Title: You Are Mine (July 6)
Content span id="writeContents">◆ Main text: Isaiah 43:1~3
Today, according to our church calendar, is the Thanksgiving Day when we start the year and gather the first fruits to give thanks before God. A funny story happens every year on Thanksgiving Day, but a few days ago, my 6-year-old butler's child asked me a question.
“No, it’s not beer, it’s Macchuya!”
“My dad is a very good beer drinker.”
I wondered, "Yeah, how much do you eat?"
“That much.”
The butler is sitting here now. behind me...
Everyone, it's not Beer Thanksgiving Day, but Macchu Thanksgiving Day. I am so grateful to start the year of giving the first fruits... When I think about the time that has passed, it is a confession that I have not lived, but that God has made me live. A confession of faith is not a report of how well I have lived, but a confession of gratitude that God has made me live.
I sincerely hope that God will make the conditions of gratitude more abundant for all of you who are thankful today.
One of the deacons, who suffered tremendous pain and had a hard time, later felt conflicts in his life of faith and was also anxious about the existence of God. One day, he suddenly looked at the Word and saw this Word today. “You are mine.” “You are mine.” Although it was a word he had heard countless times and seen countless times, the deacon said that once in his life, the word of God, “You are mine,” came alive and came to his heart and embraced him. The living Word gave him courage, who was struggling with pain. What more convincing words could there be than any other expression of this love: “You are mine”?
To Adam and Eve, who sinned in the Garden of Eden and were expelled from ever seeing God again, to those who had no choice but to die, and to those who were abandoned, whatever God said to them, I still love you, Still, you say that you are mine. I hope you will be sure of this word of love from God.
Now, let's confess to the person next to us. “You are mine.”
A lot of times people hear this as a check mark. A young man from our church took a picture of a virgin before enlisting in the military and said, “You are mine. So, don’t do entertainment, you’re different, don’t sell your eyes, and don’t look at other men.” Then Ji went to the military and fell in love with another woman, and we got married. What you call love, your feelings of love, I want to be variable. But the confirmation of God's love is eternal and is called unchanging love.
“I have called you by name…”
A young man came up to me and said, “Pastor! One day God calls my name and says, ‘I love you.’ If I hear one word from you, I will not do anything else until I die, and I will serve only God and live. Why do other people say that they have heard the voice of God a lot.... If God says that God lives, then he must also hear that voice for me.... I have never heard such a voice in my religious life until now. Pastor, how are you?”
I told the young man that. “You don't deserve to hear God's voice. It’s not that you can’t hear God’s voice, but how can you close your eyes and cover your ears and hear God’s voice and see God?”
He was looking at me with strange eyes, so I did. “Look at the Word of God, the living Word. There he calls Abraham. Call Adam there. There you call Moses.” Ah~ At this point, Amen should come out...
How our church members have weakened their agility these days... "Calling Peter..."
You are not calling people who have passed two or three thousand years ago, but you are calling my name when you call Abraham. That is what the language of heaven is. The God who called Abraham at that time is now calling my name. At that time, as Abraham heard God's voice and answered God like that, I said, "God!" If you answer that way, you will meet God in the Word, and today, I will say, “Amen!” If you do, that blessing will come to you. Although God specifically comes to us in this way... He has come to us who are alive, He has called us by name, and has promised our blessings, but we humans are too obsessed with God's Word, the living Word I try to think that I may not be indifferent.
“I have called you by name… by my name…”
When my son was in elementary school, one day he came from school because he felt so good.
"Daddy daddy"
"Why?"
“My teacher told me to bring water.”
Ah~ Well, I came here because I was so happy with the errand he ordered me to get water. That's why I still think I'm stupid
"no! It's nothing else, but among the many people, I tell you to bring water... What's so good about running errands?" Then, “Daddy…” The teacher from among 50 of his class said, “Sungsik!” Then he called out his name. Oh my gosh... Floating water isn't that hard. Why? Because the teacher called me...my name...
Everyone, how great a blessing this is to say that God remembers me.
Love to be remembered... God remembers me. you call me
And you are mine, you are mine, you are mine...
Helping people like this makes a human being successful, much less God said that He loves you.... He loved you, named you, and gave the words that you are mine. Now, it belongs to God. God's property...
Why does a person feel lonely? When I think that no one loves me, I feel the loneliest thing in the world. But God said, “You are mine.” “I love you!” he says.
That very word.... Gentlemen, the core of our Christian gospel is right here. nothing else. God has called me by name, and you are mine. love me That word stands at the center of our gospel. Now, we who have been chosen and appointed like that, know how to live by answering that love, that such a life should be our life.
Love doesn't stop with feeling and love thinking. Since we were chosen and became people of God, we need a life that knows how to respond to love without lacking in that love. God clearly loves you, has designated you, and has given you clear words of confirmation of love that you are mine. I sincerely hope that you will be able to accomplish the miracle of love, where the great work of God always appears to all of you who believe and live these words.
We will pray with you.
“Thank you, Father God! Thank you for being with us. Let the year begin and bear the first fruits, and receive our thanks on this Thanksgiving Sunday to give thanks for the first fruits, and especially, God pointed out us and said that you are mine, so we are lacking as children of God. Help me to live a life without it. I earnestly pray in the name of Jesus. Amen."