The Dead to Sin/Ecclesiastes 4:1 3
Content The dead to sin/Ecclesiastes 4:1 3, Romans 6:1 11
Death is not only painful and sad. Death is rather a blessing for those who have lived a beautiful life. Leonardo da Vinci said this about death. “Just as a well-spent day brings a happy sleep, so a well-lived life brings a happy death.” Death is the result of a beautiful life, and a beautiful life begets a precious death.
We need to know the meaning of death. Because, through true death, new life begins again from there. In the book “Tuesdays with Morrie,” Professor Morrie says this to a student who came to visit. “Once you learn to die, you learn to live.” This means that the true life begins at death. Do you want to live a precious life? Then learn “What kind of death is beautiful?” What is a beautiful death? What does death mean?
1. We must die to sin.
Romans 6:2 says, “How shall we, who are dead to sin, live any longer in them?” I did. True death begins with the death of sin. You cannot realize the true meaning of death without dying to sin. Without dying to sin, there is no new life.
To die to sin means to break with a sinful life. It means turning away from sin. It is to hate sin, to throw away the habit of sin, and to throw away sin.
A young man got on the train. When the person next to him asked to play a hanbok, the young man refused. But when I asked him to keep hitting, the young man replied: “I don’t have the hands to play a hanbok.” When the gentleman holding the Hanafuda was puzzled and asked if he really had no hands, the young man answered. “It’s not that I don’t have hands, it’s not that I don’t have the hands I used to play with in the past, but now I can’t play with my new hands.”
Those who have died to sin must not give any part to sin. Hands, feet, and thoughts must not be surrendered to sin. The sinful old man who likes material things and pursues honor must die. We must live a new life in grace every day.
2. We must die with Christ.
Romans 6:6-7 says, “We know that our old self was crucified with Jesus so that the body of sin might be destroyed and that we would no longer be enslaved to sin, because the dead are set free from sin and are justified. for he has been given.” I did.
When we die to sin, it means that our old self died on the cross with Jesus. And that we who were dead were born righteous through the righteousness of Christ. By dying on the cross with Jesus Christ, we are dead to sin and alive to righteousness.
What is righteousness? Are you honest with people? That's right. It can be honesty. But righteousness comes from God, beyond what people say about honesty. It does not speak of worldly right or wrong, but the desire to be freed from sin, the desire to take off the clothes of one's soiled righteousness and reach the glory of God, and the ultimate desire to completely resemble Christ. Paul said. “Have this heart in you. It is the heart of Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5)” The desire to be like Jesus, the desire to live according to the will of Jesus, and the desire to walk the same path that Jesus walked this is true ‘righteousness’.
Those who have died with Christ desire to live with Christ. We are not satisfied with external things such as a good home, a good job, a good environment, or honor in the world. Rather, I want to be satisfied with the word of the Lord and to have the word of God be fulfilled in my life. We want to live together with the Lord. I want to put on the righteousness of the Lord and live. Those who die with Christ are those who become like Christ.
3. You must die in order to be born again with new life.
Those who have died to sin with Jesus enjoy the blessing of new life. See Romans 6:4. “Therefore we were buried with him through baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life.”
Those who died in sin with Jesus now grow in new life. It grows and bears fruit. A whole new thing is born in his life every day. Just as a grain of wheat that falls to the ground and dies, bears much fruit, so those who died to sin with Christ in Christ bear much fruit. It bears abundant fruit, beautiful fruit.
Berry Martha in America was very poor. She had one big wish in her heart. It was to try to establish a real education for children like him who were poor and could not study by any means. That was her only prayer topic. However, building a school from scratch was not usually a prayer topic.
One day while praying, something came to mind and I went to see Henry Ford, a denial. Then, after talking about his circumstances, he asked to donate money to build the school. Henry Ford listened closely and held out a coin. It was an insulting expression of refusal.
But Mrs. Berry was not disappointed. After praying, I bought a bag of seeds with the coins Henry gave me. And sprinkled it on an empty vacant lot. After several years of doing this, the number of seeds gradually increased. Finally, Ms. Berry was able to erect the building. After erecting a building, she went back to Henry Ford. “Come and take a look at what we have accomplished with one coin you gave us a few years ago.”
Henry doubted his ears. I couldn't believe the building was built with one coin, so I went to the school on the farm to check it out for myself. He was very impressed with the building. And donated $1 million on the spot for the school.
Ms. Berry is a person who bears the fruit of new life. Even in moments of despair, he did not despair. Rather, it sowed seeds of hope. With those coins, seeds were bought, planted and grown. As a result, that tiny seed-like coin bore an unimaginable abundance of fruit.
Those who have died to sin always bear the fruit of new life. It bears fruit in any despair. Make it beautiful and precious to die to sin. Then you will bear the wonderful fruit of life.