Title: The Blessing of Obedience
Contents Sermon date - May 29, 2011
Bible - Genesis 22:17
Title - The Blessing of Obedience
‘Abraham’ is a beautiful name meaning ‘father of many peoples, father of nations’.
His original name was 'Abram', which means 'great father'.
However, God chose him, made a covenant with him, and changed his name.
Changing your name in Israel means that you will lead a completely different life from the one you have been living in.
That's right. God chose a life that was just a natural man who committed a crime deserving of death and made him the source of blessing to deliver His blessings to this earth.
Here, we are going to examine the secret of receiving blessings from God by tracing Abraham's deeds, who lived his life by faith.
♣ Jehovah Jireh
Now the urgency is over. The hard ordeal is over. Abraham's faith was only now recognized as perfect faith. And the sacrifice of sorrow and pain was replaced with a sacrifice of joy offered as a good sacrifice that God had prepared beforehand, and in gratitude for the grace of the Lord he had given to him, he said, ‘I will finish everything with a beautiful figure praising the Lord of grace by Jehovah Jireh I did.
God supplies all our needs. So we don't have to worry about what we will eat or wear. Because if we just do God's will, He has all our needs in store and will be met.
☞ With the stars in the sky… I will make it the same: This is the part that reaffirmed the validity of the covenant given in the past (13:16; 15:5) under God's own name.
Abraham did not originally believe in God.
He was a sinner who lived in the city of idols and worshiped idols.
Joshua speaks of this fact in Joshua 24:2
“This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: “Once upon a time your fathers, Terah, the father of Abraham, and Terah, the father of Nahor, dwelt beyond the river and served other gods.”
Given the ancient atmosphere in which the religion of the head of a family dominated the entire family, it is clear that Abraham also had a share in the idolatry of Abidera.
But God Himself chose such sinners out of the city of sin and led them to the kingdom of eternal life.
In this way, God calls unlawful human beings who do not have any conditions or merits to be chosen, only by grace, and makes them His people.
Therefore, those who have been saved should give back thanks and praise to God who has given them grace every day.
Illustration - Obey the Word
A young man with a twist in everything read, 'I tell you, do not resist the evil one; went to church
He approached a handsome elder who was reading the Bible diligently and slapped him on the cheek for no reason.
Then, contrary to the words of the Bible, the elder was furious.
So the young man opened Matthew 5:39 to the elder with a pathetic expression on his face.
Then the elder slapped the young man on the head and said:
“Do I look angry? You slap me on the right cheek, you slap me on the left. Read the Bible properly.”
☞ You are… You will get the gate: The gate, the city gate, is a defense that protects the safety of the inhabitants of the city and the city. Obtaining and opening these gates is equivalent to the saying that the city has been occupied.
Therefore, the primary meaning of this verse is that Israel, the descendant of Abraham, will defeat the enemy and occupy the promised city of Canaan.
However, this has a deeper spiritual meaning, that is, through the Messiah, all the saints who believe in him, that is, the spiritual descendants of Abraham, will conquer the world with the gospel.
Meanwhile, Abraham was called by God's powerful work to leave his hometown and go to an unknown land.
The writer of Hebrews says in Hebrews 11:8,
We testify about Abraham's actions like this, saying, "When he was called, he obeyed and went out, not knowing where he was going."
This absolute obedience of Abraham continued throughout his life.
Even Abraham did not disobey God's command to sacrifice his son Isaac, whom he had given birth when he was 100 years old, and completely obeyed.
In this way, breaking one's will and obeying God's Word is the gift that pleases God the most.
Yehwa - a true filial piety
“Each one of you must fear your father and mother and keep my sabbaths, for I am the LORD your God” (Leviticus 19:3).
Butler Lee Seung-jae, who established himself as a star of the 7080s with hits such as ‘Eyes’ and ‘A Far Away’, is a very rare filial piety. Deacon Lee and his wife Deacon Choi Ok-ja are invited to a praise and testimony meeting almost every day, and are busy at home and abroad. So, how full of joy in your face and the Holy Spirit in your heart?
Jeon Young-ho: (During the Jeonju Praise Rally) Why is your face like that? Worried?
Seungjae Lee: My father, who is close to Gusoon, is alone at home... .
Let's just talk about the conclusion. The fact that the butler and his wife made a round trip from Jeonju to Seoul twice a day. After the all-night meeting, we came to Seoul, prepared breakfast, and headed back to Jeonju. After the morning meeting, I come to Seoul again to prepare lunch and dinner, and then to Jeonju... .
Butler Seungjae Lee. One day, while walking down the street, he met an old man who was working hard with a rebar on his shoulder at a construction site.
Seungjae Lee: (Thinking of your father at home) You are old, you are really strong.
Old Man: (sighs) Is this strong? The seller is strong!
How could this butler pass by the old man who blamed the sale? Of course, it means that you have evangelized to receive the joy of eternal life. The best filial piety is to unconditionally evangelize my father or my friend's father so that he can live with hope in heaven.
There was an 80-year-old father who suddenly went to the indoor swimming pool.
Son: (To father, sitting on a chair, spying only on the girls in bikini swimsuits) You can't even swim, so what are you doing? I can't even exercise... .
Father: What? Do you know how great a workout it is to walk to and from here every day? Live with the words of Matthew 15:4 in your heart. “Honor your father and mother.” He also said, “Anyone who blasphemes a father or mother will surely die.”
Well. There is a separate filial piety. You just have to obey the Word, but it's not as easy as it sounds. Because this butler is respectful.
The life of Abraham, who had the honorable name of being the father of faith and the source of blessing, was a life of faith and obedience.
And Abraham glorified God in everything he did, and maintained his gratitude for everything given.
Those who wish to receive blessings today must first fully believe in God and be able to always give thanks for what He has accomplished.