Title: Spiritual reality and illusion (John 4:5)
Spiritual Reality and Illusion
John 4:5-25
How much do you think people know about themselves? Since ancient times, it has been said that no matter how deep the water is, it is possible to know what is in the water, but it is said that there is only one thing that cannot be known at all. The whole world is sad because they do not know people's hearts, and they are anxious to know and gain them. There are many people who know the song '' among the songs sung by the old singer [Bang Joo-yeon], but it's interesting to think about the lyrics of that song. It is about drawing the face of a loved one with your finger on the sand of the beach. I drew the nose, the mouth, the eyes, the ears, the dot under the chin, and even the smile on the corner of the mouth that occurs when you smile, but the last thing you couldn't draw was your heart, which is still unknown. I sang it. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Another singer sang, “You don't know me, but do I know you?” and became a star. What is truly unknown is what is called a human being. Sometimes I get upset because I don't even know myself.
As such, it is difficult for people to know themselves. Often, people know themselves, but they are divided into four different perspectives. First of all, I know myself and others know me. In fact, there are cases where others know me exactly as much as I know myself. Second, I know myself well, but others do not know me. No matter how well others know me, they don't know me as much as I do. Perhaps most of them are like this. And in the third case, I don't know, but others know me. Others often point out my strengths and weaknesses that I did not know well. But if you listen closely, it seems right. It is the part where others know me better. The last and fourth is the me that I do not know and no one else knows. This is, in a word, a mystery. No matter how hard you try, you can't get it. There are parts that neither knowledge nor training nor anything can figure out to the end, and only the Transcendent One knows. In the end, the one who knows me best is God.
Life is always about living like a novice driver. It seems like I can do it, but life is what I can't. So we need God in our lives. That way, a beginner driver can become the best driver. It is important for us today to always live with this attitude of mind. “My life must be God. The confession of the heart, “The Lord must be the master of my life.” This attitude is necessary.
A man named [Clement Stone] once said, "When you change your mind, you change your behavior, when you change your behavior, you change your habits, when you change your habits, you change your character, and when you change your character, you change your destiny." There must be. When you change your mind, everything changes.
A little girl from church school kindergarten came home from church school one day and was weighing herself. “You weighed yesterday and you are still weighing today?” the girl answered when the mother asked. “Mom, I want to know how much weight I have lost because I gave my heart to Jesus this morning. But Mom, the weight is exactly the same.” Do you remember the Lord's command to have a heart like a child? The thought of the child is that if I had given my heart to the Lord this morning, my heart would no longer be left. How correct are you? Even though we say that we give everything to the Lord, rather than thinking, ‘If we give it, it must be gone.
A person who had been living only in various illusions of himself until now met the Lord and saw himself as a spiritual reality. There is something we need to think deeply about in this meeting. It is the fact that the Lord did not solve this woman's problem, that is, the problem of multiple husbands, or the problem of her status as a foreigner, but made the problem not a problem. You should know this. We believe that every problem must get a solution. That's why it's painful, sad, and even leaving the faith because the problem isn't solved. But, everyone, I want you to know that the Lord's really important way to solve problems is to keep them from becoming problems.
We are problematic people. No matter where you look, aren't they Sarah who have no place to become children of God? But God has made our problems unproblematic. You set me free from those problems. They were nothing more than illusions of faith. Now, not only should we be able to see ourselves as a spiritual entity, but it is only important how we live according to our status.
Dear saints!
Are we still living in the illusion of faith? Aren't we those who have already met the Lord? To meet the Lord, you must be able to see yourself as a spiritual reality. It is a pity and sad thing if we cannot see the spiritual reality beyond the shadow because we are greedy for being bound by the miscellaneous things of the world that is only a shadow.
Now, I hope you can see yourself as a spiritual entity in God. Then the victory of faith will be yours.