12/28/2025 The Day the Written Word Becomes the Word of Life

Sermon Title: The Day the Written Word Becomes the Word of Life

Scripture: Acts 13:24-31 (NIV)

Acts 13:24-31 (NIV) 24 Before the coming of Jesus, John preached repentance and baptism to all the people of Israel.

25 As John was completing his work, he said: ‘Who do you suppose I am? I am not the one you are looking for. But there is someone coming after me whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.’

26 “Fellow children of Abraham and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent.

27 The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus. By condemning him, they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath.

28 Even though they found no proper ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed.

29 When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the cross and laid him in a tomb.

30 But God raised him from the dead,

31 and for many days he was seen by those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to our people.

[Sermon Content] (After watching the <Jew for Jesus> video for 5 minutes)

The only way to salvation is through Jesus Christ alone. Even the Jewish people are no exception. The first disciples targeted their evangelism toward the Jews. If they were automatically saved, why would James, the first martyr, give his life to preach the Gospel to them?

When I was attending art school in New York, I had a Jewish friend in my class. I wondered how I could share the Gospel with that friend. In the process of searching, I discovered organizations like Jew for Jesus that conduct these kinds of activities.

When we look at the Jewish people, we think of them as a very religious nation because they strictly observe their clothing and the Sabbath. However, it is surprising to see that they react to the records in the Book of Isaiah as if they are seeing them for the first time.

In verse 27, it says the people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, even though they recited the words of the prophets every Sabbath. How is it possible to memorize the words but not know what they mean?

Jesus rebuked them, saying they have eyes but cannot see, and ears but cannot hear. Now, let us read Isaiah chapter 53 together.

Isaiah 53:1-5 (NIV) 1 Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

3 He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Seven hundred years before Jesus came to this earth, Isaiah recorded the prophecy about the Lamb of God who would carry the sins of the world. Exactly 700 years later, Jesus was offered as a guilt offering and bore all the sins of the world.

My original major was painting. After believing in Jesus, I wanted to paint His image, so I diligently searched for verses to meditate on His appearance. However, there are actually almost no verses in the Bible that speak about Jesus’ physical appearance.

When the Pharisees rebuked Jesus, they said, "You are not yet fifty years old, and you have seen Abraham!" Since Jesus was in His early thirties at the time, the fact they didn't say "not even forty" but "not even fifty" suggests that He did not look especially young for His age.

That is how little His appearance is mentioned. However, Isaiah describes the appearance of the Messiah relatively specifically: "He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him."

When Jesus lived on this earth, He had no physical charm or impressive stature. He lived with a background and appearance that could easily be ignored. Have you ever thought deeply about this image of Jesus?

We Christians have also read the Bible many times. But do we treat it like the scriptures of a religion called Christianity—nice stories that exist far away, which we believe are true but have little to do with our daily lives?

Like followers of other religions, we may have tried hard to read it our whole lives. But has the Bible actually filled your soul as the living language of God?

In the video earlier, we saw the hostility of the Jewish people toward the New Testament. To them, the New Testament is treated like a "forbidden book." The evangelist asked them, "Why don't you read it? Are you afraid of being influenced by it?"

Jewish people have been told that the New Testament is a fake created by someone. However, when they actually open their hearts and read it, they encounter something they cannot deny. They feel the breath of God that no human could ever fabricate.

That is why it is said that the best way to evangelize to Messianic Jews is to have them read the Gospels. But do we, in fact, love those precious Gospels ourselves?

The religious Jews Paul encountered were reading and even memorizing Isaiah every week. Yet, they did not realize who the Lamb of God was, and those who claimed to know the Word best were the ones who stepped forward to kill the Messiah.

Matthew 27:23-25 (NIV) 23 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”

24 When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!”

25 All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!”

What is shocking is that it wasn't the Gentiles who didn't know God's Word, but the Jews. They traveled to the Temple several times a year to offer sacrifices and gathered in the synagogue every week to read and memorize the Old Testament, yet they failed to recognize and even killed the Messiah they had been waiting for so long.

How can one live as a "blind person with eyes wide open"? But are we Christians any different? Just as many Jews were simply going to the synagogue every week and reading the Bible, have we too become similar without realizing it?

We also read the Bible consistently and meditate faithfully. But if that stays only as intellectual satisfaction or a sense of relief from fulfilling a religious duty, we can read the Bible and still completely miss God's will and His heart.

I believed in Jesus after becoming an adult, so I didn't spend much time attending church without faith. My biblical knowledge was very lacking, but I took the parts I knew very seriously. For example, I truly believed in promises like "these signs will accompany those who believe"—healing and driving out demons!

Once, I even stretched out my hand toward a homeless person who was threatening people with strange noises, and I prayed a declaration for the demon to be cast out and for the man to be set free. What happened? Nothing happened. The man continued to scream.

At the time, I didn't understand why my prayer didn't work. I still remember it vividly—my confused self, wondering what was wrong. I was confused that the spiritual powers promised in the Bible for all believers were not manifesting in me.

I also often felt frustrated and disappointed by the sinful nature that troubled me and by my lack of love. Now, I know very well why God's power did not manifest through me back then. To answer briefly, if those powers had already come to me then, I might have become seriously corrupt.

God was protecting me. Now, when I pray for even more amazing things, He is responding in even more miraculous ways. Let me share my testimony. During the last Cross event, I shared how God provided $1,800 for the airfare of our first mission trip to Mongolia.

Last week, something similar happened, but on a much larger scale. When our church moved to the location in Times Square, it wasn't because our church could fully afford it. However, we went in faith, certain of God's leading.

At that time, the C&MA denomination headquarters had a program called Dream Incentive. It was a program that provided seed money to churches that had gospel-centered events or ministry ideas but lacked finances. Out of those who applied, they supported a few places per year after a review.

Naturally, it wasn't intended to support church rent. However, since the deadline was the Sunday we were moving into the Times Square location, we submitted the application in faith. I wrote: "Didn't our C&MA denomination start in Times Square? Our church going there to worship is a gospel experiment in itself, so please support us. Then we will worship and evangelize there."

Miraculously, it was selected, and we received support. But after about two years, as one might expect, a situation of shortage began to occur again. As the representative of the church, I knew the bank balance but didn't look into it deeply. I just felt that there were some financial difficulties.

Then, in August, while going to a pastors' conference, I took the time to look closely at the church balance. Even though I am insensitive to this part, I confirmed it had dropped far below the "safety zone" our administrative staff had mentioned.

During the conference, I knelt alone in my room and cried out to God. I told Him I didn't understand. I couldn't help but ask again and again how this could happen when He was bringing about so many good changes in our church this year, including the missions.

On the way back from the conference, the Lord gave me a message in my heart. I felt it was a shout from God to wake us up and to move forward more boldly without hesitation. So, during the prayer meetings for the Saturday night service, I shouted often: "Let's treat every week like our last service! Let's not hesitate and do everything we can!" I felt that was what the Lord wanted.

And we really worshipped the Lord more passionately than ever through the fall united retreat, street praise, and the Cross event. Every time, God was with us with a great presence. There were so many instances of God's hand reaching out and helping us that I cannot mention them all.

Then last week, I met an elderly couple. They were the parents of a member who served our church and then went back to Korea. I had met them before, but it was the first time I visited their home and the first time we actually had a conversation.

They shared stories of living through economic hardships after immigrating. In the midst of that, they faithfully tithed, and they shared with emotion how God repaid them abundantly. They also shared how God filled their children, business, and health to overflowing.

Listening to them, I was truly comforted, challenged, and grateful. Just meeting them and having such a conversation was a thankful time that warmed my heart. I was moved because the God I meet was working so similarly in their lives.

While we were talking, they suddenly went into the room and brought out a check. On that check was a large amount that I could never have imagined. They said they wanted to give this amount as an offering to our church. I couldn't help but feel a shiver.

It's not that they are particularly wealthy; they live very simply and modestly. But there was the abundant grace God had given them in their lives, and they felt it was something they should rightfully give back to God. During prayer, they felt the heart to give it to this church.

When I received it, deposited it, and checked the church balance again, it was filled back up to the "safety zone" the administrative staff wanted. Hallelujah! Since we shouldn't exalt people in worship, I won't reveal who they are specifically. I hope you will focus more on God, the true director of this work, and live like them.

Once again, I experienced God who hears my groaning and God who loves us. I am actually still meditating on this amazing miracle. It's not just about how much was filled; I'm staying in that emotion because I want to understand God's heart. I'm certain it's an experience that will make my heart swell even if I meditate on it for a lifetime.

I think the timing is also amazing. As it turns out, they originally planned to contact me and meet at the end of July. But because things kept coming up, they delayed it and felt they had to meet before this year ended. So, we met right before Christmas.

The Lord gave a wonderful and necessary gift to this church for Christmas. When our prayers are answered, it's not just the problem being solved that makes us happy, right? More than that, the joy from the fact that the Lord is with me and hears my prayer is actually greater. That is the joy the children of God should rightfully enjoy.

What I find so regrettable in my life of faith is: "Why do the things God promised rarely appear in the lives of Christians?" Moreover, most Christians don't even have questions about this issue. There is no expectation, no disappointment, and no crying out.

And that is exactly the reason why the power does not appear. While reading the Word, they say they believe that those things happened to people back then, but they don't find it strange that those promises don't apply to them. What exactly do they believe?

How many Christians are living as spiritual blind people while reading the Bible and attending church? What can wake them up? Let's look at Luke 7:31-32.

Luke 7:31-32 (NIV) 31 Jesus went on to say, “To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like?

32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other: ‘We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.’”

That's why Jesus' messages included songs of love like those to a child, but also very scary warnings depending on the audience. By proportion, there were more warnings. It was to shake them awake.

In movies, you see someone slapping the cheeks of a comrade falling asleep in a cold place. That has a medical basis. When you fall asleep, your metabolism slows down, and you feel hallucinations and a daze, even feeling warm. When you are awake, you shiver violently to raise your body temperature, but if you fall asleep, your temperature drops uncontrollably, and your life is in danger.

John the Baptist took on the role of waking up the people who were heading toward destruction as spiritual blind people with their eyes closed, unaware and in a daze. The problems in our lives are exactly what wake us up, like John the Baptist.

When we enter the wrong path, they help us turn back! When we are hesitating, they are a voice crying out to trust God more and move forward boldly! These are things to cry out about. Are you crying out?

In today's text, Paul says, "As John was completing his work..." What does this mean? It means John lived a life that fulfilled all of God's will. To the eyes of the world, he was a voice crying in the wilderness who died unfairly in his early thirties leaving nothing behind, but he was a person who achieved the full purpose of his life.

John the Baptist, Apostle Paul, the disciples... and even Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Does their life look like a life you want to emulate? If their lives look regrettable and unhappy to you, then that person is believing in God as a realistic religious person like a Jew, not with the faith of a Christian.

If the life of Jesus Christ does not look like a beautiful life you want to follow, if you cannot see His life as a truly successful one, what does that prove? It proves you are still asleep. In that dazed state, you see yourself, the people around you, and the world only in a hallucination; you cannot see the reality correctly.

That's why dreams, expectations, and prayers all remain only in this world. But how can the power of eternal life unfold for such a person? When you worship, when you open the Bible, listen to these serious voices that wake up your life so that you can meet God. Wake up from your sleep.

And like a child, humbly accept that the Lord is the Master first. Not just in words, but standing before Him every day with a heart that truly wants the Lord's will to be my will. Then, the Bible will become the light of God's life and penetrate every part of my life. The light of Jesus Christ will shine in every corner.

As you welcome the New Year, many of you might be thinking about reading through the Bible. This time, don't just read it, but accept the living Word of God as it is! Submit before the Word and obey. Then you must also feel the stings and pricks that wake you up.

By meeting the living Word and realizing it seriously, the Spirit of God—the Holy Spirit—becomes more and more a reality in your life. Then, finally, God's promises begin to happen one by one in your life. Prayers are answered, healing happens when you lay on hands, and dying souls come alive and run about.

Too many people see the Bible like the Jews. They sustain their lives with a religious life, like checking an attendance sheet on the Sabbath like the Jews. They even end up envying the Jews. This proves that the life of Jesus Christ is absent or very faint within them.

As seen in the video earlier, a Jewish young man who was in despair has now become a voice crying in the wilderness in Israel, shouting to his fellow Jews that Jesus is the Christ! Because the water of life cannot stay stagnant. We are not a pond or a lake, but a river that powerfully makes a path.

God made that young man see the New Testament everywhere he turned his head. Is God's invitation, His love letter, not waiting to be opened in your home and on your phone as well? Even if you don't understand everything, look at the One who wrote the letter beyond the content.

Feel His heart beyond the content. Then you will know God in a way that transcends language—you will know what life is and who God is. That is how the most important purpose for giving us the Bible is fulfilled.

And if there are things in our lives that absolutely cannot be done by my own strength... if there are problems piercing you... cry out! Don't just bite your lip as if you're okay, but open your mouth wide and appeal to the Lord, petition, and cry out!

If you find something to repent for, cry out and repent first. John the Baptist was sent for that. After such true repentance, you will be prepared. Welcome the living Lord who came as the baby Jesus 2,000 years ago to know us more closely, lived a life less than ordinary to be an example to all, died on the cross to pay the heavy price for our sins, and now wants to dwell among us as the Holy Spirit, making this church His temple.

Let us pray.