Ezekiel 48:35
The Jehovah is there !
At last God left the kingdom of Judah because the kings and people of Judah kept committing sins against God.
As the result of that, the kingdom of Judah was destructed and the city of Jerusalem was fired, and they were carried to Babylon as the captives.
But today's scripture (Ezekiel 48) tells us they came back to Palestine and they distributed their land, especially they called Jerusalem 'Jehovah Samma !' that means 'Jehovah is there !'
I saw many say, "Where is God ?" The correct and wise answer is 'Jehovah Samma!' That is 'Jehovah is there !'
The first astronaut of USSR (Russia) who left the Earth and saw the Universe said, "There was no God even if I saw the Universe carefully !"
But the bible says, "Since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." (Romans 1:19-20)
This means we can realize 'God is there !' when we see the universe and the created things.
So David says, "Where can I go from your Spirit ? Where can I flee from your presence ? If I go up to the heavens, you are there ; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast." (Psalms 139:7-10)
But people are different from David's confession. They don't realize 'God is there !' so that they give up their faith and they corrupt.
Brothers and sisters, In order for us to get more faith and to love God, to worship God, to be loyal to God, we must realize the existence of God.
When we know 'God is not far from us, he is now here with us' we can have strong faith, hope and love.
Brothers-, Have you ever realized 'Oh, God is here !' When we feel the existence of God we can get true peace and true courage.
Let,s see Jacob : He believed in God. But he didn't realize the existence of God. He had lukewarm faith.
One day he had to leave father's house because his elder brother Esau tried to kill him.
When the Sun set he took a stone, and put it under his head and lay down to sleep.
He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. there above it stood the Lord, and he said :
"I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. your descents will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the nort and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you."
When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it."
When Jacob lived with his pareant and when he enjoyed the wealth of his pareant Jacob could not realize God was with him.
But when he was uneasy because of the big problem he realized God was with him.
Whenever Jacob faced the danger of death and various difficulties, God appeared and said, "I am now with you. Do not worry ! Be strong !"
He could be the man of faith because Jacob realized 'God is there'
God is only one, but he was in the past, he will be in the future and e is now. God is in heaven, he is on earth and he is in everything, and he is here with us.
God said, "Do I exist fully in everything ? When you pass through the waters, I will be with you ; and when you walk through the rivers, I will be with you." (Isaiah 43:2)
And Jesus also said, "For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." (Matthew 18:20) "Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:20)
Brothers-, Do you believe God will be with you in the future ? Can you say, "I don't worry even if the waves of problems attack you, because God is wit me ?"
If you d believe this and if you ca say 'amen !' to this answer you are the man of faith.
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph and all the me of faith realized 'God was with me !'
David said, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with
me."
When we are hospitalized, God is there with us. When a Christian was hospitalized he grumbled against God. And he attached on the wall of the ward a paper written 'God is nowhere !'
One day a pastor visited him and gave him a word of God, saying, "Do not fear, for I am with you ; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you ; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10)
Then the sick man entered the operation room. There he saw J stayed all the time with him and guarded him.
After he came out of the operation room he detached the paper 'God is nowhere !' from the wall and attached the paper written 'God is now here !'
Brothers-, God is here with us. Even if all the people desert me God does not desert me. God is always there with me.
Jesus said, "I will not leave you as orphans ; I will come to you." (John 14:18) "Though my father and my mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me." (Psalms 27:10)
The Lord was there with Daniel in the den of lions. He was there with Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego in the blazing furnace. he was there with Peter and Paul in the prison. And he is here in Calgary with us.
When I was in Korea I always experienced the existence of God. And 2 year and 3 months ago I came to Calgary and prayed, "God, Are you here with me like in Korea, aren't you ? Then he said always, "Don't worry I am with you always to the very end of the age."
Brothers-, The Lord who was in Korea with us is here
in Calgary with us too. And the Lord who helped us in Korea helps us in Calgary too.
Therefore believe ! "God is here with me !" "He is always there with me wherever I go." "Jehovah is there !" "Jehovah Samma !"