Title Where Do You Live / 2004.8.29
Do you have content?
Matthew 7:24-27
Where do you live? There was an advertisement for an apartment asking this question. Then they show you a nice apartment and close by saying, 'Where you live speaks for itself.' I think this kind of advertisement is really bad advertisement. Where do you live? In the question asked, there is a deep perspective of looking at people through outward appearances. And they even discriminate between regions and lives by saying that 'where you live tells you'. No matter how gimmicky it is to sell something, this kind of advertisement is a very bad advertisement. Where you live doesn't tell you, your thoughts tell you.
But, nevertheless, today I want to ask you the same question. 'Are you there?'
This question is not asking for the address of the apartment, but the address of the living. The Bible speaks of our lives in two ways. Those who live in houses built on the rock and those who live in houses built on sand.
1. The house must have a strong foundation.
The rock or sand is the foundation of the house. There is no difference between a house built on sand or a house built on rock, just in appearance. However, the difference was noticeable when rainstorms, blizzards, and severe storms came. The house built on sand eventually collapsed and fell into ruins. The house built on the rock did its job, standing firm and unwavering in any difficult situation. This difference ultimately comes from the difference in the foundation. He was talking about the difference between a strong house built on the rock and a weak house built on sand.
The Imperial Hotel is located in Tokyo, Japan. The hotel was built by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, who was criticized by those around him for spending too much money and time to build the hotel for two years. After 2 years of foundation construction, 2 years of rest, and 4 years later, this hotel was completed. 52 years after this hotel was built, a great earthquake occurred in downtown Tokyo. At this time, it is said that this hotel was the only building that stood undamaged in Tokyo. Why would you? Because the foundation was strong.
It sounds almost like a legend now, but it was coach Hiddink who brought an unknown Korean soccer team to the semifinals during the World Cup two years ago. We know that his leadership and life philosophy were at work behind his success.
First, he selected players based on their skill level. School ties and delays have been thoroughly excluded.
Second, we strengthened our basic physical strength. Even when the match was two or three months away, he was only training the basics.
Third, we firmly pushed forward with our own philosophy and vision. As he continued to lose 5-0 in several matches against foreign teams, he maintained his leadership until the end without nodding at the humiliation of earning the nickname Oh Dae-young.
In the end, the 4th class gave us the overflowing results of the 8th class, which we thought was amazing. The root of all of this was he laid the foundation for the players.
Jesus said in today's verse, 'He who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is a wise man who built his house on the rock'. How much do we hear? There are probably not many church members in the world who listen to the Word as much as the believers in the Korean church. How many worship services do you have in a week? But the word that is heard but not put into practice is like a house with a leaking roof.
If you think and obey the Word at home, the authority of the Word will be revived, the authority of faith will be revived, and the authority of your parents will be revived. But if we have in our hearts Jesus less than money, Jesus less than honor, Jesus less than success, Jesus less than entertainment, we have faith in cheap dumping, not genuine faith. , would be bound to become the faith of a fool. There will be no authority of faith. Because the house is like a leaky roof.
I hope to see Lot's family in the Old Testament. When God decided to judge Sodom with brimstone fire, what did Lot's sons-in-law do? When it was said that if you do not get out of this city quickly, you will be judged by fire, Lot's sons-in-law said, 'The words of the father-in-law were considered a joke' (Genesis 19:14).
This is not just a problem with Lot's sons-in-law. This is usually because Lot lost the authority of the Word. When the authority of the Word is lost in the family, the foundation of the family cannot but be like a house built on sand. Therefore, the phenomenon of taking God's word as a joke appears.
Even today, among the well-to-do children, what do parents say when they say, 'Hey, let's go to church'? 'Goodbye mother, and please pray hard for us'
The same is true of unbelieving husbands.
'You too go out and pray a lot'...
'When I go to heaven, I just need to hang up from your skirt...'
There are many families who regard this as a joke. These are the appearances of families in which the authority of the parents along with the authority of the Word has been lost.
Brothers and sisters, truly build the foundation of your life on faith. Be faith in action, not just hearing, be obedient faith. That is the image of a wise person who builds faith on the rock, and that is the image of a person who lives a wise life.
I'm talking to young people. Lay the foundation of your life on the Word and faith. If the foundation is not laid well, no matter how gorgeous it may be, you will regret it later. You can't go back then and lay the foundation again. Have a life view based on the Word. Please do not take the Word as an abstraction or as a rule of the Church. The Word is a very practical, life-giving principle and foundation that we must adapt to our life.
I'm talking to young people. I hope you raise your children well. In particular, I hope that you will lay the foundation for your children's life well. Eyes that see life rightly and building a view of life based on the Word are the best gifts you can give to your children. I don't know right now. Your children may be annoyed. But as your children grow up, and as they become more decent people, you will become infinitely grateful for the parents who laid the foundations so well.
I tell the elders. Please stand firm in your faith. No matter how much we try to deny it, we cannot deceive time. Trying to forget your age, or acting like a young person to forget your age, and having a blue consciousness is a good thing. But being too greedy is foolishness. Don't miss out on faith, the Word, and the church, which are the foundations of life. The older you get, the closer you are to the saints, the closer you are to the Word, and the closer you are to the church. Having a young consciousness does not make the body younger or the years younger. Rather, we should have more and more beauty of age while counting the years well.
2. A house must have good materials.
A good home doesn't always come with a strong foundation. The materials to build the house must be good. A good house can only be built with good materials. Most of all poor construction is caused by not using the right materials or not using enough materials.
Sampoong Department Store, Seongsu Bridge, a terrible incident that is still vivid in our memories Why does that happen? This is because poor materials were used.
Life should also be good with the materials that make up life. When you build a house of life with materials that will rot and disappear from the inside out, that life becomes a stale life, and it becomes a dangerous life that you never know when it will collapse.
However, the Bible clearly tells us what materials to use when building the house of life.
If anyone buys gold, silver, precious stones, wood, grass, or straw,
If you build on this foundation, each of them will show their strength
That day will reveal the work, it will be revealed by fire.
For the fire will test what each man's work is. 1 Corinthians 3:12-13
Wood, grass, and straw are things that change. If you build a house of life with these things, you are building a life that will eventually disappear along with the rotting things of the world. But gold, silver, and precious stones are things that do not change. It is eternal. On the foundation of faith, we must build the house of life using these unchanging materials of good faith. If you build a house of faith like that, like a poor construction project, it will burn or be blown away when there is thunder and lightning and a severe storm. Things that do not change even if it seems a little difficult -- When we do our best with prayer, the Word, loyalty and zeal, when we build a house of faith, it will not shake, burn, or rot just like a house made of gold, silver, or precious stones.
3. The house must be well oriented.
To build a house well, you need to have good standards. If the standards are not clear, not only will the walls not be properly built, but also the directions will be different, making it impossible to build a straight house.
The reference point that guides the direction of the house--that is the cornerstone. It is to set the direction of the house by aligning it with the headstone and to set the reference point of the house. The headstone is the yardstick that determines the direction of the house.
What are the cornerstones that set the direction of the house in your life?
The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone of the house.
This is what the LORD has done, and it is marvelous in our eyes. Psalm 118:22-23
It says that Jesus is the cornerstone of all life. It says that Jesus is the standard of all life. The words of Jesus are the goal of my life. Jesus is the headstone of the saints. Stones that protrude beyond the words of Jesus must go in. We need to supplement the stones that are lacking more than the words of Jesus.
And don't forget. We Christians, too, should be the headstones of this society. It should be the standard for living your life. By laying the foundation of life on a rock and building life with unchanging materials, it should be the standard and target for a truly happy life.
It is saying that Christians who live after Jesus, who is the headstone, must live a life like the headstone in the world. Looking at us, I want people in the world to live like that too. I wish we could live like that in our house. We want our children to be like the children of that house. I want to live that kind of life. Isn't that what living a life that is the cornerstone is?
Saints, how are you? Where you live tells you. That's right. Not outwardly, but spiritually, whether a person lives in a house built on the rock or a house built on sand tells a person. All of you, build the house of your life beautifully on the rock by living a life of true faith, such as gold, silver, and precious stones, which are constant building materials. Your soul that dwells in it will be beautiful and happy.
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