Title: Faith and the Holy Spirit
Contents
▒▒▒ Bible : Matthew 13:31~32
There are two things to keep in mind when discussing faith and the Holy Spirit. First of all, faith is a gift from God to us. Therefore, faith is given to us, not because we will have it. The truth is that God gives us faith through the Holy Spirit. The second is the fact that we often speak of faith by size, but faith is in quality, not size. We understand this in the parable of the mustard seed. The mustard seed is the smallest of the seeds. But when this mustard seed is planted in the ground and grows, it becomes a tree and a nest for many birds. Jesus was like a grain of wheat. Jesus was born in a humble stable in Bethlehem. But Jesus became the savior to save mankind. When a single grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it bears much fruit.
This is Matthew 17. Jesus prayed on the Mount of Transfiguration and came down from the mountain. A father of a son possessed by a demon asked Jesus' disciples to heal his son. But the disciples could not heal the child. Jesus said that the reason the disciples could not heal the demon-possessed child was because they did not have faith. And Jesus continues to speak to his disciples. “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to move these mountains and go over there, and they will be moved.” There seems to be a contradiction in this statement. Jesus said to his disciples, “O you of little faith.” At the same time, it tells a story of faith the size of a mustard seed. There is a translation error here. “You did not cast the demon out of this child because of what? You're unbelieve." This is not to say that faith is small or great, but rather that there is no faith. Gentlemen, faith is not a quantity that says big or small.
In Luke 17, Jesus' disciples ask Jesus. “Jesus, how many times can we forgive someone who has offended us? Can we forgive seven times?” Jesus answers. “Do it seventy times seven.” To forgive this way, our faith must be greater. Enlarge our faith.” Then Jesus said, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, all the hatred, resentment, and envy in your heart will be uprooted and thrown into the sea just as a mulberry tree is uprooted.” I say. Forgiveness is really difficult even if you believe in Jesus. Living with forgiveness is not as easy as it sounds. It is because the bitter root of resentment is in our hearts. Ladies and gentlemen, the bitter root of our hearts, the bitter root of resentment, and the bitter root of hatred will be uprooted by the work of the Holy Spirit and thrown into the sea. We cannot get rid of hatred by our own strength.
When the work of the Holy Spirit takes place from a small mustard seed, it becomes a big tree. I believe that if the Holy Spirit works, it will become a big tree. We believe that when the Holy Spirit works, mountains will move. We believe that when the Holy Spirit works, the mulberry tree will be uprooted and thrown into the sea. What is important is the work of the Holy Spirit. We open the door of our hearts and say, “Holy Spirit, rule over me.” You must pray. If the Holy Spirit does not work, we remain as a mustard seed. However, when the Holy Spirit works, a wonderful work can come into your life and you can become a God's instrument that is used dearly by God. I pray in the name of the Lord that the Holy Spirit will work in your hearts at this time.
2008-05-08 13:42:50