Title: First and Last
Contents
Title: First and Last
Bible: Matthew 19:27-30
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This time, we would like to share a sermon with the title of “First and Last”.
We like the word 'first' because it has the meaning of being ahead of others and having ability.
However, the biblical principle does not necessarily mean that the first come first.
Those who came first are often the last, and those who came last are often first.
The Israelites prided themselves on being the only nation chosen by God and considered them to be the first, but they were the last.
Then why?
It was because of the pride of faith.
Pride caught the Israelites' ankles.
Pride made them stop.
No matter how great a life of faith is, a proud person can never be the first.
You run towards your goal, but in the end you end up being the last.
Today, I hope that all of our members will be members who are recognized by God through service, not pride.
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If so, what kind of religious life will we be turned away from as 'the latter'?
First, it must be remembered that the saints who cling to merit must be the last.
'Minute' means a life that reveals one's self.
In verses 16-22, the words before the text, a rich young man came to Jesus and asked about “eternal life.”
But in conclusion, this young man left Jesus with great sorrow because he had a lot of wealth.
Peter looked at this young man and said to Jesus.
This is verse 27 of the text.
“Now Peter answered and said, Behold, we have left everything and followed you; and what then shall we gain?”
The rich young man heard the words of Jesus, “Sell all that you have and give it to the poor,” and he went away in conflict. Now, Peter says that he has given up everything and followed Jesus.
Now Peter is saying that he is different from the rich young man.
The rich young man returned from a conflict over the material he had, but he did not.
And he asks what is the Lord's price and reward for what he has given up.
It can be seen that even Peter, who was called the chief disciple of Jesus, had a stronger sense of merit than his consciousness of the Lord's grace.
Before asking for a reward, Peter had to think about who he was.
He was a sailor who made a living fishing on the Sea of Galilee.
He was a man who did not know Jesus, neither did he know the kingdom of heaven, nor did he know the Word and eternal life.
But now, they know Heaven, know God, know Jesus, have eternal life, and have become the chief disciple among the 12 disciples who preach the gospel.
But Peter asks, "Since we have left everything and followed you, what then shall we gain?"
Such faith as Peter's attitude is pride in the sight of God.
Looking at the words of Mark 10:29-30,
“Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, whoever has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel, in this life, will receive a hundredfold more, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, persecution. There is no one who will not receive both and receive eternal life in the age to come.”
I did.
God always rewards our hard work.
However, if we serve the Lord simply because of rewards, it cannot be true devotion and service.
Even if such a person was first, he will be last.
Therefore, I hope that you will become saints who put out their merits and erase their prideful heart that expects a reward and restore God's redemptive love.
Second, we must remember that those who seek to be exalted in comparison with their neighbours will be last.
Kim Jeong-guk, who was a scholar during the reign of King Jungjong of King Yijo, left the saying, “Buy a field with thousands of gold, and buy a neighbor with thousands of gold.”
There is a thing called 'neighbors'.
However, in the modern society where the appearance of neighbors is diversified and materialism prevails, it seems that neighbors are not cousins, but 100 villages.
One of the reasons why the relationship between neighbors has become so distant is because of the "comparative consciousness".
People like to compare themselves to others.
So it's about having more and less, who's higher, who lives in a bigger house, who has a better car, and who wears better clothes.
This sense of comparison created a sense of rivalry among each other, and in the end made them slander and slander each other, envy and jealousy.
As a result, the relationship between neighbors was broken and the community collapsed.
In the parable of the prodigal son recorded in Luke 15, an unfortunate foreign object appears by comparing him with others, and that is the older brother of the prodigal son.
He possessed many things.
However, he became unhappy because he had a sense of comparison comparing himself to his younger brother.
He was furious when his lost brother repented and returned, put him in his father's arms, slaughtered a calf for him and made a feast.
I even listened to my father,
“He answered and said to his father, “I have served my father for many years and have never disobeyed his orders, but never gave me a young goat so that me and my friends might enjoy it. You have slaughtered a fattened calf.”
complained.
He compared his situation with his brother.
He was clearly the older brother, and moreover, he was full of dissatisfaction with showing favor to his younger brother who returned from home after someone had done all the household chores.
In this way, the older brother compared to his younger brother is bound to come first and then become the last. The younger brother is not the object of comparison with the older brother, nor is the object of competition.
They are objects to be nurtured and established by the family business handed down by the father by accepting, loving, and working together.
Neighbors are not our comparisons or competitors.
They are people to love, tolerate and build upon each other.
God did not give us neighbors to destroy each other by biting and slandering each other, but to building each other up and going toward the kingdom of God together.
Neighbors gave as a way to show their love for God.
We must abandon the sense of comparison toward our neighbors and become saints and churches that show God's love.
Then we will be recognized as the first before God.
Third, we must remember that excessive pride makes us last.
If you want to live in the modern age, you must protect your self-esteem and not lose your self-esteem.
The modern era is the 'self-PR era'.
It's time to make yourself known to others and show off your abilities.
C. Schwab exhorted, “Take care of your body and what you do.”
Please realize that I and all of our members are precious beings.
However, please also remember that excessive self-evaluation and excessive self-esteem can lead to self-destruction.
Theopuratus said pride is "absolute contempt for all men."
In other words, pride is an overestimation of one's self that everyone perceives as inferior.
This makes assertiveness stronger, not listening to others, and invisible to others.
As the chief disciple of Jesus, Peter devoted himself to the Lord and led the community of disciples.
He must have given up everything and followed the Lord, preaching the gospel, caring for his neighbors, and carrying out the ministry given to him.
But one day, when a rich young man came to Jesus, he compared and evaluated himself. Then the Lord rebuked Peter, saying, "The first shall be last."
Peter's excessive self-esteem made him the latter.
At the end of the speech>>
Organize your words.
As saints, we must humble ourselves thoroughly before God.
The reason is that I cannot exist without the grace of God.
After meeting Jesus, Paul performed the ministry superior to anyone else, but he confessed, “It is not me that I am who I am, but the grace of God.”
How great would we be if we were good, how wise if we were wise, how much we knew if we knew the Bible, how much would we have dedicated ourselves if we had dedicated ourselves?
I hope that all of us will not be proud of saying “I came first” and become believers who do not boast. When we stand before God, we must be able to discover ourselves as “a sinner among sinners, born of infertility.”
The Pharisee boasted of his righteousness to sinners and tax collectors, saying, "I am not like them."
However, sinners and publicans confessed, "I cannot look up to heaven and I am a sinner."
We must let go of our excessive pride.
At this time, I pray in the name of the Lord that all of our members may experience the grace that the Lord exalts by standing humbly before the Lord.