It was when I turned from being an atheist to converting to Christianity.
I was so happy to have converted to Christ.
The whole world was like a picture book, and my life was like a novel.
Picture books showed me God, and novels told me the plan for my life.
I gave up all the literature, philosophy, and contemplation on life that I loved so much.
I thought that was faith.
But it was only for a moment that I felt that was right.
It wasn't long before things got confusing.
Because I didn't really know how to connect my Christian faith to my life.
People I had believed in for a long time didn't seem any different from me, who had just started believing.
I began to ponder what a living faith should be like.

Becoming a Christian is not about 'having' something, nor is it about 'doing' something.
To become a Christian is to 'become'.
It is about becoming personally like Christ.
Because He is the model of a true man, and therein lies happiness.
Believing in Jesus is to become a true human being, and becoming a human being is to live according to the purpose of creation and enjoy happiness.
From ‘doem’ comes ‘ham’, and from ‘ham’ comes ‘got’, which becomes meaningful.

Introduction
The life of Christ was a story of teaching the ignorant.
He taught on the road, by the sea, and in the synagogues.
He preached the word everywhere.
The teachings in this text are called the ‘Sermon on the Mount’ because they were given on the mountain.
The word 'Suhun' means 'a lesson that will be left for future generations.'
Through these words, He taught us who the citizens of heaven are and how they should live.
This reminds us of Moses, who received the law on Mount Sinai and taught the Israelites (Exodus 34:32).

Beyond healing
He began his public ministry by being baptized by John (Matthew 3:13-17).
After calling his disciples (Matthew 4:18-22), he went throughout Galilee, preaching the gospel.
He healed every disease and every sickness (Matthew 4:23).
The rumor spread throughout Syria.
Some of those who were healed returned home.
Because I got what I wanted.
But some people were not satisfied.
Because although the physical illness was cured, the spiritual problem still remained.
People from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and the other side of the Jordan followed Jesus (Matthew 4:24-25).
It wasn't to see a miracle.
It was because I wanted to know the truth.
Getting rid of illness is an important thing.
It's also a good thing that your worries are resolved.
Have you experienced an amazing miracle? Have you been saved from a difficult time in life? Well done.
But that's just the beginning.

Humans were created as beings with body and soul (Genesis 2:7).
The life of the body is in the soul, and the life of the soul is in God.
To be happy, not only your body but also your soul must be in good condition.
Good condition means that they are functioning well for the purpose for which they were originally created.
To do this, the body and soul must be adequately supplied with what they need.
Body and soul are different things.
Their origins are different and they require different resources.
The body comes from the earth, it is material.
So it requires terrestrial resources.
We need shelter and clothing to protect us from cold and heat, and water and food to sustain our lives and vitality (Matthew 6:11).
In contrast, the soul comes from heaven and is not material (Gen. 2:7).
So we need celestial resources.
We need the word of truth, which is the food of the soul, and love, which is the life of the soul.
The resources of the body are material.
The world's resources are limited and human desires are infinite.
That's why we want to have more through fierce competition.
Humans are keenly aware of the lack of physical resources.
In contrast, the soul's resource is life.
It is spiritual life.
It is not something that can be taken from others.
The deficiency is not felt keenly.

Look at the crowd
He looked at the crowd that followed him.
You climbed the mountain.
The disciples came forward.
He taught the word.
He did not teach only to his disciples.
It was a sermon given to more people.
“When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside; and when he was seated, his disciples came to him” (Matthew 5:1).
The Greek word 'idon', translated 'see', does not mean only seeing with the physical eyes.
Rather, it means to see through and understand the background of things.
Here it means recognizing the state of the soul that cannot be seen with human eyes.
When you look at the crowd, your heart seems to be breaking.
Because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36).

We think that what we can see with our physical eyes is all there is.
So, we only focus on physical matters.
The poor want to become rich, and the sick want to get well.
People whose relationships are broken want to recover.
Because I believe that then I will be happy.
To some extent, that is true.
Therefore, we must try to improve this situation.
We must feed the hungry, heal the sick, and befriend the lonely.
But that alone cannot lead to true happiness.
As soon as one problem is solved, another one comes up, so the suffering of life is endless.
It will always be like this as long as we live on this earth.
Because there are more unavoidable sad days than happy days that come naturally.
The fact that the Chinese character word 'happiness' (幸福) itself means 'unexpected good fortune' also speaks to this fact.

Human suffering has a fundamental cause.
Because our relationship with God is broken.
It was because of sin.
Broken relationships lead to a lack of resources.
It was a lack of resources for body and soul.
This made humans unhappy.
Sin also broke relationships between people.
So peace with people was broken, and their relationship with nature was also destroyed (Gen. 3:17-18).
Conflict arose, and humans had to struggle for survival.
It was because of sin.
True happiness could not be achieved without resolving sin.
Because there was no way to obtain the resources to live a happy life.
For this reason, God sent Christ.
He took our sins upon Himself and died on the cross, reconciling us to God (Romans 5:10, 2 Corinthians 5:18).
He healed my broken relationship with God.
By saving us, He has enabled us to be supplied with heavenly resources again.
He gave us life in our souls.

Open your mouth and speak
Christ spoke the word of truth.
It was to give us spiritual life and a more abundant life (John 10:10).
“He opened his mouth and taught them” (Matthew 5:2).
The Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew is recorded over three chapters (Matthew 5:3-7:27).
But that's actually a summary of a long sermon you gave.
He must have poured out many teachings about the identity and life of the people of heaven.
The Sermon on the Mount is a distillation of its essence.
You opened your mouth.
The words poured out as if the floodgates of a dam had opened.
It poured out like a waterfall without any hesitation or faltering.
How could that be possible?

As the Son of God, he would have known the truth well.
Moreover, is he not the truth itself? (John 14:6) But there was another reason.
He loved and studied the Bible from a young age (Luke 2:52).
At the age of twelve, he already possessed a wisdom of speech that astonished even the teachers of the temple (Luke 2:44-47).
There is something striking about this.
The word that is proclaimed is experiential and personal.
He had neither a Bible nor a manuscript in his hands.
He preached not only with knowledge but also with experience.
It was a teaching of truth personified.
I felt an extraordinary authority.
He captured the hearts of the crowds that gathered around him (Matthew 7:28-29).

When he opened his mouth and spoke, people listened attentively to his words.
It was a longing for God's love.
If you long to meet God, you will long for His Word.
Just as a thirsty person in the scorching sun seeks water, or a person who has been hungry for several days seeks food, so too do we seek it.
Because the Word is the food of life and the wisdom of life.
What does it mean to live in dependence on God? Isn't it living with your heart held fast to the Word? Isn't the Bible absolutely influential on your character and life? Isn't it living under the influence of truth? What fills your heart? People want to know where to buy land to become rich, or which stocks to buy to make a fortune.
We must listen to the word with greater eagerness than that.
A person of Christ is a person of the Word.
We must become people who weep loudly like the Apostle John on the island of Patmos, longing to know God's will.
“And I wept bitterly, because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it” (Revelation 5:4).

Hear from the mountain
It was not a high mountain where the Sermon on the Mount resonated.
It was a hill-like place.
It wasn't a famous place.
Why wasn't it a crowded market street? Why wasn't it a synagogue, a favorite gathering place for Jews? Why did he go up to the mountain to preach? There were no miracles there.
But something bigger was happening than that.
“When Jesus finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes” (Matthew 7:28-29).
You called me out from a busy street.
It was to help people take their minds off the messy affairs of the world.
Those who were not satisfied with just healing the sick followed.
He gathered together those who were thirsty for the word.
You helped me focus on your sermon.

[Omitted] To meet God in a special way, a separate place is needed.
To seek Him earnestly with a distinct heart.
So that you can focus there and not be disturbed.
There is a close connection between concentration of mind and the experience of grace.
When you focus on the word, you receive grace.
When you are willing to obey whatever word you receive, you will meet God.
When you decide to leave the world, you will have the heart to meet God.
You meet people climbing Mount Palbok like this.
Where is your heart now? Is it in the world? In a scattered heart, there is no echo of the Word.
How can we meet God with a mind torn by worldly love? We must do so with all our heart and soul (Deut. 4:29).

Take a moment to detach yourself from the fleeting affairs of this world.
Leave the world behind for a moment.
Climb Mount Palbok.
There you will meet Christ, who speaks of true happiness.
If you desire happiness but don't listen to the Word, how can your desire be genuine? There is hope for true happiness.
No matter how dark the night of reality may be, let it be a ray of light.
Abandon the foolishness of trying to be happy without God.
How much more miserable can you be? Climb Mount Palbok.
He will meet us with burning love.
He will have mercy on you (Hosea 11:8).
He will heal the root of our misfortunes.

Conclusion
How will you live your life? Will you live as you did before, without knowing God? Will you give up on happiness and live without truth? Will you live like this and die without regrets? He spoke of true happiness on that mountain.
Countless people have found a way to live there.
The words that resounded from Mount Palbok were not heard by those who only cared about physical needs.
It was a voice heard only by those who longed for the life of the soul.
It gave light to those who seek true happiness (John 21:19).
Our lives are precious.
Life is too short to live carelessly, and too long to live well.
Just as we are saved by the word, we attain true happiness through truth.
Open your eyes to the world of blessings.
May you be blessed by the word.
Happiness awaits you.
Because you, who are now opening this book and climbing Mount Palbok, will no longer be the same person you were before when you close the last chapter.

---「Chapter 1.
From "Let's Climb Mount Palbok"