Title: Fever of Love
Contents
♡♥♡ Fever of love / John 3:14-17
*** Introduction
There is an organization called the Creation Science Society, which is made up of Christian scientists in Korea. They work to reveal and testify with scientific facts that the entire universe was created by God's creation. They completely deny the theory of evolution. Let's briefly look at the basis of the creationism they testify.
There are 10 numbered coins. The odds of pulling out the first coin after shaking it in the barrel are one in ten. Put it back in, and the first time you take out coin 1 and the second you take out coin 2, the probability is one in 100. In this way, when you take out ten coins in this way, the probability of taking out coins 1 to 10 in sequence is 10 to the power of 10, or 1 in 10 billion. In other words, if you try 10 billion times, it will appear once. This is an impossible probability. But there are too many coincidences happening in this universe that could not even happen with ten coins. That is why many scientists have come to believe that the universe cannot be created or operated without God.
Let's look at two concrete pieces of evidence they present.
First, the Earth rotates around its axis at a rate of 1600 km per hour. If the Earth rotates at 160 km/h, reducing its rotational speed by one-tenth, the length of day and night will increase tenfold. At 120 hours of day and 120 hours of night, the sun during the day will burn and kill all plants, and the cold at night will freeze all life to death. However, the Earth still orbits at a speed of 1,600 kilometers per hour, so there are 24 hours a day - day and night alternately.
Second, the Earth and the Sun are at a very precise distance. The surface of the sun is 6000 degrees Celsius. A little closer and the Earth will burn, and a little further away, the Earth will soon turn to a mass of ice.
Besides this, the evidence presented by the Creation Science Society is too much. This is that without a Creator, it can never come into existence, nor can it move in such an orderly fashion. In other words, everything that happens to us is being accomplished by God's creative hand and providence. If this fact is not specifically believed, it is impossible to understand or believe in God's work of salvation. The text of this hour is the summarized gospel and the summarized work of God's salvation.
Today is the Thanksgiving Day. However, there is a reason to testify to the story of God's love that saves mankind, not the Word of Thanksgiving. It is because we cannot give thanks if we do not feel the hand of God's love in our lives. Then, let's see God's love for mankind through the text of the text. This is not just love, it is a love fever.
1. Let's look at the background of the text.
A Pharisee named Nicodemus came to Jesus in the middle of the night. Nicodemus was a member of the Sanhedrin, the highest Jewish council, and was a Pharisee. But the reason he came at night was because of his identity.
Nicodemus was deeply moved by the teachings of Jesus. So, I came to you in the middle of the night, avoiding people's eyes to learn more. The text of this hour is also from a conversation with Nicodemus. Jesus teaches the essence of the gospel while adding the laws of nature and historical facts of Israel.
In this way, truth is given to those who seek it. Nicodemus came to Jesus at the risk of losing his identity, honor, and power. That is why Jesus said in Matthew 11:12, “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” And in Matthew 7:7-8, “Ask, and I will give you It will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you; for everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” In addition, he taught that the kingdom of heaven is given to those who actively seek it through the ‘parable of the pearl of great price’ or ‘the parable of the treasure hidden in the field. Of course, in the Old Testament, Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call to me. I will answer you.” Proverbs 8:17 says, “I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me.”
Do you seek God so earnestly? Now, let's look back on how my love and interest in God are compared to God's passionate love for me, which I will be talking about.
2. God's love has a purpose.
God's love is to accept the child who has been cast out. It is a love that forgives and accepts mankind who have been cast out for disobedience and rebellion. Romans 5:8 says, “God demonstrates his love for us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” In all of verses 15, 16, and 17 of the text, the purpose of God's love is consistently 'that those who believe may have eternal life'.
Jesus quoted the Old Testament words that Nicodemus, the teacher of the law, was familiar with in order to understand this gospel better. He said, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up.” The reason for this was to be said, “Just as a person who looked at a snake on a pole saves his life, so that whoever believes in Jesus Christ on the cross might have eternal life.”
The Old Testament event quoted here is from Numbers 21:4-9. This happened when the people of Israel came out of Egypt and lived in the wilderness for 40 years. The people were heartbroken because of the painful wilderness road, and they complained against God and Moses. “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in this wilderness, where there is no food or water? Our hearts hate this stinky plant.” Their murmuring and resentment signaled, and a swarm of vipers, fiery snakes of the desert, rushed at the people.
When the people were dying from the poison of fiery serpents, Moses asked God for forgiveness. God said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and put it on a pole. Everyone who is bitten, looking at it, will live.” Of course, those who believed the word and looked at the bronze serpent hanging on the pole lived.
Jesus compared this Old Testament event to that of Jesus Himself on the cross. Just as the people of Israel were alive when they looked at the bronze serpent on a pole when they were bitten by a serpent, so people who died because of rebellion and disobedience believe in Jesus Christ who was crucified and have eternal life. In this way, the love of God who sent Jesus Christ is to save those who have died because of sin and to have eternal life.
3. God's love is a fever toward mankind.
How selfish and theoretical we are by comparison! It is a habit of confessing that I love the Lord, but it is truly shameful to see them humiliate and slander even those who have nothing to do with them, even when they receive even a small amount of damage or even a few words of reproach, far from devoting their lives to them. In John 14:23, the Lord said, “If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our abode with him.” Just as God's love is a devotee that even crucified His only begotten Son, our love must be passionate. And with love comes obedience. If I truly love the Lord, I will obey His word.
The reason the Israelites looked at the bronze serpent and gained life was not because the bronze serpent had healing powers. He was healed because he obeyed the word of God, “He who is bitten by a snake sees a bronze snake and lives.” Soon, obedience brought him to life.
Again, the cross of Jesus is not effective. Even if you look at the cross every day, hang the cross around your neck, carry the cross, and experience the experience of being crucified, you will never receive eternal life. The cross is not something to be proud of. The cross is a deadly instrument of death. The power that enables people to gain salvation is in Jesus Christ, the Lamb of the atonement. Therefore, obeying the saying that believing in Jesus Christ gives you eternal life, and accepting Jesus as your Savior is the way to gain eternal life.
God's love must be a fever of love that changes the whole world. Not only that, but it is the amazing power that enables people to be saved and have eternal life. However, no matter how much God's love is like a fever and has power, it is of no use if I do not immerse myself in it.
Do you feel the love of the Lord working in your life? And do you love the Lord? God's greatest love is that he saved me from death and gave me eternal life. Even if life is difficult and difficult, even if there are persecutions and hardships, let us be thankful if we believe that the God who saved us is with us. The Lord will surely repay you for your hard work, devotion, and sacrifice for the Lord. Let's believe this and be thankful.
David believed in God and thanked God in advance, who saved him even from the crisis of death. It is a faith that fully trusts God at work in your life. God established David as the supreme king of Israel according to David's faith.
Let's make a love that will not leave any regrets now. And let us thank God for His grace at work in our entire lives. Let me say it again. We pray that we will be able to give sincere gratitude and love without lies in our lives.