. They
39:48made their father drink, slept with him
39:49, and gave birth to Moab and Ammon,
39:51respectively. What do you think Lot
39:53thought when he saw his daughters '
39:55bellies growing? How did Lot handle
39:57this tragedy? How could he? Oh, it is
39:59truly miserable. And the Bible remains
40:01silent about what happened after that.
40:03Then Moab became an enemy of God's
40:04kingdom and a nation that acted as a
40:06thorn in the side of Israel, and as for
40:08Ammon, it became a nation that
40:10constantly harassed surrounding
40:11countries and offered children as human
40:13sacrifices. Yet, they clearly started
40:15out together in the beginning. Abraham
40:16and Lot had the same starting point.
40:20But why did such a decisive difference
40:21in their lives emerge? Why did their
40:23choices end up being so different? Why
40:25did Lot fall so far? What caused him to
40:29gradually move toward Sodom? What kept
40:32him from leaving even amidst the
40:34rampant sins of Sodom? It says clearly
40:37that he was tormented by it. Then he
40:39could have just packed his bags and
40:40left. He wasn't born in Sodom, after
40:43all. He just drifted into Sodom, so if
40:45he truly couldn't stand it, he could
40:47have moved to another city. Wouldn't
40:50Abraham have taken him back? If Lot had
40:53gone back and said, "Uncle, I really
40:55can't live in Sodom anymore.""I really
40:58can't do this anymore.""Can I just come
40:59live with you and your household?" do
41:01you think Abraham would have turned him
41:03away? When war broke out in Sodom, Lot
41:06was taken captive. At that moment,
41:08Abraham took 318 trained men from his
41:10household, risked his life in battle,
41:13and saved them all. He loved Lot. You
41:17see, it wasn't that Lot couldn't leave
41:18Sodom, it's that he didn't want to.
41:20Even though he was miserable, he chose
41:21not to leave. It’s not as if sin
41:24dragged him in and shackled his feet to
41:28Sodom. What kept him there was Sodom's
41:30prosperity. Two angels went to Sodom in
41:34the evening, and Lot was sitting at the
41:36city gate. Why would he be sitting at
41:38the gate? In the ancient Near East,
41:41sitting at the city gate carried
41:43significant meaning. The gate was the
41:45center of city life. It was the public
41:47square where elders and leaders
41:49gathered to discuss and hold meetings.
41:51Lot was sitting at the gate. Not just
41:53anyone could sit there. Lot had risen
41:55into the Sodomite establishment. He had
41:57climbed into a position of leadership.
41:58That is why he could sit at the gate.
42:00People tend to rationalize things even
42:03when they feel that something is going
42:05wrong. Because they’ve invested so
42:10much time and energy, they fall into
42:13the sunk cost fallacy and can't pull
42:16themselves out. They say humans feel
42:20losses much more intensely than gains
42:22of the same size. He had been settled
42:26in Sodom for quite some time and had
42:28gained influence. He had poured so much
42:30of his time and energy into that place.
42:32He was distressed, but he was in a
42:34situation where he chose not to make a
42:35different choice. We do the same. We
42:37fall into the sunk cost fallacy quite
42:39often. The safety zone I’ve built
42:41without God. "I worked so hard to get
42:44into this company,""I struggled so much
42:47to save this money,""I tried so hard to
42:49get this job,""I spent so much energy
42:52to build this relationship or to marry
42:54this person." To make a different
42:57choice now—it feels impossible. Lot
43:00always chooses what seems to be more
43:02secure. They built up a sense of
43:04security and abundance for themselves
43:06without God. To Lot, the immediate safe
43:10zone was a place with plenty of water
43:13to protect him when famine struck.
43:16Abraham's life takes a desperate,
43:18radical turn; many of you have heard of
43:21the "one-degree rule." They start at
43:23the same point, but if the angle shifts
43:25by just one degree, after 60km, they
43:27are 1km apart. Look at Genesis 13:10,
43:30everyone. It says, "Lot looked up and
43:32saw the whole plain of the Jordan." Lot
43:36lifted his eyes and looked exactly
43:38where he wanted to look. The whole land
43:41up to Zoar was well-watered. A place
43:43good for keeping his possessions, like
43:45Egypt—but look at verse 14. Abraham
43:47didn't lift his eyes on his own; God
43:50told him, "Lift up your eyes and look."
43:54Though the expression "lift up your
43:56eyes" is the same, Lot looked where he
43:59wanted, while Abraham looked where God
44:03told him to. Both lifted their eyes,
44:05but they were very different kinds of
44:07gazes. Why did God tell Abraham to lift
44:09up his eyes and look north, south, east
44:11, and west? Was it just to admire the
44:13scenery? To see how beautiful it was?
44:16Visualization is incredibly important
44:17for people, you know. God simply saying
44:19"I'll give you everything" is different
44:21from actually making him look in every
44:23direction while saying it; the impact
44:25on one's memory and acceptance is
44:27different. How was Abraham able to give
44:29up his right to choose? To Lot. Didn't
44:32he know that if Lot chose the good land
44:34, he would be stuck with the bad? You
44:37see, through the famine and these times
44:39, Abraham is confessing his faith that
44:41the quality of the land doesn't
44:43determine his future. And in reality,
44:46the land of Canaan and the land of
44:47Egypt are quite different. Egypt, you
44:49see. Had an artificial irrigation
44:51system where humans dug canals and
44:53managed the water. In Deuteronomy, it
44:55explains the difference between the
44:57land of Egypt and the land of Canaan.
44:59The land of Egypt. "Where you planted
45:01your seed and irrigated it by foot as
45:03in a vegetable garden." There's an
45:05expression like that. In other words, a
45:06system built by humans to manage
45:08flooding and water supply. Egypt had
45:11that. It was a land with plenty of
45:13water. It was a land that managed water
45:14well. But Canaan, on the other hand. Is
45:16different from Egypt in terms of soil.
45:18The ground has many holes, so the rain
45:19from heaven doesn't pool there. It just
45:22drains straight down. Water doesn't
45:24settle, and Canaan is a land where you
45:26can only farm if the early and latter
45:28rains fall at the right time. But if
45:30the early and latter rains fall just
45:32right, it becomes a land of milk and
45:34honey, a land of great abundance. But
45:37God did not lead the people of Israel,
45:39nor Abraham, to the land of Egypt, but
45:41to the land of Canaan. In other words,
45:43He didn't lead them to a land where
45:45they could store up water and survive
45:47on their own without God, but to a land
45:49that cannot be sustained without God—
45:50a land where you cannot live without
45:52Him. However, God called Abraham to a
45:54land where, if you hold on to God, you
45:57can live. You see, we want to build our
45:59own sense of security. We long for a
46:02land like Egypt, where we have a
46:03relational system that allows us to get
46:05by to some extent without God. But
46:08here’s the thing. God is the One who
46:10always faithfully provides us with the
46:13grace we need. Will you be a righteous
46:15man like Lot, suffering in this sinful
46:18world? Or will you be a person through
46:20whom blessings flow to all nations
46:22because of your faith? Do you look for
46:24what you yourself want to be blessed
46:26with? Or do you look at what God wants
46:28you to see? That will completely change
46:31the course of our lives. Do you choose
46:34what is good based on your own values
46:37and thoughts? Or do you make decisions
46:40based on God’s values and thoughts,
46:42even if they don't look good to you? I
46:45sincerely hope that our choices and our
46:47standards follow those of God. Amen.
46:50Instead of following people or
46:52circumstances, where is God’s Word
46:54telling you to depart from? Do you want
46:57to build a life of social security
46:58where you are fine even without God,
47:00and live comfortably within that? Or do
47:03you want to live a life where, even if
47:04there is no sense of security,
47:05everything is fine as long as God is
47:07with you? We are standing before that
47:10choice. You know, there are bestsellers
47:12in the world. There are books that sell
47:14well. When you look at the books that
47:16many people read, what kind of content
47:18is in them? You see, one book said
47:20something like this. "A ship is safest
47:22when it is anchored in the harbor, but
47:24that is not the purpose of a ship." And
47:28this, mind you, isn't from the Bible or
47:31a Christian book; it's from a
47:33bestseller that has nothing to do with
47:36the church. And in another book, it
47:39says: "Live a life where you choose the
47:42path you believe is right.""Struggle
47:45against your human nature—against
47:47sloth and laziness—and constantly
47:49strive to become a better being.""In a
47:51world where everyone looks in the same
47:53direction, thinking differently
47:55requires courage." Even in the books
47:59people read most in the world, they say
48:02: "Choose the path you think is right."
48:05"Do not go the way the world tells you
48:06to go." That is what they are saying.
48:08And another book says: Materialism,
48:10consumerism, and instant, meaningless
48:12gratification become stumbling blocks
48:15in our lives. We end up living with
48:17numbed senses, falling prey to
48:19temptation. If we live by society's
48:21expectations or standards of success,
48:24we will never be free. It might be
48:26comfortable to choose the easy path
48:28where you don't have to take risks. Do
48:31not waste your talent chasing false
48:33idols, money, social status, or the
48:35approval of others. I actually took
48:38these lines straight from some generic
48:40bestseller marketing copy. These aren't
48:43even religious books. Even secular ones
48:45. Everyone, even the world's
48:46bestselling authors. They tell you not
48:49to focus on achieving external success
48:51like possessions, status, or money, to
48:53let go of obsession with what you can't
48:55control, and to overcome the limits
48:56you've created yourself. And many young
48:58people in the world are challenged by
49:00these messages and make resolutions and
49:02decisions based on them. Everyone,
49:05following God's calling, you see.
49:08Following the calling like Abraham’s
49:11doesn’t mean leaving home and seeking
49:13enlightenment like Buddha. I mean,
49:16Buddha was born a prince. Enjoying all
49:19kinds of abundance, he saw the birth,
49:21sickness, and death outside the city
49:22gates, left home, searched for the
49:24cause of suffering, and sought to cut
49:26off attachments and reach enlightenment
49:28. For us, emptying and discarding
49:31everything is not the purpose of our
49:32life's calling. It is about following
49:34God's promise. Take Missionary Thomas,
49:37for instance. He arrived in Joseon in
49:411866. The railway opened in England in
49:451830. By the 1860s, he was already
49:49living in the post-Industrial
49:50Revolution era. In a city where trains
49:53connected cities and civilization
49:55flourished, Missionary Thomas went to
49:57China as a missionary. But while in
50:00China, he lost his beloved wife, who
50:02was pregnant, and his child, and then
50:04heard the news that there were no
50:06Christians in the land of Joseon. He
50:09crossed over to the west coast, learned
50:11Korean for about three months, and
50:13secretly distributed Bibles. But at
50:15that time, the isolationist policy had
50:17already begun, so people risked
50:19beheading to receive the Bibles, yet
50:21they still took them. So, after seeing
50:25the possibility of Korean, or Joseon,
50:27missions on the west coast for about
50:29three months, he returned to China and
50:32agonized over how to enter the
50:33isolationist country of Joseon. He
50:36boarded the General Sherman. As an
50:38interpreter. Hearing they were looking
50:40for an interpreter, he said, "I can
50:42speak Korean," and managed to get on
50:43board. He boarded carrying stacks of
50:45Chinese Bibles. And when the ship was
50:47attacked and burning, you'd think he'd
50:50grab his most precious belongings to
50:52escape. What did he grab? He grabbed
50:55the Bibles as he disembarked. And then.
50:57He tried to give it to the soldier Park
50:59Chun-gwon, who was about to kill him,
51:00but he wouldn't take it. While he was
51:03handing out Bibles to people, he was
51:05beheaded and killed. He is considered
51:07to be the first martyr in our country.
51:08However, Park Chun-gwon felt uneasy and
51:10kept thinking about it on his way home,
51:12so he returned, picked up the Bible,
51:14read it, and came to believe in Jesus.
51:16His family also came to believe in
51:17Jesus. A 12-year-old boy named Choi
51:19Chi-rang, who witnessed Thomas's
51:21martyrdom, received three Bibles from
51:22Thomas but was afraid, so he gave them
51:24to Park Young-sik. Park Young-sik used
51:26them as wallpaper because the paper was
51:28so good, and the house with that
51:30wallpaper became the first Neoldari
51:31Church in Pyongyang. Surely, Thomas
51:33could not have imagined that the Bibles
51:35he handed out would fill Joseon with
51:37churches and lead to such a great
51:38revival. Everyone, when we go out to
51:40the mission field and to the nations to
51:42hand out Bibles or share a single word
51:44of the Gospel, we do not know what God
51:46will do through that. Everyone, God is
51:48asking us to depart even in this
51:51present age. Everyone, depart from the
51:53false sense of security that is not God
51:55.
51:56I shared this in my sermon last week,
51:59and I spent the whole week thinking a
52:02lot about it. The story was about
52:05surveying college students on whether
52:07money is a condition for happiness. We
52:10surveyed two groups: Christian college
52:12students who believe this and
52:14non-Christian college students who
52:16don't. Those who were here last week
52:18would have heard it. The non-believers,
52:22the non-Christians. That money is an
52:24essential condition for happiness. That
52:25you are happy if you have money. 93%of
52:26them agreed with this. 93%. I wondered,
52:32"Why only 93%?" In this capitalist
52:36society, why not 100%? What about the
52:38remaining 7%? I thought, "Wow, that 7%
52:41is impressive, and only 93%agreed?" But
52:45you know, for the Christians, the
52:46Christian college students, what was
52:48the percentage? 92%. It is not
52:51different. We do. We have the
52:55conviction and faith that we are safe,
52:57peaceful, and happy only when we have
52:59wealth and have accumulated it well.
53:02The world is constantly planting those
53:04messages within us. Everyone, how much
53:07have we invested in that sense of
53:08security? Aren't we constantly pouring
53:13our lives into building a sense of
53:15security without God—a tomorrow
53:16that's fine without God, six months, a
53:18year, ten years, twenty years, and even
53:21beyond our retirement—accumulating
53:22enough things so that we don't need God
53:25to intervene in our lives? Everyone, I
53:28hope we can confess that we do not want
53:30a life of abundance without God. We
53:32want to learn God's perspective. I
53:35believe we must see what God wants us
53:37to see. We hope this time will be an
53:40opportunity to be adjusted before the
53:41Lord if there is any skewed perspective
53:43or heart. Everyone, as we pray at this
53:45time, I hope we can make a resolve.
53:47Lord, I have entrusted my soul to You,
53:50my eternal future and my place in
53:52heaven, yet I am so afraid to entrust
53:55You with my tomorrow. I fear that if I
54:02leave this comfort and security, if I
54:04leave this land of the Chaldeans, my
54:06home, my relatives, and my father's
54:08house, my identity will disappear, no
54:11one will protect me, and I will be
54:13dragged into a future I do not want. I
54:16have a fear that if I surrender my life
54:18to You, nothing will be guaranteed for
54:21me. But Lord, please let me realize
54:24that this is a lie of the world. Please
54:27let me realize in my own life how
54:29faithful and good You are, the One to
54:32whom I have entrusted my soul. I hope
54:35we can offer such resolve and hope as
54:38we pray together at this time. As we
54:41pray together, Lord, grant me the faith
54:44to entrust my tomorrow to You. Grant me
54:47the courage to entrust my month, my six
54:49months, and my whole life to You. God,
54:52I want to take one step after another
54:54in faith. We want to move forward in
54:57faith to God like that. I want to take
55:00even just one step on the journey of
55:01faith You have granted today. If there
55:03are those who want to make this resolve
55:05, I invite you to rise from your seats.
55:13God, where am I standing right now?
55:17What is my foot resting on? God, are
55:21you thinking that you cannot take a
55:24single step away from the security you
55:26built without Him, that it is too
55:29terrifying to entrust your future to
55:31Him, and that if you go the way He
55:34called you, you will encounter bandits,
55:37be robbed of everything, and be left
55:39with nothing but regret? Are you saying
55:44that this money in your hand is more
55:46important than the God who created the
55:48heavens and the earth, more important
55:50than the God who created light with
55:52just a single word? We say we have
55:56entrusted our eternal future to Him,
55:58but why can we not entrust Him with
56:00today and tomorrow? O Lord, have mercy
56:03on us for our lack of faith. Have mercy
56:06on us, as we are unable to take even
56:08one step toward the call to leave for
56:10His sake today. Even though You have
56:15already given us the calling to be a
56:17blessing to all nations, and the hope
56:20that all nations will be blessed
56:23through us, I am still searching for a
56:26land like Egypt today to quench my own
56:29thirst, rather than the Garden of the
56:31Lord where His living waters should be.
56:37God, isn't the place where there is
56:38abundance, where there is water for my
56:40life, the Kingdom of God? Lord, please
56:44open our eyes so that we may truly see
56:46what we are looking at. Lord, help us
56:49truly lift our eyes to look upon You,
56:52the Creator of heaven and earth, rather
56:55than the worldly abundance and the
56:57safety nets we have relied on until now
57:00. Help us to look upon Jesus Christ who
57:04died for us. May everyone who decides
57:09to look at what God wants them to see
57:12this day raise their hands in faith. As
57:18we pray "Lord" three times, I place
57:20this journey into Your hands, O God.
57:24You alone are my safety. You alone are
57:28my rock. You alone are my salvation.
57:32Let all of us who believe pray to the
57:36Lord together. Lord! Lord! Lord! Yes.
57:52Is that so? Lord, are You not telling
57:56me to deal with this fear, instead of
57:58relying on the shells and worldly
58:01safety nets I have built? Lord, let us
58:04lift our eyes to see the grace You want
58:08us to see. What lessons are we learning
58:13in the midst of the famine and hardship
58:16I never want to experience again—the
58:19desires for Egypt’s abundance and the
58:22pain of my own thirst? Let us see
58:25clearly the limits of our plans made
58:28without You. Help us realize that a
58:32life without You is not okay, that we
58:36cannot possibly live without You; let
58:39us move from this false world that will
58:43crumble and fade toward Your kingdom,
58:47and as You call us with Your power, may
58:50we be those who see what You see and
58:54follow Your lead. Yes. Lord, help us
58:59remember that You alone are our rock,
59:03our salvation, and our safety, and that
59:07entrusting our lives to You is the
59:11wisest, safest, and most amazing,
59:14glorious calling. Lord, there are false
59:19fears and misguided fears within us.
59:22May our eyes be lifted from these lies
59:26of Satan and this world. We resolve to
59:31let all false fears depart and live
59:34lives truly taken care of by You, God.
59:38Yes. Lord, speak to us and show us
59:41where we must show obedience and where
59:45we must take our steps. Lord, let us
59:49walk these steps in faith; since we
59:52have entrusted our eternal future to
59:55You, help us move forward in the belief
59:58that the God who solved our eternal
1:00:01future is the one who can resolve the
1:00:03future of our lives and the one who can
1:00:07take responsibility for us. Yes, God,
1:00:10be with us; yes, God, pour out upon us;
1:00:13yes, God, may Your amazing blessings
1:00:16and grace be poured out upon us, we
1:00:18confess with faith. Yes, God, may we
1:00:21not stake our lives on Egypt, on the
1:00:24kingdoms of this world that we have
1:00:27envisioned, on the glory of the world,
1:00:31or on the worldly prosperity we desire
1:00:34to enjoy, which disappear like a hollow
1:00:37shell in an instant. God, the God who
1:00:42called Abraham, we believe that You
1:00:44called Abraham for the sake of all
1:00:46nations and peoples at this time. God,
1:00:49we desire to leave our hometown, our
1:00:51kindred, and our father's house. God,
1:00:54we ask that You help us cast away the
1:00:56false securities within us, the lies
1:00:58that made us believe these things would
1:01:01protect our lives. We earnestly pray,
1:01:06Lord, that we may become those who
1:01:09follow only Your word, entrusting our
1:01:12lives to You as we follow. God, we
1:01:16desire to follow Your word. God, we
1:01:19hope that our lives will once again be
1:01:21anchored in Your word. Yes. God, grant
1:01:24us the faith to look toward Your
1:01:26kingdom. God, bless us so that we may
1:01:31see the land You see, reach where Your
1:01:35heart is, and through learning well
1:01:37from You, become those who rely only on
1:01:42You in any situation. Four weeks. God
1:02:28wants to bless us.
1:02:30Amen.
1:02:31I hope we truly believe this.
1:02:34God does not want to ruin us.
1:02:37Amen. Amen.
1:02:38He does not have a plan to toy with our
1:02:41lives.
1:02:42God does not test us like lab rats.
1:02:47God will not test us with our lives or
1:02:49leave our faith as a negative case
1:02:51study. Everyone, I hope we arise as the
1:02:54Lord's youth, like the morning dew,
1:02:56truly believing in the Lord. This.
1:02:58The reason the youth of this era chase
1:03:01money and seek worldly stability is
1:03:03because they lack Jesus Christ. But
1:03:06because we have Jesus Christ, who is
1:03:08responsible for our eternal future, and
1:03:10because that incredible love, which
1:03:13died for our eternal future, is with us
1:03:15. God, we hope to become a generation
1:03:20of faith that can respond to Your call
1:03:23to depart and Your calling. As we pray
1:03:27at this time, God, I hope my life
1:03:29follows the word of the Lord and is
1:03:31recorded as such. God, what am I
1:03:35pursuing right now? God, am I following
1:03:38people? Am I following circumstances?
1:03:40Are you following the words of men?
1:03:43Lord, may I follow the word of the Lord
1:03:45, and may my life follow the word of
1:03:47the Lord, so that my life may be
1:03:49aligned by You, God. I hope that all
1:03:53those who desire to align their lives
1:03:55before the word of the Lord at this
1:03:57time will once again lift their hands.
1:04:00If the Lord asks, I hope that you will
1:04:03kneel. This departure will be the
1:04:05beginning of our true journey of faith.
1:04:08God, we rely on You. We follow the word
1:04:13of God. Let us call upon the Lord and
1:04:16pray together. Lord, Lord, Lord, yes,
1:04:29we follow You, God. God, what are we
1:04:33following? Is it people that we are
1:04:36following? Is it the slogans of the
1:04:39world that we are following? God, are
1:04:41they the values of the world? Are they
1:04:43the messages of the world? God, who is
1:04:46the subject of our lives that we are
1:04:48following? God, I hope that we follow
1:04:52Jesus Christ, that we follow the word
1:04:54of God, and that my life may be defined
1:04:56as a life that follows the word of God.
1:04:59Amen.

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This page contains the full transcript of 하나님이 우리에게 메마른 광야를 허락하신 이유ㅣ아크크루 월요 정기예배ㅣ유하정 대표 by ArkCrew 아크크루, generated from the public captions YouTube serves with the video. The transcript has 10,957 words across 1,599 segments, with the original timestamps preserved so you can click any line to jump to that moment in the embedded player.

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