Title Beyond the Wild Fields / 2004.7.25
beyond the content plate
Mark 1:9-15, Matthew 4:1-11
Today's Bible verse shows the first appearance of Jesus when he began to preach the gospel. It's a short passage, but it records three events linked together. First, Jesus was baptized, second, he went into the wilderness and fasted for 40 days, and then was tempted by Satan, and third, he began to preach the gospel. Jesus is the Word who became flesh and came into the world. Therefore, not only the teachings of Jesus, but also the actions and deeds of Jesus are the words that He gives to us. If you look closely at these three processes of Jesus today, you can hear the great message he gives us.
1. to be baptized
Jesus was baptized not because he, the Son, needed baptism, but in doing so to set an example for all Christians.
When Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist and came up from the water, the heavens parted and the Holy Spirit descended like a dove. And there came a voice, 'You are my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased!' I did. This is to show that Jesus is not simply a human being, but is doing God's work with God's authority.
As Christians, we must have this confidence. When you ask yourself who I am, you should be able to answer, 'I am a beloved child of God!' 'I am of heaven. I am a man of God. I am a citizen of heaven.' I hope that you will become saints who confirm themselves in this way. This must be confessed in the morning prayer every day. You could deliberately look in the mirror every morning and say to yourself.
A person acts as much as his consciousness. When we Christians are convinced that they belong to heaven and are children of God, their lives will become like children of God.
The philosopher Heidegger said, 'Language is the house of being'. In other words, I think it means that people make themselves with their words. If we continue to say many words of faith, hope, and thanks even in our ordinary life, that person's life will be like that. On the contrary, if you keep using the words of doubt, dissatisfaction, and complaints, your life will be filled with dissatisfaction, and even your faith will disappear. This is the law of grace that Jesus spoke of--to those who have, more is given, and from those who do not have, even what they have is taken away.
That is why we need to confess our faith rightly and firmly every day. 'I am a beloved child of God. I am of heaven I am a man of God.'
2. Temptation in the wilderness.
But after being baptized and hearing the voice of heaven, Jesus went out into the wilderness. It also says that the Holy Spirit drove it out. Why did the Holy Spirit drive Jesus into the wilderness? He was so confident, heard the voice of heaven, and had a clear confession of faith. He could have just gone out and testified with that fullness. How did the Holy Spirit drive Jesus out of the plates?
This is because the heat and power of faith are hardened and become certain only through the wilderness. A tree that has gone through severe rainstorms and blizzards can become lumber and pillars.
(One day, I saw a new believer who experienced the Holy Spirit as soon as he first believed and met me and asked, “Do you not watch TV or anything like that?” I just laughed, but I thought to myself. You must experience it to be able to stand strong in your true faith...)
Peter cried out in front of Jesus that he would never leave him. But right in the high priest's court, he denied knowing Jesus three times. This was a wilderness for Peter.
How often do we also receive grace in the Word and be filled with confidence? But whenever that belief enters the world and faces various problems, why is it so powerless, why is it broken so easily, and even loses faith... Why is that?
Because belief is not just a game of emotions. Because faith is not a word. Because belief is not a thought. It's very real. And the field of life we encounter is not a literary or abstract place. Those are very real and direct problems. The world we have to face is a wilderness full of temptations and trials--a harsh field. On that board, our beliefs are simply abstract or emotional that are difficult to overcome or endure.
A few days ago, while I was driving, a bus came and stopped next to me, and while I was waiting for the signal, I saw this beautiful writing on it.
'What a serene beauty of sitting in the shade of a tree and wiping other people's tears'
In an instant, two thoughts ran through my head. It kept running out of my head as I ran to the signal that changed another thought, with the thought of who would have put such a nice phrase on the bus like that. Words are beautiful, but aren't they too abstract words that don't know the intensity and pain of life? Wilderness--I wondered if it was a series of words that were very girly, who did not know about the harsh field.
I saw similar passages in the daily worship book 'Heavenly Food'. A man had a dream, and God appeared to him and said, 'If you meet a monk resting in a pavilion tree outside Dong-gu, he will give you a precious jewel, so find happiness in it.' that it did. So I went to the monk, and he took a large diamond from his bag and gave it to him, which he picked up in the woods a few days ago. If you wish, I will give it to you. while giving The man returned with joy, but somehow he felt uneasy, so he fell asleep and returned to the monk, handed the diamond to him and said, 'Monk, what I really want is not a diamond. I knew that the jewel that God spoke of was not like this, but the heart of a monk. Teach me the treasure.' that it did. It's a beautiful story. This story is symbolic, meaning that the true treasures of life are not in material things. Nevertheless, I think that the reason why it does not come close to deep emotion is because of an abstract story that does not contain anguish and pain.
Young people--If you go to work after having faith and praying hard, most of them are shaken and even lose their faith. Even though they are driven out by their busy lives, it is because they cannot stand by faith in the wilderness. Faith grows in the wilderness--that rough field with the cold wind.
After Jesus was baptized, he heard the voice of heaven saying that he is the one who is pleased with God and was filled with it, but this is the reason why the Holy Spirit took him to the wild field. All beliefs are not abstractions, but real ones that must be met, endured, fought and overcome on the board. It is not a sentimental mind or an abstract imagination. Faith is the actual battle you have to face the cold wind on the board. That is why the Holy Spirit brought Jesus to the table.
What did Jesus experience in that wild wilderness? And what did you do then?
Jesus was tempted by Satan in this plate--the wilderness. You were tempted by bread. Because Jesus had a body just like ours, the temptation to eat must have been the most difficult for Jesus, who fasted and prayed for 40 days. So Satan also tempted Jesus with bread at that moment.
The temptation of bread awaits in that wilderness that we must meet in our lives. Bread is money. The greatest temptation that saints encounter in the world, the most frequent temptation--it is the temptation of material things. They suffer for money, fight for money, and throw away their faith because of money. But the Lord said.
Man does not live by bread alone,
live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Matthew 4:4
The second was a spiritual test. It was a temptation for the devil to take Jesus to the top of the high temple and try to jump from it. Christians are faced with this second temptation in the trials of life that they sometimes encounter while living their faith with fervent faith and passionate devotion.
I believe in Jesus, but why is this happening?
I prayed so much, but why is it so difficult...
I worked so hard, but why is this situation like this...
How could this happen if there is a God?
At this time, Satan penetrates into the heart of a Christian. 'Your faith is in vain. There is no God you believe in. If not, how did this happen to you?' This is the removal of the cross from our faith. It makes me forget the love of Christ who gave up his body for me and the grace of redemption, and put my faith only in my comfort, my safety, and my physical blessings.
Christians encounter these temptations and trials in the wild wilderness, the harsh field, and in the field of life and life. Dear children of God and people of God, I hope you will always win through faith. The living space and field of life we actually encounter is such a rough field. Faith must be built up here, so the Holy Spirit brought Jesus to the plate--the wilderness.
The third temptation Jesus was subjected to was physical temptation. Another great temptation to tempt humans is the temptation of pleasure. In the world, there is nothing in the world that does not exist in order to find pleasure and pleasure. Every day surprises new pleasures and pleasures are calling us. This is the wilderness that believers must face after receiving grace. That rough field. Only after crossing this wilderness can we go to the place of our mission. The Lord also rejected Satan's temptation when he came, saying, 'Go away, Satan, for it is written, Worship the Lord your God and serve him only' (4:10).
3. Preach the Gospel.
After crossing this wilderness, Jesus finally began to preach the gospel. Jesus, the Son, did not necessarily need this course, but as a lesson to us, he went beyond this process and came out to preach the gospel.
Although Jesus defeated Satan's temptations with the Word, he was probably hungry and very tired. At that time, angels were said to have ministered. It means that God's helping hand is with you.
In a TV commercial, I saw a friend singing to a friend who was discouraged for some reason, 'Let's run to the board...'. The gaze of the actor patting his discouraged friend on the back and looking at his friend's face was very impressive.
That's right. We believe that the Holy Spirit helps us when we are exhausted and unable to control ourselves in the wilderness--that rough field. The Holy Spirit helps us to go beyond that rough field to the place of our mission.
In the same way, the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought.
But the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. Romans 8:26
In the field of life that you meet, I hope that you will be strengthened, to all the saints who keep their faith while fighting countless temptations and trials. Jesus also went through this rough field to the place of his mission. Only after that did he begin to preach the gospel. I pray that you will become saints who always achieve victory with the belief that the Holy Spirit is helping me with the angels whenever I cross the board.
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