Title Thankful Faith! (Colossians 3:15-17)
There is a saying "relative poverty". There is nothing to eat, no clothes to wear, no house to live in, so I am not poor, I have food, clothing and shelter, I have enough money for my children to study, and I have enough money to enjoy my leisure time, but the problem is with me. People who live better, write better, have a stomach ache, and can't stand the feeling of inferiority. This is called a mind.
Once upon a time, there was a thing called a difficult time in Korea. In the springtime, if food ran out before fresh grain came out, we had to peel off the bark of the grass roots and eat it until barley rice came out. At that time, I was fortunate to be able to paste it in my mouth with three meals a day. Because it was an era of absolute poverty. Since the vast majority of them were living in poverty, they did not know that it was difficult. However, as the national income rose and the gap between the rich and the poor widened, the feeling of Here, the feeling of relative poverty is due to a sense of comparison. Relative poverty is the dissatisfaction and dissatisfaction caused by comparing people who are prosperous with those who are not. So I decided to speak. Don't compare yourself to others, it means that a healthy person is a person who is satisfied with and grateful for his or her own.
Therefore, there can never be any satisfaction in the hearts of those who feel , and they cannot be grateful for their reality. Always full of complaints and complaints.
The Bible defines the Christian life as A Christian is someone who has gratitude, knows how to be grateful, sees everything with gratitude, and tries to solve it with gratitude. Because gratitude is fundamental to the Christian.
Therefore, a true Christian should never feel anything, accept his reality positively, and live with satisfaction and gratitude.
You can also refer to this kind of grateful faith. is the belief that all things are done according to the will of God, and that all things are done under the power of God. Therefore, because we believe in God's providence in all things, we entrust everything to God and live. I believe that everything will work out for you. Peace, thank you, I love you. No complaints, no resentment.
Romans 8:28 - “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
In that sense, the apostle Paul could be said to have led a wonderful life.
Philippians 4:11 - “I am not saying this because I am poor, but I have learned to be content in all circumstances. I have learned all the secrets.”
It is a confession that when you are full, you give thanks for what you are full, and when you are hungry, you are satisfied with your hunger, and live your life without complaining or complaining. What a great life indeed.
If so, what kind of reward is given to a grateful believer?
1. If you give thanks, you will receive the blessing of peace.
15-“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. Since you were called in one body to peace, also be thankful.”
In other words, we Christians must become people of peace, and to become people of peace, we must have the peace of Christ.
So what is this? The word peace is a Hebrew word, and the meaning of this word is very comprehensive. In a general sense, it means peace or well-being, but this is not only a stable and good state, but also a very happy state of being economically stable, politically stable, physically, mentally, and spiritually free from lack and worry. In other words, it is called the state of being relaxed and satisfied in all aspects of living, feeling, enjoying, and exercising in the world.
Then it is saying that this blessing is not given automatically, but through Jesus Christ. That is why Jesus came.
Matthew 11:28 - “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Here, the word is the word, and the word has the same meaning as the word.
If we believe in Jesus, we will receive not only spiritual rest but also physical rest. In other words, it refers to the state of being saved from the curse of sin, mental anxiety, and physical illness or suffering. And that is the state of being saved.
Therefore, we must know that the blessing of peace is the fruit of thankful faith. The blessing of peace will come to those who thank God for giving his only son to save me and thank Jesus for the grace of Jesus who bore the cross for me. I pray that you will become believers who believe in this fact without any doubt and possess the faith to be thankful and receive the blessing of peace.
2. If you give thanks, you become a person of praise.
16-“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, praising God with thanksgiving in your hearts.” There is a word at the end here, which means , or . The title of the praise is thanks, and it means to give thanks at last.
As I was preparing this sermon, I thought of this What kind of heaven are we looking forward to? is to do Of course, it can be explained in various ways. In the book of Revelation, heaven is said to be a place full of praise. It is saying that there are not many other things in heaven, only things to praise.
Revelation 5:13,14 - “And I heard all that is in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying, To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power for ever and ever. And the four living creatures said, Amen, and the elders fell down and worshiped.” Here, it symbolizes all the saints who have been saved, and it is said that they praised and worshiped. And the content of the praise is all praise praise. Therefore, our members should sing a lot of praise.
Although we have a singing contest this evening, we know that this is a practice for living in heaven, so I pray that you will attend and meet God who dwells in praise.
The 40 years of the Israelites in the wilderness was a life of many hardships. In a way, you might say it's a waste of time. Originally, God's plan was 2 years, not 40 years. It was because about two years was enough time for them to teach the Word by giving them the law, making the tabernacle and teaching them sacrifices, and training them as a religious nation.
So he appointed 12 spies to spy out the land of Canaan and commanded them to return. However, a problem arose the day the 12 representatives returned from spying out the land of Canaan for 40 days and reported. 10 representatives, except for , reported negatively. The land of Canaan was high and strong, and the people were giants, and they were fully armed. Comparing us with them, they report that they are like grasshoppers sitting on the back of a bull. When the overwhelming majority made such a negative report, the hearts of the people collapsed. So, he begins to vomit his resentment out of communality. They blame God and try to throw stones at Moses. They want to kill Moses and return to Egypt.
It was truly a moment of crisis. Seeing such a scene, God was forced to change his heart and change his plan.
So, 38 years are added, and they are made to stay in the wilderness for a total of 40 years. And all people die during this period. All men over the age of 20 who came out of Egypt died, except for those who reported positively. However, young people under the age of 20 and children born in the wilderness grow up and enter the land of Canaan. So, what is the period of 40 years in the wilderness? It is a period to deal with the old generation who did not give up their lust for Egypt and the generation of dissatisfied with the sense of comparison.
And it is a period of raising believers who do not know Egypt and hope only for Canaan, who are armed with faith in God's providence, do not feel relative poverty and are armed only with gratitude. The 40-year wilderness period is a period of generational change in which the old generation is sent away and the new generation is called.
This story teaches us a very important lesson today. This is the lesson that the kingdom of heaven we are looking at and going out is a place where believers who are thankful for providence are armed with faith. Heaven is the place to go to those who give thanks for the grace of salvation through the cross, trust God who provides his life with grace, and give thanks for everything. Please believe this. I pray that you will become saints overflowing with thanksgiving and praise.
3. If you give thanks, you will have the right faith.
17-“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God through him.”
If we unravel and interpret this verse, the thankful faith is that we do not leave out the name of Jesus in everything we do. All things will be done in the name of Jesus. Whatever you say, do it in the name of Jesus, and whatever you do, do it in the name of Jesus.
If you are greedy and ask for it, you can only say that it is good faith when you have faith at this level.
In Acts 3 and 4, there is a saying that a disabled person who has been unable to walk since the day he was sitting in front of the beautiful gate of the temple begging was saved by hearing the name of Jesus. It was the Sabbath that day, and Peter and John were going to worship in the temple, and this miracle occurred. When an argument broke out over the matter, and Peter and John had a discussion with the priests, Peter said:
Acts 3:16 - “Because of believing in his name, that name has made this man whom you have seen and known, because the faith that is through Jesus has thus completely healed you in the sight of all of you.”
And then he affirms this about the name of Jesus.
Acts 4:12 - “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
If we do not know how to thank God for giving us such an honorable, glorious and powerful name, that faith is wrong.
Therefore, the right faith is the faith that rightly knows and believes the name of Jesus, and it is the faith that kneels in thanksgiving before the name of Jesus and worships it. I bless you for having such faith.
These days, Thanksgiving is celebrated once a year as a day to emphasize the faith in gratitude. It is a day to give thanks for protecting us over the past year and for blessing our soul and family, including food, clothing, and shelter. Therefore, I pray in the name of the Lord that you will restore the faith you are thankful for and become saints who glorify you.