Due to COVID-19 and disruption to international mail service
we have temporally suspended our ‘Free Print Book service’.
we have temporally suspended our ‘Free Print Book service’.
In the light of this situation we are not able to mail you the books at this time.
Pray that this pandemic will end soon and the resumption of the postal service.
Pray that this pandemic will end soon and the resumption of the postal service.
Subject 9 : Romans (Commentaries on the Book of Romans)
[Chapter 13] Live for The Righteousness of God
Romans 13:1 states, “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.”
We must live within the boundaries of social norms. God commanded us to fear and respect those who have authority in both our spiritual and carnal lives. God gives authority to the government officials for a reason, and we therefore must not ignore them. We must remember Paul’s saying, “Owe no one anything except to love one another” (Romans 13:8).
This is why we have been publishing free books and delivering this beautiful gospel to people all over the world.
The Lord said, “Love is the fulfillment of the law.” People are obsessed with the illusion that they are faithfully keeping the Law in their religious lives.
God gave us the gospel of the water and the Spirit that reveals His righteousness to save us from sin. We need to believe in God’s righteousness, shown in the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
Spreading this beautiful gospel that our Lord has given us is truly granting lives to others, since it saves people from all their sins. We must not owe any debt, other than the debt of love received by the love of Jesus Christ.
It’s time for us to wake up
Verse 11 says, “And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.” We will reign with Christ for a thousand years when our infirm bodies are changed—that is, when our bodies are also redeemed.
We can see the similarity between our generation and Noah’s generation. A new wave of homosexuality has stirred up in universities. How wicked is this world when a man stabs and kills another man for just using the payphone for too long? Many such cruel and evil deeds are occurring in this generation.
We must realize that it is now time for us to wake up. The time for our Lord’s second coming is very near. We should be keen and be able to discern what this age is like and realize that the Lord’s second coming is very near. But at the same time, remember that there are so many people who are not really aware of this age.
“But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matthew 24:37). Even in Noah’s time, people built houses, got married, committed all kinds of sins, and went about their daily businesses until the judgment of God was suddenly poured on them one day. No one but Noah expected the heavy rain and the flood that wiped out all but the few who found refuge in his ark. Those who perished met God’s devastating judgment while freely eating and drinking, without any anticipation.
This world is exposed not only to the dangers of war, but also to the tremendous natural disasters that are happening throughout the world with the climatic changes. There is a serious danger lurking even in what we eat, and we can no longer enjoy even our own meals without worrying about them. This is why we must live wisely in this era and remember that the salvation of our bodies is much nearer than when we first began to believe.
Have you clothed yourself with Christ’s salvation?
You may think that the destruction of this world has nothing to do with the realm of faith, and that it has everything to do with secular politics and the economy. But global disasters are warning signs for the destruction of the world. This world will soon face extreme economical and environmental hardships. The Bible tells us that as the Lord’s second coming draws nearer, we must “owe no one anything except to love one another”―helping, protecting, leading, and cooperating with each other in love. And we must realize that our hopes are nearer than when we first began to believe.
We are living in an era in which we need to live in hope, waiting for the return of Jesus Christ.
Where is our hope? Our hope is found in waiting for the return of Christ who will resurrect us and reward us to reign with Him in the Millennial Kingdom, proceeded by the seven years of the Great Tribulation. As the time draws nearer, we must live with hope, having the righteousness of Christ. We must stand firmer and firmer in the gospel of the water and the Spirit and serve it with our whole hearts. We must expand our ministry to share the gospel with every soul in the entire world.
We must not owe anything except to love one another
I know that there will be much suffering from natural disasters, like earthquakes and volcanoes. Many movies are being made nowadays with the theme of global destruction. I think that this is because the world will possibly turn out as the Hollywood writers have imagined, and this is the evidence that people unconsciously feel the imminent destruction of the world.
Therefore, we should not concern ourselves with the works of the flesh but concern ourselves with the works of the Spirit.
We must believe that a life spreading the gospel of the water and the Spirit is the most beautiful life. People throughout the world are astonished at our ministry. Countless people have told us how challenged they have been by our ministry. They cannot believe how we, a group of God’s servants from Korea, a small country, can spread the righteousness of God so powerfully. Yes, we are indeed small and weak, but we still spread the gospel through out the world because we believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, that is, in the righteousness of God.
Romans chapter 14:8 says, “For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.” Paul also said in the previous verse, “None of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.” We exist only because of our Lord.
Since we were born into this world by our Lord and became righteous by His righteousness, we belong to Christ whether we live or die. We will live and leave this world as Christ’s, having lived our lives for God’s righteousness. God is pleased by us and has elected to use us as His instruments to spread the joyful news all over the world. He has thus opened the great door of evangelism for us. He has allowed us to spread the gospel through books, without actually going to every nation by foot.
A series of books containing the gospel of God’s righteousness have been translated and sent to the English-speaking world, the Spanish-speaking countries, as well as to every country in Asia, Africa, and Europe. I am sure that this new series of books entitled Our Lord Who Becomes the Righteousness of God will give great spiritual blessings to every soul in the world. It is amazing how God works to complete His will through the believers in His righteousness.
The world will eventually be covered with this beautiful gospel, and once the gospel that contains God’s righteousness is spread all over the world, God will fulfill each and every plan that He has in store for us.
This era is on the eve of windstorms. Oil crises and global financial panic can strike the world once more. We must be more faithful in what we are assigned to do. We must spread the gospel of the water and the Spirit until the end of this world comes. Let us diligently spread the gospel of the water and the Spirit so that no one in this world is left without hearing this gospel. We must cooperate and work for the same purpose. We must work like Gideon’s three hundred warriors. Although we are few in number, we are the brave soldiers of Heaven, and God is with us.
Whoever receives the forgiveness of sins and is thankful to God can be qualified to spread the righteousness of God. We will be victorious by faith because we have God’s righteousness. Those who believe in this righteousness of God always pursue the works of the Spirit and set their goals on spiritual works.
I pray that God’s righteousness will be upon you.
This sermon is also available in ebook format. Click on the book cover below.
Copyright © 2021 by The New Life Mission