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“For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. 8But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.”  Romans 5:7-9

It is a given to say that the greatest blessing in life are our loved ones. God so rich in His gracious love for us have surrounded us with so many people that are precious to each of us. But here is a thought, “Do we come to appreciate our loved ones more in times of pleasure or difficulty?” Sure we love being with people we love in our leisure, going on vacations, spending a leisure day at the park or the mall or just snuggling at home. Or do we come to appreciate them more in our times of difficulty?

The other day after I picked up my kids from school, Kylie, my youngest daughter, wanted to make for herself some soba noodles topped off with boiled eggs. She asked me how long she should boil the eggs and she went about preparing her meal. A few minutes later, I came down to the kitchen to find her sitting on the floor whimpering like a little, lost dog. I asked her what was wrong and why she was crying. She replied that every time she tries to make boiled eggs, the shells would not cooperate and she is left with mangled eggs.  I took out the eggs and best I could savaged what I could and placed them on her noodles. I dried her eyes and encouraged her to eat her prepared meal. A little while later, I came over to see how she was fairing and to my delight, she finished the bowl of eggs and noodles. “It wasn’t pretty but it eats good doesn’t it Kylie?” She didn’t say a word, she just wrapped her arms around me and hugged me tightly. Without words, it was one of those father/daughter moments where daddy is my hero. Dads live for those moments.

Our lives too can turn out to be a bowl of noodles and messed up eggs. We think we know exactly what we want but some how the eggs won’t cooperate. Aren’t those the times when we can turn to our God, “Come unto Me all who are weak and burdened and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) What a wonderful invitation we have from our Christ! And that invitation is made possible because God in His infinite love offered His Son for our messed up eggs, that is how He “demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Yes, there is such joy in abiding in Christ each and everyday but isn’t it great to know that when we have rainy days, we have a God who has promised us that  “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. 6So we say with confidence, The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.” (Heb 13:5-6) What a hero we have in Christ!

How gracious is our mighty God who saves, who saw us in our plight and showed us love in the incarnation of His own Son to die for us so that He can be there for us each and everyday. Something we can appreciate when viewed in our past, difficult state- the wretchedness of our sins. Praise God today as you accept His invitation for His peace and His rest. May God bless you.

Pastor Sung

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.” – 1 Peter 2:9-12

I have been faithful to my New Year resolution, thirty-six days and counting. No diet soda, no sugar, a low salt diet and going to the gym four times a week. The gym is an interesting place, you see a vast host of different individuals there, a wonderful opportunity to speak with people from different walks of life. There are the busy professionals, trying to get a good sweat during their lunch break, there are the elderly who try so desperately to turn back time and there are the “watchers” or the “scammers” who come to check out the crowd but the most intriguing are the “gym rats,” those guys who seem to be there every time you go. I wonder if they have a life outside of the gym. They practically live there. And some of those guys are yoked, I mean massive, muscles bulging from everywhere.

But one thing I also notice about them is that while their upper body is massive, their lower body is often neglected. They mostly have “chicken legs.” I am sure it is because the arms, “guns” are the most distinctive and surely makes the greatest impression on others. But what some may not realize is that to have large “guns,” the key lies in the tricep muscle not the bicep. People who want impressive arms may initially try to enlarge the frontal muscle, the bicep, but to have massive “guns,” the tricep is the larger of the two muscles.

What does having “big guns” have to do with Christianity? Quite simply this… just as one would develop the tricep muscle to enlarge your arms, the same holds true to a Christian’s life in terms of attracting people not to your arms but to Christ. The tricep develops by one “pushing” weights away from the body whereas the bicep develops by “pulling” weights to the body. For a Christian to be the light and salt of the earth, he must first push sins away before he can pull sinners to Christ. That is what the Apostle Peter writes, “I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles” If we have not yet abstained from our sins (pushing the sins away), then we have disqualified ourselves from the ministry, “A chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession.” You have been saved from your sins because “but now you have received mercy“ and now we are called not to continue in our sins but to do good works so that “they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God.”

So I ask you, “How big are your guns?” Are you still focusing on “pulling” people to Christ without first “pushing” away the sins of your life? If so, you have pretty underdeveloped arms and never strong enough for the task set forth by our Lord. “Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. Keep your behavior excellent… so that they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God.” Keep pumping the weights and build your guns for the Lord. May the Lord be pleased in all your ministries in His holy name. God bless you.

Pastor Sung

“Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” – Phil. 3:13-14

I can’t believe we are at the end of January of 2010 already. One question, “How are your New Year resolutions?” I know many of us had made resolutions at the beginning of this year. For some, they are already a distant memory. I just have one thing to say, “Press on!”

Let me just share a quick story to encourage you to never give up. As some of you are aware, I just received my Masters degree in Divinity (MDiv) this past year. But before my completion, I had one huge obstacle, an obstacle according to legend. The class was called “New Testament Interpretation.” According to all, it was the most difficult class in our curriculum. Some students have repeated the class two or even three times. Some students have yet to graduate just because of this one class.

With all the buildup, I was very diligent in taking good notes and paying close attention so that I would not delay my graduation and continue to financially burden my family. I was also anxious to serve my church on a full time basis as well. As the mid-term approached, I thought I was in good standing. I was prepared and just for insurance, I was planning an all nighter. Just then, I received an e-mail from a fellow student who had study notes from a student who took the class the previous year. When I saw all the material that was necessary, I realized I was ill prepared and an all nighter would be insignificant. I just tried to focus and study as hard as I could.

Then about 3:30 in the morning, I came to the conclusion there was not enough time and I was going to flunk the exam. Heavy hearted, I made my way up to our bedroom to break the news to my wife. I apologized and asked for her forgiveness that I would have to retake the class. She was extremely understanding and encouraged me that all things would work out in His time. Whew!!! All the weight of the world just disappeared. Not only did my wife understand but now I didn’t have to study anymore, I could get a nice night of sleep and take my time to get to school the next day to drop the class! But as I made my way down the stairs to close my books, another weight came upon me- conviction. I just knew quitting was not right. I sat back down and I was determined to study and go into the exam and take the test even though I knew I didn’t have a chance.

The next morning, I went into the class and prayed, not that God would do a miracle but that even though I would fail, God would be glorified in my pressing on. I took the exam and left the class encouraged by my effort. Next week the scores were posted. I looked at my name and I got a 92! I had tears just reflecting upon God’s faithfulness. This would be a lesson on faith that I would never forget, not that God will always promise to prosper me but that when I choose to honor Him, He will honor me (1 Samuel 2:30).

Beloved, God is not glorified in quitting nor will He honor quitters. Therefore, “Press on!” Just as Paul said, don’t let your past haunt you, to discourage you, press on. Unbelievers will always allow their past to effect their future, but not the believer, we have hope, not in hope itself but a hope in a forgiving God. Our past has been nailed to the Cross, therefore, “press on!” May you feel the pleasure of the Lord each day you press on! God bless.

Pastor Sung

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”  Joshua 1:9

It’s difficult being a pastor’s kid. Just ask my kids. Not because they come under scrutiny nor criticized for not being flawless, but because they live with a preacher (i.e. a lecturer). Poor kids! The other day, I told them to do their chores and like average kids, they take their sweet, old time. That can only mean one thing- family devotion! I sat them down and asked them if they liked being told what to do. I was met with a roll of the eyes as if that was to be a rhetorical question and how silly on my part to ask such a question.

From there, I began to explain to them the inherent nature of a relationship that lies underneath of being told what to do. Joshua 1:9 is a perfect example. Joshua is now the leader of the nation of Israel. Moses has passed the baton to him and Joshua is petrified of the task that lies ahead of him. So how does God overcome his fears? How does God offer sweet solace? He tells him what do. And why? Because God loves Joshua.

For there to be commands, there must be a hierarchy, a system where one gives orders and another receives them. But not only must a hierarchal system exist, but there must also be a relationship much like a boss/employee, teacher/student, a parent/child, God/God’s people. Without a relationship, there is no respect, no desire to fulfill the commands.

One day as I was driving home, I exited the freeway and onto the off ramp. As I approached the signal light, I noticed the driver of the car ahead of me toss out his cigarette. When the light turned green, I drove up next to him at the next signal light and I noticed that he was but a teenager, no older than eighteen. I asked him to be careful since we recently underwent tense moments from recent wildfires. He just looked at me and offered a gesture with a finger. And why would I not be surprised… I had no relationship with him. I wasn’t his father or brother nor his youth pastor. I was nothing to him so my request, my wishes fell to deaf ears.

“Have I not commanded you?” Joshua could face all this responsibilities, face all the enemies of Canaan, face all the headaches of being a leader because he knows God loves him. And why? Because God tells him what to do.

So the next time you receive a command, greet it with a smile because a command is a coded message simply saying, “I love you.”

May God bless you.

Pastor Sung

“Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.” – Psalm 107:1

At our church every year, we have a revival for the Korean Ministry. I was told a few years ago we had a missionary who served as a prison guard for many years of his life. He offered a series of personal testimonies. He spoke of the difference of those who knew the Lord versus those who did not know God and how they faced their execution. The most hardened criminals would face the gallows with a glow of peace about them once they had gave their lives to Christ. But there was one particular Buddist, a spiritual leader who was renown for his moral behavior while in prison, who faced the gallows with such a different attitude. The missionary said that as they brought him toward the gallows, he was screaming and cursing with every ounce of his breath expressing the greatest fear of death.

“Cowards die many times before their deaths. The valiant never taste of death but once.” -William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar

The exit of those who know Christ is far different than those who do not. Polycarp, the early church father, was commanded to denounce his faith in Jesus Christ. His reply… “Eighty-six years I have known Him and served Him and He has not once betrayed me. How then can I now blaspheme my King and Savior?” They then burned him at the stake.

The Apostle Paul was martyred in Rome and in the last days of his life, he was tormented by many who betrayed him. He writes in his last epistle, “Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. Be on guard against him yourself, for he vigorously opposed our teaching. At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them.” (2 Tim. 4:14-16)

But even with the freshness of betrayal on his thoughts, the Apostle died with praise upon his lips, “But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me… The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” (vv. 17-18)

The reality of our faith does not rapture us at the moment of our deaths but it rings loudly in our living. Separated from friends, unjustly accused, brutally treated, if any man had a right to complain it was Paul. But while languishing in prison, Paul’s lips were not filled with complaints but with words and songs of thanksgiving!

Just look at his life, in prison in Philippi, “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” (Acts 16:25) Read his words from another prison epistle, “Be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Eph. 5:18-20)

It was certain that those around him saw and heard his thanksgiving. Who is to say that the Pretorian guards who guarded Paul were not instumental in influencing the Emperor Constantine when he made Christianity the state religion of the Roman Empire.

To Paul, thanksgiving was not a once in year attitude but it rang loudly for he “gave thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thess. 5:18) everyday of his life. Thanksgiving was a daily reality that made him a joyful person. How about you? Is there a reality greater than the goodness of God in your life? May God bless you richly.

“Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.” – Psalm 107:1

Pastor Sung

“But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ”  – Philippians 3:7-8

I recently saw an altercation between two NBA players, Rajon Rondo of the Celtics and Chris Paul of the Hornets. It was heard that Rondo was yelling at Paul that he has a championship ring and that Paul will never get one. Paul chased Rondo down the players’ hallway screaming, “You will respect me as a man!” Quite silly. Two grown men, making millions but acting like a couple kids on the blacktop in middle school.

We all get offended, upset. I still have an anger that scares my poor children every once in awhile. Here is a truth that we can observe in our frustration- Whomever or whatever we place our confidence, the greater the potential for our disappointments. True? If you find your identity in USC football, you would be very disappointed last week. If you place your identity in your relationship, you can be depressed and desperate when you break up, get the idea? But if you place your confidence in God? Then whatever happens, good or bad, you rejoice! (Phil. 1:18, 3:1, 4:4)

But I came across something in my recent study for a sermon that drastically changed my way of thinking and how it directly affected my own anger issues.

This passage is found in the middle of the Apostle Paul’s wonderful testimony. Please follow along so that you can get the heart of what he is saying. First of all, let me offer a little background- there were individuals that were informing the people of this church that they must become Jews before they can become Christians, i.e. they had to become circumcised. Paul directly attacks them by calling them “dogs, evil workers, those of the false circumcision.” (3:2) Paul was condemning anyone who believed a salvation apart from grace through faith alone, that we need not add works to grace. When someone is dependent on religion, they are dependent upon works, their deeds, something they can boast about, something others can see so they can receive attention.

Paul said if there is anyone who can boast in the flesh, the works that someone has accomplished, it is him. See, Paul was everything a Jew would want, he was wealthy, he was well educated, he was a “Hebrew of Hebrews,” the Jewish poster child, a modern day Justin Timberlake or Tom Cruise. But when Jesus brought him to faith, he says, “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.” All those things that were envied in the eyes of men, now in Christ, they are nothing to him, a “loss”, a disadvantage in terms of comparison.

But he doesn’t stop there and here is the burden of the text, he then says, “I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things.” The key word here is “all” Paul says when coming to Christ, he has suffered all things a loss.

Now we know when we come to Christ, we count our sins to be a loss. We can count on Christ dying for our sins, but what about the “all”? Paul is saying not only the bad (sins) but also the good (his merit) that he counts as a loss.

You see, when you come to the cross, the sins die at the cross and so do all the goodness of yourself as well. We think inherently that there is something good about us, that we are kind, we are descent, we are smart. There is a lot here for God to use for His glory. However, for God to be glorified, we must fully count all things a loss. That is the only way God can transform us into the image of His Son. To be conformed to His image, there must be no traces of our own goodness! Your goodness must die at the cross as well, “loss of all things.”

Now what does that have to do with anger and being offended? Just this, that if we cannot claim any confidence in ourselves, then how can we ever be offended? If all our goodness was nailed at the cross as well, then the only identity we are left with is Christ in us, “I have been crucified with Christ, I no longer live but Christ who lives in me.” (Gal. 2:20) When someone teases us, threatens us, when we come to suffer, we were called to this purpose, “When reviled, did not revile in return, when suffered, offered no threats, but entrusted Himself to the One who judges righteously.” (1 Peter 2:21) Our only offense is at the sake of Jesus Himself.

Let us walk worthy of the calling of the Gospel, let us suffer “a loss of all things” so that we can glorify God in our character. God bless.

Pastor Sung

“Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. 38Then He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.” 39And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” 40And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour? 41″Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”  – Matt. 26:36-41

Have you ever suffered so much that you were willing to do anything to escape the pain? And in the midst of your pain, all those who loved you were helpless to console, to comfort you? And worse, when you prayed to God for help, for relief, there was no answer. If God loves you, why doesn’t He just stop the pain?

One of the strongest arguments against the existence of God is something called theodicy, the problem of evil and suffering. The case goes something like this, “If there is a good, loving, all powerful God, how can He allow pain and suffering in the world?”

–God is all-powerful but not all-good—thus evil can exist.

–God is all-good but not all-powerful—thus evil can exist.

–God is all-powerful and all-good—thus evil cannot exist.

For some of you in the midst of mid terms or finals- you wonder the same, when will the madness end, why is there pain and suffering and more importantly, when will it all pass?

Jesus asked the same question. He went to the garden to pray to His Father for He knew what lied just ahead of Him, the cross. The pain and suffering of Christ was not just experienced on the cross but one of the most painful, human experiences ever recorded is here in Matthew 26:38, “He said to them, ‘My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death.’”

“Grieved” in the Greek means, “afflicted beyond measure.” Jesus was experiencing a pain to the point of death. When the scriptures speaks of Jesus’ pain, I don’t believe anyone has endured a pain to the degree of His own suffering. And what does a person do when he is stricken with such grief? He prays. “He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” (v. 39)

But notice the answer to His prayer from His Father, silence. There was no voice from heaven applauding His righteousness or His perfect obedience like at His baptism or Transfiguration, no dove descending from heaven. There were no angels to come to minister to His needs like after His temptation, Matt. 4. Just silence.

In His humanness He cried out to His Father to ask for mercy to escape His pain, “let this cup pass from Me.” He was met with silence. Then when He turned to His disciples for comfort , what was He met with?  They fell asleep. After rebuking them twice, they kept falling asleep. And after each rebuke, He was met with silence for they had nothing to say to Him. Jesus was all alone, alone in silence for His suffering.

Why was there silence? Why didn’t His Father offer words to encourage Him? To give Him strength? Why the silence from His disciples? It is interesting the parallel that Jesus prayed three times just as Paul prayed three times to have the thorn removed and what was God’s answer to Paul? “My grace is sufficient for you” (2 Cor. 12:9). The answer as to why there was no answer from God was because Jesus already knew the answer to His prayer, He even prayed it Himself, “let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” (v. 39)

As much suffering Jesus endured, as much as He wanted the cup to pass, as much as He wanted an answer from His father, He did not complain, He did not gripe, He simply was “obedient to the point of death, death even on the cross” (Phil. 2:8).

We know why God did not allow the cup to pass. They say hind sight is always 20/20. As a result of Christ’s death, God was not glorified in Jesus’ suffering, it was not His will for His Son to suffer, but it was His will that He die on the cross so that the sins of the world may be redeemed. And the same is true for us when we encounter pain, it is not God’s will for us to suffer, but there is another purpose- what? Only God knows. But we do know that He is just, He is perfect and He will not abandon us nor forsake us in our suffering.

The question is when we are suffering and want the cup to pass, can we trust God in the same manner as our Lord? Shall we then also have “this attitude in yourself which was also in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5). “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps” (1 Peter 2:21).

I believe what Jesus was thinking about to help Him endure the pain as He bore the burden of the cross on the “trail of tears” making His way to Calvary was that He was thinking of Lazarus, He was thinking of the two blind men He healed before He entered Jerusalem, the woman at the well, He was thinking of you and me. I encourage you do the same, when you are in the midst of the suffering, when the tempest seems to never end, “fixing our eyes on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Heb. 12:2) and remember what He had endured for you and me. There are no simple answers to one’s suffering, but we are left with the example for us to follow. Let us always be obedient to give our faithful God His glory. May God bless each of you.

Pastor Sung

“Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will announce My words to you.” Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something on the wheel. But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make. Then the word of the LORD came to me saying, “Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does?” declares the LORD. “Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel.” Jeremiah 18:2-6

Throughout my childhood, I was told that I was quite artistic. I remember in fifth grade, our teacher divided the class into many groups made up of five to six students. Our assignment was a group art project in world history class. Everyone wanted to be in my group and after the groups were assigned, I could hear other students complaining that it wasn’t fair that they were not included in my group. We started the project but quickly ran into difficulty. The teacher would come by and the mural I was drawing, she would comment that it was too small. So I would start over again but then she would come again and comment that it was still too small. The group began to get frustrated and asked me to get a whole new sheet for our project, but in my stubbornness, I was determined to fix it my way. Once again the teacher made another negative comment and this time as I erased my mistake- a huge rip occurred in the middle of our project. By this time, it was too late to start all over and we received a rather below average grade for the assignment- I let the entire group down, so much for my reputation.

No one likes to be examined, to be the object of criticism. Sure, there may be a few of us that are “mature,” those who have “wisdom” to know what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. But honestly who are they? No one and I mean no one likes to be called out. And why is that? Because we don’t like what we see in ourselves. Truth, in this case, is extremely painful.

Our lives, tragically, is a make up of compounded problems. Like that kid in the fifth grade who kept trying to fix his own mistakes until finally the big rip. We all know we are making bad decisions and when the inevitable occurs, we put our heads down and are determined to fix our way out of the mess. And what do we end up with? A masterpiece? A Michelangelo? No, for most of us it looks like a Picasso.

There is another way… “Therefore, (since God is opposed to the proud and gives grace to the humble) humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time” (1 Peter 5:6).

Don’t be fooled, God’s way is not painless, in fact it maybe more painful- but you know the finished product- “we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.” (Eph. 4:13). This is God’s masterpiece. But there is only one way to this finished product- His way, “he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make.” (Jer. 18:4).

In our own making, we are “spoiled clay.” But the potter will not toss us away, He will patiently work out all the kinks and build us up again until we are useful vessels for His purpose. But for this to happen, He must first tear down, to purify the “spoiled” material, He must recycle us over and over again. And although we may not enjoy the process, we allow the Potter to do His work knowing that He loves us, “casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7) In doing so, we will find pleasure in the finished product.

Beloved, don’t fight God. Humble yourselves, see with honesty your sins, confess them, let God break you down so that He can gently build us up again into the full stature of His beautiful Son. May the Lord continue to recycle you over and over again. God bless.

Pastor Sung

“I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and flourishing in my palace. I saw a dream and it made me fearful; and these fantasies as I lay on my bed and the visions in my mind kept alarming me. So I gave orders to bring into my presence all the wise men of Babylon, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream.” Daniel 4:4-6

Have you ever had a dream where it seem so real that it didn’t seem like a dream? Where you couldn’t discern reality from the dream and then you decide to take the red pill (i.e., The Matrix) and you wake up and then you see the real world…

King Neuchadnezzar had such a dream. So perplexed was he that his dream troubled him greatly and he searched his entire kingdom to find an answer. He had a dream where a great tree, which was huge in size, reaching heaven and whose beauty was incomparable, provided shade and fruit for all. Suddenly an angel came from heaven and ordered it to be cut down and its stump to be left in the ground. He asked Daniel what the dream could mean.

In a time of peace and prosperity, “Nebuchadnezzar was at his ease,” God sent this dream to the king as a warning for him to repent of his sins and give all glory to God. The king lived in security, false security, similar to the one Jesus pictured in the Parable of the Rich Farmer (Luke 12:15-21). It is when the world is resting in “peace and safety” that God’s judgment will fall (1 Thess. 5:3). The only safety and rest one can find is in Jesus Christ our Lord.

I recently was witnessing to a young man who dared to say, “Where is God? If He is real, why doesn’t He just strike me dead?” Later on he said to me, “I know there is a god, maybe the real God you are talking about but right now, I am having too much fun and when I am ready, then maybe I’ll go to church.” I wish God gave me a dollar for every person who told me that. And yet, this young man reminded me of King Nebuchadnezzar.

The king decided to take the blue pill and continue on as before… “Twelve months later he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon. The king reflected and said, “Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?” (Dan. 4:28-30) Nebuchadnezzar walked the grounds of his palace marveling his work which we should never do… When we think that we are responsible for what we do and achieve, and we do not recognize that even when we achieve great things it is due to God, we have taken His glory and that is a sin God will not tolerate.

“While the word was in the king’s mouth, a voice came from heaven” (4:31) “he was driven away from mankind and began eating grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws.” (v.33) The king awoke from his dream of security and found himself to be a beast of the field. But that is not the end of the story. “The Lord is patient, not slow in keeping promises as some might think, but desiring that all men will not perish but come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9) “At that time my reason returned to me… Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways are just and he is able to humble those who walk in pride.” (vv. 36-37) The king then took the red pill.

Beloved, live in reality and not your sense of false security. Walk humbly and offer your life as a living sacrifice to Him (Rom. 12:1). And for those who believe you are king of the world, don’t take the blue pill and continue on as before, take the red pill and wake up- there is a God who loves you but He will not share His glory of this life. May God bless you.

Pastor Sung

“The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You. Trust in the LORD forever, for in GOD the LORD, we have an everlasting Rock.”  – Isaiah 26:3-4

What is your peace-o-meter reading today? You’re familiar with those guys who work for the electric company who randomly show up at your house to read your electric meter. If God could read your meter, what would your peace-o-meter be reading today?

As I was driving home, I merged to the right hand lane to pass a truck. As I did so, a car in the far right lane merged left into the lane I was merging. I had to hit the brakes not to rear end the car. I could see that I startled the driver, so much so that he gave me the finger in his rear view mirror. I merged into the left lane to pass him and as I did so, he adamantly expressed his displeasure, emphatically giving me the finger. I wonder what his peace-o-meter was reading…

The prophet Isaiah is praying to God during turbulent times. His king, King Ahaz, has turned to the king of Assyria for assistance rather than turning to God for help, which ultimately leads to the exile of Judah into Babylon. But Isaiah is not rattled, his peace-o-meter is quite high- because by trusting in the Lord, it yields a settled purpose, “a steadfast mind.” A steadfast mind is one set on the purpose of pleasing God. Many times we encounter turbulence because we expend so much energy in seeking solutions apart from God.

But a “steadfast mind” is one God keeps for us, “You will keep in perfect peace.” The perfect peace is God’s “shalom.” This perfection is both in quantity and quality. Paul said the same thing in the NT, “let the peace of God which transcends all understanding guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:6). How many of you are experiencing the perfect peace of God or are you trying to fabricate your own peace through cheap imitations?

Isaiah then exhorts all to do the same- “Trust in the LORD!” And why? Because as our circumstances change so will the cheap things we try to find refuge. Everything changes. Possessions fade away, people disappoint and die… as Peter said, “Man is like the grass, the glory of man is like the flower of the grass, the flower falls off and the grass withers but the Word of the Lord abides forever.” (1 Peter 1:24-25) But the One who keeps our peace, He is eternal, He is our Rock!

There is a story of Martin Luther, while going through a period of discouragement, would day after day bring his long face to the dinner table. One day his wife wore a black dress as if she was going to a funeral. He asked her, “Who died?” She replied, “Martin, as you have been behaving, I thought God had died, so I prepared myself to attend His funeral.” Her rebuke drove right through his heart. The great reformer decided that he would never allow his worldly care, discouragement or frustration to ever defeat him. By God’s grace he would vow to submit his life to his Savior and reflect the grace of God in a spirit of rejoicing always.

When was the last time you rejoiced God in a time of despair? Has someone replaced God from His throne? Then why let life beat you down? The LORD is our Rock and He is the keeper of our perfect peace. Trust in Him today. What is your peace-o-meter reading today?

May God bless you in your rejoicing of the victory we have in His Son!!!

Pastor Sung