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Peace Offering
Ch. 2 · Audio in EN
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ES
Chapter 2
The Offering Eaten Together by God and Man
55:06
0:00
The Offering Eaten Together by God and Man
0:04
Leviticus 7:15-27
And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten the same day that it is offered; he shall not leave any of it until the morning. But if the sacrifice of his offering be a vow, or a voluntary offering, it shall be eaten the same day that he offereth his sacrifice: and on the morrow also the remainder of it shall be eaten: But the remainder of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burnt with fire. And if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings be eaten at all on the third day, it shall not be accepted, neither shall it be imputed unto him that offereth it: it shall be an abomination, and the soul that eateth of it shall bear his iniquity. And the flesh that toucheth any unclean thing shall not be eaten; it shall be burnt with fire: and as for the flesh, all that be clean shall eat thereof. But the soul that eateth of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, that pertain unto the Lord, having his uncleanness upon him, even that soul shall be cut off from his people. Moreover the soul that shall touch any unclean thing, as the uncleanness of man, or any unclean beast, or any abominable unclean thing, and eat of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which pertain unto the Lord, even that soul shall be cut off from his people. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Ye shall eat no manner of fat, of ox, or of sheep, or of goat. And the fat of the beast that dieth of itself, and the fat of that which is torn with beasts, may be used in any other use: but ye shall in no wise eat of it. For whosoever eateth the fat of the beast, of which men offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord, even the soul that eateth it shall be cut off from his people. Moreover ye shall eat no manner of blood, whether it be of fowl or of beast, in any of your dwellings. Whatsoever soul it be that eateth any manner of blood, even that soul shall be cut off from his people.
2:24
The Word of God Must Settle in the Heart
2:27
There was a horse in the African jungle a long time ago. This horse was always upset that its color was blacker than the other horses. So, he hoped to become a clean, white horse. One day a monkey said, "If you go up to that mountain, there is a cave. If you go there and tell the spirits your wish, they will grant your wish." The black horse was happy to hear that, and so he went to that cave. He found the cave, went inside, and asked for his wish. He said, "I want to become a white horse." After making his wish, he came outside the cave, and indeed, he had become a clean, white horse. He was so happy, he jumped up and down. But after moving around for a while, He became worried about something else. Because his body was now white he became dirty. The horse felt uncomfortable that he was white. He once again went into the cave and made a wish. "I was wrong. Can you turn me into a black horse again?" After he asked for that wish and came out of the cave, he was a black horse again. But he thought about it and went back, thinking, "Well, actually it's better to be a white horse." So, he once again went into the cave and asked to become a white horse. When he came outside after having become a white horse, he thought, "Actually, it's better to be a black horse." Once again, he went into the cave and asked to become a black horse. As he was about to leave the cave again, the horse thought, "I'm always changing my mind. So if I leave like this, I am going to come back and ask to become a white horse again. So, before I leave this cave, let me make a decision." The horse then asked itself, "Is it better to be a white horse or a black horse? I'd better be a white horse. No, it's better to be black. No, it's better to be white." He could not make up his mind, and he was struggling with it, back and forth. All of a sudden, the cave started to collapse. The horse was stunned, and quickly rushed outside. He had become a zebra.
4:37
Everyone, do you know this story? The person who made this story has expressed the heart of man very well. Our hearts do not have a clear place to settle, so it is always wandering. When it is here, it wants to go there. And when it is there, it always wants to go here. If there is truly only one place our hearts can settle, it is within the word of God. Because many people today do not live a spiritual life based on the word of God in church, their hearts are shaken inside of sin. Even though burning passion may not arise in you; even though there may not be a special change in your heart; if your heart settles in the word of God, you can live a blessed and precious spiritual life.
5:23
He Shall Eat of Me and I Shall Eat of Him
5:27
In Leviticus chapter 7, it talks about eating the sacrifice of the peace offering. Leviticus details how the priests eat the meat that was offered after the offering was given. In the case of going to the holy place with the blood, the priest does not eat that meat. However, when they are not taking the blood into the holy place, the priest must take the meat and go to a designated holy place and eat it. Of course everything is burnt up so there is nothing remaining that can be eaten from the burnt offering.
5:59
However, the peace offering is a little different from the burnt offering. The offerings of the peace offering are divided into two parts. One part is given to God, and the other is eaten by the priests. Leviticus chapter 3, verses 3 through 5 say, "The fat that covers the inwards, two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, which is by the flanks and the caul shall be all given to God." Leviticus chapter 7 states that the meat of the trespass offering and peace offering shall be eaten by the priest in the holy place.
6:35
It is like when people, who used to hate each other, reconcile by eating food together and drinking together. When peace is made between God and us, God wants to eat together with us and relieve His heart. So, the fat is given to God and the meat is given to man, who are the priests. In this way, the peace offering is not an offering that only satisfies God, but it also satisfies man. When you give the peace offering, God and man eat and drink together without any worries.
7:09
In Revelation chapter 3, verse 20 it says, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." These are words stated by Jesus himself. And these are words that show how God and man can unite and enjoy true peace together. If true peace is formed between God and us, then all the problems and difficulties we are going through are things we should not be carrying on our own. Because we share everything with Jesus, if we carry them to the Lord, the Lord overcomes them for us. Feeling pain from problems or hardships depends on whether we eat together with the Lord or not. If we do, the sadness that comes to us is no longer our sadness.
7:59
He Has Bourn Our Grief and He Has Carried Our Sorrows
8:04
Once, we were having service at our church. The weather was very cold, and I could see that many people were coughing. I kind of made an arrogant joke in front of the brothers and sisters. I told them, "I am suffering for all of your colds, so may you not have a cold anymore." But the strange thing was, after I said that, I could not get healed from my own cold. It seemed as though I was going to get better, but I could not get over it. I could barely get any sleep because of my cold. A brother, who is a doctor, came to see me after noticing I had a cold. Previously, a brother, who is good at physical therapy, gave me a massage, but it felt as though he just beat me badly. Then I quietly thought, "I am in big trouble." If I were to receive all the colds from my church members, I think I might die. Even one person's cold makes me this weak and frail, how would I be able to handle the colds of so many different people? I felt like what I had said was so arrogant.
9:11
In Isaiah chapter 53, verse 4 it says, "Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows..." In these words of chapter 53, verse 4, "he" cannot be Pastor Ock Soo Park. The one who bore our grief and carried our sorrow is Jesus Christ. If I am going through a certain pain, and if a certain pastor had borne my grief, from then on, I'm not going to want to see that pastor. Because if he goes around saying, "I carried the grief of Pastor Ock Soo Park," then he would go around and brag about it so much. I'm better off just carrying it myself. How could I live my life hearing him repeatedly say that? It would be difficult for me. Whoever it is, if a person takes the place of your pain, then that would cause you great burden. And it would be a problem in your heart. In Isaiah 53, verse 4, it says, "...he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows."
10:11
So, the important thing is, who is "he" that has born our grief and sorrows? Who can we place in that slot? Even though it may be a big and strong person, but if he bore my grief, then I would be so tormented seeing him carry my grief instead of me. I would not be able to bear that. However, if someone is to bear that grief, then it should be someone who is capable of bearing it. "Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows..." (Isaiah 53:4) This, "he" is the one who is able to bear our grief. "He" is the one who can carry our sorrows. "Surely, he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows." This is something that only Jesus can do. That is why I will revise what I said earlier to our church brothers and sisters, and this time I'll say, "I cannot carry your colds for you. Therefore, do not try to pass on your colds to me." During the full moon, there was a custom where you would sell your heat. Everyone, sell your heat to Jesus. Sell your pain to Jesus. Sell your sadness to Jesus.
11:21
We Eat Joy and Jesus Eats Sadness
11:25
After I entered Jesus Christ, I cannot express how thankful I am that I have been able to forget the pain of my heart. Of course, I had problems and hardships, but I realized that those things could not suppress my heart for a long time. It seemed as if a great pain was oppressing me, but I could experience that after a little while, it disappeared and the peace of Jesus Christ captured my heart instead. That is because I was inside of Jesus Christ, eating together with Him.
11:56
When my children were young, I did not have many chances to buy them delicious food. Therefore, when there was some delicious food, I would give it to them. "Eunsook, come and eat! Yeong Kook, come and eat." These kids felt as though their father did not like eating delicious food. So, I began to think, "I cannot let them develop bad habits."
12:20
One day, we had some delicious food, and the two of them fought each other over the food. So, I said, "Hey guys, where is mine?"
12:29
They replied, "Father, you don't eat this stuff!"
12:33
I said, "What? Bring it to me."
12:36
I divided the food, and said, "As your father, I am the adult, so I get the most. The next portion belongs to your mother. After that, is Eunsook. And finally, this is for Yeong Kook."
12:50
That is how I divided the food for them. Afterwards, I gave my portion of the food back to my children again. I wanted them to know, "Father loves food, but because he loves you, he is not eating the food, but giving it to you. This was definitely your father's food, but I am giving it to you, so eat it with thankfulness."
13:11
"Father, thank you!"
13:14
Some people like to eat chicken, and some people like to eat ribs. Whenever I eat those foods with them, they eat so well, there is nothing left for me to eat. However, Jesus says that He would eat with me. "I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." (Revelations 3:20) I will sup with Him, and He with me. I do not know much about the abilities of Jesus, but His ability to eat should be better than mine. However, if he eats everything, then what would be left for me to eat? The grateful thing is, Jesus gave all the delicious and all the good food to me just like I did with my children. And on the other hand, Jesus ate all of my pain, sadness, and difficult problems. I only got to eat joy and thankfulness, so I always liked to live a joyful and thankful life. The Lord truly gave me joy in my heart. But it was not only to me, but to all of you, too.
14:15
I could feel strongly that Jesus is living together with me in my life. I preach the Gospel and as I do work related to the Gospel, I discovered that I have changed as a person. The conditions to change were not in me, whatsoever, but I did change. The only reason I can say is that Jesus was with me and He supped with me. Jesus clearly says this to us in Revelations chapter 3, verse 20, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." The deepest meaning of the peace offering is that God sups together with man. Without any burden between God and I, and without being tied down to anything at all, God is eating and drinking together with me. That is the true meaning of the peace offering.
15:11
Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock." It means that the Lord wants to be at peace with us. Furthermore, there is another line that says, "...if any man hear my voice, and open the door..." This means that the doors of many people's hearts are closed in front of Jesus. While their hearts are closed, Jesus cannot dwell with people.
15:36
If Any Man Opens the Door
15:39
Dead Lazarus was in the tomb. Then Jesus said, "Remove the stone." This means that He is saying to remove the stone that has sealed the tomb. Right then, Martha answers, "Lord, he's been dead for four days, and his body stinks!" These words are so graceful to me. Since the people thought there was nothing more that could be done, they put Lazarus into the tomb. They believed that the only thing that would come from Lazarus was a foul smell, so they closed the tomb with a stone. However, Jesus said to remove the stone. Why did Jesus say that? Lazarus was rotting and stinking, and there was nothing people could do. However, Jesus had the way to save and raise Lazarus who was rotting and smelling. Jesus raised Lazarus, and Jesus was able to bring him to a position to have peace with Him. That is what the story of Lazarus' resurrection is about.
16:38
Everyone, read John chapter 12. You will see Jesus is sitting there dining with Lazarus. Lazarus, who was brought back to life in John chapter 11, is sitting and eating together with Jesus in chapter 12. I hope that you will pay attention to this. When the stone was removed, no matter what state his body was in, whether he was rotting and stinking or not; no matter how unspeakably evil he may have been, Jesus was able to make him be at peace with Him. Jesus included the words, "If you only open the door." The door must be open for Jesus to work. Whether we are filthy, dirty, evil, or deceitful, if we open the door of our heart, Jesus changes us into people who can dine together with Him.
17:25
Do you want to dine with Jesus? If so, there is one thing you have to do. That is open the door of your heart in front of Jesus. Jesus enters you only if you open your heart. The Bible promises us that we get to sup with Him, and Jesus gets to sup with us. In order for Jesus to be able to eat with us, He will cleanse all of our filthy parts; wash away all of our sins; strengthen our weaknesses; and heal our diseased parts. Jesus has fulfilled all the work that He could do for us. Jesus did not tell Lazarus, who was ill, or Lazarus, who is rotting and smelling, to eat. Even though Jesus did not tell him to eat, Jesus made him able to eat.
18:10
Jesus is telling us that this is how He works upon us. He made that amazing promise to us, but because people do not know about these truths, they only labor to try to believe in Jesus. However, they do not open their hearts toward Jesus. They are good at tithing and serving Jesus, but they do not open their hearts to Jesus very well. This world considers a closed heart wise. The world, today, has made people unable to open their hearts toward Jesus. This world makes you feel that if you open your heart, you will have lost. That is how Satan designed the world. Starting from elementary school, you are taught to be upright, but the world is so sharp. If a person just lives according to what he or she has learned in school, they are made a fool.
19:00
For example, in the story of Heungbu, it says that Heungbu was kind and Nolbu was evil. Many people say that today, the kind Heungbu is considered a useless person and that wicked Nolbu is a person who would do very well in this world. The good guy in the story, Heungbu, would be despised, being called a useless and foolish human being if he were to live in the world today. For example, if you cannot feed your children, you should not have so many children. However, he had many kids without any planning. It starts with criticism like this, then all kinds of criticisms would be thrown at him.
19:43
On the other hand, Nolbu would be recognized as someone who was very smart and assertive. A long time ago, they used to say kind words must go out for kind words to come back around. Nowadays, people say, you must speak rugged words for good words to come back to you. It is a world where if you speak kindly, others will speak to you spitefully. That is the kind of world we live in. People do not want to easily open their hearts to others. Even when it comes to marriage, people look at the outward aspects of their bride or groom-to-be and get married. There are not many people who get married through opening their hearts, ignoring their circumstances and conditions. And when it comes to making friends, people who open their hearts and deal with their friends are considered foolish and slow.
20:34
In the aspect of doing business, if you speak honestly about what is inside of your heart, then your business will fail. That is why the smart people today are the ones who open their hearts just the right amount. To this person, they open their hearts in this manner; to that person, they open their hearts in that manner. According to the other person, they open the door of their heart this or that way. Also, depending on the other person, the degree to which the heart is opened differs. First degree, second degree, third degree, fourth degree, fifth degree; some very smart people have all the way up to 36 degrees. They open their hearts, maybe first or second degree, to the people they just met. Then depending on their needs, they will increase the degree of which they have opened their hearts. That is why it is very difficult to feel out what is in people's hearts in the world today.
21:32
It is the modern world that has made people this way. Even husbands and wives do not completely open their hearts. Children do not open their hearts before their parents, and they do not listen. Even friends cannot open their hearts and speak to each other. If their hearts are very tormented, then they say what is in their hearts. They shed tears as they pour their hearts out. But a few days later, everybody knows what they talked about, and that fact reaches the friend's ears. When that happens, that person is made into a fool in front of many people. Then that person feels betrayed by his friend to whom he talked about his heart to. That person begins to feel, "I opened my heart and spoke for no reason," and severely regrets it. Then that person becomes determined: "I'm never going to say what's in my heart again."
22:26
I'm sure many of you, here, have had that kind of experience. Now, it has become wise for people to not open their hearts. And because people have not opened their hearts for so long, the door of their hearts has become rusted. Now, opening the heart has become so awkward. That is why so many people do not open their hearts to Jesus Christ. They just give a little offering, go to services, go to church on Sundays, and pray a little bit. They want to live spiritual life like that, but they do not want to open their hearts. That is why Jesus cannot enter into the hearts of people.
23:05
I, too, was that kind of a person. Because I was a pathetic person, myself, I thought that if people really found out about me, they would despise me. I tried really hard to act like I was great in front of people. If there was something that might appear good in front of others, even a little, I was filled with the heart to show that off, no matter what it took. If somebody would ask me a question, I would not only answer that question. As I answered the question, I tried to show off my greatness through the answer. As I did that, I developed a habit of exaggerating, little by little. Eventually, lying became a habit. After getting saved, such habits disappeared from me, but when there is the opportunity, those kinds of hearts would often pop out from me.
23:57
I once went to a military tank base and led a conference there. The commander of that base wanted me to have tea with him, so we sat down and had tea. We were talking, and I asked him, "There is a person I know, and he's a two-star general. Do you know him?" After we were done with everything, I was leaving in the car, and I thought to myself, "Why did I ask that commander that question?" They were words that were completely good for nothing. Maybe I thought if said that I personally knew a general in front of the commander, he would feel lesser in front of me. Is that why I said that? Why would a pastor want to feel higher than the commander of a base? Would doing that bring me any good fortune? If I wanted to crumble his heart, it should be through the word of God. I could feel that there were lots of these kinds of things in my heart. Even though I'm not a person who did well, if there was a person who held a high rank, I often acted like I knew that person well. It was not only me; many other people acted this way.
25:02
When the families of the bride and groom meet before the wedding to greet one another, these kinds of conversations happen all the time. The adults would start talking about their family trees, and they would talk about how their seventh-line grandfather was so and so a person. They would talk about what great people were in their bloodlines. So, just like trying to solve a puzzle, you trace back your family tree, further and further. Then, kings come about, and then they talk about, "I am the descendant of the so and so generation of that king." If they have a congressman or something like that amongst their most distant relatives, they open their mouths wide to talk about that, too. And that is how I lived for a long time. As I lived that way, the door of my heart was tightly shut. If all my insides were revealed, it felt as though people would despise me. And it felt as though people would turn me away. Therefore, I never opened my heart to anyone. In a hymn, it says, "His love opened my heart and gave me hope." There was a time in my life when I opened my heart. When I got to know the heart of Jesus, only then could I open mine. Because even though the Lord knew how pathetic and filthy a person I was, He knew it, but still truly loved me.
26:24
Many people have spoken against me as I have preached the Gospel. I have also been badly cursed at. However, the people who spoke against me, most of them made things up that were completely untrue in order to have something to say against me. In my heart, sometimes I felt, "I have greater blemishes and shortcomings they do not know about. This is all they could come up with to say about me? If they knew all the blemishes I have in my heart, what kind of words would they use to make more things?" Jesus knows everything about me. And even though He knew the dirty, evil, and filthy things about me, which no other person has ever known about, He loved me without any change. That is why I was able to open my heart to Jesus. When I opened my heart, the Lord entered my heart. Jesus took care of all my problems so that I would lack nothing to eat and drink together with Him.
27:21
People Who Do Not Wear the Wedding Garment
27:25
One of the specialties of the peace offerings is that God eats it together with man. It was an offering prepared so there would be no uneasiness for God and man to dine together in the same place. That is what the peace offering is. In Matthew chapter 22, we can read the story about a wedding prepared by a king. The king stood by the door while the guests were entering the wedding. He had every guest receive a wedding garment, wear it, and sit at the feast.
27:55
In the middle of the wedding feast, the king came around to see the guests. There was one person not wearing the wedding garment. The king asked him, "Friend, why are you in here, not wearing the wedding garment?" The Bible says that the man was speechless. It means that he had a mouth, but nothing to say. Think about these words for a moment. Suppose your socks have holes in them and you wear them to the feast, but at the entrance, they were willing to give you new socks. Would you not quickly change into those socks? In the same way, if you are wearing raggedy old clothes or a dirty suit to the party, if they gave you a wedding garment at the entrance, would you not quickly throw away your old, dirty clothes, and put on the wedding garments? When you put on the wedding garment, your filthy and dirty aspects become completely covered, right? For these kinds of people, the wedding garment is such a wonderful thing.
28:53
If that is the case, then what about the person who received the wedding garment but did not wear it? That person must have done so because the clothes he or she was wearing surely must have been good clothes. To people wearing good clothes, the wedding garment must be something they would complain about. And there must be no wedding garment in order for them to show off their own clothes. Ultimately, for the people who were wearing old or dirty clothes, the wedding garments were such wonderful things. On the other hand, to the people with good clothes on, the wedding garments were things they detested.
29:29
There was a person wearing good clothes, who wanted to enter the wedding. The servants asked him and urged him to wear the wedding garment, "Guest, you must put on the wedding garment." He replied, "That's for the people who wear dirty and raggedy clothes. I don't need it." That person entered the wedding without wearing the wedding garment. He was enjoying the party. A while after, the king came in to see the guests at the party. The king could see that everybody was wearing the wedding garment, but there was one person not wearing the wedding garment. The king asked him, "Friend, how is it that you came in here not wearing the wedding garment?" He was speechless at the king's question. The king did not say, "Today is a joyful and great day, let us just enjoy it." What did the king do to that person? He pulled him out, and threw him into the outer darkness. Why did he do that? Through that one person who was not wearing the wedding garment, it makes the many people who are wearing the wedding garment uncomfortable.
30:32
"I won't wear the wedding garment. I wear my own clothes wherever I go." That may be something he is proud of, but it causes discomfort to others. Because it makes the other people think, "What kind of person am I?" All the people who were attending the king's feast, for whatever reason, the king did not want them to feel any discomfort at all because of their old dirty clothes that they were wearing, or because they were uneducated, or because of their evil deeds. The king did not want anyone to feel uncomfortable for any issue they may have. He wanted everyone to enjoy the feast, eat, drink, and rejoice freely. But through that one person not wearing the wedding garment, it caused discomfort into the hearts of the many who attended the wedding feast. To stop that from happening, the king kicked that person out. That was the whole reason the king made the wedding garment.
31:29
The wedding garment covers the filthy and dirty clothes of the people attending the wedding. It was a garment that covered up their blemishes and shortcomings. That is why there was not one single thing that got in the way of the wedding attendees enjoying the peace and joy of the wedding, no matter who they were. That is what the king wanted. That is what the peace offering is. It was an offering that covered every point so that there could be no uneasiness or trouble, between God and man coming together, eating, and drinking. Jesus covered all of these points. Jesus is the perfect peace offering.
32:10
On That Day, You Will Discover That You Are Holy
32:14
If you were to stand before Jesus now, what would be your image? Would you be able to stand before Him with joy and fullness in your soul, and say, "Lord, Jesus?" Even though you are saved, many people will stand before the Lord with regret. "If only I had known it was like this. I should have poured more of my heart into serving the Lord." When you stand in front of the Lord, you will see that you have a lot of shame. At the time when Jesus returns, many people will be saved and go to heaven. However, when other people receive crowns, they will see that they do not get one. They will stand in one corner saying, "They're so lucky," and envy them.
33:00
You may think of yourself when other people are face-to-face conversing with Jesus, when you are unable to do that yourself. You would probably think, "At least I'm not going to hell," and just sit in a corner. There are some people who feel that will be them, am I right? There are many people who imagine themselves so ashamed when they stand in front of Jesus. I think that a lot of people will stand before the Lord, feeling sorry for themselves because their life was a continuation of shortcomings, filth, and dirtiness. Inside of spiritual life, it would be good if you were in trial only once a year or so. But there are some people who are in trial all year long. These people especially think that they will be ashamed and sorry when they stand in front of God.
33:48
There is something I clearly want to tell you today. On the day that you stand before God, you will experience something tremendously amazing. Do you know what that is? When you stand before God, you will discover the "you" that has been made unimaginably holy in front of God. You will see the righteous "you" that you had never imagined before. You will see how unimaginably perfect you are and you will be completely shocked.
34:17
Look to the Reality Where You Have Been Perfected Forever
34:21
There are certain mindsets that have become very familiar to us as we live in this world. Even saved saints must be freed from such kinds of thinking. Unfortunately, we live being tied to the flesh and cannot break free from the everyday desires of our flesh, such as good food or comfortable sleep. Bound by such fleshly desires, we never run strongly towards Jesus. That is why we think that this kind of living will continue in God's kingdom. That is a very incorrect calculation. The day we stand together with Jesus Christ in that land, and the moment we sit together with Jesus at the feast, we will discover that there is no longer filth in us at all. We will no longer know what weakness is. Deceitful things will no longer be inside of us. In the word, God promised us that He has perfected us forever. "For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified." (Hebrews 10:14)
35:21
In the eyes of the Lord, we are perfect. In the eyes of the Lord, we are holy. If we are perfect in the eyes of Jesus, then we are perfect people. No matter how we may appear to ourselves, if we are holy in the eyes of Jesus, then we are holy people. This is because the eyes of Jesus are more accurate than our own eyes. The day we stand in front of God, we will not have to be nervous in our hearts. We do not have to be afraid that our shortcomings will be suddenly revealed in front of God. There will be no need for our faces to turn red because of our mistakes. There will be no need for us to be nervous in our hearts, fearing that our weaknesses or lies may be revealed. Not having faith, struggling with the desires of your flesh, and falling into trial are things that will no longer exist in us. This is because, according to what God said in the Bible, Jesus has been established as the oblation of this peace offering. Peace does not bind us to God through a law. It has made it so that there is no stumbling stone between us being together with God. We have been made perfect in front of God. That is why we will be able to enjoy true freedom, peace, and satisfaction when we go to heaven.
36:39
Of the people who are here, you are laughing on the outside, but there are many of you here who are not laughing on the inside. There is a Korean proverb that says, "Even though you are laughing, 'Ha, Ha,' you have a ten thousand dollar debt." Even though you are singing a hymn, in your heart, what percentage of your heart agrees with the lyrics of the hymn? Even though you are singing hymns, in your heart, certain parts of your heart have still fallen into your thoughts and worries.
37:10
However, on that day, when we participate in the feast in heaven, all those things will disappear. Only then we will be able to truly say how perfect and amazing the redemption of Jesus Christ is. That day, we will be able to forget all weaknesses, shortcomings, and discomforts that have happened between all the brothers and sisters. When a husband and wife discover the heart of Jesus after they fight, they see how laughable their argument and thinking were, and at the notion that they were right. Right then, true peace and rest come to their hearts. We will get to enjoy that kind of rest and peace in heaven.
37:50
The Ugly Duckling, Who Was So Despised and Mistreated
37:55
You know the children's story, "The Ugly Duckling," written by Hans Christian Anderson? It has been a long time since I read it, so I do not know if what I am going to say is correct or not, but let me try to remember and tell you the story. In this story, a mother duck was sitting on her eggs and the eggs hatched. There was one egg that did not hatch. That egg eventually hatched and the baby came out. This baby duck was taller and had a longer neck. It was so ugly that the other ducks made fun of it, saying that it was adopted. When I was young, when my older brother would get bored, he would say, "Hey, Ock Soo, you know your mom used to sell bean porridge under Geumo Mountain in Gumi. She was so poor and hungry that she gave birth to you and abandoned you by the railroad. Dad saw you, felt sorry for you, took you in, and raised you." I'm sure some of you have heard similar stories. Anyways, the ugly duckling went through this grief from a young age. Its face was not pretty like the other ducks. The way it waddled was not like the other ducks. The ugly duckling was always despised for this and that reason. The ugly duckling could no longer move with the mother duck, and the other ducks. It became a loner and went through a lot of hardships. Time passed. This ugly duckling was wandering around aimlessly, and it arrived at a certain pond. Other ducks were there having fun at that pond. However, on the other end of the pond, there were these very beautiful swans floating on the water, having a great time together. The ugly duckling saw the swans and felt so envious. She thought, "I wish I was beautiful like those swans." With that heart, she began to approach the swans, little by little. She felt afraid as she got closer. She thought, "The ducks called me ugly and kicked me out. I'm sure these swans will not play with me." However, even though she was getting closer to the swans, the swans didn't say anything.
40:06
Right then the children playing nearby the pond said, "Look there are swans there. But look, this swan on this end is the prettiest one." That is what the children were saying, pointing at her. The ugly duckling heard that about herself, and was shocked. She looked around to see if there were any other swans, but there were none. She then carefully looked down at the water and saw her own image in the reflection. Amazingly, there was a beautiful swan. The ugly duckling was actually a swan. Somehow, a swan's egg ended up amongst a nest of duck eggs. I have never seen a baby swan, but I guess swans are ugly when they are babies. That is why, when the ugly duckling was young and among the ducks, she was picked on as she grew up. "You are not my child. You are not one of our sisters." She was so mistreated and in great pain. She was always treated the worst wherever it went.
41:08
Finally, when she arrived at the pond, she was so lonely and sad. Right then, she heard what the children were saying, and looked at her own image reflected in the water. When she looked at herself, the ugly duckling had already turned into a beautiful swan. When the ugly duckling did not know she was a swan, she lived in difficulty. Had she known she was a swan, she may have been ugly when she was young, but would she have been lonely and sad when the ducks mistreated and hated her, knowing she would be this amazing swan fully grown?
41:44
As I read "The Ugly Duckling", I wondered if the author, Anderson, was a saved person or not. It made me feel in my heart, "How could he describe the image of saved people so fittingly this way?" We, who are born again through the Holy Spirit of God, are like the ugly duckling. When we are on this earth, whether we are at work, to other people, we are turned away and despised. However, in the future, when we get to that land, we will become beautiful like the swan. Even when the baby swan was mistreated like an ugly duckling, it was still a swan. Being scorned, despised, and hated was the process of her becoming beautiful. If she knew she was a swan, when she was receiving contempt from the ducks, she could have said, "Hey, don't disparage me. They say it's a matter of time before people turn out well. It's only a matter of time before my life becomes that of a swan. Wait just a little bit." She could have still been relaxed in her heart. Because she did not know that, she thought, "I am so ugly. Why am I so terribly ugly?" The ugly duckling continued being hard on herself.
42:58
This is also true with us. Looking at our own weaknesses, we are sad and tormented. We feel, "How come I don't have any faith? Even though I read the Bible, I realize nothing. Nobody receives salvation through me. I guess things aren't going to work out for me. I guess God hates me." There are brothers and sisters who say that. Everyone falls into those thoughts. However, without us even knowing it, we are being changed into the image of God. Just as the ugly duckling was a swan ever since it was born, we have also been the children of God since we were born. Now the day to shed your filthy image, even without you knowing it, that day is coming. The day when you will no longer see your ugly image is coming. On that day, we will become beautiful like the swan. When we look at our image, which will be changed to that of Jesus, we will be amazed.
43:53
If you read the story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke chapter 16, the rich man in the lake of fire was in pain. He looked up and saw that Lazarus was in Abraham's bosom. The rich man must have been so shocked to see that. It seemed as though it was all flipped upside down. People who have despised us and gone against us, they will see us on that day and they will have the same heart. From the moment we are born again through the power of the blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross, we are no longer our old selves. We have become new creatures inside of Jesus. Jesus has perfected us with eternal life. If Jesus perfected us, we really are perfect people. The problem is that people cannot see Jesus with their eyes. That is why the people who believed in Jesus during the time of the apostles were seen as frauds. Even though Jesus clearly died, they said that He was alive. Even though they cannot see Jesus, they can see that Jesus walks with them. How are people to accept those words?
45:01
Christians get to have new eyes, not the eyes they had before. They are the eyes to see Jesus Christ working inside of us. He is working together with us even now. If we had the eyes that could see Jesus who works inside of the church, then even though other people may hate us, it is not much of a problem. However, people who do not have the eyes to see Jesus cannot see Jesus working for them. To them, getting despised or being hated by people is always a huge problem.
45:35
In Luke chapter 24, it talks about the two disciples walking to Emmaus. Jesus walked with them, spoke with them, and even ate with them. However, they did not know it was Jesus walking with them. When Jacob was running away from Esau, and went to Padan-aram, God was with Jacob and promised him that He would never leave him. At that time, Jacob did not know that God was with him. Only when he arrived at Bethel later were his eyes to see God opened. His eyes to see God were opened by faith. The faith to believe in the promise of God opened his eyes wide. When those eyes are open, even though a person is imperfect, he gets to see the Lord who has perfected him. Then he is no longer tied down to himself, which has the imperfect image.
46:28
If the ugly duckling knows that in the future, she will turn into the most beautiful swan, she would no longer need to be tied down to her own ugly image. She cannot be tied down to it. Amazingly, Jesus, who is the peace offering, became the perfect offering and has achieved everything perfectly. There is absolutely nothing lacking for us to have a relationship with God. The problem is that we do not see the works of God with our eyes right now because Satan has deceived us to see our weak selves. In reality, we are not weak or lacking like we see with our eyes.
47:06
We Must Realize the True Meaning of the Peace Offering
47:11
Now, the one last thing we need to talk about is that God receives the fat and man eats the meat. Even though they are eating together, God's and man's appetites are different. God is satisfied with receiving the fat, but man must eat the meat. If you give the meat to God, God is not satisfied. In Genesis chapter 4, it talks about the offering of Cain and Abel. There it says, "And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering." (Genesis 4:4) In the Bible, the fat represents the Holy Spirit. In the cow or lamb given for the peace offering, there is the fat that God requires, and the meat that man eats. In other words, Jesus Christ, who became the oblation of the peace offering, He has all the conditions to satisfy both God and man.
48:08
I will read from Hebrews chapter 9 verse 11-14: "But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"
48:52
The important thing, here, is our conscience. Through being crucified and dying on the cross, Jesus Christ forgave all of our sins. The sin offering represents the death of Jesus Christ. It is saying that through His death, our sins have been forgiven through that offering. God could only be satisfied with the sin offering alone. Many people know about the sin offering, but because they do not know about the peace offering, they are unable to freely come before God.
49:24
Many people know the fact that Jesus died for our sins, but they do not know the fact that Jesus became the true peace offering we need to come forth to God without any uneasiness of our conscience. Because they do not know about the peace offering, even though Jesus died on the cross for their sins, their consciences are still suppressed by sin. The burnt offering and sin offering took care of our sins. The burnt offering and sin offering are offerings that took care of our sins and have satisfied God in that aspect. However, the peace offering not only satisfies God, it also relieves our hearts.
50:06
Many people know that Jesus died on the cross for their sins and relieved God's heart. Because their own hearts are not relieved, they remain tied down to sin. They feel comfortable confessing that they are still sinners. In that way, they are struggling and suffering in sin. "For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" (Hebrews 9:13-14) Verse 13 explains how people washed their sins away with the blood of bulls and goats in the Old Testament. But it also says, "How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself," Verse 14 says, "...purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" Through the blood of Christ, He has made it so that there is not even a little bit of distraction between God and us. Now, we have been made into people who can come before Him, and serve Him without lacking anything.
51:21
The Outwardly Person Is Weak but the Inner Person Is Not Weak
51:26
There is one scripture you must remember—the words in Ephesians chapter 2, verses 8 and 9.
51:34
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."
51:44
Jesus Christ perfected our souls. However, He did not perfect our flesh. God has perfected our spirit through the death of Jesus Christ. But our flesh is constantly changing; it gets old, diseased, and ultimately dies. We are happy when our flesh does not get diseased, but the Lord has prepared a better body for us, not this body of flesh. That body is different from the one we have now. The body that you have now is so weak that even if it gets a cold, you cannot handle it.
52:18
The Lord allowed us to remain briefly in this body. While we remain in this body, time and time again, we feel uncomfortable. At times, our bodies break down. Even though we fix it, it does not mean that we can live forever with it. This body is a house that we dwell in temporarily. That is why our hearts should not fall into our body. We must look to the Lord, who has perfected us. The death of Jesus has perfected us so that we lack nothing in order to serve God. The only weakness and shortcoming we have is our body.
52:56
Why did Jesus not perfect our body? Because soon, this body will be thrown away. You have groomed it to look so nice, but it is going to be thrown away. Do you feel sad about that? I am sorry to say this, but once your body becomes rotten, you will be changed into something else and have no attachment to your body whatsoever. You want to feed your body something better. You want to groom your body to be more beautiful. You want to wear expensive shoes. You want to wear a nice fine mink coat, right? However, not long afterwards, this body will be forsaken. Soon afterwards, God will clothe us with a more precious and beautiful body. Jesus is truly satisfied with us. If you are not satisfied, it is because you do not know Jesus who is the peace offering. Soon after, when we go to that land, we will see how amazingly we have changed. We will be so amazed. Even now, our outwardly person is weak, but our inner person is not. We are perfect and we lack nothing in serving God. We are holy.
54:05
If Jesus led dead Lazarus out from the tomb to sit with Him, then he would no longer have his rotten smell. He could never sit and eat together with Jesus if his body still reeked of rotting flesh and secreted rotten liquids. Lazarus would not grab or take the food Jesus was eating with a hand covered in rotten fluids and eat it. Do not be deceived by Satan—I hope that you will believe in Jesus who has perfected us all. I hope that you will believe in Jesus who has made us holy. Now, we are holy. Just like when the ugly duckling shed its old feathers and turned into a swan after some time, we, too, will leave this flesh and be changed into the image of Jesus after a short while. Therefore, you may have some shortcomings now, but do not consider it a problem. Look to Jesus and I hope you can live a life of giving glory to God.
End of chapter
The Offering Eaten Together by God and Man
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