Title: What Cross?
Contents
“And he who does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me; whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (verses 38-39).
In the Talmud, a person said, "God, please change it because it is too heavy," because the cross on his back was too heavy.
So, he put down his cross and chose this and that cross. Some crosses are stained with blood, and others are knotted. Among them, one light cross stood out to him, so he said, "I'll take that one." He said, "It's the very cross that you put down because it was heavy."
In fact, the cross is worn by everyone. No matter how heavy or light, people all carry the cross and we say that what we are carrying is heavy, but in fact, it is the lightest cross.
Today's sermon is titled 'What kind of cross?' Think of the following three things and try to receive grace.
1. It is the cross that controls the lusts of the flesh.
These days, mother-in-law women are riding in the media. This is because of the 100 billion won bill of fraud. When he organizes his wealth (100 billion won), all that remains is his ailing body. It is the result of excessive greed for the world's water lust.
In addition. When I come across the death of two prominent figures who died on the same day (Ik-Hwan Jung and Ik-Hwan Moon) and compare their lives, I feel a sense of dread that perhaps they could have walked such opposite paths while living in the same era.
During the American pioneering era, there were many wealthy people who became millionaires by selling more water than in California gold mines, among them Stanford Huntington Hearst Crocker and others. They do not only seek to achieve their own personal goals, but have established universities, libraries, castles, and banks, respectively, and returned them to society, which has been evaluated as a worthwhile work so far.
After the collapse of the dictatorship in the Philippines, the gold bars (1,200 tons) left by Marcos and Imelda's shoes (3,000 pairs) are being criticized.
In the above few cases, we must have the wisdom to control the lusts of the flesh. Believers should only spend as much as they need, and the rest should be willing to contribute to the things that please the Lord by helping those who are less than me.
Hymn 202:2. 'The strength to overcome the lusts of the flesh is the power of the blood of the Lord/It is a wonderful power to obtain a pure heart/Your blood is powerful;
2. It is the cross that overcomes the test of the heart.
A certain office worker told his friend that he couldn't eat because of his picky boss, and he told me about the experience of going through the same pain and the success story of overcoming the pain. This salaryman decided to do the same as his friend did. Every time my boss scolded me, I prayed in my heart. "Lord, have mercy on this man." Still, he continued to be picky. But I prayed that one day it would change. The boss continued to be unkind.
But as the years went by, love began to sprout. As he changed, so did his boss. The problem is with me. First, I have to change myself. The other person will change only when I change first. It's my fault. Jonah's heart, saying, "It is because of me that I met a great storm" should be our attitude of heart. As long as I change, others will change quickly.
According to Hymn 363:4,
'The test of the heart, if you present your heavy sins before the Lord Jesus,
Jesus is my strength and gives me strength to overcome the world
When I fall down because I can't bear to carry a heavy load alone
Only Jesus, the Lord of this grace who will take pity and save us
There are lyrics.
That's right. No matter how big or small we are, the tests of our hearts continue to come over and over like 'candies one after another' without interruption. But as long as I put all these trials and tribulations under the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord takes on all my troubles, the Lord bears the burden for me, shows His broad love, and gives me the strength to overcome the world.
Hallelujah!
3. It is the cross that protects the truth of the gospel.
“I was imprisoned, beaten countless times, and almost died. I was beaten five times by the Jews, which is less than one forty, three times with rods, once with stones, three times on shipwreck, I spent a day and a night in the depths, and traveled many times. In danger from the river, in danger from robbers, in danger from our own people, in danger from Gentiles, in danger in the city, in danger in the wilderness, in danger at sea, in danger from false brethren, in toil and toil, often sleepless, hunger, thirst, I was hungry, cold, and naked."
As we read this verse, we realize that there are so many shortcomings. I am so ashamed. I used to believe so lightly. I used to believe so lightly. How much shame and embarrassment have you experienced, and how much material expenditure, time, and talents have you devoted to witnessing the gospel of Jesus? I'm just sorry.
When I went to the underground caves of the catacombs of Rome while on a pilgrimage, I was deeply moved by discovering the origins and innocence of the martyrs' faith. We do not know how many martyrs risked their lives to defend the truth and evangelize when Christianity came into our country.
Compared to that, what we are living by faith now is really nothing. With a little care, you can reveal the glory of the Lord.
A deacon from a Korean church in Texas, USA moved to get closer to the church whenever the church moved. Each time, I went to the American president, Bok Deok-bang, who had bought the house in the first place and discussed it. As with all immigrant churches in the United States, this church rents an American church, so it moves frequently, and the deacons' family had to discuss it again with Bokdukbang.
Then, a few years later, I got a phone call from a local lawyer and was shocked. It was the news that Bok Deok-bang had made a will to give the property he left behind when he passed away to this butler, so he had to come and sign it and inherit the property.
The sight of this deacon moving closer to his house as the church moved from one church to another impressed the heart of Mr. Bok Deokbang. We hope you will be a great example for us.
In Job 21:13, it is said, "They prosper in their days, and then they go down to hell." This means that the riches of the world are only for a short time, and in the end they have no choice but to stand before the judgment seat.
And then in verse 14, "They said to God, "Depart from us, for we do not delight in knowing your ways."
But those who want to live righteously can see Job 22:21-28,
“Be at peace with God and be at peace with God, and blessings may come upon you, I pray you, take instruction from his mouth, and keep his words in your heart. Throw your drenched into the dust, and the gold of Ophir to stones by the river, and the Almighty will be your treasure, and your precious silver; then you will rejoice in the Almighty and lift up your face to God. For what you have done, you will repay it. Whatever you plan, it will come true, and your path will shine.”
We pray for you to follow in the footsteps of the Lord and follow in the footsteps of the Lord according to the teachings of the Lord spoken of in today's text.
(1994. 1. 23)