Title: 奇跡を待Chi望む人tachi
Contents
2010.1.31 Sunday Morning Worship People Waiting for Miracles
Text: Luke 11:29 - 32
After becoming a Christian, I think you have lived through various experiences while living your life of faith. But I think there are some who have experienced miraculous things, big or small.
However, if you have never had such an experience, you might say, 'Oh, I want to try that too. Even small things are good, so I want to experience a miracle.'
The Bible uses the word 'shirushi (sign)', but I thought that the desire to experience miracles is likely to reside in our hearts.
Christianity is different from many mystical pagan religions.
Most heresies are either too mystic or emphasize miracles. In a word, Christianity does not advocate or emphasize mysticism. However, there are still many miracle stories in the Bible.
A person went to a living prayer to change something that did not reach the fervent faith even though he had been living in faith for a long time.
In Korea, we sometimes go to mountain prayers at retreats or special gatherings.
This person also wanted to experience the filling of the Holy Spirit, so he went
It is said that he prayed hard while holding on to the pine tree to the point of pulling out the roots of the pine tree. However, after a lot of time has passed, I feel my eyes brighten and I feel like, 'Ah~ I'm finally...! ' And the moment I recalled the experience of the Holy Spirit in my head, I opened my eyes and found a colleague who had come with me standing in front of me, holding a flashlight in his hand.
A colleague who was worried about this person would not come down from Mt. At the same time, I came to realize that it was not the light of the Holy Spirit that illuminated my eyes, but this flashlight. How disappointed this person must have been... The expression on his face at that moment is more than imaginable.
That may be a proof that people are longing for a special experience in their personal religious life. It is easy for Christianity to stumble if it tries to confirm its faith by relying on such special experiences.
However, it is true that miracles are still happening in this day and age.
The Bible records many of the same things that can happen in our lives. We do not tell stories of miracles beyond the scope of our lives.
Jesus did not perform miracles everywhere he went.
Only when absolutely necessary can you confirm that he performed miracles exceptionally.
It is worth noting what happened in the stage of preparation for Jesus' public ministry.
When you are tempted by the devil after 40 days of prayer in the wilderness, you need to remember that the things the devil proposed were related to Jesus' miracles. But we do remember that Jesus rejected it at all.
Likewise, in today's text, Jesus steadfastly refuses, saying, "This generation is an evil generation, so it seeks a sign, but I have no sign to show you except the sign of Jonah."
These words are in response to those who tried to tempt Jesus in verse 16, the first part of the text, asking for a ‘sign from heaven’.
What did the “sign from heaven” they asked for mean?
What sign is coming down from the sky?
Perhaps it means making manna fall from heaven like Moses or fire from heaven like Elijah. However, they had a different view of the Lord’s “sign”.
Are you expecting a sign from God in my life?
But should we understand the expectation of a sign as a religious thing?
Or should it be viewed as a sign of unbelief?
People seeking a sign can be seen as a crooked form of faith to satisfy their constant unbelief rather than a normal form of faith seeking to find a solid basis for their belief. If you see this sign, I think it will give you a boost in your faith. But in fact, these people can't believe it even when they see solid evidence.
Soon you will fall into the swamp of distrust again. So far, Jesus has shown many evidences.
But again, people are looking for a sign.
To them, the Lord says that the true sign is the sign of Jonah.
So what was Jonah's sign?
Just as Jonah was in the belly of a fish for three days and three nights and rose to life, so Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead on the third day.
Also, as Jonah received the word of God and proclaimed the message of repentance, so the people of Nineveh repented, so Jesus also preached the word and proclaimed the message of repentance.
So the real sign is Jesus.
Jesus is the Messiah sent by God.
People rejected and did not accept this clear revelation from God.
They are evil and rebellious.
The most sure evidence given to us today is Jesus.
The Bible, the written Word of God, testifies of this Jesus.
Why did the Jews ask Jesus for a sign?
‘When the crowds were gathered, Jesus said to them, ‘This generation is an evil one, and they ask for a sign… ’
The religious characteristics of the Jews are that they tried to understand the ‘sign’ as proof of their close relationship with God. In particular, they always demanded a ‘sign’ for those whom the traditional Jewish religious authority did not recognize. The reason they now ask for a 'sign' from the Lord is not to see and believe in the sign, but to take hold of it.
It stems from utter distrust. If they had tried to believe in the Lord, it would have been enough that so many signs had already appeared from the Lord. In John 4:48, the Lord rebuked these people for saying, 'Unless you see signs and wonders, you will never believe.'
There is great danger in the faith that seeks only “signs from heaven.”
The beliefs that seek their signs are fraught with dangers:
They make the mistake of putting their faith on something visually identifiable, blasphemy against the sovereignty of God, and risk degrading spiritual religion to an idol religion that can be seen and touched.
That is why the Lord said that there is no sign to be shown to those who seek a “sign” except the “sign of Jonah.” Does this mean that Jesus really can no longer perform other miracles, or that the miracles he has performed have been tricks like magicians?
It's not like that.
What Jesus wants is that he does not want to be a sign of his understanding and the basis of his faith. Because wonders and miracles cannot be the basis of true faith. Jesus is saying that the cross alone is sufficient even if he does not show any other miracles other than the cross.
The heart that seeks for signs other than the cross hinders the growth of healthy believers.
So is our faith in Jesus. Don't wait too long for a miracle. The fact that we came to believe in Jesus Christ is indeed a wonderful miracle. The more you ask for a sign, the more your heart deviates from the level of faith and falls into a side road.
But that alone isn't enough. Show me something more exciting. I wish I could show you an incredible miracle. Please strengthen your faith through more powerful experiences. To those who ask for this, the Lord is saying that he has nothing to show except the sign of Jonah. Jesus is not pleased with the refusal to rely on miracles to confirm his faith. If there are such people, I pray in the name of the Lord that you will once again take into account the meaning of Jesus' resolute words that there is nothing to see except this sign of Jonah.
You have to notice that the Lord is not intentionally trying to show you another sign.
That is why he says that there is no sign to be seen except the sign of Jonah. Because he knew that showing signs to such people would not change much.
“As Jonah was a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be in this generation.”
Jesus is telling those who seek a “sign” that the only true sign is the “sign of Jonah.” The phrase “I can only show you that” does not mean that the sign is limited, but it is an expression of Jesus’ attitude toward the sign that he will not show it other than that.
Jonah's sign is a foreshadowing of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and just as the people of Nineveh, who would perish through Jonah's death and resurrection, were saved, so through the death and resurrection of the Lord all believers will be saved. This means that there are no more targets.
Other signs are only a means to spread the gospel and are not necessary for the work of redemption.
Through the substitutionary death of Christ Jesus on the cross and the resurrection that overcomes the power of death, there can be no more sign than that sinners can repent, receive forgiveness, and receive eternal life. This is the biggest target. He is explaining that He died on the cross and rose again on the third day as a ‘sign of Jonah’. That Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead on the third day, and that we can be saved by believing in this. This is Jonah's sign, and that's all faith is all about. There can be no greater sign than to be saved from destruction. Because the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ are the culmination and completion of the revelation for the redemption of man. The cross is everything. Please believe that the cross is enough.
The queen of the south in verse 31 refers to the queen of Sheba who came to Solomon.
He longed for the word. The queen of Sheba not only did not mind traveling to distant foreign lands to hear the word, but paid a great price for the trip. She and her attendants came to Solomon with a lot of spices, gold, and precious stones on their camels. As the saying goes, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21), her heart was not in the treasures of the world, but in the Word of Wisdom. It was in the word of life.
In comparison, the people of Israel in Jesus' day did not know how to repent even after hearing the words of wisdom and life, and being touched by the words.
It is as if they are ignorant pearl traders who do not know how to get drunk even after they have found ‘a pearl of great value. They are ignorant people who do not know how to discover the true jewel of Jesus Christ. I pray in the name of the Lord that there is no such person in this place right now.
Seeking signs, we must not mistake mystical illusions for faith.
We must also give up the attitude of approaching the life of faith only intellectually because there are no more miracles. I am convinced only of the sign of Jonah, the redemption of the cross, that was given to us, and my sins were washed clean.
If you believe that, that's enough. When I see the cross and repent and repent before God like the people of Nineveh, the grace of salvation will come to me in full.
We give thanks to the Lord for showing us the signs of Jonah and give us all the glory and praise.