Title: With a Living Hope
Contents
1 Peter 1:3-7 With a living hope
"Do you want to be a woman? Do you want to be a queen?" Have you ever heard a propaganda with this phrase? It is none other than a propaganda phrase from ‘Kwak & G Plastic Surgery’. 'Plastic Surgery' and 'Do you want to live as a woman? Do you want to live as a queen?” can you guess what I mean? In other words, if you apply plastic surgery to your face, you will become a queen, and if you leave your face as it is, you will become an insignificant woman.
But are you really like that? Does plastic surgery, or a person's face, completely determine a person's life? Doesn't seem like it. If you look at Korea and here in Canada, the faces of women in prostitutes and bars are always as beautiful as queens. But are they real queens? Isn't it? In other words, it is the heart within us that brings us true happiness, not external factors, including appearance.
Among them, verse 3 of today's text says that God gives us "a living hope" through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. That is, the person who believes in Jesus and holds on to the living hope and hope that Jesus gives is happy, his life has meaning, and his life becomes a king and queen. Are you Amen? Do you think that those who do not say Amen still have to rip off their faces to become kings and queens?
Ladies and gentlemen, many people today live in a sense of helplessness. He despairs about the difficulties in front of him, so he escapes reality and lives. And since there is no way to solve the fear and despair in front of him, he avoids it with alcohol and debauchery. Then, when he suddenly feels that his life is meaningless, he decides to die. So, if you look on the Internet, sometimes 'suicide sites' appear.
In particular, when sensitive youths break up with their loved ones or experience quarrels with their parents at home, they cannot overcome the sadness and pain.
pessimistic about life. And, on suicide sites, they often write the phrase ‘who will go with me’. Guys, is breaking up with your lover really mortal? Are family difficulties or fights with friends a reason to commit suicide? So how many people here will be left without dying?
Folks, the real reason they want to die is because there is no hope in their hearts. He wants to die because he can't see the future. He is trying to die because he despairs, saying, "I have to live, there is a dark cliff in front of me." In other words, the greatest suffering is not the ordeal that is unfolding in front of you right now, but the desire to die because there is no hope for the future.
Ladies and gentlemen, if we do not have the living hope that God gives us, it is easy for us too to despair and give up on life even in small difficulties. easily discouraged. But if God gives us a brilliant hope for the future, we can overcome any adversity. A lot of people are corrupt these days. Why? Is it because they have no knowledge or honor? Is it simply because the trials or pains that you have faced are too great? Rather than that, even if you have everything and have enough, you fall because there is no hope for the future.
Have any of you fallen or despaired in your own way? Are you desperate from the depths of your heart because life is meaningless? Of course, even if you believe in Jesus for a long time, you can fall. Even if you believe in Jesus for a long time, whenever trials come your way, you may be shaken and your heart may go back and forth. Why? This is because we could not be with Jesus, who was resurrected and gave us a living hope, and we could not fully hold on to Jesus. But when we meet the resurrected Jesus, we never give up or fall. It doesn't come and go.
Ladies and gentlemen, don't we think that North Korea will soon collapse from poverty? Nevertheless, North Korea is still holding out. Why? Isn't it because they have their own hopes? Kim Jong-il has the hope that South Korea will be destroyed and that South Korea will be absorbed and unified. It is difficult now, but in the end, we can win. Soon, we can turn around and absorb South Korea and unify it, so we are holding on like that.
In this way, even dead hopes and absurd hopes, while maintaining a nation, how strong will our lives be if we hold on to the living hope that Jesus gives us? Ladies and gentlemen, don't you and I who believe in Jesus have a living hope, not a dead hope or dog dream? Even if it is difficult right now, did not Jesus give me and you the hope that all these difficulties will be overcome in the future and that we will rule the heavens and the earth? Therefore, we are happy even in the midst of difficulties. There is peace in the midst of crisis. I feel infinite joy in the midst of pain.
Of course, when a big problem or test comes, I get anxious for a while. But even in the midst of problems and trials, we rejoice over finding hope. Therefore, today's text verse 6 says: “Therefore, you now have been compelled to be grieved for a little while because of various trials, but on the contrary, you rejoice greatly.”
In the early days of your faith, you can sometimes run into this dilemma. If we believe in Jesus and become sons and daughters of God, then everything should be fine, but why do difficult things happen? In our opinion, God protects us so we don’t get sick, we get along when we take exams, we get married when we see goodness, and if we buy the lottery, we should win billions and live for our country. Rather, why are there trials in our lives? .
If you look at verse 7 of today's text, you will see the reason. “So that the trial of your faith, more precious than gold that perishes, even though it is tried by fire, may be found to be praise, glory, and honor at the appearing of Jesus Christ.” And in verse 4, it says, “He gives you an inheritance that is incorruptible, undefiled, and does not fade, which is reserved for you in heaven.” In other words, God trains and trains through trials in order to pass on an inheritance to us.
What are the three major missions of pigs? Let's eat, let's sleep, let's get cheap. It is the mission of pigs to simply eat well, eat well, sleep well, gain a lot of weight, and then make it to the human table. So do pig owners exercise pigs? don't do it If you do it will be a big deal! What if a pig runs and jumps and loses weight after going on a diet? I never do exercise. Just give the pig as much delicious food as he wants, and make the bed comfortable so he can sleep 20 hours a day so he doesn't get stressed out. why? It's going to eat you up!" So, let the pig be comfortable and comfortable as you wish.
Ladies and gentlemen, why does God make us who are sons and daughters of God run through hardships because we believe in Jesus? Why do you make me jump high and sometimes I can't even sleep? Why don't you take it easy and give us these and other trials? Isn't that nothing but to use us as pigs, to train us to become God's heirs, and to inherit an inheritance?
Everyone, this is it. Therefore, for some people, nothing happened when they weren't going to church, but when they started coming to church, it was the next week
Accidents may occur while driving, health problems may arise, or difficult events may occur. Why? It's just that God doesn't think of us as pigs. God thinks of us as heirs who will inherit the inheritance, so he has us teach the successors.
Gentlemen, we do not fully understand the will of God. Who among us sitting here can fully know the will of God? But one thing is certain, that God will eventually lead me to green pastures and still waters, and will make me an heir to God's inheritance. Believing in that is what a mature Christian looks like. Therefore, no matter what trials may come in this foreign land, I pray that you will always be the precious people of God who go forward with a living hope through Jesus Christ and trusting God who leads me completely.