HONOR YOUR PARENTS

Thank you very much. The title of this hour is “Honor your parents.” Exo. 20:12.

Reader: Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.

Speaker: This is the first commandment given to man. This commandment is also a condition for entering heaven. This is also a condition of our salvation, honor your parents. He said, “Love your neighbors” but as for our parents what did He say? “Honor your parents.” Not merely love but honor your parents. In other words honor your parents as if gods, then your days will be long upon the land that I will give to you. In the new heaven, your days will be long. In other words, if you honor your parents as if gods then you will live in heaven. “If you honor your parents I will let you live in heaven forever. If you don’t, I will not give you eternal life.” So, this is a condition for eternal life. 1 Tim. 5:4.

Reader: But if any widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show piety at home and to repay their parents; for this is good and acceptable before God.

Speaker: If anybody has children, let them learn to honor their parents at home first, for this is acceptable to God. If you have children, does God say to let them go out and do missionary work? No, let them honor their parents, let them learn to honor their parents at home first for this is acceptable to God. He did not tell us to let them go out and do missionary work first. Why are we supposed to honor our parents like God? 

Reader: Parents are entitled to a degree of love and respect which is due to no other person. God Himself, who has placed upon them a responsibility for the soul committed to their charge has ordained that during the earlier years of life, parents shall stand in the place of God to their children. And he who rejects the rightful authority of his parents is rejecting the authority of God.

Speaker: Yes, parents are entitled to a degree of love and respect, which is due to no other person. In other words, parents have the right to receive the greatest homage from their children than anybody else. However people today honor and respect the servants of God and presidents. Parents must receive the greatest homage from children not pastors or presidents. God himself who had placed upon them the responsibility for the souls committed to their child has ordained that during the earlier years of life, parents shall stand in the place of God to their children. Parents shall stand where? Parents shall stand in the place of God to their children. In other words, parents are visible gods or God’s representatives. Who is our Real Father? God. But in our Real Father’s place, who raised us? Our parents raised us. So when we were born on this earth we met the first representatives of God, our parents. So God placed our parents in His place. So those who reject, refuse to give a homage to our parents are rejecting, or refusing to give homage to our Father. Those children, no matter what they do in the world, they will end up being destroyed. Proverbs 30:17.

Reader: The eye that mocks his father, and scorns obedience to his mother, the ravens of the valley will pick it out, and the young eagles will eat it.

Speaker: Yes, those who refuse to obey and honor their parents, those who reject and mock their parents, their eyes shall be picked out by ravens, and young eagles will eat them up. If eagles and ravens in the valley will eat up a person’s eyes, it means that the person must be dead. In other words, those who dishonor their parents, those who scorn their parents will surely be destroyed. That is why he said, “Honor your parents then, I will give you eternal life. If you don’t, I will not give you eternal life.” Those who do not honor their visible gods, how can they honor invisible God? We must honor our visible gods first. We must be able to honor our parents. They are the first representatives of our Father. Without them how could you have been born on this earth. So we must honor them more than president or pastors. In oriental and Russian countries, people who honor their parents in a true sense, with their whole heart were all saved.

During the dynasty of Yo En Tsun in Chinese history, they received greatest blessing from heaven. Because the king is honorable son to his parents the whole country received blessing. When he was a child, his mother died so his father married another woman. Eventually, his father’s love for him became colder and colder. When his mother was alive his father loved him so much, but when the new mother came in, his father’s love for him changed. Then his father began to hate him like his step mother. Because the step mother wanted to give the inheritance to her real child, she hated him so much and tried to kill him. His father also did the same.

One day, his father told him to fix the roof of the barn but the straw roof of the barn was alright. His father did not have to tell him to replace it because it was still new. He already knew that his father was going to kill him. So knowing that his father was going to kill him, he just went up the roof of the barn and tried working up there. Suddenly, his mother and father came out and started kindling fire on the roof in every side of the roof. So he scarcely jumped down and he was not burned to death.

Many days passed by, his father told him to dig a well in front of their house. Right next to their house was a very nice well but his father was telling him to dig a well for nothing. Now, he knew and he was aware that his father was going to bury him on the ground. Knowing his Father’s scheme he obeyed and started digging the ground. When his father was not watching, he dug the ground side ways and when he was watching he dug it downward. When it was pretty deep, his father and mother suddenly came out and began to pour soil on him and began to bury him. So he scarcely escaped into the side wall and crying bitterly he remembered his dead mother. After an hour he came out of the well wiping out all the fluid from his body. When his father saw him, he shouted, “Oh, how come he is still alive?” Truly honorable children are protected by God. So he was not destroyed and he became the king of China, the most benevolent king in history. That is why the God of heaven poured so much blessing on him when he was on the throne.

So, honorable children are protected by God. Although they do not know God or Jesus, those who honor their parents are given eternal life because it is the first commandment given to man. He said, “Honor your parents then I will give you eternal life.”  He did not say, “Honor the servant of God, honor presidents, honor somebody else.” He said, “Honor your parents, then I will give you eternal life.” So even though, they did not know about God or Jesus, as they honored their parents with their whole hearts they obtained salvation. In other words, those who obey the first commandment given to man, they received eternal life.

In old times, there was a person called Song Seun. He was extremely poor. He worked hard as a servant in the neighbors’ farm. As he earned money, he bought food and gave it to his old mother. He had a little son, but the old mother always took the food and gave it to his son. So he kept saying to his mother,

“Mom, please don’t give the food to him.” She said,

“No, I love him so much. He is so good, I want to give the food to him.”

She had no food at all. That was the only food she had but she kept giving it to his son. So he said to his wife, “Once we lose our mother, we won’t be able to have another mother, but if we lose our child, we can have another child. Since our baby takes all the food from our mother, let us just kill our baby.” Because his wife was so good and she honored his parents, she agreed.

So one day he and his wife took the baby to the deep mountain to bury him. As he started digging the ground, there was a very strange sound coming underneath. As he continued to dig the ground, there came out a huge stony bell, a big stony bell. The God of heaven was moved by their beautiful heart. Song Seun said to his wife, “Ah, this bell was given to us by heaven. It is not the will of heaven for us to bury our baby.”

In old times, our ancestors who lived so holy lives were easily touched by the Holy Spirit. Spiritually enlightened, they were easily touched by the spirit of God. So in old times our ancestors used to teach these four Chinese characters. These four Chinese characters are the very ten commandments. Honor God and love people. They used to teach all their children and all people these four Chinese characters.

The ten commandments tell us to love God and love our neighbors. So our ancestors were those who kept the ten commandments even though they did not know God or Jesus. Those who obeyed these four characters, they obeyed God’s commandments. They also obeyed the voice and the commandments through the nature Bible. Our ancestors were so beautiful people.

He said to his wife, “This is not the will of heaven that we bury our baby.” So they just carried the baby down back home with the stony bell. Then he hung the bell under the roof and he started ringing it. The sound was so beautiful and it even echoed to the palace. So the king asked people about the beautiful sound and later he heard the story about this person and how he got the stony bell. The king was so happy and pleased with him. He said, “Ah, how come in my days, there is such a beautiful person like him in my country? Ah, in old times there was a person who was going to bury his son also for his mother and heaven gave him a golden bell. Now in my days there is living the same kind of person.” The king was so happy that he granted him fifty sacks of rice every year so that he may honor his mother without having to work as a farm servant anymore. It was the grant it was the gift not merely from the king but from heaven, our Father.

During the Shilo Dynasty, there was a person called Sang-dok. There was a very severe famine and people had nothing to eat. His old mother was about to die of hunger so he went to the back of his house and cut the midst of his thigh and cooked it for his mother. Later, the king heard the story of this person and he was greatly moved by this person’s beautiful heart for his mother. So, the king built a huge house for him and gave him great gifts.

There was also a person called Tosi in a different time period. Because he was also so extremely poor, he used to make charcoal in the mountain. He used to sell it to make money in the market. If he only made money he would buy food for his mother. One day after selling all his charcoal, making money, he bought a fish from the market to cook it for his mother. On his way back home, all of a sudden a big bird came down and took his fish away. So he cried out, “Oh, my fish! My fish!” But the bird already took it away. If he had any remaining money, he could buy again, but he had no more money. He became so distressed, “Oh, I bought that fish for my mother, how come that pitiless bird took it away?” He was crying all the way back home. Our Father who commanded a raven to give food to Elijah also commanded this bird, “Hey, you my bird! Do you know whose fish that is? It is the fish of my beloved child, don’t touch it. Just drop it. Why don’t you drop it infront of his house. Our Father who commanded the raven to carry food for Elijah also commanded the bird to drop it infront of his house. As he came back home crying all the way, he found the fish he lost infront of his house. The fish was not touched at all. This kind of people who loved their parents so much, do you think our Father will not take them to heaven?

Now clergymen in the world, many clergymen in the world cast out their own parents. Of course they don’t say it directly but their parents just come out saying, “Oh, I cannot live with my son.” Those children, no matter how great works they do for God, they will never receive eternal life. We must serve and honor our visual gods first, before we learn to serve our invisible God. These are the steps to go to heaven.

There was also a person (my mother said, that he is our grand, grand grandfather. Five generations ago.) who was so honorable son to his mother. My grandmother told me that his mother probably had a leprosy. Even though he bought all kinds of drugs and good remedies for her, all the remedies had no effect at all. She was not cured at all. Then somebody informed him saying, “Your mother can be cured only when she eats human flesh. Only when you give a baby’s flesh to her, she will be cured.” So he quickly came to his wife and said, “That person said that if we cook a baby and give to our mother, she will be cured.” It was when his baby was just 6 or 7 years old. He was attending a home school in the village. Then he said to his wife,

“Once we lose our mother, we will never be able to have a mother again, but once we lose our baby we can have a baby again.”

She said, “Let us do that, we can have another baby after him.” If she had been like people today, she might have screamed at her husband saying, “What are you talking about? Are you crazy? She is old, when she dies, that’s it, but how can we kill our baby.” But he and his wife were so beautiful people.

So when his son was about to come back from school, he went out. As he went out, his son was coming back from school with a book under his arms walking toward him saying, “Hi Dad, how come you came out today here?”

“Oh, I just came out to see you. Why don’t you come up on my back?”

Now he was taking his baby back home on his back. It was his last moment of talking with his baby. Think about the father’s heart. This is the last moment of being with his child. He asked again, “How come you came out today, Dad?”

“Oh, I just came out to see you.” When he was coming back home, his wife was boiling water in a big kettle. Then he came to the kitchen and gave motion to his wife to open the kettle. Then he threw his baby into the kettle and they just continue making fire without saying anything. After losing their baby, they could not say anything. Although they honor their parent so much with their whole heart, they had nothing to say.

A while later, when they had to open the kettle to take the body out, suddenly his son was coming in. Scared and amazed, they asked, “Who are you?” His son came in and said, “Oh, I was a little bit late today.” So they quickly opened the kettle, and inside the kettle was floating a big ginseng. Do you know who gave the ginseng to them? The God of heaven was moved by their beautiful heart toward their parent. How could our Father allow them to kill their son? Because of honoring their parents with their whole heart, the God of heaven loved them so much. Our Father prepared a sheep for Abraham when he was about to kill his son in obedience to God’s word. Our Father was so much pleased with him, so he prepared a sheep for him. Likewise our Father prepared ginseng in the big kettle. Do you think our Father would not take to heaven those kinds of people? He will surely take them to heaven even though they do not know Jesus. If you go to heaven, you will meet those kinds of people. He even commanded the bird not to touch the fish but drop it at its owner’s house. Our Father loves them so much and how can He not take them to heaven.

Once there was a person called Toshi. His mother was very sick and she was on the verge of death. She could not eat anything, but one day she said, “Ah! I would like to eat persimmon. I want to eat persimmon.” Winter was approaching that time. When she could not drink and eat anything and on the verge of death, she was saying, “O, I want to eat persimmon.” It was her last wish so he said, “Alright Mom, don’t worry.”

These days, people can store persimmon for a long time because they know how to store them. They can store persimmon, even lots of them but in old times, people didn’t know how to store persimmon because they didn’t have any machine to store those ripe persimmon.

To satisfy his mother’s last wish, he began to search persimmon on every persimmon tree to find out even a single persimmon, but there was nothing. Even if there were persimmons, how could they have remained there. All the squirrels and animals would have taken it away. There could be no persimmon remaining there. So he became so distressed. “Ah! Probably I cannot give persimmon to my Mom.” When the sun was about to go down, he saw a tiger coming down from the mountain.

Just as Elijah and ravens became friends with each other, and just as Daniel became friends with the lions, those who obey God’s word are not scared of animals. God said, that He can even make animals our friends.

Since he saw the tiger he must run away but the tiger seemed a lovely dog coming to him very gently. Then the tiger motioned him to ride on his back. So, he just rode on his back, and the tiger started running. It was when the sun already went down. The tiger brought him many miles and had let him off infront of a huge, big house. As he knocked the gate, the owner came out. If he would explain to him that he had come there by a tiger, he would be scared so, he did not say anything. So he said,

“May I stay one night in your house?”

He said, “Ah, yes, please come in.”

Since that place was a country, people had so beautiful heart. People in the cities would never accept those kinds of stranger. Because it was a country, people’s heart is so beautiful and so kind. So the person said, “Ah! Alright please come in and stay one night here.” In the country, there was a custom that on their parents’ funeral day, they spread a table and everybody in the house eats altogether. When he was sleeping, the owner woke him up and said, “Ah! Today is my dead parents’ funeral day. Why Don’t you come out and eat together with me?” As he went out to the table, O, there were persimmons. So he shouted,

“Oh, persimmons! These are persimmons!”

“How come you’re so surprised?”

Then, he told him the story how he came there. He told him that he came there by riding on a tiger. The owner also said,

“Now, I see!”

“What do you mean?” 

“Ah! Every year I try to store persimmon for my parents’ funeral day. However, every year even though I stored lots of them, there remained only six or seven of them. But this year, even over fifty of them stayed alright without rotting. I could not understand the reason, but now I see that the God of heaven gave this for you not for me. You can take these all with you and give to your mother.”

Do you think our Father will not take to heaven those kinds of people whom He loves so much? Our Father who commanded the lion to take care of Daniel, sent also the tiger for him. Even if one does not know Jesus, if he honors his parents, with all his heart, he will go to heaven. In old times they did not know Jesus, but those who obeyed God’s word like that were saved.

However, even clergymen today who believe in Jesus so faithfully, they do not and many people today do not honor their parents. So no matter what they do, they will never go to heaven.

So, as he saw the persimmon, he could not stay in that house any longer. He quickly went out because he is thinking of his mother. As he came out from the house, the tiger came to him again. It was waiting for him and motioned to him again to ride on him. As he rode on his back, he again brought him to his home and he just went up to the mountain saying good-bye.

If we honor our visible gods with all our heart like that, we can receive so great blessings from our Father. So our Father who commanded the ravens or lions like that, will also protect his children.

In old times, I once read the newspaper. A ship wrecked in the Pacific Ocean, so all the passengers were drowned to death except for one who remained alive. All of a sudden a big turtle came and carried him to the land. Later, it was found that he was a person who honored his parents with all his heart.

Our Father is the same today, yesterday and forever. Those who dishonor their parents cannot be saved. No matter how ignorant your parents maybe, no matter how uneducated your parents maybe, even if they cannot read or write anything, they are visible gods. God declared that they are gods.

There was a very dishonorable son. He was living with his widowed mother since childhood. Because he was her only son, she loves him so much. Whatever good things she had she always gave to him. “Ah, you must eat this, you must have this.” This is the fallacy of the children’s education. You should not do like that to your children.

In my case, if any neighbor brings food or things like that to my house, any cake or something like that, then I taught my children to give the best thing to their parents, to me and to my wife and let them eat only the remains. If they are given the best things from their childhood, they regard the parents as nothing. So, we must teach them like that.

But this widowed mother brought up her child like that. Anything good, all the food, the best fruits she always gave him and she always ate rotten foods. So when he grew big, he always despised his mother and regarded her as nothing. She was so distressed and was so hurt, “I love you so much how come you regard me like this?”

She was working so hard in the neighbor’s farm earning money little by little and bought a small land, but the son without talking to her mother, sold the land and just left home to make money in Seoul. He just left his mother at home without caring whether his mother would starve to death. No matter what would happen to her he did not care. Even though his mother begged him not to go, he did not care. He just left home, leaving her at home. He did not care whether she would starve to death. And she begged him not to go saying, “It’s alright. It’s alright that you sold the land but please do not go away.” But he just kicked her away and he just went on his way. So she came back into her room, the room was so cold. She just fell to the floor and she burst into crying by herself.

Now, the son went to Seoul to start a business. But no matter he tried in different businesses, he always failed. He tried and tried again but he failed. He eventually spent all the money. He used all his money and only a few pennies are in his pocket. He said to himself, “Ah, what a terrible luck! Oh, what an unlucky person I am. Probably I have no where to go but to a fortune teller. I will go to a fortune teller and ask him what is going to be my future.”  So he went to a fortune teller. The fortune teller said,

“Ah, you failed in all your businesses. There is only one way for you to succeed. You must locate a Buddha wearing shoes backward and serve him with all your heart. Then you will succeed whatever you do.”

“Alright, from now on, I am going to search for Buddha wearing shoes backward.”

So he went to all Buddhist temples on this mountain to that mountain. How can there be any Buddha wearing shoes backwards? Even the Buddhists always laughed at him. So, he was always rejected by all those Buddhists. From this mountain to that mountain, he traveled so much. Now, his feet became all blistered, and he was so distressed. He could not find the Buddha wearing shoes backwards. He said to himself, “Ah, If I could only find the Buddha wearing shoes backwards, I am going to serve him and honor him with all my heart and I will succeed in all things, but I cannot find him. What an unlucky person I am.” Now, he had nowhere to go, nobody would feed him. His clothes had worn out. Now, he had no where to go except to his mother he had left many years ago. So, starving many days, he walked on foot toward his home.

One night, he eventually arrived home and he knocked at the door, “Mom, mom, I came.” The mother, ever since her son left home, she always went to the farm and worked hard to buy food. Then she always kept the food warm in the kitchen every day, expecting him to come back. She had been waiting for him every day. So when he came back home and called his mother, she suddenly came out and said, “Oh, my son, you came back! Oh, now you came back!” She was running quickly into the kitchen to prepare food because he was so hungry. When he looked at his mother running into the kitchen, he saw her wearing shoes backward. Then he realized, “Ah, the Buddha wearing shoes backward is my mother. Oh, I was so dishonorable son.” He repented, and he began to pour tears in contrition. Then he began to serve his mother like Buddha. He served his mother just like Buddha from then on. Everything good he had, he gave to his mother and he ate only bad things. Everything delicious, he gave to his mother and he ate only bad things. From then on, heaven began to pour blessings on him. Short time later, he became extremely rich person and married a good wife and live happily with his mother.

I hope you do not make effort to serve servants of God or great man in the world but serve you parents first at home. So there is a saying that if children honor their parents, the parents are so happy and whatever they do, they prosper.

As I went to the prison once, there was even a person who killed his mother. He was about forty years old. He always beat up his mother and the mother could not stay with him at home together. So the mother tried to run away from her son but this son ran after his mother and beat her up and she died. If that kind of person comes into prison, even the prisoners must beat him up again. Probably, they have a little conscience also. They also beat that kind of prisoners. So I said to him, “How come you could do that?” I even saw that kind of person that’s why the world must be destroyed now. How can that kind of person succeed in anything in the world? Even if they succeed they will end up being destroyed. Do you think just to fill our mouth and belly is a blessing? True blessing is eternal life.

Once there was a very dishonorable son. He also had a son and he had an old mother. One day, this dishonorable person said to his son, “Hey, my boy, why don’t you take your grandmother to a deep mountain and just throw her away?” In old times, there was a custom like that, throwing away their old mother. That time, children must obey their parents strictly. So the son could not say no. He just said, “Yes, father.” So he was carrying his grandmother into the mountain but this grandson and grandmother loved each other. Everything good, she always gave to her grandson. Although she was not loved by her son, she loved her grandson. As this boy looked at his grandmother, she was so pitiful, he could not throw her away. So he made a scheme for his grandmother. Deep in the mountain, he said to his grandmother, “Ah, grandma, just stay here for awhile. I’ll be back to take you down.” So he came down back home. His father was smoking on the floor and said,

“Did you throw her away?”

“Yes, I did.” Then Infront of him, he started hanging the A-frame carrier so carefully on which he carried his grandmother.

His father said, “Why didn’t you throw away that A-frame carrier also? It is all worn out.”

He said, “No, I have to keep this A-frame carrier safely.” “What if you get old? When you get old I have to throw you also with this A-frame carrier.”

So his father became so scared and said, “Hey, my son. Please go and get your grandmother right away.”

No matter how old one may be, one who dishonors his parents is so stupid.

In old times, there was a widowed mother had a son. This son despised his mother so much but he was always hugging and kissing his baby. So the old mother said to him, “How come you despise and mistreat me everyday but you kiss and hug your baby everyday? So this old mother said to her son,

“Hey, do you love your baby so much?”

“Of course, I love him so much.”

“I also loved you so much when you were a baby.”

“Hey, not at all.”

Stupid children are just like that. So even if their children defecate and always make noise and caused troubles, they always eat at the same table together. However, even though they have only one parent, if their parents are not descent or clean they always let them stay aside. That’s why they are sons of vipers. They don’t appreciate their parent’s love. There are many people who are like serpents, who do not appreciate their parents. Loving their children, they despise their parents, even in the Christian world. These days, the Christian world and the secular world are the same. There is no difference.

In times of Jesus, the Jewish leaders, even priests, if they are told to honor their parents, they said, “Ah, I donated everything I committed everything to God so I have nothing to honor my parents with.” God is God and parents are parents. So if we try to measure our parents love for us, it is as high as the heavens. Do you now believe that our Father loved all those people who honored their parents, even though they did not know Jesus? They all will go to heaven even though they didn’t know Jesus.

Now, let me introduce the honorable children in the Bible. So we should try to believe in Jesus well. We must first honor our parents, visible gods first. That’s how we can be saved.

First, Moses. Moses was an honorable son to his parents. You know when he was taken to Egyptian palace when he was twelve? He was brought up by his mother until twelve years old. Until twelve years of age, his mother implored him, “If you go to Egyptian palace, you should not be attracted by those worldly things in Egypt. Even if there are many beautiful girls in the Egyptian palace, you must not marry them. You are a son of God, you must keep yourself clean. You must not be defiled by them.”  This little baby boy Moses always said, “Ah, Yes, mom. Yes, mom. I want to obey you.” Because he tried to obey his mother’s word, even though he lived in Egypt’s palace until forty years of age, he was not affected by anything in Egypt. If he would only bow down and compromise with the evil of Egyptian religion, he could have become the king of Egypt. But he never compromised with any evil and he never gave his heart to the girls in Egypt. Although there came many love letters every day, he never gave his heart to them. It was because he decided to obey his parents’ words, he became like that. Because he had a heart to honor his parents, he could keep himself so clean. His resolution was not changed at all. I really honor Moses.

Do you know the video tapes about Moses, they are all lies. Never watch them. Because those carnal and lascivious people made those tapes, that’s why they represent Moses just like themselves. The tapes show that Moses kissed the girls there but Moses was not like that. He was a righteous person just like a pine tree. Never watch those video tapes made by those secular people in the world.

Once I watched the video tape about Pastor Choogi Chur in Korean history, that’s the only one I found to be alright. Every time the video tapes come to my place, I always investigate them first. As I watch Pastor Choogi Chur tapes it was alright. It was good but any kind of tapes any kind of books written by those immoral people, you should not watch them. There are lots of killing, lots of murder, and things like that. All those things give fatal effects to our children.

Moses mother had told him, “Even if you go to the Egyptian palace you should never be affected by the luxury of the world, and pollution of the world, and the abomination of the world. He said, “Yes, I will obey your words.” Even until forty years of age, his resolution was not changed at all. It was because he decided to obey his parents’ words. That’s why our Father poured so great blessings on Moses. He even gave him such a great privilege of being able to see God, face to face. So those who can obey their parents words so faithfully can also obey God’s words. Our habits cannot be changed all of a sudden by any incident. So only those who can serve one husband, those who can love and keep chastity to one wife can also serve our Father with the same chastity. Those who despised their parents at home even if they come to our Daddy, they cannot keep chastity. Our habit cannot be changed in an instant.

Elijah had no friends. His parents said, “Do not go or make friends with worldly children. Just do farming with your parents.” Because his parents told him not to make friends with those worldly people, he could keep himself so clean and holy so he became one of the greatest prophets in history.

David was also such honorable son to his parents. His elder brothers were always hanging around with other kids but David tried to obey his parents’ word. He said to himself, “Ah, my brothers are disobeying our parents. How can I then disobey my parents?” He was always exposed to all kinds of danger. He had no idea when he would be eaten by lions or bears. Going through all kinds of dangers, taking care of his parents’ sheep, he always obeyed his parents words. That’s why our Father made him a king of Israel because he obeyed his parents like that. He also obeyed our Father’s words so beautifully. If he had not made a single mistake, a single sin with Bathsheba, he could have become the most beautiful person in history. Yet, even though he committed a single sin, he also did not reject our Father’s counsel and admonition. He gladly and humbly accepted God’s punishment and became such a good person.

Next, Joseph. He was always frustrated as he saw his step brothers doing bad things, so he told his father, “Dad, please tell them, please correct them. What if they cannot go to heaven?” He always obeyed his father’s word. That’s why his father loved him so much and gave a colorful garment only to him. Even when he was sold to Egypt as a slave, when he was dragged to Egypt, he could see his father’s house in a distance. While being dragged to Egypt as a slave, he made a resolution in his heart to serve the true God. He said to himself, “Even if I become a slave, I will serve my father. I will serve my God as my father had told me, as my father had always taught me.” He decided to obey his father’s word. So until he became a Prime Minister of Egypt, his resolution could never be changed. His resolution he had made when he was a little boy never changed even after he became old.

There are many people today who cannot make a resolution, who could not make a decision. So even with little children, there is a distinction among them. One are those who will obey God until the end and the other are those who will not keep their chastity. There is a distinction among them.

Because Joseph decided to obey his parent’s word, he also obeyed his God’s word like that. So, even though he was tempted by Potiphar’s wife, he never gave himself to her. He knew that if he would only accept her, he would receive much glory and luxury and everything in the world. However, without considering the result, he just chose to keep himself clean, not to commit sin in the sight of God. Potiphar knew that his wife was in the wrong because he knew what kind of person his wife was and he knew what kind of person Joseph was, so he could not believe that Joseph truly did that kind of thing. He could not believe that. But just because of rumors and public opinion he had to imprison Joseph, put him into jail. Still even in the prison he kept his chastity alone, that’s why our Father loved him so much and made him the king of Egypt. Pharaoh was a king merely by name. The true king was Joseph.

Next, Daniel and his three friends. They were also so honorable children. When they were teen-agers, they were dragged to Babylon as captives. Their parents implored them, “My children, Daniel, Hananias, Azariah, Mishael, even if you are taken to Babylon as captives, you must serve the true God of heaven. You must remember the meaning of your names. Their parents gave them names which implied so deep meaning. Their parents gave them thorough education. Being dragged to Babylon, they said, “Yes, mom. Yes, Dad, I am going to obey you. I will only serve the true God of heaven.” So even though they were thrown into fiery furnace and lions den, even though they were only teen-agers, they kept their heart so firm. Because they were so handsome, so good-looking, and so strong and the best ones among the boys in Babylon, there were countless number of girls who loved them but they never gave their heart to them.

Those who give their heart to male and female relationship problem, those who give their heart to them so thoughtlessly, they are totally hopeless.

That’s why our Father made such beautiful children. God made Daniel a Prime Minister. He made Daniel king of Babylon, so the king of Babylon always listened to the words of Daniel. Because everytime he listened to the word of Daniel, he always succeeded. So, they became so sparkling glorious stars in Babylon.

Next, John the Baptist. He was also the most honorable child. His father was a priest who had come out from theological school. His father’s fellow priests also had many children and they also sent their children to theological school, rabbi school. But his father said, “Hey, John all the theological schools became corrupt. Why don’t you just do farming with me in the country?” If he had been stubborn saying, “No, father. I want to go to rabbi school like other kids,” then he could have gone there. But to obey his parent’s word, to obey his father, he just followed him and just stayed with his father. Because he was so obedient son, our Father could use him. And made him the greatest prophet in history.

Next, Jesus. He was also so honorable son to his mother, His parents. Even on the cross, even bearing and suffering from unbearable agony and pain, he was still saying to John, “John, this is my mother. Please take care of her.” Even though he was suffering from such unbearable pain, he was saying to John, one of His disciples, to take good care of His mother. So in the entire Biblical history, there was not one dishonorable person, disobedient to his parents, who was used by God. God only uses honorable children to parents.

Everytime God chooses His children, He always tests them at home, not outside. He tests them at home first. Of course, there are some kinds of parents who give wrong education to children. That’s why some children do not honor their parents due to the fault of their parents. Anyhow, we must do our best to honor our parents first at home before trying to go out, to do missionary work for God outside. So before being the servant of God, we must be able to honor our parents first at home. This is the first step of being the true servant of God. So even if one does not know Jesus and God, if he honors his parents with all his heart like as our Father told us to, he will go to heaven. Since we know our Daddy, since we know our Father and Jesus already, should we not honor our parents much more than those who do not know Them? So, throughout the entire biblical history, not one person who dishonors his parents was used by God, except for one. Who is that? It’s me.

Do you think God is using me also? Do you believe I am a servant of God? Since God is using me now, I am the servant of God also. But I don’t understand why my Daddy is using me, in spite of my being dishonorable son to my parents. Now I realized that the reason why my Daddy is using me, is because He wants to lower the standard so that all people may see and follow Me. I think my Daddy wants to lower the standard so that all people may be saved.

I was born in a totally atheist family. I was born as the sixth one among the seven children. All of my brothers and sisters obeyed my parents thoroughly. Although they are all grown-ups already, when they want to buy any house or land, they always ask the opinion of our physical father. If he said, “Ah, probably, you better not buy it then,” so they don’t. They always ask our Father in making any decision. They could make their decision but they always ask our father.

One of my elder brothers, just one day before he was dragged to the military service, he even emptied the bathroom outside our house in the country. Our town folks were so surprised at his beautiful heart to our parents. He emptied our bathroom saying, “Ah, if I go to the army, my father has to do all this so I have to do this today.” He loved and honored our parents like that. Also, our parents always taught us to be frugal and never to get help from anybody, but only to help others.

During the battle in Korea, scores of years ago, although many people came to our village to grow lots of corns but none of our parents’ children took them or stole them. So all the town folks loved us so much and complimented us saying, “How come you are so honest? How come you are not like those other kids?” No matter how poor we became, our parents never allowed us to steal anything from others. Even if we brought just a piece of straw from other neighbor’s farm, my physical father scolded and punished us so hard. So our parents taught us to always be honest and never to get anything from others without getting permission first.

When I was about five years old, my parents always told me to keep the house because they had to go out for farming. One day, my mother told me to keep the house and everybody was going out so I had to remain in the house all day long by myself. So, I said to my mother, “Mom, may I eat one cucumber from the cucumber garden?” There was nothing to eat in the country. Because I had to keep the house all day long by myself and I would be so lonely so I asked my mother, “May I eat just one cucumber?” There were no toys, unlike these days. So I had to spend time just catching dragon flies. Since everybody went out, I was by myself so lonely then. The only thing that occupied my head was only cucumber because there was nothing to eat. Then unconsciously, I found myself standing inside the cucumber garden already. There were lots of cucumber. Some were long, some were short some were straight some were crooked, many of them on the ground. Since I saw them, my urge to eat them was stimulated. I had even stronger urge to eat them. No matter if I eat them up nobody would know because everybody went out. I was just keeping the house by myself. I can just eat them up and throw the little thing. However, because I could not disobey my mother’s word, I could not eat them. I just sat down to look at them closer, but I could not pick them, then with my fingernails I pricked them. A little piece would stuck in between my fingernails, then I tasted them. Ah, the fragrance was extremely nice. Then I started poking them here and there. Then the cucumber became terrible but they were all connected to the stem. When they arrived home, my mother went to the cucumber garden to cook food for everybody. Then she already knew whose finger prints they were because they were so small. So she called me, “My son, my son! Please come out.” Then I quickly ran out to her. She said, “How come you did not even pick one of them? How come you are so obedient?” She loved me so much and picked one for me and gave it to me. As I ate up, Ah, it was so delicious. From then on, I have never tasted so delicious cucumber like that.

These days, even in Christian families, children take money away from their parents pocket. Even a little amount, they should not take any without parent’s permission. Even in Christian families, all the children became thieves. There is no distinction between stealing or just taking away. They all became thieves. I was born in an atheist family but I was taught to be so honest.

When I went to grammar school, we always ate barley not because we were poor but because there was no rice.  My family was the richest in the whole town. My grandfather had an only son. Knowing that the battle was about to break out, my grandfather did not buy any land. He was only keeping the money. When the battle broke out, the house was completely burned and all the money was gone. So my father worked hard with bare hands and eventually he became so rich that we even became the richest family in the whole town. In spite of being the richest family in the hometown our family always ate barley to save more money. If I would go to school with my lunch box full of barley, I would be ashamed of eating it because everybody else was eating white rice. So, my mother always gave white rice for lunch. Then if I take the white rice to school, as I opened it, I could not eat it because I was aware that everybody at home was only eating barley. I could not eat it thinking of my family members so I just covered it. After eating just two tablespoonfuls, I covered it and just brought it back home in the evening and gave it to my father. As he was eating the white rice, I felt so happy.

Sometimes my father would go to town to visit his friends to come back early in the morning sleeping in his friends’ house. Sometimes in winter, if it snowed a lot he couldn’t come because there was too much snow. Then early in the morning, I woke up and gathered all the snow to make a road for him. However my father never expressed his love to us. Because he was so strict to us so I could never touch his hands either. But he still loved me so much although he didn’t express his love.

As I became a junior high school student, I got sick. Although my parents gave me all kinds of remedies and drugs, they had no effect. My intestines became so weak and I was suffering from severe diarrhea. Whatever I ate it just went out. Even if my parents gave all kinds of medicine and all kinds of drugs, they had no effect. I was not getting any better. What my father hated most was superstitions but when I was about to die, he even went to the spirit medium to ask about my disease. So I realized that no matter how strict parents may be, they still love their children. Even if I ate white rice porridge, it just went out. I couldn’t digest at all. So everybody in my family thought that I was going to die soon. One of my relatives who went to America later, suggested me to go to church. But in my family nobody could dare say about Jesus. One of my relatives was an elder in Adventist church but even though he came into my house, he never mentioned the name of Jesus even once because my parents were so strict. My father never liked those religious things. However, knowing that I was on the verge of death, and about to die soon my father just told me to go to church. As I went to church, there was nothing. I was not interested in anything. As I kept going to church for a while, somebody taught me the word of God and he gave me the word of God in Isaiah something. “Lift up your eyes on high and see who created all these things. It is God who made all these things.” I was completely moved by that word and became one with Jesus. So as I found Jesus and became one with him, I was so happy. All of a sudden all of my diseases went away. As I got well, my parents told me not to go to church anymore. So, I said, my Jesus, my God completely healed me, how could I betray him after healing me? As I went to church just for a short time, I learned that I must serve my parents in the Lord. So I said to my parents, “My God, my Jesus healed all my diseases and he saved me from death and how can I betray him?” My father became so mad because it was the first time I disobeyed him. From childhood everybody obeyed him, everybody obeyed our parents so completely. It was the first time that I started disobeying him. Even up to now my mother used to say, “Even from your childhood I didn’t have to tell you to do this or that because you always folded your clothes. Even when you were a little boy, you always took off your clothes when you sleep and folded them in order and in the morning you could wear them. So, I did not have to take care of you for those kinds of things and you always obeyed me.” Because I always gently obeyed them, my parents and I also thought that if I only go out of the house I would starve to death. Because of my belief in Jesus, I was cast out from the house even four times. I was totally inexperienced. I had no idea what to do outside. By believing in Jesus, just trusting him completely, I was just cast out. It was no wonder that my father cast out me like that because I had always obeyed his word completely. Since I began to believe God and Jesus, I started to disobey him. So my father became so mad and became stricter to me.

While I was sleeping in my room, when my father came back from somewhere, all of a sudden he came into my room and he got rid of the blanket and yelled at me, “You go away from this house! How come you are sleeping here? You are not my son.” Sometimes I was cast out with my blanket. My church members even saw me being cast out by my father. So all the family members even prayed for me. I was even cast out four times even after my military service. As I was cast out the fourth time, my Daddy gave me my wife. It was late spring when I was cast out fourth time. Because of my shy character, I cannot ask anybody to help me. I could not eat at anybody’s house. Since my childhood, I was taught never to be helped by others. Because I was so shy, how could I attempt to live with somebody in anybody’s house? Although I went to my church members houses it was so uncomfortable with me to stay with them.

Then, somebody suggested me to sell iced tea at the beach saying, “If you sell iced tea during the summer then you can make money enough for the whole year.” So I borrowed money from my second brother and I bought a big cart for selling the iced tea. But, Oh, I was so shy to do it because everybody in the village, in the town knew my face. So I could not keep standing by the cart and hid myself somewhere. Then if someone wanted to buy iced tea, my brethren pushed me away so I barely went there and sold it. Anyhow God helped me to do it. There were so many funny stories when I was doing that. So, as I made much money, but I donated it all to church and I decided to leave my place. I wanted to leave my hometown. I wanted only to live with Jesus. There was nowhere to go but anyhow I wanted to go and leave my hometown to only live with Jesus. So I thought to myself, “Should I go to Seoul? No, there are many people who know me there. Then where shall I go?” Then I chose a place called Iri. I just wanted to leave my hometown first. So I went down to Iri. I sold everything, all the cart and all the money I earned, I just donated to church. With just a little amount of money I went to Iri. As I went there, the church pastor was so kind to me. Later, a new pastor came and he was so unkind. He never asked me about my life and he was so cold. But I just said to myself, “I am just following Jesus not because of the pastor.” So I rented a small room to stay there by myself. I wanted it to do so.

As I first went there, the first pastor I met was so cold, but a short time later a new pastor came who was so kind. So I started peanut selling in the city. In summer, because I did not want to give trouble to the pastor and his wife, I didn’t sleep in their house although he eagerly wanted me to stay. So I slept inside the church, but if I sleep in the church, countless number of mosquitoes would come in and kept biting me all through the night. If I wake up in the morning my whole face was swollen. So, staying there I had to do peanut selling and clothes selling.

Yet I never hated my parents, my father. I always wanted my father to come back to God. So although I was always going to so much trouble and hardship, I always sent money to my parents. Everytime his birthday came I always sent money and letter to them. If I sent money to them, later I found out my father throwing the money saying, “Who told him to send money to me?” I knew my father’s heart towards me, although he threw the money, I knew his heart to me.

I have never seen my father shedding tears. When one of my eldest brothers died, my father did not even shed tears. Even after burying him, when he came back home, he even ate lots of foods by himself. But when I went to my father once, for the first time in his whole life, he began shedding tears saying, “How come I have greatest expectation from you? How come you disobeyed me? How come you keep going to church?” He was pouring tears in front of me. Oh, that test was almost unbearable to me. I felt an urge to apologize to him saying, “Oh, father please don’t cry. I won’t believe in Jesus.” It was so hard for me to overcome the test but I just continued to believe in Jesus although he cried to me. Everytime holidays, or his birthdays came, I sent money to him. Although he threw the money away, I knew he still loved me. His love for me did not change at all because he is my father. As I went to him once, he said, “Until when you are going to wander around like that?” I couldn’t say, “Because you cast me out,” I just kept quite. It was when I was about 26 years old. Probably 25 or 26. Then he said,

“Now that you are mature enough, don’t you have any plan to get married?”

I said, “No, I don’t want to get married.”

He used to say to me, “Because you do not know what is money you must have a wife and many children. Then you will now what is money. So you must go through all kinds of hardship with your wife and many children.” I thought that he was trying to make me marry, to make me not believe in Jesus and make money. So I said, “If I have much money to make a person happy, then I will get married but right now I have nothing. I don’t want to make somebody unhappy so I am not going to marry.”

Later my father knew my heart. He realized that the reason why I still disobey Him was not because I hated him nor because I wanted to disobey him but because I love Jesus. And he knew that my heart to him had never changed. Later he said, “Even if you bring a woman who believe in Jesus just like you, I will just accept her. If you want, you can just get married.” So as I always loved him with the same love, steadfast love, he understood my heart and his heart had been melted like that.

When I was about to get married, my wedding was in the church, and from his hometown, he even came to the church where I was staying. It was a miracle that my father came to my wedding, which was held inside the church. Although my father hated the church or anything like that, he came to church to attend my wedding. Before my wedding I told him,

“Father, please make a promise with me.”

“What’s that?”

“OK, I am the third son. If you promise me that you will live with me after my marriage then I am going to marry, but if you are not going to live with me, then I am not going to get married. Because I have given you so much trouble so far, so I want to live with you and serve you to make you happy living together with me. So let us live together after my wedding.”

He said, “Ah, let’s not think about that now. Let’s make a decision after your marriage.” After my wedding, we lived together for a few months. Then he told us to go out and live separately. When my father’s sixty-eighth birthday came, I decided to give him a birthday gift. I bought him gold rings, two gold rings, one for my father and one for my mother and a Bible.

I already told you that we don’t need rings because only those carnal people wear those kinds of things to display themselves. Even though I knew that it is not good for Christians, for us, I still bought rings for them because my parents are completely atheists. They did not know whether it is bad or good. Of course buying parents alcohol or pork things like that is bad. Ring is not bad to them. And they don’t use them for luxury or for display because they were already old. It was just nothing to them. I was just making them happy. So in order to make them happy, I bought gold rings for them.

Once there was a girl who married a person and her father-in-law was a heavy smoker. He always smoked but she was a good Christian. She never told her father-in-law to stop smoking, but even after their marriage she always bowed down to him every morning. Every morning, when she woke up, she always bowed down to her father-in-law. Without missing even a single day, she always bowed down to him for 365 days. One year later, her father-in-law said,

“Hey, my daughter-in-law, what is your desire? What is your wish? Please tell me, I am going to do whatever you want.”

And she said, “My father I do not want anything, I just want you to stop smoking and go to church and be a happy Christian like me.”

Then he said, “Alright, I’ll do that. I am going to do that.”

He broke his pipe right away and started going to church. Later he became a better Christian than her. So we should not become so foolish. We should not say to that kind of people, “Please stop smoking. Don’t do that. It’s bad.” Everybody must lead these people through love, like this woman.

So on my father’s 68th birthday, all my brothers and sister brought their gifts for our parents. Then our parents began to open the gifts, starting from the eldest one and then it was my turn. As he opened the gift, there came out two gold rings and a Bible. If he had been like in the past, He might have thrown the Bible away, but he only said, “Ah, this is a Bible,” and put it aside. As I looked at him, he was so happy. After seeing the gold rings and the Bible he looked so happy and satisfied. Living together with us just a few months, he found out that Christian son and Christian daughter-in-law are much better than the other daughter-in-laws, daughters and sons. He loved me and my wife most than other children. So I even prayed for him in front of everybody else. It was a miracle that I was able to pray for him in front of everybody. Then as he was sitting in his room, I entered his room and talked to him,

“Father, I have only one wish.”

“What is that?”

“Ah, in my church, there was a famous pastor that will hold evangelistic meeting. Please attend that meeting just once. It is just a 7-day meting.”

And he said, “Alright.”

It was really a miracle that he said alright. Unfortunately as he came to the meeting, when everybody else was moved by the sermons, he was not moved even a bit at all. Because he was full of Confucius knowledge, he was not even moved by those basical teachings. If such a great message as this had been given him, he might have accepted our Father. But his heart was not stricken at all.

Before his death he said to me, “Hey, my son. All the religions, Christianity, Buddhism, Confucianism, all these religions became corrupt. Don’t be too peculiar, just like be everybody else. How come you are so peculiar? Just be like everybody else. Since you have also wife and children, don’t you think you have to take care of them? Don’t you have to think about their future also? Look at these.” He showed me newspapers showing all the abomination and corruption of Christians. So I have no words to say to him. Because of abominable Christians, so many people are destroyed.

And my father was very sick. As I got the telegram I quickly went to my father. It was already after he died. As he died, people could not put him to the coffin because I have not yet arrived. I also went to the meeting that’s why I was a little bit late. But as I went there, he already died. I could not even shed tears because it was truly an undreamed of fact. I could not even imagine that. And I cried, I cried holding his hands, because his hands had worked so hard all his lifetime for his children. If his hands had opened the Bible and received eternal life from the Bible, how great blessing he might have received. But his hand only worked hard only for his children and died. He died forever. I was so distressed. I was so sad. So I slept one night with him, with his dead body. People in the world are so scared to stay together with the dead body but I stayed with him all through the night. Pouring tears all through the night because I have now lost my father forever.

We must serve our parents when they are alive. When time passes by, it’s of no use to regret. When our parents are alive, we must serve them with all our heart. Once they pass away, there is no use to regret. So, I hope you save your parents when they are still alive. I hope you will not be a disobedient child like me. So when your parents are still alive, I hope you do your best to honor them and serve them. I am the most dishonorable son who lost my father forever. Because I am the most dishonorable son who lost my father forever, I still do not understand why my Father is using me. So there is a poem like this:

Although trees want to be quiet,

want to stay calm,

The wind do not leave them alone.

Although children want to serve their parents

with all their hearts,

The parents do not stay with them forever.

When children want to serve and honor

their parents, their parents already passed away.

Nowadays, I only have a mother. I lost my father forever. Having my mother I am so happy also. But when she was living with my brother, I could not even come to her. But these days, I am so happy because she is living with me in my house. I’m so thankful to my Daddy for being able to serve her before her death.

What is more? My mother-in-law also is living with us. So my two mothers love each other so strongly. If they have any good things, they do not give it to their children. They give it to one another.  Since I live with my two mothers, I even became more happy. Because I lost my father forever, my Daddy gave me another mother also so that I may serve her with all my heart.

Okay let me tell you one more story. There was a very dishonorable son. In old times, there was a custom to throw away their old mother in the mountain. This son also had a good mother. He was carrying his mother to throw away. In that time, there were lots of wild animals in the mountain. Sometimes tigers come down and sprinkle sand to the houses. So this son, just because his mother was so old, he was carrying his mother deep into the mountain to throw her away. But on the back of his son, the mother continued breaking dried pine tree needles on their way to the mountain. Being carried on the back of her son, she was always breaking pine branches without saying anything as she was just carried up to the mountain. And deep in the mountain, he just laid her down. He just threw her on the ground. And she who had been so quiet, who had not said any word, now spoke,

“My son,”

And the son said, “Why?”

“This is a very deep mountain. What if you lose your way back home? So I broke pine tree branches all the way here. You can just follow the broken pine tree branches to find your way home. So you can go safely and live happily.”

This was the mother’s love. This love is also our Father’s love for us. So, not only that mother but our parents also have such a great love for us. She raised us with such a love. If you reject and dishonor your parents who have such a great love for us, if you dishonor then, how can you receive blessing forever from God? I hope you honor your visible gods first before trying to become God’s servants. I hope you honor your visible gods first at home. Then, our Father who called Daniel, Joseph and made them great in the world to save the world, He will also call you and use you as great workers to save this world.

So I hope you honor and serve your parents when they are alive, when they are living with you. So in old times, people who did not even know Jesus, but honor their parents our Father sent them and protected them. So I hope you all be taken to heaven like these people.

Amen!