Title: Life of Faith in the End Times
Contents Life of Faith in the End Times (1 Peter 4:7-11)
As we enter the year 2010, one of the things that people are very interested in is when the end of the earth will happen. A movie called 2012, about the end of the earth, was recently released. Of course, the content itself is different from what the Bible says about the end, but we believers must also have the correct knowledge of this end.
The issue of the end is important, but more important is the fact that God's judgment comes next. If we only deal with the issue of the end, we don't think about anything more than <if you die, it will all end>. But more important than death is the fact that God's judgment comes after death. You should always remember this. When that happens, we become spiritually strained. You can wake up from sleep and wake up startled.
In the past, among Chinese dramas, there was a drama called Pocheongcheon, which was named after a judge who strictly enforces the law. No lies, bribes, or tricks ever worked for this man. He was famous for always finding out and judging sins accurately. However, God's judgment is more precise and stricter than that of Pocheongcheon. Such judgment will surely come upon us.
The reason the people of the world live profusely is because they do not have the consciousness of the last days and the consciousness of judgment. The end of the individual will come soon, and the end of mankind will come, but we live as if there will be no such end at all. Then, when death suddenly comes, it is only then that I regret <why did I live this way!>. People live happily ever after because they don't think about these two things.
If we do it wrong, it can happen to us. So, in 4:7, Peter says, “The end of all things is at hand.” The day of the Lord's coming is not far away. It also suggests how we should live with the consciousness of the last days.
1. Be sober, sober, and pray.
The first thing the saints who are living with awareness of the last days should do is to come to their senses and pray. When we see this, we can see how important our prayer life is to us.
1) Everyone! Let's assume that the end of the world is near.
What should we do? Should I buy more land? Should I enjoy the world more? The Bible says we should pray as the end of the world nears. Why should we pray? It is because we can prepare to face the end only when we pray. How can you handle the great test at the end of your life? Only those who pray can overcome the temptation.
What did Jesus do before His death on the cross? He prayed all night in the Garden of Gethsemane. Why? Because only prayer prepares us to face death. If you don't pray, you have no strength to face death. So what did the Lord tell His disciples to do so that they would not fall into temptation? He told me to wake up and pray.
What happens to Peter, who did not accept the Lord's counsel and just fell asleep? He did a cowardly and shameful act of denying that he knew the Lord three times. Why? Because they weren't prepared through prayer, they couldn't win when the test came. After that, Peter, who has vivid memories, kept awake and prayed so as not to fail again. Peter's healing of a lame man sitting at the beautiful gate of the temple also happened while he was going up to pray. Even before meeting the sender sent by the centurion Cornelius, he has a vision while praying. From time to time, I became a person of prayer.
Prayer is the first thing we need to do if we want to come to our senses and live properly. Do you want to live differently in 2010? Do you want to calm down? You need to start praying to get your mind right. If you don't pray, you can only think of <I have to live differently! It has to change!> It doesn't actually change my life. Remember, you need to start with prayer to be alert.
2) How should we pray?
You should start praying regularly. In other words, you must set a time and start praying. That way it can be a steady prayer. In order to continue to lead a conscious life, you must start with your prayer life. set the time And pray constantly. It is the beginning of a mindful life.
2. Love each other passionately.
The second is to love each other passionately. To love passionately means to love hard and steady. told to love each other. Why did we become a family of one church? What do we have to do as a family? Nothing else, but passionate love for each other. That's why we have to think that we live.
1) What is love?
Love in the world is to receive. everyone wants to be loved The love of parents, the love of the opposite sex, the love and attention of others...Everyone wants to receive. But the Bible says that love is about giving, not receiving. What do you give To give attention, to give a gift, to serve, to give a heart, to give my time...to give what is mine to others is love.
Why? Because God loved him so much.
(1 John 4:19) “We love because he first loved us.” We want someone to love us first, but it is not God's love. He first loved us. He came to us first. He reached out his hand first. We should love each other that way too.
(1 John 4:10) “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that God loved us and sent his Son as the propitiation for our sins.
It wasn't that we loved first, but God first loved us. When he loved us, he loved us by giving us a son and giving us everything.
One more thing about God's love is that He loved us first, and not only loved us with everything, but also loved us unconditionally. This is the love of God, and the love we receive from God.
2) Then, when we love each other, how should we love?
① You must love first. ② You have to love by giving what you have. ③ You must love unconditionally. Don't wait for someone to love me or someone to pay attention to me, I'll approach you first. Don't try to get something, think about what to give. Love unconditionally, not conditionally. This is the love we should make for each other.
3) Why do we have to love like this? Because love covers a multitude of sins. Why is it difficult when we have a relationship? Because they see each other's faults. Because they see each other's mistakes, weaknesses, and shortcomings. It makes it hard, hurts, and makes relationships difficult. It always is. If we can accept each other despite their weaknesses, faults, and mistakes, our relationships will be much smoother than they are now. However, there is only one way to digest and accept this opponent's weakness. That's love. “Love covers a multitude of sins,” he said. So love is great. Regarding the power of this love, 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 says:
[4] Love endures long, love is kind, does not envy; love does not boast, is not proud, [5] is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not provoked, thinks no evil, [6] does not rejoice in iniquity. but rejoices with the truth, [7] bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Verse 4, love is patient.... Verse 7, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
this is love This is the love of God who loved us. Let us have this love for each other. Then you can accept the other person's weaknesses, and the relationship will be much smoother than it is now.
3. Treat each other without resentment.
One of the things we have to do is treat each other. This part requires a little understanding of the situation at the time. At that time, the church did not meet in the building, but in the home. So someone had to open up a home and provide it as a meeting place for the church. To do that, someone has to make a commitment. People who visit their homes should be treated warmly. Above all else, it must be served with food. Besides that, there will be many things to serve.
Another thing at that time was itinerant preachers. Paul was also a traveling preacher. If you travel around the world to spread the gospel, you need a place to stay. At that time, inns and motels were not developed, so someone had to treat such an evangelist among the local believers. If this happens, complaints and resentment may arise because the task is not easy. So when you treat each other, do it without resentment.
To do it without resentment means to serve without expecting any reward, praise, or reward. It means to do it with joy and thanksgiving.
Even today, this treat is important. Hospitality is essential for the church to create an atmosphere of love. A church that treats each other well has a good atmosphere. In particular, the home should be put to good use as a place for this hospitality. When the members of the family are invited to serve food and tea, and serve while serving, deep fellowship with each other is formed.
I hope that our members will become members who treat each other like this with joy. told to treat each other. It's not just about being treated, it's about serving one another. So, I hope that it will become such a church where you can feel deep brotherly love.
< Conclusion >
What kind of faith should we live in the last days?
1. Be alert and pray. 2. We must love each other passionately. 3. We should treat each other without any resentment.