Title: Meaning of Lent
Contents
The meaning of Lent
Joel 2:12-17
Matthew 24:38-9 says, “Before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage until the day Noah entered the ark, and they did not realize it until the flood came and destroyed them all; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.” . He was referring to the phenomena of the last days, and Noah was preparing for the warning of the flood judgment, but people ignored this and was frantically engrossed in eating, drinking, marrying, and getting married.
Such is our time today. The Lord has said that He will return. He told me to be alert, sober and prepare. But people ignore this and just eat, drink, and enjoy frenzied indulgence.
It's the second week of Lent, and let's try to make it a Lent that deepens the depth of reverence, and let's not have any meaning in Lent.
Dear all! Our members must not be swept away by the turbulence of this world.
As the end draws nearer, we must practice godliness even more and live a holy life.
In this very season of Lent, we should examine our piety even more.
The word Lent, translated from the Greek word “Thessalkoste,” is “a 40-day celebration”.
Therefore, it is a feast that started to be reverently counted from Easter Sunday and meditate on the suffering and resurrection of the Lord for 40 days excluding the Sundays in the middle.
Then, if you think about 40 days, if you look at the Bible, you can see that 40 days is a symbolic number related to a godly life.
For example, our Lord prepared for his public life by fasting in the wilderness for 40 days.
Moses also fasted on Mount Sinai for 40 days to prepare to receive the word of God.
The Israelites were trained in the wilderness for 40 years before entering the land of Canaan.
The number 40 symbolizes the piety of God's people.
So, how should we celebrate Lent?
In the early days of the early church, the people of Israel fasted while preparing for the Passover. In imitation of this, they fasted before Easter and thoroughly prayed and trained spiritually.
When the early Lent was created, only meals were allowed just before dinner, no meat was allowed, and in the 14th century it began to ease a lot, when noon meals and light dinners were allowed.
It was alleviated by fasting prayers rather than fasting prayers, refraining from drinking and singing, watching plays or reading romance novels, and avoiding wearing fancy clothes.
Of course, we still have to keep two things in order to live a godly life.
One is isolation.
To eat is to eat, but not to become a slave to the desire to eat, to rest in moderation and live a cultural life for re-creation, but not to fall into the desire to enjoy and enjoy. This is to prevent something from getting caught up in you and preventing you from going to God. We do not want our spirits to lose their freedom because they are caught in the bondage of the flesh.
The other is prayer.
It is about moving forward with God. It is about having a spiritual encounter with God. It is to restore the prayer that was stopped because of the worldly life, and to restore the prayer weakened by spiritual indolence.
It is to make our spirit stronger by meeting the Lord.
Dear all! I hope that you will think of the life of self-control during this Lent and put more effort into prayer.
Lent gives us an important message, especially today's text gives us an important lesson in seeking the message of Lent.
In verse 15, God said to the people of Israel: “Blow the trumpets in Zion, and you shall establish a holy fast, and declare a solemn assembly, gather the people, sanctify the assembly, gather the elders, gather the children and sucklings, bring the bridegroom out of her chambers, and bring the bride out of her closets. .” God is asking the people of Israel to have a very special gathering that is different from usual, and it is to prepare a special occasion to return to God.
Today's Lent should also be a special occasion for us to return and draw closer to God.
To this end, there is a message we need to listen to.
First, take a look at yourself.
In verse 12, He said, “Come back to me.” When we come to the Lord, the first thing that appears is that we can see ourselves as we are.
You can see yourself as if you were standing in front of a mirror.
Prideful people discover how poor they are.
People who were trembling with hypocrisy discover how great a sinner they are before God.
People who were drunk on their achievements discover the fact that they have great faults before God.
In fact, Lent began on the so-called Ash Wednesday, and traditionally a special ceremony was held on Ash Wednesday. At this ceremony, the servants of the Lord placed ashes on the heads of the saints and said: “For you are from dust, and to dust you shall never forget.” Here the ashes symbolize death.
And putting ashes on your head makes you look back on yourself.
When we are not before God, we forget who we are.
You can see the speck in another's eye, but not see the beam in your own. I can't see myself right away.
But when we return to God, we stand in front of a mirror.
So we can see and realize who we are.
The Russian writer Tolstoy said that to be a real man, you have to visit three places.
The first is the military, the second is the hospital, and the third is the prison.
What these three places have in common is that they allow us to see ourselves anew. When a man goes to the army and suffers, he realizes that he is a powerless being who cannot live without help.
When you are admitted to the hospital, you realize how fragile you are. And when you go to jail, you realize how great a sinner you are.
Tolstoy is saying that a man who can immediately realize who he really is is a manly man.
That's right. In fact, many people live their lives forgetting who they are and who they are.
So proud, so sinful, and so do not depend on God.
In this Lent, we must stand before God and examine ourselves.
I have to rediscover who I am.
Second, repentance.
Verse 12 says, “Even now you fast and weep and mourn…” And in verse 17, “The priests who minister to the LORD weep between the chambers and the altar and say, “O LORD, have mercy on your people.” said.
In God's eyes, the people of Israel at that time were in their sins to such an extent that even if they came to God and wept, they would not be satisfied. In God's eyes, the priests of Israel at that time always came out to the Lord's house to weep over the people's sins, but the people of Israel were in such a great sin that they were not happy.
That is why God is asking for tears.
Dear all! We also need tears. We need tears of repentance before God. I hope that prayers of hot tears will be restored to you during this Lent season.
May we be re-established in purity and holiness with true penance.
Third, restore holiness.
Verse 16 says, “Gather the people, sanctify them, gather the elders, gather children and nurses, bring the bridegroom out of her chambers, and the bride out of her closets…”
The common command that God commands to our God's people is, "Be holy because I am holy." To be holy here means to be set apart. Just as God has been thoroughly separated from this corrupt and rebellious world, those who are now God's people must be separated from the people of this world.
We need two things to be holy.
One is the desire for holiness.
Salmon is a mysterious animal. How can he go back to the place where he was born? Some come back after 2 years, and some even come back after 5 years.
They wander around the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and when they hatch an egg, they come to that valley in Gangwon-do. Even if rocks block it, underwater weirs block it, and even waterfalls block it, they come to the place to live and die.
It is said that they come to the place by smelling the water.
That burning desire to move on to that position is what makes it possible.
That's right. As Christians, we must live with a desire for holiness while we live on this earth.
Just as salmon cannot go back if they lose that desire, we Christians cannot live life like God's people on this earth if we lose this desire.
Our earnest desire to live like the Lord, our earnest desire to spread the fragrance of the Lord in our lives, must be restored.
The other is courage for a holy life.
God's people should be able to say "yes" to God and "no" in this world.
If this is the other way around, that's a big deal.
This world tempts you to commit corruption. At this point, we should be able to say “No”. He tempts me to go to a lewd place. You should be able to say “No” at this time.
Temptation to tell lies. You should be able to say “No” at this time.
It takes courage for us to do that. being bullied by people. You will suffer several losses.
Sometimes they are even persecuted. But don't give up.
God will be with you and help you. Above all, we must not forget that God is pleased.
Dear all! May your holiness be restored during this Lenten season.
May the desire for holiness be rekindled.
May the courage to live holy lives soar again.
Dear all! Lent has begun. I hope that the soul that has been spiritually asleep can be awakened.
I hope that the soul that has been separated from God can draw closer to God.
To do that, we have to look at ourselves. We must repent of our sins.
We must restore holiness within us.