Title: What is the Greater Victory?
Contents
Sunday, September 6, 2009 Sermon
Sermon Title: What is the Greater Victory?
Word: 2 Chronicles 15:1-19
0. Introduction
Now that we have entered the beginning of autumn, the sky is so blue and beautiful. If you go up to Jangneung Mountain in the early morning and look at the sky, it seems that blue water will soon pour down. The largest desert in the world is the Saara Desert. It has an area equivalent to 86 times the area of Korea. Do you know how to cross without getting lost in the desert? Even with their own experience and modern tools, it is said that they eventually get lost in the desert and wither to death. It is said that the way is to walk while looking up at the sky. Even in desert storms, in pitch-black darkness and in endless darkness, the positions of the sun, moon and stars in the sky unchangingly point the way. This marvelous truth is that God is the only way, as we look to the sky when difficulties like a desert storm come and we have nothing to depend on.
King Asa, who appears in today's verse, is faced with a life crisis like a storm in the desert. A million armies of Goose have attacked. I looked up to God in heaven and prayed (2 Chronicles 14:11) in a situation I couldn't handle. There is only one Lord who can help between the strong and the weak. It is also to show that man cannot overcome God. God hears King Asa's prayer and defeats King Cush's 1 million army. Humans tend to be arrogant after such great victories. It's even easier now that you've defeated a million troops. I sincerely hope that today will be a precious time to see what victory is greater than the victory that King Asa defeated a million troops through the words of God.
1. After victory, humbly listening to the word of the Lord brings greater victory.
In the famous classic 'The Journey of the Old Man', Christian, the protagonist, faces many obstacles on the way to the kingdom of God out of the long-distance castle. And whenever that obstacle appears, guides appear and give him helpful advice. A Christian appears as a companion and obeys the advice he gives to overcome obstacles and arrives in heaven. Even now, God appears as a companion in our lives and continues to give advice from the Word. Please believe that if we humbly listen to the advice of the Word and obey it, our lives, like King Asa, will not fall into arrogance and will lead us to the right path.
2. Showing that you are with God is a greater victory.
3. A life that belongs to the gospel of the Lord is a greater victory.
Even after the victory, King Asa remained faithful in his service to God. In today's verse 12, his faithful heart is clearly shown through "and he made a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of the fathers, with all his heart and with all his soul." Like King Asa, when we live a faithful life with all our heart and all our soul, God gives us peace in verse 15 and gives us the blessing that there will be no more wars in verse 19. In this way, it shows that when we fully restore our relationship with God, the problems around us are also peacefully resolved. What is the climax where King Asa was faithful to God? In today's verse 16, "Asa's mother Maacah made an abomination of poles for Asherah, so Asa abolished her position as concubine, cut down her idol, crushed it and burned it by the Kidron brook." are giving Through the dethroning of his mother who worshiped idols from the empress, it shows that King Asa truly belongs to God.
If King Asa loved God from the point of view of his mother, he would be selfish in flesh and blood. If you love God from the point of view of a white person, you become racist. If you love God from the perspective of the Jewish people, you are becoming nationalistic. Belonging to the gospel of Jesus Christ takes precedence over blood, race, or ethnicity. And it is that we love our family, we love our race, and we love our people from the Lord's perspective, not our own. The words of Jesus come to mind. Matthew 12:50 says, “Whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
Even after our victory, humbly obeying the Word will bring about greater victory. Being a disciple of Jesus Christ and showing life with God will bring greater victory. Belonging to the gospel of Jesus Christ brings greater victory than any relationship around me.
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