The title can be done!/Philippians 4:13-20.
Contents German theologian Bonhoeffer said, "Fortress Christians try to believe in cheap Jesus. They want to believe in Jesus without the cross, Jesus with ease, and Jesus without pain." said.
As we finish the book of Philippians, we must learn that we must live beautifully in our lives as renewed beings in God.
Philippians 3:20 emphasizes that we are "those who have the citizenship of heaven."
It clearly states who we are.
At that time, the city of Rome was great. At that time, almost half of the population of the Roman Empire were slaves, the other half were free, and the rest were Roman citizens.
This citizenship was given to those who had served as Roman soldiers for more than 21 years, and also paid a lot of money to buy citizenship by paying high taxes and being loyal for many years.
Paul said that Roman citizenship is important, but even more surprising is that we are citizens of heaven.
who owns the kingdom of heaven. We must never forget that we have our duties and responsibilities as citizens of the kingdom of heaven.
However, in Philippians 3:18, the Apostle No. Paul says with tears in his eyes that there are “those who walk as enemies of the cross.”
They say "our god is the ship". God means God, and the stomach is the intestines.
He is still a person who only thinks about the pleasures of the flesh and the immediate benefits, and only thinks about the things of the earth.
They deny the power of the cross.
They are enemies of God, enemies of the church, and enemies of the gospel of the cross.
We are the people who own the kingdom of heaven that we could not even think of.
Jesus came to this world and died on the cross to give us the kingdom as an inheritance.
There must be a way to show that you are a child of God who has received this wonderful grace and blessing while living in this world.
- One of them is a self-sufficient life.
You must have the courage to accept yourself as you are.
If you are poor, you have to accept them as poor, if you are not educated, you are not taught, if you are poor, you are ugly, and if you are short, you should be accepted as short
Ex) I studied pedagogy for a little bit, but I purposely studied special education for about a year.
I remember a person I met back then.
I gave birth to a child with cerebral palsy. He was ashamed of it. When guests arrive, they are locked up in the annex. It wasn't visible to anyone. He had social status and money. Then I went to church. He was not allowed to visit the church and hid the child thoroughly. Then one day, while listening to a sermon on the love of Jesus, I received grace.
And then repent. Even a sinner like him is not ashamed of himself and, in the face of Jesus, who loved him, even though he was his own child, he did not love him. Instead, he hated and hid the child because of his face or honor.
Then that day, he hugged the child and prayed for his fault. And while crying, he confessed that he loved him, and said that he sincerely thanked God for giving him this child. On that Sunday, I take my children to church. People are amazed. Then he began to pray sincerely. And treated. My heart was at ease and I was full of joy. Surprisingly, the child was able to achieve quite a lot of treatment.
We need to accept and appreciate the way we are and the way we are.
Not only should you be someone who knows where to go, but also someone who can be close to and love anyone.
Ex) In the book {The Answered Self} of [Richard Niebuhr], a Christian ethicist, he divides human types into three categories.
Emphasize the parable of the good Samaritan from the Bible.
1. A purpose-oriented person.
He is a selfish person who will do anything to achieve his goals.
It's like a "robber".
2. The main person in self-regulation.
A person who makes a certain rule and keeps it by himself. It means so-called intellectuals. I live my life as I see fit, regardless of other people.
This is also selfish. Someone like a Levite or a priest.
He considers himself quite holy, and he considers himself a very right person. They do not sin and live a good and clean life. But they cannot accept others. He is a person who doesn't understand other people's affairs and is clogged up.
3. Responsible existence.
Understanding the other person and feeling responsible for that person.
I am a person who feels the responsibility of only scolding the wrong child and worries with me.
It is to feel responsible as a citizen of this society before accusing it of the wrongdoing of society.
This man is the Good Samaritan.
It is easy for us to talk about and criticize others' faults and faults. So there are a lot of people like that.
But there are few who truly feel responsible and make an effort.
Ex) When you are pastoring, you talk a lot about the pastor. There are many different opinions about the pastor. There are good reviews and bad reviews. But I hate it, whether it's good or bad. Rather, I want someone who quietly prays for the pastor from behind and fills my needs.
Recently, my wife quietly advised me not to suck with my lips during sermons. So it would be more right for me to buy an ointment for the lips and give it to me instead of that. I did. Then, the next day, he bought it right away and said he was sorry.
It is easy for us to criticize and speak. However, there are few who feel their true responsibility and support them together.
This is not for the pastor to receive any kind of treatment.
In verses 17, 18, and 19, it is said that it is for their own benefit and to receive God's greater blessing.
The beauty of the Philippian church is that it was such a responsible church.
In verse 15, it says that the only church that helped the apostle Paul in his difficulties was the Philippian church.
The fact that Paul was critical, swearing, and talking a lot, but only one church helped him has a lot of implications for us now.
-Apostle Paul has his own shouting words among these.
"I can do all things through him who strengthens me."
"I can do anything."
No matter how rough and difficult the world is, and no matter how strong Satan's work is, we can live a beautiful life as Christians.
We are never weak.
We are beings with great powers. He is a person who has the ability to overcome all difficulties in this world.
This story is not about human potential or trained abilities as the world says.
They often shout 'I can do it' and emphasize 'active thinking'. But that's not it.
These days, 'mind control' or ' ' is emphasized.
You need to know the source of this ability. Paul makes it clear that the source of that power is God.
It means “He who gives me strength”.
We are really weak beings. He is a weak being who does not have the strength to live in this world.
However, when we receive the power of God, we can make all things possible with that power.
Example) Lloyd-Jones used the expression "spiritual blood transfusion" when expounding on this part.
We can live a wonderful and beautiful life in this world by receiving the power of Jesus.
Ex) There are two reasons why the tap water does not come out.
One was when the water source stopped supplying, and the other was when my faucet was not open.
This is the reason why we do not live the life of power.
Because some people do not know the Lord of power, they do not believe in Him.
People like this may have a little water coming out now, but someday it will be cut off. There will come a time when you will realize greatly that humans are weak creatures that cannot do anything on their own.
E) Someone tried to gain power by writing, "There are hardships, but no failures." However, he exposed his limitations and failed. A few weeks ago, the title of a weekly magazine was "The Fall of Anyone."
You cannot succeed without God. You may succeed now, but someday you will fail, and you will end the world unhappily, feeling the limits of humanity.
Also, a Christian who believes in God but does not pray and does not obey the Word. They believe in the Lord of power, and even though the Lord gives them endless power and grace, they cannot enjoy it because of their false faith.
It's like water coming into your house, but you can't use it because you don't turn on the faucet.
Trust in the Lord of power.
In order to live a more beautiful and blessed life, in order to live a life of victory and power, pray and obey the Word, I hope that you will always receive and enjoy the power and grace that He gives.
If you look closely, there are people who live proudly even though they are really insignificant beings. However, the Apostle Paul lives a life of strength and power, but he leads a humble life, confessing that the power does not come from his own, but from God.
We should not lead a proud life of nothing, but a humble life while living a life of power and blessing.
- What we will learn clearly here is that our life is not the life God lives all of us.
We must receive power from God, fulfill God's mission, and live a beautiful life.
I am saying "I" with confidence.
I must act with that ability.
Some people say that God takes care of everything, so we just need to pray.
If he only prays and does a little church life, he thinks that he has fulfilled his responsibilities.
So, we are not responsible for the results, we are trying to blame only God.
But we must strive to do our best in the power of God.
Students must receive God's power and study hard.
Entrepreneurs say, "I have to work hard.
The revival of the church is God's work, but we must evangelize and work hard.
We must also create happiness in our lives by receiving God's power.
Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the flesh is faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. to live within." I did.
Because of Jesus, the pattern of life has changed.
Now the way I live my life is sweetened.
In the past, it was a life that I tried to do no matter what, but now it is a life of earnestly doing my work while asking the Lord for power and receiving it.
“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
-Dear friends!
We can do it too. A wonderful and beautiful life in this short life of ours. A life of success and victory. And you can live a blessed life like a citizen of the kingdom of God.
Not as any power in the world. It is only possible in the One who gives me power.
“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
Amen.