Columbia UBF

John Lesson 3 (2012)

YOU SHALL SEE GREATER THINGS THAN THAT! 

John 1:35-51

Key Verse: 1:50-51

“Jesus said, ‘You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that.’ He then added, ‘I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.’”

Today’s passagerecords personal encounters between Jesus and his first five disciples. After each encountered him, they came up with their own unique confession of Jesus. Andrew confessed, “We have found the Messiah.” (41) Philip said, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law and about whom the prophets also wrote about – Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”(45) Nathanael said, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God, you are the King of Israel.” Simon’s confession is not found in today’s passage, but Jesus gave him new name, “Cephas”, which when translated is “Peter.”(42) Jesus also anticipated that Nathanael would see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man. (50-51) Let’s think about why Jesus said “You shall see greater things than that”and what it means to us today.

Look at verses 35-36. “The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God!’” During his ministry of the baptism of repentance, Johnhad drawn nationwide attention. He also had several close followers. We don’t know much about them, except these two disciples, mentioned in today’s passage. One of them was Andrew, the brother of Simon (40-41) and the other was most likely John the author, the brother of James. We are not sure why, how and when these young people began to followJohn the Baptist. We can only use our sanctified imagination.

In those days, Israel’s national situation was pretty bad and thenation’s future wasn’t bright at all. Israel had been under the yoke of foreign nations, like Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Macedonia, Egypt, Syria and Rome, for more than 600 years until Jesus came to this world. By the time John the Baptist began his ministry of baptism the nation was completely broke. Yet the Jewsstill had to pay heavy taxes. In addition to their temple tax in Jewish currency (2:14), they also had to pay taxes to the Roman government in Roman currency.You can imagine how hard it was for an average citizen in Israel just to survive day to day.

In their frustration and discouragement, a lot of people couldn’t deal with their problems. They turned to unhealthy lifestyles and indulged in drinking, partyingand probably gambling, while some became extremely religious. Some people became opportunists, like tax collectors, who took advantage of their fellow citizens. Otherswere determined to change their situation by joining to the political extremists, like the Zealots, who were ready to fight against their oppressors, even the Roman government. It’s amazing to see that Andrew and John,who were young fishermen from Galilee,became disciples of John the Baptist who had lived in the wilderness, wearing camel’s hair, eating locusts and wild honey and delivering the fiery message of God’s judgment and repentance. Probably, they followed John the Baptist as their role model. It was also possible that they thought that John might possibly be the Messiah. But John clearly denied that he was the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet. (1:18-28)

In fact, when John saw Jesus coming toward him, he told people to pay attention to him by saying “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”(1:29) He also introduced that Jesus was the Son of God who would baptize with the Holy Spirit. (1:32-34) Hearing John’s testimony, two of his disciples, Andrew and John, began to follow Jesus. At that time, John was a very popular national figure and Jesus was anunknown man, a carpenter from Nazareth. Unless John helped them to follow Jesus, these two young men might not have followed him. In fact, it was God who was working through John the Baptist in order to lead them to follow Jesus. God was already working in them even before they were aware of it.

Look at verse 38. Even though Jesus knew John and Andrew, John and Andrew didn’t know Jesus personally at that time. So it was very possible that they had a lot of questions about who Jesus really was. When Jesus saw them following him, he suddenly turned around and asked,“What do you want?” as if he didn’t know anything about them. They answered, “Rabbi, where are you staying?” Obviously, John and Andrew wanted to talk with Jesus personally. Jesus willingly invited them to stay with him and said, “Come and you will see.”(39)

Look at verse 39b. “So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour.” The tenth hour in Jewish time is 4 pm in our time. I am sure that they talked a lot and their talk was deep and intimate. Look at verse 41. “The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, ‘We have found the Messiah (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.”Although it sounds like Andrew had already put his faith in Jesus, it wasn’t so. Actually, it wasn’t until Jesus performed his first miraculous signs that they put their faith in him. (John 2:11) However, it is evident that Andrew began to acknowledge that what John the Baptist testified about Jesus wasn’t contradictory to his personal experience with him. It was an awakening experience and a moment of God’s personal revelation to him. So he said to his brother Simon, “We have found the Messiah,the one you are also looking for. He is here! Let’s go to see him!”

Look at verse 42. “Jesus looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas’ (which, when translated, is Peter).” We don’t know how Simon responded to Jesus at this point. There is no record of anything Simon said about Jesus. We might assume that Simon said, “You are the Messiah!” But it was also possible that Simon wasn’t really convinced that Jesus was someone he was truly waiting for. Yet, surprisingly enough, Jesus gave Simon a new name “Cephas” which when translated is “Peter” meaning “Rock.” According to Luke’s account, it was only after experiencing a miraculous catch of a large number of fish in the Sea of Galilee by the help of Jesus that Simon Peter finally fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” (Lk 5:8) Then Jesus said to him, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.” (Lk 5:10b) Even though Simon’s initial response to him wasn’t sure, Jesus had a great hope for Simon.

In the following section, verses 43-51, we see Jesus’ encounter with Philip (43-44) and Nathanael (45-51). Look at verses 43-44. “The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, ‘Follow me!’ Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida.” John’s description of Jesus’ encounter with Philip was brief. It says “Finding Philip.” It means that

Jesus was actually looking for a guy, named Philip. It means Jesus already knew Philip by name even before Philip knew Jesus. And when Jesus found Philip, he said to him, “Follow me!”Philip followed Jesus.

Look at verses 45. “Philip found Nathanael and told him, ‘We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote – Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.’” Andrew’s confession was simple – “We have found the Messiah.” (1:41) Philip’s confession was a lot deeper. Instead of saying, “We have found the Messiah”, Philip said, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote – Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”It was such profound information that Philip provided for Nathanael.

Yet, Nathanael’s heart became hardened as soon as he heard the word “Nazareth!” Look at verse 46. “‘Nazareth! Can anything good come there?”Nathanael asked.” Around 20 years ago, my wife and I bought a brand new car, made in Korea. At that time, Korean-made cars weren’t that great. But I was so happy to see Korean-made car in the US, I was compelled to buy it. And the interest for car-loan was 11%. But after a couple years, the car began to break down and gave me a lot of headaches. After 3 years, we had to sell it for a low price. Since then, my wife and I decided not to buy any Korean-made cars. Now, it’s a very different story. “Made in Korea” means something much better than before. Still it took almost fifteen years for us to overcome our preconceptions.

Nathanael was from Cana (Jn 21:2), which was not far from Nazareth, only about 5 miles away. It was possible that his preconception about Nazareth wasn’t just based on rumors he heard. He himself could have had bad experiences or some business relationships related to Nazareth. After that, whenever he heard the word “Nazareth”, he felt uncomfortable and negative.Now, hearing Philip saying that the Messiah was from Nazareth, he became even more cynical, “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Probably, Jesus even heard Nathan saying that. If a man wants to be a leader, he should be free from preconceptions. Nathanael would not be a good candidate to be a leader. How he could be a shepherd for all different kinds of people if he could not even embrace people from the next village?

However, when he saw Nathanael approaching, Jesus said of him,“Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.”(47) Nathanael must have been shocked by Jesus’ positive remarks about him. Perhaps, Jesus was the first person who recognized his genuineness and potential. Nathanael asked, “How do you know me?”  Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.’” In fact, Jesus knew everything about Nathanael, including what he had thought, said and done, and his strength and weaknesses. Yet, Jesus viewed him as a true Israelite and a sincere person. It seems that Jesus understood that Nathanael became very cynical because of his sincere heart. People who have a clean conscience and truthful hearts tend to becomeeasily hurt by the corruption in society. Sometimes, they become critical of everything. Perhaps, Nathanael fell asleep under the fig tree because he got drunk due to his broken heart. But when he had brief encounter with Jesus, he tasted the glory of God in Jesus and his heart was wide open.

Look at verse 49. “Then Nathanael declared, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.’” His confession,along with the confessions of Andrew and Philip in today’s passage, represents who Jesus really is. Although their confessions seem to be premature and too quick to be fully credited, we can clearly see that through their personal encounters with Jesus they began to taste the glory of God in Jesus.

When we think of personal encounters between Jesus and his first five disciples, we learn something very important. Did you know that God knew you before you knew Him? Did you know that God knew you by name even before you were born? Did you know that you are always in His mind, and He has been working for the good of your life even before you began to seek Him? Did you know that unless God had first put an urge within us, we wouldn’t be able to seek and come to know Him?

In fact, our faith does not depend on our own understanding or our initiation. It depends on Jesus and what he does for us. Jesus is the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrew 12:2). In fact, Jesus came to this world to plant and grow our faith in him. This reminds us of what Jesus said in John 6:44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me. And I will raise them up at the last day.”

In Genesis 28, we read the story of Jacob when he was running for his life, away from his brother Esau who wanted to kill him. At that time, Jacob didn’t know God personally. But when he was in desperation, he had his first encounter with God in Bethel. In fact, God appeared to Jacob in his dream. Jacob saw a huge stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And he heard the Lord saying to him that he would bless him and protect him wherever he went. When Jacob woke up, he realized that God was with him even though he didn’t know. So he worshiped God there. And he also made a vow before God. However, Jacob often forgot about God and especially the vow he made to God, but God never forgot Jacob. God protected and provided for Jacob all along the way. Here, we learn that unless God calls us and works in us, we cannot have faith in God.

Our life is full of conflicts, trials, pain and suffering. Some are avoidable but most of them are not avoidable. We have many daily concerns. We worry about our life, health, school study, our life security, our children, our parents, our business, job and our ministry. We are not in control. Sometimes, we feel that God is so far away from us. We think that God has too many people to take care of and pay attention to, and therefore it would be impossible for Him to remember all of us at the same time, especially “me”- one person. But that’s a misunderstanding. Our God knew us even before we knew Him. Jesus said in Luke 12:6-7, “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”  We actually don’t know God much. In fact, we will never know Him fully enough. However, a wonderful thing is that God knows us. So we can always trust him and not in our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). Our God will never ultimately fail us. If we experience a failure, it’s a time of encounter with God. Our God is good. He able to accomplish what concerns us today. He is able to do much more than we could ever dream and make us what he wants us to be.

In verses 50 and 51, Jesus anticipated that Nathanael would experience a lot greater things of God in the future. “‘You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that.’ He then added, ‘I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.’”What did Jesus mean when he said that Nathanael would be able to see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man? Was this vision only for Nathanael? There is no record that Nathanael actually saw this vision in his lifetime.There are two interpretation of this vision. Firstly, it means that Jesus, the Son of Man, is the only mediator between God and men. Secondly, it means Jesus’ glorious second coming.

What is the ultimate hope for mortal man? It is the life everlasting. The everlasting life is God’s gift for us. It’s free because God paid the cost through the death of His one and only Son, Jesus Christ. And that’s what Jesus promised to Nathanael in today’s passage when he said that he would see greater things than that. Seeing the glory of God is not something unrealistic and ambiguous. It is to have God’s life in our day-to-day life in this world, to be like him, and to receive the glorious resurrection when Jesus comes again. Of course, when our life ends, our body will go back to the dust because we are dust. But we will be raised to life. God does not make mistakes. We will surely see greater things than what we now see in this world. We will see the glory of the Son of Man coming down from heaven. How do we know it? It’s because God knew us before we knew Him. We are here, believing in Him, not because we chose Him because God first chose us. We are chosen out of billions. Sometimes, we may feel alone, abandoned and ignored. But we must know that we have someone who loves us and will always love us. He is now with us through the Holy Spirit. In fact, God is behind all things, and He works for the good of us. All we need to do is to trust Him who began a good work in us and will carry it on to completion until the last days. (Philippians 1:6; Romans 8:28) Let us desire to see God’s glory in our life through Bible study and prayer.

John Lesson 1 (2012)

WE HAVE SEEN HIS GLORY

John 1:1-18

Key Verse: 1:14

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

One of my Christian friends recently told me that he wants to see the glory of God. “What a noble and admirable desire he has!” I thought. I wish many of us had the desire to see the glory of God. Moses in the Old Testament had this desire. When he was leading the people of Israel in the wilderness, he was often challenged by many obstacles and felt it was impossible for him to lead the people any longer. The Lord encouraged Moses by saying, “Moses, I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.” Then Moses asked the Lord, “Lord, now show me your glory.” (Exo 33:18) But God said to Moses, “Well, Moses! You cannot see my face, because no one may see my face and live.”In fact, God showed Moses only his back, not his face (Ex 33:23). This was great enough. Yet, according to John’s gospel, those who believe in Jesus can see the glory of God even better than Moses. In fact, Philip, one of Jesus’ disciples, asked Jesus as they were walking in the Garden,“Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”(14:8) Then Jesus answered, “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father?’ Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that Father is in me?” (14:9)

The great thing about our John’s gospel study is that through it we can see and experience God in Jesus. Today’s key verse, verse 14 reads, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”Since I became a Christian when I was junior in college in 1975, John’s Gospel has been my favorite gospel because I don’t know about you, but whenever I read John’s Gospel, I feel that Jesus is so close to me. I feel that I can almost see Jesus face to face. The more I read John’s gospel, the more I feel that Jesus is speaking to me directly and personally in my ears. I almost feel that Jesus lives in me, touching me, washing me and embracing me. In fact, we can have a personal encounter with God through John’s gospel over and over again. I am so glad that we are studying John’s gospel this year. I  hope and pray that through the study of John’s gospel, all of us can see the glory of God in Jesus and that John’s gospel study this semester would be a spiritual feast for all of us.

The New Testament has four gospel narratives, the Gospel of Matthew, the Gospel of Mark, the Gospel of Luke and the Gospel of John. These first three Gospels are often called “the synoptic gospels”, which describe events from a similar point of view, as contrasted with that of John’s gospel. John’s gospel is very unique. When Apostle John wrote this gospel, he was very old and all the other Apostles were already dead and the church was under attack of severe persecutions. The rise of various heresies, especially Gnosticism, became a great threat to many believers. John the Apostle had to write this gospel in order to protect believers from the growing influence of heresies and nurture them spiritually.

The Gospel of John is considered a simple gospel, yet it is found to be the most profound gospel. As we read it, we find several key words that are constantly repeated throughout the gospel. For example, the word “love” is repeated 27 times, the word “light” 24 times, the word “truth” 54 times, the word “life” 50 times, and the word “believe” 54 times. Today’s passage, John 1:1-18, is the prologue of John’s gospel, in which we find so many key words.

Unlike the synoptic gospels, which begin with the story of Jesus’ birth as a baby, John’s gospel starts with the statement that Jesus is God.Look at verses 1 and 2. “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.” These verses reveal Jesus’ co-existence with God the Father before the creation of the world. Apostle John uses a special term“the Word” (Logos), which was very relevant to his Greek audience. The word “Logos” is used in Greek philosophy in various ways for a principle of order and knowledge or the concept as the highest virtue or as a personification of the divine being. Of course, John didn’t mean that Jesus Christ is merely the Logos of Greek philosophy. Rather, John might have used the word “Logos” because in Jewish religion, the Word of God is considered as God himself. The opening phrase of John’s Gospel “In the beginning” reminds us of Genesis 1:1, which reads, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”  We know that the universe was formed at the command of God’s Word. When God said, “Let there be light!” there was light (Gen 1:3). Jesus is the divine Word of God who created the heavens and earth in the beginning. Look at verse 3.“Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”

Verse 4 reads, “In him was life, and that life was the light of men.” This verse teaches us the Logos – the Word – who was in the beginning is the origin and author of life and that life is the light of all mankind.It means that we, as God’s creation, can find true meaning and purpose of life in relation to the Word who was in the beginning. In other words, our life has true meaning and purpose only when we are connected to Him because we are wonderfully and purposely made in God’s image, not a byproduct of accidents.

Look at verse 5. “The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.”  There are two worlds: the world of light and the world of darkness. When we are in spiritual darkness, we are like a blind man from birth who can easily deny the beauty and magnificence of a great landscape, believing that he is ugly and has no hope at all. Many people feel that life is meaningless. Some people may feel depressed when they don’t have the sense of self-worth, self-respect and self-competence. Some people suffer with tremendous pain in their hearts because of their damaged self-image due to failures and mistakes. Others feel hopeless when their dreams are shattered. When we are in spiritual darkness, we cannot see the beauty of our life in God. But the real problem is that we cannot overcome the power of darkness unless we have the light.We need the light.

In order to bring light to this dark world, God had sent so many messengers and prophets in the Old Testament, and John the Baptist was the last prophet who testified concerning the light. Look at verses 6-9. “There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.”Here, the true light refers to Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Jesus came as the light of the world. But most people’s response to the light was negative.

Look at verses 10-11. “He (The Word who was in the beginning) was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.” Generally speaking, neither the world nor the Jews received the light of Jesus. The result is that they have no other choice than remaining in the darkness.

However, some receivedthe light and became God’s children through faith in Jesus. Look at verses12 and 13. “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” One of the main reasons that people cannot become the children of light is that they have no power to overcome the power of darkness. The power of darkness in us cannot be overcome by our human ancestry or human effort but only by the power of God. Verse 12 says that to those who believed in Jesus’ name, God gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent nor of human decision or a husband’s will but by being born again, which is the work of the Holy Spirit (Jn 3:1-8). Here, the word “gave the right” can be translated as “gave the power.” In other words, to those who believe in Jesus’ name, God gives them power to overcome the power of darkness in them. The power of darkness in us may not disappear immediately but it will surely and completely disappear as we learn to trust in the name of Jesus Christ. Some people choose to remain in darkness by closing their minds to the light, perhaps because of shame, guilt or fear. We need to open our minds and let the light of Jesus shine in us.

Once in a while, I have a chance to visit the rehab-unit at the hospital where a lot of disabled patients who have difficulty of moving their arms or legs receive physical therapy. They are asked to stretch their limbs often even though they may feel initial discomfort doing so. However, through regular exercise and constant treatment, the patients can makeslow progress, and sometimes the progress can be a lot faster than expected. Likewise, trusting in Jesus can be challenging and awkward for those who are so used to just depending on themselves. They may feel uncertain and insecure about trusting in Him.But the power of darkness can be removed from us as we learn to believe in the name of Jesus Christ. In fact, the word “believe” is repeated 54 times in John’s Gospel.The main purpose of John’s gospel as stated in verse 20:31 of the book is that by believing in Jesus we may have life in his name. Therefore, I can guarantee that if we continue to study John’s gospel and learn to trust in Jesus, no one will remain in the power of darkness but everyone will be able to experience the power of God and live in the light of God. 1 Peter 2:9 reads, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”Once many of us who were apostle of darkness has become apostles of light.

Look at verse 14.“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” What does it mean that the Word became flesh? It basically means that God became a man and that Jesus is fully human and fully divine. In those days, some heresies taught that Jesus Christ was not born as a flesh-and-blood man, but only appeared to be one. Some said that Jesus was an angel. But this verse clearly tells us that Jesus is fully human and fully divine.

However, the expression “the Word became flesh” seems to have a much stronger meaning than “God became a man.” The Word became flesh clearly reveals Jesus’ identification with us and his victory over the power of sin and death. Hebrews 2:14-18 read, “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death – that is, the devil- and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”The power of sin and death has absolute dominion over all fallen mankind. The Bible says that since we are dust, to dust we would return. (Gen 3:19) This is God’s curse for fallen mankind. It’s hard to see someone we love getting really old, deteriorating mentally and physically and even dying. But in Jesus we have hope of everlasting life through Jesus who overcame the power of sin and death through his resurrection. The glory of God in Jesus is not like the fire, clouds, or smoke in the ancient tabernacle. The glory of God in Jesus is the glory of the One and Only true God, full of grace and truth.

Look at verses 16-17. “From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” The grace we receive from Jesus is superabundant so that we cannot exhaust it. Our access to the spiritual bank account of God’s grace in Jesus is limitless. God’s grace in Jesus Christ is different from the law, which is the only the partial revelation of God’s grace because it leads only to condemnation and death. The grace in Jesus Christ is the full and complete revelation of God’s grace that is powerful enough to save us from the power of sin and death and provide us with new life of love, joy, peace and hope – especially the hope of glorious resurrection. For this, Jesus became the ultimate sacrifice for our sins on the cross. God is the truth because he is absolutely good. We came to know Him and see the fullness of grace and truth through Jesus Christ.

What a great and amazing revelation of God our Lord we have in Jesus Christ! Look at verse 18. “No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.”Although the fullness of God’s grace is available in Jesus Christ, we don’t get to benefit from it automatically. We need to exercise our faith in Jesus. Living by faith in Jesus means living by the grace of Jesus Christ day to day. However, it’s easy for us to neglect God’s grace and remain self-reliant. As a result, many of us live a dry, lifeless and weary life, apart from God’s grace in Jesus Christ.

In this fast moving and highly demanding world, it’s easy for us to become so busy minded, as a result, we live like the children of darkness. Someone said that the word “B-U-S-Y” stands for “Be-Under-Satan’s-Yoke.” Unless we live by the grace of God day-to-day and moment-by-moment, how easy it is for us to be under Satan’s yoke. God does not want us to be spiritually dehydrated. God wants us to live an abundant life. Everything is ready. We know that we have unlimited access to the spiritual account of God’s grace in Jesus. Living by faith in Jesus means to live in the grace of Jesus Christ. We need faith and courage to make a decision to live in the grace of Jesus Christ. The more we withdraw God’s grace from our spiritual bank account in heaven, the more glory we can see and experience in Jesus. Today’s key verse, verse 14, is Apostle John’s confession of faith. He said, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”Can this confession be ours? Do you want to see the glory of God? We are invited to see the glory of God in Jesus Christ and have a spiritual encounter with God. May we learn to put our trust in Jesus so that we may overcome the power of darkness and live a life in the light of God, full of grace and truth.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16

Join us every Sunday in Lerner Hall 568 at 2:30PM!

Mk. 13:1-37

MEN WILL SEE THE SON OF MAN COMING IN CLOUDS

Kv; 26-27    “At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.  And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.”

Last semester Kyle experienced a lot of anxiety and frustration over his finals; he prayed a lot, and m. Ruth also prayed for him. When he got straight A’s, he was very grateful to God. We were amazed and also gave thanks to God. At the end of each semester, all students get nervous and stressed over finals. However, if a student already knew the correct answers for the tests, then that student would feel at ease and confident while others studied anxiously. It is the ultimate wish and hope for all students to know the correct answers. Some students will even go as far as trying to cheat.

Similarly, if you know your future, whether good or bad, then you can prepare for it. Perhaps that is why some people visit palm readers and so-called psychics. One Christian leader even predicted the end of the world last year, but nothing happened.

Indeed, knowing the fate of humanity would be a critical piece of information for us. But unfortunately, it is impossible for anyone to know the end of the world or the end of our lives because it is only in God’s hands.

However, I encourage all of you to read the Bible carefully with your hearts. The Bible tells us about our life from the beginning to the end especially, about our future so that we may have knowledge and wisdom in God.

Today’s passage is a good example. In this passage Jesus clearly predicts signs of the end of the age as an answer for the ultimate final exam. Jesus declares that there is an end to the world, and that men will see his coming in clouds with great power and glory. What an exciting promise for all believers!

Let us carefully examine Jesus’ prediction about signs of the end of the age through this passage, so that we can be sure of our future and hold on to his promised word.

I. When will these things happens?(1-13)

Let’s read verses 1-4. “As he was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!”

² “Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

               As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, ⁴ “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?”

When Jesus left the temple, the disciples were amazed to look at the beauty of the massive stones of the temple buildings. One disciple said to him, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!” Most of the disciples were country Galileans and these structures might have been quite breathtaking and awesome to them.

The temple was the center of Jewish religious life because God told them to worship him at the Temple in Jerusalem. The first Temple was built by King Solomon and the Temple was rebuilt by Zerubbbabel and the Babylonian exiles. (1 Kings 6-8, Ezra 3) This was the third Temple built by King Herod. King Herod wanted to appease the Jews by building this Temple. It was built over a 46-year period (Jn 2:20). It sat on the highest point in Jerusalem and occupied one-sixth of the city’s territory. It was built of huge marble stones, some of which were 37 feet long, 18 feet wide and 12 feet high. The eastern front of the building complex was covered with plates of gold so that it reflected the rays of the rising sun. When the sun shone on the temple, the dazzling reflection captured the mind’s eye of any observer. The temple certainly impressed the disciples. They were overwhelmed by the appearance of the building. They might have possibly believed that the Temple would stand forever. The buildings were indeed spectacular, magnificent, representing the culture and civilization of the day.

When I went up to the top of the World Trade Center in 1976, I was really overwhelmed by the size and height of the buildings, although I was dizzy and a little bit scare of the strong wind at the top of the building. I realized the amazing abilities men and was reminded of the Babel Tower. Now the city has begun construction on the ‘Freedom Tower’ which is set to be taller than the World Trade Center.

Although the twin towers are gone, the pride of New Yorkers is still strong. They want to build a magnificent tower with modern technology on the site of the WTC. The Freedom Tower is a symbol of Human pride. The massive and magnificent structures represent human glory and ambition. While the disciples marveled at the Temple buildings, they were revealing their true inner desires and human ambitions.

How does Jesus respond? He says, ² “Do you see all these great buildings?” “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” The disciples’ awe and dreams were abruptly interrupted with the shocking doom of Jesus’ words. It was discouraging and dreadful to say the least. His words challenged them to be aware of shallow human ambitions. They needed to see how they were only concerned with the lowly corporeal matters of the world.

Jesus saw things very differently. His prediction of the Temple was literally fulfilled in A.D. 70 when the army of the Roman General Titus besieged Jerusalem and destroyed it. Titus desecrated the temple and demolished it completely until not one stone was left on another. He did this to remove the gold plating set between the stones. All of the buildings on the temple platform, including the temple itself to which the prophecy refers, were utterly destroyed. So completely were they destroyed that no trace of them remains today. The exact location of the temple mount is even in dispute to this day. Modern Jewish scholars have made a thorough investigation as to the exact temple location, but no one can say for sure. In addition to the destruction, more than one million people were killed. The rest were dragged away into captivity as slaves. It was the end of the Jewish nation politically for nearly 2,000 years.

Actually Jesus’ prophecy was more than about the temple. His prophesy was also about the destiny of the world. All things of this world are temporal. Nothing of this world is permanent. When we look at recent strides in scientific and technological fields, we cannot but marvel at the scope and speed of human achievements. Advances in science and technology have made our lives more comfortable than ever before. We ourselves exclaim, “Look! Those LED displays are so cool!”

However, we must remember what happened on 9/11. The whole world watched as hijacked planes crashed into the World Trade Center, and as the Twin Towers collapsed via live television broadcasts. Nobody imagined that the tall magnificent Twin Towers would fall so quickly. It was shocking to the whole world. When I saw the towers crumble into debris, I thought the end of the world began. At the same time I felt that the legacy of humans were empty and meaningless. As Jesus said, indeed, nothing is permanent in this world. Last year five notorious dictators were gone, and one world famous idol died. We can see the rise and fall of the human civilization throughout world history.

When Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives with his disciples opposite the temple, they looked over the magnificent temple again. The buildings reminded them of Jesus’ words. Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, ⁴ “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled? They wanted to make sure of his word. When will these things happen? What will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?

Perhaps, the disciples believed the temple was God’s house that could never be destroyed; if it was destroyed, that was the end of the age. When they heard about Jesus’ prediction, they became very serious. “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?”

What was Jesus’ answer?

First, watch out that no one deceives you.(5-6) When we read verses 5-8, we can understand why Jesus gives us warnings. First of all, Jesus said to them, ‘Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many.’” The first sign will be deceptions by false prophets. The surprising thing is that they come in Jesus’ name and deceive many people that way. So St. Paul said that this world is a place of deceiving and of being deceived (2Ti 3:13). The main characteristic of the false messiahs is that they claim that they are the messiah. Jehovah Witnesses claims that only their members will be saved. Obviously, such claims are not in the Bible. Jesus warns us not to be deceived by false messiahs.

Many false messiahs are harder to recognize. One powerful false messiahs in our time is the New Age Movement. They declare that purpose of man’s life should be man’s happiness. Their teaching is so attractive to many peoples. They teach their members about their identity as gods without the Creator God. This powerful humanism started in New York City by a Russian woman in 1875. This movement has had great influence everywhere, even on many Christian churches. They participate and act in every good movement such as protection of natural environment and unification of all religions. We must watch out for this kind of humanism because they are the false messiahs. They seek easygoing ways of life rather than the way of cross. Jesus says that we should not be deceived by these false messiahs.

Second, “do not be alarmed.”(7-8) Look at verses 7-8. “When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom will rise against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.”

Jesus’ second concern is wars, earthquakes and famines in various places as signs of the end of the age. He teaches us that when we hear of wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes and famines, we don’t have to be alarmed. The reason is those signs are just like the beginning of birth pains. People living in a world full of dreadful things become fearful. But God’s people should not be gripped with fear. Instead, we must remember the word of Jesus, not to be alarmed and the beginning of birth pains. A mother’s birth pains start slowly at the beginning, but in the time goes, the pain comes faster and faster, becoming more intense. So in this way the end of the age come faster and stronger, but the end is still to come.

Third, “you must be on your guard.”(9-13). Jesus gives us a third warning; to be on our guard because of persecution to the believers. Look at verses 9,11. “You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them.” “¹¹ Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.”

Jesus clearly mentions that there will be persecutions because of him but also the help of the Holy Spirit. Persecution is not just a phenomenon of first-century Christians, but also today there is persecution of true believers. All seems well in this free country of religious tolerance. But sometimes we face rejection and persecution from our own family or friends when we truly follow the Lord Jesus as his committed disciples. It is painful, but we have to endure for the sake of the gospel of Jesus in his promised word. Jesus promises us about the help of the Holy Spirit and being saved when we stand firm to the end.(13) “All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” Jesus also confirms in verse 10, “And the gospel must first be preached to all nations.” He means that there is no end until the gospel is preached to all nations. This promise strengthens us to hold onto the word of Jesus for unbelievers. God is holding his Son and waiting for us patiently until we preach the gospel of Jesus to all nations. 2Pt.3:9 says, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

II. Men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds.(14-34)

Jesus predicts two dramatic events before the end of the age comes after the beginning of birth pains.

First, the abomination that causes desolation.(14-23) Look at verse 14. “When you see „the abomination that causes desolation‟ standing where it does not belong–let the reader understand–then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.” What does this verse mean? “ New King James Version says, “So when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’^[d] spoken of by Daniel the prophet,^[e] standing where it ought not” (let the reader understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.” NKJV gives us clearer meaning. We can see the word “the abomination that causes desolation” is from the book of Daniel.

The prophet Daniel predicted the words three times in his book (9:27, 11:31, 12:11) ‘The abomination that causes desolation’ simply means ‘the disgusting thing that will cause destruction.’ This prediction of Daniel was fulfilled in 167 B.C. In 167 B.C., Antiochus IV, Epiphanes, the king of Aram, desecrated the temple in Jerusalem, offering the heads of pigs on the great altar, which was disgusting thing to the Jews, Antiochus inverted the creation order by placing an abominable thing where God should be. Another abominable event happened when the Roman army desecrated the temple. The Roman army invaded the Temple and defiled it. They placed the pig’s head in the place of worship. The immediate prediction was the destruction of the temple. It actually came to pass. This part refers to the historical event happened in 70 A.D.

Jesus predicts the same event of Daniel’s prediction will happen before the Second Coming of Jesus. The characteristic of the abomination is that it causes desolation. This abomination of desolation is the real sign of the end of the age. After the Temple of God is defiled by offering the disgusting thing on the altar, the destruction of the Temple starts and spreads to the whole world. That destruction will be much worse than the Tsunamis in Japan; it will be horrible and so immediate.

Let’s read verses 14-20. “When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’^[a] standing where it^[b] does not belong—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ¹⁵ Let no one on the roof of his house go down or enter the house to take anything out. ¹⁶ Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. ¹⁷ How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! ¹⁸ Pray that this will not take place in winter, ¹⁹ because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again. ²⁰ If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them.”

How does Jesus reveal his mercy and wisdom for the event of destruction here? He teaches us to run away quickly from the destruction and to pray to God and for his mercy. Jesus gave us the promised answer for the days of distress. Thanks to Jesus his compassion for our lives.

Second, men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds (24-27)

Let’s read verses 24-26. “But in those days, following that distress, ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ “At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.”

When the destruction will spread the whole world, then the heavenly bodies will be shaken and everything in the sky disordered. Jesus says, “At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.”

Third, learn this lesson from the fig tree.(28-34) Jesus was so kind and generous even though we are not faithful and unworthy to him. He did not stop teaching us even after his amazing prediction. He opens our minds and eyes to see the tree for an important lesson. Let’s read verses 28-29. “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. ²⁹ Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door.” Jesus was truly not a difficult teacher or instructor. His lessons are always so easy to understand and take into our minds. The comparison to the trees is not complex but very straightforward. However, how many believers actually follow the advice of this lesson and take heed of warning signs? Jesus wants us to see the leaves of the trees coming out carefully and then to remember what he said are the signs of the end of the age.

Let’s read verses 33,35. “³³ Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn.” As Jesus says, we do not know what is going to happen. But he gives us sure wisdom and answer through a lesson from the tree. Praise Jesus our Lord.

We can see there are clear signs of the end step by step, from the beginning to the end, until our Lord Jesus comes back in clouds with great power and glory. Let’s remember verse 23. “So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.” What does it mean that ‘I have told you everything ahead of time.’? It means Jesus gave us all the correct answers before we take the final exam. When I meditated on this chapter, I was so thankful and peaceful in Jesus’ word. Through this chapter God opened my spiritual eyes to see the world’s situation according to the words of Jesus. He gave me his wisdom and direction on what to do daily.

Think about your life in Jesus through this passage. Think about our Lord Jesus who gave his life on the cross as a ransom sacrifice for our life and even gave us truthful predictions ahead of time, so that all of us may not lose life in his love.

I pray that all of you may hold on to the word, ‘At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.’ As he declares, Jesus will return in clouds with great power and glory before the very eyes of the whole world. This promise is our living hope and wisdom to overcome the emptiness of this world. Jesus says again, “¹Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”(31)

Happy 2012, and welcome back for a new year and a new semester! Tomorrow is the first Sunday worship service of the new semester, and exceptionally we will be at the Bible House (apt. 1B, 532 w114th street). For most of the rest of the semester we will continue to meet in Lerner 568 for worship service, as before, and we will announce whenever we meet somewhere else! The time will be, as always, 2.30 pm! Also, please note that until further notice our Thursday 8 pm fellowship meetings will also be at the Bible House (while we apply for space in Lerner). Again, we’ll post updates here if our meetings move!

2012 New Year Message – III

THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM

Proverbs 1:1-7 (2:1-5)

Key Verse: 1:7

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”

            On January 12, 2010, most of us woke up to the shocking news of the horrible earthquake in Haiti. Millions of people lost their loved ones and homes. Then, just nine months later, an earthquake of almost equal magnitude struck New Zealand’s second largest city, Christchurch. Many homes were also destroyed. But surprisingly, not a single life was lost. People were wondering how two comparable earthquakes could have such different effects. Some people said that Haiti’s inferior infrastructures and shoddy building codes were to blame. It’s true that buildings with secure foundations have a better chance of survival during an earthquake. So it is spiritually. Our life in the world is full of trouble. We know that we will not live a trouble free life this year either. However, today’s passage teaches us that the fear of the Lord is the solid foundation for our lives in this world. Today’s key verse, 1:7 tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom. Let’s think about what “the fear of the Lord” means and the blessings of having the fear of the Lord, and how we can have the fear of the Lord in our lives.

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2012 New Year – II

BE TRANSFORMED…

Romans 12:1-8
Key Verse: 12:2

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Last summer, Missionary Dr. William Kim moved from Louisiana to Indonesia with his family members. As soon as he arrived there, he got sick with typhoid fever. In fact, he almost died. This is how his new life in Indonesia began. Of course, things have gotten much better now. However, in his recent letter to me, he said that 2011 was like an action movie to him because it was a mixture of excitements, thrills and many difficulties. 2011 was a tumultuous year for most of us, filled with many big and small challenges, most of which were out of our control. But we thank God that He is always with us in spite of all the ups and downs in our lives and all that that is happening in the world around us. In fact, I see many of us have grown mature in Christ-like character and personal faith in God especially through the difficulties and challenges in their lives. I am truly thankful that although we all still have long way to grow, our faith and characteristics are becoming more mature and refined like pure gold than ever. Today’s key verse, Romans 12:2, is my New Year key verse for this year. Let me first share with you why I chose this verse.

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