Ep 879 - The Path of Life for All Humankind Part 20
The Path of Life for All Humankind - March 23, 2023
PDF Printable Text and Images + Testimony Rev. Stephen Gabb
Key Points
TP: After receiving the blessing, blessed families must keep absolute purity and receive the blessing for at least three generations in order to become true olive trees of the original standard.
God will “handle” such a family directly and eternally and the providence of salvation will be completed.
If we have children who have left the church or have a distant relationship with the church, we should not give up and (should offer) a lot of devotion so that they can come back. It's not too late.
God will surely listen to our prayers and open the hand of salvation to those who never give up.
We need to continually nurture each generation with a vision of their chastity and future blessing for up to seven generations.
Our responsibility is to practice absolute faith, absolute love and absolute obedience toward God’s words and not eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil.
When we complete our portion of responsibility we will inherit God’s creative nature to govern over all things as the second creator, participate in the history of God’s creation, and live with God forever.
If God were to interfere with humans’ portion of responsibility during their growing period, God would be disregarding the absoluteness and perfection of His own Principle of Creation.
We should educate our children to take responsibility for themselves.
We need to constantly education our children with our vision for their purity.
Vision makes reality.
Love is essential, selfless, patient, supportive, loyal, hopeful, trusting, forgiving and truth-loving.
We should keep the words that have moved us to ourselves and not reveal them for a certain time. They can become our source of strength.
People of few words have more of a center than talkative people, and they are less fickle.
God hates it when we knowingly continue to make mistakes.
We must train ourself by setting conditions of faith for 40 days or 3 months of 6 months and continuously challenge ourself.
God tries to forget our past, but we remind him of it by repeating the actions of our fallen nature habitually.
Students should not be dominated by exams but turn their subjects into hobbies and study continually with interest and for the sake of others. The same is true for work or any endeavor.
People who practice a good life of faith will have no problem when tests and trials come.
Transcripts from November 3, 2021 to the present, personal notes from November 11, 2020 until November 2, 2021 and slides from August 29, 2021 to the present are available at MD.Hoondok.com as PDF files.♦
I was so impressed with Kaiye Yamoto-san’s prayer this morning. It was really beautiful how she appreciated God. Thank you.
Yesterday, I had a breakfast meeting with the key leaders of the New Jersey church. They are President Naokimi, Rev. Takino, Nancy, Resfred, and Yasutaka. They are key leaders who are doing their best. We shared, discussed and had tears together. They are leading our New Jersey Family Church.
Then, I had promised Tom Corley a long time ago that I would visit to the Long Island Family Church. So, I visited the Long Island Family Church and had a meeting with Rev. Tom Corley. We had lunch together. I really appreciate him; he is working so hard. Actually his physical body’s condition is not great, but he is still working hard. He has such a pure heart. His testimony about how God helped him and loved him, leading him to become a missionary is really beautiful.
Today I’d like to talk about “The Path of Life for All Humankind” from True Mother’s Anthology, Book 2.
<This speech was given by Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon between February 11 and May 29, 1999 at events promoting the Global Expansion of True Families in Japan, the United States and around the world.>
The Fall means that we inherited the life and lineage of evil, centering on evil love. We were born from false parents, false olive trees. We must therefore rebuild the lineage by changing that false olive tree into a true olive tree. We have to be engrafted onto the true olive tree, go through at least three generations, and produce fruit that itself becomes true olive trees representing the original standard. Then the providence of salvation will be completed, and fallen people will be restored to their original state. In this way, God is trying to make us into children of the parents of goodness, based on loving oneness with God. This is why God sends the Messiah to earth as the True Parents. The Messiah is the one who comes to restore the lineage of all of humankind to God and establish the original ideal of creation.
All people desire to be the best. We want to be God's sons and daughters, God’s princes and princesses, heirs to God's kingship. Everyone has this original desire, yet we have inherited a different lineage. We say that life is an ocean of suffering as we lament at our birth, lament over our lives and lament even as we die. Thus, it is important to know how to end the struggle between our mind and body and unite them as one. A person who cannot unite his or her own mind and body will not be able to play a role in uniting the nation, the world or the spirit world. Once a subject partner and object partner form a reciprocal relationship, they need to become one with a greater entity. Once a man and woman become one as reciprocal partners, that couple has to become an object partner to a greater subject partner, serving their nation as patriots. Likewise, a patriot who enters into an even greater partnership with the world will be engrafted onto the way of saints. A saint becomes part of a greater partnership with the cosmos and is engrafted onto the way of divine sons and daughters. Only after we have achieved the way of divine sons and daughters can we be engrafted onto God.
The Fall means that we inherited the life and lineage of evil, centering on evil love. Inheriting the devil’s blood lineage, love, and life is the fall. We must therefore rebuild the lineage by changing that false olive tree into a true olive tree.
Rebuilding the lineage by changing into a true olive tree means being reborn from the false life, love, and lineage to the true life, love, and lineage through the Savior.
To do that, it is necessary to go through a course of at least three generations and purify the lineage of blessed families who received the blessing through the course of the blessing which engrafts us onto the Savior who comes as the true olive tree.
When fruit produced through such a course becomes true olive trees representing the original standard, fallen people will be restored to their original state at last.
True Parents said that after receiving the blessing, blessed families must keep absolute purity and receive the blessing for at least three generations in order to become true olive trees of the original standard.
However, the thing that always becomes a problem is the number two, just like how Adam and Eve fell at the top of the growth stage. The key is how the blessed 2nd generation can keep their purity, the absolute standard of the blessing that blessed 1st generation kept, without falling.
True Father said that if 2nd generation keep their purity and up to 3 generations keep their purity and receive the blessing, we can finally become the true olive trees that God originally idealized.
That means that if up to 3 generations keep absolute purity and then receive the blessing, God will directly handle that family and He will eternally be within that family.
Father is saying that any blessed family that keeps purity and receives the Blessing for three generations that tradition of keeping purity can last forever. The problem is always No. 2, the second generation.
True Parents said that the providence of salvation will be completed at last when we keep the absolute standards of the Blessing “for” 3 generations in this way. The Messiah’s ultimate purpose for coming to this earth is to purify humankind’s blood lineage and realize the original ideal of creation.
If we have children who have left the church or have a distant relationship with the church, we should not give up and give a lot of devotion so that they can come back. God will surely listen to our prayers and sincerity. It's not too late even now. That is why those who have that kind of problem, let them come and drink holy wine again. Now True Mother has provided us with an incredible grace, as you know. God will surely open the hand of salvation to those who never give up.
And the vision and faith of the Blessed 1st generation family for the Blessed 2nd generation are very important. Our family needs a vision and determination that the blessed 3rd generation family will keep their chastity and bless them no matter what happens, and we need to nurture our children.
In the case of our family, we set the goal of keeping the tradition of absolute purity, absolute blessing, and absolute filial piety for up to 7 generations, and do the Yong Family Pledge every morning after the Family Pledge. We should teach our children that every morning. Otherwise, we cannot overcome the environment of the world.
As first generation our vision and goal-setting is very important. We should keep asking our children...
For my family it is not just 3 generations. Sometimes Father has talked about seven generations. So I really brainwash them. No matter what, young families (need to) keep purity and receive the Blessing up to seven generations. Then after that there is no need to put in any more effort. Just be traditional. We can automatically keep the heavenly blood lineage forever.
That is why we should set up the goal and tell our children, “This is our family’s absolute pledge and tradition.” We can teach them this. If the father and mother of the first generation don’t have that kind of vision and just feed them and don’t talk about it much, don’t share family vision and ideal and do not have a pledge, then the children will not recognize that. That is why education is so important. We need to give clear family vision, our own family pledge. Children will be influenced by that. Family vision really works. If I had not set up that kind of goal and vision in my family, my children probably could not have kept that purity.
That is why now I am talking to my third generation, my grand children. Sometimes I touch their love organ (and ask,) “Do you know what this is?” Very important. The father and mother of the first generation, do we have that kind of vision? How much our vision influences our children! Vision really becomes reality. If we are not so serious about our vision to keep purity, then children are easily influenced by the secular environment. It is not easy to keep this kind of purity.
Of course, I know we put in our effort (for our children) to keep purity. The situation has become very difficult, but we should not give up.
LIVING DIVINE PRINCIPLE: The Human Fall 29: The Reason God Did Not Intervene in the Fall of the First Human Ancestors
• God, being omniscient and omnipotent, must have known about the deviant acts of the first human ancestors which were leading to their Fall. Why, then, did God not intervene to prevent the Fall?
• In accordance with the Principle of Creation, God created human beings in His image, with God's creative nature, intending that they govern over all things as He governs over humankind.
• However, for human beings to inherit the creative nature of God, they must grow to perfection by fulfilling their portion of responsibility.
• While people are still in the growing period, God does not directly govern them because He wishes to allow them to fulfill their own portion of responsibility.
• If God were to interfere with human actions during their growing period, it would be tantamount to ignoring the human portion c responsibility.
• In that case, God would be disregarding His own Principle of Creation, according to which He intends to give human beings Hi: creative nature and raise them to become the lords of creation.
• If the Principle were ignored, then its absoluteness and perfection would be undermined.
• Therefore, in order to preserve the absoluteness and perfection of the Principle of Creation, God did not intervene in the acts that led the human beings to fall.
1. In Order to Preserve the Absoluteness and
Perfection of the Principle of Creation
1. Human beings have to inherit God’s creative nature to govern over all things.
> Mutual Participation : In order for human beings to inherit the creative nature, they have to participate in the history of God’s creation through their responsibi li ty.
> Inheritance : When human beings complete their responsibility, they can resemble God and inherit everything from Him.
> Equality: When human beings complete their responsibility, they can govern over all things as second creators like God governs over humankind.
> Common abode : When human beings complete their responsibility, they can live with God forever.
... as the same position.
2. To inherit the creative nature of God, they must grow to perfection by fulfilling their portion of responsibility.
> If God were to interfere with human portion of responsibility during their growing period, God would be disregarding His own Principle of Creation.
3. In order to preserve the absoluteness and perfection of the Principle of Creation, God did not intervene in the acts that led the human beings to fall.
4. In order to apply the Principle in our daily life,
> We should always create and educate our children in an environment where they can take responsibility for themselves.
> We have to take responsibilities on our own as we eat meals.
In order to drive a car, we need to have a driver’s license, right? In order to get a drivers license, we need to put in an effort. That is our own portion of responsibility. Parents cannot drive for us all the time. We need to have a driver’s license.
In order to have the love license, we must not eat the fruit on the way (to maturity). This is training. This is our own personal responsibility. We need to have self-control.
> Nobody can help us study.
We need to study by ourself. This is our portion of responsibility.
> We have to grow up on our own without depending on others, as we make effort to pass the university entrance exam.
In Korea it is very serious. No one can help us. In order to enter the university, we need to pass the university entrance examination. We need to do it by ourself. Neither our father nor our mother can help us. That is our own portion of responsibility. In order to become co-creator as a son or daughter of God, we need to fulfill our own portion of responsibility. Otherwise we don’t have the qualification to be a co-creator.
The responsibility of human beings is to practice absolute faith, absolute love and absolute obedience toward God’s word and not to eat the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Wow! Self-control.
When we know how to control our own self, that is the qualification to become the owner of true love. We need to pay the price. Without paying the price how can we become co-creator?
What is the difference between all things and human beings? All things do not have their own portion of responsibility. If human beings did not have their own portion of responsibility and God were to say they can become the owner of all things, then all things would accuse human beings, “You are the same as I am. How can you become the owner of all things?”
In order to become the owner of all things, we need to pay a price. We need to have the qualification, the license. Without the license God cannot do anything. He cannot intervene. This is our own portion of responsibility.
Once again, the realization of true love is achieved through the sharing of responsibility and training. So why can’t God intervene with human beings? In order for human beings to realize true love, they must fulfill their portion of responsibility. If God interferes with human beings’ portion of responsibility, they cannot inherit God’s true love and become God’s co-creators. That is why the realization of true love is achieved through sharing of the responsibility and training.
The Realization of True Love is Achieved Through Sharing of Responsibilities and Training <1 Corinthians 13>
The bible says very clearly that we need to become people of true love. What is true love? The Bible says (what it is) very clearly.
1. What if I could speak all languages of humans and of angels? If I did not love others, I would be nothing more than a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
If we don’t have love, we are nothing. We are just a noisy gong, a clanging cymbal. St. Paul is really amazing.
2. What if I could prophesy and understand all secrets and all knowledge? And what if I had faith that moved mountains?
... Oh! From here to there...
I would be nothing, unless I loved others.
Even though we may be so great that we can move a mountain from here to there and understand all secrets and all knowledge, BUT we don’t have love, we are nothing – just a noisy gong and a clanging cymbal. Love is everything. That is why in order to gain love, we need to pay the price, we need to get a license. God cannot intervene.
3. What if I gave away all that I owned and let myself be burned alive? I would gain nothing, unless I loved others.
Even if we give something to others but internally we don’t have love, (and act) by condition or by duty or whatever, if we don’t have genuine true love, what does the Bible say? “You are nothing!” What is the purpose of our life? To become a man of true love – like God.
What is the character of love?
4. Love is kind and patient, never jealous, boastful, proud, or rude.
5. Love isn't selfish or quick tempered. It doesn't keep a record of wrongs that others do.
6. Love rejoices in the truth, but not in evil.
7. Love is always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting.
Whatever we do, if we don’t have love, we are nothing.
Whatever we do, when we relate to anyone if we don’t have genuine love, we are nothing. How can we move hearts? Only utmost sincerity moves heaven. Genuine love. Jesus’ quality of love is really genuine. It changed 2,000 years of human history.
What kind of quality of love do you have? My quality of love cannot change my wife, my husband, my children, my three spiritual children. If I don’t have three spiritual children my quality of love is very low. My goodness. Can we imagine the character of true love? If we have genuine true love, how much it can change the family, nation and world, how much it can influence all of human history! How much the love of just one man, Jesus, changed the world!
We can realize that we are really fallen man because the quality of our love is really low. It is not pure, genuine love. This is the issue. How can we deny that we are fallen men.
TODAY’S YOUTH MINISTRY: God Hates Fallen Nature that is Repeated Habitually
To Keep the Words that Moved You, Become a Mute
1. When you hear the Word, you are moved, but as soon as you go back to reality, your center is shaken. It is difficult for such people to grow. It is difficult for such people to become true people. Then what should be done? Once you hear the Word and were moved, become a mute. If you are moved by certain Words, you should keep them a cherished secret in your heart and become a mute. If you inherited treasures of gold and silver from your parents, should you spread the word to everyone? Or should you hide it somewhere only you know? However, many people reveal the Words they were moved by. People who talk a lot are very fickle. There are no reliable people among those who talk a lot. It is almost impossible for talkative people to keep secrets and secure their center. But people of few words have a center more than talkative people, and they are less fickle.
One of the problems fallen people have to overcome is being unable to carry on the Words they were moved by but when they go back to their reality, they are immediately dominated by reality and lose the Words they were moved by.
The problem is that (even though there are) words that moved (us,) we are not able to use our strength when we go to reality, and our heart will soon shake. It is very difficult for those who are easily influenced by the environment to grow in faith.
People who practice a life of faith like this will never have spiritual change even after 10 or 20 years and they always remain the same person. Then how can we go forward protecting and keeping the Words we were moved by no matter what the circumstance?
The first thing we need to do is check and figure out where we lose the grace we have received. Many people do not gain any strength because they reveal all the grace received through the Word.
Words we were moved by are content that become spiritual strength to we. So, if we carelessly talk about them, Satan will take them away. People who talk a lot are very fickle. There are no reliable people among those who talk a lot.
It is almost impossible for talkative people to keep secrets and secure their center. But people of few words have a center more than talkative people, and they are less fickle.
People who run businesses today have their own secrets for doing business. They try not to tell anybody about those secrets. If someone were to find out their secret and then copy them, that business would have many competitors and see a loss in business.
That is why when we also hear the Word and were moved, we must become a mute. If we are moved by certain Words, we should keep them a cherished secret in our heart and become a mute.
If we inherited treasures of gold and silver from our parents, should we spread the word to everyone? “I have gold. I have silver. I have diamonds.” If we continuously talk like that, somebody will take it. Or should we hide it somewhere only we know? However, many people reveal the Words they were really inspired by, God’s word. Then they lose everything. Actually the word that inspires us we should keep in our heart for a certain time. We shouldn’t talk with anyone. This can become our strength and power.
God Hates Fallen Nature that is Repeated Habitually
2. First, in order for life of faith to take root, you must establish a solid foundation of faith. You cannot keep repeating your fallen nature. When you realize the Word, you must secure your center. If you are fickle, you will be hated by Heaven. If you are fickle even after realizing the Word, you will be hated by God.
That is why you must stop fallen nature that you repeat habitually. Fallen nature that you repeat chronically and habitually are especially hated by the spirit world. God hates it when you keep repeating mistakes while knowing that you are doing wrong and then commit sins. God tries to forget our past and look forward from now, but since we repeat our fallen nature habitually, it is a problem. That is why we should be determined not to disappoint God again. To do that, you must secure your center well.
The second thing that becomes a big problem in our life of faith is continuously repeating our fallen nature. After realizing the Word, the Word should secure the center and we should overcome any bad habits, but we are unable to do so.
Fallen nature that we repeat chronically and habitually is especially hated by the spirit world. God hates it when we keep repeating mistakes while knowing that we are doing wrong and then commit sins.
If we are fickle even after realizing the Word, we will be hated by God. That is why we must train (ourself) to stop fallen nature that we repeat habitually. That is why we need to set conditions of faith and set goals for 40 days or 3 months of 6 months and continuously challenge ourself. We need to endlessly challenge ourself.
For example, a young man receives grace from the Word, but because of his habit of masturbation, he feels pangs of conscience and the Word does not become a strength to him.
He knows that masturbation is not so good. But he repeats it again and again. It becomes a bad habit, and he cannot stop. God hates this kind of thing. We already know this is wrong, but we cannot overcome that habit of fallen nature.
There are many people who are consumed by wicked habits, such as drugs, alcohol, and games and become conflicted because they can never break those habits.
Why can’t we grow up? Because we repeat continuously what we know is wrong. We feel pangs of conscience, but do it again and again. My goodness! That is why we need to keep on trying. We need to be stimulated by God’s word and set up a condition: “Ok, I want to do it for 40 days.” Then we overcome. Then 3 months, and overcome. Then six months and overcome. Then one year and then three years. Father said to change a habit takes a minimum of three years.
...
God tries to forget our past and look forward from now, but since we repeat our fallen nature habitually, it is a problem.
Daily Life of Faith and Overcoming Trials
3. When it becomes exam period, students become stressed and are put to the test. You must not be put to the test because of exams. That is why students should study, thinking that they won’t take exams. You should think that you are not taking exams because if you think that you are taking exams, you are already under pressure. You must be devoted to studying on a normal basis with the thought that you are not taking exams. Even when exam period comes, you must not have the concept that you are taking exams. That concept of taking exams makes people dull-witted. That is why you should not think that you are taking exams but just normally review constantly and preview lessons beforehand. Since you do not normally do that but try to catch up with piled up work when it’s exam time, you accumulate stress and it becomes a problem. So, whenever you do take exams, you must handle them without a problem. Even daily life of faith is important in one’s life of faith. People who normally practice a good life of faith will have no problem even if tests and trials come.
Because we are always dominated by the environment, the center of our faith is shaken and we are unable to become sincere people. For example, when it becomes exam period, students become stressed and are put to the test.
Students are always dominated by examinations.
We must not be put to the test because of exams. That is why students should study, thinking that they won’t take exams. We must be devoted to studying on a normal basis with the thought that we are not taking exams. Even when exam period comes, we must not have the concept that we are taking exams.
We should not think that we are taking exams but just normally review constantly and preview lessons beforehand. Do not let it become studying because of tests, but we should love the subject we are studying.
We must really love our subject.
But “I must do it. I should do it. I must do it.” This attitude is not so great. In order to (deal with) a test or a duty, we need to love studying. “Why did God ask me to take responsibility for this major? There is a reason. We need this opportunity. We need to learn something more. That is why we need to love our subject, our major.
“Through this subject I am studying, thinking deeply about how I can put this subject to use in my life and finding out more about that subject should become like a hobby.” “My studies are my hobby.” So we should WANT to study. We should not study to take tests and get a good score.
“In order to get a good score, I need to study and graduate from a very famous university,” does not work. We need to love our study. “Through this major I need to meet God and contribute something for the sake of others. These studies have become my hobby. I really like it. I want to study more.” Then when an exam comes, we can overcome. No problem.
Even a daily life of faith is important in one’s life of faith. People who normally practice a good life of faith will have no problem even if tests and trials come.
(Testimony Rev. Stephen Gabb, SR2, Special Event Honoring 43, 430 and 777 couples)♦
NOTE: This text and the PowerPoint slides from this speech are available as a link at the top of this text. Transcripts from November 3, 2021 to the present, personal notes from November 11, 2020 until November 2, 2021 and slides from August 29, 2021 to the present are available at MD.Hoondok.com as PDF files. Books of the transcripts and notes are available as PDFs at MDBooks.Hoondok.com.
This lightly edited transcript may contain errors and omissions. Indecipherable, inaudible or uncertain words and guesses are tagged with a “(?)” and indecipherable phrases, with an ellipsis “...”. First, second and third person pronouns have been left as spoken if the meaning is clear, and other apparently Korean English expressions have been preserved if understandable. Some repeated phrases have been eliminated.
Audio only is available at anchor.morndev.com, spotify.morndev.com & audio.morndev.com. Notes or transcripts of Dr. Yong’s Morning Devotion speeches from November 11, 2020 through March 29, 2022 are available as six paperback books at cost at Lulu.com/Shop -- search for Dr. Chung Sik Yong -- and as PDF downloads free of charge at MDBooks.Hoondok.com.♦