Know This.

Scripture:
<Matthew 5:48> “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Hallelujah!

This past Sunday, the message was delivered under the theme, “Know, act, and preach thoroughly and in precise detail.” Today, I will deliver the message under the theme, “Know This.”

◎ The Israelites lived as slaves in Egypt for 400 years. While living as slaves, they longed so earnestly to be free. During the time of the judges as well, they were frequently ruled by foreign nations. Whenever Israel turned away from God, they became slaves to foreign nations and lived in suffering. They were also taken to Babylon and lived there as captives for 70 years. Even in Jesus’ time, Israel was under the rule of the Roman Empire.

◯ Because the special people chosen by God disobeyed God and worshiped idols, they suffered the tremendous pain of becoming slaves to other nations.
▶ Reference Scripture: Deuteronomy 28:47–48

Each time, God sent the one whom He loved most and saved the people through him. In Moses’ time, He saved the enslaved Israelites through Moses; in the time of the prophets, He saved them through the prophet; and in the time of the Messiah, He saved them through the Messiah.

◯ It is the same in this time period. On June 1, 1978, God’s history of the new time period that enabled people to break free from the domain of the 2,000-year old time period began. Everyone had been living at the level of servants or children in the old religions and other Gentile religions. Then, through the Man of Mission sent by God, they heard the gospel of the new time period, both their spirits and bodies broke free from the old time period and evil, and they became God’s brides.

◯ This history of God’s salvation has continued for more than 6,000 years through the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the present. Providence history itself has continued for nearly 50 years. Because this is God’s true history, such a great history was accomplished in a short period of time. As time passes, it will become even greater.

◯ Because we have learned and understood this history properly and worked on it for a long time, it has gained depth through the years and is majestic, beautiful and mysterious.

Everything becomes strong only with the passage of time. Trees, rocks, and people alike become masterpieces only after enduring for a long period of time. They become firm and strong only after accumulating years. As Wolmyeongdong has grown older, its trees and rocks have also become more firmly established. The trees have put down deeper roots, while the rocks have settled more deeply and become more tightly secured under their own weight. Faith is the same.

◯ Even though such a history has begun, people must hear the Word of the time period and believe in and follow the one who was sent in order to receive salvation. God, who is like the sun, is tremendous in both His love and His deeds, so He saves all those who are bound by sin by sending the one He loves most. Yet people do not know this.

◯ Even though God created everything in the world and loves it all, people cannot feel God’s thoughts or the sense of fulfillment He experiences. God feels the joy of creation because He created heaven, earth, and all things. Human beings, however, cannot feel even one of the joys of creation because they did not create even one thing.

Just as human beings do not know the joy of creation, by themselves alone they do not know the joy of breaking free from sin and receiving salvation, nor do they fully understand its value. For that reason, God sends the one He loves most as the Man of Mission for salvation.

◯ When Jesus came 2,000 years ago, the history that enabled people to break free from the 4,000-year dominion of the Old Testament, which was like Egypt, began. Although it had begun, only those who believed in and followed Jesus as the Lord broke free from servitude, entered the ideal world, and became free.

◯ After 2,000 years of the New Testament, a new history began once again. Jesus came in spirit, and God and Jesus carried out the new history by sending Seonsaeng.

This is the history of breaking free from the old time period after 2,000 years—the history for which the former faith had waited for 2,000 years. It is the most liberated history of salvation in human history.

Even though the history of salvation in the new time period has begun, those whose spirits and bodies have not received salvation may be said to be alive, but they are dead. If a person fails to save their body, their body suffers throughout their lifetime. Likewise, if a person fails to save their spirit, their spirit suffers forever. Because they live in ignorance like the blind, they cannot even imagine a free life of salvation.

Only those who know can understand and break free from the dominion of the old time period. Those who do not know cannot escape that dominion at all. The difference is like that between nonexistence and existence, darkness and light, and death and life.

Those who have received salvation are people who live eternally. Those who have not received salvation may appear to prosper temporarily in the world, but in reality, they are living a life that leads to eternal destruction.

◎ A life of salvation, whether in small matters or great ones, is not something achieved in a day or two. It is a life lived together with the eternal God.

◯ If you have been born as a person of Providence, you must know God’s deeds, believe in them, and live accordingly. Once the time has passed, it is over. If you fail to receive salvation, you cannot break free from sin, and you will live only within your own dominion until you die. The dominion of the new time period is an entirely different world. Only the Savior knows this.

◯ God has always said to the Man of Mission of each time period, [who is] entrusted with the salvation of that domain, “Bear the sins of your people.” This means, “Repent for the sins of the people [on their behalf],” and “Take responsibility for their sins.”

◯ When viewed spiritually, people live bound by sin. For this reason, the one who resolves the problem of sin is such a great person. Those who are on God’s side are free from sin. Jesus also said through his disciple that there is no sin in those who are in Christ Jesus.
(Romans 8:1–2) “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.”

In any time period, if you remain in the Lord, you are free from sin; but if you leave the Lord, you become a sinner.

◯ Problems have always arisen because of sin. Just as the head of a company takes responsibility when a problem arises in the company, the one sent for the time period must bear the sins of the people in order for the problems of that time period to be resolved. This is because when he repents for the sins of the people, God forgives them. Since the representative bears their sins and repents, ultimately God resolves the problem through forgiveness.

◯ God said to the one He sent, “Bring Me all the garbage of the world and of those who believe and follow.” When the one He sent sets the condition, God ultimately burns away all the garbage of sin.

◯ These are God’s words:
“It is sin and punishment. It is sin and repentance. No matter how deeply a person has fallen into sin, they can live if they become clean. An individual, too, cannot live if they are filthy, but can live if they are clean. People cannot live in a garbage dump either. Only after all the garbage has been removed and the place has been made clean can they build houses, plant trees, and live there again. Therefore, repent. Clean up all the garbage, become clean, and live. Unrighteous sins are garbage.”

◯ The greater matters are handled by the one sent for the time period, but each individual must bear their own matters. Since you have come out of the dominion of sin and entered the dominion of the new time period, you must be clean within this dominion. Only when you are clean will God give you what is clean. No matter how clean a place you live in, you must always wash yourself and change into clean clothes in order not to become dirty.

◯ Therefore, cleaning must be done every day. Waste products come out of the human body every day. The garbage of daily life accumulates every day. If you fall behind in clearing it away and cleaning, your body, room, and house become filled with garbage. It is the same spiritually.

◯ Therefore, the Holy Spirit said, “Make everything clean every day.” If you do not wash your hair every day, the itching makes you suffer. Likewise, if you do not cleanse yourself every day, problems of sin arise and cause you to suffer. Just as you wash your hair regularly, you must also regularly repent of and settle your sins.

◎ We have been spiritually liberated since 1978. You must know that through Seonsaeng, we received Jesus and became free people who advanced from the position of children to that of brides. It is a historic release and liberation. Everyone must hear the gospel of the bride and properly understand Seonsaeng.

◯ God’s Man of Mission for each time period always carries out only God’s Will. Even when [the people of] the earth have committed the sin of failing to receive Heaven, the Man of Mission on Heaven’s side bears their sins in their place and continues forward because it is God’s Will to save everyone.
However, people judge according to their own level and stumble. No matter what happens, those who are to receive salvation must never stumble over the one who saves them from eternal death. If they stumble, they will regret it forever.

◯ People often say, “Evil people harm the righteous and commit all kinds of evil deeds. Why does God leave them alone even when we pray?”
Almighty God gives people opportunities to repent until the very end. Yet people do not understand this and stumble.
God takes care of everything. Absolutely! He cleans away the wicked and causes the righteous to prosper. At the end, He repays everyone for everything! Therefore, we need only tell God about the injustices we have suffered and wholeheartedly do our own work.

◯ You must not stumble under any circumstances. Instead, become even more firmly united with the one who saves you and stand on the side of righteousness. At such times, by cleansing yourself all the more and following only God’s Will for this time period to the end, you must fulfill the perfect salvation of both spirit and body in this time period.

I bid you the peace of the Holy Trinity.