Title: My Brother, Blood and Flesh
Contents
Sunday Sermon_071007
Title: My Brother, Bone and Flesh
Text: Romans 9:1-5
A famous surgeon speeded up his car so he wouldn't be late for his son's birthday. But suddenly a car stopped in front of me, and a lot of people got out of the car and surrounded something and clicked their tongues. Then a man stopped the surgeon's car and called for help.
What he said is that the person in the car accident is still stuck, and if someone gives first aid, he will be able to live. However, he said that his son's birthday party was urgent and that there would be someone who could help even if it wasn't him, so he avoided the spot and arrived at the house.
Then I hurried inside for the waiting family and my son, but there was no one there and there was only a note on the table. On that note it was written: “My son was in a car accident and is in the emergency room at a hospital, so please come as soon as you can.”
The surgeon frantically drove to the hospital where his son was admitted. However, when he arrived at the hospital, he heard the sad news that his son had already died. His family greeted him with weeping, and eventually he collapsed crying.
In the emergency room, the doctor in charge told him this. Your son could have been saved if he had arrived at the hospital a little sooner or provided first aid on the spot. Thanks to the grateful person who carried your son to the hospital, I tried my best, but in the end I couldn't save him, so I'm sorry.
Only then did the surgeon look for the grateful person who had come carrying his son. The man was waiting outside the emergency room and his wife led him to him. But the moment he saw him, the surgeon went black.
Because he had stopped his car earlier in heavy traffic and asked for help to rescue a dying young man. “You mean that young man was my son?” “You mean my son could have survived if I had gotten off and helped a little?”
The surgeon regretted while crying that he was the one who killed his son, but he could not bring the dead son back to life. Since then, this surgeon has been living a life of helping people on the street, no matter how busy he is, he gets off and gives his best.
Even if his son died, he went on to live a second life, doing his best to prevent such a sad incident from happening again. The only chance to save a person is when he is alive. In this way, we need to know that the only opportunity to be saved by believing in Jesus is when that person is alive.
As it is written in the Word, we too must live a life of preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ in season or out of season. I hope that God's love will be poured out on us through today's Word. In the name of the Lord, I pray in the name of the Lord that this love of Jesus Christ will compel us and that we will all be blessed who strive to spread the gospel whether we live or die.
In today's text, the Apostle Paul speaks very dangerous words. In verse 3, “I wish that I myself should be cursed and cut off from Christ for my brothers, my fleshly relatives.” In simple words, it is okay to not be saved.
The problem, however, is that Paul was not the only person who wanted his people to be saved even as he risked his own salvation. Even in the Old Testament times, there were people who risked their lives for God and interceded for God's people. There was a man who was not afraid to be cursed on behalf of the people. It was a man named Moses, whom we know all too well.
People called Moses a prophet, and God made this Moses the leader of the people. Exodus 32:32. “But now, if you agree, forgive their sins; otherwise, blot out my name from the book you have written.” This confession is Moses' intercession after the people sinned against God by making an idol of a golden calf in the absence of Moses.
This is a very scary confession. However, if we look at God's response to this confession, we can see that this confession is not empty words. Verses 33-5. “Then the LORD said to Moses, “If anyone sins against me, I will blot it out of my book. Now go and lead the people to the place I have told you, and my angel will go before you. and struck him, because they made the calf that Aaron had made.”
Among the ten commandments Moses received at this time, the first two commandments were “You shall not worship idols.” But Israel broke the first and second commandments of the Ten Commandments. Besides, seeing this, God was angry.
It means breaking God's promise to save them. Instead of destroying the people, He speaks of a plan to establish the kingdom of God through Moses (Exodus 32:9-10). But here Moses stood in the way of God's wrath. It was to intercede for Israel who had sinned.
The result of this is Exodus 32:14. “The LORD changed his mind and did not bring the woe he had spoken to his people.” The extermination of the people was prevented. But because of this, about 3,000 people were slaughtered with a sword. At this time, standing on God's side, the Levites will slaughter their people (Exodus 32:25-29). Let's branch out for a moment and share a little bit about this part.
Moses records that the Levites were able to see the glory of devoting themselves to serving on behalf of the people in the temple of God through this event. It is that the descendants of Levi who participated in God's zeal, His righteous wrath toward injustice and transgression, were entrusted with the holy office of God's temple service from generation to generation. Devotion calls for another commitment.
This is the law of dedication. One devotion to God is an opportunity to be given another opportunity of devotion from God. It will also be devoted from generation to generation. Also, we can confirm that God Himself gives blessings on the devotion that God has allowed.
Let's get back to the basics. Why did Moses and Paul risk their lives to rescue Israel? Why is Israel so great that it struggles to save Israel to the point of being so desperate? Was it because Israel had done many good things to God? Or was Israel the most zealous of all the peoples to serve God?
What was it that made Israel so valuable? What kept Israel from giving up in their iniquity? Where did the value of the existence of Israel come from, where Moses and Paul, who hated sin, risked their own salvation and carried out a lifesaving campaign?
Is it worth it to Israel? Paul's confession shows that this is not the case. The saving value of Israel was that Israel itself did not have it. Verses 4 to 6 give the clear answer. First of all, because they are Israelis.
That's right. The answer also lies with God. It is in God's election and sovereign salvation. It was God's choice that God saved Israel. There is no one in the world who will ask God why he chose them and saved them. This is because all these choices and salvation were made through the sovereignty of God. All of us who will die in our sins, we can only give thanks and praise for the salvation of some of us.
Also, the value of saving even at the cost of the salvation of Moses and Paul is because they have the adoption and glory of God, the establishment of covenants and laws, worship and promises, and the ancestors are theirs, and because Christ was born of them according to the flesh. Our worth is more than skyrocketing.
If you look closely at what we, the nation of Israel, you will be amazed. The value of the things God gave them as gifts is amazing. They are truly precious things that transcend human imagination. How could Moses and Paul, having recognized this worth, sit still and watch their destruction?
They mourn when they know that they will be cut off from salvation, for whom God has placed such honor and value. It is a sigh close to a scream. And this value does not lie in themselves, but in the things that God has given by grace. Words cannot express the dignity of any one of us who have been given this grace and gift of God.
There is nothing in the world to be wasted even if you bring and pour everything you can to save their lives. The value of a person who has received God's grace is so high. A person who has the adoption of God. The one in whom the glory of God dwells. A person whose covenants and laws of God stand at the center.
A person who has worship in his life. The value of a person set apart by the spiritual worship of his body to God is more precious than the world. Moreover, those who receive God's promise and wait in hope. We are a group of noble people whose lives are being built on the foundations of prophets and apostles.
Such noble people are still dying, waiting for missionaries and evangelists without hearing the Gospel. And I am still living with God's love and mercy by my side.
I will conclude Dear saints, We must not forget that those who have worship in their lives are those whom Moses and Paul wanted to save even in exchange for their own salvation. We are all honorable before God.
And there are people all over the world who are not saved because they haven't met Jesus yet. Paul declares this:
‘Whoever calls on the name of Jesus will be saved. But how do you call an unbeliever by name? Also, how can those who do not hear the word believe? How can you hear if there is no one to preach the word? How can the gospel be preached if there is no one sent? How beautiful are the feet that cross the mountains with the Gospel!’
That's right. Only through God's precious mercy can man be honored. It is because of God's amazing plan of salvation that we enjoy that honor. We are the people Moses and Paul valued more than their own lives and wished to be saved. Also, we are always waiting for our evangelism around us.
Now, those of us who have received grace first have to cross the mountain to diligently preach the gospel. We must focus our lives on saving souls through evangelism, salvation, missions, and education. We must be zealous to show the glory of God. Because for this we have been called and received mercy.
I pray in the name of the Lord that grace and blessings to be used honorably before God may fill me and your lives. Amen.