Title: Faith moving forward / Matthew 10:46-52
Contents Faith moving forward / Matthew 10:46-52 Rev. Kiho Um
Today is an era in which all human civilizations are developing rapidly. Politics, society, the economy, and people's mindsets and consciousnesses, things happen that were unthinkable just a few years ago. Last year and this year are different, yesterday and today are different worlds. In this changing era, we believers should not remain. Just as water turned into wine at the wedding in Cana, so we must change our minds, change our hearts, and change our hearts. Also, your life needs to change, your environment needs to change, and your family needs to change. And through that change, our faith must grow and develop. Standing still or stepping back is not pleasing to God.
When judging the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, God told Lot and his family to look forward and not look back. However, Lot's wife was afraid that the house and property were burned down. I missed the pleasures of the world. Eventually she looked back and she became a pillar of salt. According to the book of Ruth, Naomi's family, who lived in Bethlehem, went down to Moab, an idolatrous place, saying it was difficult to live in the land due to a famine. However, her husband and her two sons died, leaving only three widows. They may not have been satisfied with the food of the flesh, but they faced great damage and tragedy. When we distance ourselves from the church and draw closer to the world, God terribly disciplines the chosen people and saves their souls.
1 Timothy 4:15 says, “In all these things, do your best to make your progress visible to all.” To do that, you have to do your best and be zealous. Just as you cannot succeed in the world without doing your best and zeal, so is the life of faith. Therefore, today, through the faith of the blind Bartimaeus in the text, we are going to find out how to have faith to move forward in adversity.
From faith to hear to faith to talk
During his public life, Jesus always preached the gospel of the kingdom to a large crowd, taught, and healed the sick. So wherever Jesus went it was always complicated. In particular, the background of today's message starts with the fact that he arrived in Jericho after going to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration. At this time, a large crowd was following along, filling up the road Jesus was going, and the streets were filled with crowds. Under these circumstances, there was a man named Bartimaeus in Jericho. His condition was truly miserable. It was because he was blind and had barely survived by begging every day. Then one day, he learned that Jesus was passing through Jericho. It was heard through the loud noises of a great crowd.
Today is a flood of horses everywhere. The sounds of pleasure, the sounds of seduction, the sounds of anxiety abound. But in such a situation, we cannot hear the voice of God. But sometimes even in complex circumstances, we often hear the voice of the Lord. I hear the voice of the Lord in the chapel, in the prayer hall, during fasting, and in all vigils. But our faith is only a matter of hearing. Therefore, we must have faith to go forward and have a conversation. A faith that can move forward and communicate is a faith that moves forward.
Bartimaeus, a blind man who had heard of Jesus, cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.” I just wanted to meet the Lord. He wanted to talk to the Lord. I wanted to get the problem resolved through that conversation. But the people ignored the cry of the insignificant beggar who was despised. No, rather than ignoring it, I scolded him and forced him not to shout. But even in such a difficult situation, Badimaeus did not shrink in the slightest. Rather, he pleaded with a louder voice, “Son of David, have mercy on me.” We should imitate this kind of patient and courageous faith.
No matter how painful, sad, or difficult it may be, it is absolutely necessary to have the faith of perseverance to keep moving towards the goal. A life of faith without perseverance can never be triumphant, you cannot receive blessings, and you cannot receive answers to prayers. Needless to say, when we enjoy peace, we have to persevere to the end and cling to God with courage even in difficult situations that cannot be described in words. Then God will meet us.
In today's text, it is said that when we cried out to the Lord even louder, Jesus stopped walking. He heard a voice from the crowd and stopped walking. Jesus showed interest in Bartimaeus's petition despite the crowd waiting to hear the word. It is the fact that His mercy does not turn away from the wishes of the supplicant, but listens to them.
Therefore, no matter what problems you may have, do not hesitate to tell the Lord your hunger. I trust that the Lord who listens will care for your supplications. The Lord, who stood still, said, “Call him.” Jesus is the Word. He is the Word of grace, the Word of life and truth. The Lord, the Word, spoke to Bartimaeus. The Lord called Bartimaeus, who did not just listen, but wanted to go forward and talk to the Lord.
And he asked, “What do you want me to do for you?” The Lord knows our wishes in advance, but He wants to hear our sure confession of faith. It is the Lord who is waiting for our confession of faith through dialogue with us. Therefore, I earnestly pray that you will have a wish and confession of faith that is worthy of answering the Lord who asks, “What is your wish?”
in screaming faith
with faith running
It is important to sing hymns and pray with your voices raised so that the mountains are resonating and the church is leaving, but it must not end there. As soon as the blind man heard the word of the Lord, he threw away his cloak, got up, and came to Jesus. So far, it has been a must-have outerwear. But the cloak was an obstacle to getting close to Jesus. He threw off all those obstacles without hesitation, got up and went to Jesus. In this way, we need the determination to throw away our outer garments and the fighting spirit to run. In our lives, we have to throw away all of these things, such as money, material things, wealth, honor, and knowledge, like our outer garments, and live centered on Jesus.
Dear saints,
It is only through faith in Jesus that we are saved. However, in order for us to grow further and live a blessed life, and thus to have faith that advances and develops, we must cast off all our old sins and cast off our idols. In addition to old bad habits, if your work or business does not bring glory to God, you must resolutely change it. We believe that the work of living, the salvation of the Lord, and the wonderful work of God's grace will take place only when we give up all the worldly direction of life and have faith to move forward and follow Jesus.
Bartimaeus took off his cloak and went before the Lord. Then in verse 52, Jesus praised his faith, saying, “Your faith has saved you.” At that moment, Badimaeus could see. His lifelong wish came true. His prayer was answered. I was able to see the beautiful world that God had made, and I was able to see the faces of my loved ones. Most of all, I was blessed with the amazing ability to see the face of Jesus.
From faith to see to faith to follow the Lord
We have long since opened our eyes of faith. They know the Bible, know the doctrine, sing hymns, and pray often. There are many overly smart believers today. However, they are too weak to follow Jesus in the life of a believer. But today, Bartimaeus, a blind man, granted salvation and opened his eyes, a lifelong wish, but he was not satisfied with it. I found the way of a bigger life, a bigger mission, and I came to know the true meaning of life. It was becoming one of those who followed the Lord.
Even at this hour today, the Lord is telling you, “Follow me.” “If you want to come after me, you will have to shed tears, sweat and blood. You don’t have to be bound by recognition, and you don’t have to look back.” He said, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”
Therefore, please seek holiness only with your mouth, and do not become a saint through words alone. Please move forward from faith to hear like a blind person to faith to see Jesus and faith to meet Jesus. Please take off the clothes in question and become the faith that runs. I hope that you will follow the Lord's way, have the faith to live according to the Lord's will, and become the owner of the faith that is pleasing to the Lord.
It is a time when we need the courage to follow the Lord. So let's take up our lives and follow Jesus. That is the secret to receiving divine blessings from heaven and blessings from the sources of the earth. Receive the blessings and health of your children. God's miraculous work rules our lives. All our wishes are answered. No matter where you go, no matter what kind of tribulation and persecution you face, whether you die or live, whether you are growing or perishing, whether you are growing or declining, I earnestly pray that all of you will follow the Lord.