Title: Romans 12:2-8 A discerning faith
Content: Discerning Faith
[Romans 12:2-8]
2 Do not follow the trend of this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the will of God, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
[Psalm 1:1-6]
1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful, 2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. It bears fruit, and its leaves do not wither, so that all its deeds prosper. 4 The wicked are not so, but the wind is like chaff. 5 Therefore the wicked will not endure judgment, nor will the sinner enter the congregation of the righteous. 6 For the way of the righteous is approved by the LORD, but the way of the wicked will be destroyed.
The fish that ate the fishing bait - Why you need discernment
A fish bites its prey. For a moment, my body floated in the air with pain as if it were tearing my throat. It is caught in the fishing bait laid down by the angler. This fish has been fed wrongly. One mistake made his fate miserable. If this fish could only distinguish between rice cakes and its own food, if only it could distinguish between edible and inedible things, it would not have been unhappy.
We look at ourselves through this fish. Aren't you wandering in sin by eating what you shouldn't eat, seeing things you shouldn't see, and hearing things you shouldn't hear? Aren't you inflicting suffering by doing things you shouldn't be doing? Today's rapidly changing age is the age of subtle temptation. Satan's baits are everywhere. Evil and unclean spirits approach every nook and cranny in clever ways and throw fishing baits. If you don't have discernment, you waste your life.
I recently met a man in his mid-40s. He was a very destructive and hostile person to Christianity. As a child, he entered a church that healed loneliness. Before long, I followed the people around me who were more interested in me and joined a religious group called the “Jehovah’s Witnesses” and I fell in love with them. Also, a few years later, following the attraction of a neighbor who said there was something better than that, he joined a strange Adventist group and lived in love until a while ago. As the religious group disintegrated, he was now living with hostility to Christianity without any affiliation. The faith that started to overcome the loneliness of a moment moved to a more stimulating attraction, eventually becoming a religious addict, wasting all of his youth on pseudo-Christianity, and now he has become a destructive and futile person, a wandering life. It is the result of being caught in fishing bait like a fish that ate anything. He followed the sweet and provocative words from time to time, and in the end left only scars that could not be compensated, and he became a vain life where he lived according to his words without any motivation.
It's not just about this person. What do people living today live by? Aren't you regretting in the face of your final death after living after vanity? A life lived without discernment leaves only emptiness and regret. That is why, above all, what people need today is sensible thoughts and actions. May you succeed in life by acting sensibly.
How to develop discernment ① - Beware of plausible thoughts
Thoughts rule people. If you think good and good thoughts, you become a good person. However, if you think evil and perverse thoughts, you become evil and perverse people. If you have lewd thoughts, you become a lewd person, and if you are caught up in negative thoughts, you become a negative person. If you cheat and lie, you become a deceiver.
Today, we live in an era of information flooding such as newspapers, TV, and the Internet. All sorts of miscellaneous knowledge is penetrating people's minds. It dominates people's thoughts, changes their values and changes their lives and lives at a frightening speed. If you hold on to evil and false thoughts, your life will fail. If you have healthy and right thoughts, you will live a healthy and upright life. If you have healthy and upright faith, you will live a healthy and upright life. There are many people who say that this word is the same as that word and that word is the same. If you see, hear, and live in a random way, your life becomes random.
Even in faith, there are cases in which the distinction between believers and non-believers becomes vague as they try to live a succinct life like this. He is a Christian only in his pattern, only his name is a Christian, and in reality he thinks, acts, and lives like a non-Christian. This is because in today's era, Christianity and secular culture are indistinguishably similar. Everyone seems to have a plausible value. Every way of life seems to fit the situation. So today's era is called the era of situational ethics. If you listen to each person's circumstances, they all seem right because they all have good reasons and are plausible. This is the ethical crisis of our time. Everyone has a plausible reason. Murderers have good reasons. Situational ethics violates the standard of truth. Christians are so caught up in this plausible worldly story that they get caught up in fishing baits, not knowing that their faith is disappearing without a trace. The fishing bait is plausibly disguised.
How to develop discernment ② - Have a confident faith
It is often said that people with thin ears. It refers to a person who has no center and follows these and other sounds. It is also said to be lacking in discernment. The lack of discernment is because there is no clear and definite criterion for discrimination. Therefore, when a plausible story comes out, it stops and gets bitten by fishing rice.
You know Psalm 1 well.
“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scoffers, but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”
Your seat should be clear. It should be clear who you are. I am a child of God. I am a Christian. a disciple of Jesus You must have a clear membership to be a member of Sarang Church. You must not stand or sit in a place that is negative and far from God's will. Reminds me of the progenitor of Jeong Mong-ju's mother.
Don't go to the crow fighting goal, Egret
Angry crow sheds white light
I hate Mr. Son's body in the wind.
When there is such a clear boundary and certainty, it is possible to distinguish the rice of fishing from the rice of life.
Between Lee Bang-won and Jeong Mong-joo
The word discernment translated in today's Bible text does not mean to differentiate from a neutral standpoint, but to express yourself by proving and proving yourself to be right. To put it simply, it's a tight grip. It means making decisions and acting according to the will of God that is pleasing and good and perfect. Being lukewarm is not faith. When there is clear faith, discernment arises.
It means following God's will completely, not following the world's fashions and habits. Even those who are indecisive will have brittle determination when they have faith. Faith requires a clear decision.
I am reminded of a poem exchanged between Lee Seong-gye's son Bang-won and Jeong Mong-ju.
Lee Bang-won
How are these and how are these
How about those who are entangled in Mansusan kudzu?
We too shall be entangled in this way and enjoy it for a hundred years.
Jung Mong-ju
This body dies and dies, heals a hundred times and dies
The backbone is dusted and there is no soul
One way towards Im, is there any line to go?
Discernment, as spoken of in today's Bible text, refers to Jung Mong-ju's faith in the face of Gentile conciliation and temptation. Bang-won Lee's belief is a plausible logic of living according to the convenience of the world, but what about this and that? Mong-Ju Chung's faith is that I can't live in any way, I will stick to the path I have to go and live faithfully to death. It refers to a clear faith that does not follow the trends and fashions of this world, but only follows the will of God.
Paul tells us not to imitate the trend of this age. It means not to live according to the fashion of the times and worldly habits. Then there may be some who say, "Are you saying you should not live in this world?" But, everyone, if you want to please God and live according to the good and perfect will, you must choose one of the two paths. You can't go both ways. It is impossible to go both ways, Bang-Won Lee and Mong-Joo Chung. It is sensible to choose only one path. God has given us two ways and only one way to choose. Which way do you choose? Lee Bang-won's way is plausible right now, but it's fishing food. His history was a history of blood. Through the rebellion of the prince, he resisted his father and lived through a skeletal conflict. The path of Mong-Ju Chung is painful right now, but it is the path of the eternal cross. Just like a bamboo growing on Seonjuk Bridge, it is a path with eternal life.
Discernment is an expression of firm and clear self-belief.
Dear classmates,
Now more than ever, we need discernment among believers. Discernment is an attitude of life that confirms the good, perfect, and pleasing will of God. Let's watch and pray, long for the Word, praise and rejoice in worship. Sharpen your faith by actively participating in Church programs. Then you will live a sensible life with a sensible faith and a successful life.