Title: Love your country (Exodus 32:30)
June is a month that makes you think about your country and patriotism. Especially because there are Memorial Day and the 6.25 Incident. When I think of the fact that this country, people, and society are being supported by the blood, life, sweat, and pain of the martyrs in order to protect our country and people, on Memorial Day, my heart is sober. I hope today will be a time to share the grace of love with your country.
The patriotism of Moses, the leader of the nation of Israel, is shown in the text.
At that time, Moses prayed before God with a heart of love for the nation and country.
Heavenly Father, don't do that. If you destroy this nation, what will the Gentiles and Pharaoh's people in Egypt say? The people of Israel were led by the God of Yahweh, whom they worship, into the wilderness, and they will say that this God is the God who brings destruction and kills them all. It is praying with a heart of love for the nation, saying, “Stop being evil, change your mind, and do not be angry with your people.” Moses prayed an intercession before God with a longing heart to earnestly save the nation and nation. God hears Moses' intercession prayer, and uses, educates, and leads the nation of Israel.
On Memorial Day today, like Moses, let's worship before our God with love for the country and people.
So, what would you do to show love for your country?
First, it is to intercede for the country and people.
God hears our intercession. The Bible teaches us to pray. A prime example is the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Sodom and Gomorrah were economically prosperous and stable, but they were full of sin. Abraham intercedes before God when he says that God will judge Sodom and Gomorrah, who are falling into sin. "God, forgive Sodom and Gomorrah. If there are 50 righteous people there, will you completely destroy them?" It is God who saved Lot's family when he prayed this prayer repeatedly six times. These words become a symbol of intercession.
If you pray for our family, neighbors, people, and nation, God hears us. That is patriotism. It is God who claims history and the nation. That is why we must pray when our nation and nation are in crisis. That is the way our nation lives.
In 1 Samuel 7, when the nation of Israel was invaded by the powerful Philistines, all the people, led by Samuel the priest, forsook idols, fasted, and gathered at Mizpah to repent and pray. Through Mizpah's great awakening and revival prayer, we were able to achieve great victory. When our nation faces difficulties, believers first repent before God and cry out and pray, then they will receive blessings. All members of our church must become intercessory prayers for the country.
Second, you have to take responsibility.
Fulfilling the responsibilities of leaders and people is the truth the Bible teaches. For a nation to prosper, there must be three things spiritually. Even if you have a wealth of economic power, a mighty army, powerful weapons, and a large territory, without these three factors, your country will perish.
① Justice (honesty). Meeting with just people is done in honesty Then, a society that trusts each other will be created. In particular, the leaders of our country should be honest leaders.
② There must be justice. It should be a just society in which the national law and order is established.
③ We must become a society where there is service. We need to create a society where we serve and share with each other.
A nation can become a prosperous nation when they serve and live kindly with such honesty and righteous laws and a heart to help and serve each other. We can become a nation blessed by God.
Third, you must participate in national affairs.
When the country is in peril, we must all participate together. Believers must cooperate and participate in the work of the nation. Only then will our country prosper. When our country prospers, individuals will be happy, families will prosper, and our descendants will be blessed. We must also participate in voting, and when we vote, we must clearly state our intentions. From small things to big things, you have to be involved. You must be patriotic and participate in the work of your country. Please love our country passionately.
Fourth, you must learn and teach hard.
So what do you learn and what do you teach?
① We need to educate people to read the Bible.
When the nation of Israel was defeated by Babylon in 586 BC, the leaders and talented people of the nation were taken captive. However, as the captives brought back from Babylon after the destruction of the Persians returned, Ezra reading the Bible arose. And he stands among the people and teaches the word of God. At that time, a new ritual and new faith will arise in the people of Israel. In this way, by teaching the Word of God, the Jerusalem temple in the nation of Israel is rebuilt, the nation's faith is restored, and Israel is revived. Likewise, only the Word of God can save our nation. In order for our people to live, we must read the Bible. The Bible is the Word of God and is a book of blessings. A nation that teaches the Bible and reads the Bible lives.
② We must educate the sufferings of history.
We must teach the historical hardships our ancestors suffered. We must teach our children the hardships of life that our parents had. There must be an education of wisdom that allows us to experience suffering and overcomes suffering. Even if we look at the history of the Bible, the people of Israel kept the Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles, so they experienced the hardships of their ancestors and taught the living God who led the nation of Israel through those hardships. That is why we must make our descendants the center of the nation. By educating the nation-centered life, patriotism, and hardship, we will make a country free from youth problems. I hope that you will become saints who care for their neighbors, country, and people, not from a country where selfishness is prevalent.
③ There must be environmental education.
You must love nature. Who is to protect this land created by God? It is something we must protect. If this is not educated, it will become a degenerate and insignificant country that cannot survive due to pollution and environmental problems. With environmental education, our people can survive.
Dear brothers and sisters, let's love our country!
I hope you will start with the small things with the specific method you learned through today's Word. Let's pray for our nation to rise up passionately in the history of the world. I hope that the members of Chungnam Jeil Church will lead our nation into the future.