Title: The Church of Unity
2012
August
12 days
Sermon Title
Church of Unity
preacher
Old Testament text
Ezekiel 37:15-19
New Testament text
Luke 15:25-32
sermon video
Old Testament
15. And the word of the LORD came to me again, saying,
16. Son of man, take a stick and write on it Judah and the children of Israel his companions. Take another stick and write on it the stick of Ephraim, Joseph and all the house of Israel his companions.
17. Join the sticks together, that they may become one, and the two shall become one in your hand.
18. If your nation speaks to you, saying, Will you not tell us what this means?
new testament
25. When the eldest son returned from the field and came near the house, he heard wind music and dancing.
26. He called a servant and asked him what was going on.
27. He answered, "Your brother has returned, and your father has killed a fattened calf, because he has welcomed him back in good health."
28. He was angry and would not go in, but his father came out and asked him.
29. He answered and said to his father, "I have served my father for many years, and I have not disobeyed his orders, but he never gave me a young goat so that me and my friend might rejoice."
30. This son, who devoured your life with prostitutes, has returned, and for this you have killed a fattened calf.
31. The father said, "Son, you are always with me; all that is mine is yours."
32. We should rejoice and rejoice, because your brother was dead and is alive; I was lost and found.
sermon
Although our nation was liberated from Japanese tyranny 67 years ago, it remains a divided country. One of the things I felt after returning to Korea was that the Korean people's desire for unification had cooled. Even now, many people are skeptical about unification. If unification occurs, South Korea should share the difficulties of North Korea. The problem in South Korea alone is serious, but how much more difficult will it become if unification occurs? I don't feel the need to unify. What will God think of this matter? What should the church do?
God makes us one. When Israel in the north and Judah in the south split up and fought each other, eventually collapsed and sold as slaves to other nations, God promised Ezekiel that through the parable of the two sticks, the two would become one in the future. When God makes one nation, the nation can become one. In the parable of the prodigal son that Jesus spoke of, an older brother who could not welcome his younger brother back home is depicted. In the image of a father comforting his broken eldest son, he discovers God's blessing of unity.
1. The Father makes the wills one. The eldest son was sad about what his father had done to him. He worked hard to serve his father, but his father did not know him. (Verses 29, 30) The moment he lost his presence thinking, “I am something,” he could not do a good job of accepting his younger brother. The father instills a presence in the eldest son so that he and the father become one. Verse 31 “Son, you are always with me…”
2. Fathers forgive each other. The father had already forgiven the second son, but the eldest had not yet forgiven him. There was no desire to be accepted or welcome. When there is a distance between people, time does not solve it. You have to approach it right away. Time does not heal, it only deepens the bones. Father gives you the heart to forgive.
3. The father gives the virtue of tolerance. Father teaches us how to become one. How could fathers not have a bad heart for their second son? But I agreed to understand and be tolerant. Verse 32, “Your brother was dead and is alive…” There are many things that go wrong, but let’s think big about the joyous things. God gives a generous heart.
Jesus' parable ends with a lingering impression when the father said to the prickly eldest son, "...we deserve to rejoice and rejoice." Did the eldest son happily enter the house and welcome his younger brother? Or are you still standing outside the gate with your arms crossed and your back turned? What is our attitude toward our compatriots in North Korea?
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