Category: Speeches of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon

The Father Longs for the One Who Can Render Devoted Service to Him

Acts 3

14 You rejected Jesus, who was holy and good. You asked for a murderer to be set free, 15 and you killed the one who leads people to life. But God raised him from death, and all of us can tell you what he has done. 16 You see this man, and you know him. He put his faith in the name of Jesus and was made strong. Faith in Jesus made this man completely well while everyone was watching.

Richard:  Do not reject Jesus at His Second Coming.

Lamentations 1

Don’t let their evil deeds
    escape your sight.
Punish them as much
as you have punished me
    because of my sins.
I never stop groaning—
    I’ve lost all hope!

The Heart of Heaven in Relation to Elijah

Sun Myung Moon
March 15, 1959

1 Kings 19: 1-21

19 Ahab told his wife Jezebel what Elijah had done and that he had killed the prophets. 2 She sent a message to Elijah: “You killed my prophets. Now I’m going to kill you! I pray that the gods will punish me even more severely if I don’t do it by this time tomorrow.”

3 Elijah was afraid when he got her message, and he ran to the town of Beersheba in Judah. He left his servant there, 4 then walked another whole day into the desert. Finally, he came to a large bush and sat down in its shade. He begged the Lord, “I’ve had enough. Just let me die! I’m no better off than my ancestors.” 5 Then he lay down in the shade and fell asleep.

Suddenly an angel woke him up and said, “Get up and eat.” 6 Elijah looked around, and by his head was a jar of water and some baked bread. He sat up, ate and drank, then lay down and went back to sleep.

7 Soon the Lord’s angel woke him again and said, “Get up and eat, or else you’ll get too tired to travel.” 8 So Elijah sat up and ate and drank.

The food and water made him strong enough to walk forty more days. At last, he reached Mount Sinai,[a] the mountain of God, 9 and he spent the night there in a cave.

While Elijah was on Mount Sinai, the Lord asked, “Elijah, why are you here?”

10 He answered, “Lord God All-Powerful, I’ve always done my best to obey you. But your people have broken their solemn promise to you. They have torn down your altars and killed all your prophets, except me. And now they are even trying to kill me!”

11 “Go out and stand on the mountain,” the Lord replied. “I want you to see me when I pass by.”

All at once, a strong wind shook the mountain and shattered the rocks. But the Lord was not in the wind. Next, there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 Then there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire.

Finally, there was a gentle breeze,[b] 13 and when Elijah heard it, he covered his face with his coat. He went out and stood at the entrance to the cave.

The Lord[c] asked, “Elijah, why are you here?”

14 Elijah answered, “Lord God All-Powerful, I’ve always done my best to obey you. But your people have broken their solemn promise to you. They have torn down your altars and killed all your prophets, except me. And now they are even trying to kill me!”

15 The Lord said:

Elijah, you can go back to the desert near Damascus. And when you get there, appoint[d] Hazael to be king of Syria. 16 Then appoint Jehu son of Nimshi to be king of Israel, and Elisha son of Shaphat[e] to take your place as my prophet.

17 Hazael will start killing the people who worship Baal. Jehu will kill those who escape from Hazael, and Elisha will kill those who escape from Jehu.

18 But seven thousand Israelites have refused to worship Baal, and they will live.

19 Elijah left and found Elisha plowing a field with a pair of oxen. There were eleven other men in front of him, and each one was also plowing with a pair of oxen. Elijah went over and put his own coat on Elisha.[f]

20 Elisha stopped plowing and ran after him. “Let me kiss my parents good-by, then I’ll go with you,” he said.

“You can go,” Elijah said. “But remember what I’ve done for you.”

21 Elisha left and took his oxen with him. He killed them and boiled them over a fire he had made with the wood from his plow. He gave the meat to the people who were with him, and they ate it. Then he left with Elijah and became his assistant.

Prayer

Upon this day You have given, we have gathered before Your dignified presence on our knees, concerned about our insufficiency. Please allow us to fathom our hearts now to see where they are. We are aware that Your course in pioneering the path of life was one of utmost austerity and consecration.

Father, please look with compassion at Your sons and daughters gathered here. I sincerely wish and desire that You will please manifest Your dignified presence. By our setting up the standard of victory You have granted, acknowledge us as the sacred throng, and come visit us.

The remaining course of the providence is one of sorrow. We are aware that the responsibility to hold this sorrow in check is upon our shoulders. We also know that he who cannot feel Heaven’s limitless sorrow will not be able to assume responsibility for it. Since we are aware that we cannot help assuming the responsibility for the sorrowful heart that remains in Heaven and for Heaven’s battles, please allow us to know how. Continue reading “The Father Longs for the One Who Can Render Devoted Service to Him”

Alleviate God’s Sorrow

Click below to listen to or download a recording of Rev. Sun Myung Moon’s speech “God’s Ideal Family Is the Model for World Peace”, the inaugural message of the Universal Peace Federation on September 23, 2005 at the Marriott Wardman Park hotel in Washington DC. Rev. Moon speaks extensively about the Peace Kingdom Corps.:
http://visionroot.org/assets/SMM%20UPF%2009-23-05-combined.mp3

Cheon Seong Gyeong 323

Those who live with the love of God
inside their hearts are sons or daugh-
ters of God. These are the central figures
of the whole universe who can govern
heaven and earth. Love is the essential
element enabling people to attain this
position. (9-173, 1960.5.8)

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1567

How would democracy, which has
unfolded through a history of wars, be
brought to an end? Democracy would
naturally conclude with the advent of
the parents, the coming of the parent-
centered ideology. Hence, the Unifica-
tion Church declared to this world that
the era of the providence of salvation
has ended and has given way to the era
of the providence of restoration through
love. Many religions are unaware of this
truth. Pastors of established churches
do not understand what is meant by
the era of the providence of salvation
by love or the era of the ideology cen-
tered on the Heavenly Father, do they?
They wouldn’t know what the Ceremo-
ny of the Settlement of the Eight Stages
is. (194-325, 1989.10.30)

Let Us Halt in Our Steps and Behold the One Who Is Protecting Us

Rev. Sun Myung Moon
March 8, 1959

Psalm 121

No scripture reveals God’s labor and grief of the 6,000 years. However, scriptures extensively elaborate on goodness and the land of blessing where we can live.

Why did God take this approach? It is because God loves us. Because Heaven loves us, He has sought us in this manner. It can be said of our path toward God that joy cannot be attained instantly. Joy can be attained only after we go through the path of sorrow.

If someone on earth longs for the Kingdom of Heaven and longs to become a true son or daughter of Heaven, he should raise his hands and pray in tears, “Please let me shed God’s tears of the 6,000 years in my lifetime.” He must offer his life and risk heaven, earth and all created things as he cries out.

He who discovers that the Father cannot be found in a good, beautiful, precious, proud and glorious place, but is in a state of deep sorrow will become the master of goodness. You have to understand that such a person can become a true son or daughter of God. Continue reading “Alleviate God’s Sorrow”

Feel God’s Sorrow

Exodus 1

15 Finally, the king called in Shiphrah and Puah, the two women who helped the Hebrew[d] mothers when they gave birth. 16 He told them, “If a Hebrew woman gives birth to a girl, let the child live. If the baby is a boy, kill him!”

17 But the two women were faithful to God and did not kill the boys, even though the king had told them to. 18 The king called them in again and asked, “Why are you letting those baby boys live?”

19 They answered, “Hebrew women have their babies much quicker than Egyptian women. By the time we arrive, their babies are already born.” 20-21 God was good to the two women because they truly respected him, and he blessed them with children of their own.

Richard:  Be aligned with God’s Will and follow God’s calling, according to your conscience!

Jeremiah 21

Pay attention, you that belong
    to the royal family.
12 Each new day, make sure
    that justice is done,
and rescue those
    who are being robbed.
Or else my anger will flame up
like a fire that never goes out.

13 Jerusalem,
    from your mountaintop
you look out over the valleys[c]
    and think you are safe.
But I, the Lord, am angry,
14 and I will punish you
    as you deserve.
I’ll set your palace[d] on fire,
and everything around you
    will go up in smoke.

Let Us Halt in Our Steps and Behold the One Who Is Protecting Us

Rev. Sun Myung Moon
March 8, 1959

Psalm 121

Why did God not abandon the world, even as He was forsaking Jesus? Why did He allow Jesus to be hung on the cross, yet did not forsake his enemies? It was to show that there was even greater sorrow than Jesus’ death.

We fallen people must seek the infinite love of Heaven and experience His historical heart as our reality. He has protected us and labored for our sake. We must emerge victorious before God. When you look at society, you will find that it is not a joyful world. Human history is a history of sorrow. Because human history did not begin in joy, but in grief, human history has become a history of sorrow.

When you look at a person weeping painfully over his grief, you probably feel sympathy toward him. However, do not sympathize with an individual’s grief or rejoice over your situation. Our grief transcends the individual level and is connected to the family level, the national level, the world level, and even to the level of Heaven. Continue reading “Feel God’s Sorrow”

Jesus’ Love for the Father

Cheon Seong Gyeong 443

In the family you should deeply expe-
rience love by going through the official
course of the training center which is
an encapsulation of the whole universe
and then expand this and love the world.
You have inherited this from your fam-
ily, your training ground, where you
were raised with your mother and
father. Therefore if you love your par-
ents more than your wife, love your sons
and daughters more than your wife, love
humanity more than your wife, and love
God more than your wife, everything
will be accomplished. This doesn’t mean
that you should abandon your wife. If
you love in this way, all the recipients of
that love will come to love your wife as
well. Is there a more glorious place than
this? If you want to love your wife, follow
this way. (143-285, 1986.3.20)

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1797

Do you know why America is now
going to perish? I warned them before.
Do you know how numerous the cas-
es of incest are? Twenty percent in
this nation of scoundrels! Grandfa-
thers cohabit with their granddaugh-
ters and fathers sleep with their daugh-
ters even though they are married. All
the symptoms of apocalyptic destruc-
tion are here. An atomic bomb has been
dropped from heaven and we are in an
age where we might be directly bombed.
Yet the developed nations do not know
how fearful this is. This is where they
need me and the Unification Church.
Without the Unification Church, they
will never be able to bring this under
control. (201-165, 1990.3.30)

Richard:  Saving America is urgent.  Most do not realize what a predicament we are in.  Why not schedule the Urban Life Training STAR Leadership training at your location, and start a Chapter of Urban Life Training?

Let Us Halt in Our Steps and Behold the One Who Is Protecting Us

Rev. Sun Myung Moon
March 8, 1959

Psalm 121

We should be seeking the self, and religions have made considerable contributions throughout the periods of history. There is no true progress in the world of emotions. Why? It cannot make progress because it has replaced the world of the heart. There was no progress thousands of years ago nor will there be much many millions of years from now. There is no progress in the realm of emotions through which parents can love children, husbands and wives can love each other, and relatives and kinsmen can love each other. This is because one can represent the whole, perfection and happiness of the whole based on heart alone.

Where can one find the greatest happiness and peace in life? Since God is our Subject, it is the place where we can assert that we are His children, where we can call Him “our Father” and He can call us “His children.” When such a movement emerges on the earth based on love, the world will become a joyful place from that moment forth, and it will be the world of the greatest accomplishments sought by humanity.

This is why religious people have all pursued goodness and have tried to satisfy their desire for goodness. When Jesus came to the earth he called God “Father” and attested that he was one with Him. There is no one who has announced anything greater than this in the whole of human history. Jesus referred to humanity as his bride and friends. He called them his people and his disciples. Continue reading “Jesus’ Love for the Father”

Art Has Its Limits

Numbers 4

4 The Lord told Moses and Aaron:

2-3 Find out how many men between the ages of thirty and fifty are in the four Levite clans of Kohath. Count only those who are able to work at the sacred tent.

Richard:  God wants us to have specific and measurable results in our ministry work.  Visionroot produces great tools to help you do that:  http://www.visionroot.org.

Mark 2

12 The man got right up. He picked up his mat and went out while everyone watched in amazement. They praised God and said, “We have never seen anything like this!”

Richard:  Miracles do happen!

Let Us Halt in Our Steps and Behold the One Who Is Protecting Us

Rev. Sun Myung Moon
March 8, 1959

Psalm 121

You may not be so well aware of this fact, but history is moving toward some destination. It is ceaselessly flowing toward the one unified world of the ideal. This is not an arrangement made by human beings or something human beings have accomplished. This flow moves forcefully in spite of our ignorance of it. Since it has the power to surround us, move our minds, and steer the course of our nation and world, and since we are on our way toward the world of our destination, we cannot help being a part of this great procession. You should reflect once more upon your being subject to this unalterable fate.

In this flow, where is our path heading? Is it to the left or the right? Is it vertical or horizontal? When we consider this flow, we find that we cannot boast about any self-centered success. The same thing holds true, even if we are delighted in the great world of the arts.

A person has value as the subject in sight of the entire universe in a reciprocal relationship with it. Therefore, until we can achieve the kind of success of which we can boast in the presence of the creation, there is no way we can alter that flow of the heart. The path we must walk is one. We set out from this amazing and great world of relationships and pass through a world of relationships before arriving at our destination. There we can fully manifest our original value and proudly stand in the presence of the Creator. Hence, we must understand that in their innermost hearts human beings long to be such victors and attain such joy and freedom. Continue reading “Art Has Its Limits”