Title What should I answer?
Contents
♡♥♡ What will you reward me with? / 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
*** Introduction
Today is celebrated as Thanksgiving Day. The origins of Thanksgiving Day go back to the Old Testament times. The Jews who received God's covenant ended their 430 years of slavery in Egypt and headed for the promised land of Canaan under the guidance of Moses. When they received the law on Mount Sinai, they made a covenant with God as God's chosen people. From then on, the nation of Israel was formed.
After 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, they entered the promised land of Canaan. The Jews, who were nomads, took the land and formed the nation of Israel. They are now settlers who no longer have to wander. Now they have their own house and land.
In the Law, God stated three feasts that Israel must observe. The Passover (Feast of Unleavened Bread), when life was saved during the Exodus, the Feast of Harvest (Feast of Weeks, Pentecost), in which the first crop of the year is presented to God, and the Feast of Ingathering (Feast of Tabernacles and Tabernacles), which are celebrated after harvesting and burying the last agricultural products of the year. That's it. Exodus 23:14-17.
Modern English Bible / “You must observe the feast in front of me three times a year. Keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread, eating unleavened bread. As I have already commanded you, you must eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib. Because in that month you came out of Egypt. No one must appear empty-handed when you come before me. Observe the Feast of Harvest, when you sow your fields and reap the firstfruits from what you have cultivated. Also, observe the Harvest Festival, in which you harvest at the end of the year what you have worked so hard for. In this way men must come before the Lord, the Lord, three times a year.”
God commanded the Israelites who settled in Canaan to keep this feast. The first crop of that year was harvested, the first fruits were presented to God, and a festival of thanks was held for a week, and all the people rejoiced. This season is the Harvest Festival. I thanked God for blessing the agricultural products, and I thanked God for giving me food to live in the future. And for a week, he rejoiced in God as he shared abundant food with his neighbors.
What does this feast mean to us?
Because we believe in the blood of Jesus on the cross, the atoning blood of Jesus fills our spirits. We escaped death and gained life. Thanks to Jesus. And we are moving towards the kingdom of God, the land of eternal promise. Although we are strangers who have not yet reached the promised kingdom, we are thankful to God for making us live in a small heaven on this earth.
Both me and you have lived through the grace of God until now. We just have to be thankful and thank you for giving us the hope of heaven. What will you do in return for this great grace of God? In this season of great thanksgiving, I am thinking of ways to repay the grace that God has blessed me, my family, my work, and my business.
1. It is always pleasing to God.
The first word of the text is, “Rejoice always.” He said, “It is the will of God for me in Christ Jesus to rejoice always.” Do you rejoice when you say 'rejoice'? No one in the world can be happy all the time. But why are you telling me to do this impossible thing?
The greatest reason to always rejoice is in “Christ Jesus.” That is, through Jesus Christ, He gave me eternal life, made me live as a child of God, and gave me the kingdom of God, a kingdom of eternal glory and joy. If you truly believe in this fact, you can rejoice. Even if you firmly believe this, you will not always be able to rejoice without missing a single moment. So, specifically, how can we always please God?
Christians are people who believe in the fact that God is in control and provides for everything in the world. That is, I believe that everything that is given to me is a work of God. It is to believe that the daily tasks given to me are God's work and to live joyfully.
This is a story you all know well.
Once upon a time in a village there was a grandmother with two sons. The eldest son was an umbrella merchant, and the younger son was a straw-haired merchant. This grandmother was living with anxiety and worry every day because of her two sons' business. On a sunny day, I had to worry that the business of the eldest son of the fisherman would not work, and then on days when it rained, I had to worry about the business of the younger son of the straw man. So I was worried even when the sun was up, and I was worried even when it was cloudy.
But there was also an old woman in a neighboring village with two sons. The eldest son was a salt merchant, and the younger son a Janghwa dealer. However, this grandmother was happy that the business of the eldest son, who was a salt merchant, would be successful on a fine day, and that on a rainy day, the business of the younger son, who was a boots dealer, would be successful. So I liked the sun as well as the rain.
This is the difference in the way we see the world. Depending on what is in that person's heart, you may resent, complain, and worry about the same thing, or you may rejoice and be thankful. In the spirit of the man of our God is Jesus Christ. This Jesus is our Savior, our refuge in our troubles, and the living God who is our strength in all things. That is why you can rejoice in everything. Sometimes when worries arise and tears flow from difficulties, all you need to do is hold the Lord who is reaching out your hand.
As we head towards the light, the road ahead is bright. But if you go with your back to the light, your dark shadow will always block your way. In other words, if the saints look to the Lord who is the light, entrust everything to the Lord, and go toward the Lord, the road ahead is bright and there is no fear of stumbling. On the other hand, if you turn your back on the Lord and look at the world, the shadows of worry, fear, and pain block your way and you will stumble. Jesus cried out to the people who had gathered on Holy Day, the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles. This is John 7:37-38. “On the last day of the climax of the festival, Jesus cried out to the crowd. Let everyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, according to the words of the Bible, the water of life will flow out of him like a river.”
He said that the water of life flows out like a river through the Lord who is with him. In other words, it is a promise of abundant life and life given to those who trust, rely on, and rejoice in the Lord.
2. It means not to rest in fellowship with God.
In the second verse of the text, he said, “Pray without ceasing.” There are many ways to have fellowship with God. Meditating on the words of the Bible, praising, worshiping, etc. But there is something that must go into all of this. That's 'Prayer'. Prayer is the path that leads to deep fellowship with God, and it is a two-way path between God and me. The more you pray, the better. That's why he said, "Pray without ceasing." The prophet Samuel said in 1 Samuel 12:23, “I have never sinned before the Lord in ceasing to pray for you… ” he said.
Some believers consider prayer to be the universal key. Prayer is never the universal key. Prayer does not solve problems. Prayer is just a channel to connect with the Lord of Power. For example, if you say that you like mineral water flowing underground, do you get mineral water if you bury a pipe in the ground and connect a pipe to your house? Just because you've used good quality pipes to complete the plumbing to the sink, washroom, bathtub, and washing machine doesn't mean you're getting mineral water. You need to drill the ground and connect a pipe to the groundwater where the mineral water flows. This will cause the mineral water to flow out. Likewise, just praying a lot unconditionally does not mean that everything is going to work out.
The source of the water of life is Jesus Christ. In other words, prayer is not the universal key, but Jesus is the universal key. Prayer is the cord that connects us to the Lord who is power. The reason we need to pray without ceasing is so that our connection with Jesus, who is the power and the water of life, will not be cut off. Just like the engine running continuously, there must be a hose connected between the car's fuel tank and the engine that allows fuel to flow.
Relying on and hoping for God through uninterrupted fellowship with the Lord like this pleases God and is the way to repay His grace.
3. Everything is to thank God.
The third verse of the text is “Give thanks in everything.” 'Everything' literally means 'everything'. It tells us everything that happens to us. It is a message to be thankful for sad things, painful things, worrying things, successes, failures, and even disappointments. Gratitude is worshiping God from the heart, believing that everything that has been done comes from God. However, I saw that a certain member of the church did not think of ‘what we like’ as ‘thankful’.
He asked us to pray so that the saints who live in a place where the church is far away and they have to change city buses twice can buy a car. So, during the Friday all-night prayer, we even prayed together over the prayer subject. A few weeks later, the family boasted that they had bought a car and loved it. However, he did not come to church the first week he bought the car. After a week, I went to visit them, but they said, ‘I bought a car and I liked it so much, I went on an outing as a test drive.’ After that, the family missed worship once or twice, and eventually stopped going.
This family was not thankful to God, but it was good that they had a car. When we are not grateful for what God has given us, God does not give us greater grace.
Luke 17 tells the story of ten lepers. Jesus had compassion on them and healed them of leprosy. On the way to see the priest, a Samaritan came back to Jesus when he saw that he had been healed. He knelt before Jesus and gave thanks. The Lord asked. “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Has no one returned to glorify God except this Gentile?” Then he said to the Samaritan who had returned to give thanks, “Get up and go. Your faith has saved you.”
In this way, true gratitude is expressed not only in the heart, but also in actions. In addition, God gives greater grace to those who know how to be thankful. That's why Psalm 50:23 says, "He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving glorifies me, and to him who does his deeds right, I will show the salvation of God."
How will you repay God's great grace with what? Do you not share that love while obeying the will of God according to the words of the text? Love is not born from scratch. Love is learning by sharing, giving, and receiving. That is why love deepens only when we meet often, talk often, and express ourselves. Proverbs 27:5 says, “No matter how much you care in your heart, it is not as good as openly rebuking you.”
It is not possible to please God by loving, rejoicing, and giving thanks only to God in my heart and mind, even less in return for grace. Now, I pray that you will enjoy God's greater grace through a life of sincere reciprocity by always rejoicing in our lives, not ceasing prayer fellowship, and giving thanks for everything with heart and life.