Title: Only God!
Contents
Just last Christmas, we were spending our time in 2009. What would be the result if I hand out a piece of paper to you now, and let you record every detail along with the emotion you received from the entire process of the last Christmas service? Not all articles can be consistent from beginning to end without mistakes. Because the individuality, personality, and intellectual level of each of you are not routinely the same. But one thing in common is that whatever each of you wrote, it contains the truth about last Christmas's worship service. Therefore, in the case of a person who did not attend the last Christmas service, it is more accurately three-dimensional how much the worship was moved and how deeply the Holy Spirit worked through the worship by reading the writings of all of you with different contents rather than the writings of one person. will be known as
That is why we have been given the four Gospels. The 4 Gospels are made up of slightly different shapes and contents. This is because the people who wrote the Gospels were not the same even though the same Holy Spirit worked. However, because of the four different Gospels, we can understand the complete image of the Lord and the complete work of the Holy Spirit. If the contents of the four Gospels, each written by different people, were not wrong, there would be no reason for the four Gospels to exist.
The first three of the four Gospels, namely Matthew, Mark, and Luke, are called the Synoptic Gospels. This is because the three Gospels were all written from the same point of view as the biography of Jesus Christ. On the other hand, the Gospel of John, which contains a subjective interpretation and commentary on the life of the Lord, is distinct from the Synoptic Gospels, and is generally called the 4th Gospel. Without the Gospel of John, the various questions and questions that appear in the Synoptic Gospels cannot be answered. That is why people refer to the Gospel of John as the supplementary version of the synoptic Gospels, and also call it the commentary or master key of the synoptic Gospels.
This is why the Gospel of John begins today. He said that the word of God given to Paul church this year is the word of John 14:26, “living by the Spirit. Above all, it is to meditate on the Gospel of John, which is clearly written about the Holy Spirit, so that we can become witnesses of the life of the Spirit. The Gospel of John, starting today, will also feature dramatic miracles frequently until chapter 11. Each time we have to remember one thing. It is the fact that physical and outward miracles are means and processes for inner and spiritual maturity, not ends in themselves. We are all called to be instruments of building the kingdom of God on this earth, and the kingdom of God is built and expanded not by those who have healthy bodies and full pockets, but only through those who live faithful lives in Christ. Human happiness and peace are only given at this time. If you forget this fact, you cannot live as a true Christian through self-denial.
The Apostle Paul often had to face extreme situations. “Toil and toil, many times sleepless, hungry and thirsty, many times hungry, cold and naked” (2 Corinthians 11:27).
The surprising thing is that, in spite of these circumstances, Paul continued to follow the Lord, not in order to get a better position. He followed the Lord not to get out of an extreme situation, but to obey the Lord's demands in the midst of it. Because he believed in the Lord who was with him. Paul's greatness is here. He never became a slave to any problems he faced. Rather, he knew how to use all the problems he faced as an opportunity to grow up standing upright in the Lord. So, instead of having any problems for Paul, it was always a condition of grace and gratitude. This is why he was able to confess: “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).
So, what specifically does it mean to stand right before the Lord? It is to stand right in front of the word of the Lord who is with me right now. Only when we stand right before the word of the Lord can we become true Christians, complete people of the Lord who deny ourselves and take up our cross.
(John 1:1-3) “[1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He was with God in the beginning, [3] all things were created through him. has come to pass, nothing that has been made has not been made without him.”
There is something that should not be overlooked when discussing economic prosperity and a prosperous society. The reason for the fall of Adam and Eve, the first human beings, was not because of structural problems or underdeveloped economic conditions in society. They lived in the Garden of Eden. It was all affluent, and they had everything they wanted. But they fell in that Garden of Eden, where they lacked nothing. There is only one reason, because they neglected the Word of God.
“And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, From any tree of the garden you may eat freely, but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you will surely die” (Genesis 2:6-17).
There was no problem when Adam and Eve dwelt in this word of God. There was order, there was peace, and there was life. However, when they turned away from the Word of God and eventually trampled upon the Word of God, everything quickly turned into trouble. Their lives fell into a depths of darkness, chaos and disorder, and they were swept away by the yoke of death.
Then, how is it possible to restore the lost life of Eden, Paradise Lost? If you have lost paradise through the constant use of the Word, only the Word can solve this problem. If we recover the Word of God, stand right in front of the Word of God and obey the Word of God, all problems will end and Eden can be restored.
(John 1:1-3) “[1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He was with God in the beginning, [3] all things were created through him. has come to pass, nothing that has been made has not been made without him.”
All things were created by the word of God. Therefore, the Word of God is the instruction manual for all things. It goes without saying that human life is included in that manual. Genesis 1:2 reveals that before God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was void and void, and darkness was over the deep. Everything was chaos and disorder, chaos. In that chaos, God's word, "Let there be light," came. At that moment, chaos and disorder disappeared, and the universe was built by the Word. The universe of life created by the Word is called Cosmos. It means order. How could the Word of God turn chaos and emptiness into life and order? Needless to say, the word of God is the word of creation. Therefore, broken human life, spiritual confusion and chaos, and broken morals and ethics cannot be restored by economics or material things. It is only possible through the Word of God. Hallelujah!
Today and tomorrow, the political leaders of this land will strive to give us economic prosperity and material abundance. It is their first mission and responsibility. However, as Christians who believe in the Word of God, the fact that it can never be everything, that it cannot be the purpose of life in any case, is not the master key to solve all our problems, but rather the source of another problem. You have to let the world know that you are. This is the first mission given to us as Christians.
Money can buy a luxurious bed but not a good night's sleep Money can buy but not character and character, money can buy a teacher, but it cannot develop morals and ethics . Most importantly, nothing can be bought with money. Therefore, no matter how much money you have, what remains without the Word of God is only chaos, and that chaos only gets amplified the more you depend on material things.
Since God is a spirit and is greater than the universe, it is virtually impossible for a human being with a body to fully recognize and understand God. This is why we should never stop getting to know God throughout our lives. Otherwise, human beings will inevitably have no choice but to misunderstand one aspect of God that they have experienced as God as a whole. Then, what should we use as the starting point of our awareness of God in order to get to know God who is perfect throughout our lives? The answer to this question is given in the very first verse of the Bible. Let's recite Genesis 1:1...
That's right. We must put everything aside and start with this word. Because this first verse of the Bible is the first gateway to the perfect God. In today's text, the Creator God who created the heavens and the earth is the Word. The Word is God, God is the Word, and the Word is the Creator. In addition, the word of creation was the word of life and the word of light. Please believe that only in the Word can you live a new born life only by following the Word. In addition, I pray in the name of the Lord that you will have a victorious year following the Holy Spirit. I pray...
“On the first Sunday of the new year, we stand before the word of the Lord who is with us at this time. 7 days a week, out of 168 hours, this one hour was not only to stand before the word of the Lord, but the remaining 167 hours came to fully stand before the word of the Lord. Give me before the word of the Lord every day, and make it the one who puts the word at the center of me Do not hesitate to deny yourself by the power of your Word. I don't see problems as problems, but on the contrary, realize that it is the grace of the Lord to build me up so that I can confess like Paul. I can do all things through him who strengthens me! I pray in Jesus name. Amen!"