The sincerity to challenge the untitled
Contents
10.03.21/ Luke 14:25-33/ The sincerity of challenging the impossible
At the last Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, South Korea performed well. The original goal was to enter the top 10 overall, but the players performed well, so they took the 5th place, the highest ranking ever. These results are said to be the result of the athletes' hard training. At the last Olympics, there were a lot of surprises. Among the gold medal winners, those who did not expect anything stood out, while the athletes who expected to win the gold medal were unfortunately forced to return home without any harvest. Among them, the player I had the most sympathy for was Lee Kyu-hyuk. He participated in the Olympics at the age of 13 and ran for the gold medal for 20 years, but this time he did not achieve that dream. So he had to wipe away many tears without others knowing.
But even though Lee Kyu-hyuk knew it was not going to happen, <it was so sad>, he did not give up and went into the game. Because of the spirit of challenge. Was this challenge once or twice for Lee Kyu-hyuk? There must have been a lot of times when I felt like this when I was practicing or when I was playing a game. Seeing the so-called ‘raw meat crawlers’ who are superior in skill, you must have thought many times, ‘Can I really win a gold medal?’ But what was the great thing about Lee Kyu-hyuk? Although he sometimes felt that he was losing his confidence and had no choice but to be sad, he endured all kinds of adversity and hardships and challenged for the Olympic gold medal for 20 years, even though he changed his style of life. For that reason, although he did not win a gold medal at the Olympics, he received applause from the whole nation for something more precious than that. Even President Lee Myung-bak said, “I applaud Lee Kyu-hyuk.”
Today we opened the verse of Luke 14:25-33. What is the subject of this verse? It teaches you how to live to become a disciple of Christ. Last week, I gave a speech under the title of <To Follow the Lord>. At that time, I talked about the thoughts of the 3 people who wanted to follow Jesus, and said that they could not follow Jesus with such a heart. That is why it is important for those who truly want to follow Jesus to have a <beautiful mind> toward the Lord.
However, in today’s text, the Lord is telling us how to become a disciple of Christ, and in verse 26, “Everyone who comes to me cannot become my disciple unless he hates his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life. And verse 27 says, “Whoever does not take up his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” Also, verse 33 says, “In the same way, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.” It is a difficult word, and it is difficult to bear.
But why are you saying this? Look at verse 25 together. “A great crowd had gone with them, and Jesus turned and said,” Yes, as I said last week, Jesus is going up to Jerusalem to carry the cross, but a large crowd were following Jesus with wrong ideas. Here, KJV translated ‘a multitude of crowds’ as ‘great multitudes’ and NIV as ‘large crowds’. It means a lot of people. It shows how popular Jesus was.
What can people do at this point? You can live as a hero. In fact, the people who follow Jesus now are those who want to have Jesus as their king. If that is the case, if you miss a single word from Jesus, then Jesus will become the king. But Jesus does not want to be king. different from people. People tend to bow their heads humbly when their power is weak and there are few people who follow and support them. Pastors are no exception.
However, Jesus tells them to abandon their parents and brothers, their wives and children, to hate their lives, to take up their cross, and to give up all their possessions, even though a large crowd follows them and tries to make him king. He said that he could become a true disciple by saying that he once again put the brakes on their expectations to the people who followed him with wrong ideas and informed them that their thinking was wrong, and clearly explained how to live in order to become a true disciple.
Now, by the way, are these words that the Lord requires are possible not only for those of those days but also for us living today? To follow the Lord (1) to lay down your parents, brothers and sisters, your wife and children, and even your own life- Is it possible for you? (2) And to take up one's cross and follow the Lord - Is it possible for you? Doesn't 'one's cross' refer to <all the burdens of life one has to bear to follow the Lord>? Are you carrying all these burdens and following the Lord? ⑶ And are you really giving up all your possessions and following the Lord? It will be difficult indeed. Nevertheless, the Lord said that we can become a disciple of the Lord only by doing things that are so difficult, or impossible, and no matter how much we struggle. Because it is the word of the Lord, isn't it that people cannot vomit?
So, what should we do when we receive this word? No matter how hard we try, we cannot live according to the word of the Lord, so should we ignore the word of the Lord and live? It can't be. Even though it is difficult or impossible for us to live the life that the Lord has required, we must not be indifferent to the “life of discipleship” that the Lord has spoken of, nor should we give up. Because the word of the Lord is the truth. Because there is no other alternative. Therefore, even though we knew that it was impossible to live like that, even though we were sad, as if we did not give up on the challenge of running for the gold medal, even though we knew that Kyu-hyuk Lee couldn't be, we knew it was impossible, and so sad, but- We too must continue to challenge ourselves to do what the Lord has asked us to do. Then we too will be welcomed by the Lord at the gates of heaven. Like Kyu-hyuk Lee, who received applause even though he did not win the gold medal.
Everyone! Just as Kyu-hyeok Lee temporarily left for Vancouver for the Olympics and then returned to Korea, we too will have to go back to our eternal hometown, Heaven, as we have a short excursion to this world with a mission God has given us. At that time, I want you to think about how the Lord will welcome us... I hope you will think about whether you will welcome us as if the people applaud Lee Kyu-hyuk, or will you be greeted with trembling. How you and I will receive the Lord will depend on how we are equipped.
Therefore everyone! Even if we fail to live the life the Lord requires in order to become disciples of Christ, even if we fail over and over again, it is very important that we continue to challenge ourselves to live according to the Lord's word. It is very difficult, painful, and sad to take on a challenge, but if I do not give up and challenge myself to the moment the Lord calls me, not for 4 years, not 20 years, I will not be able to meet the demands of the Lord. Even if we live, at the end of our lives, when we go back to heaven, even if we don't have gold medals hanging around our necks, won't the Lord applaud and welcome us? <Yes, how hard did you work to follow me? How sad was it to keep trying, knowing that it wasn't working? How much did it hurt?> He will welcome you with a hug.
People know the truth. So, aren't we applauding Lee Kyu-hyuk? But our Lord will know our sincerity better. Therefore, in order to become disciples of the Lord with a <beautiful mind> while looking at the Lord who understands our sincerity,