WITHOUT PEACE AND SANCTIFICATION
NO ONE WILL SEE THE LORD
Hebrews 12:14; 1 Thessalonians 4:7-8
Just as parents have expectations for their children, God hopes for peace and sanctification from His saints. “Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb 12:14). It doesn’t matter if you have believed in God for many years, or if you are a minister, elder, elderess, deacon or deaconess. If you do not have peace and sanctification, you will not see God. “Pursue peace and sanctification!” You cannot choose to not follow this command of God.
Peace pertains to human relationships, whereas sanctification pertains to man’s relationship with God. Among all creation, only man was created in God’s image. Hence, man learns to emulate God throughout his life, ultimately pursuing a sanctified life in order to enter the eternal kingdom of heaven. If one later stands before God without having lived such a life, then that person will face a terrible judgment at the witness of the tens of billions of people who have come and gone in this earth since the creation of the first man Adam.
God is a God of peace. After Apostle Paul prayed to God for the saints of the church in Corinth—who were always arguing, alienating one another and saying bad things about each other—he received this word: “God is not a God of confusion but of peace” (1 Cor 14:33; Eph 2:14). God has called us to seek peace with Him and to be in harmony with our neighbors and families (1 Cor 7:15; Col 3:15). God commands us, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men” (Rom 12:8). He tells us, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse” (Rom 12:14), and “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,’ says the Lord” (Rom 12:19).
Peace is not made by man. Peace is the fruit of wisdom and righteousness which is from above (Jas 1:17-18). There are no enemies where there is peace; thus, a man of peace will have no enemies. A man of peace will not categorize or judge others as “good” or “bad.” Just like the fleeting morning mist, the world in which we live will be gone in the blink of an eye. So why do we feud and fight amongst ourselves and envy one another? Please be at peace with others. Greed, selfish ambition, jealousy, anger, and pride are the enemies of peace. When these things make their way into individuals, families, or come between couples, they cause people flare up at each other and make living together impossible. Having no peace in your heart will turn you into a thief, swindler, or unrivaled deceiver.
Stephen was one of the seven deacons of the Early Church. Even when the multitudes of those who hated Jesus cursed, stoned, and punched him, Stephen’s heart was at peace and his face stayed angelic. His faith did not waver because his heart was at peace. He was at peace even when he was surrounded by a swarm of people who stoned him to death. He carried no hatred. Then, he saw the heavens open and Jesus standing at the right hand of God (Acts 7:55-56).
Twins Esau and Jacob, who were greedy and jealous of each other in the past, reunited after many years in their old age. When they met, Jacob rubbed his face against his older brother Esau, wept and said, “I see your face as one sees the face of God.” It is a scene of great love, reconciliation and overflowing blessings. It was as though God was in the midst of their lives (Gen 33:10). How could there be enemies or hatred during an inspiring encounter with someone with “the face of God”?
How can we forgive those who steal our money, ruin our families, or obstruct the path of our children? How can we possibly reconcile with them? If we have faith in God, we can. God wants us to love our enemies. Moreover, He tells us to feed and clothe our enemies who are hungry and naked. Christians should not have enemies. What can we do to those who do not know what they do? Even when people criticize or revile me, I don’t even bat an eyelid because I believe that God knows all. They don’t know what they are doing, so what can I do? I just need to pray for them instead. I have no enemies. I will be in this world only for 70 to 80 years before I go to heaven, so why would I be so foolish as to have enemies? Like Jacob and Esau, we must embrace our enemies.
Beloved saints, peace is more important than wealth, fame, or success. There are those who neglect their parents, only showing up when death is near so that they can inherit something. They are truly bad people. We should always respect, honor, and love our parents. God said, “Pursue peace, but in sanctification.” Sanctification is developing a relationship with God. We must pursue peace while loving and trusting in God and living according to His Word. We must seek peace by not impairing sanctification, and pursue sanctification by not needlessly harming peace. We must always make sure that we do not lack in sanctification and peace. We must not pretend to have perfect peace when our hearts are only partially at peace while the rest is filled with hatred. God searches our hearts and minds.
Apostle Paul said, “Let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Cor 7:1). The Book of Jude says, “Build yourselves.” We are to build a house of character, moral excellence, and faith.
Only through peace and sanctification can we go to God. Taking a close look at today’s scripture of Hebrews 12:14, we can see that God repeatedly emphasizes this with three expressions: “without,” “no one,” and “will see.” “Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.”
Why is sanctification missing in our lives of faith? Why can’t we have peace with all men? Why do we create troubles wherever we go, lie and make things up, and tell others out of jealousy, “Don’t hang out with this person,” or “That person did this in the past”? How pitiful is such a life! I’ve read the Bible over 1,700 times, but the part—“Without peace with all men and sanctification, no one will see the Lord”—still pricks my conscience with a spiritual awakening. Jesus said during the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” “Seeing God” involves peace and sanctification.
“As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness; I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I awake” (Ps 17:15).
The unholy cannot enter the sanctuary of God. Church is not just for sanctified people. Just as a bathroom is where unclean people go to wash themselves, so, too, is a church for sinners. However, a church is also where the sinners come and eventually end up pursuing peace and sanctification. What is the use of going back and forth to church like a pendulum for hundreds of years if our minds don’t change? God weighs our hearts. “He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood and has not sworn deceitfully” can ascend into the hill of the Lord (Ps 24:3-4). Without sanctification, we will not be able to enter the Kingdom of God (Rev 21:1, 8; Heb 9:28). Liars, murderers, thieves, and swindlers cannot enter the new Jerusalem.
Then, how can we be sanctified before God?
It is possible only through Jesus. Jesus was crucified and shed His blood of salvation to pay for our sins. We must believe this. The holy blood of Jesus must be present in our hearts by faith. The moment we believe, the original sin of Adam who was the progenitor of the human race, the hereditary sin of our ancestors, and our own sins committed knowingly and unknowingly in our lifetime will all disappear. Sins will not disappear even with strict spiritual training. Not believing is a grave sin (John 16:9; Rom 14:23). How wonderful it is that God brings us His righteousness and says, “You are innocent.” This is why believers have hope even at death. At the moment of their death, the heaven’s gate opens and believers enter heaven instantly. However, the moment unbelievers die, they face a world of darkness. As the time approaches, let us be wise, believe in Jesus, and pursue peace and sanctification. Our bodies are not ours. “For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body” (1 Cor 6:20). “You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men” (1 Cor 7:23).
Peace and sanctification are in God’s domain. All that belongs to God is described with the word holy. The sanctuary, God’s designated place, is holy, and all His furnishings therein are also holy. Even if we touch the holy things that God has made, we are sanctified (Exod 29:37). The woman who had suffered from hemorrhage for 12 years and spent all her fortune was healed completely the moment she touched Jesus’ garment by faith (Matt 9:21; Matt 14:36). The sick who only touched the handkerchiefs of Apostle Paul were healed (Acts 19:12). On the contrary, any contact with unclean places will make us even more unclean (Lev 11:24, 25, 32, 33; Hag 2:12). We must not consider what God has consecrated as unholy. To save Cornelius the centurion, God showed Peter—who was reluctant to evangelize to the Gentiles—a vision of unclean beasts that God had forbidden to eat. Then God commanded him, “I made it clean, so eat.” When Peter visited the house of Cornelius and spoke the Word, the Holy Spirit came and the whole house pursued peace and sanctification.
To live a sanctified life, we must crucify ourselves.
“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me” (Gal 2:20).
We cannot say that we believe in Jesus if we don’t crucify our nature and are quick to anger. If we lose our temper once, the will of God fails (Jas 1:20). It will destroy our home. If we want to believe, we must have real faith. We cannot say that we believe and yet still cheat and steal. Only when we solve the problem of sin can we receive blessings from God (Jer 5:25). Most of all, not repenting is a terrible sin. When we repent, we gain faith in Jesus. Because God is holy, we who believe in Him and have become His children must also be holy.
We must distinguish ourselves and avoid unholy deeds such as harlotry. God told us not to even touch such such things.
1. God is holy (Prov 9:10). His Words are holy. If we receive His Word without doubt, then we will be clothed with His holiness.
2. Consecrated saints are holy (Ps 16:10).
3. Pyungkang Cheil Church is a holy place. God told Moses that Mt. Sinai is holy ground, and thus must remove his sandals of sin with which he entered into many unholy places. Every time we come to church, we must pray fervently as follows: “I am entering this church, the holy ground, which God has designated and paid for with His blood. Please allow me to live a holy life.” If you pray like this, God’s grace will come down upon you like snow. The moment we pray, we are already blessed. This is faith.
4. The Israelites are a holy people (Exod 19:6).
5. The Lord’s day is a holy day. God sanctified this day so that people who worship on this day become holy.
Hence, we must strive to believe, learn, and live by the perfect Word of God. When we do so, God’s grace will come down upon us. Our deeds cannot be holy from our own strength. We can be good to others, receive grace, or earn praise only through the work of God’s grace, not by our own talents or abilities. It is also God’s grace that gives us understanding when we hear the Word. God said, “Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart” (1 Pet 1:22). We must love sincerely. If you have prejudice, please iron out your differences. If you are all wrinkled inside, do not pretend to be without wrinkles, but love sincerely without affectation, flaws, pretense, and hypocrisy (Rom 12:9). A lie is a sin more horrifying than murder or rape. A liar is a murderer (John 8:44). Speaking as we please is also a lie. The worst sins are lying, cheating, and betraying. Not only should we not betray spiritually, but we should also never betray others. Once we betray, we will betray again. As long as we are sincere, people will forgive and still love us even if we make mistakes. However, if we look down on others in self-righteousness and hold a biased heart, we will never be at peace.
It is said, “If time is gold, then truth is a diamond.” Without peace and sanctification, we cannot live in truth. Pretending to be sincere while living in falsehood will surely be exposed one day, like a hole that appears as clothes wear out. Lies ruin individuals, families, societies and people (Prov 19:9; Ps 52:4-5; Prov 12:22). A liar can never enter heaven (Rev 21:27). Hypocrisy is also a lie. There is a fine line between lies and hypocrisy. “Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment” (Prov 12:19). The most frightening person is not someone who opposes, but someone who slanders with lies. Such a person will face terrifying judgment. Any organization or country that puts a liar as its leader is doomed to collapse. Civilizations have collapsed not because of poverty, but because of lies. Joseph’s brothers who had sold Joseph to the Midianite merchants lied to their father saying that he had been killed by a beast (Gen 37:28-29). Delilah had faked her love for Samson and caused his death (Judg 16:4-21). How pitiful was Samson who was deceived by a woman’s lies?
Solomon, who indulged in women, also confessed at the end that women are hell. Ananias and his wife Sapphira, who had lied about having offered all their possessions, both faced their sudden deaths on the same day. Without truth, we cannot be sanctified. Even after deceiving ourselves, we do not realize we have sinned or we try to justify ourselves by saying, “I have sinned because I did not know what was in my heart.” The soul of man is the lamp of God; but there will be no light in those souls that are without truth and full of lies. God said the saints in the last days must lift up their holy hands to pray (Luke 21:36; 1 Tim 2:8), but we will not be able to lift up our hands with an abominable heart full of lies. Like pouring water into a broken jar, we are bound to fall no matter how hard we try if we lack sincerity.
As the time is near, those who steal will steal more. And when the time comes, God will let them do whatever they want to do, not allowing them to repent. A liar will remain a liar until death, and God will let him face his judgment. This is a very fearful message (Rev 22:10-12). On the contrary, a peacemaker will become more prosperous in all that he does. He will be assured when he looks at his children and have no worries in his marriage or business (Ps 37:11; 37:37). The end for a peacemaker is a tranquil heart (Prov 14:30). Please believe that Abraham’s blessings of great prosperity are bestowed upon peacemakers.
Rev. Abraham Park’s sermon from the 2nd Lord’s Day service on March 12, 2006
*This post can also be read in 'Champyungan'. (http://champyungan.com/en/)