Title: Gifts from Above / About 1: 14-18
14 - But each one is tempted, for he is drawn away and deceived by his
15 - When lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
16 - Do not be deceived, my dear brothers
17 - Every good gift and every perfect gift comes down from above from the Father of lights, who does not change, nor does the shadow of turning change.
18 - He hath begotten us by the word of truth according to his own purpose, that we might be the firstfruits of his creation.
▽ ≪ Sermon ≫
⇒ Trees grow with their heads facing upwards. The branches, leaves, and fruits are looking at the sky. It is to receive the warm light from the sun and to receive rain from the sky. Conversely, the roots of trees descend downwards toward the ground. Because from the ground the tree gets the water of life. People live with their heads up to the sky. Every part of the human head needs heavenly things. The nose takes in air from the sky to breathe. The eye needs a bright light in the sky to see. The ears also hear sounds coming through the air. The mouth also uses the air to speak with the lips and tongue while eating what God gives. Whether it is a person, an animal, or a plant, they have a body, interest, and life for what they live and need. We humans have a body and a soul. The needs of the body come from the earth below, and the needs of the soul come from God above.
. Coming down from heaven is always necessary and good things come. The more people need to live, the better and more abundant they are, and they come to everyone without discrimination. The clear air in the sky is still left even after 6 billion people breathe every day and various kinds of animals and plants run out. There is no shortage of sunlight coming down from the sky by adjusting the temperature appropriately according to the season. What about water? People did not use what God gave them properly, but he gave them abundantly so that they had enough to spend. It is always good that God gives things on earth. never harm Because God has given them, the trees, the fruits, the animals, and the birds are all necessary and lovely, just like our family.
. Through these things, we can know who the God who made the heavens and the earth is. We can know the heart of God toward us. God loves us. He comforts us and makes us happy. He does not spare good things to make us happy. God never makes us bad or makes life painful. But when we live in the world, life is painful. Life is difficult and there are many worries about this and that. What is the cause of this? Today's verse says that the cause lies in each person's own greed. Verse 14 says, “But each man is tempted, because he is drawn away and deceived by his own lust.” Here, the delusion (Hell, Deleazomenos) means 'a fish caught in fishing rod or a beast caught in a snare'. Everyone has a desire to do something. There is a desire to have something. All these desires and desires are God-given.
. Will or greed itself is neither good nor evil. But if it is used badly, it becomes a sin, and if it is used good and right, it becomes a blessing. The devil waits for a snare to deceive people with what is in the world. The life that the devil tempts is evil and wrong. But it looks beautiful and good, and people fall for its tricks. There is no doubt that the things that appear splendid and splendid on the outside in our world are fishing rods made by the devil to turn us away from God. Many people do not listen to God's word and are deceived by this devil's fishing rod and are drawn into it. He sees what is in front of his eyes, listens to what people say, and decides his life without asking God what to do. Then, when life is difficult, they blame God.
. Some people mistakenly for the hardships they have to endure through the entangled and difficult lives. But this is not a God-given grace. This life, possessed by the devil, is a sin that must be thrown away and thrown away. What God gives is enjoyable even in the midst of difficulties, and we are thankful even when we fail. Because the suffering God gives is a trial, it strengthens our faith and perfects our lives. Whatever God gives, regardless of success or failure, the result is a blessing and all things benefit. Hallelujah!
. The dark evening is a time to rest after a day's work. I am happy to come home, eat with my family, and love each other. At night, your body and mind get a restful sleep to restore new strength. The morning when the sun rises is a new day. There is hope, there is reward, there is joy. As we work and reap the fruits, we forget the troubles and worries of life. However, there are conditions that make the day and night a happy and good life. It is when God, the source of life and blessing, is with us in our lives. For those who do not have God, the night is a painful night. I can't sleep when I should be resting and I worry all night. They resent each other and complain about not having dinner to share love with their family. I worry about how I will live every day, because I am anxious at night. What about in the morning? It's a very painful day. It is difficult to meet people without God. Working is not fun. It's the hard work you put in to make a living. In a world without God, everyone has a lot and tries to rise to a high place, so they slander and trample each other. In the Bible, this life without God is called darkness.
. The sun shines brightly on the land. The sunlight makes people, animals, and plants alive. And when the sun goes down, the ground is dark and you can't see well. However, human life is not bright because the sun rises in the sky. Life is bright only when there is a God who is the true light. It is through the Word of God that we can know the way we live. The God of truth tells us how we should live. Without God, life is dark. So if you don't believe in Jesus, you don't know how to live. Without God, who is the light, the eyes of life are dark and we cannot distinguish between right and wrong. They do not know how to live and how to die. That is why I wander through my life day by day without any purpose in life and no direction in which to live. I try hard to achieve something without God, but nothing works. He goes out every day to work and stay up all night, but like Peter without Jesus, he gets nothing and is empty-handed. Even if you are successful, if you think about it, it is nothing, and even if you make money and become rich, there are more problems. So it is futile to live with anxiety.
. God is light. Every good life comes from God above. As the sun rises and sets, the hopes of the world are fleeting. What people say about love also changes. People go here and there to get pleasure, but there is no joy in human life anywhere. Why? It's because it's a dark life where you can't see the true life without light. When you meet Jesus, who has come as the true light, you will see a new life. What God gives is perfect. God above gives hope. The hope of this world is despair when circumstances change, but the hope God gives has nothing to do with reality (Hymns 469-①,④).
. God gives you joy. The joys of the world excite only the emotions, but the joy of God comes from the heart. We are satisfied when we have the joy God has given us in our hearts. God gives peace. Nothing in the world can take away the peace that God gives. Even if I die now, this is the peace of heaven God gives these good things by grace. Grace is a free gift that God gives to His beloved children. Today, God gives us this good grace as a gift. He blesses us today so that this grace overflows in our lives.
. Good work makes happiness. It's hard when you work, but you get good results from your work. If a student studies hard, he/she will get a good school and a good job along with his maturity. If he works hard and earnestly with money, he earns money and becomes rich. But it is the soil that surely reaps what you sow as much as you work. The earth cannot deceive like man. If you plant beans, you will reap beans; if you plant an apple tree, you will get apple fruits from it. If you sow a lot, you will reap a lot; if you cultivate it diligently, you will reap a fruitful harvest with joy. God blesses the earth so that it does not lie and sows and reaps what it nurtures.
. The first thing the Israelites got, they gave to God. He brought the first harvest from the land God had given him and gave it to him. Even the beast presented its first offspring to God. A man also offered his firstborn son, but he offered five shekels of silver as money because it was impossible to sacrifice a child. Firstborn Giving the first harvest to God has several meanings. One of them is an expression of belief that 'everything that a person gains through work belongs to God'. The first one is small in quantity and small in size. But more and more you get more and better things. If you give the first thing as God's possession, God will bless you with bigger and more things for the rest of your life.
. Humans who live on the earth are descendants of Adam and become sinners and die. No one has overcome death. But Jesus died on the cross as a punishment for the sins of all people. And Jesus rose from the tomb three days after he died. In 1 Corinthians 15:20, it is said that 'Jesus Christ rose from the dead and became the firstfruits of them that slept'. Because of Adam, all mankind became dead to sin. And Jesus became the Lord of salvation by saving all mankind by dying on the cross. By rising from the grave, Jesus became the firstfruits of the resurrection, the Son of God. Now, whoever believes in Jesus, who died on the cross, his sins die from him, and he comes back to life as a child of God. A new day begins when the sun rises over the dark ground. No matter how unhappy a person is, if they believe in Jesus and become a child of God, a new life will be opened to him.
. Jesus made us alive as the first fruits of the resurrection. But today's Word verse 18 says that God makes us, children of God, these firstfruits. What are the first fruits? It is salvation that saves all mankind as children of God through us. God is trying to restore the lost world of the Garden of Eden through us who believe in Jesus. He is trying to achieve the glory of the kingdom of heaven that we enjoy as children of God through us. All things on this earth are watching us as children of God. We wish that a peaceful, clean, free and beautiful world on this earth will soon be realized through us. In Romans 8:19.21 God says: 'The creation longs for the manifestation of the sons of God, and their hope is that they too may be set free from their bondage to corruption and attain the glorious liberty of the children of God.' let's all rejoice God-given future and great blessings are given to us who believe in Jesus. All the saints in Jesus have already received the blessing of God as a gift. Hallelujah!