Title: What Will Be Forever
Contents
to be forever
(2 Corinthians 9:6-11)
“As it is written, He scattered and gave to the poor, and his righteousness endures forever” (verse 9).
There is a saying in Chinese that says 'A woman in need in the Jeokseonjiji' (積善之家 必有余慶). It means that a lot of auspicious things happen to families that do a lot of good deeds. There is also a saying in Korean, "If you float running water, it becomes a ball."
Deuteronomy 15:11 says, “You must give to him, and when you give, do not loose your heart. Because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all that you do and in the work of your hands. Therefore I command you, that you must open your hand to the needy and needy of your brothers in your territory.”
Leviticus 19:9-10 “When you pluck the grain of your land, do not reap to the very corner of your feet, and do not gather your ears of grain, nor the fruit that has fallen in your vineyards, but leave them for the poor and for strangers, for I am the Lord your God.” Lev. 23:22; Deut. 24:19).
Deuteronomy 14:28-29 "At the end of every three years, take out one tenth of that year's produce, and save it in your towns, and come and eat the Levites who have no portion or inheritance among you, and the strangers and orphans and widows who live in your towns. Be satisfied, and the LORD your God will bless you in everything by your hand."
Exodus 23:9-11 “You shall not oppress a foreigner, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt, and you know the landscape of the sojourner. Leave it aside, that the poor of your people may eat, and the rest of it the beasts of the field will eat, and so will your vineyard and olive grove."
Scattering and giving will make you richer. If you spare too much, you will only become poor. Those who love giving will have abundance, and those who refresh others will be refreshed" (Proverbs 11:24-25).
“He who gives to the poor will never be in need, but many curses are on him who is dishonest” (Proverbs 28:27).
Ecclesiastes 11: 1-2 "Throw your food on the water, and after many days you will find it back. Give it to seven or eight, for you do not know what calamity will come upon this land."
If you throw food into the water, the fish will pick it up, eat it, grow well, and reproduce many young from the eggs, which can lead to re-entry in fishing or netting.
Also, when giving alms in the New Testament in the Sermon on the Mount, do not blow the trumpet in the synagogues or in the streets, but do it secretly so that the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing (Mt 6:2-4), and give alms without any expectation (Mt 5:42, Luke 6:39) and by giving alms, make pockets that do not wear out (Luke 12:33), and giving alms to the rich to the poor will have many treasures in heaven (Matthew 19:21), and the early church was also zealous. He gave relief (Acts 4:32-35), and the first direct election of the church started because of the relief (Acts 6:1-6), and Tabitha (Acts 9:36) and Cornelius (Acts 10:2) were also good at giving relief, The apostle Paul also emphasized alms a lot (Romans 12:13, Galatians 2:10, Ephesians 4:28).
Also, according to the pastoral epistles, it was recommended to be rich in good works and to be distributed (Ti 6:18-19).
Open to James 2:14-17 and read with one voice.
“My brethren, what profit is it if a man says he has faith and has no works? Can faith save him? What profit is it if you say to him to call, and do not give him anything for his body? So faith without works is dead in itself."
He said that it is good to have a heart of compassion for the poor, but having such a heart is not enough to be called salvation.
Faith without works is of no use. But the Lord said in Luke 6:38, “Give, and it will be given to you; and with regret, it will be given to you, pressed down, shaken, and overflowing.”
He promised a fivefold blessing that, if you give out, ① it will be generous ② press ③ shake ④ overflow ⑤ give it to you.
There are two great lakes in Israel, one is the Sea of Galilee and the other is the Dead Sea. The melt water of Mount Helmon gathers the natural waters of the valley to form a lake of Galilee, rich in fish, and the water is used for industrial, agricultural, and drinking water. It doesn't run off.
There is no water to run down. As the water evaporates due to weather conditions and the Dead Sea fills the Dead Sea with brine with a lot of salt, fish cannot survive, and only pillars of salt are thickly formed along the lakeside.
The lake of Galilee, which receives the upper water and sends it down, is living water. But the Dead Sea, which receives only the upper water and does not flow down, is salt water and dead water.
In other words, a person who only receives grace and cannot do it is like the Dead Sea, and the foundation of that person's heart dies. But those who live by receiving, reciprocating, giving, and contributing are always productive. Fresh. I live and I save others. Good water comes out if you keep pumping well. Sealed spring water is not good. It is a blessing to take the material you have given us and distribute it to the poor around us.
In today's text, salvation is being explained. First, it is to do it in secret. He told me not to brag about it in public, but to help in secret. The second is to do it with a happy heart. Don't do it with force or stinginess, but have fun with a willing heart. Third, I told you to be sincere. Do not do it without sincerity, but do it with the greatest sincerity and give sincerity. The fourth is to love the soul. To love is no different from the slogan of the poor of the world.
That soul is very precious.
That is why, in today's text, 2 Corinthians 9:9 says, "He scattered and gave to the poor, and his righteousness endures forever." If you help them, the reward for their righteous deeds will be remembered not only in this world but also into the eternal kingdom. Not for a moment, but forever.
We are all participating in helping the poor people around us at eleven and eleventh. I pray that God's grace will be with the various alumni who participated in the worship service hosted by the Ministry of Social Affairs tonight.
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