Title: Until God's Praise
Contents
*** Until we receive God's praise / 1 Corinthians 4:1-5
1 Corinthians 4:1-5, “1 Let men ought to consider us servants of Christ and entrusters of the mysteries of God. 2 And what we need from those in charge is loyalty. 3 It is a very small thing for me to be judged by you and by others. Neither do I judge me, 4 I understand nothing against myself, but by this I am not justified. But it is the Lord who will judge me. 5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the coming of the Lord. He will bring to light the things hidden in darkness, and the will of the heart will be revealed, and at that time each will receive praise from God.”
***Introduction
In Aesop's fable, there is a story about a donkey being sold. It tells the story of a merchant who goes with his son to sell donkeys at the market, and is frustrated by listening to the people around him without confidence.
At first, the father and son walked side by side, dragging the donkey. But people were murmuring that they were 'fools who walk without a donkey'. It made sense, and the son was burned. After a while, he gave me a pinzan saying, 'A young man cannot serve an old man.' It made sense, and this time the father rode and the son drove the donkey. But now he makes his son walk and his father swears at him, calling him a 'terrible old man'. He made sense, and this time he carried his son behind him. At the entrance of the town, people told me that two people riding on a donkey were 'a man who drives donkeys cruelly, so go instead on a donkey.' It made sense, so the father and son tied the donkey's legs and carried it with a pole. As they passed the bridge across the creek, those who saw it laughed out loud. The donkey was startled by the sound and struggled, but the pole broke and the donkey drowned. After losing the donkey, the merchant
“You tried to please everyone, but you didn’t even like one, and you lost your precious donkey!”
He complained.
Like the merchant in this fable, people are very sensitive to what other people think of me. So, I want to be seen well by others, and I want to be recognized, so I use my heart implicitly. If you focus on other people's judgments like that, you will lead a life without beliefs without your knowledge. How have you been in the past year? Did you carry out the plan well by working with your own convictions?
Today's text shows the faith of the Apostle Paul, which makes us look back on our lives. The apostle Paul speaks of three evaluations. The first is the evaluation of others, the second is your own evaluation, and the third is God's evaluation.
The second is one's own evaluation of oneself, which is also said to be useless because it is useless. This is verse 4 of the text. “I do not comprehend anything against myself, but by this I am not justified.” That is, ‘Paul himself did not have to reproach himself in his own mind, but that does not make him righteous with God either.’ Let's look at Proverbs 16:2. He says, “All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord searches the soul.” There is no point in being without sin in my opinion. Therefore, your own evaluation is also meaningless.
The third is God's evaluation of oneself. Verse 4, 2nd half, 5th verse. “But it is the Lord who will judge me. Therefore, judge nothing before the time, until the coming of the Lord. He will bring to light the things hidden in darkness, and will reveal the will of the heart, and at that time each will receive praise from God.” In other words, the true evaluation of each person is only God's evaluation. Therefore, the Christian does not need to pay attention to the evaluation of anyone, including himself. All we need to do is to live honestly and without lies before God, so that we may receive God's praise.
Now, let's take a look at God's word on 'what to think about in my life and who I should be conscious of in this time of the year and the new year'. So, let's start 2005 with a life of unwavering faith with a clear conviction that there is no shame in the sight of God.
As our old saying goes, “The one who laughs last is the true winner.” The winner's glory is given to the person who reaches the final finish line. That is why the Apostle Paul said in Philippians 3:13-14, “13 Brethren, I do not think that I have yet taken hold of myself, but do one thing forgetting what is behind and grasping what is ahead. 14 Toward the goal, God’s call from above in Christ Jesus. I follow for the sake of righteousness.” Verse 5 says, “Therefore, judge nothing before the time, until the coming of the Lord. He will bring to light the things hidden in darkness and reveal the intentions of the heart, and at that time each will receive praise from God.”
There are times when hidden things will be revealed, and there will always be times when the true nature of good and bad deeds is revealed. God does this. All life will be rewarded for good or evil before God. Those who persevere and do good at that time will receive praise and glory from God. You and I must persevere until that day. It is not the past year of 2004, nor the year of 2005 to be lived, but we must keep moving forward until we receive God's praise. In order to receive praise from God in this way, we must live as 'faithful servants of Christ' according to the words of the text.
The word 'worker' is huperetes (uJphrevth", a servant) generally meaning 'subordinate', 'servant', 'servant', 'servant'. However, this word is derived from a word meaning 'rowing'. It is derived from it, meaning 'a man rowing at the bottom of a boat.' If you watch the movie 'Ben-Hur', it is the very figure of Ben-Hur, tied with chains, rowing at the bottom of a slave ship's boat. I, the 'servant', have no freedom, no expression of their own, no wages. In 'Mandingo', a black slave commits a crime and the master boils him to death in a cauldron. A slave belonging to
However, the 'workers of Christ' are 'volunteer workers' who are willing to do so. I volunteered to become a worker thanks to the grace of God who saved a sinner like me, made him a child of God, and gave him eternal life and reward. A worker is completely different from a worker. A worker is a person who works for the master according to the call of the master, but a worker is a person who works according to his own desires for his own wages. So Jesus said in John 10:11-12, “11 I am the Good Shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep, 12 but the laborer is no shepherd, and the sheep are not his own. When he sees a wolf coming, he leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolves plunder the sheep and scatter them.” Volunteer workers give their lives for their master.
You and I are ‘workers’ called for the kingdom of God, and we are ‘stewards’ in charge of God’s great work. This is by no means something anyone can do. You have been given this job. The person entrusted with this task must be ‘loyal’. Because there is a reward for this work. As mentioned in verse 5, those who do well are praised. 1 Timothy 3:13 says, “Those who do well in the office of deacons gain great confidence in a beautiful position and in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.” In addition, there are many rewards reserved for faithful workers in the Bible.
The status we receive is given by the grace of God, regardless of our deeds. In other words, becoming a child of God is entirely by the grace of God. But the reward that guarantees a glorious life in the kingdom of God is given according to our efforts and works.
In Edinburgh, Scotland, there is a famous 'Dog's Grave' that attracts tourists. It is said to be inscribed on the stone: “Loyal servant, sleeps with his master.”
The owner of the dog has died. When his master died, the dog sat in front of his master's grave, rain or shine. No matter how much people come and drag you, they will come back and sit there again and again. So I couldn't help but eat if people brought me food, otherwise I would starve, but in the end he died near his master's grave. Then the villagers buried the dog next to the owner's grave and set up a tombstone on the grave.
As the years go by, every church is crying because there are no dedicated workers. Jesus said in Luke 18:8, “When the Son of Man comes, will you find faith on the earth?” This generation seems to be becoming like that.
Everyone, let's renew our hearts. Let's not let life go as the world flows. Let's listen to the opinions of others so we don't waste our lives in vain. Let's go forward faithfully as faithful workers and faithful stewards only "until we receive God's praise." So in 2005, let's receive God's grace more abundantly and realize many fruits of life.