Title: Grow in Grace (John 16:5-...
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Grow in grace (John 16:5-8) 2008.06.29
This text is similar to Jesus' farewell speech to his disciples shortly before his death. Knowing that he is going to die, Jesus said this because, in order to give comfort and courage to the disciples who were full of sorrow in their hearts, what Jesus had done had to be continued through them. What is important in Jesus' words is that He will send a Comforter and what the Comforter will do when he comes. The work of the Comforter is to open your eyes to sin, righteousness, and judgment. This means that the events of Jesus Christ do not become meaningless events in a changing world. Only then can the church stand firm and the gospel can be proclaimed with power without being ashamed of the world. When it is said that what Hyesa is doing is opening her eyes, the meaning of opening her eyes here includes birth, growth, awakening, and renewal.
The Comforter opens the eyes to the coming kingdom of God through the new birth of being.
One night a Jewish ruler named Nicodemus came to Jesus secretly. Jesus told him that unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. But it is said that rebirth is accomplished through the Holy Spirit. The Comforter brings us into a new relationship with God, transforms our inner reality, gives us the seeds of a new life, builds a new self in us, and renews our attitudes towards life and the reality of our lives. .
Rebirth into a new creature by the Comforter is the beginning of a new life in the hope of God's future, not an exemption from suffering. And together with hope, as a human being, you will experience love and pain, life and death differently. Rebirth through the Comforter is a life that is being formed, and if its representations are presented, it is reminiscent of spring in nature. In other words, it is reminiscent of the greenery of all trees and plants. And since this rebirth presupposes living forever, it is the meeting of eternity and time.
The Comforter awakens us from the fiction of idols. Every human being has a savage within him. In the old days, when science did not develop and only human intuition was used, the whole of human life was dominated by this savage. In such a period, all the anomalies in the natural world were understood as manipulations of the gods with some mysterious power. So I looked up to the sky and prayed, went to the mountains for help, and prayed for safety to a large rock or tree. During this period, people believed that human fate was in the hands of some volatile divine being, so they devoted almost all of their time to appeasing and pacifying the unknown, for the safety of themselves and their race. Otherwise, I couldn't live with anxiety. In fact, even now, the savage has not disappeared, but has been hidden deep in his personality, and if he has nothing to depend on and hold on to, he feels existential anxiety. So, in the age of science, modern people who think rationally are also anxious, so they try to hold onto something as an object of trust because of a deep sense of alienation in life.
The Comforter renews us. When we drive a car and the battery runs out, we can no longer get to where we want to go. Then the battery needs to be recharged. Likewise, this reality in which we live requires a spiritual recharge as it continually drains and exhausts our lives. A creative life is impossible when you live without it. Spiritual exhaustion leads to feelings of bluff, exaggeration, chatter, despair, and pessimism. It makes life dark. But the Comforter gives us true strength. Its power is creativity, faith, hope, and love that can overcome darkness and affirm life.
The Comforter uses the medium to renew us. Sometimes we use a quiet place, sometimes a good book of faith, deep prayer, spiritual fellowship, the preached word, worship, or a medium such as the Lord's Supper. Through such things, we experience the presence of God, and with confidence in the kingdom of God, we can go out into the world again and live a powerful life. The Comforter herself does not have mystical magical powers. The Comforter guides us in that path.
Even if there is someone who gave us a little encouragement and comfort when we encounter a life crisis along the way and made us start over again, we can never forget it in our lifetime, but he made a new beginning in our life and let us know God If there is someone who gives, awakens us, and renews us, how can we forget him? The Comforter is such a One for us.
The Comforter will carry out God's creative work from beginning to end in God's plan of hope. The creative work is rebirth, growth, awakening, renewal. We too should participate in that work every day with the Comforter. By doing so, you can live a life that participates in God's new creation while you live in this world. The Comforter is not confined to the church. He is not limited wherever God's creative work is to be done in the world. He intervenes in human culture, in politics, and in economic activities. He was with God when He created the world in the beginning. The Holy Spirit is always with us and will be with us until the end of this world. When we are lonely, when we have few friends, the Holy Spirit will come closer to us.
There are three classes of people associated with grace.
1) Most people say that they need to have a special visible grace to receive grace.
2) Those who have opened their eyes to grace realize the grace behind their lives through ordinary life.
3) However, those who are full of grace are those who find grace in difficulties.
Declare grace Wake up every morning and proclaim the grace of God. Please boldly declare that you have already received grace and long for it and expect it. As children of God, we must live with confidence and greatness, expecting blessings. We are often given special treatment because our heavenly Father is the King of kings, and His glory and honor shine upon us. When we long for grace and proclaim the goodness of God, amazing things happen to people who leave their work behind and come to our aid. They may not understand why they do what they do, but we know it is because of God's grace. Buy with a heart longing for grace. Expect and proclaim the grace of God every morning. Get out of your passive attitude. When we first become vessels to receive grace, God pours out His grace overflowingly.