What we focus on is not what is seen but what is unseen; for what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. This is the word of the living God.
Today's sermon title is part of a series on new beginnings. This is the third session, titled "Give Us a New Perspective." When we see things from a different viewpoint, a different future opens up. That will be the theme of today's sermon. I have been continuing the series since coming to Gran Church. In the first session, I preached on "Give Us a New Heart." Last week, I spoke on "Give Us a New Calling." Today, in the third session, we will discuss "Give Us a New Perspective."
In the first session, I emphasized that we no longer need to blame our environment. If we blame our circumstances, we are amateurs. What does a professional not do? They do not blame others. Yes, if you are blaming, you are already acting like an amateur. We should not just strive to do what is right but pursue greatness. If Jesus had only pursued what was right, He would not have carried the cross. However, because Jesus did great things, He accepted the cross. Right? And to become a five-star church, people must make others feel comfortable; that is what makes a five-star church. It cannot be achieved through buildings and programs. It must be through people making others feel at ease. I shared that in the first session. Last week, when I spoke about renewing our calling, I talked about Sarah. Despite being a woman, her age at death is exceptionally noted in the Bible. Why was Sarah treated so greatly? God honored her greatly. Why did God do that? Although she lived a very ordinary life, she faithfully held onto the mission God had given her, and because of that, she received great praise from God.
The Apostle Paul could have died in great peril but did not. Why? Because those with a mission do not die. The Apostle Paul's mission was to stand before Caesar, the Roman Emperor, and he did not die until he fulfilled that mission. So, both Sarah and the Apostle Paul were not evaluated by their age, their experience, or the world's opinion but by their mission before God. Therefore, how many times are Christians born? You have already forgotten. We are born three times. First, we are born from our mother's womb. Second, we are born as children of God through baptism. But we must not stop worrying; we need to be born once more, how? We must be born through our mission. Why am I sitting here in my church? Yes. What is my mission? We need to think carefully about that.
Today, in the third session, we will ask God to renew our perspective. Why perspective? Even if we live in the same environment, over time, the results can be vastly different. The outcomes vary from person to person. Why is that? In many cases, the difference in results arises from differences in perspective. Is South America a better place to live than North America? Of course, North America seems better developed now, but originally, from a primal perspective, South America was a much better place to live. There is plenty of food, right? The weather is nice, while the north is cold. There is not much food there. Yet strangely, North America is prosperous while South America is not. The Argentine president actually made a statement about this. During an interview, when asked why South America is poorer than North America, the Argentine president famously said, "This result occurred because our ancestors had a different perspective." Why did the Spanish invade South America? To seize gold. Because of gold, South America was developed. Then what about North America, the United States? It was developed because the Puritans came seeking religious freedom. The testimonies and beginnings are different. With the right testimony and the right beginning, they overcame all circumstances and difficulties to establish the United States. Those who were blinded by gold, paving roads and building structures for gold, ultimately fell behind compared to the United States. Perspective is important. That is what I mean.
You all know Edison, the inventor. When I was young, I often heard a famous saying by Edison: "Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration." You all know that, right? It is a well-known saying. When I was young, my teachers used to tell me that if you just work hard, you can achieve anything. That is what I learned. But later, when I read Edison's biography, I found out that he died at the age of 84. Two years before he died, on his 82nd birthday, Edison made another significant statement. He said, "After living my life, I realized that no matter how much effort you put in, if the first 1% vision is wrong, if the perspective is wrong, then 99% of the effort is useless. I need to change my statement. The 1% is everything."
When we look at human genetics, we find that 98.77% is identical to that of chimpanzees. If we round that up, it is 99%. 99% of the genetic makeup is the same between humans and chimpanzees. But that mere 1% creates the gap between humans and chimpanzees. Isn't that amazing? On the surface, it seems like people are all the same, but that 1% makes the difference between success and failure, between a meaningful life and a meaningless one.
You all know Warren Buffett, the world-renowned billionaire, right? Do you know where he lives? He still lives in the house he bought when he was newly married. If it were about money, he would be among the top ten richest people in the world. Yet, he still lives in the same house he bought when he was newly married. Do you know what President Clinton's favorite food is? He loves donuts from Dunkin' Donuts. What does President Clinton like to drink? He really enjoys Diet Coke. So, if you look at President Trump's desk, there is a red bell. When he rings that bell, his secretary brings him Diet Coke. It is said that he drinks 12 cans a day. We also drink our Coke and eat our Dunkin' Donuts. There is not much difference in what we eat and how we live. I recently saw a famous American politician on TV wearing a tie, and I was surprised to see that he was wearing the same tie I wear. Wow, it seems that there is not much difference in how we eat, live, and dress. On the surface, 99% seems the same, but that 1% is different. That 1% is not visible. It is that unseen 1% that makes a big difference. If that 1% is not right, our lives will inevitably wander.
So, what is that 1% that the Bible speaks of? The 1% that the Bible refers to is perspective. Perspective. Now, let us read the scripture passage again. 2 Corinthians 4:18 Let’s read it together. Start. "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." We have already read this verse three times. I keep asking you to memorize it and put it in your minds. Our focus is our perspective. When the Apostle Paul speaks of perspective, he says there are fundamentally two perspectives in the world. Broadly speaking, there are two perspectives: one is what is seen, which is temporary and will disappear, and the other is what is unseen, which is eternal. Some people tend to evaluate everything based on what is visible and temporary, thinking that their success or failure can be measured by those visible, fleeting standards.
Next, some people are watching the Gran Church service, and the streaming seems to be quite delayed. I see that the praise we did earlier is just now coming up. It seems that the early morning prayer service has a delayed streaming as well. The early morning prayer always starts at 6 AM, but anyway, the Apostle Paul tells us that the perspective Christians should have is not to base their lives on what is visible and temporary but to live with a perspective that values what is unseen and eternal. However, it is peculiar that we come to church and learn this, yet when we look back, even though we attend church, we often pursue what is visible. We think about the church's appearance, the church building, the number of congregants, the budget, and the programs. Why is that? Of course, in our hearts, we know we should pursue the unseen eternal things, but both you and I often find ourselves pursuing what is visible.
I have two daughters. Last week, they came to greet me. Both of my daughters are very crafty. They enjoy drawing and making things. My eldest daughter is going to the future, and my youngest daughter is also going to the future, but I told them that one is enough. The youngest is currently majoring in computer science and is working as a software engineer. Both of them are good with their hands and enjoy creating, so on special occasions like my birthday or Father's Day, they have never bought cards. They always make cards by hand and write in them. It brings me joy. Since both of my little girls love to draw, I have observed their drawings closely since they were young. However, they both share a common trait. They draw their mother a lot, but not much of their father. When they draw their mother, they make her face quite large, while the body and limbs are small. They draw the face big and, among the features, the mother's eyes take up half of the face. They draw the eyes large. Why is that? Why do they lose their sense of balance when drawing like that? Young children tend to look at their mothers a lot. Even while nursing, they gaze into their mother's eyes. They keep looking at their mother. But when they look at their mother, they do not focus on the nose or the mouth; they keep looking at their mother's eyes. They think the eyes are important, so they draw them large. That is human nature. We tend to value what we see and are familiar with, and we live our lives influenced by that.
What this means is that as we live in this world, we become accustomed to the world's perspective. This is because we only come to church once a week. We spend most of our time in the world. However, the people in the world value what is visible. They evaluate how much one has, how well one is dressed, and how attractive one is. We become accustomed to that and, while claiming to follow Jesus, we often become absorbed in the visible, temporary things rather than the unseen, eternal things. However, we must recognize that there is not only what is visible in this world but also an unseen spiritual world. Do you believe this, everyone? There is an unseen spiritual world. We must not forget that there is a spiritual world. Moreover, is there a world after death? Yes or no? It is very important for you to be assured of that. There is a significant difference between knowing it in your head and truly feeling it in your heart and confessing it as a matter of faith.
In 1976, there was a best-selling book in the United States by the Washington Post and the New York Times titled After Life. It was the best-selling book in America in 1976. The book Life After Life discusses life after death. In this book, there was a person named Raymond Moody Jr. He was a professor of philosophy, and his doctoral dissertation was about death. He philosophically analyzed death. While teaching this topic to his students, he assigned them tasks. When students brought in their reports, he noticed that some of them shared stories about their relatives who had died and then suddenly come back to life. This piqued his curiosity. He decided he needed to investigate whether there is truly life after death. He was an impressive person; despite being a philosophy professor, he went back to school. He enrolled in medical school at that age. He completed his studies and earned his medical degree. Then he conducted the research he wanted to do. He personally interviewed 150 people who had died and come back to life. Some had been dead for three hours, while others had been dead for three days. You have heard stories about such people, right? He interviewed them in detail. The findings were credible because he interviewed people who had actually died and returned to life. Astonishingly, those 150 people had remarkably similar experiences. When a person dies, their soul leaves their body. They see themselves lying on the hospital bed. In that state, the soul observes its own body. The soul then travels through a dark, long tunnel. After a while, at the end of the tunnel, they see a beautiful light, a light unlike anything they have ever seen in this world. That light represents a person, an entity with whom they can communicate. When they meet that light, the first question it asks is, "What did you do during your life that you can show me?" This is profound. After that, the light sits with the deceased, and they review their entire life as if watching a panoramic movie from birth to death. Some scenes are incredibly embarrassing, while others are filled with pride. They remember helping someone in need without anyone knowing. That brings them joy. However, in other cases, they wish they could hide in a hole because their secret sins are revealed. After experiencing that, they return to life. Most of those 150 people experienced a significant change in their perspective. The first change was the realization that God truly exists. They recognized that God is alive. The second change was the understanding that there is indeed a world after death. As their perspective changed, their life patterns and ways of living changed as well. Before, they thought about how to live well on earth until they were in their 50s or 60s, achieving certain milestones. But after realizing that there is a world after death, their focus shifted to how they would meet God after death. Their life goals changed.
We truly desire to change. We want to become more like Jesus, and we want our eyes to be opened. But how can we truly change? We may feel like we have changed, but we have not. Right? We want to live genuinely, meaningfully, and invest in eternal things, but we struggle to do so. Why is that? It is because our perspective does not change. The Bible tells us that while living on this earth, we should pursue the unseen eternal things rather than what is visible. So, are we truly living with a focus on eternal things? What exactly are these eternal things? The Bible states that three things are eternal. First, God is eternal. Second, God's word is eternal. Heaven and earth will pass away, but God's word will never change. Third, the human soul is eternal. Even after death, the human soul continues to exist, divided between heaven and hell, until the day of Jesus' return when the decayed body will be resurrected and reunited with the soul. The Bible tells us that three things are eternal: God, God's word, and the human soul. Therefore, from a biblical perspective, to determine whether we are truly living a successful life or a meaningful life, we must examine whether we are investing our energy, time, and resources into these three eternal things.
God is eternal. We must meet that eternal God. How do we do that? We must pray. We must pray and walk with God. I have never thought that when our congregation comes to church, they feel like, "Oh, I came to church for no reason." Don't you feel empty when you leave without having done anything? When I was younger, I often felt that way. When I attended gatherings or Christian meetings, I felt like there was nothing significant happening. I would think, "If I had just read a book during that time." However, as life went on and I grew deeper in my understanding of Jesus, I realized that there is never a time spent in church that I regret. There is no time wasted when I come to church and pray. The time spent in prayer is precious. Yes. Since God is eternal, we must pray to meet Him. If I am living my life in prayer, then I am living it well.
Secondly, God's word is eternal. We must meditate on, study, and learn God's word. That time is not wasted. Thirdly, the human soul is eternal. God's concern is always for the lost souls, right? Jesus' focus was always on the lost souls. Following Jesus, we should also care for the lost souls, reach out to them, show kindness, and reconcile with those we have misunderstood. That time is not wasted. People in the world often say that such time is wasted. They say to go earn money instead or read a book during that time. I have heard that in Korea, people do not attend church. Parents often discourage their children from going to church, telling them to study instead. But that is not true. We must invest in eternal things to receive great rewards. Since the eternal things are God, God's word, and the human soul, if we invest our lives, time, and energy into these three, we are not living a wasted life but a well-lived life. We can say that.
As we read God's word and walk with Him, we will naturally come to understand why God has left us on this earth. Why did God not take us to heaven like Enoch? This is a fundamental question that we must not overlook. We should keep asking such questions. Your faith deepens through questioning. Why has God not taken me like Enoch? Why has He left me here? The Bible explains this in two main ways. First, we remain on this earth to prepare ourselves for entry into heaven, to develop our character to resemble that of Jesus. We are here to bear the nine fruits of the Spirit: joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and self-control. Theologically, this is called sanctification. We are here to become more like Jesus. To truly live well, we must become more like Jesus today than we were last year. Right? Conversely, if as time passes, we become more stubborn and speak more without becoming like Jesus, then we are living our lives backward.
Secondly, we remain on this earth to lead the unbelievers to faith and to nurture them once they believe. The Apostle Paul made this confession to the Philippian church. Let’s read Philippians 1:21-25 together. Start. "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith." This scripture seems to resonate differently depending on one's life stage. When I was young, I did not understand such verses. I only resonated with verses like "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." But as I have pastored and experienced various challenges, I find myself moved to tears when I read passages like Philippians 1. The reality of the Apostle Paul was not easy. While we talk about the Apostle Paul today, his ministry 2000 years ago was filled with challenges. He faced many trials and misunderstandings, and it was very difficult. His body was weak, he was sick, and he faced persecution. His ministry was not smooth. In the midst of that, he said, "I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far." He wanted to die because it was so hard. Do you understand this? We can relate to that during tough times. The Apostle Paul wanted to die; it was that difficult for him. So he confesses that dying is beneficial for him. Why? Because if he dies, he will go to heaven, where there are no tears, no toil, no hardships, and no suffering. Therefore, he confesses that dying is beneficial for him. But he concludes, "I will not die." Why does he confess that, even though dying would be beneficial? It is for you. For you. I highlighted that in red. He says it is more beneficial for you that I remain in the body. If I think only of myself, I would prefer to die, but for you, I will endure and live. That is what he means.
In today's context, it may not be the same, but in my mother's generation, wives often honored their husbands despite facing persecution. Occasionally, my mother would say something like this to me when I was young: "I live for you kids. I would prefer to live alone, but I live for you." That is the sentiment. The Apostle Paul wanted to die, but he would not. Why? For you. Look at the line below. "For your progress and joy in the faith." This means that the Apostle Paul evangelized the Philippians, including Lydia and the jailer. His work did not end with evangelism; he nurtured them. He always wanted to bring them joy. The joy of a pastor is to be a channel of God's blessings to the congregation. That is the role of a priest and a pastor. You should seek the prayers of your pastor more because he is a channel of blessings. Thus, he says, "I will not die but live for your progress and joy in the faith." This is not only the confession of the Apostle Paul but also of Jesus. During His three years of public ministry, Jesus was clear about His mission. He evangelized, taught, and healed people. However, the characteristic of Jesus' ministry was that it did not end with evangelism; He always nurtured those He evangelized. He spent three years nurturing His disciples. Nurturing means helping them grow to the fullness of Christ, to the point where they exhibit humility, gentleness, determination, courage, faith, and commitment like Jesus. Both Jesus and the Apostle Paul had the same goal: to evangelize and nurture people. Ultimately, the core focus of both Jesus and the Apostle Paul was people. Why are people important? Because the souls of people are eternal.
We can call ourselves evangelicals. When we express ourselves, we say we are evangelicals. We are not fundamentalists; we are evangelicals. The main difference between evangelicalism and liberalism is whether one believes the Bible is the word of God. We believe the Bible is the word of God. Then how do fundamentalism and evangelicalism differ? Fundamentalism separates itself from the world. They live in the mountains, isolated from society. However, we are the light in the world, believing in God's word and spreading it. That is what evangelicalism is. Therefore, Gran Church is an evangelical church. Who is the most representative pastor of evangelicalism in America? Perhaps John Piper can be considered the most representative pastor of evangelicalism. I once heard a sermon by Pastor John Piper that left a strong impression on me. He shared a story about two white women who did missionary work in Cameroon, Africa. They worked there for 40 years, one as a doctor and the other as a nurse. They were friends and never married, dedicating 40 years to healing the sick in Cameroon. They were well past retirement age, both over 80. Yet they continued to work. One day, while driving to help someone who was sick, their car brake failed, and they fell off a cliff. Did they survive? Did they die? Usually, in such stories, people survive, and it becomes a testimony of God's protection. But they died. In such cases, people often say it is unfortunate, or they might call it a "dog's death." But is that truly unfortunate?
On the contrary, there was another couple featured in a magazine called Leader Leader. This couple wanted to retire early, so they worked hard in business and saved money. The husband was 45, and the wife was 41; they retired at a very young age because they had enough money. They thought, "Finally, we can enjoy life," and moved to Florida, buying a large yacht. While sailing, they discovered many rare seashells on the beach, and collecting these became their hobby. They spent 5, 6, or even 10 years collecting these shells and displaying them. People envied them, thinking, "I wish I could live like that, retire early, and collect seashells." They considered this a success. But is that truly success? This raises a question. The issue is that we live about 80 or 90 years and then die, and that seems fine. We think it is successful to retire early and enjoy hobbies. However, the problem is that there is a world after death. After death, we will stand before Jesus. Imagine that couple standing before Jesus, saying, "Look at these beautiful seashells we collected over our lifetime." Would Jesus say, "Wow, that's amazing"? No, He created those seashells. He would probably shake His head. Now, what about the two who died in the car accident? When they stand before Jesus, would He say, "You had a dog's death"? No. This is where the path of our lives diverges. If our perspective is focused on eternal things, our way of living will change completely. Our standards of success will change. Our moral standards will change. Because those standards have not changed, our lives do not change.
Yes. The Apostle Paul lived with the awareness of what he would show God when he died. So he said in 1 Thessalonians 2:19, "For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you?" The crown is God's reward. When Jesus returns, I want to stand before Him with joy rather than fear. How about you? Will you stand before Jesus with anticipation or fear? The Apostle Paul said he had anticipation. He expected a crown, a reward from God. Why? Because of you. I am talking about you, the Thessalonian believers. The Apostle Paul evangelized them with great difficulty. Although he could only stay for about four weeks, he continued to write letters and care for them. Because he had evangelized and nurtured them, he was not afraid of God's judgment.
I think the same way. Somehow, I have been sent here, and at first, I was a bit surprised. I wondered why this was happening. But upon reflection, I realized it was God's providence and guidance. Now, I am excited. When Jesus returns, I will stand before God, and what I will present is you. I will be judged based on how well I nurtured you and how sincerely I led you. If my perspective changes, I will not think about how to increase the number of congregants, how to increase offerings, or how to bring more people to church. Instead, my focus will shift to how each existing member can genuinely transform. Yes. Everything is about perspective. Perspective.
It has been over 30 years since I came to the United States for my studies. About 30 years ago, I suddenly received an email. At that time, email was not something people exchanged frequently. I read the email from someone I did not know. The signature said that I had worked for about seven years in a company in Yeouido. Initially, I worked in a building in Gwangjang, but when the company moved to Yeouido, I continued working there until I came to the United States. During lunch breaks, I would quickly eat my lunch in about 10 to 15 minutes and then go out to evangelize. I would always stop by Yeongdeungpo on my way home from work to evangelize. Do you know who is most common in Yeongdeungpo? Many people are there practicing meditation. I would evangelize there. I would ask people if they were interested in Jesus, but most would refuse. So, I created a questionnaire. I would hand out flyers asking if they were interested in Jesus or if they wanted to hear the gospel. Some people would throw them away, while others would read them. I found that if I distributed about 50 flyers, one person would respond. If I met 100 people, two would respond. Then I would gather those who showed interest and ask if they would like to study the Bible with me. Only a small number would agree. However, there were enough people that I would spend about 5 to 7 weeks studying with them, but then they would forget. One of those people later emailed me. At that time, the IMF crisis hit Korea, and he lost his job. He worked at a public institution in Yeongdeungpo, and after losing his job, he thought of me and sought me out. He found my old workplace and said, "Oh, Kang, you are in America!" He was surprised to learn that I had gone to the U.S. He met some of the people who had studied the Bible with me, and he joined the missionary organization I had been part of. He emailed me saying he had developed a vision for missions. He wanted to do missions in China. Even now, doing missions in China is not that difficult, but 30 years ago, it was very challenging due to many obstacles. He started a business making fancy business cards and employed Chinese people, sharing the gospel with them. He thanked me for sharing the gospel with him. How did I feel? I was overjoyed.
There is a saying that when we go to heaven, we will be surprised for two reasons. The first surprise is that someone we do not know will come up to us and say, "Thank you, Kang!" "Why are you thanking me?" "Because when I was in a difficult time, you helped me, and I was about to commit suicide, but I lived because of you." I would be surprised. "Who are you?" "You shared the gospel with me." I might have forgotten that I shared the gospel with them, but the Holy Spirit worked in their heart, and they were saved because of that one word. That is one surprise. The second surprise is that someone we thought would definitely be there is not there. We might think, "Of course, Kim Go-san will be there," but when we get to heaven, he is not there. Another surprise is that when we meet Jesus, we will say, "I have heard so much about you." Even after attending church for 20 or 30 years, when we meet Jesus, we realize we have never truly experienced Him. We have only heard about Him.
Ultimately, both Jesus and the apostles were concerned about people. We recognize that because the souls of people are eternal, evangelizing and nurturing them is essential. However, we must be cautious. People are always God's people. They are not our people. One of the mistakes we often make is pouring our energy into people to make them "my people." In the church, we must never do that. I am your pastor, but these are not all "my people." I must bring them all along. If I manipulate you, will you feel good? No, you will quickly catch on. People are God's people. I am merely helping God's people. We must always keep this in mind.
Now, I will conclude my message. If a person cannot find meaning in life, they will wander. In fact, our lives are a period of searching for meaning until we graduate from school. However, if someone graduates and reaches the age of 40, 50, or 60 without knowing the meaning of life, they are still a student of life. The same goes for faith. Even if we have been practicing our faith for 10 or 20 years, if we do not know why we are living on this earth, why we attend church, what our life goals are, and most importantly, what God's will is, we are still students of faith. In John 1, it says that God created the world through His word. The word is not just a sound. What is the difference between sound and the word? The word has meaning, while sound does not. God did not just shout; He spoke with intention. If we have been practicing our faith for 20 years and still do not know what God's will is, how to live a successful life, or how to live a life that pleases God, we are still students of faith. However, the good news is that it is not too late. Even today, if Jesus changes our perspective, we can see the eternal things and live a new life. When our perspective changes, our choices will change. We will always choose the eternal. When our choices change, our future will open up anew. Every beginning starts with perspective. If we focus on the eternal—God, God's word, and the human soul—and invest in those eternal things, our choices will change, and as our choices change, our future will align with God's will.
Yes. We have already lived the first half of our lives pursuing success. They say we typically live for 2S. What is 2S? Safety and Security. When we first arrive, we must focus on survival. We must eat and live. That is our priority. Once we are secure, we then seek significance, wanting respect and recognition from others. We live our lives pursuing these two things. That is the first half of life. There is no exception. We understand that. We also empathize with it. However, if we are in the second half of life and still pursuing success in that way, there is a problem. In the second half of life, we should pursue eternal meaning. We should live in preparation for life after death. We should consider what kind of person we will be when we stand before Jesus. Amen, everyone? That is the life we should live.
We must all pray with all our hearts. "Lord, before You change my circumstances, change my perspective and my eyes. Help me focus not on the temporary things that will disappear but on the unseen eternal things. Help me seriously consider what kind of person I will be before You. Let me live the rest of my life investing generously in the eternal—God, God's word, and the human soul. May I live a life that I will never regret." I bless you to live such a life in the name of our Lord.
