Title “If You Stay”
Contents
“If you stay”
May 20, 2007
7th Sunday of Easter / Outdoor Worship
John 15:1-11
Psalm 131
“[1] Lord, now I have given up my pride. I turned back from an arrogant path. They don't go out of their way to get too big, and they don't even try to accomplish amazing things that overflow with indignation. [2] Rather, my mind is still and calm. As a weaned child is in the arms of its mother, so is my soul like a weaned child. [3] From now on, Israel, trust in the Lord alone.”
1. John's Parable
The parable of the vine and the branches in the Gospel of John is a very famous story that we have heard a lot from Sunday School. Many of you may have seen sculptures or paintings of grape clusters hanging from vines in churches.
Let's revisit the content of this famous story.
Who is God the Father? farmer
Jesus? : vine
who are we (me)? : the branches of the vine
What does the farmer God do? : trimming branches
What is the purpose of pruning? : to bring forth much fruit
What kind of branch are we? : We are branches that have already been cleaned and trimmed to bear fruit.
Now, the most important question.
How to bear fruit?
Yes, you have to be attached to the vine to bear fruit. We must remain in Jesus.
Verse 5 says, “Apart from me you can do nothing.”
2. We...
Today's Gospel of John is something you know all too well.
But what about our lives in reality?
Aren't we anxious and anxious, trying to bear fruit rather than sticking around and staying?
I think today why we can't stay in Jesus and we can't be attached to it.
First of all, it's because of the anxiety that if I don't, my life will fall into hell.
And the second is because I am caught up in the illusion and arrogance that I have come to this day and that what I am today is the result of my hard work and effort.
So, even when we receive a gift from God, we do not feel that it is a gift so we appreciate it, but we think of it as a reward for our efforts. So the cost is justified, and if it doesn't match our expectations, we get angry with God. So, even though this life may seem successful on the surface, it becomes a life of tiring and joyless life.
Folks, the farmer is God.
The result of what He planted, watered, groomed, and nurtured is who I am today and who I am today.
Can we make you one inch taller? Can we truly love the person next to us? Will our efforts make life happy and happy?
‘What I am’ is God’s care and grace. We need to realize that the sunlight, rain, and the earth give us energy and that our family and neighbors take care of us.
3. Big and Amazing
The psalmist is repenting.
Repentance is turning away from your proud heart and turning from your arrogant way.
Here, <too great gadolot> and <a marvel that overflows with fury> nipalaot are both words related to God in the Old Testament. So, when you try to do something too big, too profane, and amazing, man has invaded the realm of God.
In Jewish tradition, war belongs to God. So, when someone initiates wars and fights to achieve their goals, they invade the realm of God and become war with God. And the earth belongs to God. We should not covet other people's land by greedy for more than God's ordained land, and cleverly exploiting our neighbors' weaknesses. The story of war and land still holds very important implications for us today.
But are only war and land God's realm?
Without God, can you love your wife, your husband, and your children righteously, even to the point of giving up your body? Without God, can we understand each other deeply and communicate without barriers? When we wake up in the morning to receive a freshly baked day as a gift, to continue our own life by eating another life, and to wrap ourselves up well, where is nothing outside of God's domain?
Indeed, we “can do nothing unless we are attached.”
4. Era of Infinite Competition
Today is said to be the era of infinite competition. However, the ‘age of infinite competition’ is the ‘age of sin’ that invades the realm of God. We ignore God and take what is His. We covet our neighbors while ignoring them. We live in an era where land is exploited without appreciation for nature. Achievementism, activism, and self-centered competition are the face of this era.
However, this kind of image is also present in our churches today. Competitive beliefs that swindle, fight, and steal are praised as zealous faith. Prayer is usually close to intimidation and extortion. It seems that fasting struggle is more appropriate than fasting prayer. This is what both the so-called conservative and progressive churches look like. Most of them are obsessed with behaviorism. Achievements and achievements take precedence. They compete on how much they spend on good things and how much they serve.
But now, let go of the competitive spirit and the anxious mind,
Excited by great ambition, repent of sleepless nights,
As a weaned child in the arms of its mother,
As a branch attaches to the vine
It takes courage to rely only on Yahweh God and stay in Jesus Christ.
Now I need the spirituality to come back, sit still, stop my voice, and get acquainted with Him.
In Jewish tradition, the period of breastfeeding a child is about three years. (2 Maca 7:27) And since modern medicine has a close relationship between walking and digestion, when a child can stand on his own and walk on his own two feet, there is a time when he can ingest, digest, and absorb food on his own. This is the best time to wean. So, “as a weaned child is held in the arms of its mother” does not mean weeping hungry for milk, but just staying in peace of trust and warmth.
5. A fruitful life
It takes a lot of courage and determination to stay and stick with these days. But then we become a fruitful life. When we bear fruit, we become disciples of Jesus, and God is glorified (verse 8).
Then what will be the fruit?
Let's read verse 11 together. “I have said these things to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may abound.”
It is the fruit that brings joy to our lives. I like myself, I am grateful and I am happy. When we rejoice in our life, we become disciples of Jesus. When I meet the 'true me' and overflow with joy, God is glorified.
This is a very important spirituality that our Korean church should seek.
It's not about going high and getting a lot by diligently working hard and fast.
to enjoy my happy life in him
To have an intimate relationship with God in the arms of a weaned child.
This is the spirituality that our Majungmul Church practices.
May this day be a time to touch the ground, plant new life, and stay in God the Farmer. And I pray that the ecological sensibility hidden within us will be revived, the cultivation instinct to get along with the land will be revived, and the spiritual sense will be revived to start a life full of joy.
<Dispatcher>
Let go of fear and arrogance.
Do not covet God's or your neighbour's.
Just like a weaned child, embrace God the Mother.
And enjoy the life that the Lord has given me.
<benediction>
the gift of grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,
The love that God the Mother embraces and
The intimate communication and fellowship of the Holy Spirit
Let go of your arrogant heart,
Respect God, neighbor and nature, and appreciate my life.
May you be with all the alumni who yearn to receive the fruit of joy in each other's friendship.
One earnest wish Amen.