Basic Message 3: The fundamental problem
It seems that there are more and more advancements in this world. And with all the advancements that we will have, I believe that one day, people could have their own personal braodcasts, or personal newspapers. Many people have told me to purchase a smart phone. I said that it was too complicated for me. But people continued to tell me to buy one anyway. People would tell me that I'd be someone who's fallen behind in culture. I do buy all the modern electronics. And I even chat with Remnants through Kakao Talk.
There is so much development. But contrary to it all, spiritual problems continue to rise. As the days pass by, spiritual problems get worse. Perhaps we are unaware of it, but these spiritual problems are serious. I have been able to see this realistically in many places. For example, Taiwan, I gathered together about 10 Taiwanese boys and girls and asked if they were suffering mentally or having nightmares at night, and about 7 out of the 10 raised their hands. If that's true for children, then what about the adults? Let's talk about Japan then. In Japan, there is at least one person in each family who isn't in their right mind and cannot live a normal life. It's very serious. At least one member of each family is suffering mentally. It's a very serios problem.
It's becoming more and more serious in places like Africa. In places like Nairobi, Kenya, these problems are very obvious now. There are many children there. But they are not going to school. There are so many children out on the streets that do not go to school. So I thought we should build a school for them to go to. When I mentioned these thoughts, I learned that there were so many vacant buildings around. Then we can quickly come to an idea of how we could do missions. I thought that people in American or Europe were living well, but it wasn't so. Yes, they may seem like they are living well off, but they are facing hardships. In places in Europe, people are doing drugs and getting shot up with heroin and other drugs out on the very streets. It's so extreme to the point where if you're parked on the streets for just a little bit, you can actually witness someone getting drugged up. One elder and I were in a car and he stopped the car and said tp me, "Pastor, look at that." And I saw a person taking a syringe and shooting it in his neck. I wondered why he would shoot it in his neck and the purpose of that was to get the drugs to spread more quickly. Why are these problems continuing to arise?
The Bible tells us that we have a fundamental problem. What is the fundamental problem? The Bible tells us very accurately. In Genesis 1:2 it talks about darkness, chaos, and void. It was in darkness, chaos, and void that the world began. When Adam and Eve were created, Satan came to attack the family right away in Genesis 3:4-5. And it's from this point on that these problems came to us. I didn't reserach this deeply theologically, but since when did Satan exist? Was he a being before Adam or after? I haven't found that answer to that. However, from reading the Bible and in may guess, I think he was created before Adam.
It is true, as it is spoken in Ez 28, that an angel was corrupted and fell, but when? Was he existent before Adam and Eve or after? If he was created before, I believe he is part of the Gen 1:2. Knowing this, that was why God created Adam and Eve and explained about the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. In any case, you can see in Genesis 6:4-5 that he finally plows into society, the age of Noah. This is the age ot the Nephelim. He came to the point where people were ignorant of his coming. I'm not saying that what we have studied is wrong, but regardless of science, this is what happened. I may be living in an advanced country, but these facts are nevertheless true.
That is why humans cannot overcome this. They don't even know why they are facing hardships. They get supset and grumble asking why is my family like this? They have bitterness wondering why they're going through these hardships. They are facing these hardships without knowing.
But the reality is in John 8:44, it syas, "You belong to your father, the devil." Jesus said this. In one way, you don't want to hear this because these are terrible words. But for all people this is the start of all problems. That is why it says, "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." You might say that you haven't done anything wrong, but no, it started at this point and that's why it's called the original sin. Yes, the sins you commit are called consequential sins, but this is the origin. People struggle in this way. Yes, they are struggling. They are struggling in so many different ways. They can't find their way so they're trying to. And they can't speak of this. They can't speak of this at work. They can't share this with friends.
In this way, people are holding on to incorrect things. This is Exodus 2:3-5 and they are looking toward idols. Going towards religions. Idols that you can see and not see, religions, they are all idols. Even attending church without knowing the Gospel is idolatry too. That's why problems have no choice but to come. As time goes by, we have diseases in our hearts and in our mind, mental problems.
We also carry these heavy burdens in our hearts like it says in Matthew 11:28. And that's why the greatest dises in this world is mental problems. Jesus says, "All you who are weary and heavy burden, come unto me." It's not about a physical burden; it's the burden in our hearts. It's not a physical burden that you bear from work. And because people cannot withstand this, they have physical diseases.
People get physical diseases, as well as mental problem like it ways in Acts 8:4-8. This is how mankind struggles and faces hardships. Isn't that strange? After suffering this way, all these problems are passed down to our children. As it says in Matthe 27:25, it gets relayed to our children. This one person confessed that her mother was a sorceress, and she didn't want to become a sorceress so she moved to American, but still the problems followed.
But that's not the end. If you look in Luke 16:19-21, eternal hell is waiting. These 6 things are the state of the nonbeliever. And this is how people are living in such pitiful states. That is why God, withotu asking any questions, becasue even if He had asked we wouldn't even know the answers to them, without requiring anything in return, gave us the answers. Even if we were requitred to give Him anything, we wouldn't have anything to give to Him. Do you understand? Without any requirements, with nothing to give, because we have nothing to offer.
God gave us the answer to all these things and that was Christ. Now look carefully. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God and sinned against Him, He didn't chastise them for that. In Gen.1:3, God gave the Light. It wasn't the light of the sun or moon. This Light is talking about Christ. We were living in the midst of darkness, chaos, and void, and that's when the Lord shined His Light of Christ upon us.
In Gen.3:15, He gave us very importnat words. Wihtout asking anything from Adam and Eve, God promises that he woman's offsping will crush the serpent's head. God sent the Christ and destroyed the work of the devil. And He didn't require anything from us. Because there is nothing for us to give. He didn't give us a condition. If He didn, we wouldn't be able to do anything. He gave it to us by grace. Because God loved us, He gave us the answer of grace so that we can excape from this.
In Gen. 6:14, He said that anyone who came inside the ark would be saved. It doesn't matter how tall you were or what you possessed as long as you were in the ark. That's the Gospel. Some people cannot understand. It's not about living an upright life. Yes, you should but if you really understand this, that's the secondary issue. This is the blessing that God gave.
So in Gen. 5:24, it says to those who believe. Why does it say that? If God says that you have to pay a billion dollars for your salvation, that's how much salvation is valued for. I'll just make the billion dollars then. If we were required to write a thesis then, theologians might get saved, but not for the average individuals. We would focus and follow science if that could solve the problem, but it won't. If you're facing a storm right now, can that be solved through science? And that is why in the Bible, the very first promise that was made in the Bible was the promise of Christ. The Bible does not talk about many different topics. It's really all about how God sent the Christ. That's the Old Testament. And how Christ came. That's the New Testament. So in John 1:12 it says, "Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." One day I realized this. And I believed it. "Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God."
And for those who are worshipping idols or demon possessed, if they simply prayed the acceptance prayer; works would begin. In this way, we had over 500 fortunetellers and demon-possessed sorcerers come to Christ. Hearing about the Gospel, they accepted Jesus Christ, and their spiritual problems started to resolve. So now remember this. All of you, who are listening to this broadcast, pit this to the test. Not for you to doubt, but to make sure. Right now you may possess everything in yourlife, but you're lacking one thing. So there's a need for us to confirm.
The moment you accept Christ, your identify changes. From a child of the devil, you become a child of God. From a slave to sin and now to a servant of God. These are spiritual things so people are ignorant of it. But the moment you believe in Jesus your status and fate changes. There are certain people who think that even after they believe in Jesus, they are not saved until a certain amount of time passes. But that is not what the Bible says. "Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God."
So many people are ignorant to what? Along with my status is my authority. If I am a police officer then I have the authority of a police officer. Let's say that Missionary Laura is driving a car and she is trying to stop another car. They would think that she's a crazy woman. But if she had a badge and uniform like an officer, people would stop to her. If you're the president, you'll have the authority of a president. If you are a general, then, the authority of a general follows. If you become a child of God, along come the authority of a child of God.
There is nothing for you to worry. I am a child of God and God is with me. It says in 1 Corintians 3:16 that the Holy Spirit is with me. Invisible to my eyes, the Holy Spirit is with me. There are certain people whose spiritual eyes are open. There are those with a slight mental disease but their spritual eyes are open. When they see you, they are able to recognize you. The moment they see you, they know.
When we went to Taiwan for a conference, we actually videotaped our Remnants evangelizing. We went to a fortunteller and as we were on our way we could see this woman trembling in fear as we shared the Gospel with her. We caught all that on video. We asked why she was so afraid and she said that it was because as we were coming towards her, she could see crosses above all our heads. We asked the fortuneteller to believe in Jesus and she said that she wanted to, but she didn't know how. So our team said that she could be a child of God. So she was able to believe. Yes, when you believe in Jesus you do go to heaven, but right now, amazing blessings are given to you. And I believe that all of you who watch this broadcast will restore all these blessings. "Oh, but where is God?" you may ask. We have been created in the image of God as humans. Maybe you have a dog at home, but he cannot believe in God. No matter how cute your cat may be, it cannot believe in God. God created man so that we can believe in Him. That's why He sent us the Christ.
Then there is something for us to think about. How is it that God gave all of this to us without asking any questions? We see the sure answer. Satan, invisible to our eyes, came to attack us, but that is why God sent us Christ without asking any questions to save and protect us. He came to save us and promised saying that those who believe will have the right to become children of God. I bless all of you in the name of Jesus that this blessing can come upon all the families and people listening to this broadcast.
Let us pray. God thank you.
May the blessings of Christ come upon all the people listening to this broadcast in France, in Europe, and throughout the world.
And may the realistic blessing of Christ come upon them.
In Jesus Christ name we pray. Amen.