Title: The Debtor
Contents
I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. First to the Jews and also to the Greeks. In the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed, from faith to faith, just as it is written, The righteous will live by faith. The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of those who suppress the truth in unrighteousness (Romans 1:16-18)
My life motto is to live with no savings and no debt. In my case, there is no easy way to pay off debt. Even a small debt will have to be paid off in my circumstances for a long time. A person's life is not guaranteed for tomorrow, so if anything unfortunate happens in my life, will I not remain a debtor forever? My philosophy is whether I should end my life with debt even if I can't help others. Savings are no problem. I don't have any money to save, and if I have a little left, I'm always waiting in the front seat to spend it. However, it is not difficult to live without debt. However, in the Bible we read today, the apostle Paul said that he was a debtor. As our proverb says that we are sinners in debt, debt is the heart of a sinner. What debt did the apostle Paul owe? It is the debt of preaching the gospel. The Apostle Paul has a duty to preach the gospel to Jews, Gentiles, Greeks, and Romans as well.
There are many people who live without debt and go without debt, but how many believers are going to pay off all debts of the gospel? At this time today, the priests who receive the office of this position are in great debt. Kwons who are being respected as honorary priests at this time today, you owe a greater debt. Here, the elders and officers, and all the church members, you are all debtors of the gospel. Realistically, you are indebted to Seongnam Church. You were comforted when you were afflicted, you gained strength through this altar when you were weak, and you received courage and encouragement through the church and the ministers through the church when you were discouraged. How much do you think you have paid off these debts now? Let us repay the debt of the gospel. Even if you can't pay the interest, let's pay off the debt of the gospel before we die. Debtors are sinners, so how can they stand before God's judgment seat when they are in debt? Since I alone have been saved, at least one more human being like me must be saved and lead to Jesus.
Today, I recommend to many church members to evangelize one by one, but it is not that they should be generous, but that they should pay off their debts and go away even if it is the full amount of their debts. It is often said that a debtor is someone who borrows money from others and does not recklessly return it. It's called shameless. I hope that you do not come to church and sit in the church without worrying about it, and pay off your debts and come out. If you can't pay it right away, I hope you will try and make an effort to pay it back. Debtors who can't pay their debts can't even sleep, so why do you look at the Lord with a lot of sleep? I'm going to give you a strong debt reminder today. Even if you pay only the principal, the inside of this temple will double and overflow.
The apostle Paul speaks of another debt. Romans 13:8 says, “Do not owe anyone anything except the debt of mutual love.” They told us to erase each other's debts of love. However, the debt must not be borne, but must be repaid. Man owes love from birth. I owe a debt of love to my parents, my teacher, my neighbor, my country, and the mountains and rivers, the trees, the air, the water, the sun, the moon, the sun, the moon, and the gods. It is impossible to describe how much we owe God for love. When I fell into the trap of loneliness, when I was imprisoned, when I was in poverty, or when I was fleeing, the love of God who was by my side and took care of me is beyond measure. Come to think of it, even among debtors, I am a regular debtor, and I am full of debt. Looking into my life, I found that I took out debt and gave it to the Lord. It's not like it's shameless, it's closer to a thief's review. Ah! Where could such a debtor carry his face?
Listen to me, what do you think? Even if we cannot repay the debt of love, let's try our best to repay one or two things. People give commendations and praise because they think they are good at things they shouldn't do if they do a little good deeds. But if you know that, you are paying off even part of the debt I owe you on my back, and I receive commendations without any hesitation. When a person lasts a lifetime, he goes empty-handed. I think of it as a sign of the lesson that God spends half of his life in debt, and pays off all that debt for the second half of his life. I hope that those who live throughout their lives live with a sense of responsibility that everything they are living now is living with debt. That's the normal way of thinking. Living for free and thinking that it is not debt is a sign of a thief.
If you go to Gyeongnam, there is a funny saying like this. A man from Gimhae and a man from Hadong, both in-laws, were both imprisoned in one cell. A man from Gimhae looked at a man from Hadong and said, "Why did your sister-in-law come here?" When asked, "Well, I didn't do anything, but I was forcefully dragged out of the prison." "Isn't there a reason, though?" I asked, and he said, "When I went out to the neighborhood, there was a leash, so I brought it in. A cow was dragged into the leash, so I left it at home." This man was a cow thief. After that, a man from Hadong asked Gimhae's brother-in-law, "Why did you come in?" He said, "I was brought here because I didn't say a word, 'Go to the store next door, take the goods, and 'Bring it to the box'." Cow thieves or goods thieves are ignorant examinations. Being in debt and knowing that you are not in debt is going to be in debt and not paying off debt, all of which are similar symbols.
Let's pay off your debt of love. If it is a good deed, I hope you will fight ahead and serve. After one kind will surely jisil heart is joyful and light. Do you know what the true meaning of self-giving Lord is more blessed than to tell your party? Giving is the joy of being freed from debt, and receiving is the pain of being in debt. He said that it is difficult to enter the kingdom of God if you do not pay the debt you owe at Jesus' feet, even the hairs of your head. Many of the adults who are sitting here today are confused and hesitant, but when they stand before God without repaying their debt of love, great things happen. One even pay until he can not enter into the kingdom of God!
Don't let it go as if you've paid off your debt of love like a mountain because you've done one or two good deeds. Even small debts are debts, so let's not become debtors.