KPIN - 2nd Night Sermon Summary

 Hello! I'm in Bengkulu (and was for a day already) and i'm in a church event for 2 nights called KPIN. This is the summary of the sermon that was given on the second night by Stephen Tong. The original language the sermon was spoken was in Bahasa Indonesia. 

The first thing he says is of a young Christian named Jack Kawira who has went to Europe to study theology and is waiting to become a doctor in theology. He learned the ancient Aramaic language that was used by Jesus Christ. And he is from Bengkulu, Indonesia. He gets champion place in theology and ancient languages. In Bengkulu there is not many churches but he becomes a diligent Christian. Thus, Stephen Tong is amazed and goes to Bengkulu. Stephen Tong has been preaching for sixty seven years and is very hardworking. Where does the energy come from? Because God watches over us. Stephen Tong was poor and his father died when he was young, but with God's support he is able to construct a huge GRII Pusat church and the gigantic Aula Simfonia Jakarta concert hall. 

He also introduces pastor Jimmy Pardede, who is a very popular pastor and wrote many theology books. Let's see the story on his sin and repentance. Stephen Tong pauses here and Jimmy starts. 

He is born into a Christian family and his mother is a woman who fears and loves God. His mother learns theology and invites him (young Pdt Jimmy) to church at a young age. But in his teenage years, he starts making friends and spends lots of time with them even on Sunday and skips Church time. When his mother rebukes him because he skips church, he says that he prefers playing with his friends. He disliked the church environment. He begins to like what is sinful and go further from God. He begins questioning Christianity, realizing every religion says it is correct. So he talks and reads to find out. One of his readings is the writing of Stephen Tong. Stephen Tong's reasoning on why Christianity is correct is because God sends Jesus to find and save the lost, rather than the wrong view of humanity seeking God. He goes to church for a while but his heart is taken by sin yet again and he makes friends with sinful people who commits drug abuse and sexual immorality. He begins to emulate their wicked sins. His mother tries to pray for him. This is by his university years. His mother tries to rebuke him so he may repent but he refuses to. God gives a hard warning. One of his friends is punched, fell on a hard surface and died. Jimmy is concerned and he thinks, "Not only the elderly die. Teenagers may die too.". He is scared of death. Rather than running to God, he begins to talk and hang out with a non believer woman who only likes pleasures. His mother warns him again but, again, he refuses. One late night, he goes to his mother's home. His mother cries and says that God might close his door and throw him away for his sin. He is shocked and begins to have second thoughts in fear of being thrown away. He prays, the first prayer in a long time so he may be forgiven for his many sins. He wants to go to God again but his heart is still chaotic. He tells God to get rid of him, realizing his sin. The next morning he wakes up and prays again. He is thankful for another day he does not deserve. He decides to repent this day and promises to attend church. He socializes with other church members and realizes the church is a good place. He stops talking with sinners. His mother, though pleased, is not assured so she sends him to Stephen Tong's sermon about Jesus and salvation. Yet, he is unsure still, thinking he might fall into sin again. His mother encourages him to go to the theological school lead by Stephen Tong. He wants to become a servant of God and is thankful that God forgives him, noticing God's great grace.

Stephen Tong returns. He says that every day many repent just like Jimmy Pardede. Yesterday in Curup, we are told Jesus himself said that He came from his Father to find and save the lost. He says this to the tax collector Zaccheus, a Jew who works for the Roman offices. He is unpopular with his Jewish people.  Jesus goes to this man's house and comforts him, saying he came to save the lost - the lost being every one of us - we are all sinful! People say humanity are trying to search God, but the Bible says the opposite. Nobody is searching God, we are all searching God's blessings - wealth, grace, comfort, health, or security. We are not seeking God. We are much too lost to seek the Lord. When we lose our pen, we are searching for it, not the pen searching for us, and the same goes for us.

Nobody is seeking God in religion, we are only finding blessings - as we are egoistic and this egoistic motivation is not good. We never love or seek God, so let us repent. Jesus has come to find the lost and sinful - that is, everyone. He did not come to save the righteous - that is, truly, nobody. He came to serve - not to be served like any other high ranked man. He washed his disciples' feet, it is not his disciples that washed his. Not one man in other religions - Buddha and Confucius and  Muhammad  serve others the way Jesus did to others. He died for others, while all other did not. Jesus went to Jerusalem, a very dangerous place for him full of the Pharisees and Jews who hated and wanted to kill him. In 15 AD, Jesus witnessed a mass crucifixion in Jerusalem and Nazareth where tens of people died. Jesus must have cried at a young age, as he knew he would also be killed there. In the third year of his ministry in Jerusalem, he became the Passover Lamb. His apostles said that the Jews there wanted to kill him but Jesus went there otherwise to fulfill prophecy and his job. His apostles were greatly appalled by such bravery. But Jesus' birth, life, death, and entry to Jerusalem were all planned - it is not like Jesus failed when he died.

But why does God plan of Jesus' death on the cross? So we may be saved and so Jesus may substitute us - we should die! We should be thrown away, not Him! Because Jesus never sinned! But the righteous - Jesus, replaces the evil - all of us, you and me. This is a sacrifice to substitute us. The second aspect of why God planned this is so we may be healed and reversed - and also to be saved. God does not want us to fall down to hell so he must send His Son Jesus to seek and save us. The third aspect is REDEMPTION. To redeem us from the hands of Satan. The analogy is: If we don't have enough money, we sacrifice our expensive and luxury watch. This is an example of redemption. But the thing with the most worth is the sinless Jesus. Money, gold and silver, and power do not have lots of worth compared to your soul. So God must redeem our souls with Jesus - the perfect redemption. Im Romans 3, we are reminded we do not have the same greatness as God. St Anselm of Italy has a book titled "Cur Deus Homo" regarding why Jesus had to go to earth to die on the cross so Satan must let us free and we may be saved. Under the captivity of Satan, we become the followers of him and we gamble, offend and abuse. Lastly, there is Reconciliation as a fourth aspect so we may join God once again and reconcile with Him.

Thus, this is a combined reasoning of God's decision to sacrifice:

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Aspect #1: Substitution 

Aspect #2: Reversion

Aspect #3: Redemption 

Aspect #4 Reconciliation 

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Lastly, no other religious figure died for his people. Only Jesus died for His people. That concludes the sermon on 24 September. Thank you for reading!