Title: Fruit of Lips / Hebrews 13:15-17
Content: Fruit of the lips / Hebrews 13:15-17
The fruit of the lips (Hebrews 13:15-17)
“Therefore let us always offer to God a sacrifice of praise through Jesus, which is the fruit of our lips that testify to his name, but do not forget to do good and to share with one another, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Be obedient and be submissive, for they watch for your souls as they are judges. Let them do this with joy, and not with sorrow, otherwise it is of no benefit to you” (Hebrews 13:15-17).
Hebrews 13 is the concluding part of the book of Hebrews. The book of Hebrews ends with an explanation of how Christians living on earth can live to please God.
In particular, the text teaches us three things. It says, "Offer a sacrifice of praise", "Do good and do not forget to share", "Be obedient and submissive to those who lead you." What we should note is that the act of praising and giving is called a sacrifice. That's how important it is.
I hope that you will receive grace by examining the three lessons together.
1. Let's offer a sacrifice of praise
Verse 15 says, “Let us always offer to God a sacrifice of praise through Jesus, which is the fruit of our lips that testify to his name.”
It should be noted that the praise given to God was called a “sacrificial sacrifice.” In the Old Testament, sacrifices to God are divided into two main categories. It is a sacrifice that must be made obligatory and a sacrifice offered voluntarily. For example, the sacrifice of atonement must be offered. Because that's how you get your sins forgiven. However, sacrifices offered with thanks are sacrifices offered voluntarily. In the case of the free offering mentioned in Psalm 54:6, it is a voluntary sacrifice offered with joy and joy.
The sacrifice of praise mentioned in the text is a sacrifice that must be offered. The reason can be found in Isaiah 43:21. “This people I have formed for myself, that they may sing my praises,” he said. And Psalm 103:2 says, "Praise the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits." Psalm 100:1 says, "Call for joy to the Lord, all earth."
The earth and man are God's creations. God's purpose in creating them is that they might sing praises. We must realize that the purpose of living here, of working, of getting married, of having sons and daughters, of succeeding and of being successful is to reveal and exalt the glory of God.
It happened in Okdae-ri, Uisin-myeon, Jindo-gun, Jeollanam-do. Park Wan-su in the neighborhood was raising a three-year-old Jindo dog, and Park passed away on August 26 of last year from a chronic disease. When the owner passed away, the Jindo dog was guarding the house, completely cutting off all grain.
The day after the owner's death, when the staff of Chonnam National University Hospital came to transport the body, the transport was delayed for three hours because of barking and barking while protecting the body. The hospital staff came to move the body because Park said that he would donate his body to Chonnam National University Hospital for practice. He said that he was able to move the body to a hearse with the help of the locals after being immobilized for three hours because of fierce barking and running while guarding the body of the owner. As I read this article, I thought of people eating bosintang with their tops off.
Isaiah 1:3 says, "The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its owner's manger, but Israel does not know, and my people do not understand." And in 1:4, he refers to such people as "seeds of evildoing, children of corrupt works."
It is possible to offer a sacrifice of praise to God when there is gratitude, joy, and emotion in the heart. That is, what is in the heart is revealed through the lips. That is why the text says that singing is the fruit of lips. Lips are the window to the mind. Through that window, the faith, personality, and thoughts you hold in your heart are expressed.
The lyrics of the gospel hymn come to mind.
“May every word of my lips and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you.
You are the life You are the Rock
May every word of my lips and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you."
That's right. Let us offer the sacrifice of praise with our lips. Let us glorify God with the fruit of our lips.
2. Do good and don't forget to share
Verse 16 says, “But do not forget to do good and to share with one another, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”
It's about doing good things to each other and having fellowship. Particular attention should be paid to the word "to each other". True koinonia is achieved only when we do good deeds and give to each other. We must love each other too. If you have high expectations for the other person, eventually disappointment will increase and conflict will increase.
I read an essay written by Sogang University Professor Young-hee Jang in a magazine. It was an article titled "Conditions of Marriage".
The conditions for a woman I like, as suggested by male students, are "a woman who loves only me and does not look at other men, a woman who respects and takes care of my parents, a woman who is good at cooking, a woman who is diligent and always keeps the house clean, body and mind This healthy woman, a woman who reads books, a woman who is thrifty and does not spend a lot of money on clothes, a woman who believes even if I make soybeans with red beans, a woman who waits at the bus stop with an umbrella when it rains, a woman with a low voice, no matter how late I am A woman who waits without having dinner even when she comes, a woman who is not too pretty (because a woman who is too pretty is dangerous), a woman who does not complain even if she brings a friend late at night, A woman who is not afraid even when a thief comes in at night (because I am afraid), Winter The girl who knits the sweater, the girl who says, 'Oh, your voice sounds like Elvis Presley' even when I sing a pig's nip sound" and so on.
On the other hand, the marriage conditions that women put forward as future husbands are not easy. "A man who only loves me and doesn't look at other women, a man who is healthy, smart, ambitious, has a good sense of humor and makes a lot of money, a man who enjoys doing housework, a man who sits silently when I yell at him, my independent life A man who does not disturb, a man who raises children well, a man who drinks a little but does not smoke, a man who cooks and cleans the house after work, a man who visits my parents once a week, gets up early in the morning and makes morning coffee to bed The man who brings it, the man who hates pretty women so much, the man who never forgets my wedding anniversary and my birthday, the man who is not ashamed to stand in front of the women's bathroom with my handbag."
Demanding each other and expecting each other is not the way to create happiness. However, giving, giving, and sharing is a way to increase the happiness index. We must keep in our hearts the lesson of doing good to one another and striving to share with one another.
The reason is that I have to teach them that I have friends who are less fortunate than me and that I should be able to help them too. In other words, it is because receiving and giving must be trained together.
In Matthew 10:8, the Lord said, "Freely you have received, freely give."
Some people accuse others of being unkind. But if I show kindness first, that person will be kind too. There are people who criticize others for being inhumane. But if I say hello first, that person will also say hello.
It is the same as the logic of the mountain forest. Shouts from high ridges. "Hello~ / Hello~, angel~ / Angel~, I love you~ / I love you~, hey this x x ya~ / hey this x x ya~, do you want to die~ / Do you want to die~, old lady devil ~/Grandmother of the devil~" What I said becomes a reverberation and comes back as it is, which is the principle of Sanwoollim.
Depends on what I do. That's why the text says "to each other".
3. Be obedient and submissive
The word obedience is synonymous with the word "faith" which means faith, and means 'to persuade, to listen well'. Obedience is believing, persuading, and following.
The word obedience (hupeiko) means ‘… It means to lay down, to give up. Giving up one's will, feelings, or thoughts, and following the guidance under the leader is 'Hipeiko'.
In the early church at that time, there were people who ignored the leaders such as Peter, John, James, and Paul and tried to reject the leadership. In other words, there were people who challenged that authority by thinking that they were the same as you and me, and thinking that I was better than you. He told them to obey and obey them. The reason you should obey them and be submissive is that they are “always watchful and praying and working for your souls.”
Verse 17 says, “Let them do this with joy, and not with sorrow, otherwise it is of no benefit to you.” That means don't break him.
Notice the saying, "Otherwise it is of no benefit to you."
If a breastfeeding mother breastfeeds with hurt feelings or resentment, the fever will cause the baby to pretend or have blue stools. Even if you drink the same milk product, the developmental status of a child who eats while listening to the happy beating from the mother's arms is different from that of a child who eats while sighing and hearing the sound of grinding teeth. Therefore, pregnant women or mothers raising children should be at ease.
“It is of no benefit to you.” We must live in a good relationship with the leader for our own benefit.
Let us always glorify God with praise, which is the fruit of our lips.
Let's work hard to do good and to share.
Be obedient to the leaders, let us be submissive. Let us work with pleasure.
Let's not forget that this is the secret to being beneficial, favored, and blessed.