Joyfully In Faith That Will Not Fail

Joyfully in faith that will not fail. How do we live in faith? How do we attain faith that we do not throw away but rather hold onto and live in joy? Do you think about how you must live in faith? What purpose is it to you to have faith? When you speak of faith, what does it give you? Does it give you hope? Are you desiring something from your faith? What is faith? Does going to church mean you have faith? We say we have faith in one another, like a parent to a child, or children to their parents. Is this the faith that brings you to church? What does it mean to believe God? Do you believe Him by the standards that you have come to know and understand? What brings you here to sing praises and worship God, to say that you believe in Him and desire to end up in heaven? We say that we believe and therefore will go to heaven, but what is faith? Is it faith that the world speaks of or is it faith that God desires? Where is your faith? What do you believe? When you tell a nonbeliever to believe in Jesus they reply that they believe in what they see. They are things that they desire most. If it is money then they believe in money. If it is their family then that is what they believe in. It may be their wisdom from their education they have attained. God does not desire this kind of faith. We think too highly of ourselves and the faith that we think we have. Why do you think highly of yourselves? What makes us think that we can boast to the Lord of ourselves? You may boast about yourselves to those in this world. In today’s time if you are not confident and do not boast about yourself you are looked on as a fool. God is different. We are all servants to God. Paul said in confidence to follow him. Even though he served God in obedience and sacrifice he still considered himself nothing more than a servant. He said he could not stand before God. We, who do not have the faith that Paul had, nor the obedience in service, but we stand proud before God. We think we are great. We tell God that we are good enough. We tell Him that we have done enough, forgiven enough, that we have apologized enough. We ask Him ,“How much more can we do than this?” We ask Him ,”What have we done that is so bad?” This is the condition of our hearts in our walk with God. Pride is the root of our problems, but we cover it up as we approach God. If someone hurts our feelings the slightest bit we hate them and this makes us murderers, but we do not think of ourselves this way. The Bible says that we have committed murder. Where is love? Where is faith? On the outside, we make ourselves presentable to others as a servant of God, a person of faith, as a follower of Christ. We fool people but God is not fooled. Jesus who is our groom is not fooled by us. You can fool your earthly spouse. We cannot fool Him. This is our problem. Because we fool our earthly spouse we think that God is also fooled by us. He is not. This is a problem. What must we do? I heard a testimony today and told God I do not have that much faith. I did not have the heart to come a speak today because how can I who does not have faith come and speak to you and teach you? It is my lack of faith that is keeping you from growing and changing. You are not to blame, I am at fault. I am speaking to myself today. We are too proud. He ninety year old preacher who was passionately preaching as his ministry was coming to an end. You too have seen many testimonies and sermons but what is it that you learn from them? You and I are too proud. We think with our little faith that we are great. We think because we know Jesus we are great. We think because we have been going to church since we were in our mother’s womb that our faith is great. We despise looking at the ones that hurt us. How can God be with us? Where is Jesus in all of this? You say that you believe that the Spirit is always with you and is this what your truly believe and yet live this way? If the Holy Spirit is with us then we cannot behave in this manner. We forget that He is there. We do not think about these things. What do you put your faith in? I have very little faith. I tell God that I do not have the faith that all those who go before me and testify to. There are many doing great things but I am unable to. Why are you so proud? God looks at our faith. Our Lord tells us that He will look at our faith. We refuse to look at this passage. We do not want to look at it. God desires to lead you, but we tell Him where we will go, when we will go and how we will do it. We tell Him to stand behind us. We tell Him to follow. When we have gone forward and we get in trouble then You can lead us out of it. Is this not how you are today? Is God leading the way and are you following Him in obedience? Or are you leading having Jesus follow you, pulling Him and dragging Him to achieve that which you desire? Where do you stand? What are you doing? What are you holding onto? But you say that you have faith? You say you have faith but what kind of faith? The faith to do whatever you want? To get what you want? I have experienced losing everything in one night. When God gently blew, all that I had attained was gone in one instant and all that I had owned had vanished. I was poor, broke and hungry, but because I held onto God, He has provided and brought me here to this day. But still I lack faith. Even when we are well we do not believe. When things go our way we become proud. We think that we are where we are because we are worthy. We think it is our ability that makes us money. We think it is our ability that gives us wisdom. It is not so. We must be satisfied in God alone. When we title the sermon “Being Satisfied in God Alone” nobody watches it. Why? Because you have to give up everything in order to do so. Few watch it. In order to be satisfied in God alone people know that that they must give up the things of this world and rather than watch the sermon and be convicted they see the title and do not watch it. The sermons that our pastor gives on how to live the life of one who is called by God is not watched by many as well. Nobody is listening to the message. Why? Because they do not want to be convicted. By not listening to it they think they can tell God that they never heard the message. Can this be? Really? God is speaking to me, to you and to everyone. There are certain messages that are important that we need to hear. If you are told to listen and you refuse the consequence will be yours. Do you really have faith? What kind of faith? In Psalms 23 we say that though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, but do we really believe that God is with us in these times? It also states that He will use His rod and His staff to guide us. We think that there is no need for the rod and staff. We desire that God would follow us and be with us as we go where we want. When we go through difficult paths we desire that He makes them easy for us. When we fall into a hole we desire that He saves us. When we go down the wrong road we desire that He rights it for us. This is not faith. I am my own master, there is no God in this life. Where is Jesus in this life? Yet we say we believe. When we are happy we sing praises. We sing the lyrics that we like. When we dislike the hymn we do not sing it. When we are unhappy we do not sing the hymn. Who do you sing the praises to? You are singing it to yourself. Me. I sing because I feel good. I sing because today is a good day. Where is the praise and worship that is due to God? When we sing for worship, you sing loudly when you like the hymns. The hymns that you dislike you do not sing loudly. Where is God in that kind of worship? Who do you sing the praises for? For who? Do you worship for yourself? Do you worship to God? If it is a new hymn that you do not know then you it is only normal that you do not sing loud. I am not speaking of this. You sing according to your feelings. If you do not feel good today then you do not sing. Even hymns you enjoy, if you feel bad you do not sing. Yet we say that we worship God. We say we revere Him, we honor Him, and give Him glory. Is God fooled? This is faithless action. We take notice if someone sings the wrong note or makes a mistake in the lyrics. Then should one who is tone deaf never praise God? If God has given you a beautiful voice then sing beautifully. Do not judge others because their voices are not beautiful. Of course we are to sing the hymns properly. If we make mistakes because we are not focused on worship then that is wrong. Even the tone deaf God has created. God accepts the true heart of worship. Those who are gifted in music, sit and criticize others who are not. Worship is not a time to criticize. It is a time to give praise and worship as one heart to God. We are to be one together. Worship is not a place to criticize, judge and persecute others. The true life of faith is one. It is in union. It is to comfort one another. But we do not comfort one another. We do not try to unite as one. We do not desire to be together. How frustrated God must be? God desires that we go together with Him. But we tell Him to follow us. God asks us why we do not want to hold His hand and go with Him? Do you not have faith, then God desires that we ask Him for faith. He wants us to believe in Him and follow Him. God knows that we lack faith. But if you say that you believe in Him, that you put your trust in Him, and obey Him, hold onto Him and and go with Him. This is obedience, this is faith. How else can you show your faith? How can you know God perfectly? You cannot. It is simply reading the Word, meditating on it, and seeking Him and going in this pursuit. How much faith do you think that you will have? You repent, but how will you ever be perfect in repentance? Without the redeeming blood of Jesus, our repentance will have no use. It is the power of the blood. God sent His Son to die on the cross to save us but we think too lightly of this cross. We think of it as something as a matter of fact. We think that we are worthy of salvation, that we are worthy of Jesus’ sacrifice in death, worthy of forgiveness, and worthy of being taken to heaven. If this is how we think, then is there not something wrong with our faith? Jesus Christ was abandoned by God when He hung on the cross. When Jesus prayed God turned away from Him. God allowed Jesus to die. That was His will. We think we are so worthy because God killed His one and only Son for us. We are so pathetic and so lacking, but God loved us and nailed His only Son on the cross in order to save us. But we do not desire to follow in the path of salvation. The sacrifice of Jesus must be made my own. It is not to be my spouses or my children. It is to be my own. My sins cannot be forgiven by my spouse or my children. You can be good to each other but your sins cannot be forgiven by them. Only the blood of Jesus can cleanse us of our sins. The power of the blood is important and without it we cannot get into heaven. Without it we cannot repent. Without the blood there is nowhere we can go. Are we really choosing to hold onto Jesus and serve Him completely in our hearts with true faith? Do we really acknowledge and understand the love of God which gave up His one and only Son to die on the cross for us that we might be forgiven? Do we really understand and are we really trying to follow Him? If we even understand His love the slightest we could not live like we do. I am frustrated with myself. Why cannot I love God with such fire. Why do I not live in obedience as those who give such powerful testimonies? Does Jesus really love me? I know that He does. If Jesus is not with me then I have no reason to live. I would have had no reason to live up to this point. I could not have lived this long with such pain. I wonder how deep they are in love with God. I wonder if in my last days I will be able to stand in my faith for God? Will I be held by God confessing that Jesus is the only way? I believe that this is my task. It is nice to eat well and have nice things and have a nice home, but if these things do not help you get into heaven then what use are they? God has given each of you a purpose. If your purpose becomes your reason or goal then it is idolatry. If God gives you a task then you must do it in God. But if that task becomes all consuming, then it becomes an idol, and you may end up forsaking God in the pursuit. You should seek to do your purpose while seeking God. Daily in asking God what it is that He desires that you do. But once we get a hold of a goal, we put aside Jesus and God and latch onto that purpose with our lives. This is forsaking Jesus. You may succeed in terms of this world, but you will have failed before God. You might say that it is God’s purpose for you so you did it with all your life to fulfill that purpose, but God did not tell you to sacrifice your life in fulfilling that purpose. God desires that we walk with Him together and in that walk to fulfill that purpose following Him. He does not tell you to go do what you want in trying to fulfill that purpose. If that is what you think, then abandon your purpose that God has for you. Rather go do whatever you want. A purpose that does not have God is useless. According to God’s will, to His Word, daily asking His guidance. “Is this what you want me to do Lord?” Then I will do it. “Is this as far as you want me to go today?” Then this is as far as I will go. Tomorrow’s work is for tomorrow. Is God not allowing you to proceed further today, then all you have to do is stop. Is the devil hindering you today, then cast Him out in the name of Jesus. If I pursue my purpose in disobedience then my purpose is useless. It is the same with work for the Lord. Many of God’s chosen have put their purpose before God in their ministries and are falling away and rotting. God is not there. They decide that they must build a large church, bring in large number of people, and be a famous pastor, and make a name for themselves. Where is God? When the members go to a large church they boast of their affiliation. That is idolatry. If you are going to boast then stop going to that church. There are those who are there because it is God’s purpose that they go to that church. God is sending many people to large churches so that they may pray. But if you are there to boast about your affiliation then you will not go to heaven. Neither will you go to heaven because you go to a small church. If a small church does not obey the will of God the consequence is the same. You must seek God, seek His will, the words that He is speaking to you, to be with Him, to put your faith in Him, but if anything else becomes your purpose then you are mistaken. You lack faith because something else is now your purpose. True faith is obedience to God’s will. There is nothing of my will. But we have too much of what we desire still in us. There is too much that we desire to do. God gives us purpose and goals. Even here there are many visions for our future. I only live in obedience until those visions come to be, those visions have no other significance to me. It does not belong to me. There are many chosen people here. Wake up. If your purpose becomes your idol then stop. Each of your place of work is your ministry. Pastors are not the only one who have ministries. We all have a purpose and a ministry. But if these things are for your self gain and elevation then abandon it. Do something else. Purpose without God and Jesus is fake. Many of God’s people did not all fall away from the beginning. They all started according to God’s will and His Word. But as things became difficult, tiring and trying and as the recognition for the work was little, they slowly started to change. It is like changing the time on a clock one second everyday. One day you will see the difference. Do not blame the leaders. You too have changed, do not blame the leaders. If the pastors have changed and you are right, then you must go and speak to the pastors and correct that which is wrong. Do not sit back thinking improper thoughts and judging the pastor. If you also have changed then how can you judge others? You fail to see the errors of your own ways but you judge the pastors and everyone else at church. That is because you are dissatisfied. You are unhappy. If God is not pleased with them then go confront them. I always remind you, if I have done something wrong to bring it up to me. If I am wrong I will change it. We must go together as one, helping each other, correcting what is wrong and encouraging each other in the things that are good. The devil takes pleasure when we fail to do this. We are food for the devil. We continue to do the things that please the devil. Who delights in people that sit in the back, speaking evil, spreading rumors and cursing others? The devil delights in these things. God does not take pleasure in these things. God does not desire that you complain and argue. The moment you gather together and speak evil and spread rumors of others you have become the devils feed. Where is faith in that action? But you say you have faith? You say you believe in God? What do you believe? Please wake up. Please live in true faith. There are many examples of the life of faith from the Bible and other people who are examples. We must learn from them and try to sincerely do our best to live like them and follow in their paths. But we hear with our ears, think that they have done a good job, and make connection to it in our own lives. That is not why God uses them to give their testimonies. It is for you to hear, and understand, then to change your life that you may go before God. There are countless believers who have converted from Islam. But we judge and persecute anyone who is Arab. God tells us to stop doing this. He tells us to pray for them. Those believers are risking their lives to believe in Jesus. If it is revealed that they believe in Jesus they are executed. Their faith is much greater than ours by ten thousand fold. In North Korea it is the same. We live in a place of comfort and think that we have great faith. It is not so. We must repent to God for our lack of faith. We must ask God to give us that kind of faith and repent. We must seek this kind of faith. We desire to be raptured but we don’t have true faith. Only those with true faith will be raptured. If you want to be raptured then be a true believer. If the rapture happened right now will more be taken from North korea or South Korea? They say that 20% of South Koreans are Christians and that there are no Christians in North Korea. There are true believers in North Korea. I believe that if the rapture happened right now, there would be more taken from North Korea. We mistakenly think that we are good believers especially those who are here in America. Do not be mediocre and complacent in your faith. May you truly be people who humble yourself before God, get on your knees, and seek His grace. Please do not let go of your faith. Sermon by Pastor Joy Lee translation by Miguel Park