Title: Don't judge easily
Contents
Sunday morning worship on October 22, 2006
Text: Romans 11:1-10
Title: Don't Judge Easily
Pearls containing oysters cannot be recognized from the outside. If you judge it easily and don't care, you can throw away the Pearl of Great Price. Judging others easily first is called prejudice. Unless you have experienced it, it is never wise to make hasty decisions. It is a saying that anyone can say that the country is difficult, but it is impossible to believe it as it is because it is completely rushed. Because, as we say and believe, the country may be in such a difficult situation. The proverb that there is a hole in the sky no matter how falling down is a very good proverb about quickly judging everything easily.
It may not be a very good illustration, but there was an advertisement on the bus saying that men and living *** must experience it, because it can be different on the outside and inside. So it didn't look good, but the more I experience it, the more true it is. The first impression is good, but the more I experience it, the more disappointing it becomes.
Especially in a social life where you deal with people, it is an advantage to judge others quickly and is a shortcut to social success. These are general statements to emphasize that we should not judge others easily, and it is wisdom to be cautious in everything and to be patient in everything.
In today's text, the Apostle Paul exhorts God's people who live in God to judge easily in all things and not to go astray. As an example, he cites himself, Elijah, and David as examples. Many people, especially the scattered members of the church at that time, thought that the Jews were far from salvation because the persecution of the Jews completely destroyed the church and obscured the glory of God. It was as if there were some who thought that the biggest problem as an obstacle to the gospel was the Jews. Even among the Jews, there were many people who were full of ethnic self-assertion that they must be circumcised even after accepting the gospel.
The Jews took Stephen for granted, putting him in prison and killing him. That is why many believers are scattered to the east, west, north and south to form the church. They are afraid of the Jews. Those Jews killed Jesus Christ and are trying to kill the Apostle Paul as well. From the perspective of the Jews, of course, they are the enemies of Christ. But the Apostle Paul says: Look at me who I was! I was a Jew, a Hebrew, a Pharisee, of the tribe of Benjamin. I also joined when I went to arrest those who believed in Jesus Christ, and I stood by the side when I killed Stephen. But who am I now? Became an apostle of Jesus, whom you persecute. Although he is an apostle to the Gentiles, God's plan for his people is still valid for the Jews.
I introduce two characters from the Old Testament. Look at Elijah At the time of Elijah, didn't Elijah say that he was the only one alive! In Elijah's eyes, it seemed that he was struggling alone, fighting Baal and Baal's hordes. Ahab and Jezebel sent men to run away to kill him.
The moment God's zeal is about to harm Elijah's life, he is tired of the rosemary tree. Are you saying that the Lord is doing this for my life? cry out Baal and the forces of Baal have killed the prophets, destroyed the community of prophets, and are trying to target and destroy even the most special Elijah before God. God did not teach Elijah how to escape in front of his adversaries or tell him to wait as the situation had come to an end. God tells Elijah that he will leave 7,000 people who have not yet bowed the knee to Baal.
The battle between Elijah and Ahab became a battle between the God they served and Baal. Baal was on the verge of harming the life of Elijah, the true prophet of God, but God did not allow him to kill him. God is going to fight using Elijah with the 7,000 men who will never bow their knees before Baal, who puts everything other than God as the number one priority. Elijah struggles alone without even seeing this, and when his own life is threatened, when he screams before God, God anoints Hazael king of Syria, Jehu king of Israel, and appoints Elisha the prophet to replace you. The power of Hazael king of Syria There is Jehu even if we overcome the strife, and Elisha is there even if we fall out of Jehu's power. And he said to Baal that there are 7,000 men who will never bow their knees. It tells him in a small voice a strong message that no force can stand up to the martyrs God has set up. It was a noisy world, but God made Elijah triumphant. see Romans 11:1-4
Who says this! This is Paul's confession of being beaten three times minus 40, imprisoned in prison, and in the face of death threatened by the cold running away from hunger and shipwreck. (Refer to the latter part of 2 Corinthians 11) That's right! The Jews have been forsaken! Now you must destroy yourself! It is what God has forsaken. This is the first nation that God will judge. don't say We're telling you not to jump to judgment. God's chosen method is grace. It is not our effort or hard work. The way God will do it is His will. So it doesn't work. The method of defeating Baal and winning is also a means of God's grace. So the chosen ones praise God's grace.
However, those who seek to reveal themselves through their own deeds cannot live under the grace of God. (Romans 11:5-8) Take David's example When David says that he is probably hard-headed, it can be said that his stubbornness is those who do not dwell under God's grace. With a dull sense of which all consciences are paralyzed, they tell them to become a snare for their own living table. These expressions appear in David's life when he was living in Ziklag, when the Amalekites invaded and took David's wives and people captive. He asks God if he will attack Amalek. David's supporters in Ziklag actually tried to stone David. From David's point of view, this is a very difficult situation. Perhaps at this time, David expressed this to his adversary, Amalek. God helped David and restored everything again. (Romans 11:9-11)
There are stubborn people. In short, there are stubborn people who oppose Christ, destroy the church, actively distrust them, stubbornly resist even when they say the words of exhortation, and threaten all people by resisting to the end without showing any will to improve from injustice, lies and iniquity. Of course, even those who look like such a person can guess in our minds, but the problem is that we have to face such a stubborn person in God's way.
First, the power of Satan, who followed Baal and borrowed the power of Baal, and Amalek, who tormented David, had in common that they tortured Elijah and David, the men of God.
1. It causes physical pain as well as mental pain.
life threatening. Just as Elijah was in danger of life, David and the Apostle Paul are also in danger of life because of the truth. Even if we give our lives for it, it is not a curse, but it becomes a valuable fruit. Satan will threaten the life of the church, the church community, and the church members. Where does it hurt? Pain comes. Despair comes. It gives a sense of wonder to the fact that it is not united. It makes me skeptical about not praying. Furthermore, it can also give vague fear. It can also give you a lot of complicated thoughts that will prevent serious cooperation.
Satan is interested not only in the church, but also in the country and people in which the church is located. When David grew up and stood righteously before God, his national power was strong. Through Elijah, he pointed out the corruption of Ahab and Jezebel. The church saves the nation and points out the corrupt government to convey the will of the living God. The future of the country lies in the church, in the members of the church, and in more specific terms, it depends on me.
Satan knows this well. I am one person! give me this thought. We played tug of war last week. Even if there are only a few people who think that it is not necessary to give strength to only one person, if at least one person on the other side thinks that I should use strength, the relative difference between them becomes even greater. When I go to pray in the morning, I don't have to go! Even when attending worship services, I can leave today. When these thoughts accumulate, the church becomes a cold-hearted church. In the end, others do, and this is what happens. I heard that there is no early morning prayer in the American church, but I have to go today and I am alone. This is a reality, but it is not yet in the Korean situation.
conclusion
Even if North Korea has announced that it will not conduct a core test, we should not judge it too soon. Now there is peace and the door cannot be opened easily. Also, don't judge the people around you easily. The one who has authority to judge us is God. He is the God who changed the persecutors of Jesus, made them disciples of Jesus, prepared 7,000 people who were still innocent for Elijah, who was in danger of life, and gave David a difficult adversary, but he made him overcome it. The Apostle Paul also said that he would not judge the Jews as a nation without salvation. So are we. I believe that it is the best way to lock the door of the enemy, block them with a strong, united heart, and break down the fences as much as possible for the saints to love each other so that they come and go frequently.