Author: Richard Urban

There is No Salvation Without Jesus

Luke 23

40But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

42Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.d ”

43Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Exodus 28

9“Take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel 10in the order of their birth—six names on one stone and the remaining six on the other.11Engrave the names of the sons of Israel on the two stones the way a gem cutter engraves a seal.

Let Us Be a Victor for God

Rev. Sun Myung Moon
June 30, 1957
Chung Pa Dong Church
Seoul, Korea

The topic of the speech I would like to share with you today is “Let Us Be a Victor for God.” Due to the human fall, God who created Heaven and earth has never experienced joy and glory with the creation during the long history past, through which He has been leading the dispensation of restoration. You must already know this.

In other words, God has never received a day of victory in which He could be happy. The reason does not lie with God, but with humans who were created as the masters of all things. Thus, the day of victory cannot come with the effort of God alone, but it also needs the efforts of humans, besides those of God. Otherwise, God and the creation cannot receive a day of glory with triumph.

Then what is the purpose of God’s creating all things? It is to watch all things singing with God’s love and returning glory to Him, centered on humans who have fulfilled the purpose of goodness. All should rejoice in this. Due to the human fall, God’s purpose of creation was not achieved. To restore human beings, He has been leading a long battle of 6,000 years of history.

God, who has not been able to receive a day of universal victory since the creation, desires to see the day of victory through humans on earth. Thus, unless earthly people do not restore or recover that day, we cannot defeat Satan, who violates humans on earth. Nor can we eliminate the power of Satan, who makes accusations against humans before God in heaven.

Consequently, God does not mind any toil, any sacrifice, or any battles. Until this moment, He has been a shield to restore each of you.

When viewed from this standpoint, we can understand what God’s wish is. God wants to establish each of you as an individual and separate the enemy Satan who caused the human fall from you. Thus, the evil history of Satan will be concluded. We should become people who can fulfill the wish of God, come forth in pride before God and all things, and return the victorious glory to God. Then, finally, the purpose of God’s providence, which He led through His hard work, will be realized. Humans have been trying to witness such a day of victory, but until the present, it has not been fulfilled.

However, God sent a man who could find the day of victory for humans. This was Jesus Christ. He experienced the internal heart of God, who has been leading a dispensation to restore all humankind through a long history. He experienced all the unjust circumstances of humans. Thus, he came as a representative who could bring victory out of the battles with Satan.

Therefore, being faced with Satan, who is blocking the path to attain the will of God’s dispensation and the will that humankind wishes for, you should take over the lifetime undertaking of Jesus Christ, who fought valiantly as the historical man in charge, representing all things with the heart of the Lord of creation. Also, in your own life, unless you practice the life that Jesus wished for, not only the sorrow of Jesus but also that of God and all humankind will be again embedded on the earth. You should understand this.

Then what kind of life course should we take? We should go with the responsibility to inherit the will of Jesus Christ, who came for the fulfillment of God’s will. We should fight to bring about a day in which God and humans can rejoice together. This is more important than anything else.

The life of Jesus was not to live for himself as an individual. It was a life during which, in silence, he took on the responsibility alone for heaven above and earth below, that is, for all the creation. He did this to bring about a day when God’s will would be achieved.

Jesus did not make a distinction between day and night. Also, he did not care about persecution from the visible world. He was a courageous man who fought Satan, who was blocking his path, in an invisible place that people did not recognize or see, carrying responsibility for all of humankind.

Therefore, today all of us should attend Jesus as a vanguard and uphold his will. Thus, wherever he goes, we should go with him. If he fights, we should also fight with him. That is, we should share the same joy and pain and continue to fight to accomplish the will of God in His providence of restoration, which is the wish of all humankind.

Further, Jesus lived for his people and the world, taking responsibility for 4,000 years of history and the many lives in the spirit world. He did not fight for himself alone. It does not necessarily mean that he was fighting only for his people or the world. He fought to fulfill the will of God, with the mission of upholding heavenly principles beyond history and the universe.

Such battles continued throughout his lifetime of thirty years. Even 2,000 years after his death, it is still being continued. You should understand and feel deeply in your bones that although humans can take time to rest, he has been unceasingly fighting along with the Holy Spirit only to fulfill God’s wish and thus find the day of hope for which all humankind wishes.

It was lamentable for Jesus to die on the cross due to the failure of humans when he came to earth to save them. Nonetheless, even after his death, still carrying the sins of humans, he has been walking the course of the cross to Golgotha. We should reflect upon our past, thinking about what kind of life of faith we have had toward Jesus.

Understand the Heart of Jesus to Understand the Truth

2 Corinthians 1

If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer.

Luke 23

Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people, 14and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him.15Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death. 16Therefore, I will punish him and then release him.” [17]a Continue reading “Understand the Heart of Jesus to Understand the Truth”

The Coming Kingdom is one of Freedom and Responsibility

Acts 1

1The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, 2Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: 3To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:

Psalm 123

o You I Do Lift Up My Eyes

1{A Song of degrees.} Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens.

2Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us.

3Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us: for we are exceedingly filled with contempt.

4Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scorning of those that are at ease, and with the contempt of the proud.

Let Us Be a Victor for God

Rev. Sun Myung Moon
June 30, 1957
Chung Pa Dong Church
Seoul, Korea

Luke 19: 8-44

8And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. 9And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

The Parable of the Ten Minas

(Matthew 25:14-30)

11And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. 12He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. 13And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. 14But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. 15And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. 16Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. 17And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. 18And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. 19And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities. 20And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin: 21For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow. 22And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thouwicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow: 23Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury? 24And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds. 25(And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.) 26For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him.27But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.

The Triumphal Entry

(Zechariah 9:9-13; Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; John 12:12-19)

28And when he had thus spoken, he went before, ascending up to Jerusalem.

29And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount called the mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, 30Saying, Go ye into the village over against you; in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose him, and bring him hither. 31And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him. 32And they that were sent went their way, and found even as he had said unto them. 33And as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto them, Why loose ye the colt? 34And they said, The Lord hath need of him. 35And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon. 36And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way. 37And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen;

38Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.

39And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. 40And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.

Jesus Weeps over Jerusalem

(Isaiah 29:1-16)

41And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, 42Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.43For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, 44And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.

Luke 22

39And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him.40And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation. 41And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, 42Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. 43And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. 44And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. 45And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow, 46And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.

Luke 23

44And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. 45And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. 46And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.47Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man.48And all the people that came together to that sight, beholding the things which were done, smote their breasts, and returned. 49And all his acquaintance, and the women that followed him from Galilee, stood afar off, beholding these things.

Seek Heavenly Things

Deuteronomy 28

Then the Lord will scatter you among all nations, from one end of the earth to the other. There you will worship other gods—gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your ancestors have known. 65Among those nations you will find no repose, no resting place for the sole of your foot. There the Lord will give you an anxious mind, eyes weary with longing, and a despairing heart.

Romans 16

1I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacona b of the church in Cenchreae. 2I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of his people and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been the benefactor of many people, including me. Continue reading “Seek Heavenly Things”

Fulfill the Mission to Build God’s Kingdom Now

John 11

47Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles. 48If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation.

Richard:  Treacherous leaders scheme to stop God’s work, but we must not be dissuaded.  Do not participate in the “Conspiracy of Silence”.  Speak up and work for what is right and good.

Matthew 27

11And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest. Continue reading “Fulfill the Mission to Build God’s Kingdom Now”