Title: God Opens the Future
Contents
Bible: Genesis 18:1~15
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In the Bible, God is partial. God is always on the side of the weak. We can see that he takes the side of the poor, orphans and widows, and strangers. Deuteronomy 10:18 says, “You must welcome strangers. Because, weren't you also strangers in the past? You shouldn't ignore a stranger just because you own a house now. Welcome the stranger.” And in Proverbs 15, “If you despise the poor, you despise me.” You say: That is why God blesses strangers, orphans, widows, and those who help the weak.
For example, in 1 Kings 17, Elijah goes to a widow's house in Zarephath. The widow had no husband and only one son. When he was about to die after making bread with the last remaining oil and flour, Elijah went to the house and asked for food. At that time, the widow of Zarephath gives the stranger who came to her house the last remaining bread in her house. But the surprising thing is that when the widow of Zarephath welcomed the stranger Elijah, the drought continued for three years and six months, and the grain did not dry out in the casks of grain in the house for three years and six months. The oil in the oil bottle did not dry out. It didn't end there. The widow's son suddenly dies, and Elijah raises the dead son.
When a stranger is welcomed in this way, God blesses the family. In Matthew 25, Jesus says, “As you did it to the least of them, you did it to me.” What you do to the least of those around us, you do to Jesus. Look at Luke 16. There is a story about the beggar Lazarus and the rich man, but if you look closely, there is nothing the rich man did wrong. There is nothing in the Bible where there is no problem for a rich man to show favoritism with his own money. The rich have to take out money for the economy to work. That's a story that fits the principles of capitalism. But why did the rich go to hell fire? If there was one thing the rich man did wrong, it was that he pretended not to see the beggar Lazarus in front of his house. It's just that he didn't care about the least of them. In this way, God is so partial to the poor, the weak, and the stranger that we find it strange.
If you look at the 18th chapter of Genesis in today's text, you will find the story of Abraham, a man who treated strangers and received blessings. Around noon, in fact, at 12 noon, Israel is so hot that it is hard for people to do. So people don't get along. Because it was hot, Abraham was also sitting on a chair under the tent to avoid the sun. But, strangely, at 12:00 when no one was there, three strangers passed by. When Abraham saw them, he welcomed the three strangers and treated them with all his heart. Then, the treated stranger left a strange comment: “At this time next year, Sarah your wife will have a baby.” Abraham treated strangers, who were messengers of God sent by God. When Abraham heard that story, he went to the place and thought, “I am 99 years old and my wife is 89 years old.
According to the Bible, in many cases, our ancestors in our faith did not accept all the promises God had made. Because God's promises are sometimes difficult to accept with our reason and intellect. So Abraham, the father of faith, could not accept that he would have children. God is constantly asking believers. “Is there anything impossible with God? You confess your faith now. Do you believe that God can do all things? Or do you believe that there are things that even God cannot do?” Many Christians often think that there are things even God cannot do. And so did Abraham.
But the important thing is this. The miraculous work of God is the fact that God performs the miracle work that God has promised, whether we have faith or not. Don't say arrogant things like, 'Someone was blessed because they had faith.' You are not always blessed because you have good faith. So did Abraham. Abraham had no faith. Nevertheless, God blessed Abraham and us because we are God's children.
The history of that blessing always works from closed to open. The history of that blessing works from darkness to light. The work of blessing works from death to life. This is the direction of God's history. It is clearly stated in Luke 4:18-19. “God has sent me to anoint me to preach the gospel to the poor, to bring freedom to the captives, to restore sight to the blind, to set the oppressed free, and to proclaim the year of grace.” That is why God allowed Abraham and Sarah to start a new work by giving children to Abraham and Sarah, who were always in despair because they had no children. Even in our lives today, God is from closed to open, from darkness to light, and from sickness to healing. He is the one who opens our future from death to life.
Ladies and gentlemen, the second half of 2011 begins now. I believe that God will give us an open future even in the remainder of this year that begins in God. I believe you will lead us to a brighter place. Are you stuck somewhere? Do not worry. Just as he did to Abraham and to our ancestors in the faith, I trust that God will release us from the bonds in our lives. In the name of the Lord, I pray that you will surely believe that there is nothing impossible for God and that He is a God who is always with us in our lives.
2011-09-30 11:29:31