Sept. 27, 2009 Sunday Worship Service II Rev. Shin, Bong Jun
The Way to Salvation(Gen.1:27-28)

Introduction: Receiving salvation is considered as the most important part in the Bible. That is why the 66 books of the bible explains about the Gospel, and its core is Christ, the way to receive salvation. You must be able to see the problems of yourself, your family, and your field. For you to know the mystery of the Gospel that the Bible is talking about, you need to check the problems you have one by one. Let"s take a close look to problems regarding ancestral rites that you will encounter this week.
1. You should resolve problems of ancestral rites for the sake of national evangelization.
(1) 80% of Korean population is related to ancestral rites. (It means it is a realistic problem)
(2) Origin of ancestral rite
1) It was originated from China - The emperors of China had given worship to their gods with their royal families because they thought gods were the only being higher than emperors. When it came to The Chinese Warring States period, China was divided into many nations, and its kings followed the rites because they wanted to be true king. The rite was also performed by the nobility and lords, and later, even plebeian adopted it. In the process of the rite popularization, it changed into ancestral rites.
2) Propagation to Chosun Dynasty: Sung-Gye Lee who took control of royal power of Koryo kingdom and founded Chosun Dynasty deeply thought of how to win popularity. He finally decided to adopt the ancestral rite from China to act like a person who truly respects his ancestors. (not a purpose of filial piety but political purpose)
(3) Rites that the Bible states
1) Rite is Satan"s strategy to make mankind into idol worship.
2) The sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God (1Cor.10:19-20)
3) The more you carry out ancestral rite, the more demons come. (Mt.12:44-45), the curses will come down to the third and fourth generation. (Ex.20:3-5)
2. The way to resolve problem of ancestral rite - Christ
(1) You must understand the state of original mankind (Original mankind=the image of God)
1) Originally, God created man with His special purpose, so he was meant to live enjoying true peace according to God"s image. (Gen.1:27)
2) Mankind was created as a spiritual being who can worship to God.
(2) Corrupted angels (Satan, Rev.12:7-9) - sins appeared in human world.
1) Man who was meant to listen to God"s word was cheated by Satan, disobeyed God"s word, and left God. (fundamental problems of mankind)
2) Every human being is under the control of Satan (Jn.8:44) and came to do idol worship. As the result of this, suffering and spiritual problems are bound to come.
3) Because we are by nature objects of wrath, we can"t avoid curses even with money, knowledge, and good background.
4) Without finding true peace, man who left God enjoys temporary pleasure and becomes addicted to it.
5) The inheritance of destruction comes down to next generation. (Ex.20:5)
(3) Solution- the identity should be changed by Christ.
1) God sent Christ to the earth because we can"t change our identity on our own. (Rom.5:8)
2) Christ=anointed one (who was set apart from others - prophet, king, priest)
① King who breaks down the kingdom of Satan
② Priest who solves the problem of rite.
③ Prophet who leads mankind to God.
3) If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Christ," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Rom.10:9-10)
Conclusion: If you stop idol worship and ancestral rites, you will be perished. However, there is a way to be freed from this fate. You must change your identity. If you open your heart and accept Christ into it, you will become a child of God. (Jn.1:12, Rev.3:20) When you become a child of God, the Spirit of God resides in you, protects you, and leads you to complete success. May you enjoy your identity in your field for this week.