Title: Patience Today / Genesis 16:1-16
Content "Introduction"
Who can stop the human nature of wanting to escape the disgusting arena of life?
It is human freedom to escape from human suffering and miscellaneous stories.
Sometimes it can be human wisdom.
But in that moment, it is important for the saint to listen to God and to hear his voice and his will.
Blessed is the latter part of my life who wants to follow God who always watches over me.
1. Hagar's Tears
Poor Hagar! No wonder she ran away.
The pride and independence of Arab temperament and the thought of soon-to-be mothers led him to resist Sarah's abuse.
In unbearable situations, we too may think of escaping.
Of course, if God opened the prison doors,
Like Peter, we will get up and follow without delay.
But this case is quite different from escaping responsibility.
God does not turn away from Hagar's tearful escape, but guides her along the path of comfort and encouragement.
And with tears in her eyes, she is returning to her master's house.
2. Our Cross
Hagar and Sarah, Hannah and Peninnah, David and Joab, Jesus and Judas, Paul and the coppersmith Alexander... There were many difficulties and obstacles in life.
Sometimes the cross is a trial, not love.
a disease that does not persist,
My toil that never ends no matter how much I try,
My poverty, which always suffers from relative poverty,
The burden on my family and neighbors who do not know God,
All of these are stories that truly make me tired.
It's a place you want to get away from and escape.
But if I think of it as another deep feeling of God who refines me,
Couldn't it be accepted as 'my share of the cross'?
3. Our attitude
Go back and obey
It is easy for us to think that somewhere else we will find rest and peace.
It's not like that.
No matter where you go, the road is rough and the bed is not comfortable.
Avoiding the yoke does not bring rest.
The voice of the Lord is to take up his yoke and follow Jesus.
Matthew 11:29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and your hearts will be at rest.
Matthew 11:30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
I stay here until you show me somewhere else,
Do what he commands and permits.
1 Timothy 06:01 Every servant under the yoke knows his masters to be honored in all respects, so that they may not be reproached for the name and doctrine of God.
Sometimes the command is given through the people of the Lord around me, not me.
Before we lament and try to escape, do we not listen humbly to the voice of the Lord?
4. Our Faith
Until we have the belief that what God allows is the same as what He directs, we now have highs and lows that we cannot submit to our circumstances.
We need to know that there is a providence that God has allowed behind Sarah's abuse.
Through all the trials of life, we must believe that there is a purpose based on God's eternal love and wisdom.
Then our obedience is not mere asceticism,
It is to silently follow the Father's will.
"apply"
1). Today's living ground beyond simple agrarian society adds much more anguish and anguish to human beings.
2). The family system in Korea due to changes in the family system is a reality that has more problems than those that Hagar faced.
3). Moreover, the development of the entertainment culture has brought too many incidents that destroy the traditional moral values and family ethics of this nation.
4). Will I escape because this is not against my will and dislike, or will I wait for the voice of God that Hagar heard? - Grace Ministry Information - 97.11 ☞Sermon/Park Seong-gyu