Homeward bound

The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus;  it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord , the majesty of our God.  Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees.  Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.”  Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped;  then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert;  the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down, the grass shall become reeds and rushes.  And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it. It shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.  No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there.  And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Isaiah 35:1-10 ESV

Pastor Paul Park

Illusiveness of a worldly home

Where are you from? We can answer from many different angles. Cultural background, where we were raised, where we were born, where we live now... Does this change when we get married? Does it change when we've lived in a certain place for awhile?

A home is where we find rest. Verse 7 describes a mirage. A place of water in a desert. But the closer we get to a mirage, the more we find that it is an illusion. Our lives are a long journey are searching for a place of rest and belonging. We go from place to place seeking a home. The prophets were tasked with bringing people from illusions to our real home. The people were content with mirages and the illusion of home. We all do this. When we are anxious or troubled, we turn to the distraction of entertainment, the comfort of financial security, the comfort of relational security, etc. All the things of this world are insufficient to give us a real sense of belonging or security. They are all fleeting and will ultimately disappoint.

Concreteness of our Spiritual home

Where then is our biblical and real home? It is not a place, but rather a person. It is our God. He is our sanctuary. The springs of living water are alluding to the Holy Spirit. God wishes to make His home in us. What then does it mean to be home in this sense? God becomes to us the most important person in our lives. He is the most loved in our mind and in our hearts. As it says in the first commandment... This is how you find home. You will yearn to see His face. You were desire to spend time with Him.

We are unclean. So we must get new hearts. We must be redeemed and cleaned. This was purchased through the cross by Jesus. We are promised a new home because of the blood of Christ. A place to belong and of ultimate security.

The ramifications?

Our future is with God. We are to love God and that means that we will have a growing desire of holiness. Why? Because God is holy. We will grow in repentance for sin, in turning towards God away from things of this world. We can be generous because God has given us everything for eternity.

We are to grow in our yearning to see God's face. To wish to be with God, is the proper reaction to God's sacrifice upon the cross. It is not a simple ritual of prayer and Bible study. But a genuine desire within our hearts for God and the place He has prepared for us.

Gospel Hospitality

For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of Lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.
Deuteronomy 10:17-19 ESV

Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Ephesians 2:11-13 ESV

Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
Hebrews 13:1-2 ESV

Rev Dwight Yoo

As a church, we are not just a church in a city, but rather a church for the city. To be for it's prosperity, growth, and good.

This value will grow the church both in depth and breadth. It is hospitality. This is not just Martha Stewart. It is broader than that. Hospitality means showing love to strangers. But it is not a single action, it is a mindset. A hospitable person doesn't just care for friends and family; they also show kindness to strangers so they become friends and family. How important is this? It is one of the qualifications of a church elder.

It is easy to ignore strangers in a city church. How can we get to know everyone in this church with so many people? And all these people who come and go. It is hard to invest time and energy in people and have them leave in a couple of years.

So why? Why should we be hospitable? Because while we were strangers, God reached out to us. He gave us a home, His enemies. We were foreigners and God gave us a place in His city. We serve a hospitable God. So we must portray His values to the world.

Jesus became a stranger and sojourner in this world. He was marginalized and rejected so that we would not be rejected by God. The faith that saves will give us a heart of hospitality. We cannot be callous because it is at the heart of the gospel.

Christine Pohl, who wrote Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition (Eerdmans, 1999), tells us “Strangers are people without a place, disconnected from life-giving relationships and networks.”

We can help strangers both in the church and outside the church. There is a fundamental desire for connection. Our day and age is filled with broken families and relationships. People have to move for work and they end up disconnected.

Towards the City God Built

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.  These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.- Hebrews 11:8-16 ESV

Dr. Kyuboem Lee

Missions is so often something we support and other people do "out there." But I want to bring to light that we have been molded and shaped to work as missionaries here in the city.

Abraham is an immigrant. He is a foreigner in a new homeland. The people of faith have always been pilgrims, aliens, and strangers. They do not belong wherever they are. But God promises that the people of faith have a home. God has prepared a place for us. As immigrants and children of immigrants, we can innately sense this alienation.

Even if we find success, we will still live in this sense of dislocation. We are still not home. This world will still give us this sense of alienation. Success will not fulfill this longing. We are called to follow in Abraham's footsteps. He was an immigrant who owned no land and was promised that he would bless the nations. He lived in tents and owned no place in the promised land.

We do not have to be successful first to serve as missionaries. We can reach out to people who feel alienated and be the presence of Christ. We may think that we can outsource missions, but that is not how it works. It is not the professional missionaries who spread the gospel. It is poor everyday Christians who spread the faith. The Christians fleeing persecution spread the faith.

Our heavenly home will find us neighbors with people of every tribe, tongue, and nation. They will be of a wide variety of experiences, socio-economic classes, and identities. We will not be separated but we will be one people of God. That is the reality we pray from and work towards when we say "on earth as it is in heaven."

Esther: The Great Reversal

Esther 5-10

Rev. Dwight Yoo

Premature celebration can sometimes bring about our downfall. Haman thinks he is about to have his revenge on Mordecai and the Jews.

Reversal of glory and humiliation

Haman expects that the king wished to honor him. He was the king's right hand man. Instead, he is humiliated. And his enemy, Mordecai, is glorified.

Reversal of life and death

The day where the Jews were to be killed becomes a day of joy. The Jews are delivered from the sword. A new edict is written that allows them to defend themselves against their enemies. This has become commemorated as Purim.

The greatest reversal is Jesus dying on the cross, to bring sinners life. Resurrection and life comes from the death of an innocent man upon the cross.

Application

We can persevere knowing that Christ will reverse all these things. Even though good deeds are punished and evil men prosper, at the end, it will all be reversed.

We are to live in tune with the reversal that is to come. We will be out of tune with the world, but in tune with the kingdom of God. We are to grow in humility and serving others, not self promotion nor making demands.

Esther: Inconspicuous Providence

Now in the days of Ahasuerus, the Ahasuerus who reigned from India to Ethiopia over 127 provinces, in those days when King Ahasuerus sat on his royal throne in Susa, the citadel, in the third year of his reign he gave a feast for all his officials and servants. The army of Persia and Media and the nobles and governors of the provinces were before him, while he showed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor and pomp of his greatness for many days, 180 days. And when these days were completed, the king gave for all the people present in Susa the citadel, both great and small, a feast lasting for seven days in the court of the garden of the king’s palace. There were white cotton curtains and violet hangings fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rods and marble pillars, and also couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl and precious stones. Drinks were served in golden vessels, vessels of different kinds, and the royal wine was lavished according to the bounty of the king. And drinking was according to this edict: “There is no compulsion.” For the king had given orders to all the staff of his palace to do as each man desired. Queen Vashti also gave a feast for the women in the palace that belonged to King Ahasuerus.  On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha and Abagtha, Zethar and Carkas, the seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus, to bring Queen Vashti before the king with her royal crown, in order to show the peoples and the princes her beauty, for she was lovely to look at. But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command delivered by the eunuchs. At this the king became enraged, and his anger burned within him.  Then the king said to the wise men who knew the times (for this was the king’s procedure toward all who were versed in law and judgment, the men next to him being Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media, who saw the king’s face, and sat first in the kingdom): “According to the law, what is to be done to Queen Vashti, because she has not performed the command of King Ahasuerus delivered by the eunuchs?” Then Memucan said in the presence of the king and the officials, “Not only against the king has Queen Vashti done wrong, but also against all the officials and all the peoples who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus. For the queen’s behavior will be made known to all women, causing them to look at their husbands with contempt, since they will say, ‘King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before him, and she did not come.’ This very day the noble women of Persia and Media who have heard of the queen’s behavior will say the same to all the king’s officials, and there will be contempt and wrath in plenty. If it please the king, let a royal order go out from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes so that it may not be repealed, that Vashti is never again to come before King Ahasuerus. And let the king give her royal position to another who is better than she. So when the decree made by the king is proclaimed throughout all his kingdom, for it is vast, all women will give honor to their husbands, high and low alike.” This advice pleased the king and the princes, and the king did as Memucan proposed. He sent letters to all the royal provinces, to every province in its own script and to every people in its own language, that every man be master in his own household and speak according to the language of his people.

After these things, when the anger of King Ahasuerus had abated, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what had been decreed against her. Then the king’s young men who attended him said, “Let beautiful young virgins be sought out for the king. And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom to gather all the beautiful young virgins to the harem in Susa the citadel, under custody of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women. Let their cosmetics be given them. And let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” This pleased the king, and he did so.  Now there was a Jew in Susa the citadel whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjaminite, who had been carried away from Jerusalem among the captives carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away. He was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther, the daughter of his uncle, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was lovely to look at, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter. So when the king’s order and his edict were proclaimed, and when many young women were gathered in Susa the citadel in custody of Hegai, Esther also was taken into the king’s palace and put in custody of Hegai, who had charge of the women. And the young woman pleased him and won his favor. And he quickly provided her with her cosmetics and her portion of food, and with seven chosen young women from the king’s palace, and advanced her and her young women to the best place in the harem. Esther had not made known her people or kindred, for Mordecai had commanded her not to make it known. And every day Mordecai walked in front of the court of the harem to learn how Esther was and what was happening to her.  Now when the turn came for each young woman to go in to King Ahasuerus, after being twelve months under the regulations for the women, since this was the regular period of their beautifying, six months with oil of myrrh and six months with spices and ointments for women— when the young woman went in to the king in this way, she was given whatever she desired to take with her from the harem to the king’s palace. In the evening she would go in, and in the morning she would return to the second harem in custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch, who was in charge of the concubines. She would not go in to the king again, unless the king delighted in her and she was summoned by name.  When the turn came for Esther the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his own daughter, to go in to the king, she asked for nothing except what Hegai the king’s eunuch, who had charge of the women, advised. Now Esther was winning favor in the eyes of all who saw her. And when Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, into his royal palace, in the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign, the king loved Esther more than all the women, and she won grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. Then the king gave a great feast for all his officials and servants; it was Esther’s feast. He also granted a remission of taxes to the provinces and gave gifts with royal generosity.- Esther 1-2:18 ESV

Rev. Dwight Yoo

The real king

Ahasuerus was king. He is also known as Xerseus. He is the king over the Medes-Persian empire. He is throwing a party. Not just any party, this is a six month long party. This is not a formal party. He issues an edict that people can drink as much as they want. He had furniture made of gold. He is trying to impress. But this is a satirical portrayal. The author is trying to poke fun at them. The king is drunk and he calls for his wife, his trophy wife. She is refuses and he's angry. So he gets his advisors together to figure out a solution. Who gets an advisory board together to address a personal family issue? The king of this empire cannot control his wife. The book of Esther is the only book in the Bible that makes no direct mention of God. But even though he is not mentioned, he is at work and in control.

Esther acts in contrast to Daniel. She sleeps with a pagan king as an unmarried woman. She eats unclean food. There is no indication that she tried to follow God or stay Jewish. She was trying to be like the Persians around her. She hid that she was Jewish as prompted by her uncle. We may admire Daniel, but we are probably more like Esther.

The salvation

God still uses Esther and her position as queen to save the Jewish people from genocide. She was beautiful on the outside, but God makes her beautiful on the inside. She is confronted with a deadly conspiracy and commanded to risk her life. She steps out in bold faith with risk of death. From a comfortable lifestyle, she becomes a tool of God to save the people of God. This is not an encouragement to disobey or compromise our Christian principles. Rather it is that when we disobey, God will not abandon us. God can work though our mistakes.

Daniel's prayer: Books prayer for a helpless people

In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, by descent a Mede, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans— in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.  Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you. To us, O Lord , belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And the curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him. He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us, by bringing upon us a great calamity. For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem. As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the Lord our God, turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth. Therefore the Lord has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and we have not obeyed his voice. And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have made a name for yourself, as at this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly.  “O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us. Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord, make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.”  While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea before the Lord my God for the holy hill of my God, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice. He made me understand, speaking with me and saying, “O Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding. At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word and understand the vision. Daniel 9:1-23 ESV

Rev. Dan Whang

This prayer is during the first reign of Darius. Daniel is an old man. He's praying after reading Jeremiah. He has determined that the people's time of exile was drawing to a close.

Urgency of intercessory prayer

Daniel knows that the exile was drawing to a close. The people will return to their place. Their own cities, their temple... This was a done deal. But instead of kicking back, he throws on a sackcloth and prays. Why? It is like he doesn't believe it will come to pass... But he does believe. He sees himself as an intercessor. He prays for those around him. He is not okay with the spiritual deafness and slumber of those around him. There is concern for those around him. He is concerned for his people and their eternal destination.

Content of intercessory prayer

Invocation: call and declare who God is

Confession: declare shortcomings and failings

Appeal: throw ourselves upon the grace and mercy of God (rather than any personal righteousness)

Petition: Ask (for the glory of God)

Power of intercessory prayer

After Daniel prayed, Gabriel came. Before Daniel had finished praying, God has already called for an response. There is no delay, no lag. God hears our prayer and responds. God gives the ability to understand scripture. He tells Daniel that He loves him. God does not treat His people like employees. We may not get the same response as Daniel, but we will understand the scripture more and be more secure in God's love.

Ending thoughts

If you find it hard to pray or you doubt your faith, look for God's promises and pray for that which God had already promised.

How to engage non Christians

Six aspects of engaging the non Christian works

Learn the vocabulary of this world

You need to learn vocabulary that is used in the real world. Don't talk like you are at seminary. Listen to people. What are they familiar with?

Learn people's authorities

What are the sources of authority for the world? The Bible is not seen as authority by the world. For instance, popular music is an authority to those of the world. This allows you to engage them easier.

Display sympathy for non-Christians

Why does a gay person desire marriage?
They deeply desire intimacy and don't want to be alone. This is something both homosexuals and heterosexuals can understand.

Affirm what is good

If there is something good, we should commend it. It is not only believers who do worthwhile things.

Expose what is mistaken

You need to unravel what their worldview looks like. Not just focus on the positive, but show them what is irrational about their views.

How does the gospel address them?

For each individual, speak to their fears and desires.