Title Like My Gospel
Contents
When a dying person offers a word of exhortation or a favor to his beloved family and children, we call it a will.
Even the tree frog, who broke the mother's heart by reversing whatever she did, made a grave by the stream by doing the same in front of the will, and you are well aware of the story of a tree frog who cries for fear that it will float away when it rains.
In fact, on the contrary, he knew how to make a tomb in the mountain.
However, the tree frog obeyed because it was the mother frog's last request.
That is why the will has the power to move people.
2 Timothy is the epistle that Paul wrote while awaiting martyrdom in a Roman prison.
When a dying person makes a will, it is never joking.
The really important part, the story you really want to tell.
Through today's text, I hope that it will be a time to examine what the Apostle Paul wants to convey and apply it in our lives.
First, the Apostle Paul refers to the gospel as ‘my gospel’.
Verse 8 “Remember Jesus Christ, who was raised from the dead, of the seed of David, according to my gospel.”
Paul emphasizes that the word of God and the gospel that Jesus taught are “my gospel”.
In Romans 16:25, “my gospel” is repeated.
“The preaching of my gospel and Jesus Christ has been hidden from time immemorial”
What is the Gospel?
As in verse 8, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ on the cross is the gospel.
But Paul refers to it as “my gospel”.
It must have been Paul's own confession of faith, who grabbed hold of the words of Jesus Christ and obeyed them in his life, and lived a life of preaching the gospel without disobeying God's will, even though there were many hardships and sufferings along the way.
It is confessing that the gospel has become the gospel given to me through experience in life, not knowledge in terms of knowledge, by keeping the Word in my heart and obeying it.
While listening to the precious Word of God, are you not able to apply the Word to yourself in the way that someone should hear it?
Ex) Pastor Rick Warren's confession
He had dreams and visions in his heart in the distant land of Korea.
When the hen in the house lays the eggs of the hen next door, the chicks of our house come out.
In the same way, if you keep in mind the strengths of others and the good parts of other churches and communities, you can become mine.
Before entering Canaan, Caleb remembered and cherished the words of God for 45 years, “I will give you all the land that the sole of the foot of your feet is bright with”. You will get good land.
Others drank the word of promise like raw eggs and ate them fried, but Caleb waited for the right time and was able to receive good land like egg yolks.
Do you want to be blessed?
Do you want it to be your gospel that comes miraculously in your life, not someone else's gospel?
Then, as in verse 8, believe and embrace the words of Jesus on the cross and resurrection!
When the most important essence of the gospel, the death and resurrection of the cross, takes place, the complete form of the cross is created.
Faith is not a measure of how many years you have believed... but it is measured by how much you love the Lord and keep and live the Word with faith.
The second is that we must overcome hardships by focusing on the Word.
Verse 9: “For the sake of the gospel I suffered to the point of being bound like a sinner, but the word of God was not bound.”
I am facing many hardships such as threats from water, threats from robbers, and threats from my people, but the word of God that sustains me is saying that I stand strong.
In the book of Acts, there are many records of the Word.
Acts 12:24 “The word of God multiplied and multiplied.”
Acts 19:20 “In the same way, the word of the Lord had power, and it came to power and reigned.”
Acts 6:7 “And the word of God continued to prosper, and the number of the disciples in Jerusalem increased exceedingly, and a great multitude of priests obeyed this way.”
Because the miracles of Acts were based on the Word, they became red and prosperous.
The Thessalonian church diligently accomplished God's will with the work of faith, labor of love, and perseverance of hope.
Why did this have to happen?
Because I focused on the Word.
Acts 17:2-3 “Paul went in to them according to his custom, and on three sabbaths he preached with the scriptures, and clarified his mind, proving that the Christ had to suffer and be raised from the dead, and said, “This Jesus I am telling you about is the Christ.”
For three sabbaths, that is, 21 days, we intensively preached the word of the truth that He died and rose to save us on the cross, and it became a church that spreads the fragrance of good news.
The revival and devotion of the Thessalonian church did not come about simply by doing something, but as a result of thorough concentration on the grace of the Word.
But why can't we focus on the Word?
We think too far ahead, in haste.
Ex) Island virgin (Ahh! What's so urgent? You only have to wait 5 seconds..)
We hope that the Korean church in Malacca will also focus on the Word and make such an amazing work happen.
Organize your words.
Paul declared that we should boldly remember Jesus Christ of the sufferings of the cross and resurrection with the gospel grafted onto ourselves, which has changed our lives, rather than listening to and speaking from others.
Also, the more difficult and difficult, the more we focused on the Word that will set us free from suffering, and we went out with this and saved our souls.
Pastor R. A. Torrey said this.
"There are many translations of the Bible, and if there is one greatest translation of the Bible in the world, it is translating the Bible with my life."
If we only live according to the Word of God, we can live by holding on to the Word of God in the midst of all kinds of adversity in the world.
Only when the Word and life are in harmony can we live a true life as Christians. However, those who believe in God but do not rely on His Word are bound to lead a miserable life in the end.
Will you live a life dependent on God, or will you live a miserable life?
It just depends on our will.
I hope that all of us believers will stand in the midst of the Word of God, overcome obstacles and hardships that are blocking us with the Word, and become people of the Word that overcome problems, not life that is dragged on by problems.
If you believe in my abilities and my background, you will be defeated.
However, if you firmly believe in the Word of God and go forth steadfastly in the turbulent waves of the world, God will lead you to victory.