Title Let's go forward (Hebrews 10:35-39)
Contents
A missionary was traveling on a Thai plane. He asked the stewardess, "Do you know Jesus Christ?" with the intention of doing evangelism. Then, the stewardess disappeared, leaving a reply, "Guests, please wait a moment. We'll find out soon." The missionary was puzzled, but the stewardess came back and replied, "I'm sorry, guest. No matter how much I looked up the passenger list, no such person was on this plane." I think it must be a humor that someone made.
Now we are on the road of life with the Lord. You shouldn't know him.
Everyone is shouting that it's hard right now. If it's hard for me, it's hard for others too. Stock prices are falling and the exchange rate is rising. Property value goes down. It is natural that if there is a light, there will be a shadow. However, the faith that stands out even more in difficult times is the Christian faith. It is the people of faith who live courageously without being swayed even in the dark. God always accomplishes great things through positive and positive people. Those who actively seek God meet God and experience the hand of God's power. I believe that the Lord who is with us will help and strengthen us until the shadows become bright.
First, I will never say a word of complaint.
Second, I will keep the atmosphere in the house bright.
Third, I will be grateful for the blessings I have received.
Fourth, I will turn disease into something beneficial.
The text given to us today teaches the suffering Christians at that time what kind of attitude they should have in their life of faith. In particular, it is emphasized that we must not step back. Even if circumstances such as pain or failure threaten the Christian life, the lesson of the text is that we should not back down because of such things. When times are difficult, we must move forward. You have to learn and learn to live aggressively in difficult times. And you have to put it into practice.
1. You have to be bold to move forward.
They said that you have to be brave to receive an award. Verse 35 says, “Therefore, do not forsake your courage, for this has a great reward.” Looking at verse 34, Christians at that time were imprisoned, had their property stolen, and were kicked out of their jobs because of one reason they believed in Jesus. But if you lose courage or give up your faith because of such things, you will not be rewarded. Therefore, he says, do not give up your boldness.
Here, 'boldness' has the same meaning as the word 'confidence'. They are used interchangeably because courage and boldness cannot be abandoned as long as there is certainty. Biblical commentator Delitzsch said, "A Christian who has given up his convictions is not a Christian just as a soldier who has given up his shield is no longer a soldier." That's right. It is difficult for a Christian without faith, so a person who is afraid and afraid of anything and is startled by little things, it is difficult to move forward.
He is a God who rewards those who seek God with bold faith and strive to come to Him. There may be tests or failures. However, if you overcome such things with bold faith, the reward will come.
The Bible says, "Always be of good cheer" in the Old Testament and New Testament times. Moses said to Joshua, "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid of them. Do not tremble before them. For the LORD your God will go with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you" (Deuteronomy 31:6). Jesus said in John 16:33, "In the world you will have tribulation, but take courage. I have overcome the world." Boldness in the Bible means not bowing down in life for Christ, no matter what trials and tribulations you face. We must never give up our boldness in order to win great prizes.
These days, Nobel Prize winners in each category are being selected. The life journey that the laureates had to go through before they were awarded the Nobel Prize would never have been possible without courage and would not have been accomplished without courage. There will be risks and there will be failures. However, I believe that I received the award because I was courageous.
2. You have to be patient to move forward.
It is said that you have to persevere to fulfill the promise. In verse 36, it says, "You need patience, so that you may receive the promise after you have done the will of God."
Patience is called 'Hippomone'. It means 'When soldiers are marching and the road is blocked, they do not turn back or sit down, but walk in a forward posture.' Patience is absolutely necessary in the life of faith. Even if you have been saved, you must persevere in order to receive answers and to receive blessings by being patient and waiting.
It took British historian Edward G.bbon 20 years to write the book The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. American historian George Bancroft took 26 years to write American history. We are now experiencing trials and sufferings that are difficult to bear in many ways.
Patience is the most precious quality a Christian should possess. Furthermore, it is a character that human beings should possess. Even animals do not get angry at once or express their feelings at once. Shouldn't people be able to be patient?
When a female penguin lays an egg, the male penguin covers it with its wings and warms it to release the young. It is said that it can withstand the strong winds of 40 km/h while fighting the cold of minus 40 degrees without eating for at least two months.
If you think about it, human patience is so weak and powerless. The patience of believers is no exception. I have no patience, I don't know how to wait. Even the slightest distress makes me irritable, even the slightest pain makes me nervous, and I get frustrated and give up easily.
If you are not patient, you will not be able to fulfill your promises.
You have to be patient to make your dreams come true.
You must persevere to achieve eternal salvation.
3. God is pleased only when we move forward.
God does not leave those whom God is pleased with. The text stresses that "don't step back". He said, "If I go back, my heart will not be pleased with him" (verse 38) and said that if you go back, you will fall into ruin (verse 39). The word 'backward' means "withdraw", "to drag back" (verse 39). that is. A backslider is one who easily withdraws his purpose or plan. And he's the one who pulls others back. So, the person who steps back is the person who does not hesitate to bring others down.
There are past-oriented values and there are future-oriented values. Past-oriented values mean to give meaning to and mention the past, and future-oriented values mean to move forward with hope for the future. Christianity is a forward looking religion. All religions are discussing the future. However, no other religion has such a clear and clear vision of the future as Christianity. we go back today Let's resist the temptation to find what's behind. And let us heed the command to go forward and find what is above. God is not pleased with past-oriented people, those who take a step backwards, and those who often step back.
Taking a step back is an action taken by people with negative thoughts, life and values. Such people don't laugh well. I do not praise. I'm not talking about hope. He speaks of despair at that time and speaks of darkness. They try to criticize and criticize and give up easily.
A retreat may be intentional. But it is not the soldier who takes a step back in every war. Business has its successes and failures, but there is a fundamental problem in failing if you put your hands on business. In sports, there is always a winning and losing order, but if you lose without ever winning, that team should be disbanded. Let's not step back.
In the case of the Israelites, they left Egypt and arrived in the land of Canaan after 40 years. It was a tedious and arduous journey indeed. So they insisted on going back to Egypt, where they had left, and shouted. Exodus 14:12 records an incident where Israel stood before the Red Sea and resisted, shouting that it would be better to return to Egypt than to die in the wilderness. There is a record of the longevity, who complained that it would have been better to die in peace at the hand of God while eating a lot next to the meat kiln. They were not interested in advancing and were busy devising going back. So, in the end, they were all killed in the wilderness.
Criminal psychologists say that criminals have an homing instinct. It means that he has a desire to secretly look around the scene of his sin. A serial arsonist was caught in Seoul not long ago, and it is said that the person set a fire and left the scene only after finishing the fire. But believers must move forward. We must not go back to the unfortunate past, to the unfortunate past, to that incident, to the past where we lived in sin. You shouldn't go back even if you go there. You have to be a whole new creature.
If you go back, you will not reach your destination. And God is not pleased with me. Israel, who sang the song of Return to Egypt, could not go to Egypt and did not enter the land of Canaan. This is a living lesson for us. Let's look to the Lord and move forward. You can't move forward if you look at the side, look at the events, and see the scenery rather than people.