I Want To Know Christ - John Lee

Philippians 3:1-21

Key Verse: 10-11

“I want to know Christ-yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.”

Hey guys! We are finally here! The last message of this wonderful 2016 Easter Conference! So have you guys been enjoying the conference so far? What has been your guys’ favorite part so far? Personally for me, I have actually enjoyed the meetings more than the free time this year. These last few days, we have been blessed to be able to listen to five wonderful messages. So what have you guys learned in these last few days? Becky’s, Mary’s, David Won’s, Wolff’s, Kim’s? In Becky’s message we learned that Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. In Mary’s message we learned about the reckless spending of grace God pours out on us. In David Won’s message we learned about how both sons were lost because they did not have a relationship with the God the father. In David Wolff’s message we learned about Jesus, our true older brother, who came down to earth to lead us back to God. And in David Kim’s message we learned that through Christ’s death on the cross, anyone and everyone can be forgiven.  In this passage we will come to what it means to know Christ. From Paul, we can learn three things. FIRST: Knowing Christ is to put our confidence in Him; SECOND: Knowing Christ is to share in His death and life; THIRD: Knowing Christ is worth it all.

Part I: Knowing Christ is to put our confidence in Him (1-9)

At this time, Paul had been put in prison because of his faith. He was most likely in a dirty cell with rats crawling around, food crumbs everywhere, and it also probably reeked of pee and poop. On top of all that he was isolated from people and must have started to feel very lonely. Given his circumstances, it could have been very easy for Paul to just complain or become angry with God. Yet rather than complain, Paul was a source of encouragement for the people in Philippi. We have all been in a difficult or unfavorable condition before, and if you haven’t, you’re either lying or you’re just a baby who hasn’t really experienced life. Haha…jk. Here for example, maybe you aren’t satisfied with a certain grade you have in school, even though you insist that you have been studying as hard as you possibly could; or maybe, you’ve been having trouble with a certain relationship in your life and feel that the person is being unjust and treating you unfairly; or maybe, life itself just seems to be so meaningless or stressful. Paul, who was suffering in prison, teaches us to rejoice. He encouraged the Philippians to do the same. Verse 1 reads, “Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.” Paul was genuinely happy and was able to rejoice because he knew that Christ was right beside him even in his time of trial. He had confidence in Christ. And because he was able to rejoice, the Philippians could also rejoice. Even though it may not be easy, I pray that we can rejoice in all circumstances, putting our hope in Christ, and doing so, we are able to genuinely become happy.

While in prison, Paul was trying to encourage the Philippians, and warn them about people that would hinder their faith. In verse 2 Paul says, “Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh.” Paul was referring to those that believed that followers of Christ must be circumcised, and that those that didn’t could not receive salvation. Like the Pharisees in Jesus’ time, this mindset was very legalistic. Rather than focus on the redeeming power of Jesus, some Jews wanted to focus and hold onto traditions, minimizing Jesus’ death on the cross. However, Paul warns us of those that are mutilators of flesh. These “Christians” were very lost. They did not really know Christ because they put their confidence in the flesh. We cannot gain salvation through our actions or through holding onto traditions. Rather it is solely through God’s one sided grace that we can be saved and redeemed. Paul says in verse 3, “For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh-“Now, I am not saying that doing good deeds or holding onto some sort of tradition is bad. I think it is good for us as Christians to write and share testimonies, profess our faith through baptism, go fishing to spread the gospel message, and to partake in fellowship through attending Sunday service. If you do these things, great, it can really help you grow in faith. However, let me ask you a question, if you do do these things, why do you do them? If we do these things just because our parents make us do them to because we think that it’s good for us, aren’t we just being like the older son in the parable of the prodigal son? Doing these actions should be out of love for God, not because we “should” do them.  It is because of God’s grace on us that we are saved and can inherit eternal life. And because of this, we are able to rejoice and in our happiness we can gladly and willingly serve God by his Spirit.

The grace that we receive from God also enables us to have a new identity in Christ Jesus. Before Paul had become a Christian, he was a Pharisee. And he was not just any ordinary Pharisee, no; you see Paul was a perfect Jew. In verses 4-6, Paul says, “..though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.” Before he had met Jesus, Paul had done all these things to try to gain his salvation. Paul’s attitude in a sense was pretty similar to the older brother. As we learned in David Won’s message, the older brother was just as lost as the younger brother, in the sense that he had no relationship with the father. He viewed himself as a slave, and was only working so that he could receive the inheritance. Both sons cared nothing about their relationship with God, but rather were only looking to try and gain some sort of reward. Likewise, Paul had no relationship with God the father, and instead was only looking to see what he could gain from keeping all the laws.

On the way to Damascus, Jesus turned Paul’s life around to use him to proclaim the gospel message. Paul, who was hopelessly wandering around, persecuting Christians, believed that he was doing God’s work and that through this he could gain some sort of salvation. However, Jesus came to save him and showed him how he could really serve God. Through this conversion, Paul’s identity changed from being a law-abiding Jew into becoming a follower of Christ. He didn’t put his confidence in his Jewish identity anymore, rather he put his confidence in Jesus who gave him a new identity.  That is why in verses 7-9 Paul says, “But whatever were gains to me, I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.” Ultimately, we cannot do anything to gain our salvation. Our confidence can only be in Jesus. It is through His grace we receive salvation. And in that grace we can also come to have a clear identity as Christians who put our faith in Christ.

Part II: To Know Christ is to share in His death and His life (10-14)

Now what does it really mean, “to follow Christ?” To be completely honest with you guys, I had a very difficult time understanding what this meant. Most of us here have all grown up in UBF or in a Christian household, learning about Jesus from when we were very young. We know that God sent him down to be with us, to show us how we can please God, and ultimately to die for our sins. But then, what does it mean to really know Christ? Paul says in verses 10 and 11, our key verse for this passage, “I want to know Christ-yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.” Paul, largely considered the most influential Christian of all time, said that he wanted to know Christ more. How is this even possible? How is it that someone like Paul who devoted His life to Christ could still say “I want to know Christ?” It is because when we really meet God, we see how great the grace of Jesus is on our lives. And the closer we come to God, the more we realize how much we sin. However, we can also come to see how much more God’s grace increases on our lives. That is why Paul says I want to know Christ, so that he can constantly be reminded of God’s grace on his life, and in that way his passion and love for Christ can be stirred up newly.

It may seem that I have everything figured it out. But to be completely honest with you guys, I don’t even fully know what it means to know Christ. When I first received this passage, I didn’t really know how this passage could apply to me. At first I was angry and thought that I was just given a filler passage totally unrelated to the conference. However, after studying this passage, I was really humbled to see how little that I actually know. For my entire life, I have obeyed my parents and just gone with the flow of things. Unlike most of my peers, who in my opinion are very intelligent and observant asked many questions during Bible Studies to see if they could accept Jesus as their own savior, I never really questioned whether or not I actually believe in Christ. And it started to get me thinking, do I really know who Jesus is? I was baptized in the eighth grade, but how much did I really know him, and did I even love him? These feelings of doubt and uncertainty made me feel frustrated and realize how inadequate I am to deliver this message. However, through a lot of prayer, and I mean a lot of prayer, from my parents, from you all, and especially the HBF leaders as well as my fellow seniors, I was able to come to understand, that no I don’t know everything there is to know about my faith. But one thing I do know is that God is surely alive. And I can say this with certainty. When I look, I can see how much God has worked in my life. I really should not be here today. There have been many points in my life where I should’ve died. When I was born, my mom had complications during her delivery, which had put both her and I at risk of losing our lives. Shortly after, doctors had found that I was born with a birth defect and that I couldn’t digest any of my food because my esophagus was not connected to my stomach. Even later on in my life, I had chronic pneumonia as many of you know and have even been hospitalized several times. There are many other things that I can name where I can see that God has worked in my life, but then we would be here all day.. and I know some of you guys want to get back home ASAP. Yes, I may look like a weak and helpless person, but really that’s where I have been able to see how gracious God has been on my life and that he is indeed alive. What is more, I know that Jesus came to save me, a worthless sinner who was lost in his sins of pride, lust, jealousy, and self-centeredness. Jesus died on the cross for my sins and in that way was able to forgive me for all of my shortcomings. But the real beauty is in his resurrection. Because Jesus rose again from the dead, I can be alive in him and really have a new identity in him and by coming to him I can develop a new relationship with him. I am also coming to see that knowing Christ is not something that happens once in our lifetime. Rather it is something that we must constantly and daily do, so that our love for Jesus can continually be renewed. I pray that as I continue onto college in the next year, that I may be able to hold onto my faith and come to know Christ more.

Now let me ask you guys a question, do you know Christ? Have you ever met the risen Christ, or are you leaning on someone else’s faith? Or let me ask this, how do we get to know a person, and what is the best way to get to know a person? Isn’t the best way to get to know someone by spending time with them? Then isn’t also the best way to get to know Jesus, by spending more time with him? However, there is only one problem, Jesus is no longer alive and here on earth. We can’t just go over to Jesus’ house and chill on his couch or mooch off of his family by eating lunch with them every day. So then, how can we really come to know Christ if we can’t physically spend time with him? I truly believe that the only way that we can know Christ is reading the Bible, prayer, and sharing in Christ’s sufferings. Can we all read the key verse again? “I want to know Christ-yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.” In order to know Christ, we need to participate in Christ’s sufferings. Paul says this is like dying. What this means is that, as Christians, we must die to ourselves daily just as Jesus died so that we may experience the power of the resurrection from when we were spiritually dead. Through denying ourselves, we can partake in Christ’s sufferings, but even greater, we can experience his resurrection power which frees us from the bondages of slavery to sin. Can someone read Romans 6:4-5: “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.” To know Christ is to share in His sufferings so that we also share in His resurrection power.  Through Jesus, we can be found again and brought back to the Father. We are no longer dead in sin, but alive in Christ. To know Christ is to realize God’s grace on our lives and to want to follow him.

Part III: Following Christ is worth it all (15-21)

Following Christ is not easy because we have to partake in his sufferings. But through partaking in Christ’s sufferings, we gain something even greater--we can experience his resurrection power which frees us from the bondage of sin. Again, I say, participating in Christ’s sufferings is not easy. It could require us to miss out on some experiences that life has to offer. One of my friends recently told me that he believed in God, but did not want to follow him, because he wanted to be able to whatever he wanted and to be the master of his own life. I, myself, struggle with this mindset and for a while regretted being born into a Christian household, and especially into UBF. Having to go to CBF every Saturday morning and eventually Praise nights on Friday, and service on Sunday’s, I was not able to participate in many club sports, hang out with friends, or even go to certain school events. I felt like I missed out on a lot of fun experiences and had many regrets. But through this passage, Paul teaches us that Jesus has so much more to offer than what the world has to offer us. He gives us His resurrection life. As a good-standing Jew in community, Paul was highly respected and also had a lot of influence. However, he says that he considered everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus. Paul was also not living for this world but rather was looking forward to his reward in heaven. In verses 13-14, Paul says, “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Paul knew that Jesus had so much more to offer, which is eternal life with God in heaven. And because of this, Paul had no regrets because through Jesus he could find true joy and meaning in his life. William Whiting Borden was born into affluence in Chicago, Illinois, on November 1, 1887. Borden's family was wealthy and his father prominent in Chicago, making his money in silver mining in Colorado. After his mother converted to Christianity in 1894, she began taking him to Chicago Avenue Church (now the Moody Church). He soon responded to the gospel, turned to Christ, and was baptized. Borden’s father wanted him to take care of the family company and even offered to give him $1 million dollars as an inheritance. However, to his father’s dismay, Borden decided to become a missionary to the Muslims of northern China, and donated that $1 million to the China Inland Mission as well as other Christian agencies. But before Borden could even make it to China, he died of cerebral meningitis in Egypt during his training at age 25. From a worldly and human perspective, Borden’s death was tragic and his life was cut short. However, soon after his death, his Bible was recovered, with three things written inside. In it were the words, "No Reserve" and a date placing the note shortly after he renounced his fortune in favor of missions. At a later point, he had written "No Retreat", dated shortly after his father told him that he would never let him work in the company ever again. Shortly before he died in Egypt, he added the phrase "No Regrets." Borden’s message of not living for this world shows just how much of a better experience Jesus offers to us when we live our life for him. Even though we may suffer and face difficult situations, ultimately, the life that we have following Christ gives us the most joy and meaning in life. When I look back upon my experiences of growing up in a Christian household, I can really see how blessed that I am, and how gracious God has been to me with enabling me to know and meet him from such a young age. I pray that we all may become like Paul and be able to consider everything garbage compared to knowing Christ more.

This leads me toward the end of my message. So how has everything that we’ve learned over the last few days apply to us today? At the beginning of this passage, Paul warns us of evildoers who put confidence in the flesh. But who are these people? Whether we like it or not, these people are actually us. We are all lost because of our sin. We have all fallen short of the glory of God, and have been separated from him because of our sin. Some of us are like the younger son, who only want to seek pleasure and indulge in the world, without any regard to God’s calling. Others of us are like the older brother, who do many works, but not because we genuinely love God, and have become like slaves, thinking that we can gain our own salvation. However, there will come a point in our lives, where nothing that we do can fully satisfy us and life becomes so bleak. Our hearts long for something more. And like the welcoming father, our God lavishes his love on us trying to lead us back to him. And the great thing is that God has already done this for us, and is continuing to pour out his love on us. He sent Jesus to us to be our true older brother and lead us back to him. However, Jesus had to go through so much pain and suffering to bring us back to the Father. He gave up his glory in heaven to become a human like us. He was our true older brother by teaching us how to live a life that pleased God. He spent time with the social rejects, the lonely, and the sick. And ultimately he paid the ultimate price by dying on that brutal cross for our sins. But even while on that cross, he was spat on, mocked, beaten, and worst of all, he was isolated from God in order to bear my sin and your sin. How painful it must have been for him! But the one thing that really moved him to fully obey God was his great unconditional love for us. Jesus knew the heart of the father, and came to seek us and bring us home. Jesus could only do this because like God the father, he loves us so much! You know, last night for the first time in my life I really came to see how much God loves me, and thinking about his love for me really brought me to tears. And the only thing that I kept asking myself was why? Why does Jesus love someone like me? I am like both the older brother and the younger brother. I can’t fully commit to God’s plan for me and am afraid to give into whatever God has in store for me. However, I am also so self-righteous and in order to feel right with God, I do numerous sorts of things to try to gain redemption. So why would God love such a terrible sinner like me who is not even capable of reciprocating the love that he shows for me? And the beauty of it is that Jesus loves us because we are who we are. What is more, we are his God’s precious children, and because of that God is willing to go to any lengths to bring us back to him. If Jesus was just an ordinary man, his death would’ve just been another tragic story. However, we know that this is not true. Through his resurrection from the dead, we can have full assurance that Jesus has defeated death and forgiven us of our sins. What is more, we can be brought back to God, if we just believe! So what are we waiting for? Do you want to know Christ and be brought back to the father? Then let us come to know Christ and love him, growing in a deeper relationship with him.

At the Cross - David Kim

Key verse: Luke 23:34a – “Jesus said, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.”

        Good evening! How’s everybody? How’s the conference?

        Today, we will be making a connection with David Wolff’s message and talk about what Jesus did for us as our true older brother…

This passage, which deals with the death of Jesus, contains much more significance than reading it like a historical event.

Now you know the story of the Prodigal son. The two sons who were loved by their father and treated with the best luxuries the father could provide. That was the father’s plan, in which he would provide his sons with the fullest of his ability. His main purpose was to have a relationship with his sons; a relationship which would bond them together and live happily. But that’s not how the story goes does it? The younger son treats the father like crap and the older son later shows that he was only in it for the wealth. But unlike other fathers, their father was different; and he reacted differently. OUR father was different.

Because of our actions like the younger and older brother, we have been separated from God and couldn’t be near him since we were imperfect and full of sin. But in this story we see that this unbreakable rule is broken through an event we can’t imagine to purposely take part in and an idea no human would have possibly thought of. This crazy idea, the crucifixion, planned out by God was the way and only way that we and God could be together again. But this plan was of course, not simple. It had to weigh against all of our sins! This plan was long and painful in which no human could volunteer or even be paid for to do such things.

This, in fact, could have only been done through Christ and his blood. Through this passage, I hope we can see the true meaning and power of the crucifixion not as pain or suffering, but as a new hope and connection with God.

        Verse 26 says “As the solders led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.” How painful and tiring would this have been for Jesus? We can see that he couldn’t even hold the cross. He was so weak that someone else had to hold the cross for him.

        In the previous passages, we can see just how brutal this was. Now after Jesus was tried in court, condemned guilty of blasphemy, and brutally beaten almost to the point of death, they put the cross on him and took him to a hill to be crucified. At this point, Jesus could have only been in unexplainable pain. Before this, he had been beaten and brutally whipped by Roman soldiers. Now I don’t know about you but I’m pretty sure those soldiers weren’t ordinary citizens. They were the leading military force in the world at the time. Imagine the strongest kid in your school. That buff guy who always lifts weights and drinks protein shakes. Now imagine five or more of those guys beating you up afterschool. It’s not pretty is it? This wasn’t even the beginning. After being beaten, Jesus was then whipped dozens of times, and this was no ordinary whip. It had a piece of bone at the end of the rope which would rip chunks of skin off from your body. It was so harsh that many criminals die due to whip alone before even facing the cross.

After going through all this, Jesus was then forced to carry the cross from where he was to the hill called the Skull. Historians say this distance his was about 0.3 kilometers, which is 300 meters. What’s that… a block or two? This seems like a short distance to us but to Jesus, it would have felt like miserably long. Not only being flogged, he was forced to carry the crossbeam which was about 100lb. (The total weight of the cross was well over 300lb. I mean, if Jesus was forced to carry 300lb, it would have been a little overrated. The average load of a U.S. soldier carries was about 95lb)

Even with all this, Jesus was not only carrying the weight of physical suffering but also the extreme weight of everyone’s sin as well.

1.    Daughters of Jerusalem

        Now that you know what Jesus went through, look at these verses. Let’s read verses 27-28: A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children.”

Now the women were probably in shock at this time. The person they served, loved and shared everything with was beaten, spit on, mocked, and was now being dragged to an execution site. When people that you know, go through hard times, such as a friend, or a loved one, it’s hard to watch them suffer, let alone leave them be. Normally we try to comfort them, share their grief with them, and provide what they need in order for them to get back on their feet. But in this situation the women couldn’t do such a thing. Instead they did what they only could do: they followed him and mourned for him.

        But Jesus tells them not to weep for him. He tells them of the future when they will face something so great, and so devastating to the point where they wouldn’t want to bear children.

        Verse 30 says “Then “’they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!”

What was Jesus talking about? How could having offspring be so bad (other than paying for their college tuition)? He was talking about the attack on Israel which would happen 40 years later when Romans would completely destroy Jerusalem and its temple. The romans would wipe out everything on sight; mercilessly kill men, women, and children, leaving Jerusalem devastated. Jesus was talking about at this point the women would be in such great pain that they would have wished that the mountains and hills would have covered them because of the death of their children.

 Why was Jesus saying this? Why was he saying it now? He can barely stand on his two feet but he gives the time to comfort the women around him. He was in so much pain and surrounded by so much evil and darkness. Well, this was because of Jesus’ love and compassion. Even at this dark moment, even in the darkest moment of his life on earth where everything seemed to be going wrong and towards the losing side, and Jesus showed compassion for them. Jesus showed compassion for US. And through this we can see that this love was no ordinary love.

        We can face hard times; times where we feel utter hopelessness. When it feels like nothing more can go wrong. But we can see that through Jesus’ love, and the love he showed on the way to the cross can give us hope that no human on earth can give.

2.    Father forgive them

        Verse 32 to 33: Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals- one on his right, the other on his left.

        Jesus was being treated like a criminal. During the Roman Empire, when a criminal was put on the cross, it meant that he did something horribly wrong, such as treason or murder. Jesus was an innocent man. Pilate knew that but let Barnabas go. The Pharisees knew this because of their jealousy. We all know that Jesus was an innocent man. Jesus himself knew this but continued his journey down the path of suffering, continuing his plan. The Skull was a hill which could be seen from many directions close and far. This was to announce the punishment to the public so that the people could see that these men were criminals and people would know what type of crime he or she committed. This was their way of humiliating and shaming the criminal as they died.

        But here we can see Jesus didn’t feel shame, or humiliation. Let’s read verse 34a. “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.

Incredible don’t you think? Jesus went through so much pain and is still suffering on the cross, but he says “Father forgive them.” How is that possible? Even the little thingsget us sometimes. As human beings, we have a difficult time forgiving others. Weather they did something big or small, our anger or frustration towards them causes our judgments to be blinded by our emotions. Of course this is a natural human reaction but in this situation, we can clearly see that Jesus was no ordinary human. He’s God’s son, revealing the supernatural power of God’s forgiveness. From the beginning of his ministry to his death on the cross, Jesus never stops showing his compassion towards us; his unending compassion which still continues on to this day. Jesus’ compassion for us made him to pray “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” It looks like the people doing it on purpose but Jesus said “they did not know what they are doing.” He saw them blinded by their own sins and their ignorance. The forgiving love of Jesus is more than a justice. It is the most powerful and only love that covers all our sins.

But still the people didn’t see this. They didn’t understand the situation. The people surrounded Jesus with criminals, they continued to mock him, hurt him, and we can see that they] killed him. Verse 35-37 says “The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” The solders also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself”

Even as the rulers and soldiers mocked him, Jesus said “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”Everyone’s still mocking him on the cross but Jesus is still asking God to forgive them.

No human can forgive another through natural judgment in situations like this. You and I cannot do this by ourselves. It’s impossible. We can’t do it. But Jesus did.

Jesus asked God to forgive them because he didn’t lookand judge them by their current rebellious actions. He didn’t ask God to forgive them because they deserved it. No, no. He asked God to forgive them because of his grace and love for them; his unconditional grace, his unconditional love. Jesus knew and saw our spiritual blindness. He knew how filled with sin we were and how desperately we needed a true older brother.

Have you ever been in a situation like Jesus? When people accuse you of doing a certain thing? When people dislike what you do, what you say? When people you’re close to, or distant from hate you when you didn’t do anything wrong? What do you say? What do you do? Here we can see what Jesus did. He forgave them. Now, of course it’s easier said than done. Our natural emotions fight with what’s right and wrong.  We can see that forgiveness is costly and seeming impossible at times. But with Jesus’ love, we can choose to forgive them.

When Stephen was being beaten to death with stones, he asked God to forgive them. When the disciples were hated and chased by the law, they showed compassion and forgiveness even to the point of their deaths.Are you having a hard time forgiving someone who hurt you?If so, what would you do? Would you confront them? Get even with them?

In the passage, when the people hurt Jesus, when WE hurt Jesus and offended God’s son, he didn’t punish us, he didn’t blow us up, he didn’t show anger, he chose to forgive us; he chose to forget our sins. I pray that God may help usto understand this and keep it in our heart. Let’s think about the power of forgiveness.

(The essence of Christian faith is in forgiveness of sins. Unless we accept His forgiveness, we don’t have relationship with Him. )

Here we can see two things. The first is the grace of God. And the second is the love of God.

Let’s talk about grace first. What is grace? It’s something we can’t work for but rather given to us as a gift. Something we definitely don’t deserve. If we were to get what we deserved, it wouldn’t be grace, but would be eternal punishment in hell because that’s what we deserve. The only reason we are alive and doing what we do is because of the grace of God. Just by looking around, we can see just how much grace God has given to us. Look at your life; your family, friends, Christian family, heck even look at your hands. If it weren’t for God, you wouldn’t have them. These are the things that God provided for us and something he chose to do himself. He wasn’t forced to do so, he’s God! No one can force God to do anything. Neither did he feel a need to. This grace, a free gift, was given purely through his willingness.Ephesians 2:8 says: For it is by grace that you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.God doesn’t limit his grace. In the song “How He Loves”, there’s a verse saying “If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.” God gives us so much grace, that we can’t even handle it. And he won’t hesitate to give us more.

Even while Jesus was being crucified, God’s grace can be shown. In verses 39 to 43, a murderer who committed crime all his life, is saved at the last moment through faith.

In this passage, God showed grace to the people by sending his son to the world. He showed grace to mankind. He showed grace to US, sinners. Even when we rejected him, even when we eventually murdered his beloved son, his grace, his unconditional grace didn’t change. Beautiful, right?

Now let’s talk about love. Not the kind of love where you start feeling weird and you get a tingling sensation in your chest when you see that girl or boy. No, not that kind of human love. I’m talking about God’s love; true love; the love defined in the Bible through the life of Jesus. What’s the difference? That’s easy; one is perfect and one is not. Now I’m going to talk about the God’s love, the perfect one. The other “love”, you guys can discuss it later.

Now this true love is incredible. In the Bible, it shows just how powerful this love can be. And this love is shown right here, in Luke 23; the most incredible love story of all time. So incredible that it completely destroyed the power of sin. Do you know what that means? Do you know how powerful sin is? Did you know that it can overtake you without you even noticing it? It’s so powerful that even influential legit Christians have sometimes overcome by Satan. It’s inevitable because of our imperfection. No one can avoid sin. No science, no money, no good deed will allow us to avoid sin, let alone clear it. But through God’s love, he cleared it for us. And he cleared it ALL. The power of sin and death was defeated by God’s unconditional love for us, and by sending his SON, his ONLY SON, as he was praying for our forgiveness on the cross, we were saved right then.

So through this we can learn the grace and love of God.

But sometimes, we forget this, we put this behind us and start to think and judge through our own instincts. I lived most of my life alone since my father was in Korea, My mother usually worked and my sister lived in a completely different state. This caused me to be independent. Although I learned this passage every year, I didn’t understand it fully and I didn’t care. Why did I need to know this? I was living my life fine. Even today, I continue to have a hard time going back and forth. But, a deeper study of God for the past few weeks and by reading the passage in a deeper meaningful way, I could learn deeper about what Jesus did for me on the cross.

So what was the result of this significant event? Let’s look at verse 44 and 45. It says “It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.”

What was the curtain of the Temple? As you guys know, it was the boundary between us and God; the boundary where holiness and unholiness divided. On the other side of the curtain was the presence of God. Normal people couldn’t pass this curtain. Only the High Priest could enter this place once a year to make a sacrifice. They had to tie a rope around his waist so that if he didn’t come out within a certain period, his body would be dragged out from outside.

But this curtain was torn in half and the most holy place was visible for everyone to see. The old way was broken through the blood and body of Jesus. The place which couldn’t be approached by man was now open through the death of Jesus. This was no accident. It wasn’t a maintenance issue. If it was, it wouldn’t have been recorded in the gospel. Rather, it showed the significance of our reconnection with God. Now we can talk to him anywhere. You can talk to him in a car, while walking, heck even when we’re in the school bathroom pooping. But what does this mean?

It means that we, sinners, through our true big brother, can be in the presence of God freely without any fear of death or guilt. Thank God for Christ did for us on the cross. I pray that we can understand this deeply and keep it in our hearts.

What can we do with this enormous gift given to us? What should we do with this great privilege?

Well John’s going to tell that to us tomorrow.

Let’s pray.

Please help us to understand your forgiveness on the cross and even though it’s hard and sometimes seem impossible, help us to keep this in our hearts and show you through us to others.

 How could people do such a thing to a man who had done nothing towards them? This was because of our sinful nature. The very reason why we can’t be with God.

The True Older Brother - David Wolff

Luke 15:11-31
Key Verses: 15:28-30 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

How was dinner? I hope you guys are enjoying the conference so far!

In this message, I will be covering who a real older brother is and what he does when this parable is played out in our lives today. This is the third part to Jesus’s parable of the Lost Son. First, Mary taught us how much God loves us, then David talked about how both of the sons were lost, and Me David is going to talk about the older brother. So what is and who is a true older brother? For anyone who has or is an older brother, think about qualities and relationship dynamic that an older brother has. Is an older brother just someone who is blood related and who happened to be born before you? Is he a bully or a role model? A regular old brother would probably treat his younger siblings with dominance, with a power struggle and competitiveness for the love of the father/mother. But a true older brother loves us unconditionally like our parents, seeking to help and guide us rather than compete. This true older brother is Jesus. While this isn’t surprising, Jesus is most often viewed as God incarnate who bore our sins on the cross acting as a mediator for us rather than as an older brother for us. But as God’s children, Jesus is our true older brother who we can look up to and ask for help and advice.

When I was preparing for this message, I didn’t know what a true older brother was as I have three strong and independent older sisters. My closest experience to being an older brother or even understanding how it felt to be one was probably with my family’s dog, Asher. My family adopted Asher when he was just two months old, and as a cute husky-lab puppy, he was the center of attention. As I was the youngest and only son in my family for 15 years, I wasn’t used to everyone not giving me attention or anything else I so desired, because it was all about Asher. It was and still is especially annoying whenever my sisters ‘accidentally’ mix-up my name with Asher’s. While I played with Asher and took care of him, I bullied him a bit, making sure he knew that I was Alpha Wolff. I imagine if I had an older brother, our relationship would be similar. He would teach my hard math, take me out on his motorcycle, and beat up anyone who messed with me, but he would also find me annoying sometimes and put me in my place.

Obviously, my experience and relationship with Asher doesn’t follow the same sibling dynamic a human older brother would have, so I decided to defer to my friend, the Urban Dictionary. When I searched “true older brother,” the top definition was: “A close friend that you consider a brother that won’t keep you hanging or dog you at any time or in any circumstance”. It came with an example of: You:get a detention at school. True brother: takes the blame. Surprisingly, this definition is accurate. Notice how an older brother isn’t necessarily blood related and can be anyone who has a bond as secure and lasting as a family member. Jesus is not necessarily blood related to us but he is someone who transcends above and beyond blood relation. Jesus is someone who we can consider as a brother, who won’t leave us hanging or dog us anytime, unlike us and how we let him hang on the cross. And the example provided by Urban Dictionary is perfect. Just as an older brother would take the blame if you got detention in school, Jesus bore the blame and our sins and served them as if in detention.

The older brother does not take happiness in the younger brother’s return. Lets read verse 28 together: “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him”. From the passage, it is clear that the older brother is disappointed that his brother returned to the father. He would’ve preferred for his younger brother to stay out in the open country and live as far as he can away. This may be because the younger brother took half of the estate, where as in that culture, younger sons in total get one third of the estate while the oldest gets two thirds. In a way, he was cheated of his inheritance from the father and his future. And the boy who cheated him is back in town, so wouldn’t be salty? This relates to us as well, where we may not be forgiving to people who did us wrong, even though they are our brothers and sisters in Christ. Who here has ever worked hard but had someone else get the credit? Who here has ever felt cheated out of recognition or love? Although there are some that identify as the younger son, we all have some older brother in us. In response, our “father went out and pleaded with him (us)”.

Jesus on the other hand would not only attend the feast, but see his young sibling even before the father does. He is always on the lookout for the younger son to come home, being even more worried than the father. Just like how when a sinner repents, all of heaven rejoices, Jesus is the one who leads the toast and makes the best-man speech.

Jealousy is found in the Older Brother’s heart Let’s read verse 29 together: “But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders”. There are many instances in the bible where there is a brotherly relationship, there is jealousy which leads to hate which leads to some violent gesture. This may be due to insecurities when comparing themselves to their other brother/brothers in either the eyes of the world and/or the eyes of God. Just like how Yoda warned us, “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” Truth, it is. How Cain suffered after murdering his brother over God’s pleasure in gifts. He was punished by God and marked as an outcast. Or like how Joseph’s brothers couldn’t forgive themselves in the eyes of their father, Jacob and God. But this parable is different than what happens in the bible (mostly old testament), where both of the brothers are reinstated under the father’s wing and nobody was killed. Happy ending huh?

Jesus does not look towards the Father’s belongings like the older brother did, but rather he anticipates and goes out to do the Father’s will. He does not do it out of command but, love for us and respect for the father.

The older brother worries more about physical property of the Father than the younger brother’s safety. Let’s read verse 30 together “But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!” The older son does not rejoice with the Father at the return of his brother because of the psychology term called the just-world phenomenon. The Just-World phenomenon is that we have a tendency to believe that the world is just and fair as it is and that people get what they deserve. If something bad happens to you, then you probably deserve it. In this case, the older brother thinks that the younger brother deserves not be reinstated into the household, but rather kept out to yearn the pods the pigs were eating. He is self-righteous in that he considers himself and his ideas just. He values a fattened calf as his reward for working hard over his bond between his brother. But physical property can be regained and lost, and is trivial to what is important and eternal in God.

Jesus could care less about physical material if his younger brother is on the line. He puts away everything off to the side and puts his younger brother on top-priority. Spoiler ALERT for those who haven’t watched Slumdog Millionaire: In the movie, Jamal (the main character) lived his early life as an orphan. He then grew up with his older brother and little sister who isn’t blood-related. Eventually, they were separated never to see again. Jamal then aired on “Who wants to be a Millionaire?” and got every question right. At the last question which was worth 20 million rupees, he left the show to find his lost little sister. To Jamal, his little sister is worth more than anything money can amount to, even a Supreme Taco Party Pack from Taco Bell. To Jesus, you and I are worth more than anything the world has to offer, even his life.

Where this older brother basically did not care what happened to his younger brother, the true older brother would go out and retrieve the younger brother back to the father. Do you remember earlier how I thought my true older brother would teach me hard math, take me out on his rad motorcycle, and pop anyone’s noses who was mean to me? Unfortunately, Jesus doesn’t have the maddest baddest-raddest motorcycle in all heaven and earth and he isn’t a math teacher like Mr. Toh, but he has something greater.He has a compassionate heart that fights for us. He goes out to the open, lawless wilderness to get us when we stray from the father. Not out of obligation, but out of his own love and will. This is proven true when Jesus accepted the cup God offered when he fully could’ve rejected it. He brings us back to our father and into salvation and wins the war against the devil that Satan has waged on us through sin. For “Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.” Hebrews 2:11

Jesus is not only the lamb of sacrifice, holy and almost untouchable in comparison to our sin as we learn about every worship service. But he is also our brother, who walks and talks with us. Just like how he was not the “king” of the 12 disciples, but more of an older brother. Jesus to me, is my true older brother that I never had physically on earth. I used to think I could do everything through my own power. Getting good grades, being able to keep relationships, and make it through life without thinking twice on relying on God or religion that at times I thought didn’t even exist. I have been denying the existence of my own God and savior just so that I could carry on my sin and try not to think twice. Recently, I have been trying to run away from my parents. Not literally, but in a way that I won’t have to see them for a long periods of time, especially when I advance college. That’s one of the reasons why I am dorming at NU. I have resented my parents most of my life because I don’t agree with many of their views and opinions. Arguments at home are a daily matter, only to be not resolved. Just like the younger brother, I wanted my superior gone so I can live my own life without being told what to do. All I cared about was what my parents can physically provide for me, instead of accepting their love. I wanted to go on to the next part of my life without looking back or rely again on my parents. As I go on to the next chapter of life, I know I will try to seek independence, but Jesus is always going to be with me whether I like it or not. He is the older brother that I never had that lives with me throughout my best and worst times. I know this because he paid the price of my sin as if he was the one yearning for the pods the pigs were eating. I know he brought me and will continue to bring me back at his own expense through his death. Moving forward, I pray that I can live my life knowing I have an older brother I had, Jesus. And to turn to him who is desperately trying to turn me back to my father in heaven.

A true older brother would go out to the country and bring us back, just like how Jesus came down from Heaven to earth to find us. He conceded more than just an inheritance and fattened calf, he gave up his own life and shed his own blood. We are so blessed to have such an awesome true older brother! I pray that as we prepare to hear the message of the cross by David Kim, we can see that Jesus is our true older brother. Let’s pray.

The Two Lost Sons - David Won

If you didn’t know, I recently got new glasses. But I wasn’t trying to get new glasses at first I was just trying to fix my old ones. I went into the Walmart, because I would obviously do it at Walmart, and got my eye exam and everything. I was deciding whether to get the new ones or not, and the major thing I was thinking about was like, hey I don’t want to look ugly. I was trying on all these new ones, and I was thinking of just sticking with my old ones, because I couldn’t decide, but then I found out I needed a new prescription so it didn’t matter, I couldn’t keep my old ones. I came into this decision with the wrong mindset , but my glasses don’t really matter. But how do we know what the right mindset is for the more important decisions?

We all know the story of the prodigal son. We’ve heard it hundreds of times and we probably know the story by heart but we'll still try to learn something from it. The younger brother leaves the house and goes out to have fun and then realizes how stupid he is and the gracious father that is God accepts him back with open arms. But this parable is so much more than just that, there is also the older son, who is a forgotten character. Looking at who Jesus was talking to, the Pharisees, the older son is an important character, especially with how his story does not resolve but ends with a cliffhanger. Many times we just focus on the younger son and the beautiful story of redemption there, but we also need to compare and contrast with the older son as well. Both sons are equally lost just in different ways.

I’m first going to start with the younger son. Let’s read verses 11 and 12. “Jesus continued: There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them." Now what the younger son was doing was crazy. He was literally saying to his father “Yo give me my inheritance. I don’t want to wait till you die.” This was the ultimate disrespect. He did not care about his father, or how he was tearing his life apart and land apart, or that he was ruining his father's honor and standing in the community. He was asking the father to sell his land and everything he had worked for his entire life. He was selling his life and his blood, all those years he had put into it. But why did the father agree? Any sane person would have just said no. But what did the father in the story do? He divided his property and gave the younger son what he asked for.

In this story the father represents, God the Father and the younger son a sinner like the tax-collectors and prostitutes. They are the people who are obviously sinners, who are shunned by the rest of Jewish society. Everyone looks down upon them as sinners and unclean, because they have left the Jewish customs and traditions for money and pleasure, just like the younger son left the father God’s household.

But why did God the father give him what he asked for? Like Mary said in her message it is because of God’s crazy love that just doesn’t make sense. He loves the son so much, and just wants a relationship with him no matter the cost or the consequences. God loves us and the son so much that he is willing to tear his life and himself apart for us.

Now let’s read verse 13. “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.” Here the younger son is trying to find his own independence. As he is finally free from his father he thinks that he will have the best time of his life by partying and doing whatever he wants.

I really identify with him here. All my life I’ve wanted to just get out from underneath my parent’s control and just do whatever I want to. Whether is going to parties or girls or whatever, I hate being told by my parents what I can and cannot do.

In the same way, I have been like the younger son in my relationship with God. I haven’t wanted a relationship with God thinking that God is just like my parents. I just want to do whatever my heart and my flesh want and have the most fun I can.

However, look at verses 14-16. “After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country and he began to be in need. So he went and hired him himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.” The younger son at this point is at the very bottom. He is living in a pig pen, surrounded by mud and filth and dirty animals, without food or money. All the wild living, the partying, and the trying to have as much fun as he wants brought him here to the lowest point in his life. He had no self-control and had wasted everything he had.

You may be thinking to yourself, “Hey I’m not the younger son, I don’t want to party or do any of that stuff. I’m a good kid.” But the younger son mentality is about wanting your independence from God, thinking that you know what’s better for your life than God does. It’s about trusting in yourself more than you trust God and his plan for you. The younger brother mindset is about self-discovery. It is the idea that “I’m going to live however I want to and that I will find my own true happiness without anyone else. And we all have that in us. We don’t want to listen to authority or especially God because you want to do whatever you want to do without anyone telling you otherwise. But this parable tells us that if you do, do that it only leads to destruction and filth. Just doing whatever we want leads to only misery because we have no self-control, it’s just a part of our sinful nature. Once we start sinning, without a reference point, we start a spiral of sin one we cannot get ourselves out of. This way of living is encouraged by our society so when someone does not do it, it seems weird. We’ve been lied to by Satan who says that the only way for us to be happy is if we control our own lives and not listen to anyone, but it only brings pain and suffering.

The younger son is lost; all he wants from Father God is his possessions without a relationship, he just wants his money so he can live however he wants. His lostness is obvious; he ends up in a pigsty, with no food, no money and most importantly no relationship with the father. He only wants God’s things and not God himself.

However, look at the younger sons change in heart. Let’s read verses 17-20a. “When he came to his senses, he said, How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants. So he got up and went to his father.” Here we finally see the younger son realize how much of a selfish idiot he has been. He realizes that the way he is living is wrong, and that he is now longer worthy to be called his father’s son. He comes up with a plan to go back to the father and earn his way back into the family. And we think that, that idea sounds good. That by doing good deeds we earn our way back into God’s family. But in Isaiah 64:6 God says our deeds are like filthy rags to him. They cannot possibly compare to all the sin and evil we have done. That idea of thinking, that we can work our way back into the family is wrong and minimizes God’s grace.

But look how the father responds in verses 20b- 24 “ But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. The son said to him, “Father I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. But the father said to his servants, Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; was lost and is found. So they began to celebrate.” The father God’s crazy love is on example again here. He does not care about what society will think and runs to his son, something dignified men do not do. He also fully reinstated him back as his son, even though he came back for the wrong reasons God didn’t care, all he wanted was the relationship with him.

On the other hand, there is the older son who is basically the complete opposite but the same still. Let’s read verse 29-30. “But he answered his father, Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him.” Look how he talks about himself. He uses the word “slaved” to describe his relationship with the father. He only sees his father as someone to work under and not as a relationship. Like the younger son he is lost, he is far away from God and does not know how to get back to him and have a relationship with him. Even though the older son has done perfectly and followed everything the father has told him to do for years, he is still lost. He does not know his relationship with the father. He sees himself not as a son who is loved by the father, and has everything that the father has. He sees himself as a slave working for his father in order to earn a pay, like the hired hand that the younger son wanted to be. He is expecting God to give him what he wants because he believes he deserved it and so God owes him.

Both the younger son and the older son want the same thing. They want God’s things. The younger son just asks for it straight up, but the older son takes a different approach. He works for the father this entire time to earn the possessions of the father. Look how he talks about his brother. He complains that he never received even a young goat, he also complains about how his brother squandered the father’s property and how the father killed the fattened calf for him. In all of his complaints he only cares about the possessions, goats, property and the fattened calf. There is no sign of a relationship anywhere in what he says, whether it is to the father or to his brother. The older son thinks he is better than the younger son and so he deserves more than him.

The older son is furious at his father; every single word he speaks is dripping with hate toward his father. He says “Look!”, that is not the proper way to address your father especially in this highly patriarchal society. The older son was disrespecting the father in his anger, and attacking his standing in society. He has no love for his father, he only hates him and is waiting till he dies so he can take his inheritance and property as well.

The older son is a metaphor for the Pharisees, he represents their lifestyle of following the law to the letter. But Jesus is saying something crazy to them, he is saying that these people who have followed every single one of God’s rules are lost, just as lost as all these sinners they look down on. The Pharisees like the older son are trying to gain their salvation by their works and on their own goodness and their own righteousness. However, they are lost because they lack a relationship with the father God. They think that they do have righteousness because they follow the rules so well but that’s all it is, they only follow God as a slave master. They also do not see anything wrong with this, as they are righteous in their own eyes and in the eyes of society. They think they are perfect and live in accordance to God’s will when in reality they harbor a deep hatred and resentment toward him.

Often times members of the church have the older son’s mindset. We think that if we do all the things that we’re supposed to do that God is supposed to bless us. If we have perfect HBF and Sunday worship service attendance than God will bless us. But that isn’t how it works. Our perfect actions can make us lost like the older son. We feel that God owes us because of everything we have done for him when in reality God doesn’t care about all those things. What he wants like the father in the parable is a relationship. God isn’t our master telling us what to do and forcing us to do his will, he is our father.

I find myself judging others and thinking that I am better than another person because I act better than someone else, because I am smarter than someone else or because I go to church or I don’t participate in the activities that they do. I see myself as above others, that I am better than them because of my less wicked actions. But like the Pharisees and the older son I am lost, I am far away from God because of my habitual way of doing things. I only do things for my parents and others, hoping that people see me as holy, when my heart is far from whatever I am doing, whether it is HBF or Sunday Service or whatever. I am like the older son, seemingly enslaved by God, doing what I perceive is his will so that he will bless me, and so that others think highly of me, while I am secretly cursing and hating God in my heart. But there is hope, God wants me to come to a place like the younger son, where my heart is broken for him and I realize how much I need the father. Then God can draw me in just like the younger son came home and was reinstated. I pray that God may really draw me close to him so that I can come back into his family and be reinstated as his son. One personal struggle I have in my own life is about college. My parents really want me to stay in Chicago and go to either UIC or IIT, and so I can join their ministry. But because of the younger son side of me I honestly have no desire to stay and want to run away as far as possible, possibly going out to California or the East Coast. But if I stay, and live under my parents will I just be the older son and habitually continue to do religious things without putting my heart into it? But I’ve been thinking of my college decision the wrong way. It isn’t whether I stay or go, because I can be equally lost in either decision, it is that I need to dedicate my college years to growing in my relationship with my father in Heaven, but I’m so scared of giving up what I want with my own life. I’m scared of giving up my desires for freedom and independence, from God and my parents. I struggle with the idea of giving up my life to God, because I really do not want to, I just want to live however I want. This college decision process has been a real struggle for me, but I pray that through the next four years of life, I can use them wherever I am to build my relationship with my Father God, not that I use this decision to run away from God or begrudgingly obey my parents.

I want to ask you, which son are you? Are you the younger son who wants to run away from all his responsibilities and live his life however he pleases? Or are you the older son? A person who just does things because he thinks he has to, with no real love in his heart, just going through the motions to please people in his community? Or like me are you a mixture of both sons, trying to run away from God but also grudgingly doing the things that we think we have to? Whichever son you are, you are lost, not knowing the true love of the father, thinking that you can save yourself by your obedience or lack of it. But there is still hope, in our lostness we need to find the Son of God, Jesus, the true elder brother, who came on earth to seek the lost and bring us back into God’s family.

Welcome! HBF Easter 2016: Restored

The Prodigal God - Mary Magardician

Hi guys how was your group bible studies? I am one of the three messengers speaking on Luke 15. I am covering the introduction of the famous parable of the Prodigal Son. Just like Sam encouraged us last night, I hope that we can draw near to God’s presence through the passage, starting with me and continuing on with David Won and David Wolf.In my message I want to focus on the heart of the father and how he’s actual the most prodigal character in the parable.

Let’s pray.

Dear heavenly father, please help us dig deeper into the passage where your love as a father is beautifully displayed. Help me to deliver this message and speak to us through me. Amen.

The title of my message is The Prodigal God

Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

Key Verse: 11-12 

“ Jesus continued: ‘There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, “Father give me my share of the estate.” So he divided his property between them”.

                Let’s read verses 1 and 2 together: “Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered ‘This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.’” We are introduced to the passage with Jesus being surrounded by “sinners and tax collectors”. However the Pharisees also seem to be at the same place as well. They judge Jesus for hanging around sinners and welcoming them. After this, Jesus goes on and starts to tell the parable of the Prodigal Son.

 The parable of the prodigal son begins with a father who had two sons.  One day, the younger son asks the father for his share of the estate. The father executes the son’s request by dividing the property between them and gives it to his younger son.  The younger son then packs together all of his belongings and leaves his father’s home to live in a distant country. During the son’s time away from his father’s home, he lived his life recklessly and spent all his money living a wild life. The younger son lived this way until a famine hit the country. He does not go back to his dad because he thought he had disowned him for his actions regarding his inheritance and his departure. Therefore, the younger son hired himself out and began to work as a pig feeder. The amount of money was so small that he barely had enough to feed himself, and he found himself envying the pigs and thought of eating their food as well. Coming to the point of nobody wanting to help him, the son had hit rock bottom. Look at verses 17 and 18: “ “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.” He finally realized he needed his father and started his journey back home.

 Once the younger son came close to his father’s home, his father had seen him coming and ran to his returning son with open arms. His father was overjoyed that his son had come back home and barely let his son get a word in. The son tried to earn his way back thinking that he was not worthy to be in the family, but his dad was too excited that he called for his servants to prepare a celebration for his son with fine clothing and a ring and a fattened calf. This response was nothing the son had imagined when returning back home. Eventually the ears of the older son picked up the chaos as he returned to his father’s home after working in the fields all day. He was not impressed with the situation. The older son actually became very angry that his father was celebrating the return of his brother when his brother left on poor circumstances. He felt his younger brother should have been shunned like many others would have been if they approached their fathers in the same manner his brother did. The older son asked his father of the purpose of the festivities when his younger brother disrespected their father while him, the older brother, worked every day for his father and served him. His father pleaded with him exclaiming that he is still as valuable and loved like his younger brother, but it is his younger brother that was lost and then found.

                In the beginning of the passage, Luke mentions the two groups of people that were gathered around Jesus. Back in the day, to sit down and eat with someone was a sign of acceptance. Jesus accepted the sinners and hoped that in return, that they would someday accept him as well. But the Pharisees saw this as an insult to their pride. How dare Jesus, a religious teacher, sit down and eat with such scumbags! “If they never listened to our messages, what makes them listen to Jesus? He’s probably just telling them what they want to hear”. We can clearly see how the sinners correspond to the character of the younger son in the parable. They live the wild life and left behind their traditions and respectable societies. And then we have the pharisees and teachers of the law who share the mentality of the older son. They live by the book and live exactly by the way that society has always taught them to live by. By telling this parable, Jesus is speaking to both the sinners and pharisees to change their hearts. He is revealing the sinner's’ self centered heart and also the high moralistic life of the pharisees.

                In this passage, there are many important messages that I received. The original title of the parable that Jesus gives in the passage is referred to as the Prodigal Son. When you look up the word prodigal, the definition is, “recklessly extravagant” or “having spent everything”. I believe that this is exactly how God is towards us. As you can see, God is actually the one who is prodigal. When we reject him and push him away from us, he is doing everything that he can to allow us back home. He went to the greatest extent by sacrificing his son for us. In a worldly point of view you can see why it would be called that since the younger son squandered all of his wealth in a short amount of time. But as I dug deeper into the meaning of the parable, one of the messages that stuck out to me was of how the father in the story, who plays the role of God, was portrayed. From the beginning when the younger son asked the father for his portion of the inheritance, the father just agreed to give it to him without any hesitation. This was like a slap in the face for the father. By the younger son asking for his share of the estate, the son was basically implying that he wished his father dead. The father and the younger son clearly had no intimate relationship with one another. But by giving the younger son his portion of the estate and was hoping that this would possibly change their relationship for the better.  All the father cared about at this point was the son, even if that meant that the father had to lower his status in the community and endure the pain of rejected love from his son. This reveals a lot about how God, in the same way, never holds us back. Even when we reject God and decide to go our own way, he allows us to make our own decisions with the freedom of choice. This parable is about the prodigal god.   

Next we see the restoration of the father with the younger son. The father doesn’t show up again in the passage until the end of the passage and there I saw how much the father loved his son through his forgiveness and compassion. When the father saw the son, he ran straight toward the son, hugged and kissed him. This is very unusual behavior for a father at the time since fathers never ran and they definitely never showed any signs of affection. This father didn’t care about his image, he cared much more about his son coming back home. The father had no idea if he was ever going to see his son again and now he was finally reunited with his lost son. Let’s read  Verse 22 , “But the father said to his servants, Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.” The younger son is coming home being drenched in pig manure and the father is putting an expensive robe on him? Not just a robe but the best robe! Now I’m starting to wonder if the father’s in his right mind. Just kidding. But seriously, this is significant because the robe mirrors God’s forgiveness. Normally a robe like this would’ve went from his shoulders down to his feet. This elegant robe covered all of the younger son’s filth. When the father put the ring on his son, it represented the son being reinstated to the family. He did not care about the son’s past actions because his son came back home. In the same way, when we are covered in Jesus’ blood, God does not remember our sin but instead he celebrates to have us return to him. He is quick to forgive and is eager to welcome us back to his family as sons and daughters.  

After receiving word that the older son was outside refusing to come in, the father did not scold him but pleaded with him.  As the father reached out with mercy, the older son refuted with harsh words that revealed the true nature of his heart. Verse 29 “Look, all these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends”. This verse offers the same disrespect that the younger son had portrayed to his father earlier in the story. The older son’s words have the tone that his father should be asking for his forgiveness for not allowing him to have a young goat to feast on with his friends.  The father was in pain, mixed with compassion for his oldest son because the younger and older son were not interested in the father himself, they both were interested in what they could get out of the father. The father made one more plea to the older son by saying in verse 31and 32 let’s read it together, “My son, the father said, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.”.  The younger son was lost and found his way back home as a different person which was a reason for the father to celebrate.  The father grieved the loss of the younger son during his absence.  When his son came back it was like he came back from the dead.  In addition, the father’s words were to speak to the older son as well.  His father would have celebrated for the elder son if he too would come to him, like his brother. The celebration, Jesus speaks of, is the celebratory joy that fills heaven after a sinner repents.

This passage really moved me because of the father’s role in the parable and how he clearly showed his amazing grace towards his lost sons. I see myself as the younger son since many times I fall short with God. A lot of times I will ask God for something and treat him like he is a genie that just pours out wishes for me. This year I applied to many universities hoping to be accepted to at least one. Due to God’s grace towards me, I was accepted to many universities except for the very one that I wanted to go to. Like a spoiled child I became angry with God because of how my friends, who even cheated their way up, were accepted and not me. Sometimes I don’t care about my relationship with him as long as I get what I want. At the same time I can be like the older brother. I try to grow in a relationship with God by doing my part through praying personally, doing daily bread, and writing sincere testimonies as if these things are the only way that God will accept me. But what I’m learning through this passage is that God just wants my heart. He wants my life and he wants a relationship with me. This is what brings him the most joy and excitement.

Despite all my shortcomings, God still pours out his grace towards me which ties to how he is the Prodigal God. He went to the greatest extent by sacrificing his son for us. He lavished his grace towards us so that lost people like me can one day come home to him where we belong, with our father. Our heavenly father is waiting for us with open arms. Many Christians and non Christians often have the misconception of what Christianity is all about. When Christianity first started, it was not even considered a religion because of how differently their faith was portrayed. They did not perform sacrifices to their god, they didn’t have a clergy or an official house of worship. But throughout time, we can see how it became to be structured like a religion.

 My point is that it is not about our actions that define God’s love towards us. God does not measure his love for us when we write testimonies or do daily bread all the time. He just so desperately wants that connection with us where together you and God can blossom in a beautiful relationship together as it is with a father and his child. And in the end, that is all that matters with our heavenly father.

After pondering this truth, I had a resolution about the university. In the end it is not what God can give me that makes me want to be a Christian but it is that I want to experience the deep love of God that is more than my personal wishes. I pray that all of us can grasp the realization of the most important factor in our Christian life which is to have a relationship with our heavenly father. He is more than a generous father who can spoil us.

Let’s read the key verse all together one more time, Luke 15:11-12 “ Jesus continued: ‘There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, “Father give me my share of the estate.” So he divided his property between them”.

Let’s pray. Dear heavenly father thank you that we could learn about your incredible love for us. Thank you for giving me your wisdom to speak to hbf today. I pray that everyone here may learn at least one word from this passage and know how much you love every single person here. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Jesus Saves the Lost - Becky Rayas

First, I would like to welcome all of you to the 2016 HBF Easter conference titled Restored. We will be hearing messages from Mary, John, and the three David’s. David Won, David Wolf, and David Kim. The purpose of this conference is to point out how we are lost and why we need Jesus to save us. WHO WANTS TO BE SAVED? WHO WANTS TO BE SAVED? I hope that during or after the conference we can come to know God more personally and be saved. To know God who saves the lost.

Luke 19:1-10

Key Verse 10

“ For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost”

You probably have heard a CBF message on Zacchaeus and the sycamore tree before, but today we will be going more in depth and looking at Zacchaeus attempt to get Jesus attention and Jesus approach to Zacchaeus. We normally think of this passage to be funny because, it is the story of a short man climbing up a tree to see Jesus. And when we picture a short man climbing a tree, it is funny. The passage tells us that Zacchaeus could not see over the crowd to see Jesus. So he was a short man. But they say that God measure us from the head up. So in God he was tall. So let’s think of this passage as a tall man climbing a tree to get a panoramic view of Jesus. In this passage we’ll see how Zacchaeus is transformed by the love of Jesus. Zacchaeus obeys Jesus calling and gladly accepts his invitation. Through Zacchaeus repentance Jesus brings salvation to his household.

In verses, 1 and 2 there is a clear picture of the setting and the characters. Jesus is entering and passing through Jericho. We are then introduced to Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector. Not only was he a tax collector, he was the chief. He held a high position in society and many of the town’s people probably feared him because he was demanding and he stole money from the poor. Everyone in Jericho disliked him and during that time he was considered one of the worst sinners.

Although Zacchaeus was the worst of the worst, he was curious to see Jesus. He probably had heard of all the miracles Jesus preformed and was amazed. Zacchaeus was probably thinking, what if Jesus preformed some more miracles in Jericho? He had to be there to see. Imagine if a famous celebrity like Justin Bieber was coming to Chicago and there was rumor that he would preform a free concert. A lot of people would go crazy and track him down. Maybe you wouldn’t climb up a tall tree. However, in this passage Zacchaeus; a wealthy, high class, short man ran ahead. He RAN, he didn’t walk. The he climbed a sycamore tree because could not see over the crowd and was eager to see Jesus. (Verse 3-4) At that moment Zacchaeus did not realize how silly he would look up on a tree? Imagine one of the wealthiest people in town like Rahm Emmanuel, climbing up a tree to see a stranger. Even though Jesus was a stranger to Zacchaeus, Zacchaeus made such a great effort to see him. At that moment in time, he did not care about his reputation and the reaction he would get from the towns people from climbing up the tree. All he cared about was to see Jesus.  He wanted Jesus attention and put himself in the way Jesus was coming. His climbing up the tree was his happy dance.

In verse five Jesus arrives to the spot where Zacchaeus is and says, (Call one of the people in the audience. Can you please read for us.) “Come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” Thank you who ever read. First, how did Jesus know this strangers name? And second, did Jesus just invite himself to this man's house? Verse 5 is Jesus approach toward Zacchaeus and calling him by his name shows respect, intimacy, and love. And it shows that Jesus knows us. We all want to be known by somebody and if someone does not recognize us we become sad. But Jesus know us. He knows each of us by name. And he calls us by our names. Jesus did not say to Zacchaeus “hey shorty” or “hey funny man up there”. Jesus said Zacchaeus.  So what happens next? Jesus invites himself to Zacchaeus house. People don’t usually invite themselves to someone’s house. Usually only family and closest friends invite themselves. Everyone else has to make an appointment.  In this passage, Jesus treats Zacchaeus like close friend, like a family member. Zacchaeus was probably always feeling lonely and hated because the townspeople didn’t like him. Jesus invitation to his house makes Zacchaeus feel important and noticed. At that moment Jesus became his BFF. We may be wondering why Jesus chose to go to Zacchaeus house out of all the people in the town? The bible says, it is the sick who need a doctor not the healthy. In this passage Jesus came to save the lost . Zacchaeus was lost before he met Jesus.

What happened after Jesus tells Zacchaeus “come down, I must stay in your house today?” In verse 6 we see Zacchaeus response to Jesus. Zacchaeus came down at once and gladly welcomes Jesus to his house. Zacchaeus no longer thought of Jesus as someone who performs miracles, but as a friend. Zacchaeus felt Jesus love and care for him and immediately accepted Jesus facebook invitation.  

Again in  verse 7 we can see Jesus love for Zacchaeus. When all the people began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner” Jesus didn’t care or take any offense. Jesus came to save Zacchaeus.

In verse 8 Zacchaeus is transformed from a lost man to a saved man. He repents. Can we all please read verse 8 “But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the lord ‘ Look lord! Here and now I give half of my pocesions to the poor and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Wow Zacchaeus sincerely repented and was willing to give back to the people who he stole from them. The chief tax collector who was lost in the world of money and greed now found new meaning in his life through Jesus and repented. His paying back what he stole is his act of repentance.

Moving on to verses 9 and 10. After Zacchaeus act of repentance, Jesus forgave him. Not only him but offered salvation to all his household. Can we please read them together? When Jesus says “Today, salvation has came to this house, because of this man, too is a Son of Abraham” Jesus meant that he had forgiven his sins. In verse 10 when it says that the “Son of Man came to Seek and save the lost” it is referring to God sending down Jesus, his son to die on the cross to redeem us from our sins. God also sent Jesus down to find those who don’t know God bring them too him.

From this passage we can see how Jesus approaches Zacchaeus, and also how Zacchaeus seeks Jesus. Jesus didn’t care who Zacchaeus was and what society would think if he came to his house. Jesus wanted to save Zacchaeus, just like he wants to save us.  This passage highlights Jesus great love for us.

Just like Zacchaeus we are lost. There is too much technology around us, that we get lost. We become too busy at school that we also get lost.   Many times, I stray away from God and loose faith in him. The college process has been stressing me on top of the IB curriculum. I feel like Jesus has been letting me down because although I have a high GPA and class ranks the Universities I wanted to go to did not give me any scholarships. This week I was very hurt because although I was accepted into Purdue 6 year pharmacy program I was not granted any scholarships and the government didn’t give me any money either. Through this passage Jesus spoke to me because I know that he is waiting for me to accept his invitation.  Although I did not get into the school I wanted Jesus opened up another door for me to a good school with a good scholarship. When I stray away from God, Jesus is there calling me Rebekah come down, I must stay at your house today.  I know that many of us experience the same thing. So let’s get excited at the name of Jesus and do our own happy dance. We don’t have to climb a tree, but we can do a happy dance. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. That is us!

Today we learned that when Zacchaeus accepted Jesus invitation, he was saved along with all his household. The lost were saved.  When Jesus call us by name, let’s accept his calling and be transformed to children of God.  Let's make this conference our sycamore tree to hear Jesus invitation no matter if we came here to be with our friends or because our parents forced us to. We made a great effort to come to the sycamore tree; we drove a long distance in the snow, prepared messages, group presentations, group bible studies, so let this conference be our sycamore tree where we meet Jesus, accept his invitation, and be restored.

To conclude let’s all please read the key verse that is verse 10. “ For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost.”

Lets Pray…