Message by Pastor Samuel Kim
April 17, 2022
I want to introduce an item, which is a charcoal briquette. Nowadays, few people use this item. However, 30 years ago, many Koreans considered it indispensable for their families during the winter season. This is because it was able to make the room warm and therefore keep the body warm. But today we might think that a black, dirty, and ugly briquette is worthless.
However, the briquette has a deeper meaning I would like to explore with you.
When the briquette catches on fire, it sacrifices itself so that the ice-cold room becomes a warm room. A chilled body becomes a warm body. Also after the charcoal briquette is used up, the ashes can be spread on an icy road or path to make them less slippery. In this way the charcoal briquette completes its mission.
Now, in our Bible reading, Paul described how God showed His great love for us through giving His only son Jesus Christ. It’s expressed very simply, but it means a lot. Because the figure I just compared to briquettes is the figure of Jesus Christ. Despite being able to sit on a throne in heaven, Jesus took on flesh like us sinners, was born in a manger and lived as the son of a carpenter. Did the holy God, in Jesus, truly come to this dark world in the flesh? Yes, it is a love that cannot be explained by human logic. But we learn that Jesus was aware of his mission here in the world. This mission required that Jesus sacrifice himself on the cross, die and rise again. That crucifixion was like a revolution for all mankind… However, we find that Jesus knew his mission on earth, and he did it. This mission required Jesus to sacrifice Himself on the cross, to die and rise up again! His suffering on the cross shows us sinners His great love.
In Ephesians 2:4, it says, “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved.”
In order to explain this love of the cross, I would like to explain in more detail through these questions and answers of the Heidelberg Catechism 43-45. This is a Catechism of the Reformed tradition was written in 1563 and is also a question-and-answer book that is often used as a confession of faith by many Reformed and Presbyterian churches that have been established through the ages.
I first asked, “What does the cross show us?” I would like to explain by quoting answer 43 of the Heidelberg Catechism to the question.
Question 43 is: What further benefit do we receive from Christ’s sacrifice and death on the cross?
A: By Christ’s power our old selves are crucified, put to death, and buried with him, so that the evil desires of the flesh may no longer rule us, but that instead we may offer ourselves as a sacrifice of gratitude to him.
What does the cross show us? We surely know “it is that through Christ’s death on the cross, our old nature is crucified, put to death, and buried with him so that the evil desires of the flesh may no longer reign in us, but that we may offer ourselves to him as a sacrifice of thankfulness”
And the love of the cross saves us from our greatest sorrows and temptations to the unspeakable agony and torment, fear and anguish that Jesus Christ endured through all his sufferings, especially on the cross, to deliver us from the agony and suffering of God. You can be sure that he has given it to you and comforted you.
In particular, if you look at the Apostles’ Creed, the confession of faith we confess, in Korean, it simply says, “He died on a cross and was buried three days after he was buried.” This is how it is. However, if you look at the original Apostles’ Creed, there is a part omitted from the Korean version, which is the confession “He descended into hell”. If you look at the English version of the Apostles’ Creed, “… was crucified, dead and
buried; He descended into hell;” Here it is. It is also written in the original Latin Apostles’ Creed.
“Pontio Pilato, crucifixus, mortuus, et sepultus, descendit ad inferos, tertia die resurrexit a mortuis, ascendit ad caelos,”
The reason why I am going to tell you this in detail is that Jesus Himself died on the cross and went down to hell. It means hell.
It is not enough that he endured all the suffering for us, was crucified and died, and that he went to hell for a while… It is difficult to explain with human logic.
However, the 44th question and answer of the Heidelberg Catechism explaining the love of the cross to the saints today explains this part like this.
- Q. Why does the creed add, “He descended to hell”?
A: To assure me during attacks of deepest dread and temptation that Christ my Lord, by suffering unspeakable anguish, pain, and terror of soul, on the cross but also earlier, has delivered me from hellish anguish and torment.
That’s right. This confession that Jesus went down to that hell, that hell, more clearly, goes down to that hell through death on the cross for us who deserve to go to that hell, and saves all our sins, all our shame, all our wounds, and all the pain we complete separation from God – separate from his presence and all the good things he created for us (light, food, drink, beauty, hope, love, pleasure, etc.) Jesus’cried out because he felt utterly forsaken by God, which is hell too. He showed us the perfect salvation that He washed, washed, and saved us!
And he has surely saved us up to this point, and after completing his mission, Jesus died and rose again on the third day! Hallelujah!! How could you not be happy? What greater joy in the world could there be than this?
God, who loves us so much, has come to us again through the resurrection through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. And that Jesus, who went to hell and rose again, showed us his resurrection life, so that we and the children of God could also participate in this glorious work of God.
In other words, Jesus Christ showed us that through His resurrection life He overcame death so that we could participate in the righteousness He obtained for us by His death. You have gained a new life, and you are participating in His glorious work on this earth as a child of the Lord.
In particular, the Heidelberg question and answer to question 45 explains how the glorious resurrection of Christ can benefit us.
- Q.How does Christ’s resurrection benefit us?
A: First, by his resurrection he has overcome death,
so that he might make us share in the righteousness he obtained for us by his death.
Second, by his power we too are already raised to a new life. Third, Christ’s resurrection is a sure pledge to us of our blessed resurrection.
Dear Korean American Church and Japanese Worship Group members, yes! The resurrection of Christ is the sure guarantee of our glorious resurrection. On Easter today, we are worshiping the Lord in this place with the love of His crucifixion, which became the guarantee in the worship service held together at this church. This is the glory and the blessing of the blessed. Such Christians are people who live our lives toward the heavens where Christ is, living the life of the resurrection of Christ. Therefore, the heavenly thing that I should pursue on this earth is to “become an imitator of God” and do earthly things according to God’s purpose and God’s way, right? Shouldn’t the things of the earth that I have to forsake be “fornication and all uncleanness and covetousness”? That life is possible with the power of resurrection.
As Ephesians 5:8-9 says, “I was once darkness, but now I am your light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth!”
That’s right. Now we are the resurrected light in the Lord. It doesn’t happen automatically, if you just stand still. We must actively use that ability to “walk like children of light, and practice all goodness and righteousness and truth.” That is the power of resurrection.
We can compare Jesus’great love with the warmth of charcoal briquettes! His sacrifice for us is like a briquette sacrifice to warm our bodies.
And just as the ashes of briquettes help people to walk safely on icy roads, Jesus Christ opened the pathway to life through his resurrection.
Brothers and sisters in Christ,
God raised us up with Christ through his resurrection and seated us with Christ in heaven. It is past, present, future, and eternity. I pray in the name of Jesus that you will always praise the resurrection of Jesus Christ and become the blessings of God who triumphs in your daily life as the children of the Lord’s light. Amen
Let us pray.
Thank you for your message. Your great love brings us hope from anguish and torments of life. And your resurrection changes us into your people.
It’s all by your grace. Thank you for your great love. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen