Title: Those Unworthy to Follow the Lord!
Contents
First - the one who puts the word first (verse 19)
In the case of the scribe appearing in today's text, the words were too advanced. “I said to Jesus, Teacher, wherever you go, I will follow you.” nice to hear. Still, Jesus doesn't seem to like it.
Even if Peter died, he said he would not betray Jesus, but when the danger was over, he ran away. Why doesn't Jesus trust those who put their words first? Because he is well aware of human frailty. Human beings are incapable of sin and incapable of will.
Who are the scribes? These are people who live on their word. They are the ones who have been rebuked the most, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. It may have been natural that Gigi, who knows their hypocrisy better than anyone else, disliked the scribes who only said that the Lord would spontaneously follow them. Let's not be the talkers. We must do God's work through actions rather than words.
Second - those who avoid suffering
In the old days, if you wanted to become an independent army, you had to accept three conditions. They are “ready to die of starvation”, “prepared to be beaten to death”, and “prepared to freeze to death”. If such a determination is necessary for the independence of a country, shouldn't this determination be prepared for the kingdom of heaven as well?
The members of the early church also grew their faith in these hardships, and when the gospel first came into our country, they were prepared for suffering and believed in Jesus. When I was young, I saw my parents living a life of faith while being bullied and persecuted by their relatives and neighbors. However, we do not know when, but the corrupted gospel is prevailing. Inexpensive grace is taking over. We are trying to teach and enjoy only the resurrection of glory without the cross.
Jesus is responding to those who volunteer to follow. He says, “Foxes have dens, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Perhaps, if we reconstruct the expression in Jesus' heart, wouldn't it mean, "Perhaps, if you follow me, you will be able to get a better job, but waiting is only suffering.
Even today, how many people go out to believe in Jesus and leave disappointed when a small hardship comes? Even at the time of Jesus, there were many people who came out to eat bread and heal their diseases, but few people realized the truth of eternal life and followed them. Please keep in mind that without the suffering of the cross there is no resurrection of glory. Shouldn't we have the same resolve that the independence army had for the state?
Third - those who do not know their priorities
If a worker works without knowing the priorities of work, he will be reviled even if he works. If you work well after judging the will of your master, you will become a praiseworthy worker. God's workers are rewarded only when they know God's will and work. God is interested in mankind being saved from sin and becoming His children. And I want that child to become a strong person who can overcome Satan and overcome the world with spiritual power.
When Stephen was stoned and martyred, the heavens were opened and Jesus stood and watched. The expansion of the kingdom of God refers to evangelism. When we evangelize, God is most pleased. There is also evangelism that speaks of evangelism, but we must have wisdom to do more fruitful evangelism.
There was a man named Choi Bong-seok, a reveler in Pyongyang. He was a man of great faith who built over 70 churches throughout his life while shouting “Jesus Heaven”, and when he died in prison while refusing to worship at a shrine, he calmly accepted death by saying, “A telegram has come from heaven.”
Even though I didn’t study well, I was filled with the Holy Spirit and the dead came to life with power, the witch believed in Jesus, the farmer who gave me porridge at dawn believed in Jesus, and called a man who was working in the mountain as a fool to believe in Jesus, etc. “Jesus Heaven” He is a person who did a lot of evangelism through simple evangelism. But now we need to approach it more wisely.
Fourth - one who looks back (Luke 9:62)
It is said that no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God. Anyone who has ever plowed knows what this means. When you yoke a cow and make a furrow, you have to look forward, but if you look back, the line will be messed up.
Paul said we are soldiers of Christ. The military should not be bound by privacy. Civil servants are also people who focus on public affairs rather than office work. In the last Friday edition of the Chosun Ilbo, under the heading "I'm sorry to let you go alone, honey," a heartfelt story about the director general of the Census Bureau of Statistics was introduced. It was a story that the former director, who is in charge of the population census survey conducted every five years, could not protect her husband from dying of liver cancer because of his official duties. As long as there are civil servants like this, I thought that there was still hope for our country. When Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed, there was a man who looked back and became unhappy. If I have been entrusted with the Lord's work, I must not look back.
Why did you ask for such strict standards to become a disciple? It must be because the work is so difficult and difficult. Because it is a road that cannot be walked without tears and sacrifice, it is a road that has to overcome cold frosts and blizzards. When we talk about the four children, we often mean 梅, 蘭, 菊, and 竹. Their common point is that they do not lose their green color even in a snowstorm and bloom even in the snow.
If everyone can become a disciple, the road doesn't have to be that difficult. Do not confuse actions over words, suffering over glory, priorities over your words, and don't become fools who hold the plow and look back. Hallelujah!