Title: Received freely, give freely
Description One day, a cow and a pig met and started talking.
After talking about this and that, the pig complained very unsatisfied.
started.
"I don't know why people always praise you for your gentleness and kindness, a cow!
Of course I know you serve milk and cream to people. But think about it.
After all, am I not giving people more than you, the cow?
I'm giving you bacon, ham and fur too.
Besides, don't people even salt my feet and eat them sparingly?
And yet people don't like me! The pig sighed as if discouraged.
exhaled.
The cow, who had been quietly listening to the story, spoke carefully.
Well, I don't know why either,
Maybe it's because I give people milk and cream while I'm still alive.
Although it is only a fable, it is to us who live by faith in the great grace of Christians.
This is a story that teaches a valuable lesson.
What you do after you die means nothing.
When you die, once in a while is not a real salvation.
It's not good either.
When we are alive, when we have the ability, when we have the opportunity
It teaches us that living by doing good is truly precious.
People often think of people as divided into four types.
The first is the type of person who considers himself a creditor.
Such a person is only willing to receive anything.
I lent you money, so of course you should get it.
I think it's only natural to work and get paid.
While living a religious life, I believe that one should be loved.
A person who only receives and does not know how to give is like a child,
It makes people around you tired.
The second is isolationist, independent.
Such a person is a person who thinks that he has nothing to receive and nothing to give.
Therefore, they do not accept favors from others, nor do they know how to give to others.
When there are a lot of these types of people, it's like Siberia.
The third is ethical.
These people value morals.
I live with a sense of duty to keep order and benefit many people.
However, this sense of duty has somehow turned into pride.
A lot of people are living by me to show off their self.
These are the Pharisees mentioned in the Bible.
Thinking of yourself as a helper in everything you do, you fall into a sense of superiority and moral extravagance.
Fourth, he who considers himself the debtor of all men.
These people think they owe everyone.
I think that I have received a tremendous amount of grace that cannot be repaid even if I pay it back in my lifetime.
As the Apostle Paul confessed throughout his epistles that he was a debtor.
In fact, how long have we been living on this earth?
Is there anything on this earth that not everyone has received?
I came to this earth empty-handed and naked,
How many things have we been blessed with to this day?
So let's ask and answer some serious questions here.
Don't ask what type of human is the most ideal, rational, or desirable.
Let's ask what type I belong to.
Who am I? What type of person are you?
Today's verse is Jesus calling his disciples,
This is the story of giving them power and making them servants of the kingdom of God.
These days, the new government is in the process of appointing ministers who will work for the country.
If you look at their face, their careers are great.
While watching elite courses at top universities and being appointed as ministers
As a human being, I am stunned.
All the smart people gathered.
But what about Jesus' disciples?
Most of them are fishermen.
A person with a little bit of prowess is like Matthew the tax collector.
Besides, there are people who sold Jesus.
So, to say that you are called is grace in itself.
On the other hand, our Lord trusted them completely.
That is why I completely entrusted them with the precious mission of preaching the gospel of the kingdom.
Being entrusted with work is also a grace.
Everything is grace.
But our Lord gives us one big warning when sending out the twelve.
It is the second half of verse 8
It says, “Freely you received, freely give.”
To cast out demons and to heal all diseases and all infirmities, free of charge
It was commanded to be given free of charge.
Here lies the heart of the gospel.
It is entirely grace that we receive Jesus Christ.
Also, it is entirely grace that he has given us his office.
What I have bought up to this day is pure grace.
But how much do we regard this as a grace?
Do you think that I am good, I learned well, and that I have something to live for?
When we forget grace, we complain.
When we forget grace, we make mistakes, run into problems, and become troubled.
all our problems
We have to start anew from the attitude of grace that we have received freely.
I'm also sorry.
Even though I was lacking in every way, God gave me great grace.
When I had to study hard, I didn't study hard.
So I went to a local university.
But when I was in college, I had a lot of dissatisfaction with the school.
I didn't blame my incompetence, I just blamed the school.
So, I went to school with an impression every day.
There was absolutely no appreciation for the school and only lamented that talented people rot in the countryside.
Didn't this school accept you?
Other colleges dropped you but this college gives you the honor of passing
didn't
Those words blew my mind.
Yeah, it's not a first-class university, but let's not complain about the school.
Rather, thank the school that accepted me and gave me the opportunity to study.
But what I am grateful for is that the university
I entered the Presbyterian Theological Seminary, which is said to be the most difficult in Korea.
I was even able to finish graduate school.
If we think deeply about ourselves today, how much grace have we received from God?
Just thinking about the family you have given us, how grateful are we?
I was in a situation where I couldn't even get married if the conditions were right.
I didn't have any money, so I couldn't give you a ring.
In particular, give thanks for the renewal of faith through the Gospel Church. Why?
Through the Gospel Church, we came to believe in Jesus Christ,
It is because of this grace that we will enter the kingdom of God in the future.
Calvin is one of the most influential figures in the Presbyterian Church.
Calvin's lessons can be summarized in five words.
1. The mortal fall of man.
2. God's Unconditional Election
3. Limited Atonement
4. irresistible grace
5. Perseverance of the Saints
What do we look like? Isn't that the image of a fallen person?
We are totally corrupted.
Because of sin, we have completely lost the image of God.
It was a hopeless existence.
Even today, even though you say you believe in Jesus Christ, how much different have you taken from moment to moment?
Nevertheless, God's grace is so great that it holds us
You made me who I am today.
We have been forgiven of our sins by the blood of the cross.
You have made me a beloved child of God.
Therefore, the very existence of a nation is a blessing, a lump.
God's grace has appeared to me as power, courage, and thus an opportunity for salvation.
This is how I sing to God.
All things work together for good. Those whom God foreknew
He predestined him to be conformed to the image of his Son,
so that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified;
Those whom he justified he also glorified.
It is only by the grace of God that I am who I am.>
In this sense, our Lord's command to give freely is very natural.
Why?
Because we got everything for free.
“Freely you have received, so freely give.” This verse means to give what is to be given immediately.
In fact, nothing in this world is mine.
Everything belongs to God.
Therefore, in order to fulfill God's will, we must use all of God's things, such as money, time, honor, and love.
You will have to use it correctly.
And the saying, “Freely you have received, freely give” means don’t expect a reward right away.
The word is Lord.
Therefore, it is wrong to work for praise.
It is also wrong to do good deeds to receive blessings.
Don't ask for anything in return, don't ask to know,
Since you received it freely with a pure heart, you should give it freely.
This is the true good deeds and alms that our Lord requires.
It also means to give with what I have.
Acts 3 The crippled in the temple I have no silver or gold.
What I have I give to you, walk in the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
As we know, Goethe put it this way:
“The happiest thing in this world is to have something you can dedicate your entire life to,
They work for others with the most precious thing in the world and have no desire to be rewarded.”
There is a saying in the Talmud, the treasure house of Israel's wisdom.
“When doing good deeds, the giver must not know who the recipient is, and the recipient must also not know.
The greatest reward is to give one more chance to take the lead. "
Someone wrote it down on a piece of oiled paper.
One teacher made a big stir by making a list of villages.
You shouldn't even remember what you gave.
In doing good, we must first be humble.
There should be no sense of superiority.
Remembering our Lord's words, "He who gives is better than he who receives"
You must accept that being a giver is the greatest blessing in itself.
The founder of Methodism, John Wesley, wrote in his diary:
“When I was 32, my income was 30.
Of these 30 pounds, I spent 28 pounds and 2 pounds for relief.
By the time I reached middle age, my income had grown to 100.
Of these 100 pounds, I spent 28 pounds and 72 pounds for relief.
At the end of my life my income was 300.
Of these 300 pounds, I spent 28 pounds and 272 pounds for relief."
In other words, when Wesley grew his income, he still spent only 28 of what he needed.
The rest is said to have been spent on relief expenses.
Only those who accept all things with grace can do true good deeds,
It is these people who can truly be free from material things.
Dear saints,
How to overcome today's difficulties
There is only one way to share the grace that we have received.
Seen through the eyes of love, so many people around us are suffering.
Businesses go bankrupt, they are fired from their jobs, … …
Now, we are experiencing the disastrous reality of university bankruptcies.
It will take at least 2,000 years for the Korean economy to normalize.
There are also somber economic reports.
I have to melt the frozen reality with something.
The way to share in the suffering of our Lord in Lent is
It is to extend a hand of love to our neighbors in need.
Toward the very people who are suffering from economic bankruptcy and various difficulties
Let's listen to the voice of our Lord once again.