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 Sermon > Sunday Evening Service |
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Title |
Heart Given to God - Manmin, Levites Volunteers'' Group Devotional |
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Speaker |
Rev. Jaerock Lee |
Bible |
Matthew 22: 37 -40 |
Date |
2008-08-31 |
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Passage
Matthew 22: 37 -40
"And He said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' [38] "This is the great and foremost commandment. [39] "The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' [40] "On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."』
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Let us give all thanks and glory to God for allowing us 2008 Manmin and Levites Volunteers' Group devotional service.
I give thanks to the devotees who have prepared for this service with all your heart and mind. Dear devotees, you who are working as voluntary workers are truly blessed.
In today's passage Jesus talked about two greatest and foremost commands.
First, He said, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind."
Second, He said, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
Voluntary works are a duty that fulfills these two commands.
You always dedicate yourself to God and for your neighbors.
You take care of the works in each area that need the hands of the volunteers. By doing so you become strength to the church and benefit the church members greatly.
How valuable would God consider you for this? You know that what God receives is not the act of the voluntary works but the aroma of heart that is contained in the voluntary works.
God receives the aroma of your heart and pays you back with rewards and blessings.
That is why in each devotional service I have been emphasizing that you should have spiritual faithfulness with a sanctified heart.
Now, you have to cultivate sanctified hearts and become spiritual workers.
We have to prepare everything for Canaan Sanctuary and the Grand Sanctuary.
There will be many very important duties that the volunteers will have to manage.
There will be more people in more areas that will ask for your help.
Then, shouldn't you need to be ready and just work with an 'Amen'? To be prepared means that you should become completely sanctified and work with spiritual hearts. And I urge you to make a firm resolution toward that goal in this devotional service.
I urge you in the name of the Lord that you will not just receive grace, but practice the word you hear today so that you can surely have sanctified hearts.
Main
Dear devotees, please repeat after me the title of today's message. "Heart Given to God"
If you give your heart through your voluntary works and if God accepts the aroma of your heart, how blessed it is!
How great the blessings and rewards will God give to you?
When you work for God, you should give your heart along with your deeds. In order to do that, you must have peace in heart. Having peace is also a measurement of sanctification. The more peace you have, the more sanctified you are. God delights in sanctified hearts.
Also, peace is the shortcut to sanctification. If you try to have peace, you can become sanctified more quickly.
God the Father is requiring three things of the voluntary groups in this devotional service.
First, you have to have peace with God. We cannot see God with our physical eyes.
Then, how can you have peace with God? You can do it by keeping His word.
John 1:1 says that the Word is God. Thus, the way to have peace with God is to diligently hear and understand the word in the 66 books of the Bible and the sermons and obey them.
For example, if God says, "Love God first," then you can just obey it. You must try to love God first and above all else; more than your family, your wealth or fame you must love God.
If God says, "Love your neighbors as yourself" then, you try to love even a person whom you find very difficult to understand.
Even if it means that you may have some loss, you share your things with your neighbors in an effort to show goodness to them.
If you cannot obey the word of God very well, you try to find out the reason why.
You pray, fast, and check your heart trying to find out the reason.
If you have many thoughts, you try to demolish your thoughts. If you love the world, you will try to cast it off.
But if you just hear the word and immediately forget about it, it means you don't have peace with God.
Even if the word is not in agreement with your thoughts, you should try to understand it. But you just hear what agrees with your thoughts.
And, you just live according to your will and your opinion rather than the word of God.
Even though you have been Christians for 5 years, 10 years, or even longer, you still have forms of evil and fleshly attributes.
Furthermore, some of you even judge the word of God, not believing it, and it is heartbreaking thing. If you believe the word of God, you will act according to it.
For example, God says that if we give proper tithes, He will give us amazing blessings. But sometimes, you say that you believe the word of God and but do not practice it.
Also, God says that if we humble ourselves and serve others we will be lifted up. But in reality, we try to be served rather than serving others. If you believe every word of God, then you will try to practice every word of it. And if you do, God will surely show His work.
To the extent that you always pay attention to the word of God and try to obey it, God will give you blessings and let you enjoy peace.
This is the way to have peace with God the Father. The more you have peace with God, the more of true child of God you become, resembling Him more.
Then, the aroma of your heart in your voluntary works will be more and more pleasant.
Since you give more joy to God, He will give you more rewards and blessings.
But if you do not try to understand and keep the word of God, it is inevitable that your spiritual growth will be slow.
You may even experience that your joy and thanks cool down and your passion and hope in voluntary works diminish. Therefore, I hope you will diligently put the word of God into practice so that you can have peace with God.
I pray in the name of the Lord that you will resemble the heart of God everyday so that you can do voluntary works according to the heart of God.
Dear devotees, and brothers and sisters, to offer up the aroma of your voluntary works with sanctified hearts, second, you have to have peace with your shepherd.
To have peace with your shepherd is to trust the word of God that he preaches on the altar.
No matter what kind of message he preaches, you try to put it into practice.
Why is it important to have peace with your shepherd?
Jeremiah 3:15 says, "Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you on knowledge and understanding." The sheep have to eat the feed supplied by the shepherd and digest it well so that they can become healthy sheep.
It's the same with your souls and spirits. You should eat the word of God, the spiritual food and digest it well so that you become those with healthy spirits and souls.
Your spiritual faith will grow up every day and you can be full of the Holy Spirit all the time.
But if you think, 'I don't understand this. I don't like this part,' and not take the spiritual food, what will happen? Your soul and spirit will become weak.
Of course, most of you Manmin members trust your shepherd, but you should check the deep part of your heart.
You should check whether you doubt or judge the word without realizing it.
For example, I tell you many testimonies on the altar. It is to give glory to God and to plant faith in the believers.
Sometimes, I introduce to you testimonies in which our church members obeyed the word of God and received blessings. I talk to you about how they solved their problems of disease, finance, or in family by trusting the shepherd.
Then, many people are moved by them and make up their mind to follow those examples.
But is there someone who is discouraged thinking, "I have the same kind of difficult problem, and why don't I receive the answer?"
Have you ever had the thought like, "Senior pastor knows I have such a problem, and does he have to talk about such a thing at this point? I am so embarrassed"? You harbor some uncomfortable feelings against your shepherd.
Also, recently, I introduce to you many testimonies of experiencing spiritual spaces. They are truly extraordinary things that cannot be understood by men's common knowledge. Many believers say they have received grace and gained faith through these.
But some church members doubt it wondering how it can be possible.
Also, sometimes, I have talked about some things to come.
Then, some people ask why they have not yet been fulfilled.
They suffer because they doubt the word they heard and sometimes repent before me.
They have to accept the words spoken as the Word of God, but they think the shepherd is speaking arbitrarily at his own discretion.
But most of you know how precisely the things that are spoken on the altar were fulfilled.
Of course, among the things that I have told you, there are things that can be accomplished when we march on with faith and wait until the end.
But because their faith is weak, they become impatient and doubt.
Sometimes, I openly talk about the deep spiritual realm knowing that it may cause persecutions to fall on us. What is the reason?
It's because I want you to have true faith in spiritual realm and go to New Jerusalem together.
The apostle Paul said in Philippians 1:8, "For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus."
I have the same heart.
Because I love you brothers and sisters, I can boldly proclaim the word of God and the works of God no matter what kind of difficulty I may encounter. God is my witness by showing so many signs and wonders.
John 14:11 says, "Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves."
Jesus said this because there were people who still didn't believe even when He showed numerous powerful works that could be done only by God.
I hope that you will also believe the works of God just as Jesus has spoken about them.
I urge you to also believe all the messages preached by believing the works of God manifested.
I also hope that you will try to act by the word you learn that you can all become main players in the works of God. I pray in the name of the Lord that your spiritual faith will increase and you will be filled with the Spirit more so that you can offer up more beautiful aroma of the heart to God.
Dear devotees, and brothers and sisters, to have heart that God can accept, third, you should have peace with your neighbors.
You always try to love your neighbors as yourself. You do the voluntary works in dining halls, in traffic control, and cleaning. You serve the church members doing many difficult works.
But as you are working for others, sometimes, you do not realize that you are in fact not in good terms with your neighbors.
Matthew 5:23-24 says, "Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering."
Before you offer your work, heart, time, and money to do the voluntary works, you should first have peace with your neighbors. Only then can God the Father pleasingly accept your faithfulness.
At this moment, I hope you will thoroughly check your heart, thoughts, and words on your lips when interacting with your neighbors.
If you are one who acts solely in the truth, do you feel uncomfortable about or criticize those who are not acting in the truth?
When you see your wife, husband, children, or parents not acting by the Word, what kind of reaction do you have?
Maybe you didn't understand them, even wondering why they can't obey. Or maybe you criticized them saying, "Can you receive salvation acting that way not to mention entering New Jerusalem?"
Or, did you put the blame on yourself thinking you somewhat neglected your family members since you were busy, and try to give more love to your family? Did you try to understand why the other person was suffering and earnestly pray for him/her to give more strength?
On which of these sides were your thoughts and actions?
It's the same within the volunteers' group.
Because you are volunteers there are many kinds of members that are a part of the group. Because you have different levels of faith, you may have to accept some other members and draw them in with gentleness and kindness because their faith is weak.
For example, suppose a new believer was healed of his disease and joined the volunteers' group with his overflowing thanks to God. Since he is working with passion, he is loved and recognized by many people.
In this situation, those who have peace in heart will rejoice together.
But there may be somebody who has some uncomfortable feelings about the person thinking, 'Oh, he lacks in this and that." Or, you point out his shortcomings and tell him, "You are supposed to pray at least one hour a day, but I haven't even seen you in the prayer meeting lately!"
If he does not do his duty in the volunteer work because of some trials in his heart, what if you tell him, "If you just have the duty and not do it, it is a wall of sin against God."
Then, how embarrassed he must be! He may even become offended by it. This is to break peace.
Also, suppose another member of the volunteers' group has been a believer for a long time and he has joined the group to do something for the church. But the speed of his spiritual change is very slow.
Then, you feel somewhat uncomfortable about that person thinking, 'When can he change? Why hasn't he become sanctified and why hasn't he received blessings yet?"
If you have this kind of mind, you should realize you don't have any peace with your neighbors. To follow peace, you have to look at him with eyes of faith thinking, "He does his work without changing, and God will surely give him grace to change him into spirit."
I also hope that all the church members, especially if you are leaders, check yourselves once again.
Just because you give the proper tithes, completely keep Sunday holy, do voluntary works, fulfill the duties of small group or cell group leader, try to become strength to your shepherd, or only because you know the word and practice the word, does it permit you to point out weaknesses of others and hurt their feelings?
For example, when there is a small group member who is not giving his group member fee, suppose you say, "If you do not give the member's fee, it will become a wall of sin against God." Or you may try to see his mind and situation thinking, 'Is he having a financial problem? Does he not have the faith to pay the member's fee?' Then, which one of these two above is to follow peace?
If you have sacrificial heart to pay his member's fee until he has his own faith to pay it, how pleased God the Father will be with you!
God will give power to that member to change himself seeing a worker like you.
All souls are bought by the precious blood of the Lord, and God considers each soul more precious than the whole world.
Therefore, you who are workers of the Lord have to consider each soul valuable and serve them.
Only love can change our soul.
Our Lord did not just teach the word of God.
He gave His love to the point of sacrificing His life to make the way for sinners to change and become righteous.
You and I can practice the truth because of this grace of the Lord and the love of God the Father who has been raising us until today. I hope you will also give this kind of love to your neighbors. I hope your deep love for your neighbors will be contained in your voluntary works.
I pray in the name of the Lord that this beautiful aroma will go up to the throne of God so that it will fully become your rewards and blessings.
Conclusion
Dear devotees and brothers and sisters. Peace is the shortcut to sanctification.
If you have peace completely, namely if you do your voluntary works while being sanctified, the aroma of your heart will be completely different.
Matthew 5:9 says, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."
Peacemakers will work not as 'workers' but as 'sons of God'. The son, who works for the inheritance that he will receive later, will have a different attitude from that of common laborers. The more peace you have, the more love of God you will feel and the more hope of heaven you will have.
You will work with your utmost love for God, looking forward to the rewards that will be given to you.
You will always work with all your heart, mind, and soul, and your heart will be overflowing with joy and thanks.
Also, if you follow peace, you will have wisdom from above so that you can make everything beautiful.
You will receive many blessings and rewards because your voluntary works will save souls and cause them to become full of Spirit.
Now, I hope you will have peace with God and with all your neighbors and work faithfully with sanctified and beautiful hearts.
I pray in the name of the Lord that you will also be able to serve God the Father and all the believers in New Jerusalem.
[Amen] |
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