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 Sermon > |
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Title |
Faith - Light and Salt Mission Devotional Service |
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Speaker |
Rev. Jaerock Lee |
Bible |
Romans 12:3 |
Date |
2009-05-01 |
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Scripture Reading
Romans 12:3
"For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith."
Prologue
Perfect faith is needed in glorifying God as the light and salt to the world
Body
How to possess perfect faith
1. Do not be impatient!
- Long to have great faith and examine and change yourself
- Long heart and impatient heart is different
- When you are impatient, you cannot be filled with the Holy Spirit but discouraged
in fleshly thoughts
- Patience can develop when you rely on God and change yourself one by one
2. You have to be faithful both in the word of God and prayer
- You must not be oppressed by the word of God but realize the love of God who lets you discover yourselves and changes you through the word.
- You must pray in fullness, and receive strength feeling the heart of God
3. You must not feel disheartened due to comparing yourself with others
If the love of God fills your heart completely, you can be generous to everyone and rejoice with the truth
Conclusion
I pray that devotees will rely on God who called you and has been perfecting you so that you can act out of love possessing perfect faith and giving glory to God.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I give all thanks and glory to Father God who has blessed this 2009 Devotional Service for the Light and Salt Mission.
I also give thanks to devotees who have prepared this service with all your heart, will and sincerity.
Dear devotees,
Parents give their child a name with their love and expectations they have for them.
It was the same when the name of Light and Salt mission was given to the mission.
This name includes the heart and hope of God who desires you to become the true light and salt.
It is usually said that spreading the gospel is not easy in department stores, restaurants and distribution works.
But looking at it from another point of view, what a great blessing it is that you met the Lord in such a difficult situation!
You have not gained only salvation, but through the gospel of sanctification and God's powerful works manifested you have also come to hope for New Jerusalem.
In this great grace you must become the light shining in the dark world and you play the role of the salt for the world.
You must give out the fragrance of Christ and spread life to the many souls around you.
In order to do this, you first have to stand firm on the true faith.
When you live a life worthy to be the children of God with true faith in any circumstances, God will be with you in everything.
Just as God caused Joseph to prosper wherever he was, He will guarantee and guide you always.
In this way the people around you will acknowledge God just by seeing the image you project.
To you who have been assigned to this precious duty, God gives the message with the title "Faith."
The kind of faith God wants you to have is the perfect and spiritual faith. It is the faith being filled with the full measure of Christ.
Through this preaching of this message I wish for you to examine and then improve your faith to a higher level.
And I pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ you finally possess complete faith and become light and salt to the world.
Body
Dear devotees and brothers and sisters in Christ,
In order to reach the full measure of perfect faith pleasing to God, first of all, you must not be impatient.
Many people profess their faith in the Lord, but each of them has different measure of faith.
If a person accepts the Lord for the first time, he is saved and his faith begins to grow up.
At first a person's faith is the first level of faith that is like being a newborn baby. It then grows into the child-like 2nd level of faith. At the 3rd level of faith it is like that of a young adult, and the 4th and 5th levels of faith are levels like that of fathers.
A person cannot possess "perfect" faith from the beginning. Faith starts to mature at the 1st level of faith.
Faith matures to the extent one discovers and casts off evil and sin in becoming sanctified.
Just passing the levels of faith, from 1st level to 2nd level and above, he can reach the level of perfect faith.
Of course, each individual is different in the growth of his faith.
Some believers pass each level quickly, while some others are a little slow.
To which level of faith does your faith belong?
Some of you may say, "My faith is growing and maturing well."
Some others say, "The growth of my faith is so slow compared with the long years of my faith" and they feel sorry about it.
But what is the most important thing is that you have to be sure that your faith will reach the complete level of faith.
If your faith has grown slowly until now, all you have to do is to urge your steps of faith.
You have to do your best to reach the final goal in your measure of faith.
You have to seek the grace of God and diligently practice the truth.
There is a difference between longing for greater faith and being impatient to gain it.
Some believers are impatient and become distressed after looking back at themselves and examining their faith.
They are troubled saying, "A few years have already passed, and I am a church worker, but I've accomplished so little. Why has my faith not grown consistently with my desire?"
This impatient heart is a hindrance in the growth of your faith.
In order to discover yourself and cast off impatience, first of all, you must realize what your life is through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
You must be able to receive grace and strength to cast off your "self."
If you are impatient, then fleshly thoughts become foremost.
Then you cannot hear the voice of the spirit in your heart.
Then, you may feel distressed by the pressure to change, but you won't be able to come to a self-realization concerning your "self."
Even when you find your weak points, you feel pressure and suffer pains because the strength to throw them away doesn't come upon you.
Your mind is busy only with many thoughts like "I have to throw this away quickly" and "I have to change that."
You will have no peace in your heart, and you will stumble, thinking, "I cannot get beyond this level."
Today's Scripture Romans 12:3 says, "...not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith."
Spiritual faith is given by God and in the same way the grace and strength for sanctification is given by Him.
You can't make your faith grow with a fervent desire to achieve a goal or with an impatiently zeal for it.
You have to commit everything unto God and establish the most fundamental things first.
Some of these basic things are to worship God in spirit and in truth without idle thoughts or drowses; praying without ceasing and praying fervently and earnestly; singing praises to God with deep meditation on each verse through spiritual inspiration; and reading one chapter and memorizing one verse of the Bible every day. Each and every one of these are basic things, but very important.
As these basic things are built up, great faith will also be established.
But if you are impatient, you may not hold fast to practicing these basic things.
You must not become impatient expecting to have greater faith immediately. If you do, then you may start thinking, "Why can't I do this?" and no longer keep these basic things.
You must seek the grace of God from within the heart and put the smallest things into action by faith.
You have to ask for the grace and strength of God so that you can get rid of the things you shouldn't do and be able to do the things you couldn't do.
This way you can make today better than yesterday, and tomorrow better than today.
Luke 11:13 says, "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?"
Even parents who are evil desire to give their children good and necessary things.
Then, how could our good and love-abounding Father God turn His face from His children who earnestly ask!
How much more will He do when His children ask for the strength of God with a longing heart for sanctification and glorification of God through great faith!
I want to urge you to realize once again the heart of God who abounds in love.
Please remember all the moments when God watched over you for a long time and led you to this church.
Even though nursing women may forget their children, our Father God will never forget you.
He keeps and protects you as the apple of the eye.
This good Father God has led you here to this point and is leading you into New Jerusalem.
If you really feel this love of God, you will not find it burdensome to change.
Let me give you an illustration. When her child is in danger, the mother will enter into it without discerning the danger from even fire or water.
It is not that the mother thinks, "It looks dangerous and difficult, but I cannot but avoid this because he is my lovely child," or "If I have to, I will sacrifice myself just to save him."
She doesn't hesitate to sacrifice anything but focuses on saving the child.
With love, we find nothing difficult, and the love is a driving force that causes us to do anything willingly, not forcibly.
As much as you feel the love of Father God and love Him, your longing heart for spirit naturally increases.
You never shrink back or feel it's burdensome thinking "I have to change and improve my faith because I love Father God."
Many of you have seen or heard how I have led my life of faith each day since the time I accepted the Lord.
In fact, my family and those who serve most closely to me know for long years now I have endured everything ever more patiently than you could ever know.
I am not rock, and I am not iron, either. But I have led a really unbearable life day by day with a human body with flesh and blood.
I could overcome a little easier when it was wicked people who didn't know the truth, who were the ones opposing God and hindering His kingdom.
But, when I found my precious flock, the ones I was leading into New Jerusalem and that I prayed for with all my heart and all my strength, were the ones who were going the way of death, it was very difficult for me to overcome.
I shed many tears when I saw those souls committing unpardonable sins and became weary.
I was distressed up to the point that I couldn't lift up my face before Father God, but I knelt down before God because I had to revive them again.
During that long period of time, sometimes I became so exhausted I fainted.
I feared reading or hearing more cases where they sinned, and for a short time I felt like taking some time away for rest.
However, I've never lived this life forcefully or stressfully. I've never walked this way in a sense of burden.
I love God so much, and my flock is so precious to me. That's why I walk this way not forcibly but readily and steadfastly.
Sometimes all life forces drained from me and I couldn't overcome anymore. But if God the Father gave me His comfort and when I saw some members repenting and turning back from the heart, I was encouraged again.
This is the power of love.
Dear devotees, and brothers and sisters in Christ,
God called you, and holds you until the end when you will enter into New Jerusalem.
I wish for you to feel deep love of God who has led you here.
I ask you to more eagerly long to be empowered by the power of the Holy Spirit and reach the level of faith where God wants you by His love.
First of all, please examine how soberly you have kept the word in your mind when you listened to the messages, and how earnestly you have endeavored to practice it.
And if you make every effort to practice each word of God with new heart, you will be filled with the Holy Spirit and joy again.
Then, you can feel more deeply and clearly the love and tender care of God who leads you step by step on the path to sanctification.
You will not insist on keeping your standard that you made thinking "With my past life of faith I should have accomplished that much!"
Instead you will be led to greater level of faith, step by step, according to the guidance of God.
Dear devotees, and brothers and sisters in Christ,
In order to reach the full measure of complete faith, you must be faithful in both the word and prayers.
I have told you not to be impatient in order to possess complete faith.
What then is the reason that you are impatient?
It's because you have always heard and learned about depths of the spiritual realm, but when you see your present faith, you have accomplished the word much less than expected.
You have a desire to change, but have no strength to change yourselves.
I have told you in order to receive the strength to change by the word you have to realize the love of God.
In His love you can find yourselves, and gain the strength to walk in the truth one step at a time.
To realize that love of God, the word of God and prayers must accompany each other.
Only through the hearing of the word could you realize what complete faith is.
And through it you can find what your faith is like compared with the complete faith and how you can change.
You hear many words from the podium.
But without prayers, no matter how many words of God you hear, you cannot realize the word and apply it into your life.
Or even if you have realized the word, you feel burdensome concerning the word because you have no strength cast off your sins.
When you pray and take in the word and digest it like bread, you can realize the word of God in goodness.
In the word of God you can feel the love of God who helps you realize and change.
The reason God teaches His children the truth is neither to burden nor admonish them whenever they commit sins.
Rather it is to lead them into the light and to bless them with good things, and finally to take them into better places in heaven.
God gives each of you greater faith when you diligently obey according to each one's measure of faith, and He gives better things both on earth and in heaven. This is the love of God.
If you remember this, your prayers will be different.
You will not forcefully repent or reluctantly say, "I did wrong. Forgive me."
You will not pray from a sense of duty saying, "Let me throw away this and let me cast off that."
"Father! I love You! I thank You! You created me, You watch over me, You give me good things and You lead me. My precious Father! My Father worthy to receive my thanks! I hope because I love You, I will be able to come to be complete according to Your will."
"Let me throw away all the things I have not yet cast off as quickly as possible, and let me become a joy and comfort to You. Add Your grace and strength to me in Your love so that I can draw myself closer to You." Thus, you will offer the prayers of joy and inspiration.
I hope you will deeply feel the love of God and accomplish more complete faith every day in such prayer.
Dear devotees, and brothers and sisters in Christ,
In order to reach the full measure of complete faith, thirdly, you must not be disheartened due to comparison with others.
In the world everything looks beautiful to those who fall in love.
Their hearts are full of happiness and they can treat anyone with generosity and with a measure of goodness.
This is the same in spirit.
If your heart is filled with God's love, there is no reason for you to compare yourself with others.
Because you are earnestly running the race of faith with the faith that God loves you and with your love for Him, you have the generosity to be able to share love with everyone.
But if you don't feel this love, you come to turn your eyes upon other things.
If in comparison with others you feel you are going ahead of them, you feel comforted, but if you feel the others are advancing ahead of you, you feel discouraged.
You may think, "That person can go ahead that much because he started his life of faith earlier than me. When will I possess that faith?"
Or you may be sorrowful and disheartened thinking, "That person came to church later than me, but she grew up fast to be a church worker because her inner heart is so good. I came to church earlier than she, but I am at this level as my heart is not as good."
Those who do their best in their measure of faith think of everything in goodness.
When they see a person moving in faith ahead of them, they think in gratitude, "It's so thankful a thing that such a worker accomplishes so much in the kingdom of God and she is such a good example that I can take after."
Even when someone who came to church later then them is going ahead, they are also grateful and joyful.
Lamenting to yourself thinking, "Why have I done this little?" is useless and from the mind of the flesh.
Let me give you an example.
If someone says, "You daughter is pretty like you," the mother feels so happy.
Now if someone says, "Your daughter is much prettier than you,' does the mother feel offended?
Not at all!!!
If your loved ones are recognized and commended, you are never involved in any negative thoughts because you were not praised.
Conversely, you will be as happy as if it were you who had been commended.
Thus, if you fill your heart with the love of God, you can treat the people around you with love.
All you have to do and can do is to run the race of faith zealously with God's love and believe you will surely be able to reach complete faith.
When the other is ahead of you, you can give thanks, while when you are ahead, you can pray for the other and encourage him.
I wish you will fill your heart with the Father's love and rejoice with the truth in everything.
Conclusion
Dear devotees, and brothers and sisters in Christ,
Some of you say you want to enter New Jerusalem after hearing the gospel of sanctification but you keep negative thoughts.
Some people complain saying that they love the word of truth but the background in their growth and the present situation is still poor.
They feel disheartened thinking, "I wish my parents had been better parents! I wish I could have grown up in a home that was well-off! I wish I had had a better inner heart and heart-field! If my environments had been better and I had led better life, I would be at the level of spirit quickly!"
But with the power of God, "from these stones" God is able to raise up children to Abraham.
1 Thessalonians 5:24 says, "Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass." So, the God of love who has called you will fulfill His plan for you through your longing heart.
Even your deficient heart and poor heart-field can be transformed if you are empowered by the Holy Spirit.
He is able to turn about any kind of circumstances.
The core problem is how much you are laboring to love God and how eagerly you long for His grace.
The span of believing life of 10 years or 20 years is not important.
Now please look back at your faith where you have put your heart and if you have really loved God and hoped only for New Jerusalem.
I ask you to bear the Father's love down deep into your joints and your bones, and to love Him with a sincere heart.
Please inscribe God's promise on your heart and believe when you profess, "My God who has led me here, He will surely make me complete and lead me into New Jerusalem."
Please offer the fragrance of fervent payers with this hope.
You need to press on toward New Jerusalem step by step by practicing the word of God one by one.
Then, you will be able to become the light and salt to the world and glorify God.
And the whole membership of the Light and Salt Mission will once more be set ablaze with the fire of revival.
Just like in a burning furnace, any kind of soul can be melt down among you by the fullness of the Holy Spirit.
I desire for all of you, each devotee, to reach complete faith in the love of Father God.
May you lead many souls into the arms of God and glorify God in a full measure, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray!
[Amen] |
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