Title: People Waiting for Jesus 2
Contents
*** People waiting for Jesus 2 / Isaiah 9:6-7, John 14:;27
*** Introduction
Isaiah 9:6-7
“6 For a child is born to us, and a son is given to us, and government is upon his shoulders, and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Almighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. . 7 His government and peace will never cease; he will sit on David's throne and establish his kingdom, and he will preserve it with fairness and justice for ever after the end of his reign. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.”
John 14:27
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. What I give to you is not as the world gives. Let not your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid.”
It is the second Sunday of Advent where we give thanks for Jesus’ “coming” and renew our mindset while waiting for the “coming” of the Lord. How have you been over the past week? Did you live with a heart of gratitude to God? Jesus came into the world to save me, to make peace with God, and to give me a life of eternal glory. It is a manggeukjieun (罔極之恩, indescribably great grace) who is always grateful and will only lack in life.
I have been doing Christmas decorations for over 20 years. Last week we did some of the exterior and interior decoration as well. I have done my best to decorate Christmas with ‘small expressions of gratitude to the Lord of my life’. In addition to this external decoration, our hearts that have received the Lord should be decorated with this beautiful decoration. Because this will be a beautiful life that proclaims the Lord. 1 Peter 2:9 says that this is the purpose of choosing us as God's people. “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the goodness of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
The coming of Jesus is our hope, the establishment of peace, and the greatest event on earth that gives love and joy. It is our mission to fully enjoy this and promote it. So, last time, as the first topic, I pondered about ‘waiting’, that is, hope. In this class, we are going to deliver the message under the theme of ‘peace’ as the second attitude of ‘a person who is waiting for Jesus’.
Even today, the world is still plagued with war and violence. Focusing on the Iraq war, Muslims are conducting terrorism toward the world in the name of a holy war. The United States and allied powers are also betting on the name of peace, but the protests of the Muslims are also for their own peace. Ironically, the world is at war for peace. That is why the world wants peace, but there is no real peace. In the Gospel song, “The world wants peace, but the rumors of war are increasing. All this human suffering is just fear and its boredom is endless. But here the Lord is, when we believe in the Son, we become one in his Spirit… “I sing like this. (Praise Jesus 906)
The Great Wall of China, one of the seven wonders of the world, is a great wall built by successive dynasties of China to defend its borders. It is the largest civil engineering site in human history, stretching from east to west across (including all branches that branched in the middle). The height of the fortress walls is 6 to 9 meters, which is the height of 3 or 4 floors in terms of general housing buildings.
Why did it take so many sacrifices and so much money and time to build the Great Wall for such a long time? The purpose is to prevent aggression by the enemy, that is, to protect your own peace. But even the Great Wall did not protect the peace. Just like the lyrics of the gospel song, only Jesus is the only peace in the world. Only in Jesus can we find peace. In the Old Testament texts foretelling the incarnation of Jesus, Jesus is called the ‘Prince of Peace’. And in the New Testament text, the Lord Himself said “peace.”
1. Jesus is peace.
When Jesus was born on this earth, the first message delivered was ‘peace’. Let's look at Luke 2:13-14. “Suddenly a great host of heavenly hosts were with the angel, praising God, saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased.” The message of the angels preaching the incarnation of Jesus was “peace through Jesus.” Peace refers to a state of peace of mind, free from worries and concerns. Everyone would want peace like this. But there is no real peace in the world.
Let's read the New Testament together. “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid.” Jesus said, “My peace.” John’s Gospel is characterized by ‘I am … This is the word that declares his sovereignty. In other words, Jesus himself declares that he is ‘peace’. The peace that the Lord makes is completely different from that of the world. Peace in the world comes from the outside and is only temporary. However, the peace that the Lord gives is a peace that springs from the Lord within us, regardless of circumstances and circumstances.
C.C.C. This is an anecdote of the president, Bill Brajat.
One day, I attended the President's Breakfast and Prayer Meeting, where I met my best friend from college for the first time in 26 years. He was the Minister of the Navy. During the story, I felt that the friend's family had a social status and had all kinds of things, but the atmosphere at home was unstable. So I told my friend Jesus Christ. And since the youngest son of a friend at the time died of an illness, we broke up after praying earnestly for him.
A few months later, I met him again. But not long ago, she said that her daughter died of lymph gland cancer. So Bill said, “How sad are you?”
“No, I am deeply saddened and unimaginably miserable when I think of my daughter, but, to my surprise, in these difficult times, God has given me an incomprehensible peace.”
Instead, he thanked God.
That's right. In the human mind, there is an incomprehensible peace. The peace that the Lord makes is the peace that we can't even imagine from the standpoint of human beings. The Lord has given us this peace. However, many Christians have this noble peace, but do not enjoy it. I see you worrying about your environment, worrying about life, and having a fear of life. The Lord who is peace said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid.” Says
2. Those who wait for Jesus must be at peace.
Those who have the Prince of Peace as their masters must tell the world the grace of God who made me who I am. In other words, just as the Lord has reconciled us to God, we must also share this message of peace with others. We need to turn our attention to our neighbors in need and share the Lord's love with those who are still in the shadow of darkness. We have to do this because we have received the same grace. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19. Modern English Bible/ “18 This new work was initiated by God. God has brought us back to God through what Jesus Christ did. And he has entrusted us with the task of reconciling the world to God. 19 God was reconciled to the world in Christ, and did not accuse man of sin. This is the beautiful news we will preach to all people.”
Those who wait for Jesus are peace ambassadors who preach the peace of God. Therefore, the attitude of the saints facing Christmas should be to enjoy peace within themselves and to become a messenger of peace who conveys God's reconciliation to those who long for true peace in their lives. Now the world doesn't want to listen to us. But they also see our lives. If we are truly at peace, they will want to follow us. 1 Corinthians 2:4 says, “My speech and my evangelism were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in the manifestation and power of the Holy Spirit” and in verse 20, “The kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.” Because there is.” Because the gospel is a practical power. 1 Thessalonians 1:5. “For our gospel did not come to you only with words, but with power and the Holy Spirit and with great conviction, as you know what kind of people we became among you for you.” In other words, Paul set an example through his life in which the power of the gospel was revealed.
Jesus left the heavenly throne for our peace and came into the world in a human body. And now the Word dwells in us. When we are having a hard time and when we are troubled and anxious because of life, God Himself is in us with the promised word. And the Holy Spirit reminds us of those words and guides us to rely on them in faith. Verse 26 is the first verse in the New Testament. Let's read it together. “The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, who will teach you all things and will remind you of all that I have said to you.” That's right. You can enjoy peace through the filling of the Holy Spirit. That is why we must read the Word a lot and live a life filled with the Holy Spirit.
In addition, the Lord makes known and guides all things in the future so that we may continue to enjoy our peace. Let's look at John 16:13. “But when the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth, and he will not speak on his own, but will speak what he hears, and will make known to you things to come.” The Lord, the Word, is with us, and the Holy Spirit guides us by reminding us of the Word in time. And if we obey and follow the Word, we can abide in the Lord. This is John 15:10. “Just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love, so will you abide in my love if you keep my commandments.” This is the way to enjoy the peace of the Lord. Let's look at John 15:7. “If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish. Then it will be done.” Does this make us anxious or concerned?
This week is the second week of Advent. Let's look back at our lives. Am I at peace by being reconciled to God? Are we at peace in the Lord? Let's see if I am a person who makes peace with my close relatives and neighbors.
The task entrusted to us today is to achieve peace. True peace is possible only when we are reconciled to God. So Jesus is our peace. And we who have Jesus as our Lord are also at peace. Therefore, there must be peace where the saints dwell. As those who wait for Jesus in this season of peace, I pray that you will become peace messengers who bring peace to your life and spread peace to the world.