Pastor Ock Soo Park Sermon
The Disappointment
of Jesus
John chapter 6 has the story
we know very well of Jesus
feeding the five thousand with
five barley loaves.
"Where did you get this
bread? May I have some? But I
don't have any money...."
"That's fine."
Everyone at that time must
have eaten the bread made
from the barley loaves. What
upset Jesus was that He was
the bread of life and whoever
eats Jesus will receive eternal
life. But people came to eat
bread that will rot and there
were very few who came to
eat the spiritual words of Jesus.
Jesus was very upset and said,
"Labour not for the meat
which perisheth, but for that
meat which endureth unto everlasting
life...." "Verily, verily, I
say unto you, Ye seek me, not
because ye saw the miracles,
but because ye did eat of the
loaves, and were filled." They
ate the bread of the flesh and
were filled, but they did not
eat the bread of life after
meeting Jesus. I think this is
how His disappointment was
described.
"Labour not for the meat
which perisheth, but for that
meat which endureth unto everlasting
life, which the Son of
man shall give unto you.t..."
As all of you may know,
"meat which perisheth" is the
food we eat. When you eat
that you will be full at the moment,
but you will die later on.
There is no one who will live
forever by eating bread. "Meat
which endureth unto everlasting
life" is speaking of Jesus.
The Jews whispered among
one another after hearing
what Jesus said.
"How can this man give us
his flesh to eat?"
That is not what Jesus
meant, but the Jews accepted
it according to their thoughts.
The Bread's Power;
the Word's Power
God spoke to Noah during
the time of the flood. "The
wickedness of man is great on
the earth and the end of all
flesh is come before me. I will
destroy them with water."
Noah accepted those words.
Therefore, he built the ark in
preparation for the flood.
However, when others heard,
through Noah, that God was
going to judge the world with
water, not only did they hear
the words of God, but Satan
also put thoughts inside of
them. "It's not going to rain
that much. God is the God of
love. It's going to rain a little
and stop." This is how people
accepted it. That is why the
Word of God could not enter
their heart. They did not accept
the Word of God that He was
going to judge the world with
water. Therefore, their lives
were the same before and after
they heard that word.
But Noah, who accepted
that word, was different. Before
accepting the words, he
never thought there was going
to be a flood and he never imagined
building an ark. But after
hearing the words, Noah
stopped farming, taking care
of the orchard, and tending
the flock. He called his three
sons Shem, Ham, and Japeth.
"This is what God said so let's
build the ark." They started to
build the ark.
It was not Noah's thoughts
that made him build the ark. It
was the Word of God that led
Noah to build the ark. What
happens when we eat the
bread of the flesh? It gets digested
in our body and gives
us strength to do work. Do we
not work through the power
given to us by the bread? Likewise,
when we accept the
Word of God, it is the Word
that works. Until Noah received
the Word of God, he
never imagined that he will
build an ark. When the Word
of God entered Noah, the
Word led Noah to build the ark
he never thought of before.
When the Jews asked Jesus,
"What shall we do, that we
might work the works of
God?" Jesus replied, "This is
the work of God, that ye believe
on him whom he hath
sent." Believing in Jesus; believing
in the words of Jesus is
the work of God. If Noah believes
the Word of God that
the world will be judged with
water, the Word will enter
Noah and make him build the
ark. But if he does not accept it
in faith, he cannot do that
work. When we eat bread, it
enters our body and gives us
strength to do work. Likewise,
when we accept the Word, it
enters us and leads us to do
the work of God. Believing is
doing the work of God.
It was not only so during
the time of Noah's flood. One
day Jesus was passing by and
met a man blind from birth.
The disciples asked, "Who did
sin, this man, or his parents,
that he was born blind?" Jesus
answered, "Neither hath this
man sinned, nor his parents:
but that the works of God
should be made manifest in
him." Then He spit on the
ground, made clay, put it on
the man's eyes and said, "Go,
wash in the pool of Siloam."
The blind man was begging in
the streets. If he did not meet
Jesus, he would have continued
begging. But after the
words of Jesus entered the
blind man's heart, he no longer
begged and groped his
way to the pool of Siloam.
What is this power that is leading
the blind man to the pool
of Siloam? It is the power of
the Word. When he received,
by faith, the words of Jesus,
"Go, wash in the pool of Siloam,"
that Word led him.
I Was Sure I Was
a Sinner
A long time ago I did not
believe the Bible but in my
thoughts. That is why I always
thought I was a sinner even
though I went to church. "I
have a lot of sin. I'm a sinner."
Yet, I thought I believed
the Bible was the Word of
God. It was obvious that I was
a sinner because I sinned. One
day I was reading the Bible and
saw that it was very different
from my thoughts. In Romans
chapter 3 verses 23 and 24,
God said that I was righteous.
Many passages in Romans
chapter 8 say that I'm righteous;
Hebrews chapter 10 says
that God does not remember
my sins, and many verses in the
Bible say that my sins are washed
white as snow.
I read these verses before,
but they did not enter my
heart and I did not believe
them. Therefore, my thoughts
led me and not the Word. My
thoughts were, "I'm a sinner
because I sin." One day I accepted
the words and the eyes of
my heart opened, "The Bible
says I'm righteous. It is written
that Jesus took all of my sins."
After I believed the Bible, I was
not a sinner. I was sure I was a
sinner, but the Word of God
made me righteous, clean, and
holy.
A Life Led by
the Word
During the time of Noah's
flood, all those that followed
their thoughts did not accept
the Word of God, but it wasn't
so with Noah who received the
Word. "God said so! The flood
will come!" "Shem, Ham, and
Japeth! We must build the ark.
No matter how well you take
care of the orchard, it's useless
when the flood comes. No
matter how nicely the ranch
and house is built, it's nothing
when the flood comes. We
must build the ark." Noah built
the ark. Noah must have built
the ark through the strength
he received from eating bread,
but in actuality the strength
that allowed Noah to build the
ark was the Word of God.
One day the blind man met
Jesus in the street. Jesus made
clay, put it on his eyes, and
said, "Go, wash in the pool of
Siloam." The blind man never
thought of going to the pool
of Siloam to wash. Even if he
was dirty, he could not see because
he was blind. He put out
his hands and was begging,
but Jesus told him to wash at
the pool of Siloam. The blind
man was begging, but he suddenly
got up and went to the
pool of Siloam.
"Hello. I'm blind and I can't
see. Is this the way to the pool
of Siloam?"
"Yes."
"How far do I need to go?
Are there any dangerous places?"
He asked his way to the
pool.
Why is this blind man trying
to go to the pool of Siloam?
It's because he received the
words of Jesus into his heart. If
he did not receive the words of
Jesus, he would still be sitting
down begging, "Give me some
change". He was going to the
pool of Siloam that he never
thought of because the Word
entered his heart and was
leading him there.
No matter how much you
read the Bible and pray, the
Word cannot work inside of
you if you don't accept it. Can
the bread give me strength if I
don't eat it? No matter how
much bread you have, it only
gives you strength when you
eat it. Jesus said, "I am the
bread of life." He said, "Just as
man lives by eating bread, he
that eats me will live."
The life of eating the Word
of God continued in my life. I
lived following my thoughts
before the Word of God entered
my heart. I was a sinner
when I thought I was a sinner, I
was right when I thought I was
right.... If I sinned a lot, I lived
in fear thinking, "I can't go to
heaven because I have so many
sins." But one day the Word of
God came and took its place in
my heart.
"I'm a sinner but the Bible
says I'm not. I sinned but the
Bible says I'm righteous. If the
Word of God says I'm righteous,
then I'm righteous."
Noah built the ark after listening
to the Word of God and
after the words of Jesus entered
the blind man, he stopped
begging and went to the
pool of Siloam. He washed and
returned with open eyes. Just
like them, when I accepted the
Word of God, a world that did
not exist in my thoughts started
to lead me. That was the
world of the Spirit of God.
When we accept the Word
of God into our heart, that is
when the Word of God starts
to lead us. That is how the Bible
is. One day Jesus met Peter
at the Sea of Galilee. "Launch
out into the deep, and let
down your nets for a draught."
Until those words entered Peter,
he was fishing somewhere
else and not in the deep. Now
it was the words of Jesus, not
his thoughts, which led Peter
to throw the net into the deep
and catch fish. He used to live
following his thoughts. But after
accepting the Word, he
now lives a life where the
Word leads him.
This Is Truly Not My
Heart!
When I served in the army,
many trainees entered while I
was at the training base. I
would ask the trainees, "What
do you want to do the most?"
They would say they want to
get a leave. "What are you going
to do when you get your
leave?" They would say they
wanted to sleep in. "What are
you going to do after you
sleep?" They would say they
wanted to eat meat. "What
are you doing to do after
that?" They would say they
will go out and meet girls. That
is how nearly all soldiers think.
The desires of the flesh lead
them.
However, God entered me
after I received salvation and
led me to a world I never imagined.
I was very amazed at it.
"No matter how I look at it,
this is not my thought!" What
came out from me was like all
the other soldiers - filthy, dirty,
evil, and lustful things. If I acted
upon those thoughts, I
would be living like an animal.
I am still dirty and filthy even
though I suppress many of the
things that come up from
within me. I precisely knew
that I would not be able to lift
my head up because of shame
if I acted upon all those
thoughts. Actually, I am that
kind of person. Back then I
thought I was right and only
believed in my thoughts. But
one day I faced the Word of
God and what the Bible said
was completely different.
When I accepted the Word, I
felt the world of the heart that
was different from my
thoughts leading me. When I
looked at myself, I was a sinner
because I was always sinning
and doing evil. But the Bible
said my sins were washed
white as snow. It said that Jesus
paid the price for my sins on
the cross. It said it was finished
on the cross.
"This is what the Bible says.
Then, are my thoughts correct
or the Word of God?" The
Word of God and my thoughts
fought each other and I came
to a conclusion, "No matter
how I look at it, the Word of
God can't be wrong. My
thoughts are wrong. The Word
of God is right. If God said I'm
righteous, then I'm righteous."
For the first time I believed the
Word of God and not my
thoughts.
Noah built the ark according
to the Word of God that was
different from his thoughts.
The blind man followed the
words of Jesus and washed at
the pool of Siloam. Like them,
a force that was different from
the desires and ambitions of
my flesh started to lead me. I
know myself well. "This is not
me! I can't do this! I'm actually
dirty and filthy! That is why
this heart is not my heart!" A
force that was not me led me
and I received the guidance of
Jesus.
That is how I spent many
years. When I look back, only
the desires of my flesh remained
in the past. After I received
salvation the desires of
the flesh were still there, but
the Spirit of God started to
lead me step by step. That truly
amazed me. "This is truly not
my heart! It's the heart of
God!"
How is the heart of God
formed in our heart? When we
believe God and believe His
Word, the Word leads us.
If You Believe
the Word of God
The blind man is walking towards
the pool of Siloam. He
keeps on walking.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to the pool of Siloam.
Do you know where that
is?"
Why does he do that? It's
because the words of Jesus telling
him to wash at the pool of
Siloam is alive in his heart. He
used to live following his
thoughts, but now he lives by
following the words of Jesus
that are different from his
thoughts. That life is different
from the past. As the blind
man washed at the pool of Siloam
according to the words of
Jesus, his eyes opened and he
became whole. If you accept
the Word of God, just like we
live off of the strength the
bread gives us, the Word of
God has power and will lead
you according to the will of
God. We live by the power of
the Word. A person who believes
the Word of God lives a
life that is different from the
previous life not led by the
Word.
Jesus said, "This is the work
of God, that ye believe on him
whom he hath sent." If we just
believe the Word of God and
accept it, the Word enters us
and starts to work. That is truly
amazing and wonderful. I used
to believe only in my thoughts,
but now I do not believe my
thoughts. I became a person
that believes in the Word of
God. It doesn't matter how it
looks in my eyes. When I accepted
the Word of God, the
Word entered me and led me.
"I'm not a sinner. It's true that I
sin, but the Word of God said
I'm not a sinner. Are my
thoughts correct or the Word?
I believe the Word. That is why
I'm not a sinner anymore. I'm
righteous because God said I'm
righteous. I'm holy because
God said I'm holy. I won't be
condemned because God said
He doesn't condemn me!"
That is what I believe. That
faith entered me. Now I am
not led by my human
thoughts. I became a person
who is led by God. Every time
I'm led by the Word, I can see
that God is alive and working
with power inside of me.
Loving people, this is believing
in God; believing in the
Word of God and not following
my thoughts. When you
believe the Word of God, the
Spirit of God will enter you and
bestow grace and blessings
upon you.
Spiritual Counseling
Good News Central Church
3500 W. 1st St. L.A., CA 90004
213-880-3452
thegoodnews@biblecrusade.com
No. 35
"Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of
the loaves, and were filled. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which
the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might
work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent."
(John 6:26~29)
This Is the Work of God, That Ye
Believe on Him Whom He Hath Sent
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