Title: Faith at Christmas / Luke 3:1-6
We consider the gospel in this story. “Dad has forgiven you.” So, what's the condition here? What's the fuss here? What is the reason, and what excuse do you have? There are no arguments. “I forgave you. I forgive you with my love. I have forgiven you all. Come back!” Gentlemen, this is the gospel.
Now, the problem is that we must have preparation for this gospel. Even if there is the Gospel, if you do not know it, do not see it, or do not believe it, then that Gospel cannot be the Gospel. To welcome that gospel, what is it? That's right. Everyone, what if this young man named Pako saw his father's advertisement and thought, 'Father is funny'. 'I can't believe what this father said!' The end result of acceptance is trust, that is, belief. How painful must the son have been? 'Be patient and listen to what a father should say...' While we were suffering together for so many years with regrets, I fully believed in one word that my father had forgiven me, and I was thrilled, I opened my heart wide and whether I did well or not. Well, what did you do well and how much you didn't do, it's not a part-time job. To erase everything, return to the Father without hesitation and be embraced by the Father, that is faith.
We always see the parable of the prodigal son. The prodigal son leaves the house and returns. By the way, this return is an important faith. He thought of the future. He had faith in the future. And I believed in my father's promise. I believe in my father's broad heart. And it came. Then this father did not ask about his past. The son thinks to himself and asks his father for forgiveness, saying, “I am not worthy of a son because I have sinned before him. You cannot be called a son. Please think of me as one of the servants.” Of course not! You don't even have the qualifications of being a maid. But the father does all this. “You are my son. I died, I lived, I lost and I gained. Have a feast!” excretes the feast. My son has no face. How can you accept this feast? I have no qualms. Shameless. But the father is happy
Now, Christmas is the season to wait for the coming of the Lord among us. Today we went to the temple to meet the Lord. However, the surprising thing is that this gospel is not heard and accepted by anyone, but only those who prepare the gospel enter the heart of the Lord. I pray that the Christmas Lord will come into the hearts of all of you who are gathered here today.
The Bible says that you must have a prepared heart to welcome the Lord. Only those who level the path of the Lord's coming will be able to welcome the Lord. The valleys must be filled, all the mountains must be made low, the crooked places must be made straight, and the rough roads made smooth
First, all valleys must be filled in order to welcome the Lord.
In order to make a straight path for any road, it is necessary to fill in the dent in the valley to make a path. Likewise, in order for the Lord to enter our hearts, the valley of our hearts must be filled. What valley is your heart pitted in? Any valley within us must be filled. The valley of frustration, despair, and distrust must be filled. It must be filled so that the Lord can come into my heart. One of the things we often say is, “The goal is deep.” It is impossible to meet the Lord like this. Without filling the valley of emotions, the valley of hate, and the valley of jealousy, it is impossible to meet the Lord. Please look deeply into your own heart. Is there a dent in me? If yes, what is it? If you want to meet the Lord this Christmas, fill your valley of despair with hope. Please fill the valley of unbelief with faith. Fill the negative valley with confidence. Fill the valley of hate with love. Please fill the negative valley with positive energy. Fill the valley of failure with success.
Above all, I hope that you will fill in the valley deep in our hearts with prayer. Please fill it with your words. So, I hope that you will have a Christmas where you can meet the Lord on Christmas.
Then, all the mountains must be lowered to meet the Lord.
A woman once poured expensive perfume on Jesus worth 300 denarii from an alabaster jar. At this time, [Judas Iscariot] saw this behavior and rebuked and rebuked them, saying, “Why waste such valuable things? It is not only this problem, but also the personality of Judas Iscariot. He was a person who viewed everything with prejudice and a negative perspective. How could anything look good to such a person? Everything is accustomed to a disgusting and annoying attitude. He was egotistically judging everything and always had his eyes wide open only in evaluating money. So, in the end, he becomes a transgressor who makes the biggest mistake of mankind by selling Jesus, his teacher, for 30 pieces of silver. In the end, it is the place where the end of the twisted mind pierces itself.
If we ever have someone we hate or have a hatred, we should think about it first. You can enjoy a happy life only when you realize, “My heart is narrow and crooked, and it is wrong,” pray to God, and change yourself anew.
You should know that habitual slander and criticism is an act that not only makes everyone unhappy but kills everyone.
Someone has lost something they love the most. From then on, the man began to suspect the neighbor's child. He decided that he had no children to take, and everything he did or said since then seemed like a thief. Whether you greet each other, smile, see each other often, or not see them, they all seem to have something to do with theft. But a few days later, while cleaning his house, he accidentally found something he had lost. The next day the man saw the neighbor's child. The moment I saw it, the child didn't look like a thief in any way, and I couldn't comply with it. He couldn't find the image of a thief he had ever thought of anywhere.
Let's think about whether we are seeing the world with our own judgments when dealing with others. A heart twisted with doubt and criticism makes neither me nor others happy.
Dear saints!
As we approach Christmas, we try to bring the Lord into our hearts. To fully serve the Lord, let's build our hearts.
Please fill my broken heart.
I hope you can lower your proud mind.
Please straighten your crooked heart. So, I hope that you will see the salvation of God and accept the gospel, and above all, I hope that you will have a blessed Christmas that fills your heart with the Lord who has come and fills your life.