Title: Joy of Salvation
Contents
Text: Philippians 2:13-18
This world is made up of the visible material world and the invisible spiritual world. The visible world is very large and has many and complex orders, but the larger, more expansive, and orderly world is the spiritual world. For example, there is a visible body and an invisible soul. Both the body and the soul are precious, but if you compare the two, the soul is more valuable than the body. This is as if the owner of the house is more valuable than the house. How precious the soul is, even Jesus said, “People do not live by bread alone, but by the word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). He also said, “Do not be afraid of those whose body dies but cannot kill the soul, but fear him who can destroy both body and soul in hell” (Matthew 10:28).
The (God) word is more precious than (food) bread, and the soul is more precious than the body. If we compare the body and the soul, even if we add up the time of physical life of so many people who have lived in this world so far, it is less than the time that one soul lives forever. So the soul must be well. Seen in this way, doctors who heal people's bodies and live for a few more years are precious, but those who evangelize to save souls are even more precious.
1. “Work out your salvation”
Text 2:12 “Therefore, my beloved brethren, always obey, not only in my presence but even more now in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling” The issue of salvation is very important. I pray that salvation will not be neglected or taken lightly. Salvation is not something that can be received or not. Salvation does not become yours just because you go in and out of the church, but you must believe in Jesus Christ, accept Him, and confess as your Savior. Jesus even died on the cross to provide this salvation. you have to realize Salvation is not that cheap! Of course, salvation is free, but nonetheless, it is so precious! You have to realize this. Salvation is the most precious thing in life. Even in the same vessel, gold and earthen vessels are different, and even in the same jar, kimchi-dok and Goryeo celadon are different. Salvation is more precious than gold, money, and ceramics. So today's text says: Always obey and “work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” May you possess salvation.
2. “God’s love for salvation”
Text 2:13 “It is God who works in you...” God works in us. The important words “you”, “us”, and “in” first have the meaning of our God-community. It is the ideology of developed countries living together. A developing country is a culture that cares about the individual. The social order and center are destroyed because of the selfish thoughts of the individual, but they are preserved in the community where they live together. Politics in a backward country is at my own will because it pursues only one's own interests, whereas politics in developed countries pursues the interests of the people, so politics is voter-conscious. Why are you being tested at church even though you are doing well in your faith life? You have to think of others first in the community, because you think of yourself first. “Why do I have to do this?” This kind of wrong thinking is what makes the devil open a gap. Let's think only good thoughts. Think of us rather than me. Just as the night culture should change to the dawn culture, personal culture should change into our culture.
And God works in us. He does it in the saints. God is said to be God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God the Father works from above, God the Son works from the side, and God the Holy Spirit works from within. Top-side-inward. This is love. How much God has loved us to be above us through creation, beside us in the incarnation, and within through the descent of the Holy Spirit. I pray that you will realize how much God loves us. It is the culmination of God's love that He gave life through creation, saved through incarnation, and changed through the Holy Spirit.
Dear members of Shepherd Church,
God's love for people is in salvation. What is the value of being successful and not being saved, if you are rich and not saved, if you live long and you are not saved? The value of life in this world lies in being saved through Jesus and living forever in the kingdom of God while living in this world. Hallelujah “I bless you with salvation” Amen.