[사랑의교회] 갇힌 곳에서 외칠 소리 - 윤대혁 후임목사

Hallelujah. Amen. I believe that God's grace and peace will overflow upon us all. Amen. Starting tomorrow, we will begin the 24th Autumn Global Special Dawn Revival Meeting. After having lunch in the United States, it will be around the same time as dawn in Korea, right? I have always participated in the Global Special Dawn Revival Meeting online. Every time I participated, I felt so grateful and blessed, as if I were experiencing the grace of being on-site. After participating online, I began to think, "If it feels this good online, how much better must it be in person?" This place is so exciting and full of expectation, and finally, I will be able to participate in the Global Special Dawn Revival Meeting in person. For those who may be unwell or have various difficulties, you can participate online with your focus, but there may be some who think, "When have I ever gotten up at this time?" or "I don’t want to go out in this cold weather." Whenever such thoughts arise, please remember this message: "If it feels this good online, how much better must it be in person?" With that mindset, I sincerely hope that we, as the family of Love Church, can gather together in person to participate in the revival meeting.

Now, let’s greet the person next to us. Let’s say, "See you in the same place tomorrow." See you in the same place tomorrow. See you in the same place tomorrow. Yes. Today's scripture is the second message that God gave to Jeremiah. To conclude, God said to Jeremiah, "Call to me." He is commanding him. There is some background to this message. Looking at the content of verse 1, it says, "The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah a second time while he was still confined in the courtyard of the guard." It states that Jeremiah is still confined. What could possibly cause a man of God, a prophet, to be confined? It seems illogical. Jeremiah was not captured by the guards for doing something wrong or evil. He was confined because he was living according to God's word and delivering that message. The message that Jeremiah proclaimed was this: "The city of Jerusalem will be destroyed, and King Zedekiah will be taken captive. The land of Israel will be devastated, and King Zedekiah will be dragged away by the enemy." Of course, this message would have been uncomfortable for King Zedekiah and the people of Judah. However, just because people only want to hear what they want to hear does not mean it is beneficial. There are things we need to hear, and there are things we want to hear, but there are also things we must hear and understand. Unfortunately, King Zedekiah imprisoned Jeremiah because he did not say what he wanted to hear. There is a desire in people's hearts to hear what they want to hear. We see that through AI, where people seek emotional comfort. In October, a survey was conducted on the percentage of people who found emotional connection, comfort, and emotional stability through AI, and it was found that a staggering 60.3% of AI users reported feeling comforted and stable through their conversations with AI. This was a 7% increase from last year. People want to hear what they want to hear, and AI always provides the answers they desire. AI never says, "You are wrong. You should not live that way. You need to live properly." This is because of the settings within AI. Even when I told AI, "You are wrong," it did not deny it but responded, "Oh, I see. Let me check that again." This is the typical setting of AI. I actually tried it. When I asked, "What is 1 + 1?" it answered, "2." I then said, "I don't think it's 2; I think it's 3." It replied, "Ah, Pastor, I see." I had set it to address me as Pastor. It continued, "In mathematics, 1 + 1 is 2, but depending on the situation, it can be 3." It explained that when a man and a woman come together to form a family, they can have a child, making it three. It also said, "When two people pray together in faith, God is with them, making it three." I found it fascinating. When I said, "Let's talk scientifically. 1 + 1 is 3," it responded, "1 plus 1 is correct. Pastor, scientifically, 1 + 1 can also be 3." It does not tell me that I am wrong; it simply comforts me by saying, "Yes, you are right." Perhaps we live in such an age that we need to hear more of what we must hear rather than just what we want to hear. There were many prophets in the land of Israel. There were true prophets and false prophets. The false prophets would say, "Peace, peace. Nothing bad will happen," while the true prophets would point out and rebuke, saying, "If you turn away from God, there will be judgment." The Bible contains many stories about this. When we are conscious of people, we tend to say what they want to hear, and sometimes we seek out people to hear what we want to hear. When we stand before the truth, we become confined. Conversely, if we turn away from the truth and live according to the false world, our lives can be peaceful. There will be no confinement. If we live according to God's word, we will face confinement because the world does not want to hear God's word. The world does not welcome the movement of God's timing. Therefore, we must be in a position to hear God's word, the word we need to hear.

Christian spirituality does not mean a perfect life or a flawless life. Spirituality is the power to turn back. It means that by God's grace, even if I was in sin, in pride, or in a wrong place, I can realize it and return to the place that the Lord desires through God's grace. That person is truly spiritual. There is no perfect person. I make mistakes. I am weak. Therefore, I will listen to God's word and, day by day, by that grace, I will return to the place that the Lord desires. Those who make this confession are the ones who possess the spirituality of Christ. Sometimes, when we realize our mistakes, we need to turn back, but instead, we try to cover up the problem, avoid standing before the truth, and even attack more to hide our faults. A person who is ashamed to admit their shortcomings is truly weak, but a person who knows their weaknesses, acknowledges their imperfections, and confesses that they are becoming who God wants them to be by His grace is the true embodiment of the life of Christ. Unfortunately, King Zedekiah was not like that. When he heard Jeremiah's words, he did not respond like David, who wept and repented before the rebuke of Nathan the prophet. Instead, he thought that if he could silence Jeremiah, if he could imprison him, then the prophecy that "you will be taken captive" would not come true. The second message that God gave to Jeremiah while he was confined is found in verses 1 to 3, and verse 3 contains God's words to Jeremiah. Let’s look at verse 3 together. God said, "Call to me." God told Jeremiah, who was confined and could do nothing, that there was something he could do: "You can cry out to me from that place." In a situation where there seems to be no way out, where no one can help, and no choices or paths are visible, what we can do is to come before God and cry out to Him in prayer. God told Jeremiah to cry out to Him. When the Apostle Paul saw a vision of a Macedonian man saying, "Come help us," and arrived in Philippi, he found himself imprisoned, stripped, and beaten. In that situation, where he could do nothing and no one was there to help, what Paul could do was to praise God and pray to Him. When Stephen was martyred, and Herod killed James, and now Peter was imprisoned and about to be killed, the powerless church and powerless believers could only gather together and earnestly pray to God. When Jonah disobeyed the command to go to Nineveh and was thrown into the sea during a storm, he described that place as hellish, as the belly of Sheol, where it was smelly and dark. The only thing Jonah could do in that situation was to pray to God. Today, even in his confinement, all Jeremiah could do was to come before God and earnestly cry out to His name. But just as God opened the prison doors when Paul cried out in the midst of the night, and just as Peter was freed when the church gathered to pray for him in his deathly predicament, and just as God opened the way for Jonah to go to Nineveh when he prayed from the belly of the fish, what we must do when we feel trapped and hopeless is to cry out to God's name. This is the place we need to be. Isn't our life similar to Jeremiah's situation? "What can I do? What can I do in this situation?" In the midst of feeling hopeless, frustrated, and unable to do anything, the Lord speaks to us today, saying, "Call to me." Call to me. When you can do nothing, when you are confined, when it is dark, and when you cannot see, call to me. I believe the Lord is speaking to us. Amen.

So, dear family of faith, why does God tell us to cry out to Him? Why must we seek God and cry out to Him? I would like to share three reasons through today's scripture. Why does God tell us to cry out? First, because God is a God who acts. Let’s read verse 2 together. "This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth and formed it and established it—the Lord is his name." What does God say to Jeremiah? "I am the Lord who acts. I am the Lord who fulfills." God is alive and active even now. That is why He tells us to cry out to Him. Last Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, leading up to the Global Special Dawn Revival Meeting, our senior pastor declared a three-day fast for the church. A few educators and I spent time at the Jecheon Prayer Mountain on Thursday and Friday, while the pastor stayed until Saturday. During that time, on Thursday evening and Friday morning, the pastor shared precious words that became a great challenge and deep grace for me as the successor pastor. He said, "If God has given us a desire, if God has placed a desire in our hearts, it is a promise that He will fulfill that desire." If God has given us a dream, if He has given us a vision, He promises to fulfill that dream and vision regardless of our abilities, circumstances, or environment. Amen. Dear family of faith, if God has given us a desire, a dream, or a vision, we believe that He will fulfill that dream and vision. Amen. That is why God tells us to cry out. Even if the guards confine Jeremiah, they can silence him, but they can never confine God. Even if our lives are surrounded on all sides, the heavens cannot be blocked. Even if many things in our lives are difficult and our vision is obscured, we believe that God's grace toward us cannot be hidden. Amen. Dear family of faith, what kind of God do we believe in? We believe in the God who created the heavens and the earth and reigns over all aspects of our lives. Amen. He governs and acts in our lives, families, workplaces, children, relationships, and futures. He tells us, "Call to me." Call to me. Call to me. I hope that we can respond to His word by crying out daily. Amen.

Secondly, why does God tell us to cry out? The second reason is that God has already promised to answer. Let’s read verse 3 together. "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." Amen. What does today’s scripture say? "If you call to me, I will answer you and show you great and unsearchable things." The grace of God seems to be available to everyone, but it is especially given to those who seek and cry out to Him. Amen. If you call to me, I will come to you; if you cry out to me, I will answer you; if you call to me, I will show you. Dear family of faith, when we cry out, God opens the door of response for us. Amen. Ezekiel 36:37 also says, "This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Once again I will yield to the plea of the house of Israel and do this for them: I will make their people as numerous as they were before." Amen. God has already promised to answer us. But what does He say? He says that we must cry out. We must come to Him in prayer to receive that promise. Dear family of faith, why has God given us the Global Special Dawn Revival Meeting? Why does He call us to this meeting? It is a promise that He will answer. If we come and seek Him, if we call upon His name, if we cry out about our families, children, workplaces, economic weaknesses, and all aspects of our lives, He will hear our prayers and respond. We believe that this is why He calls us to the Global Special Dawn Revival Meeting. Amen. Therefore, we earnestly desire that our prayers during the revival meeting become cries of desperation.

Finally, why does God tell us to cry out? There are many styles of prayer. There are silent prayers, meditative prayers, praise prayers, and prayers of groaning that God answers. Why did God tell the confined Jeremiah to cry out? Is it because God's ears are deaf? The Bible says that God answers even the groans, so why must we cry out? The third reason is that crying out is a desperate prayer. A prayer person named Boundjou said, "Passion is the core and driving force of prayer. When we cry out in prayer, it can become a passionate prayer." Passion is the essence of prayer, and when we cry out, our prayers can become prayers of passion. Pastor Spurgeon also said, "Praying without passion is not praying at all. A desperate prayer is the prayer that God hears." Psalm 118:5 says, "In my anguish, I cried to the Lord, and he answered me by setting me free." Amen. When we cried out to the Lord, He answered us. Psalm 30:2 says, "Lord my God, I called to you for help, and you healed me." When I came before the Lord and cried out, He healed my weak body and my wounded soul. I believe that grace comes to those who cry out. When I share this, some might say, "Pastor, do I really have to cry out? I have never cried out in church; I have always prayed quietly." There may be someone who has experienced being tapped on the shoulder by an elder during early morning prayer and has never cried out since. They might feel uncomfortable with crying out. But let’s consider this: Are we in a situation where we can pray quietly? Are our families, our children, and our lives in a place where we can just pray quietly? Our circumstances are so desperate that if we do not cry out, we cannot survive. "God, who will comfort me? Who will be my strength? Who will be my power? There is no one on my side; what am I supposed to do?" This is our reality. Our nation and our people are in such a state. We cannot remain silent; we cannot just groan. We must cry out earnestly. We are living in a reality where we must cry out. Amen.

Children sometimes call out for their mothers from their rooms. They might be asking for water or snacks, but when they say, "Mom, Mom," the mother in the kitchen might respond, "Why are you calling?" If the child calls again, "Mom, Mom," the mother might ask again, "Why are you calling?" But if the child cries out, "Mom!" the mother immediately rushes to them without asking why. This is the heart of a parent responding to a desperate cry. When we cry out to God earnestly, He rises up and comes to us. He holds us and supports us. This is why the Lord tells us to cry out. When our prayers become quiet, our human thoughts become loud in our ears and take control of our hearts. But when we cry out earnestly, those human thoughts and the thoughts of darkness cannot take control of our hearts in the face of our cries. Amen. That is why we must cry out.

Especially for those who feel burdened about coming to early morning prayer, "Isn't it two and a half hours? I have never done that before. They say you pray a lot. I can only pray for five minutes after going around to my parents, siblings, and everyone." But when you come, your lips will open. Amen. When our lips open, the doors of heaven open. When the doors of heaven open, grace pours out. When grace pours out, we live. The church lives, and the nation lives. I believe that a history of revival will take place. Amen.

After I entered the first year of seminary at Chongshin University, I went on a retreat with the first-year students and fourth-year seniors. The seminary professor held an evening meeting that ended around 11 PM. After that, the student leaders called us to the underground training center. It was past 11 PM. When I arrived, I noticed cardboard boxes laid out on the floor. I realized they were asking us to kneel. Thus began the second revival meeting. The seniors told us, "You cannot do ministry like that. You cannot study theology like that." They rebuked us and urged us to pray earnestly. As a first-year student, my heart was so warm. I prayed earnestly as the seniors instructed. How long did it go on? Suddenly, a bright light appeared before my eyes. I wondered if it was the Lord. I asked God to show me again, and He granted me a strong light. I was filled with grace and prayed earnestly. The prayer that started at 11 PM continued past 1 AM and 2 AM, and I remained there, praying earnestly because I was so joyful to have met the Lord. However, after it ended, I found it difficult to share my testimony with my friends. This was because, 20 or 30 years ago, the conservative denomination of Chongshin University did not teach such things, and there was an atmosphere of skepticism about seeing visions or hearing sounds. I was afraid that if I shared my experience, they might think, "Did someone from the Full Gospel Church come here?" So, I remained silent. But I realized that the grace I received was this: When we gather to pray, when we gather to cry out, that prayer meeting is a time when God’s grace is present. Amen. When our lips open, our hearts open, and the doors of heaven open, the power of the Holy Spirit pours out. Just as there was grace when we gathered to pray, I believe that during this Autumn Global Special Dawn Revival Meeting, God will open the doors of our hearts, open the doors of our prayers, and pour out His grace in our lives. Amen.

Today’s scripture is the second message that God gave to Jeremiah. But what was the first message? The first message was given when God called the young Jeremiah to be a prophet in chapter 1. The first message is found in chapter 1, where God calls Jeremiah to be a prophet. The second message is to cry out. There is a commonality between the first and second messages given to Jeremiah. Do you know what that commonality is? It is the call. The call and the cry. Therefore, I can say that those who are called must cry out to live. Amen. Isn't that wonderful? Those who are called must live by crying out to the Lord. Those who are called as children of God must call upon the name of the Lord. Those who are called as servants of God must fulfill their mission through cries of prayer. Amen. No one can defeat a praying person. No one can overcome a praying family. No one can destroy a praying church. No one can tear down a praying nation. Amen. The one who prays will be victorious. Amen. This time, with the theme "Is there anything too hard for the Lord?" our earnest cry will be, "There is nothing too hard for the Lord." Amen. I hope that this Global Special Dawn Revival Meeting will be a time of amazing grace and miracles in our lives. Amen.

Dear family of faith, I would like to conclude my message. Those who are called by God must live by crying out. Do not be discouraged even in a confined situation. Even if we are confined, God is never confined. When we cannot do anything, if we cry out, God will act, and He will fulfill His promises. I hope that starting tomorrow, during our 24th Autumn Global Special Dawn Revival Meeting, you will not just be a spectator of grace or someone who hears about grace from others. I hope you will be the protagonist of grace and the protagonist of miracles. I bless you in the name of the Lord. Amen. Let us pray.

Heavenly Father, who acts and answers, help us to cry out to You without being discouraged in our confined situations. Amen. Through the 24th Autumn Global Special Dawn Revival Meeting, open the doors of our prayers and fill our families, children, church, and this nation with the history and power that You grant. We thank You and pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.