Magandang Umaga Ssainying Rahat (Good Morning everyone). Magandang Hapon (Good afternoon). Kkamusta po kkayo? (How are you?). Ppag Ppalain Kkayo Nang Dyios (God bless you). Mahalkitta (I love you). Mahalkkokkayo (I love you all). Ssalamat Bbo (Thank you). It is so good for me to come here and to meet you again. Last month I visited Philippine for two weeks. I met many Korean missionaries and Philippine people there. I enjoyed visiting Philippine. Last year I visited this church and delivered a message entitled as ¡°What is life all about.¡± Today I am going to delivered a message entitled as ¡°Goodness of affliction and suffering." Before I deliver a message I would like to sing together a song ¡°God is so good¡± both in English and Philippine languages ¡°God is so good, God is so good, God is so good, He is so good to me.¡± ¡°AngDios Ai Mabuti, AngDios Ai Mabuti, AngDios Ai Mabuti, Mabuti Sa Akin.¡± God is so good to all of us.
There are always affliction and suffering in our lives especially when we live as aliens and strangers on earth. Heb chapter 11 described the lives of our forefathers of faith as aliens and strangers on earth and that they all experienced affliction and suffering in their lives. ¡°They were aliens and strangers on earth.¡±(Heb 11:13). There were always affliction and suffering in the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses and all other forefathers of faith. ¡°Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated-- the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.¡±(Heb 11:36-38).
Jesus the son of God lived a life of affliction and suffering. Isaiah described the life of Jesus as the following. ¡°He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.¡±(Is 53:3). ¡°He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter.¡±(Is 53:7). All of Jesus¡¯ disciples lived the lives of affliction and suffering. They were, however, not afraid but were rejoicing. ¡°The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.¡±(Acts 6:41).
The apostle Peter also described that the lives of Christians as aliens and strangers and encouraged the believers nor to be afraid of affliction and suffering but rejoice. ¡°Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.¡±(I Peter 2:11). ¡°Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.¡±(1 Peter 4:13-16).
The apostle Paul was really the man of affliction and suffering. He was even rejoicing in affliction and sufferings. ¡°Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.¡±(Rom 5:3,4). He described with thanksgiving his life of affliction and suffering as the following. ¡°Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.¡±(2 Cor11:23-27). The apostle Paul remarked his life of affliction and suffering as a sign of the servant hood and discipleship of Jesus Christ and he was rejoicing in affliction and suffering. ¡°I am more a servant of Christ, I have worked much harder.¡±(2 Cor11:23). ¡°That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.¡±(2 Cor 12:10). ¡°Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.¡±(Col 1:24).
The subject of my message today is ¡°Goodness of affliction and suffering." It is, of course, hard and difficult to endure affliction and suffering when you live as aliens and strangers on earth. But it is good and useful. The Psalmist confessed as the following. ¡°It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.¡±(Ps 119:71). It is really good for me to be afflicted, It is really good for me to suffer, It is really good for me to experience pain and sorrow.
I often say that pain and sorrow become precious treasures of life. I personally experienced pain and sorrow as well as affliction and suffering. I have lived almost all of my life as an alien and stranger on earth. I left home, mother and father when I was 11 years old. I left North Korea and came to South Korea when I was 11 years old. The only reason and purpose of my coming to South was obtaining the freedom of faith and the freedom of worshipping God on Sundays. In North Korea the freedom of faith and the freedom of worshipping God on Sundays were forbidden. Every Monday I was punished at school because I did not go to the school on Sundays. I always went to the church on Sundays to worship God. I was punished evry Monday. I really wanted to obtain freedom of faith and freedom of worshipping God on Sundays. I went to see my father who was in prison at that time. My father was a Presbyterian pastor and was imprisoned for the sake of keeping his faith in God. I met my father and told him that I wanted to go to the south to obtain the freedom of faith and the freedom of worshipping God on Sundays. My father looked at me for a while and told me that I could go to the south. My mother who loved me so much and who used to say that she could not live without me was crying and told me I could go. I left home, mother and father when I was 11 years old. I crossed the border line in the darkness of night. The other adults who were crossing the border line were all captured by the North Korean soldiers. I was the only little boy who was running to the south. I was running about 40 minutes and I made it crossing the border. I was not afraid. I even felt a kind of thrill. I came to Seoul Korea safely. Since then I have lived almost all of my life as an alien and stranger on earth. I experienced pain and sorrow as well as affliction and suffering throughout all of my life. Since my separation from my mother I was crying almost every night for a number of years. I experienced hardship and difficulties during the Korean-war. I also experienced hardship and difficulties during 12 years of my studying abroad in the USA. When my beloved little son died of incurable diseases when he was 4 years old I experienced heartfelt sorrow and pain.
But I have to confess that all of the pain and sorrow as well as affliction and suffering have become precious treasures of my life. God has blessed my life of the pain and sorrow as well as affliction and suffering abundantly. I studied both in Korea and USA in best schools much more than many other people. I have enjoyed my healthy life throughout all of my life. I did not feel any financial lack throughout all of my life. Since my return from my studying abroad I have had wonderful opportunities to serve God and the Korean churches as a pastor and as a professor. I have had wonderful opportunities to do the ministries of mission as well as the ministry of relief for the world. I experienced pain and sorrow as well as affliction and suffering throughout all of my life. But they were very good and very useful. You Philippine friends are living in Korea as aliens and strangers and yoy may experience pain and sorrow as well as affliction and suffering. There are always affliction and suffering in the lives of aliens and strangers. But these experiences will become very useful and good. Now I am going to list the good points of pain and sorrow as well as affliction and suffering.

Firstly, when you experience pain and sorrow as well as affliction and suffering you become warm and humble hearted. When you do not experience pain and sorrow as well as affliction and suffering you tend to become cool and arrogant hearted. When you experience pain and sorrow as well as affliction and suffering you become understanding and compassionate for others. When you do not experience pain and sorrow as well as affliction and suffering you tend to become critical and judgmental. I was naturally critical and judgmental. I have, however, gradually changed. The more I experienced pain and sorrow as well as affliction the more I became warm and humble hearted as well as understanding and compassionate.

Secondly, when you experience pain and sorrow as well as affliction and suffering you come closer to the Cross and come to love the Cross. It is because the Cross is the supreme symbol of pain and sorrow as well as affliction and suffering. The more you experience pain and sorrow as well as affliction and suffering the more you want to participate in the pain and sorrow as well as affliction and suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ. When you do not experience pain and sorrow as well as affliction and suffering you tend to go far away from the Cross and tend to run away from the pain and sorrow as well as affliction and suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ. Through my experience of pain and sorrow as well as affliction and suffering I came to love the Cross and came to love to preach about the Cross. Some of the subjects of my messages about the Cross were as the following. ¡°Change of Destiny¡± ¡°Wisdom of God¡± ¡°Our Peace¡± ¡°Zenith of Love¡± ¡°Subject of Praises¡± "Core of Gospel¡± ¡°Way of Happiness¡± ¡°Seven Words for Me¡±

Thirdly, when you experience pain and sorrow as well as affliction and suffering you come to have desire to go to the people on earth who are painful, sorrowful, afflicted, suffering and you come to love them, you come to comfort them, and you come to help them. Your experience of pain and sorrow as well as affliction and suffering changes your character and nature. Your experience of pain and sorrow as well as affliction and suffering makes you a man of comfort, a man of help, and a man of love. By nature I was a selfish person. I was not concerned for others, especially for those who are different from my race, different from my culture, and different from my religion. I have however gradually changed. I came to possess compassion for other kinds of people who are painful, sorrowful, afflicted, and suffering on earth. I came to possess compassion and desire to love and help them. I went to Burkina Fasso in North Africa to help the suffering people from drought and helped them to dig about 15 wells. I went to Bangladesh to help the suffering people from flood and diseases and helped them to build an eye clinic and sent food. I went to Yunbyun area in China to help sorrowful motherless children and I began to help about 170 motherless Korean Chinese children during the past 14 years. I went to Afghanistan to help the most suffering children from war stricken disasters and poverty and helped them to build a school. I went to North Korea to help the poor and the sick and began to send food and medicine during the past 17 years. I have to confess that one of the realistic reasons of my desire to help the suffering people came from my own experience of pain and suffering. I have to confess that ¡°It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.¡±(Ps 119:71). It is really good for me to be afflicted, It is really good for me to suffer, It is really good for me to experience pain and sorrow.

Fourthly, when you experience pain and sorrow as well as affliction and suffering you come to look up to heaven and come to have a sincere desire to go to the heavenly home. Pain and sorrow of separation and death makes you to yearn after the heavenly home where there would be no sorrow of separation or death. The apostle John when he was imprisoned at Patmos Island was looking up to heaven and yearning for the heavenly home. The apostle Paul when he was imprisoned in Rome was looking up to heaven and yearning for the heavenly home. He confessed as the following. ¡°I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far¡±(Phil 1:23). If you do not have any experience of pain and sorrow as well as affliction and suffering but rather have a life of riches, honors, and fames on earth, you might not have a desire or yearning after the heavenly home. You might be happy to live long on earth. Such a life might look as happy and blessed but in fact unhappy and miserable. Through my experiences of pain and sorrow as well as affliction and suffering I came to have a desire and yearning after the heavenly home. I often look up to heaven and yearn after the heavenly home.
A few years ago I wrote an essay entitled as ¡°My appearances before the Lord¡± The essay was as the following. ¡°When I was driving my car I was thinking of myself. What kind of appearances would I have when I stand before the Lord in heaven? Would I be jumping and rejoicing? Would I be shouting with thanksgiving and praises? I was saying no. I was thinking of my appearance before the Lord as weeping and sobbing with hot tears because of my shameful and sorry life together with gratefulness for the mercies of the Lord. I was thinking of my appearance before the Lord as continually weeping and sobbing remembering my earthly life as full of disobedience, passion, arrogance and hypocrisy together with over gratitude for the grace of mercies. I was imagining of myself as continually weeping and sobbing with hot tears because of my shamefulness as well as over-gratitude for the Lord¡¯s mercies of not spitting me out of His mouth but of using me as His servant throughout all of my life.¡±
¡°I was thinking of another appearance of mine before the Lord as kneeling down and expressing gratitude, respect and love to the forefathers of faith such as Abraham, Moses, David, Rev. Kil Sun Ju, Rev. Ju Ki Chul, Rev. Sohn Yang Won, Rev. Lee Sung Bong, Rev. Kim Chi Sun, Rev. Park Yune Sun. and Rev. Han Kyung Chik. It was because of the benevolence and help of the forefathers of faith who planted the seed of repentance, faith, tears, and love in my body and soul as well as the surpassing mercy and grace of the Lord that I was not thrown into the punishment of hell but brought up to the heavenly home.¡±
¡°I was thinking of another appearance of mine before the Lord as tightly holding my mother who poured out the most sad and beautiful love upon me on earth and as shedding hot tears of love and respect for my mother. I was also thinking of myself as warmly embraced by my dear father who taught me the way of faith and martyrdom and as whispering love, respect and gratitude to him. I was also thinking of myself as embracing my beloved little son whom I loved with sorrow and pain and as whispering that I missed him so much.¡±
¡°I was thinking of another appearance of mine before the Lord as joyfully and happily meeting my beloved families, relatives and believers. Some of them came to know and believe in the Lord and came to love and serve the Lord through my insufficient ministry of evangelism and pastor ship. Some of them poured tears, prayers and love for me earth. I was thinking of myself as joyfully and happily meeting dear ones who were brought to heavenly home through the grace and mercy of the Lord.¡±
¡°I was thinking of my appearance before the Lord as weeping and sobbing with hot tears because of my shameful and sorry life on earth and then as happily rejoicing and gladly laughing for the happy reunion with the beloved ones. My appearance before the Lord would be kneeling down and holding two hands up high praising God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit for the grace, compassion, mercy, wisdom, power and greatness forever and ever.¡±(Aug. 31, 2008).
I am going to close my message. The experiences of the pain and sorrow as well as affliction and suffering become the most precious and beautiful treasures for the disciples of Jesus who want to follow the footsteps of the Lord. We should not, therefore, reject or escape from the pain and suffering. It is because there are always deep spiritual meanings in every pain and sorrow as well as affliction and suffering. It is because we become warm and humble, hearted and understanding and compassionate through the experiences of pain and sorrow as well as affliction and suffering. It is because we come closer to the Cross and come to love the Cross through the experiences of pain and sorrow as well as affliction and suffering. It is because we come to have desire to go to the people on earth who are painful, sorrowful, afflicted, suffering and you come to love and help them through the experiences of pain and sorrow as well as affliction and suffering. It is because we come to have a desire to go to the heavenly home and prepare for the heavenly home through the experiences of pain and sorrow as well as affliction and suffering. I wish and pray that we would take all pain and sorrow as well as affliction and suffering as precious and as valuable. I wish and pray that the grace of God and the love of Jesus would manifest in every place of the world through our lives and death. I wish and pray that we could follow the footsteps of the apostle Paul and fill up Christ¡¯s affliction. ¡°Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.¡±(Col 1:24). I also wish and pray that the confession of the apostle Paul could the confession of ours. ¡°Finally, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.¡±(Gal 6:17).