Title: Inside Jesus and Outside Jesus
Contents
John 15:1-7 Jesus in and out of Jesus
Of course, we are close to Jesus by liking, loving, and trusting Him, but before this can happen, it is presupposed that we must know or experience Him first. Think about it. Jesus is not a great man in our country like King Sejong the Great or Admiral Yi Sun-sin, nor does he have a Korean surname like Kim, Lee, and Park like us, nor is he a Korean who looks like us.
And 2000 years ago, in the land of Israel, who lived for 30 years as a carpenter and then briefly acted as the head of a religion called Christianity for 3 years, what should we believe in, what should we be close to, and what should we confess that we love him? Of course, you can follow him because his teachings are as good as any other religious, moral, thinker, or philosopher. And you can like him because he was a sacrificial social worker who put love into practice and cared for the poor.
But because of these things, I can like and be close to Jesus, but these things alone are not enough to make me believe in Jesus. Because there are many religious people like Jesus, many thinkers like Jesus, and many social workers like Jesus. Yet, what is the reason that I especially like, love, and follow Jesus? Each will have their own reasons for this.
Some people believe in Jesus because Buddhism is a bit scary, Confucianism is too hard, Islam is too radical, Hinduism is not well known, but still Christianity is the noblest religion. However, the faith of these people is likely to be easily destroyed. I went to church because I thought Christianity was the noblest, but when there are no noble people in the church, and there are people like me or less noble than me, that faith easily breaks down.
And some people say they go to Gangnam with their friends, and some come to church with their girlfriends or boyfriends. However, if that friend or lover dislikes him or distances himself from him, furthermore, if he betrays him, he will lose faith at the same time. And, as we often hear, a man came to church after receiving evangelism, but he was deceived by the elder of that church, and he no longer attends the church and does not believe in Jesus.
Amen to this word? Of course, most of the people here answer this saying Amen, that is, yes, but I don't know if some of you will answer like this. “No, where are these narcissistic words? No matter how much you are a Christian, how can you ignore the disciples and say such nonsense? No, he's only handsome, and all his disciples are fools? If you are a really good person, you have to humble yourself. Where is the proud person who says, ‘You can do nothing apart from me’?”
Of course, it is true that it is quite difficult to agree with the saying, 'Apart from me you can do nothing'. But if you can truly believe and understand these words, you will never leave Jesus. No, even if they forcefully push them to leave Jesus, or if they do not leave Jesus, they will be penalized and killed, but they will never leave Jesus. Think about it. If you never forget and know for sure that fish cannot survive out of water, there will be no fish to leave the water.
And just as in today's text example, Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches, but just as the branches will wither if they are not attached to the vine, if you know for sure that if you leave Jesus, you will wither and wither, then you will never drop Jesus, the vine will try not to. People don't believe in Jesus, or even believe but sometimes leave Jesus because they think, 'I can do it without Jesus.'
Without Jesus I can live in this foreign land, without Jesus I can make money, without Jesus I can study well, without Jesus I can be successful, without Jesus I can meet a good groom and bride, without Jesus I can Are you not leaving Jesus because you think you can live a fulfilling and happy life? If you could not live a single second without Jesus, how would you leave Him?
One day, Jesus said to his disciples: “The rich
It is difficult to enter heaven. Again, I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 19:23-14) It's not that close. In the same way, people who claim to be good-looking, strong, have some things, learn a little, and say they are smart, think that they can live without Jesus, so it is difficult to believe in Jesus.
That's what unbelievers say to believers. “Hey, all the Jesuits are weak and ugly! It's really pathetic because I don't believe in myself and every day I see Jesus who died 2,000 years ago and ask for help." In a way, this statement is correct. Jesuits are not strong people. If the sheep leave the shepherd, how can they live in the fields? Jesuits are weak people who always follow Jesus because they cannot live without Jesus, the shepherd.
But we beat the wolf. Bear wins too. Even the lion wins. Even the devil wins. They don't have any worries about eating and drinking. Because we, the sheep, are weak, but Jesus, the Shepherd, is strong and capable. As a sheep, the way I live is to follow Jesus, the Shepherd. They follow Jesus in Korea, and when they come to Canada, they follow Jesus closer and closer because it is a more unfamiliar place. Because apart from Jesus I can do nothing. Because apart from Jesus, I cannot live alone.
Some people spend their whole life realizing one such truth. It is a blessing to realize this truth even if it is late, but there are people who die without realizing this truth at all. In the end, I struggled to live without Jesus, but just like a branch that fell from a vine withers and withers, life without Jesus will wither. Without Jesus, we would have lived a life of success but failure, happiness but unhappiness, blessing but cursed life.
When Jesus said to his disciples, 'Apart from me you can do nothing', it was not because of ignoring them. Jesus was not speaking the truth by exaggerating himself. Peter at one time desperately realized this truth. He was a fisherman on the Sea of Galilee, trying to fish all night long. But not even a single fish was caught. At that time, in obedience to Jesus' words, he went into the depths and lowered his nets, and had the experience of catching as many fish as the boats were submerged. Then he realized. “Aha, I can’t do it in my own strength, but Jesus said it’s okay!”
Peter realized this truth and followed Jesus for three years, but when Jesus died, he forgot this truth again. So again, I struggled all night to catch fish on the Sea of Galilee. But it was also nonsense. Then the risen Jesus appeared and told him to let down the nets on the right side of the boat. As he said, he caught a lot of fish, 153. And he realized again. “I can’t do it in my own strength, but it’s in the power of Jesus!”
Guys, is there something that no matter how hard you try? Realize the truth quickly. Not outside of Jesus. You must come into Jesus. To be truly happy and truly successful, you must come into Jesus. It seems to be the eccentricity of the too knowledgeable Jesuits, but the truth is the truth that cannot be helped. There is no heaven but Jesus. There is no eternal and true happiness outside of Jesus. But in Jesus there is true happiness. There is eternal life. The inside and outside of Jesus are the crossroads of blessing and curse. The distance that determines heaven and hell is the difference between Jesus inside and outside.
Whether or not you succeed in this foreign land is what determines whether you are in or out of Jesus, your knowledge and appearance
It's not about deciding. If you are in Jesus, no matter how great your sins may be, you have infinite forgiveness and freedom. But if you are outside of Jesus, condemnation and judgment follow. The Bible also proves this. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:1-2).
Everyone, being in Jesus is the greatest blessing in the world, the surest success in the world, and the surest requirement for happiness in the world. In Jesus, an unhappy person is completely transformed into a happy person. In Jesus, a person who weeps with sorrow is completely transformed into a person who leaps and rejoices with joy. As you and I have experienced, we exclaim: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
It is entirely up to you whether you want to leave Jesus and live a life of nothing, or whether you will achieve true success and happiness in Jesus and own Heaven. But we want to acknowledge the truth today. “I can't do anything on my own. Living apart from the Lord, I am nothing and nothing. Now I want to live in the Lord.” Amen!