What is Salvation? (Matthew 16:13-20)
What do you think is the biggest mistake Christians make?
It's that they do not know much about the Gospel.
Paul once said that it is impossible to measure the depth, width, and height of the Gospel.
Then what is the mistake Pastors often make?
They first need to taste the life of the Gospel but without having it, they start doing the ministry. And that's where all the mistakes come from.
That is why as time passes, various problems occur and they don't even know why.
They might know a little about the Bible. When somebody talks about Christ, people think that is just one of the basic messages.
But they have never tasted the true Gospel which means it doesn't belong to them.
Most believers waver in their faith. Do you know why? They know what's going on but there is nothing they can do.
because they have not tasted the Gospel and therefore lack spiritual strength.
If our young Remnants experience true taste of this, they could save this world.
Moody confessed the Christ when he was only 9 years old. He didn't work hard to do something great and yet overturned the whole world.
There is no way we can ever know how great this Gospel is. Its mystery is more than enough to change this Earth hundred times.
Christians hear the Gospel but are not sure whethere they are children of God or not.
Then what really is salvation? You need to know this.
How can you talk about the Gospel when you do not know what salvation is?
How can you work for the evangelism and mission when you do not know what salvation is?
What happens when you water the dead tree? It starts to rot inside. But when you water the living tree, it becomes vigorous.
Without having the Gospel, listening to sermons makes you sleepy. And you end up falling asleep during worship time.
What happens when the sun shines on the dead tree? It withers. But when the sun shines on the living tree, it becomes strong.
When you know the mystery of this Gospel, amazing amount of strength comes from it.
Paul once said that it is impossible to measure the depth, width, and height of the Gospel.
Then what is the mistake Pastors often make?
They first need to taste the life of the Gospel but without having it, they start doing the ministry. And that's where all the mistakes come from.
That is why as time passes, various problems occur and they don't even know why.
They might know a little about the Bible. When somebody talks about Christ, people think that is just one of the basic messages.
But they have never tasted the true Gospel which means it doesn't belong to them.
Most believers waver in their faith. Do you know why? They know what's going on but there is nothing they can do.
because they have not tasted the Gospel and therefore lack spiritual strength.
If our young Remnants experience true taste of this, they could save this world.
Moody confessed the Christ when he was only 9 years old. He didn't work hard to do something great and yet overturned the whole world.
There is no way we can ever know how great this Gospel is. Its mystery is more than enough to change this Earth hundred times.
Christians hear the Gospel but are not sure whethere they are children of God or not.
Then what really is salvation? You need to know this.
How can you talk about the Gospel when you do not know what salvation is?
How can you work for the evangelism and mission when you do not know what salvation is?
What happens when you water the dead tree? It starts to rot inside. But when you water the living tree, it becomes vigorous.
Without having the Gospel, listening to sermons makes you sleepy. And you end up falling asleep during worship time.
What happens when the sun shines on the dead tree? It withers. But when the sun shines on the living tree, it becomes strong.
When you know the mystery of this Gospel, amazing amount of strength comes from it.
What is salavation? You first need to know what it;s about.
No matter how long you have lived your walk of faith, if your status is the same, everything is of no use.
You must first escape from the 3 statuses. If not, nothing will work out.
Hell, Satan and sin. We call this as 'destiny'. Being freed from this is salvation.
That's why salvation is incredible.
Romans 8:2 says the law of life has set you free from the law of sin and death.
John 5:24 says we have crossed over from death to life.
Since we cannot escape from our destiny, God gave a promise that he will send the Christ to set us free from sins and curses.
No matter how long you have lived your walk of faith, if your status is the same, everything is of no use.
You must first escape from the 3 statuses. If not, nothing will work out.
Hell, Satan and sin. We call this as 'destiny'. Being freed from this is salvation.
That's why salvation is incredible.
Romans 8:2 says the law of life has set you free from the law of sin and death.
John 5:24 says we have crossed over from death to life.
Since we cannot escape from our destiny, God gave a promise that he will send the Christ to set us free from sins and curses.
Being delivered from the destruction is salvation.
All the sins and spiritual problems are passed down from the parents and even from the ancestors. Being delivered from this state is called salvation.
All people have sins committed by themselves. Being delivered from this stated is called salvation.
So what is salvation? It is where all your past, present, and future problems come to an end.
To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
The moment you believe in Jesus, all your darkness will be gone. The moment you believe in Jesus, you become a child of God.
You all know how great America is.
But it is the place where the most spiritually afflicted people live. Japan is an advanced nation,
too.
too.
But is has the most spiritual problems in all Asia.
There are so many kids who run away from their home in Japan. They are in fact not in right mind.
Do you know how serious it is? Every subway station is filed with homeless people. It's worse than it is in Korea.
The only difference is that beggars in Japan are really tidy.
And they have everything they need like bicycle, umbrella and so on. Some homeless beggars even read books in their free time.
These mental and spiritual problems cannot be healed with money.
That is why men can never escape from the destiny.
Again, what is salvation? It is where all your past, present, and future problems come to an end.
When the Gospel is rooted down in you, amazing things happen.
In Romans 8:31~39 says nothing is against us.
Second, we have read today's passage. Why are our prayers not being answered?
Most people misunderstand this part. They think of themselves as saved ones even though they are not.
And some people think of themselves as unsaved ones when they are actually are saved.
That is why they always fail.
Jesus asked, who do people say that I am? They say you are John the Baptist.
Who do they say that I am? They say you are like Elijah, Jeremiah, or a prophet.
Who do they say that I am? They say you are like Elijah, Jeremiah, or a prophet.
What did John the Baptist do? He called Jesus as the son of God. That is amazing.
He gave baptism to Jesus and did great works but he did one thing that everyone knows about.
That is criticizing King Herod for his wrongdoing and got killed for it. In other words, he called for justice.
Some people think of this as the essence of Christianity, but it's not.
Simply put, John the Baptist led the social movement.
Simply put, John the Baptist led the social movement.
This could be seen as the walk of faith but it's not the essence.
Then what did Elijah do?
Of course Elijah did so many things but what it means here is the characteristic of Elijah.
He manifested great power. It's a mystical movement. People think of this as the Gospel.
It's somewhat understandable but it's not the Gospel.
What about Jeremiah? What was he like? He shed tears.
We are talking about philanthropy. It's definitely a good thing but it's not the Gospel.
Some people called Jesus as one of the prophets. That's the religion. A religion can never be the Gospel
Religions worship idols and demons. They are not the Gospel.
Religions worship idols and demons. They are not the Gospel.
These are reasons why failures never stop coming.
So many Christians misunderstand the Gospel like this. Religions are not the same as Gospel.
Law and Gospel are two different things. But believers live their walk of faith like this.
And they can't gain true strength and hardships continue to come.
When people who come to church for the first time really understand what this means, real
answers start to come.
answers start to come.
What do you need to understand today?
Jesus asked his disciples, who do you say that I am?
Other disciples could not give an answer to that question but Peter did.
Jesus is the Christ, the son of living God. What a tremendous answer!
You are the son of God and the promised Christ of Genesis 3:15 who broke down the darkness.
These words are not just average ones.
These words are not just average ones.
It was prophesied in Isaiah 7:14 that the virgin will give birth to a son and he will be called Immanuel.
He is that son in the prohesy.
What does Christ mean? It means the Anointed One.
Then who are anointed?
In the past, three positions were anointed. Prophets, priests, and kings.
We call these three positions as one which is the Christ.
Here comes the important part. Jesus came as the true prophet.
Here comes the important part. Jesus came as the true prophet.
That means he opened up the way to meet God.
He cleansed our sin on the cross as the pirest (Mark 10:45)
and he is the King of all kings who broke down the force of Satan.
When we put these three words together, it is the Christ.
When Peter confessed, you are the Christ the son of living God, what did Jesus say?
Blessed are you, Simon of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.
He gave Peter three blessings. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build by church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.
Just by having this blessing, you can conquer the world. and just by confessing this blessing,
great works will take place. How amazing is this?
If you just hold on to this promise, God will work. He already gave you the best blessing.
great works will take place. How amazing is this?
If you just hold on to this promise, God will work. He already gave you the best blessing.
The moment you make this confession, all curses will crumble. You are Peter, and I will build my church on this rock.
The gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.
Everyone, do you know what's like to be saved?
Going to heaven after death is for later, but it's about becoming God's child right now.
When you believe in Jesus, you become a child of God. That's the promise of 66books of Bible.
Because men cannot solve this problem.
You cannot cleanse your own sins, cannot overcome Satan, and cannot even meet God on your own.
So we need to believe in Jesus in order to become children of God.
The moment you become his child, all your sins and curses come to an end.
And then when you die, it's not a simple death, it's going up to the eternal heaven.
And then when you die, it's not a simple death, it's going up to the eternal heaven.
If you can really believe in your heart that you are God's child, answers to your prayers come.
Am I really a child of God?
Am I really a child of God?
Corinthians 12:3 says no one can say, "Jesus is our Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.
Romans 10:9-10 says it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved
What is a religion? What is ethics?
A child fell into a swamp and he cannot climb back up by himself.
The more he tries to get out, the deeper he gets stuck in. That child is weak.
What should we do then?
What should we do then?
Come out on your own. This is religion. Is it possible? Free yourself from it.
Someone who does not know what really is going on might say like this. Come out on your own.
and that is what religions do.
and that is what religions do.
and what if you say to that dying child, Didn't I say to be careful?
I warned you so many times and yet here you go. Did your right foot fall first or did your left foot first?
I warned you so many times and yet here you go. Did your right foot fall first or did your left foot first?
We call this as ethics. It cannot save the child.
All you have to is throw the rope to that child and pull him out of that swamp. As long as that child holds that rope, he will live.
If he does not let go of that rope. his father will definitely pull him up. This is how weak men are and this is why they need to be saved.
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved
Then, what should we do to receive this blessing? It's simple. Just belive.
We are saved by our faith. Why? because we cannot be saved by our actions.
Romans 5:8 says God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Just believe, Then not only does it get rid of your sins, but all moved you from death to life.
Revelations 3:20 says If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
Revelations 3:20 says If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
Isn't it necessary to speak in tongues? Don't get it wrong.
Some say that when you are saved, you cannot help it but cry but it's not always like that.
Also some say that the moment you believe in Jesus, you feel strong heat in your body and you start shaking, but it's not always like that either.
You believe in Jesus yet you don't feel anything special then that's perfectly normal. But your whole body starts shaking just because you come to believe in Jesus?
I'm not saying that's wrong but it's not what you need to be saved. If your body is shaking too
much, maybe you need to get checked up by a doctor.
much, maybe you need to get checked up by a doctor.
And if you cry too much, that's because you are a crybaby. It has nothing to with salvation.
Some people do speak in tongues. People in other religions do that too. But to those who believe in Jesus, God gave the right to become his children.
Now we all have the nature we are born with. That's why Jesus took Peter and two other disciples to Mount Transfiguration.
Suddenly something strange happened right in front of their eyes.
There was the great prophet Elijah standing. Even Moses was there. And Jesus next to them.
And Peter says that he will build three tents for Moses, Elijah, and for Jesus.
There was the great prophet Elijah standing. Even Moses was there. And Jesus next to them.
And Peter says that he will build three tents for Moses, Elijah, and for Jesus.
That's when Moses and Elijah both disappeared. Law and mystical power all vanished. There was only Christ left.
If every single one of you could change your nature of misinterpreting things, true blessings given to children of God will start to be manifested.
Just a little bit of your nature. That's all you need.
However, even after we are saved, there are still so many conflicts in our daily life. We receive so much grace in our church but when we step out to the world, there still exist problems.
In Matthew 17:24-27, they had to pay taxes. Like this, after receiving grace, you still have financial crisis in front of you.
Everyone needs money. Then what do we need to do? Jesus told them to throw the nets and made them catch fish, which is same as money.
This shows us that if we enjoy the Gospel in the midst of our conflicts and problems, God shows the proof.
You are the Christ, the son of living God. You are Peter. You are the rock.
Don't fear from now on. You are the rock. Never waver.
You might have conflicts but still you are the rock. I will build my church on this rock.
The gates of Hades will not overcome it. I give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.
This key represents authority but also is used to open up the door of heaven. Please hold this key and go out today.
Our Remnants need to hold firmly on this key. Just have it with you and open up the door.
The door of heaven can only be opened with this key.
Now you are saved, then the first thing you must experience is prayers. The key. Pray to God.
You are his children. How do you pray? Just do it.
This one person believed in Jesus but did not know anything about prayer. He was a driver and his whole family came to believe in Jesus. One time, they all gathered together.
Before having a meal, he wanted to pray but did not know how so he just went on like this.
Father God, thank you.
This one person believed in Jesus but did not know anything about prayer. He was a driver and his whole family came to believe in Jesus. One time, they all gathered together.
Before having a meal, he wanted to pray but did not know how so he just went on like this.
Father God, thank you.
Thank you for this meal. Bless my son and my daughter. Help our family to be used in the world evangelization.
The problem was that he did not know how to end the prayer. We usually say we prayed in the name of Jesus, but this man never heard of it. So after a while, he just said "the end"
or what else would he say? Okay, would God listen to that kind of prayer too? Yes, he does.
We already have the key of Jesus name in our hand. We don't have to be eloquent or use big words in our prayers.
We just need to pray.
From now on, pray before God. You are his children. Your prayers will all be answered whether you know it or not.
When a daughter asks for something to his father, he just gives it to her.
When my son is hungry and asks for good, he simply needs to say he wants to eat something.
He doesn't need to say My great father, the servant of the Lord, please allow me to have a meal.
He doesn't need to say My great father, the servant of the Lord, please allow me to have a meal.
Prayer is simple. You pray to God.
You are God's children, so the Holy Spirit is already with you. That means you can communicate with God.
Once you buy a cellphone and insert a sim, you can immediately call someone you want to talk to.
The moment you became his child, Holy Spirit came upon you. You can always talk to God.
What should you do from now on? You can use your authority when praying.
When you feel that the force of darkness is at work, you can easily break it down by using the authority of the name of Jesus.
Father God, thank you. Please open up our spiritual eyes so that we can see the mystery of salvation, and see the true answers from you.
Father God, thank you. Please open up our spiritual eyes so that we can see the mystery of salvation, and see the true answers from you.
Help us enjoy this blessing this week.
Help us witness this blessing eternally.
We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
The 15 Minutes Gospel Message
What is the Prayer that Receives Answers from God? (2Cor 2:1-12)
