Title: Gospel and Blessing
Contents
1 Corinthians 1:22-24 “Jews ask for signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, 24 but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks, but Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.' -Amen.
Five blessings from Confucianism
Su (壽), wealth (富), Kangnyeong (康寧), Yoo Ho-deok (攸好德), Go Jong-myeong (考終命; live according to his name), Yu Ho-deok and Ko Jong-myung, instead of Yu Ho-deok and Ko Jong-myung, he had an honorable mention and many descendants (子孫衆多). ) is sometimes used instead. Among them, today, which can be called the era of materialism, has no interest in life or health, especially the virtues that combine the philosophy of life. It is the last days that show the disregard of life in which he chooses to commit suicide as well as the beautiful end of King Gojong-myeong.
Today we would like to understand the gospel and blessing, their differences and essential understanding. As used in the Bible, the Hebrew word for blessing or happiness, ashre- (yrev]a) or tov (b/f), and the Greek word makavrio (makavrio), mean earthly blessings or divine blessings.
In general, the Old Testament describes God's grace as earthly blessings, but the New Testament emphasizes spiritual and spiritual blessings. For example, 1 Peter 4:14 'Blessed are you if you are reviled for the name of Christ, for the Spirit of glory, the Spirit of God, rests on you', or among the 8 blessings of the Lord's Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5 11-12 “Blessed are you when they curse and persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven. If you know how to receive the words of 'has done' with joy, and if you can bear it with faith, you will experience the true spiritual blessings of Christianity.
The spiritual message of God we want to receive today is to make sure of the relationship between the essential understanding of the gospel and the concept of blessing.
1. The Gospel is a Revelatory Covenant
The gospel is a compound word of the words eujaggevlion, eu, joy, and ajggeliva, and news. The reality of the gospel is Jesus, and the content is God's plan, which He promised through the blood of Jesus Christ so that sinners, humans, could receive atonement and receive eternal life.
The good news that God has given is recorded in the Bible. However, depending on how you understand the Bible, you may know the core of the true gospel or misunderstand it.
As the text says, if you listen to the gospel and study it, you may be narrow-minded with signs and miracles like the Jews, or you may make the mistake of seeking only philosophical wisdom as the Greeks did.
A sermon is an interpretation of the gospel, and when the listener listens to God's will and receives it as Amen, it will be called a evangelical life when they do their best to make their life evangelical. However, those who preach the gospel do not focus on the covenant of God revealed in the Bible, but the graces that come when they receive and live the gospel, such as miracles, material blessings, and prosperity, and the benefits of the gospel as the foundation of the gospel. Because of this misunderstanding, the problem of idolizing God arises.
Romans 1:17 “The righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel, from faith to faith, as it is written, The righteous will live by faith.” The gospel reveals the righteousness of God. The righteousness of God does not refer to material things or mere worldly values. At least the atonement, eternal life, and heavenly glory, its reward. The content of such high-level faith becomes the righteousness of God.
The gospel is not the worldly wisdom that Greeks seek. It is the perfect truth of God who presented a completely new value ideology. Because it is a revelation, it is a value that cannot be tampered with. It is foolish to try to change the purpose of the Bible with the will of men.
Matthew 11:25 Then Jesus answered and said, "Father, Lord of heaven and earth, I thank you that you hide these things from the wise and prudent and reveal them to little children."
It was said that the revelation of God cannot be known through human thinking.
Text 21 'As for the wisdom of God, since the world did not know God by its own wisdom, God was pleased to save those who believed through the folly of evangelism.' Romans 11:33 'Deep is the riches of God's wisdom and knowledge! , his judgments are unsearchable, and his ways unsearchable.
2. The Gospel is Power
24 'But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.'
Romans 1:16 “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”
The word “duvnami” means the power of God, and it refers to the power that can overcome anything in the world. From this word, the word dynamite came from the realm. It is said that God’s power is supplied like the amazing explosive power of dynamite. I mean.
That's right. In the history of Christianity, many people were captivated by the power of the gospel and performed great things. He has done many missions to improve the power of love and sacrifice, the development of great cultures, and new social values. The Bible, which is the wonder of the gospel, allows the reader to experience the amazing power.
Revelation 1:3 "Blessed are those who read and hear the words of this prophecy, and those who keep the things written in them, for the time is near."
All the disciples, especially the apostle Paul, was not known to all the world when he was a Jewish lawyer, but when he was caught up in the gospel, he was able to show the world astonishing power as a preacher of Christianity.
The gospel is given the amazing power to change people anew, change their nature, and supply will to form new, good and beautiful values of life. Those who receive the Word and use the thought of the Word as the standard of life will be blessed.
3. The Gospel Wants to Share
Worldly blessings are usually selfish and selfish. However, the grace received through the gospel gives the heart to share with all people, so it is to be preached and invited. Therefore, those who say they have been blessed by attending church usually say that they only like themselves, but those who know the essence of the essential grace of the gospel try to spread it and share it with them.
Although she did not receive any money or realistic alternatives, the Samaritan woman in John 4: meeting the Lord and realizing spiritually is overflowing with joy and showing the power of change to become an evangelist. Mark 16:15 And he said, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."
To have no intention of preaching the gospel or lack of interest is the same as saying that you cannot receive and enjoy the gospel as it is the gospel. This is because if you acquire, cherish, and thank and rejoice in the grace of the gospel, the nature of the gospel allows you to receive the change of heart that invites others to join you. Churches appear all the time, but not cooperating with the preaching of the gospel means that the life of the church is ups and downs or religious, so it is not a proper life of the saints.
The difference between whether I have received God's blessing or not, as the Bible says, is simply answered by examining whether I want to work for the gospel or not. If you do not understand the essential blessings of the gospel, even if you try to work for the gospel, you will have doubts, have no strength, and become frustrated because it is difficult. However, those who realize the essential core of the gospel idea and keep it in their hearts are so good that they want to spread the gospel as much as possible.
1 Corinthians 9:16 'Even if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast about, because it is something I must do, for if I do not preach the gospel, woe to me.' You can receive the benefits of the gospel as much as you want to spread the gospel. Otherwise, you are not blessed.
Have you been blessed? What blessings have you received? Can you really share that blessing? A blessing that cannot be shared is never a blessing. Today, we think about the difference between the nature of the gospel and the blessings of the world that we simply regard. In fact, God wants to give everything through the gospel.
Matthew 6:33 'Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you'
Romans 8:32 “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not with him also gift us all things?”
I have heard how to receive true blessings from above. From now on, if you pay attention to the essential value of the gospel rather than seeking the visible and finite blessings of the world first, I believe that you will receive eternal blessings from God and ten thousand blessings that will keep you strong on earth. . I pray in the name of the Lord that you may receive many graces by being faithful to the blessing of the gospel.