We Are the Ones Who Shall Never Taste Death, But Enjoy Everlasting Life
< Galatians 4:1-11>
“Now I say that the heir, as long as he
is a child, does not differ at all from
a slave, though he is master of all, but
is under guardians and stewards until
the time appointed by the father. Even
so we, when we were children, were in
bondage under the elements of the world.
But when the fullness of the time had
come, God sent forth His Son, born of
a woman, born under the law, to redeem
those who were under the law, that we
might receive the adoption as sons. And
because you are sons, God has sent forth
the Spirit of His Son into your hearts,
crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’ Therefore
you are no longer a slave but a son, and
if a son, then an heir of God through
Christ. But then, indeed, when you did
not know God, you served those which by
nature are not gods. But now after you
have known God, or rather are known by
God, how is it that you turn again to
the weak and beggarly elements, to which
you desire again to be in bondage? You
observe days and months and seasons and
years. I am afraid for you, lest I have
labored for you in vain.”
We
Are Heirs to God’s Inheritance
The Apostle Paul said in Galatians 4:1,
“Now I say that the heir, as long as he
is a child, does not differ at all from
a slave, though he is master of all.”
It is written that if we are indeed God’s
sons, then we are heirs to His inheritance.
That we are heirs of God means that God
has allowed us to attain true life by
giving us the everlasting remission of
our sins. We should all grasp the profound
significance of what the Apostle Paul
is saying here and believe in it with
our hearts.
The meaning of the passage,
“Therefore you are no longer a slave but
a son, and if a son, then an heir of God
through Christ” (Galatians 4:7) is the
following: Even if the whole world is
destroyed and the Earth disappears right
now, we will still live in a new kingdom,
for God has given us new life. The Kingdom
of God is His blessing bestowed on those
of us who believe in the gospel of the
water and the Spirit.
In these days, the international
political situation is very unstable and
extremely complicated. Such uncertainties
are not temporary or limited, but they
are now global in scale. It appears as
if we are returning to the law of the
jungle, where the strong prey upon the
weak freely. On the other hand, there
are increasing meteorological and ecological
disasters due to the abnormal climate
changes caused by the greenhouse effect.
Serious famines are nearing as the ecosystem
has been drastically degraded and the
food chain is destroyed. Only disturbing
and unsettling trends fill today’s news.
It seems as though this world is completely
hopeless.
However, those of us who
believe in the gospel of the water and
the Spirit can still live in joy without
being troubled by this world, trusting
in the Word of our Lord. In the days of
the Apostle Paul, the world was highly
disordered. Just as the Apostle Paul said,
“The heir, as long as he is a child, does
not differ at all from a slave.” Before
we received the remission of our sins,
we lived as slaves in such a world. But
once we believed in the gospel of the
water and the Spirit, we came to realize
that we are heirs to God’s inheritance,
and by our faith in the Word of God, we
are now living as the servants of righteousness.
Because we believe in the gospel of the
water and the Spirit in this dark world,
when the time comes for the Lord’s return,
we will inherit all His preparations and
live forever. Even if this God-made universe
disappears in its entirety, we will live
with God forever in His Kingdom. If we
know this truth and place our hopes in
God, we are blessed. Even though this
world is filled with chaotic and disconcerting
events, those who live by faith in God’s
Word will live their lives of faith filled
with hope, for faith is the substance
of things hoped for, and the evidence
of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1).
This world is going in a
disastrous direction. What you and I must
realize clearly is that when the end of
the world comes, this Earth will be destroyed
by fire as it is written in the Bible.
The Apostle Peter said to us, “Looking
for and hastening the coming of the day
of God, because of which the heavens will
be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements
will melt with fervent heat” (2 Peter
3:12). It does not matter if this Earth
is burnt to ashes and the whole universe
is destroyed, we will still live forever
with the Lord. Do not forget that you
and I, who believe in the gospel of the
water and the Spirit, will live forever
with our Lord in His Kingdom.
There is no need for us
to despair while looking at this world.
Instead, we ought to live by faith, placing
our hope in God’s Word. God has given
us new life, so that we may live happily
forever. We will live in a new Heaven
and a new Earth. As such, thanks to the
Lord, the believers in the gospel Word
of the water and the Spirit will have
nothing to worry.
However, there is something
indispensable that we must all do while
on this Earth. It is to spread the gospel
of the water and the Spirit throughout
the whole world. To do this mission faithfully,
we must live by believing that God has
given us new life. We will not perish
along with the destruction of this world.
Even though our flesh is affected by this
world, because our souls have received
the remission of our sins by believing
in the gospel of the water and the Spirit,
we will not perish with this world, but
we will triumph with the Lord. This is
because through the gospel of the water
and the Spirit, we, who have been dead,
will be brought back to life by God for
eternity. Moreover, we do not only live
in this present world, but we will inherit
God’s Kingdom and live forever. Now, as
we carry on with our lives, our hearts
ought to have faith in the gospel of the
water and the Spirit, and we should not
be preoccupied by what our eyes can see
at the present moment.
We Are
Now Living Under God’s Guidance
Paul said in Galatians 4:2, “But is under
guardians and stewards until the time
appointed by the father.” Just as God
helps us, and the Holy Spirit assists
us, we are still under guardians and stewards,
and we are to live in God’s Church according
to its spiritual order. The Holy Spirit
helps us, the believers of the gospel
of the water and the Spirit. In a sense,
He is our guardian. God’s Church and the
Holy Spirit are our helpers and guardians.
The Holy Spirit helps us by rebuking us
when our hearts are unfaithful, by enabling
our minds to realize what displeases God,
by making us joyful when we please God,
and by leading our emotions, thoughts,
and beliefs.
The Bible says that God
sent forth His Son, born of a woman and
born under the Law “to redeem those who
were under the law, that we might receive
the adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:5).
Indeed, Jesus Christ was born on this
earth to save us, who were under the Law,
from our sins and their condemnation.
Born under the Law, our Lord also took
upon the curses of the Law and all our
sins through the baptism He received from
John. He bore all the condemnation of
sin, thereby saving those who believe
in this Truth from sin. He has blessed
us to become His sons; therefore, all
those who believe in this gospel of the
water and the Spirit have become God’s
sons.
Jesus Christ fulfilled the
righteousness of God by when He was baptized
by John and when He shed His blood on
the Cross. And He has made us His sons,
when we believe in this Truth. This is
how we have come to call God as “Abba,
Father.” Even though we live in this world,
we are no longer servants of this world,
but we have become God’s servants. Because
of God, we have become His heirs, just
as His own sons, here and in the next
world to come. This is meant by the inheritance
that the Apostle Paul is speaking of.
Because God has saved us from the sins
of the world, by faith we have become
God’s children, and because of the Holy
Spirit, we have come to call God as Abba,
Father and we become His heirs.
During the age of imperialism,
Spain, France, Britain, and Germany had
dominated weaker countries. In those days,
these great powers had enslaved the people
of smaller and weaker nations, and such
a world will arise one more time in the
future. In some ways, the present day
is the extension of the imperialism of
the late 19th century. As it is written
in the Bible, the entire world will surrender
to the most powerful man of the most powerful
country. You and I will see such a situation
with our own eyes, and actually experience
it ourselves.
Scientists in this world
are warning that one-third of the world
population may die from contagious diseases
such as the bird flu. We experienced the
disaster of SARS last year. Many people
are trying hard to develop new kinds of
genetically modified (GM) organisms. There
have come countless GM foods already,
and we are exposed to the terrible dangers
that these foods may bring. Yet human
beings are so brave that they continue
to recklessly experiment and develop these
new forms of life without paying any attention
to the warning signs of nature. It is
only logical that even more disasters
will come in the future. There is no guarantee
that mysterious diseases such as SARS
will not spread as the Black Plague once
spread.
In such an age, as the born-again,
we must place our hope in the Lord, for
He has given new life to you and me. Through
your faith in the gospel Word of the water
and the Spirit, you have received new
life. Have you really become God’s children
by believing in the gospel of the water
and the Spirit and by receiving the remission
of your sins? Also, do you have the faith
that even if this world disappears, you
and I would never die but live forever
with God enjoying everlasting life?
You and I, who believe in
the gospel of the water and the Spirit,
have been accepted into the Kingdom of
new life to live forever. We are the believers
in the gospel of the water and the Spirit,
and we will indeed live forever in the
sinless Kingdom. Thanks to this belief
that we are to live forever, we can live
in this world without stumbling. Our faith
in this eternal life enables us to do
righteous work even as we live in this
dark world. We are not meant to drift
down in this hopeless and dark world,
but we find new by faith, spreading the
gospel of the water and the Spirit throughout
the whole world.
In this age and time, there
are people all over the world who are
so hopeless that many of them are committing
suicide, and in the future, there will
be countless more people who will give
up their own lives. However, you and I
now have the belief that we are to live
forever. We are therefore not carried
away with them, nor are we depressed with
them.
We are the heirs of God
who will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven
and live forever, for we have faith in
the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
I want you to have such faith. Because
we have received the forgiveness of sins
from our Lord, and at the same time, we
have also received new, everlasting life,
we will also take pleasure in what the
Lord enjoys.
Therefore, we have no desire
to live in this world for our own flesh.
Since we believe in the gospel of the
water and the Spirit and look for new
heavens and a new earth (2 Peter 3:13),
the more difficult this world becomes,
the less we are attached to our flesh.
Since we have faith that we are to live
forever, we are far more interested in
spiritual affairs than our own carnal
desires. As we believe in the gospel of
the water and the Spirit, we are of those
who have new life and will never die.
For our bodies may die, but the Lord will
resurrect us when He comes to this earth,
and because our souls are already alive,
we have new, everlasting lives. Such faith
enables us to live for the righteousness
of God.
Those who have really received
the remission of their sins have no particularly
grandiose desires, but I know that they
still have desires. By putting behind
even these small desires, they put God’s
Kingdom first and allow for the fulfillment
of his will on this earth. We must spread
the gospel throughout the whole world
in the near future. When this is accomplished,
He who is to come to us will indeed come.
When the Lord comes to this world, a new
earth and a new heaven will open.
However, when the time of
famine comes to this world, it will take
us one-day’s wages just to buy three quarts
of barley (Revelation 6:6). When such
difficult times come, we will not have
any desire to live. I myself would prefer
to die after serving the gospel of the
water and the Spirit faithfully before
such an age arrives. I just want to complete
the mission that God has entrusted to
me before leaving. The Bible says in Revelation,
“Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord
from now on” (Revelation 14:13). When
these times of tribulation come, the Antichrist
will arise and slaughter the saints, and
that’s why those who died before seeing
this are blessed. In other words, the
Bible tells us that in the end of days,
the dead are more blessed than the living.
This is why I am saying that those who
struggle in the end times of tribulation
will be living cursed lives.
So I have no desire to live
for that long in this world. I don’t even
believe that this world will continue
to exist for long. Many scientists have
said that in just 10 years, the whole
planet will be in trouble with water shortages
and population explosion. They have warned
that when the global population reaches
a certain point, water shortages will
lead to conflict and war is likely to
break out. Such warnings have recently
begun to materialize into reality. That’s
why every country is so busy building
dams. Countries that own a river jointly
strive to be the first in to build dams.
While they are still discharging water
from the dams, the neighboring countries
can get along fine. But, what would happen
if they were visited by famine and they
didn’t have enough water for themselves?
They would hold the water in the dams
and never release it. If the countries
located in the upstream of a river dam
use the river just for their own benefit,
what would happen then? A war fought for
water would immediately follow. After
all, how could any country survive without
water? When draughts come, war will ensue
over a mere river stream between nations
that rely on that water source for their
drinking water.
Would this world then last
long? Of course not. I don’t think that
this world itself will last that long.
I believe that the Lord will return in
the not too distant future. Both the believers
and unbelievers in the gospel of the water
and the Spirit are saying that this world
will not last long. However, we have the
belief that we will live forever with
the Lord. This planet and this universe
may disappear, but we believe that God
will give us a new heaven and a new earth,
and He will allow us to live on this new
earth forever.
In this age and time, while
it is precious to have the belief that
we have received the remission of our
sins by believing in the gospel of the
water and the Spirit, it is also precious
to believe that we will never die, and
will live forever with the Lord. Although
our bodies will die once and be resurrected,
our souls will live forever. We are of
those who have been saved from all the
sins of the world and from destruction
as well. You and I are the ones who will
live forever with the Lord. This is why
even as we live in this darkening world,
we can still continue to do righteous
work, rather than falling into despair.
We will keep on living in hope.
Since we have faith that
we will never perish, we do not lose hope
in our lives in this world, but always
live righteously. Right now, you believe
in the gospel of the water and the Spirit,
but if you look toward only the things
of the earth and not toward the Lord,
you will fall into despair and perish.
However, we believe in the gospel of the
water and the Spirit, and it is in this
gospel that we will live our new lives.
Because we have received new and everlasting
life from the Lord, we will live forever.
This blessing is bestowed on only those
who have received the remission of sin.
In other words, it is a blessing that
is reserved only for the believers in
the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
Since it’s a blessing that God bestows
only on the righteous, it can only be
described as a majestic blessing.
Who are we, the believers
in the gospel of the water and the Spirit?
We are the ones who, while living as slaves
in our childhood, will live forever when
the day of our Lord’s return comes. We
are the heirs of God who will inherit
His everything. We will live forever inheriting
all God’s splendor, glory, and everlasting
life. Such blessed people are none other
than we, whose hearts have now been washed
from our sins by believing in the gospel
of the water and the Spirit. Therefore,
rather than only looking toward earthly
things, we should now live by our faith
in the Lord’s promise.
When we serve the gospel
by trusting in the Lord, we will also
receive earthly blessings. If we serve
the gospel of the water and the Spirit
while living on this earth, would our
lives be poorer or richer? We would be
richer. That’s because it is not with
our own possessions that we are serving
the Lord’s gospel of the water and the
Spirit. No matter how stingy we might
be in serving the gospel, we become poorer,
and no matter how much we keep sharing
to serve the gospel, we become richer—this
is the principle applied in the realm
of faith as it is written in the Bible:
“There is one who scatters,
yet increases more; And there is one who
withholds more than is right, But it leads
to poverty” (Proverbs 11:24).
We believe that all our
belongings are of God and from Him. Therefore,
we give our possessions, time, and effort
unsparingly to the spreading of the true
gospel. Strictly speaking, it is always
with the Lord’s belongings that we are
spreading the gospel of the water and
the Spirit. God then blesses abundantly.
When we believe in the gospel of the water
and the Spirit and preach it, God will
be pleased by us and bless us even more.
Since you and I believe in the Word of
God and serve it, we can live in His wonderful
blessings. In contrast, if we do not serve
the gospel in our lives, we will be more
miserable.
When I watch the news on
TV from time to time, I feel very frustrated,
because the world is darkening day by
day. Even so, I am still happy, for I
believe that though the world may be hopeless,
we the righteous are to live forever.
So I am very grateful to God.
Now, then, will you and
I surely live forever? Certainly! Our
God has given us this faith of everlasting
life. My fellow believers, we have faith
that the believers in the gospel of the
water and the Spirit will live forever.
That’s why we do not look at what is on
this earth, but we look at what is above.
You and I are seeking those things that
are above, just as Paul said, “Set your
mind on things above, not on things on
the earth” (Colossians 3:2). As we spread
the gospel of the water and the Spirit
while living on this earth, it is my hope
and prayer that this gospel will soon
be preached to all nations. Although it
is not easy to spread the gospel of the
water and the Spirit, and sometimes we
struggle as a result, the joy we will
receive is still far greater than any
hardship. And we should realize that we
cannot serve the gospel unless we face
some difficult challenges. Therefore,
we want to accomplish the Great Commission
of proclaiming the gospel throughout the
whole world, rather than satisfying the
lust of our flesh.
It’s a joy for me that God
is making us spread the gospel through
His Church. Everything we do is a part
of God’s work, and our main purpose is
to preach the gospel of the water and
the Spirit. This is why God blesses us.
All that we have to do is pray to God
and move forth by faith. I would also
like all of you to live by this faith,
so that you may live forever, really look
toward the Lord instead of the world,
and follow God’s plan and be a part of
the Church.
By any chance, are your
hearts still attached to the things of
this world? Remember that the righteous
can gain nothing if their lives are too
tangled in this world.
It is February as I write
this book, and the spring is supposed
to be just around the corner, but it is
still so cold. It should warm up at the
end of this month, and the spring will
come without fail. Just as all creatures
stretch back to life when the spring comes,
we, too, can stretch our backs, both in
body and spirit. Our once frozen hearts
will thaw, and our high spirits will soar.
I believe that just as new sprouts spring
up from the dry earth, our faith will
once again grow in our hearts. So I am
only too happy and full of energy.
My fellow believers, are
there those among you who are struggling,
looking at only the present circumstances?
There is no need to struggle. Just as
the morning is followed by the evening,
and the evening is followed by another
morning, circumstances and situations
are constantly changing. For our lives
of faith also, there are times when we
are down, times when we are happy, times
when we are peaceful, and times when we
are trained harshly. Once we go through
these processes, we can realize that it
was for our own good. What we need is
the readiness to actively confront whatever
lies ahead of us by our faith in God and
with thanksgiving. Our hardships will
then actually be beneficial to us, and
we will also be able to move forward two
steps.
Want
to read more sermons on the Galatians?
Please click the banner below
to get your free book on the Galatians. |
 |
However, if we habitually
complain about everything, then everything
will indeed bother us and we will become
extremely narrow-minded. Where a broad
view is necessary, you ought to take a
look at your life widely and broadly from
God’s perspective, and when you do so,
you will find the way to overcome your
struggles. I believe that it is extremely
beneficial for you to set aside a certain
period of time and be trained. I also
believe that through this crucial training,
you will gain much help and benefit for
your faith to grow.
You and I, and all the saints
of God throughout the world, must truly
live by the faith in God. We should look
toward the Lord, rather than the things
of the earth. If we think, “How can I
make a lot of money and become rich?”
this is all in vain. My fellow believers,
you ought to instead think, “How can I
serve the gospel of the water and the
Spirit more?”
When we work with our hearts
united with God, He will bless us in all
things. It is my hope and prayer that
you will all live by this kind of faith,
that you would seek those things that
are above rather than the things of this
earth, and that you would keep the everlasting
life that the Lord has given to us by
believing in the gospel of the water and
the Spirit.