Title Realize your dreams (Isaiah 54:1-5)
Sunday Sermon on September 11, 2005
1 You who are barren and barren, sing. You who have never experienced the pain of childbirth, raise your cheers and raise your voice. A barren woman will see more children than a woman living with her husband. It is the word of the Lord. 2 Widen the ground of your tent. Open the veil of the tabernacle without sparing it. Lengthen your tent cords and drive the stakes firmly. 3 You will spread out from side to side, and your descendants will possess foreign nations, and the desolate cities will be filled with inhabitants. 4 Don't be afraid! You will no longer be put to shame. Don't panic! You will not be put to shame. You will forget the shame of your youth, and you will remember no more the shame of your widowhood. 5 He who made you will be your husband. His name is Lord of hosts. It is the Holy God of Israel who has redeemed you. He will be called the God of the whole world. (Isaiah 54:1-5)
Happy people with dreams
Who are Christians? People who have dreams and are happy are Christians. They are happy people because they have a burning dream in their heart.
In today's text, a barren woman who has never conceived and has never given birth is told to sing, cheer, shout and rejoice. What does it mean? It means that the poorest person should have a dream and rejoice. It means shouting for joy. with a dream The Hebrews at the time the Bible was written, like the Koreans, one of the most pitiful people was that they could not conceive and have children. A woman abandoned because she can't have children will see more children than a woman with her husband, so cheer up, shout and rejoice because of such a dream. The important thing here is that you don't rejoice just because you're pregnant. It's not just that you're happy to see your children. It was the Hebrew faith that rejoiced in dreams of becoming pregnant, having children, and having more children. That is, it was the birthplace of the Christian faith.
This is the testimony of the book of Hebrews, who best understood the faith of the Hebrews. The theme of the book of Hebrews is that the foundation of our lives is faith, and faith is living holding on to hope. Holding fast to our hope (10:23) is faith, and our life is supported by this faith. Faith is not based on what you see, but on what you hope for.
“Faith is the assurance of things hoped for” (Hebrews 11:1). The Revised Bible is said to be the reality of things hoped for, and the reality is certainty. It is to have confidence in what you want, that is, in your dreams. We do not rejoice and rejoice because we have grasped something, but because we have not seen it, but we are sure of what we believe. Who were the ancestors of the faith? These are the people who lived by this belief. 11:2 says that he was recognized as the father of faith.
The Bible tells us to make our dreams come true. God through the prophet Isaiah tells us to widen the tent site, stretch out the tent floor sparingly, and lengthen the tent line. When there were many veils... not the time when there were long lines. Now is the time when there are no veils and no lines to stretch. This is a prophecy given to the people of Israel during the most difficult time when they returned from the Babylonian captivity and had nothing. It is the word of God. Far from widening the tent site, it is difficult to find a place to set up the tent. How did they hear the words to widen the tent site? Of course, that would have sounded unrealistic. Those who considered this unrealistic would not have heard God's message. These words were not unrealistic, but a vision. When they heard the message to spread their dreams, to rise vigorously toward the world of hope... they were able to have power as God's people.
In fact, true dreams come true in difficult times. In the history of Israel, all the times when we dreamed of becoming God's people were difficult. At a time when there was no country, no spirit to bind them together, and they were deeply insecure both physically and mentally, they dreamed of dreaming and grew up as a people of faith. In a time of peace and stability, on the contrary, we faced a crisis of fading away. As Romans 5:1-5 says, there is no hope without patience through tribulation. So Paul is proud of that tribulation. It does not glorify the tribulation itself, but it is because through the tribulation, you can grow your dreams.
We must seize suffering as an opportunity. You must know that difficulties are such a precious time in life. Because our personality can be filled with true hope.
Drive the stake firmly.
But there is a problem. Is it okay to dream unconditionally? There is also a dream of a dog, and there is nothing better than not having a dream if you keep inflating the dream of a dog. In the text we find valuable teachings. It means to lengthen the tent line, but to drive the stakes firmly. It means to be rooted in the truth, to put stakes in the truth, and to stretch the tent cord at will. The line is long, but what if the stake falls out? All stretched lines will be in vain. Just as we need to strengthen the foundation and lengthen the curtains of the tent, our dreams can be fully realized in Christ.
The reason Christians are happy is simple. Because we dream in Christ. Because our dreams are not independent of Christ. Because the purpose that Christ gives us is clear, we can fulfill our dreams to our heart's content. Because Christ, the foundation of our lives, never wavers, we can let our dreams come true.
bridge builders
At last week's retreat held under the theme of the Dreamer's Festival, we shared many dreams. We loved the vision of “Bridge Builders” Bridge Builder. The countless rivers that divide us... Beyond those rivers, the dream of a church as a bridge that connects neighbors to neighbors is something that can be unfolded and should be unfolded to the fullest.
Today is the 9-11... 4th anniversary. There was a terrible terrorism, and because of that terrorism, the war continues today. In history, war has rarely been the ultimate solution to achieve peace. I do not believe that the terrible terror and violence that continues today will be captured by war. The church must truly do the work of reconciliation and peace. It should be a bridge that connects neighbors. Let's live with this dream.
I am the morning dew generation. At a time when a song with the romantic title of Morning Dew was banned, I really liked the song “Follow Your Dream” by Yang Hee-eun, a singer who could not sing Morning Dew. The song sung out loud to fulfill your dreams in a dark age seems to have already lit up the darkness of that time. Unleash your dreams.
People who can make real dreams come true are not obsessed with the little things. Our problem is that we get preoccupied with the little things. If we have an unchanging dream, a vision rooted in Christ, we will not be shaken by the little things that torment us and torment us.
In this retreat, in order to materialize our dreams, 5 groups shared the various dreams of our church 10 years later, and checked the dreams that each group had in another group to materialize our dreams. I had four dreams that stood out from within, one of which was to be the best in relief in the community. It would be great if we could realize our dream of becoming the best in helping and participating in the pain of our neighbors 10 years from now. I hope this dream is not a dog's dream, and I think this is a golden opportunity to test this dream.
The people of Kairos
I always think that the difference between Christians is that they see time differently. The blessings of Christianity are not simply filled with something and become rich. First of all, you have to change the way you look at life, and it is different from looking at time. Decisive time rather than passing time, Kairos rather than Chronos, are important to us. Simply put, you live on opportunity. How long you live is Kronos. However, the Lord taught us the value of Kairos in the short span of 33 years and taught Christians to live with opportunity. The Holy Spirit is giving us the same teaching. Hope you don't miss the opportunity.
Seize the time today. What kind of time would you like today to be? It should be a day to make your dreams come true. There may be difficulties in life holding on to your dreams, but unhappiness cannot follow. Those who realize their dreams will live in a world of happiness. Hold fast to the dream that He lives among us as a Spirit. Never give up on that dream. Rather, make your dreams come true. God has given you infinite possibilities. Little things will not bother your life, and now you will live a happy Christian life.