Title I Will Make You Prosperous (March 12)
Content span id="writeContents">◆ Main text: Hebrews 6:13-20
People make a lot of promises in their lives, and they live by believing in those promises. Some promises are vague and some are clear. Some promises are simple, and some are clear. There are promises that are hard to believe, and promises that are worth believing. One of our butlers promises to do my suit twice a year. On my birthday and on Christmas... But ten years have passed and you haven't done it yet. Still, he did not forget and said, “Pastor, I will definitely do it next time.” I don't believe it anymore. The value of the promise depends on who made the promise.
Today's Bible text is not about man's promises, but about God's promises. No matter how reliable a person is, sometimes a person's promises may not be kept. But today's Bible clearly gives us such a word as a sure promise about God's promises. If you look at the entire contents of the Bible, the relationship between God and us humans is a relationship of promise. So when it comes to formulas that work well in the Bible, God promises us and we believe in him... The Bible never deviates from that formula. God promises, and if we believe in it, it will happen.
Today's sermon comes from the background of the verse in Genesis 12. God chose Abraham, the son of Terah, who made the idol image. Now, that person is not a trustworthy person. That person is not a person who deserves to be chosen. But God saw first that there was faith in the center of his heart. Who is God's choice? Who does God bless? We believe that God will bless those who have faith in their hearts. First of all, he made a promise to him by choosing Abraham, the son of Terah, who makes an idol image, which is not worth much right now. “Leave your homeland, your homeland, your relatives, your father’s house. Then I will be with you and I will take charge of your life.”
There is a very funny story that happened in Minnesota, USA. There's a very large nightclub in front of the church, and that nightclub interferes with church services. So, I prayed in that church. Like us, we had a prayer meeting on the 20th and said, “God, please destroy that nightclub.” I prayed hard. A month after I prayed, the nightclub caught fire. The nightclub owner then filed a claim for damages against the church. The judge called the church representative and the nightclub owner. Ask the church representative. “Have you ever prayed for the destruction of the nightclub in your church?” After all, I prayed… “Yes, I prayed.” “Then did you believe and pray that the nightclub would be ruined?” “No, we just habitually pray. What will happen as you pray?” Ask the nightclub owner again. “Yeah, when did you hear about the church praying to ruin your nightclub?” “Yes, I heard about it a month ago.” “When the church says that you pray like that, would you believe it?” "of course. I believed it 100%.”
Now, who is the believer? Are the church members who just prayed ritually? Is the nightclub owner who believed he was going to fail as he had prayed? It is a funny story, but when we pray during our lives and do not have this certain faith, our faith is shaken. If you pray, believe. God's promises are meant to be fulfilled, even one jot and one tittle. Today’s Bible says: “Have a firm faith.” This is it.
Third, in today's words, we must have firm faith. Don't be shaken and have strong faith. It is not the faith that shakes quickly even when there is a small difficulty, but it is something anyone can do to give thanks when things go well. However, if we can live with faith and unwavering faith in difficult times, difficulties are not unhappiness. As I always say, the faith that turns trials into grace, this is what we call strong faith. If you just look at it, you can boast as if you are a blessed person when things go well, and give up when things get a little difficult. Speaking of faith that can sing praises when things go well, when we become people of faith who believe in God's promises and pray in difficult times, we can become children of blessing.
“In a hundred years I will give you children.” It sounds like a silly story, but Abraham believed. Then they say that according to that belief, he gave his son Isaac when he was 100 years old. The reason why people feel the limit of blessing is that they can't take God's great blessing as their own because they try to believe God's great word or blessing only to the extent that they can believe it. Is God only doing what you can think of? that's not it. Believe in even the impossible. What is a strong belief? Even if it's not my experience or my knowledge, if we say that we have faith that the Word takes precedence and promises take precedence, our faith does not waver.
This time too, God is telling you: "I will surely bless you and bless you..." Do you believe it? "I will make you prosperous and prosperous." To prosper has three meanings. One is biological prosperity. Just as living things grow and grow, It means biological prosperity, just like animals reproduce. Second, it means economic prosperity. It makes a good life and a good job, but what we say is more important than that is a flourishing of faith. Faith must grow. You have to have strong faith in God and keep expanding it with good faith. Everyone, this faith must also be blessed. I hope this blessing that makes you prosperous will be a blessing to all of you who attended today's worship service. I sincerely hope that you will receive biological blessings, financial blessings, and spiritual prosperity as well. We will pray as we do.
“Thanks and thankful Father God, we definitely believe in your promises. I definitely believe it. Help me to come before you with unchanging faith, and help me to become beloved saints who can live with strong faith. We thank and pray in the name of Jesus. Amen."