Title: The Face of a Christian
Contents
Philippians 4:4-7
look of a Christian
King Louis XVI of France was sentenced to death for treason and disappeared with the dew of the guillotine in 1793, four years after the French Revolution. At that time, the king's son, Louis-Charles, ascended to the throne of name only at the age of seven. Her mother, Marie Antoinette, was also executed by the guillotine. The revolutionaries decided to corrupt Louis XVII in order to abolish the monarchy and put him in a very favorable environment. I was allowed to eat whatever I wanted. They brought you all kinds of good drinks. He had lustful and sensual beauties by his side. It made me meet people with bad personalities who used vulgar swear words. However, Louis XVII did not give in to temptation. So I asked. “You have everything the world wants, so why not enjoy it? What the hell is the reason?” Then Louis XVII said: “I will never be the person you want me to be. Because I was born to be the king of this country.” The self-consciousness of being born as a king to rule the country made him resist all temptations.
Dear saints, who am I? There is a saying, ‘Even if it rots, Junchi’. Junchi is also called Jineo (眞魚) because it is said to be the most delicious of all fish. Many people like this meat because it is delicious, so the price is quite high. So it was very difficult for the common people to try this meat. Then, after getting spoiled and uneaten Junchi from a wealthy family, the taste was so delicious that it was a little spoiled, but the taste was the same as Junchi.
The taste of fish does not change even when it rots. How much more should a Christian who possesses heavenly citizenship change the taste according to circumstances, conditions, or people? We will never live forever on this earth. It is not something that can live a decent life for a while and then just die and rot. Our citizenship is in heaven. He is a being who will live forever with the Lord in heaven. It's not like you're just going to live and die after money, the pleasures of the world, the way people often live. Do not forget that I am a being caught by the Lord. Remember that we are sons and daughters of God. I am God's chosen people. A royal priesthood. It is a holy country. They are the people who belong to God.
The Apostle Paul gives three commands to us Christians, who are God's chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and God's own people in his words to us today. It means ‘rejoice’, ‘be patient’, and ‘pray with thanks’. We say to ourselves, ‘Rejoice always. It is said to be “tolerant” of others. And about God, he says, “Pray with thanksgiving.” To rejoice, to be tolerant, and to pray with thanksgiving are the barometers of Christian faith. Christian appearance.
1. First, it is the face of a Christian to always rejoice in oneself.
Let's read verse 4 of the text. “Rejoice in the Lord always, I say again, rejoice” Amen. “Rejoice” is the theme of the book of Philippians. When we say ‘rejoice’, we first think, “How do you rejoice when there is something to be happy about, and how do you rejoice when there is nothing to be happy about?” But God says, “Rejoice in the Lord always.” “Rejoice in the Lord” means “rejoice in the Lord”. It means to rejoice just because you are in the Lord. In other words, you must find joy in your relationship with the Lord. What joy can we enjoy in the Lord?
1) First, the joy we enjoy in the Lord is the joy of receiving forgiveness of sins.
If you stay in the Lord, your sins will be forgiven. No one can forgive my sins. Only Jesus has the right to forgive me. There is nothing more important than receiving a remission of sins. If today is the last hour given to me, I will be able to realize that there is nothing more serious than the problem of the forgiveness of sins. The most important and ultimate problem is receiving the forgiveness of sins. Even if you try to hide your sins, they will always be revealed. Therefore, if we do not receive the forgiveness of sins, we will have no choice but to stand before the judgment seat and be judged on the day the Lord returns. However, when sins are forgiven, the kingdom of heaven is promised. If your sins are forgiven, you can go to heaven. Therefore, the joy of receiving the forgiveness of sins is bound to be greater than any other joy in this world. If you are in the Lord, you will enjoy the joy of forgiveness of sins.
2) Second, the joy we enjoy in the Lord is the joy of being a child of God.
When you receive forgiveness of sins, your status changes as a child of God. The apostle John says, “To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). If you are in the Lord, you will enjoy the privilege of becoming a child of God. Wouldn't it be great if you could anchor your life in heaven, where there is eternal rest, like a ship anchored in a harbor to avoid a typhoon? But Jesus died on the cross for us so that anyone who is in the Lord can become a child of God, anchored in the heavenly kingdom where God is, and can live. We can now become children of God and enjoy eternal relationships with God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
3) Third, the joy we enjoy in the Lord is the joy of being a servant of God.
Paul confessed in Galatians 1:15 that God had already chosen and called him even before he was born. So Paul lived according to the holy purpose of God, who chose him to be his servant. I have always lived in holy happiness and joy. A person who lives for a holy purpose enjoys the value of being in his work. So, you can live a life that is worthwhile, considering that every day life is meaningful and worthwhile. Jesus entrusted us with what He did when He ascended into heaven. Now we can participate in the holy work that the Lord has entrusted to us. What a joy it is for me to have a part in the holy work of building and expanding the kingdom of God. On the marble of the War Memorial of Korea in Yongsan, Seoul, the names of soldiers who sacrificed their bodies like stubble for the country and people to protect me are recorded. I am now a worker who accomplishes God's work. This joy of taking on a corner in that holy history, this is the joy of being in the Lord.
Just as a car needs gasoline to move, life needs joy to lead a healthy life. Proverbs 17:22 says, “A joy of the heart is good medicine, but a troubled spirit dries up the bones.” A joyful heart is a good healing, and it is the word that promotes and maintains physical health. A rejoicing heart is God's desire and the Lord's command. God is a God of joy, and Jesus rejoices with the Holy Spirit. The joy that the Holy Spirit gives us is the joy of being able to rejoice in spite of our problems. It is the joy of believing and rejoicing that you will work together for good.
At the time Paul was writing the book of Philippians, he was chained to a dungeon. I've been imprisoned for years in a gloomy dungeon where there's no sunlight. But even in such circumstances, Paul says, “Rejoice always, rejoice in the Lord.” How could you say “rejoice always” in such a situation? Because it was a glorious suffering suffered with the Lord. Here, “always” means “in all circumstances.” This is the absolute joy of being with Christ. It's not a 'yes or no' issue. This is not relative. You must transcend relativity to achieve true joy. To say ‘there is or is not’ is a nightmare (一場春夢). However, the joy you enjoy in the Lord is absolute, and no one can take it from you. Who is a believer in Jesus? He is a pretty smiling person. A bright smile that smiles through divine grace, this is what a Christian looks like.
2. Second, being tolerant toward others is a Christian aspect.
Read verse 5 together. “Let your generosity be known to all, for the Lord is near.” Amen. Here, 'tolerance' is 'epieikes' in Greek, which is a very difficult phrase to translate. Therefore, the English Bible translated differently, such as ‘patience’, ‘compassion’, and ‘temperance’. There is no such translation. If you look at the etymology of this ‘epieques’, it means ‘what is greater than what is right’. There is something right in the world. But the world doesn't just depend on what's right. There is something greater than being right. The world can say 'right or wrong'. However, since the heart of the person who made a mistake is painful, there is something tolerant of the wrongdoer. That's higher than right. Greater than this right, higher than that, that is tolerance.
When our children do something wrong, we rebuke, discipline, and sometimes take the rod. But whenever possible, be tolerant. A little further, a little more broadly, understanding and caring. ‘Because I was young’, ‘I did it because I didn’t know’, ‘Tomorrow will be better’, ‘Someday I will grow old’. We don't look at the present, we look to the future. Even 10 years or 20 years from now is fine. Someday, even after I die. Waiting for ‘someday you will find out’ is tolerance.
Tolerance also refers to long, high-level love. Of course, just because this is right and that is wrong doesn't mean it's bad. Right words are right words. But there is something higher than right words. It is tolerating. Would you say you know everything and criticize everything you saw? It's not like that. Greater than right, this is tolerance. So tolerance and joy go hand in hand. When I am happy, tolerance comes naturally. When I am sad and annoyed, if I hear something, I immediately get angry. But when your heart is free and you are full of joy, you can be generous with any word and pass it on with laughter.
Our attitude toward people is our attitude toward God. That is why Paul said, “In lowliness of mind, consider each other better than yourself” (Philippians 2:2). Whoever it is, there must be something better than me. Loving people and loving God are not different things, but in the end they are the same thing. The attitude toward people and the attitude toward God are not different, but in the end they are the same thing. To despise, hurt, or cause a person to sin for any reason is ultimately an act of contempt for God. Therefore, we must be renewed day by day in the character of God, mourning over the darkness within us, repenting, and keeping our spirits hunger and thirsty for righteousness, as well as being tolerant of others. I must let my joy extend to others.
When I'm happy, other people are happy, and when I'm happy, other people can be happy too. In the old days, on the feast day or funeral day of the virtuous, a ‘beggar feast’ was held.