Title: Undying Love
Contents
※ Bible: Daniel 3:13-18
Nebuchadnezzar became proud after establishing a great nation called Babylon and becoming the most powerful ruler in the Middle East. So he set up a golden statue in the middle of Babylon and ordered that anyone who heard the sound of an instrument stop and bow down to the golden image. And the Babylonians obeyed this and when they heard the sound of musical instruments, they all bowed down. However, Daniel and his three friends, who were taken captive from Israel, did not bow down to the golden image even when they heard the sound of musical instruments. Because the second commandment of the Ten Commandments forbids worshiping idols. In fact, Nebuchadnezzar took special care of Daniel's three friends. But when Daniel's three friends did not bow down, he was upset. So Daniel and his three friends are called to talk. ‘Did you not bow down to the golden image even when you heard the sound of musical instruments on purpose? ’
I won't ask about the past. When you hear the sound of an instrument in the future, bow down to the golden statue! If you do not bow down, I will throw you into a blazing fire. What god of the world will deliver you from the burning furnace? Shadrach Meshach Abednego replied, "I do not have to answer the king about this." Our God will deliver us from the fiery furnace. If not, we will never bow down to the golden image, nor will we worship any other gods. Shadrach Meshach Abednego confesses God's unchanging love in the face of death. Therefore, through today's Word, I would like to share grace while thinking about God's unchanging love.
First, when we love God unchangingly, God is pleased and guides us. The great men of faith appearing in the Bible were those who realized God's love and were always grateful.
We do not believe that among the people living in Ur of the Chaldeans, only Abraham heard a voice saying, “Leave your country, your relatives, and your father’s house, and go to the land you are showing” (Genesis 12:1). At that time, many people living in Ur of the Chaldeans worshiped idols, and God must have heard in their hearts a precious voice telling them to leave idols and serve only the living God. It was Abraham who responded to this voice and left the homeland of his relatives and fathers to serve Jehovah God. It was Abraham who accepted, responded, and acted upon God's love. As a result, God loved Abraham as the source of blessing and the father of faith, even in our eyes, with partial love. When we love God unfailingly, Psalm 91 says, “I will deliver you, and your name may be raised high.” In this way, there is nothing more important than realizing God's love and giving Him unchanging love.
When we look at the book of Revelation, it ends with “Amen, come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20). These words contain the earnest desire that God Almighty God reign in our homes and lives as soon as possible after the end of the reign of God, Rome. Please remember that God continues to guide, bless, and rule the people you love even at this time. It is God who protects and blesses us when we love God unchangingly.
Second, when we love God unchangingly, we have experiential faith.
In the text, Shadrach Meshach and Abednego continue to love God even after entering the furnace. The soldiers who threw them into the furnace were burned to death. But Shadrach Meshach Abednego was thrown into a furnace seven times hotter than usual, but not a single hair was damaged. When they love God unchangingly, God will respond to them miraculously so that they can feel God's love for them through their body and experience. When we love God unchangingly, God responds to us miraculously. There is nothing more important than receiving God's love and loving God like this.
As we live in this world, there are many scary and frightening things. However, if we love and depend on God when we are afraid, God will guide us to overcome the fear in our hearts. David sang in his Psalms on a dreadful day: “In the day of my fear, I will trust in You. I will trust in God, and I will sing praises to His word. I have put my trust in God, and I will not be afraid. What can a fleshly man do to me?” (Psalm 56:3-4)
When we realize and respond to God's love, the fear that has weighed on us will disappear.
Third, when we realize God's unchanging love, we come to love ourselves.
We both hurt and receive people. These wounds make us feel anger and inferiority in our lives. It makes it easy to give up on difficult tasks or makes relationships with people unsatisfactory. However, when we realize God's unchanging love, our anger and inferiority complex disappear and we are reborn as a healthy and perfect human being. This is God's blessing that appears when we realize God's love.
The key to worship is to realize God's love. It is because those who realize God's love can both give thanks and praise. How much does God love us? He loved his only begotten Son Jesus enough to give us up on the cross. As we look at Jesus who loves us, I hope that we will have the determination of our hearts to ‘I will follow Jesus, who is the author and perfecter of our faith’.
Always remembering the words of Jesus that He loves us, we should feel this love with our whole body and be grateful for this love. When we love unconditionally, God will bless us to love ourselves with the joy of life and experiential faith.
2006-08-04 15:40:31