Title: That Great Grace
Contents
2 Corinthians 6:1-2 That great grace
Ladies and gentlemen, it is natural, instinctive, and easy to close your eyes first when you wash your hair. However, when you ask a question about such a natural, instinctive, and easy task, the answer does not come easily. Of course, this is because the Korean word for ‘winding’ has several meanings. This is because the first of them means ‘to wash’ and the second means ‘to close (eyes)’.
But this kind of quizzes when you get the answer, “Oh, yes!” right! What else do I say!” I agree. However, the reason why we cannot give an easy answer is because the answer is so easy and so natural that we often forget that fact. Likewise, we tend to forget the grace of our parents and the grace of God. As a child, we should thank our parents for the grace of our parents, and as a member of the church, we should naturally thank God for His great grace, but there are cases when this is not the case.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Greek word for ‘grace’ is ‘charis’, which means “what God gives to us humans as a free gift.” Just because it's cheap doesn't mean it's cheap. If you go to the Louvre Museum in France, there is a price attached to good works and paintings, but under Leonard da Vinci's 'Mona Lisa', it is said that 'no price, priceless' is written.
Even in a foreign land, we can buy a house or a car with money. But money can't buy the air in your house and car. Because money can't sell it, and money can't buy it, we just accept air as a gift. The same is true. Parents' grace is priceless. God's grace is also priceless. Therefore, we accept that grace simply, freely and with gratitude. If someone tries to buy your parents' grace or God's grace at a price, you are insulting your parents and God.
Guys, what is God's grace? John 3:16 says: “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.”
Gentlemen, how can we calculate the price of the sacrifice of Jesus, the Son of God?
Of course, a person who is reasonably quick to calculate would be able to answer like this. “Jesus was a carpenter by profession at the time! If you convert the salary of a carpenter at that time into today’s monetary value, it is sufficient to estimate the average lifespan of human labor because Jesus died at the age of 33. Let's say you're 60 years old, and if you calculate that, 146,000 times 27, a total of 3,942,000! Converting this into Korean money, one Canadian dollar is about 900 won, or 3.547.8 billion won!”
If you convert the grace of Jesus’ sacrifice in this way and confidently answer, “Jesus, the price of your sacrifice on the cross is 3.547.8 billion won!”, what would Jesus say? “Hey, you are so smart! He's a math genius! If you give only 3.547.8 billion won, you are entitled to my grace!”? The answer is for you to give it a try. "no." "No!" in English
What would happen if the value of parental grace was calculated using the above calculation method? The value of the surrogate mother who gave birth to me is about $100,000, the value of feeding, nurturing, and putting me to sleep is about $100 a day, multiplied by 365 days a year is $36,500, and multiplied by the age of 20 when I am independent is $730,000, plus the value of a surrogate mother is $100,000 That's 830,000 dollars! Converting this to Korean Won
It’s about 900 won per Canadian dollar and 747 million won!”
How would your parents respond when you say to your parents using this calculation method, “Father, mother, the grace you have given me is 747 million Korean won.” “Hey, you look like me, so you’re very good at math! You are really my child!” Would you praise me? The answer is for you to give it a try. “No.” "No!" in English
Of course, by rationally calculating the grace of Jesus like this, it is 3.547.8 billion won, and even if you try to repay the grace by thinking that your parents' grace is 747 million won, a pretty good filial son and filial daughter were born. And there will be some pretty good teachers. However, there are people who do not even think about the grace of God and their parents like this and completely forget about it. Moreover, far from trying to repay that kindness, there are often cases where they are inferior to animals and repay that kindness with their enemies and wounds.
It happened in Korea about 10 years ago. A son named Park Han-sang, who went to study in the United States, returned to Korea for a while. While studying abroad, the son did not study and gambled and lived a life of debauchery. Then, because he needed money, he brutally stabbed his parents and killed them. This incident raised the awareness of the parents at the time. “Hey, I could die if I send my children to study abroad carelessly!”
However, a similar incident occurred shortly after that incident. This time, a professor teaching a student on a university pulpit deliberately murdered his father. The reason is that his father ignored him. That he didn't give away any property. But what's even more shocking is that all of their parents go to church. It is said that these sons were children of Christian families.
Of course, while raising children, there are times when parents scold their children and, in severe cases, curse them. Sometimes parents become so emotional that they say to their children, “I don’t want to see people like you, so go out and die!” But my children said, "Yeah, yeah, I'm not going to have to go out and die! Eat well and live well!” No child will be here who bravely runs away from home.
Why? It is none other than because we know the grace of our parents. If the children who killed their parents had properly realized the grace of their parents like we did, they would not have killed their parents and done things that made their parents heartbroken. The same is true. In order to become true saints, we must realize God's great grace. Only then can we not break God's heart, we can serve God properly, we can strive to keep God's Word, and we can live in gratitude for God's grace.
Everyone, I want to ask you. How much is the grace that Jesus bestows on you? Don't say 3.547.8 billion won. When you say that, the Lord grieves. we sing like this “The great love of God is indescribable beyond the high and high stars and on this low and low earth He sent His Son to save the souls of sinners He made the peace offering and forgave sins God’s great love is beyond measure. - Praise the saints of eternal love~♬”
Ladies and gentlemen, it is entirely by God's grace that we have become God's beloved children and holy saints. Which of us prospered to become a child of God? No one. However, at the time of Jesus, there were some people who thought that they were children of God because they were good. They were people who thought that they were blessed and saved by God because of their good deeds and observance of the law.
As a result, they rejected the free grace that God gave through Jesus. “No, I can go to heaven with my righteousness, so why do I have to believe in Jesus? Jesus, you don't have to die for me. Don't burden yourself with it because you suffered and died on the cross for nothing. Even if I don't believe in Jesus, I will live a better life than a Jesuit. So Jesus, please. Let's not get too close. I will respect Jesus like any other great religious leader, scholar or human rights activist. And I'll come to church from time to time, so don't try to dominate me. I don't like it.”
However, those who truly understand the grace of Jesus confess this. “Jesus, why did you die on the cross for an ugly person like me? Thank you for saving me from eternal judgment and death and for giving me eternal blessings and life through your grace. Since you have given me this precious grace, I will live for Jesus in the future. Jesus, I love you. “Jesus, you died for me! why do you love me why do you love me Why did the Lord have to go to Calvary? Why do you love me?~♬”
Everyone, I think I was good before I received grace. If there is someone like me, please come and see me. I don't think of myself as a sinner worthy of death. However, if you receive grace, you will come to know that you are the chief sinner among sinners who deserve to die. The grace of the Lord who saved a sinner like me, I sometimes cry and thank Jesus for being amazed. So we are loyal to him. Thank you for your indescribable great grace and dedication. And it is a sacrifice of martyrdom by giving one's life.
But what is it that today's Christians lose their sense of the Lord's great grace? Is it because you are busy living in a foreign land? Is it because studying in a foreign land is too daunting? Or, after being moved by that great grace, you have to devote your time and material things to yourself, and do you struggle to avoid receiving the grace because there is a loss that you have to serve?
Ladies and gentlemen, today's text speaks. “As co-workers with God, we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain” (2 Corinthians 6:1), everyone, keep in mind. The life of faith is by grace. With my own strength, my ability, my stubbornness, my judgment, and my thoughts, I cannot serve God well. Only those who live a life of faith through the great grace God has given can be faithfully faithful with humility.
We need God's grace. However, no matter how much rain falls from the sky, not a single drop of water will accumulate if the lid is closed. In other words, we must be prepared no matter how much God shows us His grace and extends His hand of salvation. So, today's text says: “Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).
Everyone, only when we receive grace can we know heaven and hell, we can know who Jesus and God are, and only when we receive grace can we experience the joy and happiness of believing in Jesus. Therefore, Hebrews 4:16 exhorts us to: “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need”
Ladies and gentlemen, the church is a place where God's grace is bestowed. Therefore, long for that great grace. Receive abundant grace while worshiping together at church and devoting yourself. And I pray that you will stand in a place where you are grateful abundantly, love abundantly, rejoice abundantly and be happy.
In dramas and historical dramas, we often see scenes where the servants say to the king, 'The castle is lost.' Every time I see it, I'm like, 'Oh, that's a word that can only be written to God... ' will make you think. Ladies and gentlemen, doesn't Seong mean 'Holy Grace'? We must live with sincerity toward God, saying, 'Sex is gone.' And living in return for that grace is the text of man and happiness. I pray in the name of the Lord that this kind of happiness may be filled with you and me even in this foreign land.