Blessed is the title / Luke 6:36-38
36 - Be merciful as your Father is merciful.
37 - Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven.
38 - Give, and it will be given to you; it will be given to you, pressed generously, shaken and overflowing, and given to you. With the measure that you measure, you will also be measured again.
▽ ≪ Sermon ≫
⇒ God created all things in heaven and on earth and blessed them. The blessing lies in being with the things created by God the Creator. If there is a God who is the source of blessing, then there is blessing. If there is God who is the source of life, there is life. The Creator God is with the things he has made. Therefore, it must be seen that all creations created by God's hands basically have all the elements of receiving God's grace and blessing in the presence of God.
. However, there are those who have been created by God and yet do not receive blessings. There are areas that are excluded from the object of God's blessings. He is a man apart from God, and he is a world of sin that cannot be with God. Where there is salvation that raises the dead and takes away sins, there is God's grace. There is a blessing that God gives to the human world that lives by the word of God.
'Be merciful as your Father is merciful' (verse 36). The Lord's words in Luke's Gospel are, in Matthew's Gospel, 'Be ye perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect' (Matthew 5:48). said Originally, the Old Testament did not use the word mercy as it was said that mercy exists only with God. The word perfect or perfect did not have to be used with God, so it was used only with men. But in the New Testament, mercy and perfection were used for both God and man. Humans are desperate sinners. How can God's mercy be revealed in man? Humans have been trying to live perfect and whole. For the people of Israel living as God's people, the law requires perfection in action. But the more man strives for perfection in his works according to the law, the more he realizes that he is lacking and his life is wrong. Under the law, my relationship with God is master and slave. Being a nation before God is a servant that can't be done.
. The Lord did not apply the relationship between God and man to the law of master and slave. God is the Father, and we speak in a relationship of grace as sons and daughters of God. That is why He says, 'As your Father is merciful, so you, sons and daughters, as your Father is perfect.' How could that be? The Lord said, 'You are the light of the world' in Matthew 5:13,14. And he said, 'You are the salt of the world.' All those born of Adam's descendants are sinners. All mankind belonged to darkness as sinners. It is a darkness that cannot become a light by itself, no matter how perfect, morally clean, and good deeds are. There is only one thing, when Jesus, the Son of God, who came as the light into the world, comes into the darkness of mankind, he becomes the light that illuminates the world. Because man has been corrupted by sin and has fallen, he cannot be the salt that prevents corruption. However, if you abandon yourself and live as Jesus who has been dissolved into the world by dying on the cross, he becomes the salt of the world. The Lord says 'I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life (John 8:12).
. There is clear water in the lake. Large and small fresh fish swim and play in the water. Everything in the water is clearly visible as if through clear glass. People came to play there. People pollute the water by throwing garbage and throwing away food while playing. The water gets cloudy and things in the water fade. One day, wastewater came from the factory above. The water turned black, and the fish in the water died, making it a lake of death where no life could exist. The lake was dark and there was nothing to see.
. When God first created man, he was perfect. His spirit was as clear as pure water, and he discerned right from wrong. However, Adam lost his light as he ate of the forbidden fruit, which God had told him not to eat. As they are cut off from God, they become dark, neither God nor themselves. Being biased towards greed, he lives as his body wants, but he does not know the path of human life or death. Human beings who live in sin have become corrupted and fallen so that they cannot recover themselves. Because he is a darkened human being, he criticizes others because he does not know anyone. Consciously and habitually, he tries to judge anyone he sees, find his fault, and condemn him to death. If so, he himself will be criticized and condemned by others by such standards and methods. But people tell me not to do that to me. Rather than gossip about him, he asks him to make a judgment based on the facts as he is. Ask them to know more about what made them do it than what they did.
. One cannot judge others rightly. Human beings cannot know what has gone unnoticed, or what is in a person's thoughts or hearts. Humans do not know who they are, nor do they know who others are. When each person knows his or her own shortcomings, he becomes humble instead of boasting about himself. After knowing the circumstances of the other person as to why he did this, he is pitiful and forgives. It is God who fully knows man. God knows all the secrets hidden from people and things that he did not know he had forgotten. That's why humans are told not to ascend to the throne of God and judge others by wrong standards. This is pride against God. People are trying to rise to the throne of God by judging and condemning others in their daily life. Man wants to do what God will do. It is the ruin of self-death.
. We need to forgive the sins of others by showing mercy to God. We must cover the shortcomings of others with the love of God. Forgiveness (Hell, apollyuo) means 'to set aside a person's innocence by negating what others owe me'. When I bear resentment and hate because of the wrongdoing of others, I torment myself and make it difficult to that extent. To forgive others is to set yourself free, freeing yourself from the grudges you have bound and tortured. Forgiveness raises the value of one's being trampled upon by falling to the ground. It comforts the sorrows of the heart and makes them happy and happy. Being compassionate and forgiving is the secret to receiving Heavenly Father's grace and love.
. Every human being has a heart to love himself. I have a desire to do it for myself, to have it, and to enjoy it. Because of greed, people do not give to others, but only to receive. If someone doesn't give you what you want, they steal it secretly or try to steal it by force. They commit sins because of this wrong greed and live with worry every day. experience unbearable sorrow and pain. However, God forgives and forgets the sins of mankind through mercy. He covers all the faults of human beings with love. He goes one step further and gives everything necessary for human life overflowing with grace. Living as a child of God forgives the mistakes of others like God the Father. However, he does not stop at forgiveness, but shares what he has freely received as a gift from God to people as needed.
. When I try to monopolize it by myself instead of living a life shared by others, that greed causes anxiety and worry. It becomes a disease that continues to rot inside. God provided manna for daily food to the Israelites living in the wilderness. God did not accumulate the manna to become personal property. Because, as we can see from the Israelites who did that, even for a single day, when God's grace and blessing became a treasure trove, it corrupted them. It has become a worm that eats joy and happiness in life and the whole of life.
. In Luke 18:18 and below, there is a person who came to Jesus to receive eternal life. He was wealthy and an official working in a government agency. In Matthew 19:22 it is said that he was a young man. He's rich, he's in a high position, and he's still young. He kept the law to such an extent that people recognized and respected him. But there is no happiness for him. Many things did not satisfy his heart. There is no joy in human life. So, people wanted to have a life that lived forever in addition to what they have been. But the kingdom of God is not acquired by money, youth, status, or perfect human works. You have to let go of everything you want to monopolize on your own. So the Lord speaks to him. 'You lack one thing; sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. And come, follow me' (Luke 18:22). The man returned sad.
. You cannot be happy with the world, Jesus, God and money in both hands. I have to throw away the things I have accumulated for myself through greed and empty the place. If there is no desire, there is no worry. There is no thief trying to steal mine. If you try to share what is mine, there will be no enemies. I need to let God fill the storehouses I have, not mine. If God fills it, He makes all life overflow so that there is no shortage. You always renew your life. The happiness of living with Jesus by the grace of God makes life precious, valuable, beautiful, and glorious every day. The joy of God's grace to live with Jesus, this is the eternal treasure of heaven.