Title: The Debtor (Romans 1:14-17)
Contents
◈ Sermon text
I am indebted to both Greeks and barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. Therefore, whenever possible, I want to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome. I am not ashamed of the gospel, which is the God who gives salvation to everyone who believes. To the Jew first and also to the Greek / In the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed, from faith to faith, as it is written, The righteous will live by faith.
* Korea, a country with foreign debt debt
At the end of last year, as the foreign exchange depleted, Korea received a bailout from the International Monetary Found (IMF) and became a huge debtor country. As a result, the domestic economic situation worsened. has increased rapidly. Currently, the country has about 160 billion dollars of foreign debt, and the foreign exchange that has to be repaid this year is 70 billion dollars.
* Those who are indebted to God's love
For those of us who were eternally dead because of our sins, God forgave us and saved us with His great grace and love. We are all indebted to God's love, indebted to the church, to our neighbors, to our parents, and to our families. The Greek word for “debtor” is opeiletes (ՏՖՅՉՋՅՔՇՒ). Or it means a sin, a person who has a deep sense of duty to pay off debt. The debtor must have a humble attitude and a thorough sense of duty.
* Preaching the Gospel as a debtor
Paul confessed that he was indebted to Greeks and barbarians, both wise and foolish, and decided not to be ashamed of the gospel to pay off his debt, but to run to the ends of the earth to preach the gospel. Wherever Paul went, there was not a crowd of welcome people, but persecution and tribulation awaited him, but he accepted the sufferings with the heart of a debtor and moved forward only by faith.
The apostle Paul said, “I am indebted to both Greeks and barbarians, both the wise and the foolish. Being in debt is not something to be proud of. A person in debt cannot become a splendid honor. That's why Paul said in Romans 13:8, "Do not owe anyone anything," and said that he was a debtor of love. We are now realizing how terrible debt is.
Korea has now become one of the largest debtor countries among foreign debt debtors.
As of the end of last year, the country has reached a point of bankruptcy if it does not receive a bailout from the IMF as foreign exchange is depleted. It is not too much of an exaggeration to say that although it received a bailout from the International Monetary Fund, it became an economic colony due to foreign debt.
Currently, Korea has about 160 billion dollars of foreign debt, and it is said that about 70 billion dollars will have to be paid off within this year. When borrowing foreign money, the interest rate is only 5.66%, but Korea has a low credit rating, so you have to pay an additional 2.5% to 3% interest due to risk, so you borrowed money at an interest rate of 8%. As a result, the domestic economic situation rapidly deteriorated, many small and medium-sized enterprises went bankrupt, and the number of unemployed who lost their jobs increased rapidly. Debt is a scary thing.
Debt is divided into three main categories. The first is the economic debt of borrowing money, the second is the debt of love established in human relationships, and the third is the debt of the gospel that comes from the relationship with the Lord. Since we are debtors in any sense, we must be humble as debtors and do our duty as debtors.
The word 'debtor' in today's text is 'Opheiletes' in Greek, and it refers to a person who has a deep sense of duty to pay off debt. The debtor must act frugally and modestly like a debtor, and must have a thorough sense of duty to pay off the debt. If you're in debt and you're wasting, or enjoying a luxurious life, you're in the wrong place. Also, if you are a debtor and do not intend to repay the debt, you should be severely reprimanded.
We surveyed high school students from a local high school in Tennessee, USA. “Among those who have passed away, who do you admire the most? Who do you admire the most among living people?” As a result of the survey, the most respected person among the dead was President Abraham Lincoln, and the most admired person among living people was former President Carter.
We are all in debt. Above all, they are indebted to God's love.
In order to save us who were eternally dead because of our sins, He forgave me for all my sins, great and small, with His great grace and love. We are all indebted to God's love, and we are indebted to the church that has come to realize that love. Realizing that you are a debtor for God's great and small grace, you must live with a debtor's attitude and heart to pay off your debts.
On December 24, I had to undergo surgery without knowing what bronchial surgery was. After the operation, I woke up from anesthesia and found Ningel and a blood transfusion in both arms and three hoses in the side, with a large bottle attached to the end of the hose. It was only after the operation that I found out that the operation had just cut off the left lung. At that time, the pump was pumping out the dirty material that had accumulated in the operation area, and the nurse did the job of turning it on for 3 minutes, turning it off for 1 minute, turning it on for 3 minutes and turning it off for 1 minute with a small motor.
It was Christmas Eve when it snowed that day. The nurse older sister left the important work to my mother. In what spirit would my mother do it? It is said that he mistook the slippers he had taken off under the bed for a puppy and tried to catch them several times. I entrusted it to my mother. That night the surgical site burst. He vomited red blood and was hot like a ball of fire. I put a block of ice on my chest and it melted right away. The bleeding did not stop, and on the third day, yellowish pus came out. With a large syringe, blood pus was drained from his side, his mouth vomited, his fever rose to over 40 degrees, and it didn't look like he was going to live.
At that time, I looked at my chart that I had left on my bed during the rounds, and I saw a copy of a letter in English from my primary care doctor to the person who had sponsored me. Since I was in high school, I could understand the meaning of that simple English letter. The content of the letter is roughly as follows: “I did my best for this student, but it was difficult.” Even without the contents of the letter, it was a pain that I could not bear.
One night I got ready to die. Even though I lost my mind for a while from a high fever, I prayed to God like this. “God, I am ready to go to the kingdom of God. I believe that you will welcome me. But please comfort my mother and do not allow the death of a young student who believes in Jesus to obscure your glory.” Then he collapsed and slept.
I still don't know if it's a dream or not, but the Lord surely came to me as I lay down and began to touch me from my head. At the surgical site, the hand stayed for a long time. My mind could not be so at ease. It was morning when I woke up as if waking up from a deep sleep. Since then, I have recovered. On the day of discharge, I knelt before the Lord and prayed. I prayed, "I will live the life God gave me, with the heart of the debtor, and live up to the Lord's will. Lord, I am indebted to God's immense love. Right now, I'm doing my job in good health with just my right lung. There are no sports I am good at, but there are no sports I am not good at. God's grace and help.
Now, how should the debtor live? We live by sharing the gospel with the heart of the debtor.
Paul confessed that he was in debt to Greeks and barbarians, both wise and foolish, and decided not to be ashamed of the gospel to pay off his debt, but to run to the ends of the earth to preach the gospel. Wherever Paul went, there was not a crowd of welcomes, but tribulation and persecution awaited him wherever he went, but he accepted the sufferings with the heart of a debtor and only preached the gospel.