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 Sermon > Sunday Evening Service |
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Title |
True Value - 4 Missions Devotional |
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Speaker |
Rev. Jaerock Lee |
Bible |
Philippians 2: 5 |
Date |
2017-08-06 |
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Passage
[Philippians 2: 5]
"Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,"
[Introduction]
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
This is the devotional service of Young Adults' Mission, Canaan Mission, Students' Sunday School, and Light & Salt Mission. Let us give all thanks and glory to God the Father who has blessed us to have this devotional service. I also give thanks to all the devotees who have prepared for this service with all your heart.
Dear students, young adults, Canaan Mission, and Light & Salt Mission members,
In Luke 12:16-21 Jesus gave a parable of a rich man. It says, "And He told them a parable, saying, "The land of a rich man was very productive. [17] "And he began reasoning to himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?' [18] "Then he said, 'This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. [19] 'And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come take your ease, eat, drink and be merry."' [20] "But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?' [21] "So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." This rich man, when he was dying, must have regretted so much.
And how extensively are you getting the lesson in this parable? For Canaan and Light & Salt Mission, I'd like you to consider the following case: Suppose you worked hard day and night and saved from your expenditures for food and clothing for 20 years to buy a house. Finally, tomorrow you will move into that house. Just how happy would you be and how much pride of accomplishment would you feel? But then, you face an unfortunate accident today and your life has come to an end. (Of course, such a thing won't happen to our church members; it's just supposition.)
Then, what would you think at the moment of death? Would you say, "At least I would have had a house on this earth, so I have no regrets?" Probably not. You'd probably resent the fact that you wasted your whole life for a house you couldn't stay in, for even one night.
Furthermore, suppose students and young adults tried hard and got a good job. Let's say that you wear designer clothes, drive luxury cars and you're popular among friends of opposite sex. You dine at famous and luxurious restaurants, and you travel abroad for your vacations. But suppose your life comes to an end tonight, then which of the things that you've been enjoying could you take with you? When you stand before the judgment of God, would you be able to proudly say, "I've tried hard day and night to succeed and I was able to enjoy many things before I came here"?
I am not saying acquiring good skills or living a stable life on this earth is something bad. Bur rather, God's children should show faithfulness and wisdom to become the light and salt of the world, so that they can be recognized by the people around them. If the students are not hard-working and if they can't take care of their own lives even after growing up, they can't give glory to God.
But above all, I want you to understand deep in your hearts what the most important thing in life is. To sum it up, our lives are to be led to prepare for the eternal life in heaven. Hebrews 9:27 says, "And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment," Every single person will eventually die and be at the crossroads between heaven and hell.
Then, in this life, what should you cherish most and what do you have to seek after? Today's reading passage Philippians 2:5 says, "Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus," As spoken, your goal must be having the attitude of the Lord.
So, in this message I will talk about what you should do to have the attitude of Christ. I pray in the name of the Lord that, through the message, you will make your life, which you can have only once, as valuable as you can.
[Main]
Dear devotees, and other members,
In order to have the attitude of Christ, first of all, you have to love God the foremost.
Jesus's heart was filled only with God the Father. He lived only to fulfill God's providence. He is God in origin and He could enjoy all the glory. But, He did not seek any authority or honor. Even when He was despised while taking the cross, He only wanted to fulfill the will of the Father. It's because He loved the Father so very much.
If you truly love somebody you'd want to do what pleases them. It was the case with me, too. The God I met was such a good God. Everyone turned their faces from me when I became helpless, but even when I had no hope of avoiding death, God still met me and revived me.
The 7 years of suffering in the very pits of life were brutal, yet to the extent that I had suffered, I felt the love of God even more greatly for saving me from that suffering and pain. Furthermore, I realized I would have had no choice but to fall into hell as a sinner, but God saved my soul, too. I came to learn what kinds of sufferings Jesus had to go through to save me. And how much did I weep because of that love?
Members of Young Adults, Canaan, Light and Salt Mission, and Students--
Can you give your life for someone else? For the person you love the most, if you have to be flogged until your whole body is torn apart and if you have to be nailed through your hands and feet and die on a cross shedding all your blood, would you do it without hesitation? Also, is there anybody in this world who would do such a thing for you?
Even when we did not know the Father God, God and the Lord did such a thing for us. When I realized this love, I couldn't help myself but to love God back. I loved God more than my family and even my own life. So, I unconditionally obeyed God's will, and I tried to do anything that was pleasing to the Lord.
Dear devotees,
I urge you to love God with all your lives. Then, God will also pour limitless love down on you. If you love the Father the foremost of all, you will also love and trust the shepherd who delivers the Father's heart to you and teaches you the truth. Also, to become joy to the Father and to become the strength to the shepherd, you'll cast away sins and give up the worldly things. You will try to become the best spiritual warrior you can so you can participate in world evangelism with the shepherd.
You wouldn't live by the word of God just because you'd face disasters if you sin. You'd just want to become a true child just as God wants you to be. When you go to work or study, you wouldn't do it for yourself but you'd think about the ways to give glory to God by acquiring more experience and greater skill.
Then, the Father will also guide you to the best way in His own way. In this way, when you love God the foremost, you will be able to make your life, which is given only once, the most valuable one.
Dear devotees and other members,
In order to have the attitude of Christ, secondly, you have to love the souls.
Our Lord wants to give only good things to the souls even if it means He has to sacrifice His life. He was interceding for the souls even at the moment He was dying on the cross.
Those who have this attitude of the Lord would love and serve the souls more than their own bodies. Philippians 1:23-24 says, "But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake." Paul preached the gospel despite countless persecutions, and eventually he was in confinement in Rome. He didn't consider confinement hard, nor was he afraid of death. But rather he wanted to be with the Lord immediately. But, he was living each day's life for the souls entrusted to him.
It's the same with me. I yearn to be with the Lord even today. I don't have any desire for anything in this world. But I live each day of my life the best I can for the souls that the Lord entrusted to me. Once, the Father showed me hell. Then He gave me the duty to spread the gospel all over the world so that more souls would be won. Also, He is telling me to change the souls with the truth and fill up the city of New Jerusalem. This is the reason why I am living on this earth. |
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