Sermons on the Gospel of Matthew (I) - When Can a Christian Have an Intimate Conversation with the Lord?

By Paul C. Jong

The Apostle Matthew is telling us that the Word of Jesus was spoken to everyone in this world, for he saw Jesus as the King of kings. Now, Christians throughout the world, who have just been born again by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit that we are spreading, are indeed yearning to feed on the bread of life. But it is difficult for them to have fellowship with us in the true gospel, for they are all far away from us.
Therefore, to meet the spiritual needs of these people of Jesus Christ, the King of kings, the sermons in this book have been prepared as new bread of life for them to nourish their spiritual growth. The author proclaims that those who have received the remission of their sins by believing in the Word of Jesus Christ, the King of kings, must feed on His pure Word in order to defend their faith and sustain their spiritual lives.
This book will provide the real spiritual bread of life to all of you who have become the royal people of the King by faith. Through His Church and servants, God will continue to provide you with this bread of life. May God's blessings be on all of you who have been born again of water and the Spirit, who desire to have true spiritual fellowship with us in Jesus Christ.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Paul C. Jong
• Release date: Mar 7, 2011
• ISBN: 9788928210114

Book preview

When Can a Christian Have an Intimate Dialogue with the Lord?

This is the title for the first volume of my sermon series on the Gospel of Matthew, and I decided on this title to preach to you about the Truth spoken by the Lord. To reach any goal, small and great alike, one must take the right first step. Following the Lord is the ultimate goal for all Christians, and to reach this goal they must know the gospel of the water and the Spirit first of all, for only then can they really follow the Lord.

As one of the Four Gospels, the Gospel of Matthew is quite familiar to most Christians. You might even have read it several times already. But the Gospel of Matthew, like every other Book in the Bible, must be read through the prism of the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Some Christians are highly impressed by the Lord’s mountain sermons recorded in the Gospel of Matthew, and so they try to follow the Lord’s will just from this point of view. However, I would like to help you reach a better understanding by preaching to you about the righteousness of God, which is His purpose.

Do you know about the baptism of Jesus Christ? Do you know where and through whom you can meet the Lord? Do you profess to believe in Jesus as your Savior with a clear understanding of the righteousness of God? These are some of the most important questions that are addressed in this book.

SERMONS ON THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW (I)

WHEN CAN A CHRISTIAN HAVE AN INTIMATE CONVERSATION WITH THE LORD?

Smashwords Edition

Revised edition. Copyright 2005 by The New Life Mission

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the copyright owner.

Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version.

ISBN 978-89-282-1011-4

Table of Contents

Preface

CHAPTER 1

The Genealogy of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:1-6)

Let’s Give Thanks to Our Lord Jesus Who Came to Save Us (Matthew 1:18-25)

Jesus Who Was Conceived by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18-25)

CHAPTER 2

Where Can We Meet the Lord Properly? (Matthew 2:1-12)

CHAPTER 3

Spread the True Gospel and Jesus’ Righteous Deed (Matthew 3:1-17)

Jesus Who Came to Blot Out Your Sins (Matthew 3:13-17)

CHAPTER 4

Blessing Is Fearing God and Serving God (Matthew 4:1-11)

CHAPTER 5

The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-16)

CHAPTER 6

The Lord’s Teaching on Prayer (1) (Matthew 6:1-15)

The Lord’s Teaching on Prayer (2) (Matthew 6:5-15)

Live with Your Hearts on the Lord (Matthew 6:21-23)

Do Not Worry about Your Life, But Trust Only in God (Matthew 6:25-34)

Sufficient for the Day Is Its Own Trouble (Matthew 6:34)

CHAPTER 7

By Believing in the Power of the Gospel, We Must Enter by the Narrow Gate (Matthew 7:13-14)

What Shall We Do If We Were Forsaken by the Lord on the Last Day? (Matthew 7:21-23)

Faith That Can Do the Will of God the Father (Matthew 7:20-27)

We Can Enter Heaven Only When We Know the Will of the Father and Believe in It (Matthew 7:21-27)

Beware of False Prophets Who Are Only after Your Money (Matthew 7:13-27)

CHAPTER 8

The Healing of Spiritual Lepers (Matthew 8:1-4)

Only Speak a Word (Matthew 8:5-10)

Follow the Lord First (Matthew 8:18-22)

Preface

Across the nations, many people are receiving the remission of sin. As a result, we are in need of people to lead them and give them guidance in their walk with the Lord, Jesus Christ. We should lead those who have received the remission of all their sins into church. I strongly hope that many leaders will rise up in every country of the world. I wish I could dispatch all of my staff workers to go out in the world as messengers of God, as missionaries. However, if they were sent across the nations, who could support the gospel of righteousness here for God’s work as the ornamental knobs of the lampstand? I, therefore, hope and pray that God’s workers will rise up in every single nation of his/her own country.

This publication is the first book of my spiritual growth series for the future leaders of the redeemed. As I serve the Lord, I believe that God’s people will rise up. In anticipation of the future leaders, I have prepared these sermons on tape, which I now present to you. The sermons, which have been edited and translated for the purpose of training the leaders of tomorrow, will bring the soul-nurturing messages to your heart.

I believe that these sermons will indeed be spiritual food for all people. Because it is impossible for all of us to have fellowship face to face with all the believers and God’s workers from other nations, I hope that through sharing this book, I may have spiritual fellowship with them, who have already believed in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. We are all thankful that He made us His workers, by feeding us the Food of Life.

We have, so far, published 10 books in English. And we have found that many of those who have read the books are thankful for their receiving the remission of sin by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Now, through the sermons for their spiritual growth, I will once again testify that the gospel of the water and the Spirit is the only truth that gives life. I am sure then that they will come to realize all the Scriptures are filled with the truth of the gospel of the water and the Spirit. And eventually, all the people in the world shall come to deeply understand that the gospel of the water and the Spirit is the only truth. Once they realize the truth and throw away their emotion-oriented faith, their hearts will be filled with the gospel of the water and the Spirit that is the only way to the everlasting redemption. Therefore, people throughout the world will live as the Disciples of Christ. Now, we will become the instruments that save the lost souls and we will do His work for the lost sheep across the nations with the belief in the power of the gospel of the water and the Spirit.

As every plant blooms and then bears fruit, I believe the power of the true gospel not only blesses those who believe in it but also allows them to lead their lives as God’s workers. They will be blessed physically and spiritually. Now, God’s workers in all nations will sow the seeds of the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and save countless people from their sins. As we preach the gospel of the water and the Spirit, we will continue to win. We will bear more fruits for God’s Kingdom as believers in this true gospel of the water and the Spirit. We are living in the time of harvest and we shall have a greater yield of fruits of salvation. Now, we will believe in His words, be thankful to Him, and glorify Him.

If God permits, we will do these things and many more. And I believe He will bless every one of us. May God give abundant spiritual and physical blessings — the blessings of the holy faith of Heaven and the fatness of the earth — to everyone who believes in the gospel of the water and the Spirit.

PAUL C. JONG

CHAPTER 1

The Genealogy of

Jesus Christ

< Matthew 1:1-6 >

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham: Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers. Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram. Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon. Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David the king. David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah.

To become a part of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, we need to believe in His Salvation. In other words, believing in His salvation is the only way we become part of His genealogy.

Our Father God did not send angels to save us, he sent none other than His only son. It was Jesus Christ that our Father God sent to save us from our sins. He made a covenant that anyone who believes in Jesus, who is the Son of God and our Savior, would be forgiven of all of his sins once and for all. In such a context, Matthew 1:1 says, The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham. Here, the genealogy of Jesus Christ implies the spiritual world of how we can become God’s Children through the faith of knowing and believing in Jesus Christ, being delivered from the power of darkness.

This passage describes what is required of a sinner to be saved from his sins and become a child of God. In other words, to become a child of God, one needs to have the same faith that Abraham had. What kind of faith is required to enter the Kingdom of God? We need to believe in God’s Word absolutely as Abraham did. What about Abraham’s faith pleased God? He believed God’s Word in its entirety and hoped for what was impossible by human logic. He believed in God’s covenant just as He said, which was beyond human imagination. That was the full extent of his faith. Even though Abraham’s wife was past childbearing age and therefore it was impossible for her to conceive a child, Abraham believed in God’s covenant with him that his offspring would be as many as the stars in the sky. Therefore God accounted it to him for righteousness and was pleased with him. This is how Abraham became the father of the righteous by faith.

You and I today look up to Abraham as the father of all believers because he believed exactly what God said. In the same way, we need to have the kind of faith that Abraham had to enter the Kingdom of Jesus. This is the only way for a sinner to receive the remission of sin and become a righteous person. We come to enter the Kingdom of God, and receive His salvation, by accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

How do we believe in Jesus as our Savior to become a part of the genealogy of Jesus Christ? In other words, how do we believe in His salvation for sinners? We need to believe in the Gospel of the water and the Spirit as it is given to us.

Our Father God sent his Son, Jesus, to this world as the Savior of the world to take away all the sins of the world. Therefore, we must admit that Jesus took all of the sins of sinners by the method of being baptized by John the Baptist at the Jordan River. And the true faith is believing that He was crucified for our sins, bled and died on the Cross, rose again from the dead, and saved the believers in Him wholly. But Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then he allowed Him. When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him (Matthew 3:15-16).

This passage is the truth of how Jesus took on the sins of the world by His baptism. Our Father God sent our Lord Jesus to the sinners and had Him take on all of our sins as He was baptized by John the Baptist to cleanse our hearts as white as snow and to open the door to the Kingdom of God. We can become the righteous by accepting His Word in our hearts and become the members of His family. Anyone who believes in the work that Jesus did can change from a sinner to a sinless person. The way to become a family with God is to believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit.

For a sinner to become a child of God, he needs to have the faith that believes that Jesus is the Savior of the sinners. In the scripture, the son of David means that Jesus is the descendant of Judah. In the Old Testament, God made a covenant that He will make kings from the tribe of Judah, a son of Jacob (Genesis 49:10). David is a man from the tribe of Judah of whom the Old Testament spoke. And Jesus was born from the tribe of Judah as the King. As Abraham did, we become a part of royal family by believing God’s Word. We become children of God spiritually. And anyone who has become a part of the genealogy of Jesus Christ by faith has already become a child of God. Abraham bore Isaac, Isaac bore Jacob, Jacob bore Judah and his brothers, and they kept on bearing their descendants. People who believe in God’s Word continue to bear God’s children.

All who became a part of the genealogy of Jesus by faith were those who had received God’s mercy, and were not those who had anything to brag about themselves. They were humble and weak, but believed in God’s Word. Therefore, they became one family with the real King.

As we become a part of His genealogy by faith, we need to know this — that in the genealogy of Jesus Christ, there was a prostitute named Rahab as well as a woman named Ruth from the Moabites, of the Gentiles. Then, how could a prostitute have become a part of the genealogy of Jesus? It is by Rahab’s faith in God that she came into the Kingdom of God. God tells us that the only way for a sinner to become a child of God is believing in His Word. This means that true faith is not living a good life by doing good work, but believing in God’s Word. How could a prostitute have lived according to God’s Will? However, God even forgave all the sins of someone like a prostitute, who committed many sins, by the Lord’s salvation. Even a prostitute could become a child of God by having faith in the truth of God’s salvation. This means that every sinner in this world can become a child of God.

The Bible tells us about the faith that believes in Him and His Word. In Matthew 1, the Bible talks about the faith of Tamar again. Who is Tamar? She was the daughter-in-law of Judah, who slept with her father-in-law. When we look at it morally, how could a woman who had a sexual relationship with her father-in-law become a part of the sacred genealogy of Jesus? However, Tamar was approved because of her faith that believed in the covenant from her father-in-law. She became a part of the genealogy of Jesus by her faith that believed in the Word that her father-in-law conveyed.

It was customary in Israel that when the first son is dead, the second son is given to the wife of the first son. If the eldest son does not have offspring when he dies, the father-in-law has the responsibility of marrying the wife of the first son to his second son. Tamar was married to a first son of Judah. But the first son was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord killed him. So, as the custom of Israel, Judah gave his second son to Tamar. However, the second son knew that the heir would not be his so he emitted on the ground, and God put him to death. The father-in-law had to give this third son to his daughter-in-law. However, he was too young, so the father-in-law promised that he would give his third son when the son is grown up. Tamar waited for the third son. However, the father-in-law did not give her his son, so Tamar thought of a trick.

There came a day of sheep shearing in the year. So Tamar took off her widow’s garment and wrapped herself with a veil and sat in an open place. Prostitutes in Israel must have had their head and face wrapped and covered with a veil. When Judah saw her on his way up to the sheep sheering, he wanted to be with her. So he gave her his signet, cord and staff as a pledge and slept with her. Judah did not know that this was his daughter-in-law. A few months later, Tamar’s pregnancy started showing. It was considered adultery since she was a widow then. In Israel, an adulterer was to be punished by being stoned or being burned. Judah planned to burn her to death. But Tamar said at that time I am pregnant by this man who this staff and signet belong to. They were the pledge that Judah gave to the prostitute. Therefore, Judah acknowledged them and Tamar would bear sons that continued the family line.

This shows that God blesses people who believe in His Word of Covenant and live by it. As such, anyone who becomes a part of the genealogy of Jesus does so by their faith in God’s Word. As is written in the passage, Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Tamar gave birth to twin sons and continued the genealogy of Jesus by her faith in God’s covenant with Judah. Here, no Israelites criticized Tamar, saying you have done wrong. Rather they praised Tamar for her faith, saying that it is a faith of blessing. Likewise, God accepts the faith of those who believes in God’s Word. Tamar could become part of the genealogy of Jesus because she believed in God’s covenant. If we believe in God’s Word, we can become His children as well.

We do not become righteous by good deeds. Every sinner can become a righteous person by believing in the gospel of God’s righteousness and become one family with God. The Bible tells us that it is not our holy behavior that makes us God’s children. Rather, we become children of God by our faith in God’s Word of covenant. We become children of God and enter the World of Jesus by our faith that believes the Words of God. We become the children of God through our faith in God’s Word. We must know and believe that we become righteous and sinless by believing in Jesus.

The Bible tells us that the faith that believes the Scripture as it is is the faith that believes in the righteousness of God. To become righteous as we accept Jesus, we have to believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. The word Sanctification is used often in all the religions in the world. However, Jesus tells us that there is no one who entered the Kingdom of God after being sanctified on his own. Let’s examine the Scripture. Abraham presented his wife as his sister out of fear for their safety. Isaac did the same with his wife. Abraham sold out his wife and Isaac is also a man who did the same thing. Tamar and Rahab in the passage were also some of the examples of people who could not have been included in the genealogy of Jesus if it had not been for their faith. In Christianity, sanctification means becoming holy gradually. However, Tamar had a sexual relationship with her father-in-law, Rahab was a prostitute, and Ruth was a gentile. None of these women had the status to become part of Jesus’ genealogy in human perspective. However, the reason they were called righteous and became a part of the genealogy of Jesus is due to their absolute faith in God’s covenant. This is the kind of faith that leads us to become children of God. By God’s Word of righteousness, we came to know the gospel of the water and the Spirit by the faith that believes Jesus is our Savior. In other words, the fact that we became sinless people is not even 0.0001% due to our own good work. We became sinless people by believing in Jesus as our Savior, who is the Son of God, and the written Word of God, that is, the gospel of the water and the Spirit.

We became the children of God by accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior. God, Our King, tells us that those who are with the Holy Spirit are His people. He calls people like us who have faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit My children, the born-again. In the Bible, the righteous children of God are different from ordinary people who are not yet saved from their sins. Those who have accepted and believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit are different from the rest of the people who have not received the remission of their sins. We have been forgiven for all our sins because we believe in Jesus, who is our Savior, as our Savior in our hearts. We know that we have already received the remission of all our sins because we believe that the Lord came to this world and was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River and shed His blood by dying on the Cross. Therefore, we became children of God through the Son of God and by believing that Truth.

Hallelujah! We thank our God who has given us this gospel of the water and the Spirit, the righteousness of God.

Let’s Give Thanks to

Our Lord Jesus Who

Came to Save Us

< Matthew 1:18-25 >

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.’ So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us.’ Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS.

We greet Christmas. It seems like it is going to be a silent night and a holy night this year. The city has become quiet and still. It is hard to see Christmas lights or decorations on the street as we face an economic downturn. This must be a reflection of the bad economy these days. This reminds us of how we should keep our faith as we have another Christmas this year. Let’s look a New Testament passage from Matthew.

Verse 21 says, And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins. Our Lord was born into this world through a virgin and was called Jesus. The name Jesus means that it is the One who will save his people from their sins.

We, who have already met Jesus, are joyful as we greet Christmas. However, Christmas means nothing unless we understand the meaning of this day. If we do not greet Christmas in the Lord, what would this Christmas mean to you? If we greet the Christmas in the Lord, we can see that the love of the Lord for you is abundant. Christmas signifies that God, the King of kings, who made the universe sent His only Son to this world to save His people from their sins. When we are in Him, Christmas is the most joyful and thankful day.

This is why we designate a day as Christmas to thank God. Of course, this cannot be the exact date that was described in the Bible. Some people are arguing that this is the day of worship for the sun god. However, we should not diminish the meaning of Christmas. Some people believe that we have a wrong date as the day that Jesus was born. Regardless of when the exact date was, we should celebrate Christmas to remember why He came to this world. As we celebrate Christmas, we should think deeply in the Lord about His love and the salvation we have received from Him. In Christ, we need to celebrate the Lord’s coming and thank Him by believing that He saved us from all our sins. For us to be able to truly celebrate Christmas, we need to understand the true meaning of Christmas.

We are giving Sunday worship service. It’s 11:12 a.m. There was 11:12 a.m. yesterday and there will be 11:12 a.m. tomorrow. This means that the world will go on until our Lord comes back. This world will exist until God ends it. However, if we do not understand the true meaning of Christmas in the Lord, what does this special worship service have anything to do with us? December 25th, 11:12 a.m. means nothing more than another hour that passes by in a year. As we approach the end of the year, we should re-examine our faith in the Lord. I mean, we need to remember the love Jesus has given us, and the salvation we have received. Everything in this world, even the life itself, and the time that passes has no meaning without Jesus.

On the other hand, Christmas has so much meaning when we greet it in the Lord. We were saved from all our sins because He came to save us. If He had not come to save us, we surely would have been destined for destruction, but Jesus was baptized and crucified because of us. He came to this world through the Virgin Mary to save His people from their sins. Therefore, as Christians, Christmas is a truly holy day.

Therefore, the birth of our Lord has something to do with us when we see it in the Lord, who created and controls the entire universe and oversees the beginning and the end. Therefore, we need to see the work of His true love, through the gospel of the water and the Spirit. This world exists because God created the universe. God said He would destroy this world as He has done once before. We can see that the end is near. Just as we can feel and understand Oh, this is the work of God! as we watch in the Lord the cycle of seasons of spring, summer, fall and winter, we can also feel that He is creating a new world as He saves us from all our sins.

He has shown us His Creation, so that we know that this universe is going around because the Capable One has the control over this universe. Humans believe when they see it for themselves with their human eyes. When we are in God, we can understand clearly how He works. However, when we watch the four seasons in the Lord, we can see God’s providence most clearly. If we look at our lives in God, we can also see our lives clearly. When we look at it in the Lord, common people live 70 or 80 years of a miserable life until they die. We were destined to live in misery and die in misery. We can see that our Lord came to this world, was baptized, crucified, and rose from the dead to save us, who were destined for destruction because of our sins, all at once. In Christ, we were saved from all our sins by the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and taken out of destruction and the curse. Therefore, we must look at all things through the eyes of faith in Christ.

Some people doubt that Mary, being a virgin, could really have a child. As a matter of fact, even some pastors doubt that Jesus was born through the Virgin Mary. As they preach and pretend to celebrate His incarnation, in reality, they do not believe that Jesus was miraculously conceived and born by the Virgin Mary. Such people show their stupidity like this. When we do not see the works of God through the eyes of faith in the Lord, we can believe none of them. The passage tells us that Jesus was born after being conceived by the Holy Spirit, and before He was born God said to name the baby Jesus. All this was done to fulfill what had been said.

Over 700 years before Jesus was born, God prophesied through the prophet Isaiah that the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14). This was a prophecy that God would come to this world in a human body to save humans. When we look at it in the Lord, We can see that this is the work of God to deliver people from their sins. This is so that we can see and believe that God created the people and He had saved us from our sins.

This is, however, impossible to believe if we only see it with human eyes and try to understand by human logic. As a result, some people say that not only God enjoys His creation of humans, but also the suffering of humans by eating from the good and evil tree. As a result, sometimes, some people say this: God enjoys His creation of humans. And He also thinks it is very funny to watch humans suffer from eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But, fellow Christians, the fact that the earth and all the other planets go around in their