This is an excerpt from the sermon given on Sunday, December 24, 1995 at Belvedere, NY.

I would like to give you a meaningful gift this morning. What then is a meaningful gift? Precious jewels and gold or deeper meaning of True Father's teaching? (True Father's teaching) Internal gold. We need to understand more deeply Family Pledge. This morning I would like us to study Family Pledge number four.

Centered upon True Love, our family pledge to fully realize the world of freedom, peace, unification and happiness. This is Pledge number four. It sounds very nice doesn't it? Freedom sounds good. America is the symbol of the free world. Everyone likes freedom. Also peace is something that everyone likes. Unification is another wonderful word and concept. Father once told us that his favorite word was unification. Finally, happiness. Would you like happiness or sadness? (Happiness) Everyone loves happiness. Father selected these four special words for the Family Pledge. Guiding us to enter into a world of freedom, peace, unification and happiness. This is Father's goal and it is our goal also.

Actually, within Christianity there are many great virtues. In Galatians chapter 5 verse 22-23, St. Paul gave us a very special verse. The nine fruits of the Holy Spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control, and St. Paul gave us nine attitudes of an idealistic life style. However, Father selected freedom, peace, unification and happiness. In ancient Asia and Greece they also had many idealistic virtues of life. Personal ethics such as this exist. Why did Father especially select the words freedom peace, unification, and happiness. We have to seriously understand. Each of these four words contain the structure of Principle within. We need to understand that.

Before leaving for South America Father gave you a very good sermon.

Prior to this Father and Mother traveled around the world giving the speech True Family and I to sixteen nations. Father gave the message of what is the purpose of creation. Father gave three reasons why. Firstly, God needed His substantial image and so Adam and Eve were created in God's image. Secondly, God needed a love partnership. Thirdly, God needed multiplication through Adam and Eve and create the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. These three reasons were why Heavenly Father created. Down in South America in front of famous ministers and scholars, Father taught this content. If we were to add one more reason for the creation of humanity, it would be joy and happiness. Four different reasons for the creation.

Father says we need to make the world. What is the meaning of world? (Brother Mike responds) Planet, earth. Does this include humankind? (Yes, I believe so.) In the Family Pledge Father did not originally use the word world. Rather he used the word saegae. We have to learn Korean. What is the meaning of saegae? Sae means past, present and future. In other words, time. gae means territorial boundary such as north, south, east and west. Top and bottom. In other words space. Time and space constitute the meaning of saegae. Included in there is God's creation including humanity. The entire visible world constitutes saegae. This is very meaningful. However, translated into English it becomes world. I am not sure whether or not the word world encompasses this entire meaning. Translating the Family Pledge from Korean into English is almost impossible. Therefore, minimum we have use Korean when we recite the family pledge. This at least would be direct communication between ourselves and God. Father teaches in the Family Pledge that we make the world of freedom, world of peace, world of happiness, and world of unification. Four different kinds of idealistic world. This is God and True Parents' expectation of us. In order to create this kind of idealistic world we need to create one great world family. Father believes that the entire world is in fact one world, one family centered upon God and True Parents. Do you follow? (Yes) Centered upon God and True Parents this one great world is a world of freedom, peace, unification and happiness.

One aspect of the ideal world mentioned in Family Pledge is that of happiness. However, if we fulfill a world of freedom this would become naturally a world of happiness. If we make a world of peace, it too will become naturally a world of happiness. If we make a world of unification that too becomes a world of happiness. The final goal to all of these is happiness. We need to understand this. First of all Father has said that we need to make a world of freedom. What does that mean? Freedom sounds very good. In today's world, if parents ask their children to do their homework, and follow a good ethical life, the children don't care to listen. They want to do whatever they want to do. This is a secular concept of freedom. However, today's world completely has misunderstood the true meaning of freedom. God has given us freedom which is a great blessing. If we use this freedom well great benefits are coming to us. But today's world of freedom is bringing about destruction and confusion. Through this freedom people are hurting one another, even killing one another.

American law is not yet perfect. However, our founding fathers were very wise and thoughtful people. They were concerned centering upon Christian thought, and they created the American law system. Therefore we have to respect and keep this American law. But because we are seeking after individual freedom we fail to follow this law. Do you follow? (Yes) In America we have a large Korean community. Almost one million people are living here. In Korea the law system is different. Even though these Koreans came to live in America they still wish to follow the Korean way of life. Compared to other nations of the world, America law is very fair and just. However, if the citizens of this nation misuse the concept of freedom then we will really weaken and destroy the American legal system. If the legal system does not protect our life, then it will become a lawless nation. Very dangerous. Because we respect the law, the law protects our life.

God gave the gift of freedom to Adam and Eve and all humankind. Animals and all things have not been given this gift of freedom. Rather they only follow the natural law. During Father's recent visit to Australia Father saw many different creatures. Australia is famous for kangaroos. When they have their baby, the mother kangaroo has a pouch for the baby to be carried inside. The baby kangaroo instinctively knows that its mother has a pouch and as soon as it is born it goes straight into that pouch. No one teaches the baby kangaroo. It knows instinctively.

If we fulfill the true meaning of our freedom we will gain benefit. Because of the Fall we need to pay indemnity in our life. We sometimes wonder why God gave Adam and Eve freedom. Without freedom everything would follow in the natural law. But without freedom we are virtually as slaves. We are always owned or supervised. God has free will and He created Adam and Eve. God needs His substantial love partner that is why He created Adam and Eve. What is the meaning of image? Externally looks like God. That is image. Did you ever see God? If we see True Parents then we can believe that God is True Parent-like. That is image. Michelangelo painted God as a white man with a long flowing beard. That is a white man's image of God. Other races would have a different view of God. However, God has no color. He has dual structure and dual image. Also He possesses free will. Out of that free will He created Adam and Eve.

Freedom means someone who is self motivated, self realized and with responsibility. Able to work and bring results. This is free. Humanity has been given the blessing of freedom by God in order that we might create ourselves and perfect ourselves. All these abilities are hidden within our freedom. Then God can tell us that we are like Him. God originally created us, but we are to perfect ourselves through our free will. In the entire cosmos we have the original Creator and co- creators. Do you follow? The creative ability is our inheritance from God and through this we become God-like. Therefore, God gave us freedom.

Actually Adam and Eve misused their freedom irresponsibility. Therefore, their freedom became a curse rather than a blessing. The Fall caused us to become slaves of Satan's dominion. Who is governing our lives? Satan. God's enemy. In order to obtain true freedom we first of all need to liberate ourselves from Satan's dominion. We need to follow the Principle life with our God-given freedom and perfect ourselves. Then we can become co-creators with God and the image of God. This is a different level to animals and other creation. God gave special care and blessing for humankind. If we lead responsible free lives we will gain ownership of God's entire creation. Acting on behalf of God. Then we can truly care for the entire creation in God's place. However, the free world is misusing freedom.

Who is God? He is a Being of duality. He created Adam and Eve in His image. Adam and Eve have two parts to them, mind and body. The perfection of Adam and Eve comes through self management, self motivation and responsibility. Through this we can become in the image of God. It is very important to understand freedom. If we fulfill our responsibility in freedom we can gain happiness. Father told us that God needed a love partner and so He created humankind.

What then is a world of peace? Peace means no fighting, no war. This year our humankind have achieved different levels of world peace. But still there is much conflict in the world. In Bosnia for example, they are externally quiet now, but still they have racial and religious tension underneath. This means there is no peace on earth yet. Peace does not only mean the absence of fighting. Peace means no internal struggle as well as external struggle. The true meaning of peace is subject and object move out all elements of struggle. Centered upon True Love they become harmonized. Do you follow? (Yes) The important element here is, centered upon True Love. True Love means living for the sake of others. Creating a wonderful partnership of give and take centered upon True Love. God needs a love partnership. But we also need peace between God and humankind. No peace exists between God and humanity. Also no peace exists between humankind and the creation. There is so much destruction and pollution of the creation by humankind.

We need peace and good give and take centered upon God. This is the purpose of creation. Adam and Eve as the visible image of God, in a True Love partnership with God would bring about true peace on earth. We need to make a world of peace. This kind of peaceful family would become tribe, nation and world. Peaceful family guarantees the cornerstone for world peace. John Paul II proclaimed that families are the school of world peace. Very interesting. This is his New Year message for 1996. True Father has been teaching this to us and through his world speaking tour. Now John Paul follows. If we believe the same things then we need to be united not separated.

Peace is not good enough. Harmonized is not good enough. We need to become one. Why? Because the number three purpose of God's creation is that we need multiplication. The meaning of multiplication is the birth of the next generation. Therefore we need unification. God is the origin, from which we need division and union. Without division union will never come about. This is God's purpose of creation: origin, division and union. Division is waiting to be united. After union we need division some day again. This is human destiny. As husband and wife we divide and go about our daily responsibilities and then come home and unite again in the evening. This is human life. This cycle goes on eternally.

On December 11-15 in Montevideo, Uruguay Father held a North and South America Christianity conference. It was a very meaningful conference Father organized and conducted. Over 120 Christian scholars and ministers attended. Actually, between North and South America these Christian ministers were really divided. North America symbolizes Protestantism. Whereas South America symbolizes Catholicism. In South America today from the Catholic church each day 8,000 congressional members left the church. Now Catholicism is really in crisis in South America. They become Baptist, Evangelists, Methodists and Pentecostal. Dividing. Even amongst the ministers. Then suddenly Father organized this Conference of North and South American Christian unity to work together for world peace. Now they feel inspired to work together. The Catholic church has a much bigger body than our Unification Movement, but they are not investing in this work. Father borrowed a budget and conducted this work. Unification is very important. Once unification comes about then multiplication of a new generation comes into being.

If we are peaceful we are happy people and if we are unified we are happy people. Do you follow? It then becomes a joyful and happy world. Now we understand why Father used the words of freedom, peace, unification and happiness. If God is successful in finding a true love partner He will become happy. If He sees His true image multiplied throughout the world He also will become happy. God and we are eternal partners. Through fulfilling our mission and responsibility we finally reach the world of joy and happiness.

Finally, let us think about happiness. How many are here from Happy World Company? Only two people. What does happiness and joy mean? Are they different? We need to make some distinction.

We have spiritual joy and physical joy. God created us with a mind and a body. We experience both spiritual and physical joy. In the bible we clearly see that Jesus taught of spiritual and physical joy. But today Christian scholars do not understand this. Because they don't know the teaching of Divine Principle they believe joy is one. Clearly we have a physical and a spiritual joy. Father has explained that we experience both. Spiritual joy comes from love. Physical joy comes from sexuality, good food, clothing etc. In the Greek orthodox church they have monasteries deep in the mountains. These monks live a life of prayer. They do not experience physical joy, but they experience a very special spiritual joy. Therefore we cannot denounce their way of life as crazy.

In the secular world ninety per cent of people are seeking physical joy through material things and sexuality. We have spiritual joy and physical gladness. In the bible Jesus used the word gladness to refer to physical joy. What then is happiness? In the hot summer when you are very thirsty and you drink some soda from the refrigerator you feel so good. But after one minute the feeling leaves. Actually joy and gladness is very fleeting. It is only temporary. Happiness is something that is long-term. Permanent rather than temporary. Do you follow? The world of happiness lasts eternally. That is the meaning of a happy life. Joy is more temporal and happiness is more permanent.

Father wants to create a world of happiness. That is the goal of the creation. We realize why Father wrote in the Family Pledge, centered upon True Love, our family pledge to fully realize the world of freedom, peace, unification and happiness. Father selected these words and placed them in this particular order. From today we understand this meaning and we truly become true men and women of freedom, peace, unification and happiness. Would you like this? (Yes) What about our family, our tribe, nation, world and cosmos? We are to become true freedom fighters for God. Liberating ourselves and mankind from Satan. We become co-creators with God, co-owners with God of this entire cosmos. Men and women of peace making. Jesus proclaimed that those who were peacemakers were blessed and would be called sons and daughters of God. Peacemaker is a most honorable title in today's world. Our True Father created the bridge ceremony between Japan women and America women. In the future this will be between all different races. They need the bridge ceremony. Who brought the model of peace, the true formula of peace? True Parents did. Who are the true peacemakers? Father and Mother are. They bring eternal peace not temporary peace.

Would you like to become true men and women who unify? (Yes) Unification brings about more multiplication. Finally joy and happiness come into being. Today, would you like to accomplish this. You woke up early and feeling tired and cold you drove here to Belvedere. However, after this wear a big smile. We have true joy and happiness. After this service go home smiling proudly with this most important gift from God and True Parents. Amen (Amen) We are freedom fighters, peacemakers, unifiers and joymakers and owners of true happiness. This is the true meaning of Family Pledge number four.

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