June 20^th 2010 Sunday Message Summary

Scripture: Matthew 23:37~38

If someone was to say, “Live for your nation; pray for your nation,” you might not understand. It might sound foreign to you because a nation is too big a concept for you to understand. If you cannot get a grasp of the words to live and pray for your nation, and it feels foreign to you, perhaps you’ll be able to better understand it, relate to these words, and get a better grasp of them when you consider the following statement: “Live for your family; pray for your family.” This might feel more real to you because you are living your life at that level. Now I will say something which will be easier to understand, more relevant, and be a bit more gripping, so listen. “Live for yourself; pray for yourself.” You might understand and relate to this better. You feel this way because you are living only for yourself and praying for yourself.

If you condense a ‘nation,’ it is a ‘family.’ If you condense it further, it is ‘you, an individual.’ I and my nation are one. A nation is one entity, one home, and one garden, just like ‘I’ or a ‘family.’ The only difference is that it is a bigger representation. Therefore, you are urged to diligently pray and live for yourself and to diligently pray and live for your family and nation.

In all situations, you need to love and pray and live for three things: yourself, your family, and your nation. You cannot omit any of them. If a nation can be compared to a house that can protect you in the middle of a cold winter season, a family is like a blanket against the cold, and an individual is like clothing worn to not feel chilly. You absolutely have to have these three things in order to endure the cold and live your life like heaven despite the harsh cold in your heart and in your environment.

You must know what a great impact prayer can make. You must pray for the nation. If you look at the Bible, you will see that whenever God’s people of mission prayed, the nation was rescued from war, or they even triumphed in war. The fate of nation was determined by prayer. You must pray for yourself, your family, and for your nation. This message is so broad in concept that it cannot be delivered with only one sermon.

Since the nation is, in fact, you, you must pray for your nation. If woe comes to your nation, there will be woe for you; therefore, you must pray for the nation. You must pray for the upcoming disasters. Each nation must pray for your nation’s peace, and pray because disasters will soon strike. You must pray for yourself, for your family, and for the nation so that disasters will not fall upon you. Just as God and the Lord listen to the prayers you pray for yourself and for your family, they will listen to the prayers you pray for your nation and grant it at a scale of even a nation. You must offer the prayers you need to offer in order for God and the Lord to listen and grant it.

<Jesus’ Words>

Whoever it may be, just as you and your family are of the same blood, and just as you are siblings within the family, in the world we are all brothers and sisters under the same ancestor. We are all people created by the only God, the Creator and the Father. The entire globe is like a family. Therefore, Jesus is telling us to live and pray for ourselves, our nation and the world.

You, your family and nation and the lives of the world exist as the parts of one body, related to each other. Let’s say that there is a big tree. The tree has one root. The big branches refer to each nation. The small branches that are spread out from the tree refer to families. The smaller branches refer to individuals. They are the beautiful and splendid tree and branches.

However, let’s say some of the branches snapped and broke because a typhoon blew and a rainstorm raged. Would not the beauty of not only those branches but also the entire tree fade? It would be the same if a tribulation, war or any kind of disaster befalls your family, nation or the world. It would be as if parts of your body are injured, hurt and cut off.

Do not think, ‘Will it be useful if I alone pray for the nation and the world that are so big? Will my prayers come true?’ Instead, pray. It is you who pray but it is the Almighty who carries it out, so He is more than capable of doing it unlike how you think.

Whoever you are, do not commit evil acts even in the slightest. Throw away the thoughts in your mind if they are evil. When a wicked thought comes to mind, people will do evil because of those thoughts, and as a result it will bring harm and judgment upon themselves due to that wickedness. Whoever they may be, no one can avoid the price for their actions. Whoever does not repent of their evil deeds will be rewarded according to their deeds.

Since you are good, do good, enduring till the end as Job did. If you do so, you will receive twice as much like Job who received tribulations but overcame them by praying. The wicked that have harmed the good will receive God’s fair judgment according to their actions. Harm will still come your way through the wicked even though you live believing and loving me and my Father and do good deeds. Therefore, always be awake and pray so that such harm and tribulations will not come to you. Be on your best behavior and live keeping a watch out for evil. The wicked always have their eyes on the good.

Jesus says, “Whoever you may be, live in me for the sake of your own spirit and body. Live also for the sake of your family and nation, and live praying for your brothers, neighbors and nation. Then you will be successful and prosperous. Pray earnestly for the future and the present. I know both the tribulations and the good days that will approach you in the future. Therefore I am telling you the things I know.”

Your prayers for your nation and family are also for your sake. When your prayer has come true because you have prayed, although your family or nation does not know it, the righteousness of having prayed belongs to you forever. Don’t become discouraged because things did not happen according to your prayers. When the time comes, they will come true in different ways.

“Worship and love me who has come to save you and my Father who has created you and obey His words. Act upon my Father’s will and mine while living on earth by preaching the gospel that I have delivered to you. Living this way is the only way to be victorious in life. It is an eternal victory, it is a valuable life, and it is the way to fulfill your eternal wish and the Will of the Creator. Always keep my words and put them to practice. I am the Lord Jesus who loves you and your nation.”