As time has passed, I used to live a life where I was understood, forgiven, and blessed. Now, I must move towards a life of understanding, forgiving, and blessing others. I want to convey the message that today, in church and within our community, we can help everyone feel at home and experience the Kingdom of God.

Israel was given the Ten Commandments to understand how to live as God's children. To live safely and under God's protection in this world, they needed boundaries, much like a fence, which is why the commandments were given. When they live within these commandments, they experience freedom, receive blessings, and find peace. However, stepping outside of these laws leads to losing that freedom, facing difficulties, and enduring hardships. Through their experiences, the Israelites learned the blessings that come from obeying God's word and the challenges that arise when they disregard His commandments. Therefore, to help their children live a truly blessed and beautiful life, they must teach and uphold these commandments.

Look at the figure of the father; his face seems almost like that of a blind person, as if he is blinded by love. In a way, it reflects a love that is oblivious. So, he unconditionally shows grace, forgives without hesitation, and understands everything. The younger son discovers his hometown in the embrace of that father and experiences God's embrace within it. Rembrandt expresses everything through light in his works. It's like during a play or a music program, where the main characters are highlighted with bright lighting. The light flows from the father's face to the son's shoulder and back, illuminating the older son as well. There is an abundance of light from above, representing love and grace being bestowed upon the son. If you look closely at the father's two arms, most critics talk about how these two arms...

Among the commandments, my duty is to serve God, to worship only God. And on this day that God has given, I come to worship, rejoicing in God and expressing gratitude to my parents, while living in a way that raises children well. We are the church, and you are the church. This church must be healthy. Our Central Church has a very unique identity. As you can see from the history of our church, there was a person named Kim Sang-jung who studied in Japan and returned to evangelize. During the day, he would evangelize, and when people gathered in the evening, he would rent a Hanok and teach Bible study there, which eventually led to the establishment of the church. At first, it was quite informal. The person who originally started the church was Kim Sang-jung.

The father is so happy to welcome his son, but the son, who is standing next to him, is worried that he might accidentally hurt himself, so he clenches his hands and just gazes blankly. Ah, that's right; it is possible to read a person's heart. Despite being so close, there is an invisible line between the father and his little son, indicating a psychological distance. Although the body is next to the father, the heart cannot be with him. The little son might be a prodigal, but he is still a child who cannot understand his father's heart. This is why Jesus speaks about it. The motivation for this is found in Luke 15, where Jesus draws near to sinners, while the Pharisees and scribes, who considered themselves righteous, thought of those sinners as unworthy.

Ah, today, the protagonist of the sequel is Dory, who has short-term memory loss. She keeps forgetting her past, which is why she forgets her home. The story revolves around her adventures as she wanders around the ocean. At the end, I showed you the scene where she returns home. To help Dory find her way back home, she collects the shells that she originally liked, and by gathering them, she creates paths. She makes paths in all directions so that she can follow the shells and return home from anywhere. Ultimately, she returns home and meets Dory again. 

Now, starting with this story, I would like to mention Judges 2:10, which reflects the overall situation in the Book of Judges. The verse states that the people of that generation turned back to their ancestors.

Our Korean church has been around for 130 years. From the Joseon Dynasty, through the Japanese occupation, and the resistance during the democratization process, Korean Christianity has contributed significantly to this nation and its people. There are many achievements in education, healthcare, social welfare, and democratization. Throughout all these processes, with God's help, this country has become a global nation, and the work of God is truly immense. We must teach all of this to our children. All of us, as believers, have raised our children amidst difficulties, and it is through our faith that God has enabled us to do so. The history we carry is profound and significant, and it is not just for us to be grateful for and remember. Even today, we should teach our children about the grace that God has given us and ensure they can remember it. The third point is to keep the concept of God.

The previous generation has passed away. The next generation that arises should be different, but here, in this land, another generation has emerged that uses the same words and has the same appearance. This new generation has been born in that land. What are the characteristics of this different generation? Why has it become different? They do not know the Lord and do not recognize God. They also do not know the works that the Lord has done for Israel. They cannot remember what God has done in the past; they forget like stones. 

While the new generation has its responsibilities, the failure of the previous generation is significant. They did not teach their children properly about God and the works He has done. As a result, the next generation could not continue in the faith and became a different generation, leading to a spiritual dark age. They serve God as King without any standards.

In our apartment, we hung two paintings yesterday. One of them is a copy of Rembrandt's The Return of the Prodigal Son, which I framed nicely. Also, at the entrance of our apartment, I put up Van Gogh's The Sower. When I leave the house, I think to myself that I'm going out to sow seeds, and when I come back home, I look at the painting of the prodigal son and feel that the son has returned home. 

Moreover, Elder Woo, who enjoys baseball, often says that in baseball, you need to come home to score points. You can roam around all you want, but if you can't return home, you won't score. Returning home is like hitting a home run. This reflects the Christian spirit of yielding. Anyway, the painting of The Return of the Prodigal Son is...

The same person becomes an eightfold being, which means that the left hand firmly grasps the shoulder with a strong line, while the right hand gently caresses the back with a soft line. The left hand holds on, and today it is gently stroking. The right hand represents the father's line, while the left hand symbolizes the mother's line. Thus, it is an expression of God's masculine and feminine qualities. There are people who interpret it this way. Who are we? Today, are we the small children who have returned to the embrace of the church, the father’s arms? Are we the younger son receiving grace, or are we, despite never having gone outside the house, unable to understand the father's heart and still unable to accept that brother, comparing ourselves to him? Do we still think that the time we enjoyed with the father is worth less than that of a mere kid goat, feeling that we cannot measure up?

The Israelites were enslaved in Egypt, but after the ten plagues, they were able to escape from the land. They were blocked by the Red Sea, but God commanded the wind, parting the waters so they could cross on dry ground. Once they entered the wilderness, He provided a pillar of cloud during the day to guide them and a pillar of fire at night to keep them warm. He supplied water from the rock so they would not be thirsty and sent down manna from heaven to sustain them. He also provided quail so they could eat meat, protecting them from dangers and granting them victory in battles. All these events are recorded in Psalm 78, reminding the children of the mighty works of God. When we remember, that same power of history can happen to us today. Looking at the history of our faith in South Korea, it has been 111 years.

So, I did not receive ordination and was recognized as a pastor. Evangelist Kim Sang-jun has now received ordination, but he has lived his life merely as an evangelist. Thus, our church started as a church for evangelism, teaching those who have lost their eternal home about the home of the soul, and educating them about the need to return to their rightful place. Not only us, but many people in this world have lost their hometowns. They cannot remember where they came from, nor do they know where they should go in the future, living a life similar to that of spiritual homeless individuals. We have a home to return to; we have a place to go back to. This is what Jesus has provided for us, as mentioned in the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15. Rembrandt has beautifully depicted this in a painting called The Return of the Prodigal Son.

Isn't it true about the son? How about the father? There is a person who wrote a book based on a single painting by Rembrandt. In the conclusion of the book, he argues that the image we should aspire to be is that of a father. The maturity and growth of our faith ultimately require us to become a father. At one stage of faith, one might be a person who seeks forgiveness, but now one must become a warrior. A person who receives should transform into someone who gives abundantly, and a person who is loved should become someone capable of loving many others. In fact, these three aspects are present in all of us. They exist within our church community and reflect our current state. Our stages of faith may be evolving into a more mature form. Just as God's holiness is a model for us, we too are called to grow in holiness, moving from our parents to ourselves and then to our children.

At that time, I was raised in a very wealthy family and had great expectations placed upon me. However, after receiving Jesus, I rejected all idols and became a servant of the Lord. As a result, I was not only expelled from my home but also suffered severe mistreatment. They say I was beaten and left for dead, wrapped in a blanket. The servants of that house helped me. In fact, I was just beginning to establish our church. Although I, Kim Sam-jung, started it first, I sought out Jeong-bin, who was older and had studied with me. I wrote to him, saying, You are the elder, and you will be the leader while I will take on the role of assistant. That's how we began. So, Jeong-bin will be the first generation, and Kim Sam will be the second generation. Jeong-bin is also an incredible person. He has dedicated his life to evangelism and has committed to the work of spreading the Gospel.

You may have the desire to become a great president or businessman, to earn a lot of money, to have power, or to enjoy pleasures while loving your work. However, today the Bible teaches us where to place our hopes for our children. We should teach them to hope in God and not in the world, which is a fleeting existence that will eventually disappear. We should not place our hopes in a world that is temporary and will vanish, but rather live with our hopes set on the eternal God. This is what today's teaching reminds us of. I hope that our children, and all of us, place our hopes in God. The second point is to remember the works that God has done. This was also mentioned in the book of Agassah. Today, Psalm 78 elaborates on the works that God performed for Israel.

Not only did they blame people, but they also criticized Jesus, just like the elder son. The elder son mentioned how the younger son squandered his father's wealth and behaved poorly. It didn't stop there; the father welcomed such a son and even killed a calf for him. The father is judging too. 

In fact, Luke chapter 15 seems to end happily with the return of the younger son, but it’s actually an unfinished story. Why is it unfinished? Because there is no mention of what happens to that son afterward. We don’t know if he changed his heart or if he stubbornly held onto his ways. This is not stated in Luke 15. 

Why is this important for us? Because it reflects on us. Even if we claim to be faithful members of the church and believe in God, we might still be like that elder son, judging others and failing to understand the bigger picture. It feels like we have homework to do regarding this matter.

It starts with someone kneeling down and coming to be embraced by the father. This person, the youngest son, thought that leaving his father's embrace would make him happier, as if he would be freer. He believed he would live better and more abundantly. But what was the result? The reality is that the further he moved away from his father, the more he fell into a difficult life. Fortunately, he came to his senses and ran back to his father, embracing him once again. If this youngest son had always been in his father's house, what would he have looked like? Perhaps he would have looked like his older brother standing next to him, dressed like a nobleman in a red cloak. But the years spent away from his father have turned him into his current state.

In the unfolding of the 244th era, we find ourselves living in a significant time. Today, Psalm 78 offers us valuable lessons. The title of Psalm 78 is attributed to Asaph, a man who composed this psalm. It carries the title Maschil, which means instruction. This psalm contains teachings that are meant for Israel, encapsulating lessons in song.

In the portion we read from Psalm 78, it states that the children should set their hope in God and not forget the works He has done. They are to live by keeping His commandments and teach their descendants to do the same. Here, three key points are highlighted. Everyone should have hope in something, but where should our children place their hope? What kind of future should we envision for our children?

Although it depicts Luke chapter 15, there is another aspect to it. If you look at the original artwork, it seems to be a reference to the Russian painter Rembrandt. The painting is housed in a museum that showcases the works of Amitabha. Why isn't this painting being shown? This artwork is significant because it is about 80 inches tall and 40 inches wide. So, you can see that it is painted in actual life size, which indicates that it is meant to represent real people. 

In the original Luke chapter 15, after the prodigal son returns home, the father goes out to welcome him. In fact, the older son does not come into the house, so the father goes outside to meet him. Rembrandt includes all three characters and even those who are observing them in one painting. Thus, there is a slightly different interpretation of the story of Jesus found in Luke chapter 15 here.

중앙성결교회 한기채 목사 - 오래되고도 새로운 교회

C채널방송과 함께하는 목사님들의 설교말씀입니다.
큰 은혜의 시간이 되시길 바랍니다.

중앙성결교회 한기채 목사 - 오래되고도 새로운 교회

스크립트