Title One more chance (Hebrews 12:14-17)
Contents
The 25th day of the new year has already passed. But again, tomorrow is the Lunar New Year. I don't know what kind of grace this is. Our people celebrate the Lunar New Year twice as they call it New Year's Day and Lunar New Year's Day. In the meantime, despite the ups and downs of each regime change due to the issue of double theories, the sentiments of our people still exist as two theories. So, between New Year's Day and Lunar New Year's Day, I have an erratic New Year. And then, going back and forth between New Year's Day and Lunar New Year's Day, I buy time to make certain decisions and decisions.
This year, there are 26 days between the Lunar New Year and the Lunar New Year. Between the New Year's Eve and the New Year's Eve, I think like this. I wonder if God knew our nation's changing hearts and gave us another chance. He wondered if God knew the ethnicity of people who make decisions easily but easily forsake those decisions, and gave them two sermons so that they could make a decision and reconfirm it again. It's a theory that I've been hit twice by this king, but wouldn't it be right to view and interpret this from a Christian perspective? Many people experience that the plans they made at the beginning of the new year and their resolutions have been shattered. to do.
What should I do with this opportunity of grace given to me once more? We are going to share the blessings with the main text you gave us today.
First, we should take it as an opportunity to pursue peace and holiness with all.
Verse 14 says, “Pursue peace with all men and holiness, without which they will not see the Lord.”
First of all, I hope that I can try to be at peace this year as much as I can with all my family and members in my home and church.
The kingdom of God is said to be “righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). Therefore, “he who serves Christ by this is pleasing to God, and is also praised by men” (Romans 14:18). Therefore, as Romans 14:19 says, "Let us strive for the work of peace and for the edification of one another."
2 Timothy 2:22 "Flee the lusts of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart."
And we must seek holiness. No matter how peaceful and united the saints are, they must not be united in an unholy way. We must not forget that God has called our saints to be holy.
In 1 Thessalonians 4:7, it is said, “God does not call us to unclean, but to sanctify. And the continued 1 Thessalonians 4:8 says, "Therefore, he who rejects does not reject man, but God, who has given you his Holy Spirit."
Second, we need to examine whether or not someone has already fallen short of God's grace and become a Christian who has reached God's grace again.
The first half of verse 15 says, “I feared if there were any who had fallen short of the grace of God. As we enter the new year, we have decided to live by the grace of God. However, I am concerned that some have already fallen away from that grace. I hope you will see if there is a rejection of God's grace, unbelief, or a lighthearted heart for God's grace. And again, I hope that you will come boldly before the throne of grace and receive grace and become saints who receive it in full. When we live under grace, we can be freed from the law of sin and become truly happy Christians under the law of the Spirit of life.
Third, we must become like the root of bitterness in ourselves so that we do not adversely affect others.
The second half of verse 15 says, “A root of bitterness will sprout up, causing trouble, and fear that many will be defiled by it.” "Bitter Root" causes bitter stems to grow. And from the bitter root, the bitter energy rises up the stem and bears bitter fruit. And it goes without saying that the bitter fruit contaminates other fruits for use as well.
Bitter Root Saints, Bitter Root faith is like an epidemic, it has a bad influence on other believers and produces bad fruit.
Fourth, we must not become Christians who are overly carnal and temporal, throwing away the holy and the spiritual as if they were devoted partners.
Verse 16 says, “Fear the fornicators, and perhaps there are some who are promiscuous like Esau, who sold the birthright for one meal. The text points out the traps that humans tend to fall into. In the past and now, there are people who disregard and forsake God's grace because of the fleshly and temporal things. Nor is it right for a Christian to lose his balance by excessive contempt of the flesh and ignoring the temporal.
As long as you live in the world, all things are precious, physical, material, and temporal. We must be blessed to be able to enjoy these things as a blessing from God. If you are born as a man, it is worthwhile to dream of becoming a woman's husband, becoming a father, and dreaming of becoming a wealthy and nobleman. If you were born as a woman, it is also important to become a man's wife, mother, dream of beautiful happiness and make it happen.
When it snows, ride a sled and have a snowball fight in the snow.
It is never a sin to climb a mountain because there is a mountain, and to fish and swim because there is an ocean. It is a blessing God has given you to enjoy. But we must not forget Jesus because of these things.
But for the most part, our problem is that we are overly carnal and temporal. The saints must not lose Jesus Christ for anything in this world.
In the name of the Lord, I bless you in the name of the Lord that you consider the Lunar New Year as an opportunity to make a decision once again given to us by God and seize that opportunity. Opportunities don't come and go. Verse 17 of today's passage says, "As you know, after that, he sought with tears to inherit the blessing, but was rejected, and had no opportunity to repent." Isn't it a warning that belated realization can sometimes be of no use? Remembering that this Lunar New Year may be the last Chinese New Year in your life, I hope that you will become believers who decide to live according to the will of the Lord and faithfully keep their resolutions.