Title: Grace and Peace
Contents
1 Corinthians 1:1-9 Grace and peace
I will testify of the word of God under the title of Grace and Peace
The Apostle Paul is greeting God's grace and peace in today's text, but we find that these expressions do not fall out of his epistles. As in today's text, in all of his epistles we see a prayer for God's grace and peace to all Christians in the church who receive it. That is why he considered 'grace and peace' as the great characteristics of a Christian. That's right. 'Grace and peace' are the characteristics and privileges of all saints.
Everyone! We are saved from the sin that caused us to depart from God in Jesus Christ, and we are God's people as saints. What kind of confession should our confession be when we look back and confess our life before God? Two words from today's sermon God's grace and peace from the Apostle Paul's greeting. I believe you have to make a confession.
“I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he has regarded me as faithful and has entrusted me with the ministry. I was formerly a slanderer, persecutor, and assaulter, but on the contrary, I found mercy because I did it in unbelief, knowing that the grace of our Lord is Christ Jesus overflowing with the faith and love that was within. This is a faithful saying that is acceptable to all, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. I am the chief of sinners. But because of my mercy, Jesus Christ first showed me all patience, so that later, by believing in Him, I gain eternal life. to set an example for others. To the eternal King, the incorruptible, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”
In these words, Paul, the apostle of the Gentiles, is showing in the form of a confession of faith what his existence would have been if it had not been for the grace of God and the peace that is given by that grace.
In other words, he confessed that without God's grace and God's mercy, the being called me could only live as a slanderer, persecutor, and assaulter toward God, and truly the worst of sinners.
That's right. If there is no God's grace and no God's peace that comes from that grace, then the Apostle Paul is not the only slanderer, persecutor, or abuser toward God.
Therefore, dear saints! May God's grace and peace never depart from your life. We share our blessings with each other. To the person next to you, “I hope that God’s grace and peace will always fill your life.”
When grace and peace overflow within us, we become happy Christians. A happy life in the Lord has a divine influence on everyone with me. So my happiness is transferred to his happiness, and my joy is transferred to his joy. The Apostle Paul longs for the grace that he has now to be poured out on all the saints of the Corinthian church.
However, there are situations in life that we cannot deny. The grace and peace of God that the Apostle Paul spoke of disappeared at some point in me, so I found myself voicing emptiness.
So how do these things happen? Why is God's grace and peace disappearing from us instead of being full? Why is God's grace and peace not being poured out coldly on me anymore?
There will be many different reasons that lead to the situation. However, all of these reasons have one thing in common: their relationship with God has been broken. So God's grace and peace are not poured out. The more this process continues, the drier the life of faith, no emotion, no grace, and no joy.
What should we do in times like these? We need to move forward to the place of restoring our relationship with God again. Everyone! Grace and peace come 'from God the Father and Jesus Christ.' Therefore, if you do not have that grace and peace, you must know what the obstacle is and open it.
It happened not long after I moved to Seoul. Suddenly, the water in the bathroom does not drain well. The building is not old and looks clean from the outside. But the water doesn't go down and it's still standing. "Why? I think. I am worried. It is clear that it is clogged, but shall we pour Trefung? No, it's true, how long has it been since you moved in that you have already started using Trefung? Could this be a poor project? So, should I contact the owner? After thinking in various ways, I looked into the sewer with the thought that I should do what I could do once, and I thought I could get the barrel out.
It was so tight that it was difficult to remove, but I did. Then, there was a bin that was invisible from the outside, and that bin was a bin that once again filters foreign substances flowing down the sewer. When I took it out, it was no surprise that stones that had just been thrown away during construction were blocking all the holes. So, after pulling out all the rubble, I put the barrel back in place and put the big sewer lid on it. On the surface, there seemed to be no significant difference between before and after removal of impurities. But it's the moment I turned on the water! It is refreshing and the water is sucked in in an instant. I was so happy and excited that I cried out on the spot. I'll leave that scene to your imagination.
Dear saints, Do you feel that God's grace and peace are not in you? I don't know what's causing the grace and peace of God to not exist in me, but are there people who are living in the clogged up in frustration and suffering? There is a way to solve that problem. Through the word, prayer, or God's voice heard in relationships with people, I can diagnose and find out the channel of my relationship with God that is invisible on the outside, and find out the grace of God. It is to remove impurities blocking the passage of peace and peace.
Bareul says that he is always thankful and praying for the grace of God given to the church in Corinth. Before rebuking, he is now beginning this article by thanking God for the church in Corinth.
And verses 5-9 talk about the strength of the church in Corinth. Although they have problems and lack thereof, Paul also accepts the Corinthian church as it is, knowing that God is still holding them. And furthermore, we are praising the love of God, confident that God will sustain the faith of all these Corinthians and ultimately cultivate their faith to the end despite the weak faith of the Corinthian church.
That's right. God does not love us because our faith is strong and we are beautiful in the eyes of the world. God loves us even when our faith is weak. Because of my weak faith, my appearance in the world sometimes even shows up as ugly. At this time, people may criticize and turn around and forsake us, but God is faithful and does not forsake us, but takes care of us in His image.
Then we should know today that this God is my God. And in the confession of that faith, you will have to look to God with your true self as you are. In addition, I will have to make a decision and practice to remove the impurities that prevent me from enjoying God's grace and peace before God.
I pray in the name of the Lord that the grace of God given through today's Word will be a blessing that makes your life prosper before God.