Summary of Dr. Péter Hack’s Sermon on January 28, 2024
The stories in the Bible were written for our learning. God brought Israel out of Egypt. For Israel to become a big nation the family of Jacob needed to move to Egypt since a bigger space was given there for growing than in Canaan. It was not an option to gain more land through war because they were not strong enough for that yet.
During the captivity in Egypt, peace was given until Joseph was alive but after that, the new pharaoh started to treat them cruelly. Therefore they cried out to God, and He promised a savior in the person of Moses. God promised land to Israel, and for the Church, the promise is that it can attain heavenly glory. Today, the Church is just a reach away from attaining glory.
Jesus foretold that the last days would be like the time of Noah when the Earth was filled with wickedness. Today we can see with how great force falsehood and evil attack. The current war in Gaza did not start with Israeli intent however, the World sees this differently, and it blames Israel because of it.
The hatred towards Israel actually signifies the hatred towards God. This hatred is much bigger than we would have thought before.
It seems like the World did not learn anything from the holocaust. In Hungary, the biggest problem in rural areas is that it has not reconciled its past sins, particularly its relationship with the Jews.
In today’s times, God provides an opportunity for us to glean insights into the future. We must pay attention to the happenings in the World, but that is not the point, it only shows where the clock of God stands on the path to attaining glory.
The land flowing with milk and honey was not far away, and Moses sent spies to explore the land. Among the spies, some looked upon the descendants of Anak, and because of these giants, they brought back the bad news about the new land. We have to believe that the heavenly Jerusalem can be entered. Jesus said that He was going away to prepare a place for His disciples. He is now in the glory of the Father. He has told us that it is better for us that He goes away than if He stays because with His departure there is an opportunity to send the Holy Spirit.
Our Anaks in life want to achieve, to estrange us from our heavenly home.
The two groups of spies saw the same thing, but one group looked with faith while the other, excluding God, observed what they saw!
We need to disillusion those who think that the world will soon turn into a better place. Wickedness is present in the World, but we can act against it in such a way as asking God for mercy. For this, the Church needs to live spiritually, and not seeking for pleasures, but striving an inward, personal relationship with God. Jesus sent the Healer who guides us into all truth.
In the Corinthian letter, the Apostle Paul distinguishes people based on their nature. The person born of Adam is sensual, that is, a psychical person, but the reborn person is spiritual.
According to the Bible, the psychical people do not accept things from the Spirit of God, and cannot, because they are considered nonsense to them.
They are unable to understand them, as these things can only be comprehended in a spiritual manner. On the other hand the spiritual person has the mind of Christ. A person like this can glean insight into a small drop of the glory of God. This is only possible in a spiritual way. This is how the promise is fulfilled that the Holy Spirit reveals the things to come.
There are parts in the Bible where the prophets have glimpses into Heaven. At these times they see things that are incomprehensible to the human mind. When people listen to God in their spirit, a wonderful peace descends upon them, and it is in such moments that they can receive revelations.
We must strive to enter the spiritual dimension as often as possible, where the peace of God exceeds all understanding.
The Anaks between us and the promises are the distorted desires. It is worthwhile to examine ourselves regarding how we relate to the promises. Do we consider it to be achievable or impossible to get into Heaven? For the faithful person, living in communion with God becomes attainable. Some activities prevent a person from attaining eternal life. Do not perceive them as inevitable activities, but rather as enemies to be defeated. These include immorality, idolatry, jealousy, rivalry, and division. Our battle is against the corrupt desires that tempt and reside within us. Approaching this decision with the mindset of ‘that’s just who I am and I’m fine with it’ identifies with the perspective of the ten spies. However, two of the twelve spies, Caleb and Joshua, declared that with the Lord, we can be victorious! Everyone faces this struggle, but it must be undertaken and fought with the help of the Lord.
Our eternal destiny depends on our choice. Hell is given without choosing it because people who do not choose Heaven go there.
By cooperating with God we can resist the devil, expressing that we do not love what the devil offers but rather love what God can provide for us. When we have a vision of this, then we will be able to fight for it. On the path leading towards Heaven, we have to mend our earthly relationships as well, so that no unresolved relationship becomes an obstacle.
Let us be open to the future, not to the past. May the glory of God be our goal. Those who walk in this direction will already have good testimonies in their earthly life that they are heading in the right direction.
The referenced scriptures:
- Numbers 13:18-14:10
- 1 Corinthians 2:14-16
- Galatians 5:18-23