"Our lives are like a rehearsal for eternity," Pastor Yun said in a recent sermon. "The secret is that whatever you rehearse, you will become proficient in. As long as you keep rehearsing, faith will gradually grow until it becomes complete."
Yun encouraged believers not to fix their attention on the works of the devil, which would lead to constantly reacting to evil. Instead, he said, "If we focus on God, we will constantly respond to what God is doing. Rehearsing eternity transforms our strength."
He cited a concept from Renny McLean: "The worst thing is when a person rehearses ignorance so thoroughly that ignorance becomes complete in his life. At that point, he no longer wants to learn anything new about God. His thinking becomes fixed, and he subconsciously rejects any truth that is unfamiliar or contrary to what he already believes."
But God is always doing something new, making the impossible possible. Yun reminded the congregation that God raised the dead, turned Jacob the deceiver into the ancestor of a great nation, transformed Paul the persecutor into one of Christ's greatest apostles, and elevated Joseph, once a betrayed prisoner, to be the prime minister of the world's most powerful empire.
Mistakes, trials, weaknesses, and persecution are often the beginning of God's grace, Yun said. He used the story of Jacob as a key example. On his way home with his wives, children, servants, and livestock, Jacob learned that his brother Esau was approaching with 400 men. After sending everything across the ford of the Jabbok, Jacob was left alone. That night, he wrestled with a man until daybreak and received a new name—Israel.
"True focus and fervent prayer often arise when we are in weakness, crisis, and testing," Yun continued. "And it's in our weakness that God births strength—because it's no longer us, but us surrendered to God's full power, enabling us to act."
The name Israel means "God prevails." He prevailed over Jacob as his name meant "one who grasps." His whole life was defined by striving to hold on to things—to control, to secure. But in that moment of weakness before dawn, Jacob's instincts, wit, and talent were transformed. "He walked away limping," Yun said, "and maybe that limp was the mark of his willingness to finally surrender."
The next day, when Jacob met Esau, he bowed seven times, limping, and addressed him as "my lord." "I believe that softened Esau's heart," Yun said. "He completely forgave Jacob."
When we confess our weakness, God is already beginning His work of transformation. "When strength is transformed, everything changes," Yun said. "If you have a passion for making money, transform it, and let it be used for the kingdom. If you care deeply about relationships, transform that, too. If you're generous, transform that, and let it shine for God's glory."
Jacob struggled with both God and man, and prevailed. Yun explained that the Hebrew idea of "struggling" involves persistence, wholeheartedness, and endurance. "If you're in a difficult season, God is expecting you to persist, to give your all, to endure both with Him and with others," he said. "This is a crucial part of God's greater plan for your life," and all of this, Yun said, is part of rehearsing eternity.
"Why do so many people remain stuck in unchanging situations?" Yun asked. "Maybe it's time to examine what you've been rehearsing." Jesus has already removed the curse for us on the cross, but, he added, "Only you can make what Jesus accomplished on the cross become a reality in your life, and that happens when you continually rehearse, by faith, what Jesus Christ has already done for you on the cross."
Yun encouraged the congregation to let their weaknesses and trials become tools in God's hands. Through repeated rehearsals, he said, we grow mature, and hope and strength arise within us. In this process, faith can become complete.
