Luke 12
1Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: “Bea on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 3What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.
Exodus 28
33Make pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet yarn around the hem of the robe, with gold bells between them. 34The gold bells and the pomegranates are to alternate around the hem of the robe. 35Aaron must wear it when he ministers. The sound of the bells will be heard when he enters the Holy Place before the Lord and when he comes out, so that he will not die.
LET US BE STRONG AND BOLD
AND RESTORE THE LOST LAND
REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON
June 23, 1957
Who then are we? We should understand that in order for me to exist today, God has been working hard for 6,000 years, going through worldwide battles. We were found through such endeavors of God. Thus, you should not forget the grace of God who has been nurturing you. Further, we should realize that we are offerings to God on His behalf. You should also understand is that in order for you to have come this far, there has been a path of sufferings and lamentations and grief for God that He could not express. He has been going through a path of difficult and rough battles, paying the price of sacrificial blood, shed by countless ancestors. Further, we should become sons and daughters who can feel this love of God, who has been toiling hard to save us.
Now, we should know to pray to God, “Please help us understand Your heart of 6,000 years ago and that of today. Please help us be Your representatives.” We should be determined to be a sacrificial offering to God whether alive or dead. Thus we should be able to pray, “Since we are offered to You as a sacrifice, do whatever You desire with us.”
Throughout many thousands of years, our ancestors have been building an altar of blood. Jesus died also as a sacrifice on the cross. After his death, Christians also have been building an altar of blood for 2,000 years. Therefore, we should understand that we come on the foundation of such altars. In that position, we can call God “Father,” hear His voice, and appeal to the Father to save all humankind on His behalf.
We should also know the anxious heart and grief of God, who has been leading 6,000 years of the providence, and we should become the children who can comfort God. You should be able to figure out all matters like this on your own and demonstrate them in action.
Then what should we in this position do? To culminate God’s dispensation of salvation, we should understand that we must observe the tradition established by our many ancestors. There is also the enemy, Satan, who is trying to destroy the conditions upon which God can operate. To overcome the enemy, we should be determined to become sons and daughters who would feel a sense of responsibility to mobilize even down to the tiniest cell in our body. If we call God from this standpoint, we will come to understand that He would not be God who had a relationship only with Moses. Nor is He the God who only had a relationship with the Israelites. He is the God who can be also with us. God is the one who created all things, who had the relationship with our ancestors throughout history, and who should have a relationship with “me.” Especially, God was with Jesus when in the garden of Gethsemane, he came to a final decision to be offered as a sacrifice. The sacrificial spirit of Jesus, who loved all humankind, was bequeathed to the descendants as a tradition, and the revival of Christianity came about.
Then what should the saints who believe in the truth of Jesus, which replaces 4,000 years of history, do in the future? They should become sons and daughters of God, like heavenly soldiers who can save all humankind which is captured in the wire nets of Satan. Also, by correctly understanding God’s will, we should not follow in the same footsteps as the Israelites who became the prey of Satan in the wilderness due to their inability to understand the will of God.
Further, we should take the fidelity of Moses, who until he could stand again before God, lived a sacrificial life for forty years in the wilderness, as the root of our faith. We should take after his strong and persistent nature that enabled him to petition to God for eighty days on behalf of Israel. Also, you should understand that you are a tribe of the Second Coming who should achieve the ideal of restoring the land of Canaan on the worldwide level. You are a representative of the second Israel.
Therefore, understanding this, you should be able to come forward and pledge, “Father, though I have to personally undergo all the battles that persisted during the past 6,000 years of history, I will overcome them.” Toward the satanic tribe that governs the world, as a representative of the saints and sages who had to climb the hills of death to fulfill God’s will during the 6,000 years of history, you should be able to shout, “I am a bomb. I will explode your hearts!” When viewed from this perspective, we should take the words of God to Joshua, “Be strong and bold,” as our lesson. We should understand well from the principle that, because the Israelites could not understand the meaning of the words, even when they entered the land of Canaan, they had to pay more indemnity centered on the twelve Judges. Consequently, if we cannot fulfill the responsibility like the one given to Joshua today, the Lord who comes back to this earth to build the Kingdom of Heaven must walk a path of suffering along with you.