"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
The right way of understanding the gospel is to translate the Bible correctly. Nobody denies that definition. Everybody accepts that definition. Let’s think again about the story of Peter who sinks under the water from Matthew 14:22. This story does not talk about the miracle, sign or the power of faith from walking on the water. The bible text itself shows the unbelief of God. Through the sermon, this text’s theme changed from the unbeliever to the power of faith or miracle. The unbelief of Peter was well packed with the power of miracle and faith. The faith of Peter was not made from the miracle of walking on the water. Pastors who aim only to be rich suggest to us that we can only know the experience of God through miracles. If we believe the gospel itself is a miracle, we shall meet the end soon.
We have to recognize our weakness. Even though we believe ourselves of good faith, a fierce wave or a tough herald of wind struck to our ears can sink our faith under the water instantly. Upon sinking under the water, Peter knows his weakness, uselessness, and understands he is just one person before God. Upon sinking under the water, Peter knows that his physical faith cannot do anything, so he shouts ‘God save me’. For this purpose, God sinks Peter under the water. Peter attained spiritual enlightenment of his faith after sinking under the water. So God leaves us in the midst of pain, in the depth of despair, or in the abyss of sorrow lonely remain. Therefore the believer knows that only miracles or signs are not the answer of the right translation of the gospel.
We are also recognized that the crowd was excited about the miracle of five breads and two fishes and soon denied the meaning of the spiritual bread (John 6:60-66) before the happening of Peter. This is the limit of having faith in miracles. However modern church man and woman do not have interest in the true word of life – deny himself, take the cross of self-denial, walk on the narrow road which low and forgive. They just memorized a few words of the Bible which they are favorites in personal interesting. This is the type of the wrong blessed faith. This is poorly beginner of belief who do not take interest in the spiritual bread, they just want to have the satisfaction of the physical bread for their worldly blessed. This is a poorly self portrait of a wrong believer.
Peter experienced miracles with Jesus. There were so many miracles that we cannot count how many. Peter asks for those kinds of miracles, to copy those miracles, and finally he sunk under the water in front of the fierce waves and fear. We have to know that the experience of the miracle does not save, and copying the miracles cannot progress our faith. Asking for miracles is not the right attitude of faith. Faith solely depends on miracles that have to sink helplessly under the water in front of the fierce worldly wave. Remember the final helplessness of the miracle-based faith of Peter from the sight of sinking under the water, and the sight of the first generation of the Exodus who died in the desert by complaining and cursing God in experience of the Red River. The final miracle of faith is so unreliable.
What is the right status of believers in our modern life? We have to hear the voice of the Lord, “you of little faith, I am here. Do not fear.” through the fierce wave of life and rough winds of physical situations. The Lord did not told Peter, “Remember of the miracle five breads and two fishes.” Or “Remember the miracle and agree with your mouth and do it without doubt.” This is not the gospel, but the incantation. However today’s hypocrite teachers and wrong pastors taught the wrong faith of miracles instead of teaching the essence of the Bible. On the contrary of this wrong conception of the Bible, we have to remember the salvation word of ‘Do not fear, I am here.’ Our spiritual mind must rely on the salvation word of ‘Do not fear, I am here.’ In the midst of the fierce wave, in the center of the problems of world life, we have to catch the word of good faith is ‘Do not fear, I am here.’ We thank you God for being with us in front of the fierce wave. We set up our faith on the salvation word of ‘Do not fear, I am here.’ This is not a fantasy or false conviction. Because we are a Christian who resides in justice, peace and joy which do not belong to the world. “As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convicted that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something unclean, then for him it is unclean.” (Roman 14:14) This is the free come from the gospel. The gospel regards law as free, not restriction. The freedom of the gospel is the power of accepting or the action of freedom. The gospel accepts everything regardless that it’s clean or unclean. Gospel does not teach us to keep the Sabbath day is the only way to reach the blessing. The real power of the gospel is gather together to church by knowing Jesus with joy.
The only way to get rid of the block in our life is not by false conviction of the miracle, but by the peace and truth of the word of Jesus. The peace with Jesus is the gift come from self-sufficiency. If we confess that we are peace with Jesus, it is another testimony that we do not have the right gospel.
Peter temporarily forgets Jesus over the fierce wave and had a scare of the front fierce wave. He cannot see Jesus, he just sees the present in front of him. Because of not seeing Jesus, he sunk down under the water with horror and fear. Like Peter, we have same problems. We do not see Jesus after the problem. However, Jesus came over the fierce wave, and his hand took over our baggage. In this sense, Peter is not a failed believer. Peter asked for the help of Jesus, and took hands with Jesus from the desperate hollow.
Perfect Christians do not fall, but stand up again with failure. The salvation of believers is performed by the providence of Jesus. Our instant faith cannot make salvation. When our ego died with the cross of Jesus, we will rise again, and we ask for help from Jesus is the process of the salvation. Peter is saved not by the jump on the water with faith of everything can be done, but by crying to God for help with confession of his weak and his insufficient. At that time, Jesus came over the fierce wave and gave him the hand of salvation, “But I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? (Romans 7:23-24) “…because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:2) “…In order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:4) Apostle Paul walked through his way with spirit of life. He walked over the body of the death. Paul knows that the law of the Spirit set him free from the law of sin and death. How did Paul have this freedom and Spirit of life? That is the gospel. That is the power of the gospel. The second characteristic of the gospel is good deeds. The power of keeping peace in front of the fierce wave is the gospel.
We emphasized three things according to the Reformation. “Only the Word of God, Only faith, Only grace.” We have no doubt of those three mottos that are the foundation and center of the gospel. However, the three mottos also have weak points. We are emphasized only by the word of God, so we are biased to the knowledge and the just word. We are emphasized only faith, so we are neglected to do it. We are emphasized only grace, so we are lazy to the responsibilities of the human. We are really thankful for the Korean church that flourishes good sermons, theology and experience of grace. However although we have really good sermons, a prosperity-based theology, and experiences of grace, we talk too fluently and speak to judge others. We are really selfish people who have big mouths, and small hands.
In fact, Jesus is the word; he became a man, and life. The meaning of the Word becoming flesh is Jesus dwells within us. Jesus also talks to us, he lives with us. His life is forgiveness, love, sacrifice and death. His life lived for us. Luke was written about His life. In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. (Acts 1:1-2)
Jesus acted before teaching, and lived before speaking. Peter explained his work like this; 38how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him (Acts 10:38) Jesus says in the sermon on the Mount that disciples are the salt and light in the world. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:16). This is not good news for the social but evangelical good news and glorified God’s good news.
The book of Acts says about the gospel spreading through the sermon of Peter. However, the spreading of the gospel was provided by good deeds of the unknown people. The good deeds of Dorcas were prepared at Joppa. The good deeds of Cornelius were provided at Caesarea. The good deeds of both Dorcas and Cornelius were good offerings unto the heaven. Those of good deeds are not a social gospel, but sacrificed gospels, and evangelical good news. Barnabas was a good man, before he was filled with Spirit and faith. “He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.” (Acts 11:24) Timothy was a good man at his home town, before he was going to the way of the pastor. Apostle Paul was praising Timothy of his good personality. I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. (Philippians 2:20) This is not a humanistic character. This is the qualification of the pastor. Apostle Paul relied on Timothy so much. “Do your best to come to me quickly, Do your best to get here before winter. Eubulus greets you, and so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia and all the brothers.” (2 Timothy 4:9, 21)
The real necessity of the Korean Church and the Korean immigration church is not a fluent sermon, traditional theology and a hot experience of the Holy Spirit. We really need a good pastor who can accept wounded people. A good pastor is full of human kindness, good personal character, and love. When Dr. Chang Ki Ryoe lived, the Korean church and his neighbors praised his life as the “little Jesus.” When Pastor Han Kyung Jick died, we were much sorrowed by our lost of a good pastor. Why? They showed the love of God through his life. They acted before they spoke. They acted before teaching knowledge. Their life was full of good deeds as shown Matthew 5:16.
Let us remember our faith predecessor: Gil Sun Joo, Lee Ki Poong, Choi Kwon Neung, Cho Man Sick, Lee Seung Hun, Ryou Kwan Soon, Ju Ki Cheoul, Son Yang Won, Chang Ki Ryoe, Han Kyung Jick, Song Myung Hee, Francis, and Brainard. Their lives gave us great emotional effects and challenges to our life. The second characteristic of the gospel is good deeds.
Let us think about the salt and light again. What is the distinction between Christians and non Christians? Keeping the Sabbath day is not the only witness of Christians. What is the distinction between Christians and non Christians? The Bible said it is Holy. What makes salt and light holy?
Last Sunday, I told you that the first characteristic of the gospel is weakness. The strength of the gospel comes from weakness. In other words, when we recognized us as created, the strength of the gospel works well. We can call the name of Jesus when we are sinking under the water, when we confess our weakness. It is just like calling the name of Jesus. This is the first characteristic of the gospel.
Therefore, salt melts in the water and light burns his body makes our deeds good. Salt is melted in the water to make food taste good. Do you know that foods without salt cannot be made tasty? Too much salt makes food taste salty. Moderate salt can make food taste well. Light in the darkness can make our heart comfortable. Light in the darkness can lead us to take right direction. Light in the darkness looks to weakness, and that weakness gives us comfort, joy and thanks. The Bible says the light in the darkness is by good deeds. How can we make good deeds in our life! Our being of salt and light is the starting point of our good deeds. We cannot be too conscious of the eye(s) of others. We cannot live for the eyes of others. As a son and a daughter, God gives us freedom from the law, world, and morale. This freedom came from the power of the gospel. Everything in my life is made from those kinds of freedom. Everything of my life is deeds and those deeds called by the Bible as good deeds.
When I recognize my weakness before God, and when we are sinking under the water, we can cry out for the help of God. At that time, God can be already with us. He raises our hands, and erects from the water, and He said to us, ‘I am here, do not be afraid.’ The power of peace gives us joy. That results good deeds. Then we can share more and more, even though we cannot do much from now. We share the peace coming from God. We are sharing by the joy coming from God. We share the grace coming from God. We share the thanks coming from God. We share the faith coming from God. Sharing is one of the good deeds. Our good deeds can make people come together with happiness and joy. Everybody shares good food with moderate salt. That is the second characteristic of the gospel. Let us pray.
