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Philippians 3:12-14 What was captured
In a certain family there was a husband who was addicted to gambling. It's not unusual to get caught up in that gambling and not come into the house for days. He went crazy with gambling without taking care of the family, and eventually lost all the property his parents left, and left saying that he could not live with his wife or children.
But as soon as this man's fingers healed, he ran to the gambling house again and gambled again with his crumpled hands. The reason why this happened is because he was caught up in the wrong habit of gambling.
Everyone, if you are caught up in bad habits or wrong ideas, your short life will be ruined, your family will be destroyed, your society will be in chaos, and your country will be on the path of destruction.
Look at human history. When Hitler, a German, became obsessed with national supremacy, didn't it happen that they waged a war that they should rule the whole world and killed 6 million Jews?
Also, when the Japanese people became obsessed with militarism, didn't they also start wars, killing millions of people, and getting hit with atomic bombs themselves? Also, when many countries, including the former Soviet Union, were captured by communism, didn't they lose their freedom and lose their blessings and prosperity?
Also, in North Korea, captured by Kim Il-sung's Juche ideology, is it not possible to accept good foreign culture and to go on the path of isolation and retreat?
Also, isn't today's world, including Korea, captivated by extreme selfishness, causing mutual love to grow cold, hatred and hatred, and eventually leading to the destruction of the earth? In other words, our happiness and unhappiness, success and failure, blessings and curses are determined by what we are obsessed with.
Look at a man named Samson in the Bible. When he was possessed by the god of God, didn't he have victory over a thousand Philistine soldiers with a single donkey's jawbone? However, when he was seduced and captured by a prostitute named Delilah, he broke his covenant with God, and in the end his eyes were pulled out by the Philistines and he was ridiculed.
Also look at King Saul. When he was possessed by the Spirit of God, didn't he have a good start as the first king of Israel who defeated the Ammonites, the Philistines, and also established the discipline of the nation? However, because of his jealousy and jealousy of David, he was possessed by an evil spirit, and later became a psychopath and killed himself, didn't he become the main character of the tragedy?
Also see Paul. Before he became an apostle, he was caught up in the wrong ideas. That is why he persecuted the church, imprisoned Christians, and even voted in parole when deacon Stephen was stoned to death. Even so, he considered his actions to be right and went on an expedition as far as Damascus to imprison Christians.
However, when he met Jesus on the road to Damascus, he was freed from wrong thinking. And his whole life was captivated by the thoughts of Jesus, the truth of Jesus, and the gospel of Jesus, and he turned into the great Apostle Paul. In today's text, the apostle Paul confesses that he was captured by Jesus.
Ladies and gentlemen, depending on what you are possessed by, that person may become a persecutor, a blasphemer, or a murderer, while others may become a man of God or a great apostle.
It is the same with our life of faith. If you live a life of faith because you are obsessed with self-centered, narrow thoughts, bad personalities or habits, your faith will not grow properly, and eventually, it will become a wrong faith, a faith that has a bad end, and rather a faith that destroys the church.
However, those who are captivated by God's Word and God's great love feel rewarding and happy even in difficult immigration and study abroad life, and can build the kingdom of heaven beautifully and the end will be better.
Ask yourself a question today. What am I really obsessed with? Like the people of the last days, are you being caught up in selfishness, hedonism, golden omnipotence, and bigotry, and are you on a path that makes you suffer, your family, and others too? Or are you being captivated by God like the great men of faith in the Bible, and are you firmly accomplishing God's will in this foreign land?
The great men of the Bible were all captive to God. Although their profession is lowly and their family, social, and political backgrounds are not good, the kingdom of heaven has been built up because of them when they are captivated by God.
Guys, what have you been obsessed with and by whom have you come here in Canada? Did your husband drag you? Or did your wife drag you to the immigration? Or did the couple come because they like each other? Or is it because of their children's education?
If a family member, neighbour, friend, or relative dragged you to Canada, does that mean you were captured by someone? But think about it. If you come here because you don't know what tomorrow will happen, and you are easily changeable, prone to sin, and captured by an imperfect person, will you be able to secure your future in this foreign life?
Wouldn't the answer be 'well, I don't know', but rather 'no'? In other words, in order to secure our future even in this foreign land, it is not enough just to be caught by people, friends, and neighbors.
Think about it. When God holds me, I exist, God takes care of me and my family's health, and God takes care of my job and business, isn't it possible to live in this foreign land? No matter how smart and handsome you and I are, how can we live in this place if God doesn't catch us?
The same is true of the religious life. When you first start your life of faith, it seems like you were captured by people and came to church, and you seem to believe in Jesus because of a person called Amulet.
If we don't realize this fact, isn't our faith becoming people-centered rather than God-centered? In other words, faith is ultimately captured by God, not by man, isn't it? Only when we are captured by God can we go to heaven, and when we are captured by God, won't God help us even in a foreign land?
Guys, I want to ask you. Are you possessed by God? Or are you still walking alone in the wilderness, wandering here and there, unable to be caught by God?
In my case, since high school, my mother recommended me to go to the church in front of my house. But at that time, I was making excuses to not be properly captured by God even on Sundays, playing with my friends, or being caught up in my hobbies and worldly pleasures.
I had been living my central life all week, and once in a while I went to church, and I was proud of myself and comforted as if I had done something great to God and filial piety to my mother. Moreover, sometimes when I paid tithing, I thought my faith had run out.
However, after I was discharged from the army and received the Holy Spirit, my faith changed. Not only were they caught by God on Sunday, but also Wednesday with Wednesday worship, Friday with all-night worship, and Saturday with youth service were also caught by God.
And not only the tithe was taken from God, but all of my material was given to me by God and I had to use it as God wanted. And my will, my argument, my thoughts, and my heart came to stand in the position of chasing after being caught by God, that is, to catch what was caught.
Because if you are caught up in the pleasures of this world and chase after them, you will feel thirsty as if you drank salt water.
Everyone, our joy and happiness depend on what you and I are preoccupied with and what we pursue to catch. Even in this foreign land, if you are caught by God and live a life of chasing after God, there will surely be joy and happiness in heaven. But if you live to catch the world's pleasures and its vanities, there is no future for you and me. Lack of joy and happiness.
When I was young, I received the Holy Spirit and had a dream like this. In my dream, a very well-maintained highway stretched out and there was a garbage dump next to it. But someone picked three or four big boxes the size of an apple box from the pile of garbage and put them on the highway. When I opened the box, it was full of matches and toothpicks.
What the hell does this dream mean? Roads, trash, matches, toothpicks, I don't know what the hell these means, so years have passed since I wrote them down in my diary at the time. And seeing this again a few years later, the interpretation came to mind.
"Aha, the paved road is the way, the truth, and the life Jesus means, the garbage means the stinky and filthy sinful me, and the match means the fire of the Holy Spirit because it is a lighting tool, and a toothpick. is used after eating meat, so it means a prosperous life!"
Taken together, this is interpreted as follows. ?쏻onhyo, who lived a dirty life like garbage, now I put you on the well-polished path of Jesus Christ in the garbage dump. Now, follow this path and live with the fire of the Holy Spirit. Then I will make you eat meat and live a rich life. I will guarantee you !" Hallelujah !
Ladies and gentlemen, if I deviate from the path of Jesus, I will become a waste of life again. And you can't eat meat, you can't even use a toothpick, and your rich life is coming to an end. In other words, you have to be caught by Jesus to live. Apart from Jesus, you cannot do anything, you cannot obtain anything, and you cannot go to heaven.
So, didn't Jesus say this? ?쏧 am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me.??(John 14:6)
?쏧 am the vine and you are the branches; if he is in me and I in him, this man bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.??(John 15:5)
Just as no matter how good a car is, if it goes off the road, it becomes useless. If you and I are not caught by Jesus and live apart from Jesus, it is not freedom, it is not peace, it is suffering, poverty, curses, and hell.
Guys, I want to ask you. 2002 Who do you want to be caught in this new year? And who are you going to chase after? Are you Jesus, the protagonist of heaven, blessings, and happiness? Or is it the devil of the world, the protagonist of hell and curse, sorrow and pain?
As in the old days, God did not make us robots, but gave us free will to make our own decisions. So, you decide for yourself who gets caught and who you follow. But don't forget one thing. You must bear the responsibility and fruit of that decision yourself.