Title: Something Incomparably Precious / Luke 9:21-27
Although diamonds are valuable, they can be obtained with money. Friendship between friends is a precious thing that money cannot buy, but there is something more precious than that friendship. There are things that are so precious that money cannot buy them, nor can they be exchanged for the whole world. Jesus reveals what it is in the text.
First, physical life is incomparably precious.
Alexander the Great succeeded his father, who was assassinated at the young age of 20, to become king of Macedon. After that, he conquered the world and built great empires from Greece, Egypt, Persia, and India. However, in the process, he fell ill and died at the age of 33. He fought for his life in many wars, and all the territories he so desperately wanted to occupy were no longer meaningful to him. And his empire soon fell apart, divided and ruled by four generals under his command.
Jesus said, "What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or is taken away from him?" This verse reminds us of what is most valuable to man. No matter how hard life is, it is beautiful to be alive. You can love because you are alive, you can enjoy being alive, you can have thrilling adventures because you are alive, and you can enjoy the beauty of nature because you are alive.
Therefore, it is a great sin against yourself to take one's own life, because death in a sense deprives you of the opportunity to enjoy all of this. Furthermore, life is a precious gift from God, and because it is thrown away like garbage, it is a great sin against the God who gave life. The "Thou shalt not kill" commandment in the Ten Commandments forbids not only taking the life of another person, but also taking one's own life.
When a young man asked which commandment in the law was the greatest, Jesus answered:
“Jesus said to them, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment, and the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. is the command of the
(Matthew 22:37-40)
Here, we must understand what it means to love our neighbor as ourselves. We praise God because there are people who practice love for our neighbor. But in light of this verse, true love for neighbor is possible only when we love ourselves. How can a person who cannot love himself love his neighbor as himself? We must love ourselves more than the earth. We must love ourselves more than money.
A decade ago, an American grandmother named Betty Green died leaving a fortune of just $95 million. It is said that this grandmother ate cold water and cold oatmeal all her life, because the reason is that heating it up costs fuel. You can imagine how yellowish it is to say that his only son, who suffered a leg injury in an accident, stayed up all night looking for a free hospital. It is said that the vessel containing the legacy list and will, worth 80 billion won in Korean money, was also a rusty canned food. What was this grandmother most cherished?
Second, eternal life is incomparably precious.
Physical life is so precious. But the downside is that it's temporary. The Bible says, "Our years are seventy, and if we are strong, we are eighty years, but their pride is labor and sorrow, but they pass quickly, and we fly away" (Psalm 90:10). There is a symbol for infinity in mathematics. Any number, no matter how large, is equal to zero compared to infinity. No matter how large a number is, divisible by infinity is 0. In the unit of time, infinity is eternity. Therefore, 70 years or 80 years is nothing compared to eternity. Even temporary physical life is so precious that nothing in this world can replace it, but how much more precious is eternal life?
Man has fallen into sin and is separated from God. As a result, you cannot enjoy eternal life (the blessed life in heaven that lasts forever) in the biblical sense. Because eternal life (eternal life) belongs to God, and only God can give it. But thankfully, God freely gives eternal life to all who repent of their sinfulness and accept Jesus Christ as their Savior.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
“And this is the evidence, that God has given us eternal life, and that this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life, and he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I believe in the name of the Son of God. I have written this to you so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:11-13).
Third, the heavenly reward is incomparably precious.
Jesus asks his disciples not to be ashamed of him and his word. He said that those who do this will be ashamed when he comes in heavenly glory. When we are with the saints, there is never anything to be ashamed of the Lord or to be ashamed of the word of the Lord. The problem is when you are with unbelievers in an unbelieving society. And it's time to become one with them without being ostracized by them. Sometimes we may be hesitant to show that we are believers in Jesus. We may become hesitant to speak the word of God that is contrary to the world's ideas and values. Why is this happening? It is because we are trying to mate with God and the world at the same time, which are never compatible.
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15).
Humans have a desire to be recognized while living in society. Those who are not recognized feel alienated and have a sense of inferiority. Even if I am marginalized because of my faith in the world, wouldn't that be a greater blessing if the Lord acknowledges and accepts me? Even if people acknowledge me, if the Lord is ashamed of me, how much greater loss will it weigh on my heart?
Choose to be approved by the Lord. Look at the reward the Lord promises. The heavenly reward is recognition and reward for what we have done. In the text of the text, Jesus did not present the requirements necessary for the forgiveness of sins and salvation. We are saved by believing in Jesus who died on the cross for our sins, not by denying ourselves and taking up our cross. These words explain how a Christian who has already been saved can live a true Christian life. Those who live such a life will receive a heavenly reward.
For the reward of heaven, we must live a life of denying ourselves. This is the life in which I myself die and Christ lives. "What would you do if you were the Christ?" It is a life of thinking and doing.
“I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:2)
For the reward of heaven, we must live our own cross-bearing lives. This means a life of persecution because of our faith and devotion to Christ.
“I am giving this to you, that you may find peace in me. In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
“If you were of the world, the world would love its own, but the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. If you have kept it, I will keep your words."
(John 15:19,20)
“Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12).
There are many people who have dedicated themselves to making President Kim Young-sam. Some of them suffered property penalties and were imprisoned in the process. This is because the power in power was a military dictatorship that suppressed democratic forces. However, after President Kim was elected, they were all held in important positions.