Title: Tomorrow's Glory, Today's Encouragement
This is because Luther had time to struggle until he wrote and upheld the 95 clauses. Luther did not shy away from vigils and ascetic fasts for assurance of salvation, and he also depended on the merits of saints. On the occasion of a visit to Rome in 1511, as he knelt down the steps of the so-called “Court of Pilate,” he began to question the teaching that asceticism could lead to salvation. Then Luther had the towering experience. While preparing for a lecture in the attic of a monastery located at the eastern end of the University of Wittenberg, he makes a great discovery while exploring the meaning of the Bible. It was the doctrine of justification: “The righteous shall live by faith.”
Our sins are forgiven and our salvation is not achieved by kneeling before Pilate's court, nor by buying indulgences. One reason we are justified is through faith alone.
Until Luther started the Reformation, and in the process of bringing it up, great suffering followed. In Luther's hymn, "My Lord is a strong city, a shield and a weapon; he will rescue us from the great tribulation. The old enemy, the devil, also uses his strength at this time, and uses his counsel and authority as a weapon. Demons are boiling in this land to devour us, but do not be afraid; stand there, and the truth will overcome you.” In this verse, we can see his suffering during the Reformation. There is a great tribulation. Demons are threatened to devour us. But there will be many difficulties, there will be pain, but we will surely overcome. The kingdom will last forever. confess this
It teaches us that there is today's pain in order to gain tomorrow's glory. The laws of nature are the laws of God. To obtain tomorrow's harvest, sow seeds in spring and suffer under the hot sunlight in summer to achieve the glory of harvest in autumn. “He who sows in tears will reap with joy. He who goes out weeping to sow seed will surely return with joy, carrying her sheaves.”
Look at the life of Jesus. He suffered terribly on the cross. He was whipped, crowned with thorns, humiliated, and poured out without leaving a drop of blood. breathed And he resurrected after three days. Before the glory of the resurrection, one must pass through the tunnel of the cross of suffering. A deep night of suffering must pass before the new dawn of resurrection.
This is God's law. It is a formula that God has taught us. The truth is that today's pain takes precedence in order to gain tomorrow's glory.
However, look around us. There are people who put today's glory and today's joy ahead and fail tomorrow. The most obvious example is the use of the Cre?J card. They say they want something today, so they swipe the card as much as they want. I say I want to eat something today, so I buy it and eat it as much as I want. He says he's offended by his friends, so he swipe the card without any countermeasures. And they suffer from not being able to bear it. Rather than suffer enough, they become bad credit and unable to lead a normal social life.
There are two kinds of people in this world. Buy now and pay later. There are people who enjoy the glory and joy today and suffer tomorrow, while there are those who suffer today for the glory and joy of tomorrow. But what is clear is that if we look at the laws of God, the life of Jesus, or the case of Martin Luther, there is today's suffering for tomorrow's glory.
The same is true of the words of Haggai that appear in the text. It was by no means easy for the Israelites to rebuild the temple amidst many difficulties after returning from the Babylonian captivity. They suffered today's pain for tomorrow's glory. God speaks to those who are building the temple in the midst of difficulties. “The latter glory of this temple will be greater than the former glory. saith the LORD of hosts. I will give you peace in this place. saith the LORD of hosts.” There is today's pain, but tomorrow's glory will be much greater than the former glory.
As Paul writes to Corinth, he says: “Therefore, we do not lose heart, for on the outside we are decaying, but on the inside we are being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is for a little while, works for us an exceedingly great and eternal weight of glory; for we do not look at what is seen, but on what is not seen, for what is seen is temporary, and what is not seen is eternal.” Paul compares the pain of today with the glory of tomorrow. Compared to tomorrow's glory, today's pain is little compared to tomorrow's glory.
We are currently building a temple for a long time. For the construction of the temple, all the members are praying and building the temple with moving hearts. What is clear is that we believe that glory awaits us tomorrow, even if it is difficult today. If you compare it to the glory of tomorrow, I believe that the hard work of today will feel like nothing.
I want our members to live a long and healthy life. This is because I want to see the temple being completed, full of God's people, and influential work for the region, for the Korean society, and for the world. live long This heart is full
God's law precedes today's labor for tomorrow's glory. However, one of the laws made by humans and the laws made by this social structure is today's glory, today's joy, and tomorrow's bad credit. What will you choose? Hope is not for everyone. There is hope for those who pay the price for hope in advance. For the hope of tomorrow, those who work and sweat today will have their wishes come true. There is hope for those who endure today's pain for tomorrow's glory. Hope comes to us only when we pay the price for it in advance.
As such, there is today's pain for the sake of tomorrow's glory, and God is not watching from afar in the pain. God is with us in our pain to encourage us. give us the strength to bear How grateful are you? For the glory of tomorrow, if I have to bear it alone as I go through the tunnel of toil and pain of today, I will fall. The Lord is with us in the field of suffering, in the field of toil. give us strength encourage us
Look at the text of the text. “Strengthen yourselves, Zerubbabel. Make yourself strong, Joshua. Strengthen yourselves, all peoples of the land, and do your work. I am with you. saith the LORD of hosts. Fear not, for the word that I made with you when you came out of Egypt and my spirit remain among you.” Do not be afraid of the toils and pains of today we go through for the glory of tomorrow The Lord gives us strength. The Lord encourages us. Therefore, there is today's pain for tomorrow's glory, but I believe that we should experience today's encouragement rather than today's pain. Tomorrow's glory Let's live with today's encouragement in our heart.
Encouragement is like a father watching his son coming in, panting towards the finish line on the last track, can't stand it any longer, jumps off the stand and runs with his son, saying, "Just a little bit." Jesus came to this earth. The Holy Spirit is with us now. encourage us give us courage He tells him to run together and build up his strength for his son who comes in exhausted.
Look at Joshua. How can you lead millions of Israelites into the land of Canaan? How heavy was the burden on him? For the glory of tomorrow to settle in the land of Canaan, today's great pain must have been on Joshua's shoulders. But, tomorrow's glory, today's pain, rather than tomorrow's glory, today's encouragement was in Joshua. “No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life, for I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not leave you nor forsake you; be strong and courageous. You will make this people possess the land that I swore to their ancestors to give them.” For tomorrow's glory to occupy the land of Canaan, God gave today's encouragement.
This is God's law. God's way There is today's pain for tomorrow's glory, but God has today's encouragement in the pain. make yourself strong I will be with you. In the building of the temple, today's hard work is for tomorrow's glory and tomorrow's joy. But God strengthens us. give us strength
Once upon a time, a man sold hot dogs on the street. He couldn't hear well, so the radio was useless, and his eyesight was so bad that he couldn't read the newspaper. However, he made and sold high-quality hot dogs, and set up signs on the road to promote how good his hot dogs were. He stood by the roadside and said, “Teacher, buy a hot dog!” and people bought him a hot dog. He ordered more meat and buns, bought a bigger stove and baked more hot dogs. Then his son returned home from college. said the son. “Dad, don’t you read the radio or the newspaper? This is the best depression ever. Europe is in a really terrible situation, Japan is getting worse and worse, and our country is the worst of the worst.” The father said, “Yeah, my son went to college. I read the newspaper and listen to the radio. There must be a reason for this guy saying this.” So my father reduced the order of meat and buns, and put down the billboards. There were very few people buying hot dogs. A few days later, the father said to his son. “You are right. We are clearly in a very bad condition right now.”