GOD’S TRUE WORK

 This evening, for regeneration and sanctification, we’ll learn about God’s true work. Today, on this earth, there are millions of people saying they are doing God’s work, running about with their bags. There are also millions of clergymen and Christians supposedly doing God’s work – but there are two types of people who do God’s work. On one side, you have those who devote their money and time, establishing churches and schools. They will work hard until the day they die. But they won’t be able to go to heaven, instead they will all be judged and die. On the other hand, there are those who do not do God’s work at all, but still they will surely go to heaven. Then what kind of work do you want to do? Yes, it’s the latter, isn’t it? Yes, you want to be those who don’t have to do anything and still be able to go to heaven. There are those who donate their money and their lives to the end, making such great efforts to establish schools, hospitals, churches, and hold evangelical meetings their whole lifetime. But ultimately, they won’t be able to go to heaven. They will only be judged and die. On the other hand, there are those who do not do anything like that. They just play and go to heaven. 

One day, after listening to Jesus’ sermons, His disciples became so filled with desire to work. They wanted to do God’s work, so they went to Jesus and they asked Him in John chapter 6 verses 28 and 29, [Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?”] The disciples had rolled up their sleeves and said that they were eager to do God’s work. “We want to; we really want to do God’s works before we go.” Everyone had rolled up their sleeves, willing to work. What did Jesus say to that? Let’s read His answer, [This is the work of God that you believe in Him whom He sent.] They were filled with loyalty, enthusiasm, and had their sleeves rolled up to get to work. They said to Jesus, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” So Jesus looked at them and said, “God’s work?” The disciples thought that you must spread millions of pamphlets, you must establish twenty, fifty churches, and you must hold more than one hundred evangelical meetings, but instead He looked at them and said, “God’s work? All you have to do is believe in the man whom God has sent. That is His work.” They couldn’t believe it. I am sure all of you are the same.

Do you have the urge to do God’s work? God’s work is to believe in the One whom He has sent. To believe in Him whom God sends means to follow Him. And to follow Him means to live His life, and to live His life means to have His character. In other words, to have the exact character of Jesus is God’s true work. Other than that, without even having Jesus’ character, to go around preaching and handing out pamphlets, establishing churches, hospitals, and schools – such acts are merely smearing the face of God and Jesus, and preventing others from going to Them. Not only will you yourself not be saved, but you will be preventing others from being saved. You will rather end up becoming a messenger of hell. Please write this one line, write it down in your notes: “The work that the Lord accepts is the work of reflecting His character.” This is the only work; it’s the only work the Lord accepts, that of reflecting His character. It’s not spreading many pamphlets or holding numerous evangelical meetings. It’s not donating lots of money and building huge, expensive churches, it’s not even graduating from a theological school. All those things are useless. If there is only one Christian, one pastor who bears the image of Jesus, that person is doing God’s work. There is no higher work entrusted to man, no work more noble than the improvement of one’s character. The first work that God requires of men is their transformation of character.

Our first duty to God and to our fellow beings is self-improvement, the transformation of our characters. Do you want to work for God and humanity, your fellow men? Then you must first be changed in the image of His Son. That is the only work that heaven accepts.

In a certain neighborhood, there was a deaconess. Whenever spring or fall came, she would so diligently spread evangelical pamphlets. She would tell people that they must believe in Jesus and go to church. But people who actually got the pamphlets from her, rather said, “I refuse to go to church because of that person.” Upon asking why, they said, “That person goes around fighting with everyone all year long, and then only when it’s the time for these revival meetings, then she tells people to believe in Jesus.” Were we not also the same? We must evangelize with our lives, not just during those revival meetings. Even if such a person does not spread any pamphlets, if you just live the life of Jesus regularly, then people would flock to you and say, “I want to go to your church.” And they would follow you. This is the true work. There is no need to go around spreading pamphlets. We must spread the pamphlets of our lives.

It’s written here, “All those that spread the truth will not save themselves by spreading the truth.” Giving numerous sermons doesn’t mean you will be saved. Actually, it is the religious leaders in every age that utterly failed to be saved. All those spreading the truth will not save themselves by spreading the truth. “Depart, depart go out from there. Touch no unclean thing. Go out from the midst of her. Be clean, you who bear the vessel of the Lord.” So before you spread the truth and evangelize, you must first be transformed and live the life of Jesus. “There will be a fearful curse for those who spread the truth but are not themselves sanctified.” It says here that there will be a fearful curse. For those who do not live according to the words they speak, they will receive a fearful curse. There will be a fearful curse upon those who spread the truth but are not themselves sanctified, those unsanctified workers and evangelists. There will be a fearful woe on those church organizations and theological schools that allow those unsanctified workers to continue their work and services.

Do you know why this world is in ruins? It’s because of those unsanctified workers and evangelists. They give diplomas to all those young students, preachers, and evangelists that are not even sanctified. That is why our God and Jesus are so misunderstood in the world. They are cursed and defiled. Nowadays, a diploma is everything. If you don’t have one, they wouldn’t even allow you to preach. They wouldn’t even consider what you preach as the Gospel. You couldn’t even go anywhere to preach. No matter how much you are filled with the Holy Spirit and prepared by God, they ask you what theological school you came out of. If you say you didn’t come out from any theological school, they don’t treat you well. A diploma is everything these days. If the religion we profess fails to renew our hearts and sanctify our lives, how can we exert a saving power upon others? How can there be power when we ourselves are not changed? If the Jesus you believe has not changed you, how can you change anyone else?

A while ago, I went to Seoul and visited a university professor. Afterwards, he and his wife came running out after me while I was leaving, saying they would get me a taxi. That region was called Dae-bangdo in Seoul, it was fifteen minutes to Kangnam Terminal from there. When I got into the taxi, I was surprised that it was an elderly man driving. Driving a small car is quite exhausting, it’s less tiring to drive a big car. But this taxi was very small. I felt so sorry for him, so I said, “How is it that you became a driver, a taxi driver?” I asked him, “How old are you?” He replied, “I am sixty-two.” I started explaining to him about keeping his health, what he should do. “Since you drive such a small car, you should eat like this. You should do this and this so that your fatigue will be taken away.” The professor I visited had given me some tangerines, so I gave them to him. “Here, eat these later.” He kept looking at me, then he asked, “Are you a pastor or a layman?” “Oh, look at me,” I always wore a plain jacket. “I am just a layman of course.” “Oh, really? I would like to say something that’s personal.” “Oh, go ahead.” “It’s not something nice.” “That’s ok.”

“It’s not good.” “It’s ok.” So finally, after some delay, he said, “My father passed away a while ago. He was ninety-three. My own mother had died earlier. So my father had married again but he passed away not long ago. He attended the church before he passed away and the pastors, elders, and all these church members came to the funeral saying they would lead the service. I had paid them for all their funeral services and afterwards, when the pastor was going home, I gave him three hundred dollars on the side in gratitude for holding the funeral for my father. But for some reason, this pastor became upset, and he told my stepmother that even if she has to live in an elderly home, not to live with her stepson.”

This pastor had divided this mother and son. This taxi driver continued by saying that later, the pastor would tell his stepmother he needed new curtains so give one thousand dollars. Then he would ask for more money saying he needed to go on some trip. This pastor began taking away his stepmother’s money. This taxi driver’s wife couldn’t understand it and said, “Isn’t the church supposed to bring parents and children together? Why are they separating you from your stepmother?” She was so angry and said she would confront the church about it, but this taxi driver told his wife not to. His father had left an inheritance to him because he was the only son, and that’s why the church was intent on separating the son with the stepmother. He explained to her that if they went to argue, the church would think they were after his inheritance. So he told her not to do anything. After his stepmother ran out of money and had nothing more to give to the church and nowhere to go, then they would take care of her. Who else would take care of her then when she had no money? So he stopped his wife from doing anything.

This taxi driver spoke to me quite candidly. He had lived in North Korea when he was young. At the time, he had attended a missionary school. Now that his father had passed away, he himself was old and he had made up his mind to go back to God. But when he saw what was going on in the church, he told me that he had made up his mind to never go back to church. He was resolved to just live off his life driving that taxi. When I heard that, my heart truly ached. There are lots of people like that in this world. I cannot say how many people there are who are like that in this world.

In India, the population right now is over 700 million. The prime minister of India, Gandhi, had truly loved the Bible and read it all. Later, he even said that it would be a fatal sin for India if they rejected the Bible. He believed that the people of India should read the Bible, and he began to love Jesus. He really loved Jesus. He wanted to become a Christian, dedicate his life and even be baptized. He had made up his mind. But before receiving baptism, he looked at the Christian leaders around the world. When he saw how abominable they were, he realized that he would be ashamed to be a Christian. So he determined not to be a Christian. He gave up. But before he died, he said that he loved Jesus and the Bible. He had made up his mind to be a Christian for life, but when he saw the Christians in the world, he resolved not to be a Christian after all.

In India today, there are so many people starving to death. Their god is a cow, and their cow god is trampling on all their grains and eating their food; they are being trampled upon by this cow god, all on the verge of death and dying. Do you know who killed these people of India? It was those degenerated Protestant Churches. All throughout history, who ruined this earth? It was not the gentiles or heathen but the fallen churches, the Christians. The Christians and fallen churches are the ones that killed the sons of God in every age. It was not the Buddhists or atheists. They are the ones that killed Jesus. They killed John the Baptist. They killed Elijah. Gandhi was considered the father of India. If he had become a Christian, then how many children of India, how many of God’s children would have been saved?

That day when I met that taxi driver, I knew I had met another Gandhi. It really hurt me inside. I wanted to kneel and beg for forgiveness on behalf of the Christian world. He thought I would say, “How can you say that about the servants of the Lord? Don’t be like that,” but instead I said, “Sir, I am really sorry. Nowadays, all the churches are deceivers, so you really made a good decision not to go to church. When you were young, you said you went to a missionary school in North Korea. Do you remember what you learned? What does the Bible say? When you pray, it does not say to go to church. It says to pray in your room. So buy a Bible and study the Bible. Obey it as you did when you were young. I hope you will pray in your room and walk with God.” All of sudden, he smiled. He had made his mind to die driving as a taxi driver, but suddenly a way of escape was available. “Oh, really?” A way for him to live was opened up for him and he was so happy about it. At the time, I had said to him, “I am traveling around fighting the fallen Christian world. That’s why I want to tell you about the God whom I serve.” In earnest he replied that if it was the God that I served, he wanted to learn about Him. So I asked him for his address, “Sir, can you give me your address?” With one hand while he was driving, he wrote his address. His handwriting was very nice. When I returned home, I sent him, The Key to Happiness book. We moved shortly afterwards so I wasn’t able to receive his reply, but I wonder how happy he must be reading that book by himself in his room, walking with God.

What our Father and Jesus ask of us is not that we set up a big church and have lots of church members, many theological institutions and pastors. They only want one person who reflects His image. Such a person, even one, has the power to save the whole world. They want those that live the life of Jesus and bear His image, if you do, you do not have to ask anyone to come to church. It was infamous for being so unruly. So people had given up on this neighborhood. That is the kind of place I had moved to. The Adventist Church had given up after a whole ear, and even the Protestant brethren that lived there said no one from there ever went to church.

So I had come to this place and only the children came to church; none of the adults ever did. If someone asked anyone to come to church, they would say, “Ah, there’s no one to be friends with there.” It was truly so shameful and that’s the kind of place it was. As soon as I got there, I did not invite some famous pastor from Seoul or have some kind of revival meeting. I did not say one word. I just worked with the people. And all I did was farm work with them. I did that for almost a year, growing rice and taking care of my vineyard. I just worked with them. After a year, I held an evangelistic meeting. Even at that time, I did not invite any preacher from far off. Just myself, I was the speaker.

We were about to start the meeting, but there was no one to preside over it because there were no adult members. It’s not like I could preside over the meeting, then be the speaker as well. And it would have been too shameful to ask my own wife to do it. So I invited a young man from my hometown. He was a theology student and the son of the pastor of a church there. “I am having a prayer meeting. Can you preside and lead in songs during services?” But I felt rather bad just having him do that, so I suggested, “Ok, it’s going to be for one week. I’ll do it at the beginning and the end. And you can speak in the middle a few times.” I gave him a theme for what he should speak about, and then we started. When he spoke, I presided, and when I spoke, he presided. So we both took turns preaching.

That was in a place called Bosung. The religious leader of that area was someone who had graduated from Seoul University and a theological seminary. He came down to see me. When I first went there, he hadn’t even glanced at me. They had given up on the church. After a couple of months, a certain elder had come, saying, “Ah, you know this church is hopeless. Everyone gave up on it.” But this regional leader came, saying, “So you are having an evangelical meeting, what shall I do?” I replied, “Oh, I’m just a nothing. How could you listen to the sermons of someone like me? After the evangelical meeting is over, please come and give a sermon to reassert the faith of the new believers.” So I escorted him home. But he came back after only four days.

There wasn’t even a church there at the time. There were only rooms that were joined together. I determined that I needed to throw down a big net for big results, so with that faith, I tore down the walls of the four rooms to make one big hall. I had called a carpenter asking him to tear down the walls, but he refused saying the roof would collapse. The house had been built with weak frames so he refused to do it. I told him to forget about it. Then I went home and I prayed, “God, please hold up the roof. I am going to tear the walls down.” I got some young people from the neighborhood to help. So I tore the walls down and there was room enough for fifty people. The carpenter asked, “Did you ever do this before?” “No.” “That’s strange, it’s not bad work.” Now there was room enough for about fifty people.

Then I began the evangelical meeting. So that regional leader came again after only four days. After finishing my sermon, we went home and he said, “Even if you call speakers from far away, no one ever came to a single evangelical meeting. But look at you, you worked in the field. You worked with them. And now you are the speaker as well. So I wondered who would come. I thought there wouldn’t be a single person here and you would be discouraged and disappointed. I actually came to encourage you. But I am so surprised.” Even though government officials tried to gather people, they would never gather. The Adventist Church had tried evangelizing for over ten years, and the Protestant Church had tried to gather people to their church, but none of them succeeded. But here, all these people had given up listening to the radio or watching TV, they had put all that aside to attend this meeting. If they couldn’t come, they would at least send their spouses or parents. I had made a space large enough for fifty people, but about seventy people had come all squeezed in together to attend the meeting. They were sitting right up to the pulpit.

This regional leader was so surprised. “All you did was work with them in the fields, rice paddies, and carry the A-frame around. I wondered who would come to hear you, but I am so astonished.” So I told him not to worry, that I had received an answer from my Father before starting the meeting. And I sent him back home again. I never do things I’m not completely confident of.

When I planned to hold this meeting, I had a strategy to get people to come. First, you must sanctify yourself. So in that place where there was not a single adult church member, after the seminar, with the exception of two people, the remaining sixty-eight people had become confirmed members of the church. When I was planning the seminar, I did not go around telling people to come to church. There were only children and youth in my church so I told them, “If there’s any among you who are embarrassed or afraid to spread these leaflets, then you don’t have to do it. Just pray, search your hearts, and if you feel that you can, then just go around the neighborhood once together with me and pass the leaflets around.” We didn’t even go around twice, just once. Then I began the meeting and everyone came.

There was also this one man who used to go around beating people, spending so much money on medical bills for the people he had hit. But he came, and afterwards, he would go around spreading leaflets, saying, “You have to all come to church.” I’ve seen God use the strangest people to do His work. And later, after evangelizing to others, he himself wouldn’t come. The neighborhood was very small so after dinner, I would take a walk around the neighborhood. I greeted those I saw with that famous Korean greeting, “Did you have dinner?” That’s all I said, but they would reply, “Oh, I’ll go, I’ll go!” I didn’t even ask them to come to church, but they just said they would on their own. So all sixty-eight people became confirmed church members. In other words, whether young or old, at least one person from every family came to church. It became a Christian neighborhood. But after I left that area, they all separated and went their ways. But still there are people who followed since then that became leaders of the church.

People on this earth are not dying because there is no audible sermon; they are being destroyed because there is no visible sermon. Let’s not give audible sermons but be visible sermons. That’s why the only work the Lord accepts is the work which reflects His character.

In China or some Eastern countries, there is a deer that emits a certain fragrance through its belly button. When it walks by, its fragrance spreads four kilometers to the left and four kilometers to the right, for a distance of eight kilometers. So there is a saying that if you become like this deer, then even if you remain still, everyone would smell your fragrance. In other words, why do you stand at the head of the wind and spread awful odors? If we just live a life of Jesus and have His character, even if we live deep in the mountains, then people from far and wide would come wanting to listen to your words of eternal life. Why must people who do not even have Jesus’ character go around screaming to believe in Jesus? When I go around traveling, when I go to bus terminals or bridges, I see people who are evangelizing, saying, “Believe in Jesus!” And they give you pamphlets. “Take it! Take it!” They are so disrespectful. Whenever I see such people, I am so embarrassed, and I want to run away. What kind of God ever sent these kinds of evangelists? Which Jesus ever sent such evangelists as that? They are so disrespectful and have no manners. We must go out when God sends us out.

There is an insect called a “nanali bee” in Korean (sounds like “me, me” in Korean, so a “me me bee”). When we were young, the adults would tell us. “Hey kids, do you know how this “me me bee” bears young?” “We don’t know.” “You see, this ‘me me bee’ can’t have children. It has no waist. It’s just like a string so it can’t have children. So do you know what it does? Because it can’t have children, it catches a bug, ties it up, and keeps chanting to it, ‘me, me, me, me, look like me, look like me.’ Later, it really becomes a ‘me me bee’.” We totally believed that. That’s why whenever it caught a bug to eat it, we thought it was trying to have children.

The church is like that “me, me bee.” The person in front says “me, me, me, me, look at me, look at me, look like me, imitate me,” and everyone does. It’s written that the church can’t grow any more than its leader. That’s why Jesus said that those Jews who were preaching to the millions in the synagogue, made them more evil than when they first entered. The churches in the world today boast that their church has many members, that their organization is very large. But that makes God so angry. Once, a president of a theological university came and how I denounced him. I told him he was killing all those young people. His father also came who was an elder. As he saw his son with bent head listening to my reprimand, he muttered, “Oh, this doctor of theology is getting crushed, he’s being pounded.” His father was saying that. Is a diploma everything in church? They take such young people who are burning to do God’s work and have them study for four, seven years. They could have been regenerated ten times, a hundred times during such a period. They could be regenerated in a day, even in ten days so easily. Yet, those theology schools are killing all these young people who are burning to do God’s work. They give diplomas to those who don’t even know what regeneration is, and they go out to lead the whole world into ruins. You must realize that the bigger the church organization, the greater will be their judgment.

A long time ago, there was an elementary school teacher and he was teaching his students how to pronounce certain words. But there was something wrong with his lips and when he said “wind,” the sound came out as “vent.” So all the students were saying, “Vent, vent.” The teacher would say, “No, I meant ‘wind,’” but to the students it sounded like he was saying, “No, I meant ‘vent’.” So the teacher became frustrated and said, “Even though I may say ‘vent,’ you have to say ‘vent’ (wind)!” The teacher has to first say “wind” properly in order to teach his students how to say “wind.”

Look at the university professors of theology or the pastors of the church today, if they are like that, who can ever become regenerated and sanctified. They are rather killing all those young people who really want to do God’s works. When I look at all those pastors and evangelists in the world, it’s such a waste and my heart aches for them. If they truly learned from the theology school of heaven, the one established by Elijah and Elisha, like in the attic room in the time of Jesus, if such people as that were sent out, how many people would be saved in this world today? It is not God’s wish that even one soul should die. Just as they killed India, it is the Protestant Church that is killing the world. That is why Jesus said that in His Second Coming, just like in the time of Noah, there will be none to be saved among those Christians and all will perish.” Here, it is written, “Man may profess faith in the truth. They say they established two churches, ten churches. They built hospitals and held evangelical meetings. They may profess faith in the truth. But if it does not make them sincere, kind, patient, forbearing, holy, and heavenly-minded possessing God’s character, a curse will fall upon those who built such churches, hospitals, and schools. And their influence will bring curses upon the entire world. They will destroy the world. No one should go out to do any evangelizing before possessing the character of Jesus.

When Jesus comes again, He will say, “My time that I gave you was used abominably. You killed My people. You abominably used My money. All the tithes you took away, you stole from Me. Jesus will calculate and judge them for it. Do you think just anyone can use the tithe. Only those who work to transform God’s children and take them to heaven should use the tithe. But instead, those churches made people just like themselves and killed them all. It would have been much better if they had not been in any religion or did that kind of work, then their judgment would be far less severe. But because they killed everyone, they will receive a greater judgment and die. You must ask yourselves this hour if you were not like that. You should evangelize as the lily did. Jesus said, “Look at the lilies of the field.” There was a profound meaning in this. “Look at the lily.” We should think about it. This is how I interpreted the lilies. These lilies please God with their fragrance, the fragrance of its character and life. Is it true? This lily glorified God. It pleased God and made Him happy. Then how did this lily glorify and please God? It did not run about in boots trying to please God. No, it just remained in the place God put it in. And the fragrance of its life went far and wide. Then the bees and butterflies smelling its fragrance, came to the lily, saying, “The beautiful fragrance of your life led me here. That’s why I have come to you. Please teach me how I can also have this fragrance? Be my friend.” That’s when the lily says “Oh hello, welcome,” and it gives them its honey.

This is the way Jesus evangelized. He did not go around saying “Come out to church.” He didn’t say one word like that. Just by the fragrance of His life and character, that spread far and wide, even to faraway lands and foreign countries, were people led to Him. They would come to Him and they would see His beautiful life. When they met Him, He would give them the Word of God that was sweeter than honey. This is the kind of visible sermon we should give. If you would completely possess the character of Jesus, then those who have never even seen you, people in American or Germany, would say, “Oh, so-and-so from Korea, I heard he lives a holy life.” And just the thought of you would stop them from committing a sin that they were about to commit.

They would live holy lives due to your influence. That is the power of a holy character. But if you, being a pastor or a Christian, were to commit a sin, then others would sin even more, saying, “Oh, even a pastor did that, so why not me?” They would become more courageous to sin. Then that would be your fault, your responsibility. On the Day of Judgment, you will have to pay for that as well. Will you be those who sell a holy influence, or an evil influence? This would determine your fate, whether you are God’s child or not. You should be those who sell a holy influence. Are you the ones selling a holy influence or an evil one? This determines the fate of God’s work. I hope, like the lily and like Jesus, you will be those who sell a holy influence, to glorify and please our God by leading many to Him.

A Presbyterian Church pastor once came from Sangju City. We never invited him. Do you know how he came? He was a very busy pastor and only listened to this seminar for about two days, but he exclaimed that this place had the truth he had been seeking his whole lifetime. All his friends had churches in the big cities, they were rich with nice cars and made lots of money. But this pastor was in charge of a church in a small city. He even sold his own house to set up a church. His friends would tell him to come out of the country, why was he choosing to suffer like that, and promised to give him a big church in the big city. But he only replied, “No, I like living in this small town. The people here are my flock.” It was because he was such a beautiful person that he ended up coming here. After listening for a few days, he said “This is the truth I have been looking for my whole life.” And he came to my room, saying, “Teacher.” “What?” “I better convert now.” I said, “Pastor, what are you talking about? What do you mean convert? If you convert to here, what about your flock and your church, who’s going to lead them? Pastor when you go back, I hope that you will guide your flock.” When he went back, do you know what he said? “I believe this is the first time I heard such an incredible truth. The Teacher should have welcomed me when I said I would convert, but he didn’t. That’s the first time I heard someone say that as well.”

Truly there are no denominations for us to convert to. They’re all rotten. We must all convert ourselves to our Real Father. Do you know how this pastor came here? Across the street from his church was an Adventist Church, a Seventh Day Adventist Church. One time, the pastor of that Adventist Church took one of this Protestant pastor’s deaconesses to his church. So this pastor became angry and said, “There are so many non-believers in the world, why would you take a member of someone else’s church?” “That’s because we are the truth!” And so these two pastors became enemies. They were always fighting and arguing. But one time, this Adventist pastor disappeared for a while, and when he came back, he had such a happy face. He came back with the face of an angel. He said to this Protestant pastor, “You know, Pastor, I am really sorry. I really did a lot of wrongs. I will uphold you from now on. Please forgive me.” He had been such an evil man. This pastor never imagined that the Adventist pastor would apologize to him like that, he couldn’t believe it. He had gone somewhere and upon his return, he had come back a changed man. This Adventist pastor would give rice and fruits to the members of the Protestant Church who were going through hard times, telling them, “Please treat your pastor well.” This Sunday pastor was astonished and asked “What happened to you? Why are you so changed?” This Adventist pastor said, I went to a meeting at Elijah Gospel Missionary Institute in Kangwon Province. For ten days I learned about my Daddy’s love. I met the true God.

I realized what mistakes and wrongs I had committed against you. I’m so very sorry.” And so the heart of this Presbyterian pastor completely melted and he said, “Since you have changed, I must also go to this place.” And that’s how he came to the seminar. Shall we all say this together? “Character is power. Character guarantees our victory.” Character is power. I hope you will go out to save the world with this power. Do you know why this meeting continues to spread to the ends of the earth? It’s because people see the beautiful transformation in your lives.

Although there are so many false rumors spread by Satan, the fragrance of your lives and characters cannot be hidden and this work only continues. So whether you are a pastor or not, through your character, through your life, I hope you’ll glorify our Father and Jesus and guide everyone to Them. When Jesus’ disciples said they wanted to do God’s work “Lord, how can we do God’s work?” He looked at them and He did not tell them to prepare pamphlets or establish churches. Instead He looked at them and said, “God’s work is to believe in the Son whom He had sent.” Is this true? That is the only work that God accepts. No matter how many pastors are sent out from theological schools, all that does is bring a curse to the whole world. Even if you send out only a single pastor, if he has the image and character of God, then by that one person, God can use him as channel and instrument to save the whole world. So do not boast of great numbers. And do not be discouraged because you are small in number. I hope each one of you will go out bearing the image and character of Jesus, to be the ones who guide all people to God and Jesus, to save the whole world as the last angels.

Eternal Life Chapter 7 - Our Real Father Who Has Forgiven Us of Our Iniquity, Transgression, and Sin

Let’s open The Key to Happiness, Chapter 7. Do you now know how this world will end from listening to the last hour? Chapter 7, “Our Real Father Who Has Forgiven Us of Our Iniquity, Transgression,and Sin.” Let’s begin reading.

[The Lord passed before him and proclaimed. “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity.”] (Exo 34:6-7)

There was a certain man who belonged to the Nazis during World War II. Whenever we hear the word Nazis, we think of the countless number of people that were killed by them. There was one man who was a member of the Nazis after Germany fell, and he knew that if he was found and caught, he would be killed. So he decided to live underground. And do you know how long he lived underground? He lived underground for twenty-seven years. He was afraid to come out to the world because he thought that he would die if he was caught. So he lived underground for almost thirty years – that could be considered almost half a lifetime. If he went underground in his thirties, he would have been fifty-seven when he came out. If he was forty then he would be almost seventy when he came out. So almost half his lifetime was spent underground. And when he finally came out from living underground, he saw those who had been Nazis like him before. They had gotten married and had children. Some became owners of stores, or had their own companies, and they were living very happily. He did not know it would be like this, he just thought he would be dead if he was caught. And so he hid underground for almost thirty years. But there was no way to regain his lost time. It was due to his own ignorance. So he could only blame himself and live the rest of his life in regret.

But in this world, there is even a worse event going on. Many centuries and thousands of years ago, God, the King of the universe, said that He would forgive us of all our sins. He gave us a special letter of amnesty and told us to live freely. But the people on this earth do not know this, and so the clothes of a sinner that a grandfather wore was handed down to his children and they gave it to their children, and a son gave it to his son, and that son gave it to another son and so on. To this day they are still wearing those clothes and are committing sins though thousands of years have passed since then. And if you ask them, “You know, you have already been forgiven long ago. The King of the universe wrote a special letter of amnesty, so why are you still being a sinner?” They reply, “Oh, when did He do that? I didn’t know that.” They say that they didn’t know. And there are some people who hold this letter of amnesty but they don’t even know what it means and they are still wearing the clothes of a sinner and living the life of a sinner. Then, what is this letter of amnesty? Let’s read the top of page 89.

[The Lord passed before him, and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.”] (Exo 34:6-7)

What does this mean? It means, “I, the Lord, the King of the universe proclaim, [I am the Lord,] I am merciful, gracious, and longsuffering who hates to punish. And so I proclaim to all prisoners under heaven, enjoy your freedom and live happily and freely from now on since I have forgiven your [iniquity and transgression and sin.]

                It’s very simple. This was proclaimed many thousands of years ago. “Because I have forgiven you for all your sins, live freely in happiness as righteous people.” Yet people do not know this. Those who attend church nowadays are worse than those who don’t. People who attend church beat their chest and ask for forgiveness. Even people of the world do not cry over their sins, but Christians always cry over their sins.

Our Real Daddy gave us this letter of amnesty and forgiveness in the time of Moses and He told us to live freely, happily, and enjoy eternal life. Then what is iniquity, transgression, and sin? There isn’t anyone in this world who knows what iniquity, transgression, and sin are. Are they the same? No, they are all different.

Let’s see what iniquity is. Iniquity: [This is what sinful David sighed about when he said, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity.”] (Psa 51:5) This is what we are born with from our mother’s womb, our evil inclinations we are helpless to change. This is the source of our evil inclination which has been so strongly rooted in us throughout six thousand years, and we are helpless to be freed from it. It is the root of sin, beginning from Adam down through all generations. When a baby is born, it is already born with sin.

When you go to the countryside, there is an old tree. You can see the roots spread out above the ground and under the ground. Like those roots, it doesn’t matter who it is, once you’re caught in that sin, that iniquity, if that sin in your heart says, “Kill Jesus,” then you have to kill Jesus. We could not overcome this iniquity. That’s why the Bible says, [Can the Ethiopian change his skin and the leopard its spots?] (Jer 13:23) Can anyone change the color of their skin? Or can animals get rid of their spots? [Then, how can you do good if you are only accustomed to doing evil?] But our Real Father said that He would forgive us of our iniquity, that He would get rid of it all with His own hands.

                Now what is transgression? Transgression: this is like a sin committed not on purpose but by a momentary mistake by a converted soul who longs and strives to live according to the will of God (and makes accidental mistakes along the way). As the Apostle Paul said, “[O wretched man that I am!] [For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.]” (Rom 7:24, 7:19)

                We try to live a holy life in the sight of God but we make mistakes. Just like a taxi driver who drives very well but on a certain day, he accidentally hits someone because the road was slippery. And they say in the world that it was a transgression because it was involuntary. They call it “involuntary manslaughter.” We’ve experienced also that we want to live according to God’s will but we keep on making mistakes. Then does God say, “Ah, you sinned again!” and write it in a notebook? No. Instead He says, “I know you didn’t mean to do it. I understand.” Our Real Father forgives us and He does not condemn us. He is our Real Father. He is not a Father who will forsake us if we do just the smallest wrong and then condemn us for it.

Then what is the third evil? Sin: this is the worst evil out of the three, like that which David committed when he killed an innocent man, Uriah, under an elaborate plan to take Bathsheba as his wife. Just as I briefly explained to you yesterday, there was no man as righteous as Uriah. Though he was such a righteous man, in order to take his wife, David made up an elaborate plan to take Bathsheba and purposely killed him. Out of the three, this sin is actually planning to commit sin with your eyes wide open, doing it on purpose.

They say in the churches in the world that sinning against the Holy Spirit is what? Sinning knowingly. Then how can anyone be saved in this world? Can we be forgiven when we sin against the Holy Spirit? No. Is there any man that does not sin knowingly? Everyone sins knowingly so many times in their lives. So if no one can be forgiven, what will happen? We would all have to die. Those churches don’t even know what it means to sin against the Holy Spirit, so how can they be guides to heaven? Today, you will learn what it means to sin, to blaspheme against the Holy Spirit. David knowingly sinned, but was he forgiven or not? As we see that he was forgiven, sinning knowingly is not blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Let’s review them all now.

                Our iniquity is the root of sin that we were born with, so our Real Father has taken it with His hands, pulled it out, and gotten rid of it completely. Though we try to live holy lives, accidently we make mistakes and we sin. But He says that He understands. And even the sins which we do knowingly and purposely He forgives. Then are there any sins? No, that’s why He is our Real Daddy who forgives us of all our iniquity, transgression, and sin, and we can become completely righteous. We are forgiven of the garment of sin which we received from our ancestors when we were born, all the sins which we mistakenly committed, and even the sins which we purposely committed. That’s why He is our most wonderful Real Father. If we made a mistake and He said, “You committed a sin, didn’t you?!” and judged and threw us into hell, then He would not be our Real Father.

                So He forgave us already thousands of years ago in the time of Moses. He said, “Live happily. You are righteous.” And yet, in those churches even today, those people are filled with grief and pain, crying out with contorted faces, “Oh my sins, my sins!” And Daddy says, “How many sins do you really have that you are like that?” So our Real Daddy wants to clarify this with us.

                Let’s read Isaiah 1:18. [Come now, let us reason together.] Real Daddy says, “Come, come right here and let’s talk, let’s reason together. Let’s discuss this.” [Though your sins are like scarlet they should be as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.] (Isa 1:18) “How many sins do you have? A thousand or ten thousand? Is your garment red? Red like crimson, like scarlet? A color like scarlet?” If you boil a white cloth in scarlet water, it becomes scarlet. “Is it as red as scarlet which will not disappear? Is it red like crimson? Then I will make it white, white as snow. I will make it like wool. Just come to Me.” But instead of going to Him, people beat their chests. That’s why in the parable of the prodigal son, not returning to the Father was sin. Once the prodigal son returned to his father, his tattered clothes were taken off and replaced with new clothes. All of Jesus’ words will be fulfilled in these last days. All of you have come here to the very summit between Real Daddy and His children. Everything can be settled here. In this hour all the sins you committed in your life will be completely washed away.

                Let’s look at Isaiah 43:25. [I, even I am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake. And I will not remember your sins.] “I, your Real Father, am He who blots out your transgressions.” Only our Real Father, He is the only One, the only God in heaven and earth who can take away our sins. “I, even I am He, Your Real Daddy, who blots out all your sins for My Own sake. I forgive you for My sake. It’s not because you did anything righteous, it’s not because you fasted or prayed all night or tortured yourself doing penance.

No, I did not forgive you because of that. I am forgiving you for My Own sake, because I’m your Real Father who is filled with love and because of that love I’m forgiving you. I will not remember your sins anymore. So you also forget them, let’s both forget.”

                We are not forgiven by keeping the Sabbath, doing penance, fasting, or having an all-night prayer vigil. Even if we gave up our lives for our sins, they would not disappear. Those sins would not be taken away. He is our Real Daddy and He forgives us because of the love He has for us. It’s not because of anything we do, it’s not because we deserve it, or because we build churches that we are forgiven. Only when we receive and accept our Daddy’s love are we forgiven, and only then are we cleansed. “I, even I am He who blots out your transgressions for My Own sake and I will not remember your sins, so you also forget.” And He (pinky swears) locks fingers with us and promises this to us. Let’s all lock fingers with Him and accept this promise from our Real Daddy. If He promises that He will not remember, then you should believe Him.

One time there was a certain woman. She believed in Jesus for twenty-seven years and then she died. This woman was a Christian and when she was young, she had committed a certain sin which bothered her even until she became old. So every week she would pray, “Oh Lord, this sinner committed that sin, please forgive me. Amen.” Then the next year when the time for the prayer meeting came, it was as if God was saying to her, “You committed that sin that time, didn’t you?!” So it was as though God had never forgiven her and she could not forget that sin. So she prayed again, “Oh God, please forgive me of that sin. Amen.” Then at the next prayer meeting she would do the same again. She was like that for twenty-seven years. That Christian woman has no salvation. When you believe Real Daddy has forgiven you, then it is fulfilled. That’s why you are saved when you believe, not when you doubt His forgiveness. Those who doubt cannot be forgiven and they cannot be saved.

                During this hour, our Daddy says to us, “Because of Me, your Real Daddy, and My love for you, you are forgiven.” Will you accept this? All the sins you committed until you came here, to Elijah Gospel Missionary Institute, whether you are a pastor or not, whether you are a Christian or not, have all been forgiven. I hope you will forget all those sins. Our Real Daddy has already forgotten them all. Some of you, when you go back home, even though our Daddy says He has forgotten all your sins, will still say, “Ah, that sin.” But Daddy says, “I forgave you. Why do you keep saying things like that?” “Oh, but I keep thinking about that sin.” If you keep on doubting that love, then His promise can never be fulfilled. Since He has made this promise to you, please don’t ever forget this promise.

                Let’s look at Isaiah 44:22. [I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, and like a cloud, your sins. Return to Me, for I redeemed you.] “I have blotted out like a thick cloud your transgressions and like a cloud your sins. Return to me for I have redeemed you.”

                When we talk about thick clouds here, it is not a cloud that you see now outside. The clouds during the rainy season and during the monsoon season cover the sky so thickly, and nothing can penetrate them. It’s referring to a countless number of cloud formations, not just a few clouds that are drifting around. Are there any people here who have seen anything like that?

                Perhaps not, but He says that even if your sins are so thick, like clouds that could cover the whole sky, our Real Daddy can get rid of them all. Will you believe in His love? That’s why He is our Real Father.

So He says to us, “Are your sins like many clouds, like the fog? I will get rid of them all.” We are not talking about fog like we have here in Korea, but fog like they have in England. England is a land that is always covered in fog, and that’s why they always carry around umbrellas. Even though the cars have such strong headlights, the fog is so thick that they can’t see each other, and so they get into car accidents. “Are your sins like the fog in England that it covers everything? I have forgiven them all.” Are your sins like the clouds which cover the sky during the rainy season or like the fog in England? Then, in Isaiah 44:22, does He say I will blot out your sins? No, He says, “I have blotted out your sins.” He has already (it is in the past participle) done it, “Since I have already forgiven you, return to Me. I have given My Son, Jesus to you. You are forgiven.” If any sinner returns to our Real Daddy, they are forgiven. But those who do not return to our Real Daddy and only say, “Oh, I will be a philanthropist,” or “I will do this or that” will never be forgiven even if they fast and pray all night long. Our Real Daddy’s heart is wider than the heavens. So though it seems that our garment of sin can never be washed and may be as red as scarlet and red as crimson, and though our sins may fill the sky like the clouds during the monsoon season, they are all forgiven by our Real Father. Micah knew this love of our Real Daddy. Micah also used to beat his chest because of his sins.

                Let’s read Micah 7:18-19. [Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.]

                Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity]. Yes, there are many gods outside in the world. Yet, can Confucius, for example, forgive you of your sins? Can Mohammed or Buddha forgive you of your sins? There is no one who can forgive us of our sins. Only our Real Father can forgive our sins. That’s why I’m so grateful to Him.

                [Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgressions of the remnant of His heritage?] He just passes them over, as if He does not even see our transgressions. [He does not retain His anger forever because He delights in mercy.] He does this again as He has all throughout history. Even today [He will again have compassion] on us, and get rid of our iniquities, and take us to heaven. He [will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.]

                Are there any of you here who are farmers? You know, there are different kinds of farmers. In this world, there are many false gods, false churches, and false Jesuses. Satan made things which are so similar. They are imitations of each other. And so, there are fake believers, fake Jesuses, fake Gods, and fake spirits. There is even such a thing as a fake rice plant. When a rice paddy farmer plants rice, though he never planted this fake rice (a weed that looks identical to the rice plant), it too sprouts up. But the people from the city would never be able to tell the difference. It is only the farmer who knows the difference between this weed and the rice plant. Even though this weed grows so tall side by side the rice plant, the farmer knows it is fake. So he pulls them out, ties them together, puts them under water, and tramples on them deep into the ground. Isn’t that the end for that fake rice or what? Likewise, our Daddy takes our sins that we committed our whole lives, ties them up, and with His Almighty feet, He tramples on them and they are done away with. So do you have any sins or not? But even though He says you don’t, you still say, “Oh, but that sin!” So He says, “Ah...” and He pulls it out again from the ground, ties it even tighter, and He throws it deep into the ocean. So do you still have those sins now or not? Please do not remember your sins. He threw them deep into the ocean. And what is that deep ocean? It is not like that polluted Pacific Ocean, but is speaking of the ocean of the precious blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. And though you put the sins of the entire universe in that ocean, it could not fill it. Now that all your sins have been taken away, I hope you will live in happiness and joy.

                And so, Isaiah danced because he was so happy. Let’s read Isaiah 44:23. [Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it! Shout, you lower parts of the earth; break forth into singing, you mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! For the LORD has redeemed.]

                Isaiah carried around the burden of sin all his life. And finally he realized that our Real Daddy had forgiven him and thrown all of his sins into the ocean. So He said, [Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it! Shout, you lower parts of the earth; break forth into singing, you mountains, O forest, and every tree in it!] Why don’t you just yell? Why don’t you just shout? Why are you just sitting there? Isaiah was so happy. If he is happy, then that should be it. Why must he tell other people to shout and be happy? But that’s how happy he was. Our Real Daddy came and took away all the sins that he had carried his whole lifetime and threw them deep into the ocean, and that’s why he was so happy. “Sing, O heavens! My sins have disappeared! Shout louder you earth, you forest! Be happy with me!”

                In the past, I held this meeting in Kyung-sang Province. There was a deaconess who was fifty years old and had attended church all her life. She really tried hard to live righteously. But she carried the burdens of her sins around with her for her whole life. Then she attended the seminar and she realized that all her sins were taken away. She was so happy that she could not bear to keep her happiness inside and all she wanted to do was dance to express her joy. But people would call her crazy if they saw her dancing during the day, and yet she couldn’t help it, she just wanted to dance. So she went into the kitchen of a certain house and she closed the door and just started to dance around; she danced for a long time until she was satisfied. There was no other way to express the happiness in her heart.

                And then at another meeting, someone else said that she was so happy. She used to fast and pray all night long and yet her sins would not disappear. But now, she realized that her sins were all gone and she just wanted to dance in joy. She heard that a certain deaconess had danced in a kitchen, so she went into a kitchen and danced too, but she still didn’t feel satisfied. So she dowsed herself with cold water and then she felt better. Shall we all dance also? Micah’s dance, Isaiah’s dance, all these dances must be your dances today. This Bible must be fulfilled in your lives today so that it may be salvation for you.

Apostle Paul also danced. If you look at his background, there was no one who was as stringent about church denominations as he.

                He was exceptionally learned in the doctrines, whether science, philosophy, or religion, he was well-conversed in everything. His church was the golden Jerusalem built by the two kings, David and Solomon. It was the church descended from the blood of Abraham. He was so confident that his church was the true church. But suddenly one day, an “attic-room” group with no genealogy appeared out of nowhere, and they began to proclaim the love of God after having heard the message from a carpenter named Jesus. From that moment on, how he persecuted that nameless group.

                Then one day while on the way to Damascus, he met Jesus who said, “Paul, why are you persecuting My children? Why are you persecuting Me?” “Who are you?” Paul asked. “I am the Jesus that you have been persecuting up to now.” And Paul was shocked. That’s why from then on, he gave up his church and joined those in the attic room. And his fellow church members and friends called him crazy, beat him, and even left him for dead. But our Real Daddy revived him. That’s why Apostle Paul left that church after being chased out and joined those in the attic room. His name was taken out of the church record, but even though he was excommunicated, he danced this dance. Why? All of his iniquity, transgression, and sin were all forgiven and he was so happy. When he attended those churches, the burden of sin was always so heavy on his shoulders. When you leave this meeting and you go back to your church, you may be excommunicated and erased from the church records, but will you dance in happiness like this as well?

                Let’s read Romans 8:31. [What then shall we say to these things?] What, then, even if I am chased out of this church, what should I say? [If God is for us, who can be against us?] If the living God is for me, then who will fight against me? Verse 33, [Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect?] Who will bring a charge and say that God’s elect are sinners? [It is God who justifies.] “Who is he who dare condemn me?” “It is God who has forgiven me, so then who will condemn me?”

                Next, [For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created things shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.] (Rom 8:38-39)

Will you be able to proclaim this as well? It is our Real Father who has forgiven you of all your sins. Just because you die and are erased from the church records because the courts call you a sinner, does that make you a sinner? It is God who calls you righteous, so then who can condemn you? Will you now dance in joy?

                During the 16th Century, Satan had control of almost the entire world. He had almost completely swallowed the whole world through false religions. But there was one man, Martin Luther, who appeared. At that time, the Catholic Church made a law. They said that you must pay money to be atoned for your sins. That was one of their doctrines. So Luther wrote the ninety-five theses and declared, “How can there be such false teachings? We are saved by our faith in Jesus.” So the Catholic Church tried to get rid of this one priest, but God protected him. At that time, they used to kill people like killing flies, but they could not kill Martin Luther and he lived to be an old man. So Satan had almost swallowed up the whole earth except for Martin Luther. So he tried to tempt Luther with money, power, and fame, but because he would not surrender, later Satan threatened to kill him.

                However, though he had wanted to assassinate Luther, he could not, for Luther held onto God more firmly with hands of faith. “The Lord God is with me so what could anyone do to harm me?”

It says in the Bible that God’s word is fire. […the house of Jacob shall be a fire. But the house of Esau shall be stubble.] Luther was going to reform the whole world alone and so Satan didn’t know what to do. He could easily swallow the whole world if it wasn’t for that Martin Luther. But then he had an idea. He got a certain scroll from somewhere. And one night as Luther was in a deep sleep having been preaching and fighting false doctrines all day long, Satan came to his room. And with the scroll under his arm he went to Luther. “Luther! Hey, Luther!” Luther was so tired but someone kept trying to wake him up. “Luther! Luther!” “Who is it?” “Me, it’s me.” It was Satan. “What do you want?” “Get up! Let’s talk.” So Luther got up, wiped his tired eyes, and as he was sitting down in front of Satan, Satan rolled opened the scroll and it opened from one end of the room to the other. And as Luther looked at the scroll, on it was written all the sins which Luther had committed his whole lifetime with the exact date, time, and place they were committed.

                There are people who, before going to churches, used to go see spiritual mediums. And they really know your past well. Why? It’s because Satan has followed you all your life and made you sin. That’s why Satan knows all the sins you committed in the past, but he doesn’t know the future. Those spiritual mediums make predictions but they can’t be certain about the future.

                So Satan was holding onto the end of the scroll, but he did not open it completely. And he said to Luther, “When you were seventeen, didn’t you commit this sin?” And Luther remembered and said, “Yes, I did.” “When you were nineteen, you committed this sin, didn’t you?” “Yes, I did.” “You did this in May, didn’t you?” “Oh, I did.” “And you say that you are righteous and that you are going to reform religion?” And Martin Luther started to become discouraged. “And in July….” “Yes.” “And when you were twenty-one…” “Yes … yes … yes!” and he was in complete despair.

                Our Real Daddy saw that Luther was becoming discouraged and could not let Satan continue, so He said, “Luther!” “What, Father?” He had forgotten that God was always present with him; he was shocked. We should never forget that God is always with us. “Am I not right here with you? See how that devil is holding onto the end of the scroll? I want you to slap his hand away!” Luther did and the rest of the scroll opened up. And what was written at the end was, “ALL THESE SINS I HAVE WASHED AWAY WITH THE BLOOD OF MY SON, JESUS CHRIST.”

Have you been deceived up to now like Martin Luther was? Please do not be deceived ever again. “Are your sins like the fog, or like the clouds during the rainy season? Since I have gotten rid of them all, return to Me.”

                I was born in Choong-chong Province. The people of Choong-chong are given very good jobs because they are considered to be very down-to-earth and hardworking people. One time, a certain young man who was new in our neighborhood had very little money and was given a job as a taxi driver. It was common practice for the taxi drivers to be dishonest and keep some of the money they made for themselves instead of giving it all to the owner of the taxi. But this young man was very honest and gave one hundred percent of the money he made to the owner. The owner knew this so he was really fond of him.

                But one day, he got into an accident. And because he did not have money to pay for repairing the car, he ran away into the mountains. He starved for many days and became so sick and weak that he decided to return to town. When the people in the community saw him, they asked him, “Where were you? Why did you run away? Didn’t you know that the car was insured?”

                You are like that young man. Our Real Daddy has already paid the insurance for all of your sins, so why do you run away and starve and make yourselves sick like that?

On page 88, it reads, [He will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity.] Here, this is referring to the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Since all of our iniquity, transgression, and sin are forgiven, we thought there was no other sin. But there is a sin which can never be forgiven. That is the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

       C      onfucius, who was once referred to as the Saint of the East, classified all evils committed by men into three thousand sins. But he said that the greatest sin among the three thousand is the sin against your parents – the sin of not being filial to your parents. That is really the truth. The first to the fourth Commandments are about how to honor God and the fifth to the tenth Commandments are about how to honor others. The very first Commandment concerning our fellow man has to do with how we should treat our parents – it says to honor your parents. That’s why Confucius said that the greatest sin is dishonoring your parents. Confucius was a saint. He was truly a very precious man. He was a son of God. Confucius said that there were three thousand types of sins, so once during a meeting I asked the congregation, “How many different sins do you think we have committed?” One elder said, “Thirty thousand.” Another said, “Three hundred thousand or probably more.”

                Every sin that we committed, every hurtful word we said, the bad things we watched, our evil thoughts and plans, will all be seen clearly on the Day of Judgment. Others may not know it, your husband, your wife, your children may not know, but on that day, everything will be made clear. All your hidden motives, beliefs, and thoughts, and all your envy, jealousy, and hatred will all be seen clearly. Maybe there will be more than just three hundred thousand sins. So Confucius said that there were three thousand, some elder said thirty thousand, and someone else said three hundred thousand. But let’s see what our Real Father says. Only His words can be trusted. Then, how many sins are there? Let’s listen to what He says.

Jeremiah 2:13. [My people have committed two evils, they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water.] So how many sins does it say that His children have committed? Two or twenty? It’s not thirty thousand or three hundred thousand, but two. So there are only two sins which cannot be forgiven. Don’t you feel less burdened now? When we return to Real Daddy, we become such happy beings.

                So what is the first sin? [They have forsaken Me the fountain of living water.] “You have forsaken Me, the source of living waters.” Leaving our Real Daddy, the source of the living water, the Holy Spirit, is the first sin. Second, after we leave Him, we are thirsty, bereft of the water of life. So we go around with broken cisterns and scrape at those broken cisterns. We should return to our Real Daddy to receive the water which will get rid of our spiritual thirst, but instead, we go out dancing and drinking and gambling, and we try to make money and earn a high position and fame. But the only thing that will satisfy the thirst in our souls is returning to our Real Daddy. So the first sin is leaving our Real Daddy. And the second sin is also leaving our Real Daddy. So in fact, there is only one sin. And the one sin which cannot be forgiven is leaving our Real Daddy.

                Let’s read Matthew 12:31-32. [Therefore I say unto you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks the word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.]

                So what is the sin and blasphemy against the Holy Spirit? It is leaving the heavenly Father, who is the source of the water of the Spirit. It is not leaving Jesus but leaving the heavenly Father. Why did man become like this? Man became like this because Adam and Eve left the heavenly Father. That is why Jesus came as the Intercessor – to join us back to our heavenly Father. That is why the original sin, the sin which can never be forgiven, is leaving the Father. Those who commit that sin cannot be forgiven in this world or in the world to come. Does it seem as if God chases after those who leave Him to kill them? We must admit, it does seem that way. So since it seems that way, who can ever say that God is a God of love? Who could say that? He seems to be a God who kills people whenever they try to leave Him. That’s why, only when the author of the Bible comes and teaches you can you understand it. Even if all the doctors of theology came and gathered together, they could not even teach you Genesis 1:1. Wait and see. I will show you the true meaning of Genesis 1:1.

                What is the sin against the Holy Spirit? Leaving Jesus? It is leaving the Father. Can those who commit that sin be forgiven? They cannot be forgiven even in ages to come. Yet it seems as if God chases after those who leave Him in order to kill them. There’s no way to understand this Bible. Let me explain again. (Teacher draws a picture on the chalkboard)

                Here you have this bare-handed person. He is the son. And here is his Father crying out to him to return. The Father is running after His son and has something in both of His hands. What is it that He’s holding? Because this son had left the Father, he is all dirty and smelly. So in order to cleanse him and bathe him, He has brought the precious blood of His Son Jesus. And in the other hand, because the son is hungry and thirsty, He is carrying the water of the Holy Spirit to feed him.

                We must go to the Father to receive the Holy Spirit and the water of life. If we leave the heavenly Father, we have nothing. The blood of the Son is in our Father. That’s why Jesus said, “There is another Helper and My Father has sent Him to you.” And that’s why the Holy Spirit is a gift from our Real Father. If we leave our Real Father, how can we receive the Holy Spirit? So the heavenly Father is running after His son, crying for His son to return. But the son has run away for sixty, seventy years, his whole lifetime.

“I don’t need You. I need Jesus.” That’s why the people in the world say, “Why do I need the heavenly Father? I only need Jesus.” And they were stubborn their whole lives. So finally, where do they end up? They end up in a tomb – in the grave. So now this son is dead. Can he be forgiven? Can he drink the water of life? So the Father sees that His son is dead and turns away in anguish. The whole universe can be immersed into the ocean of the blood of the Son, Jesus Christ, and that’s why any sin can be forgiven. But the reason why sinners are not forgiven is not because our Father does not forgive them; it’s because they do not want to be forgiven and they run away. So in the end, there is not even one sin which our Real Father cannot forgive us of.

                Do you know why we are still alive? Let’s not be stubborn but return to our Real Father. Why should those pastors who have been deceived by their churches up to now stay with those churches? Is it because of a paycheck? Our Real Daddy will feed you and clothe you. There are many who come and find happiness meeting our Real Daddy. They should remain with our Daddy and proclaim this Gospel while living a holy life. But there aren’t many pastors who do that. Why? They want their paycheck. I didn’t know that a paycheck was that powerful. Soon, no matter how much money they make, the time will come when they will not be able to buy even one grain of rice. At that time, when there is nothing to eat, only the Elijahs whom our Real Daddy will personally feed will remain alive. Let’s not be ensnared by money, but let’s be the ones who will refreshen our Real Daddy’s heart.

                Before our Real Father, whose love is wider and greater than the heavens, and before our Brother Jesus, whose precious blood is wider than the Pacific Ocean, there is no sinner – regardless of how many sins he has committed – who will not be pardoned and forgiven. Not one. The only way to not receive His pardon and forgiveness is by that sinner’s choice to forsake our Real Father’s love and Jesus’ precious blood, and to choose to take the path of destruction. It is the consequence of his decision. [He will by no means clear the guilty, but visit….] By his own choice he has turned away from our Real Daddy and that’s why he cannot be forgiven. So while you’re alive, while you are still in this world today, I hope that all of you will return to our Real Daddy and be embraced by Him. I hope that you will never beat your chest because of your sins like that deaconess, but like Paul, Isaiah, and Micah, be happy and dance all the way to heaven.