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 Sermon > Theme Words of Life |
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Title |
Changing heart(2) |
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Speaker |
Rev. Jaerock Lee |
Bible |
Pr 4:23 |
Date |
2003-11-02 |
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Next example is King Asa of Southern Kingdom Judah.
He once loved God so much and removed the detestable idols from the whole land of Judah. He also deposed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother, because she had made a repulsive Asherah pole.
But later he changed his mind and forsook the love and faith toward God, and moved his trust from God to men.
2 Chronicles 14 shows that he and the army of Judah faced the invasion of one million Cushites. Their army was much stronger than that of Judah. But King Asa confessed his faith in 2 Chronicles 14: 11, "LORD, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. O LORD, you are our God; do not let man prevail against you." He cried out in prayer this way.
As the answer to his prayer, God the LORD struck down the Cushites as completely before Asa and Judah as none of Cushites survived, and gave Judah a perfect victory.
However, his mind changed afterward. When Baasha king of Israel went up to fight against Judah, King Asa took the silver and gold out of the treasuries of the LORD'S temple and of his own palace and sent it to Ben-Hadad king of Aram in order to ask for help.
He and Judah won the battle, but it caused the heart of God to feel very sorry. It said in <2Chronicles 16: 7-9>, At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him: "Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand. Were not the Cushites and Libyans a mighty army with great numbers of chariots and horsemen? Yet when you relied on the LORD, he delivered them into your hand. For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war."
By the way, King Asa did not so much repent his sin as got angry with the seer Hanani and put him in prison because of his great rage. After three years, in the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was afflicted with a disease in his feet. Before all these circumstances, he should have repented his sin and turned from his way. And he should have sought help from God because his disease was severe, but only from the physicians.
As a result, it says in 2 Chronicles 16: 13 that he died two years after his disease started. How dissatisfied could God be that this was written in the Bible in this detail? His case is like it is said in , "those who turn back from following the LORD and neither seek the LORD nor inquire of him
This verse does not say that God brings disasters to some changed people as soon as their faith cool down and they change their mind. God continues to give the chance for them to repent. In the case of King Asa, God waited two years.
Nonetheless, Asa did not repent or turn his wicked way, but relied still on the physicians. For this reason, God could not protect him anymore.
Today some people were healed of their severe diseases by the power of God but later are inflicted with severer diseases because they do not live by the Word. They can be barely healed again by the power of God when they repent their repeated sins thoroughly and turn from them.
Usually they are filled with the Holy Spirit and joy and confess that they will live only by the word and repay God's great grace when they are first healed by the power of God.
They confess this way although nobody forces them to do that. They will live as they confess if their mind does not change. But it is quite a few cases. Most of them do not live by the word and live easygoing lives compromising wqith the world.
If they were healed of their serious diseases, they must try to pray to God with thanks. But some of them do not pray yet. And they should be faithful to the duty the Lord gives them because they have recovered good health. But some of them neglect it because they mainly mind their own jobs or the desire for money.
And it is natural that they should preach the gospel to their unbelieving family members and lead them to the church, but some of them do not keep the day of the Lord to join family camping or picnic.
All this happens because they change their mind and determination they made when they were set free from the pain of their diseases by the grace of God. That's why God cannot protect them from sicknesses and illnesses anymore and they are infected with diseases.
But when they repent and turn from their sin once again, God our loving Father forgives them again and heals them. Of course, this kind of repentance requires twice efforts and sincerity until the grace of repentance and weeping come on them.
They should show their sincerity enough to move the heart of God and reveal the evidence of their action proving their repentance is true. But some of them abandon relying on God and seek help from the world if God's grace does not come on them quickly just after a little effort. That's because they have already lost the faith making sure God answers.
At first they receive the prayer with the faith as knowledge on the ground that they experienced the healing before or heard of a lot of healing stories. But they immediately go back to the world when God's healing answer does not come as quickly as they expect.
As for those people, it says in James 1: 6-8, "But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
In fact, many kinds of diseases can be cured with medical treatments if they are not the cases of incurable diseases. So, many people abandon depending on God for their healing and return to hospitals. What should they reply to God when they are healed by medical treatment and God asks them why they did?
Could they say that they have surely experienced the power of God before but they thought the recurred disease was too serious to be healed by the power of God? Not at all. They can never reply anything or make any excuse.
That's because there are many witnesses who were completely healed by relying on God fully without seeking any help from the world in spite of their severe condition.
Therefore, I hope you seek God and His help wholeheartedly. You should become a sly and foolish person who try with faith for some time but soon forsake the faith, change the mind and rely on the worldly methods with one foot stepping on the church by the other on the world.
It matters not whether your problem is big or small but whether you change your faith in God or not. Even though your problem seems to be difficult or impossible to solve, if you trust and rely on God to the last moment, He will surely see your faith and give you His answer.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Joab, minister of the army of David did not sit on the blessed position but went to the way of destruction because he changed his mind. He served David and made a lot of merits until David became a king next to Saul and strengthened his kingdom.
But Joab did not serve David from deep within his heart.
As a matter of fact, Joab did not so much understand the will of David and follow it as bled the people who were more righteous and better than he because of his own private revenge and self-righteousness.
So, David said in 2 Samuel 3: 39, " And today, though I am the anointed king, I am weak, and these sons of Zeruiah are too strong for me. May the LORD repay the evildoer according to his evil deeds!"
Because Joab did not serve David in true heart this way, he rebelled against the house of David with Adonijah a son of David when David was very old. Joab who had been with David for long knew well that Solomon would succeed to the throne of the King after David. And he had a clear idea that it was the will of God and David.
Notwithstanding it, Joab forsook the will of God and tried to help Adonijah sit on the throne of king seeking hi sown benefits. But the rebellion ended up as a failure and he was executed to death.
If he had not changed his mind for David but been faithful to David keeping his heart till the last moment, he would have lived a comfortable life being approved of his merits.
But, he had the stupidity to change his mind and to betray David. As a result, every merit he had gained throughout his lifetime was gone in an instant like a drop of water.
While you preach the gospel, you may meet those who say they used to attend church and take the duty of a Sunday school teacher or choir member.
Their words prove that they changed their mind however hard they served the church and were faithful to their duty, and now have nothing to do with faith. The way they say, expected rewards about their faithfulness and service go away in a moment.
I have experienced the case. I aw in a vision that a woman's heavenly house was being built as greatly as a palace, but it collapsed down in an instant and all her would-be rewards went away when she betrayed and left the church. Even though a person has been faithful and devoted himself for the kingdom of God for years, if he changes his mind and leaves faith, his heavenly rewards go away and his salvation becomes difficult.
So, I hope you will not change your mind about being faithful for the kingdom of God. You should not give up your duty given by the Lord except that you are compelled to give back your duty for the greater benefits to God's kingdom.
Is there anyone of you who carried out your duty with joy and thanks at first but now do it unwillingly and reluctantly? Or is there anyone of you who performed your work with all your heart and sincerity but do it roughly? Or are you the kind of persons who were faithful only looking up the Lord but feel oppressed by the duty having dispute or discord with others?
If you have one of these cases, it proves that you have already changed your mind. If it goes worse with you, you will have the desire to abandoning precious duties.
It is said in Revelation 3: 11, "I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown," and in 1Corinthians 15: 58, "Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."
I pray in the name of the Lord that you long to receive the duty or the title in the Lord with hope for heaven and be unchangingly faithful to your duty till the coming of Jesus Christ.
In Acts 15: 38 - 39, there is Mark shown who carried out the work of God but later betrayed. At first Mark worked with the apostle Paul and his company, but deserted them later.
When Barnabas and Paul started their evangelizing trip again, Barnabas wanted to take Mark but Paul did not think it wise to take him. The reason Paul stood firm in his determination is not because he lacked in mercy and forgiveness but because he knew the human mind well.
People with the sly and changing heart have a tendency to repent today but commit sins tomorrow. And those who once betrayed are liable to betray again. So, you must remember that you can lose a good credit that you have gained in the sight of God once you changed your mind despite the length of your faithfulness.
Fortunately Mark repented thoroughly later and became a helpful worker for the Lord as it is said in 2Timothy 4:11.
The cunning man Jojo one of the main characters in the book of Samkukchi never hired those who betrayed their master. If he would hire one the betrayers, he hired the man for a while and forsook him. That was because he knew that betrayers tent to betray once again some day.
On the contrary, Jojo thought highly of even his enemies who did not betray their master. For example, commended the unchanging heart of Kwanwoo, and set him free although he took Kwanwoo as a captive.
In this way, trustfulness is very important out of reach of the faith, but still more it is more important in the faith.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Some people were put to death in the curse of Gods because they changed their minds in the greed of money. It was the same case with Ananias and Sapphira in the Book of Acts.
Acts in 4: 32-35 says as follows. All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.
Among them, a man named Ananias and his wife Sapphira also sold a piece of property. They changed their determination they had made toward God at first because of the greed for money. They kept back part of the money for themselves, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet as if it were everything.
Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God." When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died.
About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. Peter asked her, "Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?" "Yes," she said, "that is the price." Peter said to her, "How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also." At that moment she fell down at his feet and died.
It seems to be possible for them to be given the chance of repenting their sins once by God. But the reason they died miserable death was not simply because they changed their determination once but because they cheated the Holy Spirit one of the Trinity.
It is said in Psalm 10: 3, "He boasts of the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD.
To cheat the Apostle Peter testified with powerful works by God indicates cheating the God who assured him and was with him.
You must not think that Ananias and his wife Sapphira were cursed to death when they first cheated Peter and the Holy Spirit. God gave the stubborn Pharaoh the chances to repent over and again. Ananias and Sapphira were forced to die because they made the barrier difficult to be destroyed by keeping on sinning until that time.
And they again tried to cheat the Holy Spirit and the Father God at the last chance given to them and were put to death.
It is said in Deuteronomy 23: 21 and 23, If you make a vow to the LORD your God, do not be slow to pay it, for the LORD your God will certainly demand it of you and you will be guilty of sin. Whatever your lips utter you must be sure to do, because you made your vow freely to the LORD your God with your own mouth.
So, you must keep your promise with other men, and must abide by the promise with God the Creator at any cost. It is said in Psalm 15: 4, "who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the LORD, who keeps his oath even when it hurts"
Go who detests slyness and changing one's mind does not allow you to change what you made up your mind to offer to God into the better one. He says in Leviticus 27: 10, " He must not exchange it or substitute a good one for a bad one, or a bad one for a good one; if he should substitute one animal for another, both it and the substitute become holy."
Accordingly, if you vowed to offer anything or promised Him to do something, you should surely put it into action without breaking the promise. Only then, will God bless you to receive what you desire and reward you with wonderful things.
By the way, it is said in Ecclesiastes 5: 6, " Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, "My vow was a mistake." Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands?"
I hope you understand the will of God properly, be careful in vowing something, and put your vowing words into action quickly so that you will enjoy every blessing God prepared for you. |
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