Title: Ministry of Pain
Contents
Bible: Matthew 16:21-28
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We know a man named Thomas Jefferson. He was born in 1743 and lived until 1826, who laid the foundation for the American Declaration of Independence as we know it. He was 33 when he wrote the Declaration of Independence. This person left many famous sayings, but the most important one is "The technique of our life is to avoid suffering."
In fact, we try to avoid pain whenever possible, but we cannot prevent it from coming.
In today's text, Jesus tells us that we must live eternal life free from the shackles of death, and that Jesus Himself must suffer in order to escape from the swamp of sin and become righteous and holy people. That is why he says that he must go up to Jerusalem, suffer from the elders, scribes, and priests, and be crucified to death. He said that through this suffering, I can rise again on the third day and give eternal life and righteousness to all mankind. Then Peter said, “Lord, it is not possible. Why does the Lord deliberately suffer? The art of life is to avoid pain, so why do you deliberately suffer?” and stopped Jesus. What did Jesus say then? “Satan, get behind me. you are the one who makes me fall You don't think about God's things, but people's things!" Jesus is very clear. He said that I must suffer today for tomorrow's glory, tomorrow's righteousness and holiness.
I want to say that pain is inevitable.
Even in Genesis, there is a saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and have dominion over the earth, and have dominion over it.” But marriage is not just about happiness. There is the pain of childbirth when giving birth to a baby. There are many ways these days to reduce the pain, but it is impossible to completely eliminate it. It is a precious gift to our family, but it takes pain to receive it. It is also a serious problem for our country, but education for children in hopes that they will do well is also a pain. It is a reality these days, where more than half of the household income is spent on the education of their children.
It is not only difficult to pay for education to children, but when they reach puberty, they begin to rebel against their parents. Dealing with children during that rebellious period is not easy, and any conflict between the child and the parent is exacerbated.
Because raising children is so painful, young couples these days are reluctant to have children. However, in the sense that the family is a blessing from God, this suffering is natural. In this pain, you can know, learn, and feel the love of your family. That is happiness. Also, if you look at the country as a whole, a country with a large population can become an economically prosperous country. In a case like Indonesia, which is economically lower than ours now, scholars predict that it could become the fifth largest economy in the world by 2050. Because Indonesia has a population of 250 million and abundant resources. In the future, the economic status may be higher depending on how large the population is. From this perspective, Korea must unify. This is because there is a higher probability that the population will exceed 100 million, and if so, the possibility for economic development will increase even more.
When we suffer, the most important thing is to purify ourselves. 1 Peter 4:1 says, “He who suffers, sin has ceased.” Says. Through suffering we are purified.
When a person sometimes has to be hospitalized or the days left to live are short, he puts away a lot of complicated work and thinks simple. In this way, we can organize and purify our complicated life through suffering and transform it into a simple and clean life. It says that Jesus washed away our sins through the blood of the cross. The blood of the cross purifies us.
After going through a time of suffering called the Babylonian captivity, the Israelites also see that they are transformed into a people who serve only God. Pain purifies us.
There is an important verse in the Bible we read today. Matthew 16:24 “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross.” The glory of following Jesus includes the suffering of carrying the cross.
The third work of suffering is to glorify God through suffering. In Acts 7, Stephen tells the history of the Old Testament and declares that Jesus Christ is the ‘Messiah’ who was born for the salvation of mankind. However, because the people of Jerusalem killed Jesus, as prophesied in the Old Testament, they could not stand still because their sins were revealed. “That Stephen who reveals our sins must die.” Then he put a stone in it and threw it at Stephen to make him die. Then the heavens were opened and Stephen could see Jesus Christ at the right hand of the glorious God. At that time, the Bible says that Stephen's face changed into that of an angel.
There was a person who was changed when he saw the glorious face of Stephen. It is Saul who became the apostle Paul. It is through suffering and suffering that the glory of God is revealed.
The fourth ministry of suffering is to give us a better future. Giving birth to a baby is painful, but when a baby is born, the child grows up to carry on the future of the family, so pain brings us a better future.
I have talked about the four ministries of suffering. First, suffering purifies us. Second, suffering makes us share in the glory of Christ. Third, suffering reveals the glory of God. Fourth, suffering gives us a better future.
Dear brothers and sisters, suffering is inevitable. Just because we don't like it doesn't mean we don't suffer. I pray in the name of the Lord that you will be purified through suffering, share in the glory of Christ through suffering, glorify God through suffering, and have a better future through suffering.
2010-03-27 11:55:20