Title Imitate Christ (06-01-29 Sunday Sermon)
Contents
Bible: Romans 12:14-16. Sunday, January 29, 2006 Sermon.
Title: Imitate Christ.
Everyone! As humans, we are overcome with a strong feeling that we must first retaliate against those who have harmed us. Even if we sometimes use self-control to overcome these intense feelings, we want our enemies to be harmed by disaster or loss in some way.
And even if it doesn't have to be, I know that it's hard to find a few out of 100 people who want the enemy to do well. So, in fact, we have to conclude that blessing those who persecute us, which today's text requires us to do, is very impossible with our fallen nature as it is.
So here we are taught that we must first change our character. In other words, we must not be conformed to this generation and must be transformed by renewing our minds, so that we can live a life that resembles Jesus, who loved even our enemies.
In any case, the goal of ethics that we believers should practice is to make efforts to bless those who persecute us. Ephesians 4:15 says, But speaking the truth in love, you may grow up into him in all things. He is the head, the Christ. said
So, toward this goal, we are able to put off our old self and put on the new one by constantly studying the Word and doing our spiritual training to watch and pray. Matthew 5:44. And you have heard it was said to love your neighbor and hate your enemies, but I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. He says.
There is nothing negative about Jesus. Rather, he exhorts us to love our enemies more actively and pray for those who persecute us. On the other hand, today we hear the exhortation to live together with our neighbors. This is a message to rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
Therefore, it is teaching us to abandon the extremely individualistic way of thinking and live a little more altruistically. A self-centered person can never rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. Everyone! Celebrating another's success is indeed more difficult than sympathizing with his grief and loss.
Especially when his success has to do with our disappointment. So it is only when our ego is dead that we can enjoy the success of others as our own. Here we should imitate the true love of our Lord, even if he forgave and loved even his enemies. And in order to love our neighbor, we must first be humble.
And for humility, we need to be of the same mind. It's high, but don't worry about it. And you shouldn't say you're wise. “Pride” is the most poisonous thing in our life of faith. And this pride begins with ignoring God and others and ignoring ourselves as wise. Even those who seem very humble and courteous on the surface, if they consider themselves wise, have already crossed the line of humility.
Now we close the word. The human society we live in is full of constant conflict. And if we lose reason and put our emotions first in resolving these conflicts, it is easy to damage the virtue of our faith. We must overcome these risks.
When Jesus was high on the cross to forgive mankind's sins and to save us from their sins, He prayed to God in this way toward the atrocious crowd who cried out and clamored like this.
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Amen.