[Matthew 1:18-25]
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
"Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel"
{Rev. Dwight Yoo}
When the angel of God told Joseph to take Mary as his wife. God was asking for Joseph's reputation and status. for life. People then could not just move away. They grew up and died in the same village/city. There were only two possible reputations that Mary and Joseph would have. First would be that they were fornicators. Joseph and Mary had sex before marriage, which was unheard of in those days among those people. Secondly, Mary had sex with another man while she was betrothed to Joseph and Joseph was a fool to marry her. When God called Joseph to throw away his life, it was no small thing. Even into the adult years of Jesus' life, this reputation would still hang over the whole family. People would come up to Jesus and accuse him of being a bastard.
This is the same call that God makes to every Christian. We are called to follow God at the cost of our lives. Our reputations. our goals/dreams/desires. To pick up our cross and follow God. This is not a call only for missionaries. Or only for pastors. When Joseph was told to marry Mary, verse 25 tells us how he reacted: "When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded..." He quietly and faithfully obeyed. No complaints are voiced. Just quiet obedience. Joseph is foreshadowing for Jesus. Jesus also went to the cross at the cost of his life. Like a lamb before her shearers.
Joseph is called a "just man." What does being just mean? Before the visit of the angel, Joseph was resolved to quietly divorce Mary. Why? He had just found out that Mary obviously had been unfaithful. But consider that he could have had Mary stoned to death for adultery. He could have divorced her publicly to shame her. Consider that justice is different here. It is not the form of justice we see often. It is not retribution. It is not an eye for an eye. It is not a stiff application of law. The same punishment for all. But rather it is compassion for the weak and broken.
"He will not quarrel or cry aloud,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets;
a bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not quench,
until he brings justice to victory;
and in his name the Gentiles will hope." - Matthew 12:19-21
This is the heart of Joseph. Not justice in terms of only punishing those who have done wrong. But avoiding shaming and causing additional suffering for those who have sinned against us. It is justice that is compassionate as well. It covers over our shame. We are called to be gracious even when we have been sinned against.
Application
We are called to sacrifice anything and everything, if God calls us to it.
If we are honest, this is impossible without God.
We are called to pay the cost of sin... there will be costs to our family, our finances, and our time and energy. Honestly, this is also impossible w/o God.
What then?
This only points us again to our constant need for the Gospel in our lives. We are continually seek the presence of God, the God who is with us. We are called to die to ourselves. To remember our immediate and immense need for Christ. The one who has already come and who dwells with us.
Showing posts with label gospel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gospel. Show all posts
Dec 12, 2010
Aug 15, 2010
The Continual Movement of the Church on Mission
[Various passages in Acts]
{Rev. Dwight Yoo}
I will be wrapping up this series today. We've basically covered chapters 1 through 9. We felt this was so we could see God's heart. That the gospel is not something for ourselves, but it is something we devote our lives to. It not only encounters us and blesses us, but it should go out and bless others.
I would like to share some concluding thoughts...
Movement
This book is about a movement of God. That God is moving though his people. He is moving to redeem & restore this world. He is making this world more like it way it should be. Justice. Love. I think of how a drop of water hits the water and then the waves spread across the water. How the waves spread outward from that one drop. This reminds me of how the church moved outward from one small group of people. Not to say it expanded smoothly, but it kept moving outward. There were obstacles, but it kept moving.
Consider our vision statement - "To ignite a gospel-spreading movement through multiple local congregations in the greater Philadelphia area and the world, so that individuals, communities, and cultures are renewed in Christ."
How can we as a church and as individuals avoid becoming stagnant, but rather stay aligned with the movement of God?
1) Gospel-driven: We need to make the Gospel the engine. It should be what motivates us and moves us.
2) Spirit-empowered: How did the church move? A group of uneducated men. The Holy Spirit came and then they started moving with God.
Don't waste your life - John Piper
{Luke Woo - STM Taiwan}
Just came back from a missions trip to Taiwan. The land of Boba tea & scooters. Dal Shung is where I was. 95% of the people have a proclaimed religion. While you are in church service, you can hear the temple services and rituals going on outside. There is much spiritual battle there. I served as a tentmaker there. I taught the kids. Overseas, I learned about mobilization. There is no pastor Dan or pastor Dwight to tell you to do stuff. You have to stop sitting around and get out there. Get people excited and get christians together. I learned alot about what church is about.
http://www.omf.org/taiwan
Dead Women Walking - Jennifer Su
{Jen Kim - STM China}
Psalm 100:5
I've been in the city of Harbin. I've been basically at Siberia. The coldest was -45 degrees Fahrenheit, not adjusting for wind chill. Harbin is the location of the snow & ice festival. There is also a tiger park where you get on a bus and drive through a park with tigers. I've been teaching at North East Forestry University. I was a "foreign expert." I have not been able to evangelize, that is not allowed. But I have been able to share hope, teach them about Christmas & Easter. We cannot share but when we invite students into our homes and they ask us questions about living for God, we can answer their questions.
Matthew 28:18-20
Luke 4:18-19
(Personal Thoughts)
What does it mean for praise time to be Gospel-centered?
Are our songs too focused on our emotions and personal reactions and not God-centered enough?
How does the praise team engage those who are not musically gifted?
{Rev. Dwight Yoo}
I will be wrapping up this series today. We've basically covered chapters 1 through 9. We felt this was so we could see God's heart. That the gospel is not something for ourselves, but it is something we devote our lives to. It not only encounters us and blesses us, but it should go out and bless others.
I would like to share some concluding thoughts...
Movement
This book is about a movement of God. That God is moving though his people. He is moving to redeem & restore this world. He is making this world more like it way it should be. Justice. Love. I think of how a drop of water hits the water and then the waves spread across the water. How the waves spread outward from that one drop. This reminds me of how the church moved outward from one small group of people. Not to say it expanded smoothly, but it kept moving outward. There were obstacles, but it kept moving.
Consider our vision statement - "To ignite a gospel-spreading movement through multiple local congregations in the greater Philadelphia area and the world, so that individuals, communities, and cultures are renewed in Christ."
How can we as a church and as individuals avoid becoming stagnant, but rather stay aligned with the movement of God?
1) Gospel-driven: We need to make the Gospel the engine. It should be what motivates us and moves us.
2) Spirit-empowered: How did the church move? A group of uneducated men. The Holy Spirit came and then they started moving with God.
Don't waste your life - John Piper
{Luke Woo - STM Taiwan}
Just came back from a missions trip to Taiwan. The land of Boba tea & scooters. Dal Shung is where I was. 95% of the people have a proclaimed religion. While you are in church service, you can hear the temple services and rituals going on outside. There is much spiritual battle there. I served as a tentmaker there. I taught the kids. Overseas, I learned about mobilization. There is no pastor Dan or pastor Dwight to tell you to do stuff. You have to stop sitting around and get out there. Get people excited and get christians together. I learned alot about what church is about.
http://www.omf.org/taiwan
Dead Women Walking - Jennifer Su
{Jen Kim - STM China}
Psalm 100:5
I've been in the city of Harbin. I've been basically at Siberia. The coldest was -45 degrees Fahrenheit, not adjusting for wind chill. Harbin is the location of the snow & ice festival. There is also a tiger park where you get on a bus and drive through a park with tigers. I've been teaching at North East Forestry University. I was a "foreign expert." I have not been able to evangelize, that is not allowed. But I have been able to share hope, teach them about Christmas & Easter. We cannot share but when we invite students into our homes and they ask us questions about living for God, we can answer their questions.
Matthew 28:18-20
Luke 4:18-19
(Personal Thoughts)
What does it mean for praise time to be Gospel-centered?
Are our songs too focused on our emotions and personal reactions and not God-centered enough?
How does the praise team engage those who are not musically gifted?
Aug 1, 2010
The Church on Mission: Seizing Gospel Opportunity
[Acts 8:26-40 (ESV)]
Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." This is a desert place. And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, "Go over and join this chariot." So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?" And he said, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this:
"Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter
and like a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he opens not his mouth.
In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who can describe his generation?
For his life is taken away from the earth."
And the eunuch said to Philip, "About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?" Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?" And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.
{Rev. Charles Han}
Something happened down in Florida recently. A very unlikely divine appointment.
This passage also describes a very unlikely divine appointment. Philip and this Ethiopian eunuch. Philip had no business sharing with this eunuch w/o the intervention of the Holy Spirit.
God sovereignly and graciously breaks us out to accomplish His mission.
Looking at our church and where we were, you can see how God has been redirecting this church. I've asked God whether He will change our church to be less inward focused and actually reach out to people who don't know Christ. This passage gives me hope. God can change the direction and movement of the church. The church was told in Acts 1 to witness to the ends of the earth. But they stayed in Jerusalem... until persecution broke out and the church was scattered. This tells me that God will direct us even when it is not in our plan.
Philip was led by the Spirit to go down to Gaza. Ok. Then Philip is led to run beside the chariot of this Ethiopian official. And then see this, the EASIEST evangelism opportunity ever! This guy is reading from the word and he is confused. God had arranged it all perfectly.
The Gospel breaks through all barriers to redeem all peoples.
Philip, a middle-class Jew. This Ethiopian high ranking official, wealthy, Gentile eunuch. They were so dissimilar. Not only that, but eunuchs are considered unclean under Jewish Law. According to traditional wisdom at the time, Philip had no business even talking with this man.
When we look for the movement of the kingdom in the 21st century, we see the greatest growth in Latin America & Africa. So how did this happen? Most missionaries came with a colonial mindset. Missionaries tried to westernize the Africans to convert them. There was no movement. However, when local leaders understood how the Gospel met them in their culture, it exploded with growth. Africans did not need to become like European or American to become Christians. God met them where they were.
The Gospel challenges us to reach those we would normally have no business associating with.
We are not called to just reach people who look and dress like us. The gospel should also challenge us to meet those outside of our circle of friends. Not to completely ignore people like us, but to welcome those who are unlike us. To embrace not only those who are like us, but people who need the Gospel regardless of how dissimilar they are compared to us.
The Ethiopian eunuch was wealthy. He had a chariot, even though most people walked or rode horses. He had power and influence as a high ranking finance official. He was able to make this long trip. But even though he had all this, something was missing. How do we know? Because he made this long, treacherous trip to Israel. Somehow he heard of this God of Israel. But he would have been turned away from the Temple. Why? Because he was a eunuch, ritually unclean. He would only have been able to go around the courts. And he even bought scrolls of the Jewish Law, very expensive in those times. But he did not understand it. He did not find what he was looking for.... This is when Philip comes and meets him.
Many commentators have speculated that the eunuch would have read on further and ran into Isaiah 56:3-5...
"Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD say,
"The LORD will surely separate me from his people";
and let not the eunuch say,
"Behold, I am a dry tree."
For thus says the LORD:"To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,
who choose the things that please me
and hold fast my covenant,
I will give in my house and within my walls
a monument and a name
better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name
that shall not be cut off."
Surely, this would have impacted the heart of this Ethiopian eunuch unlike anything else. To know that he had a place, even having forsaking family & marriage. That he had a legacy in Jesus...
Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." This is a desert place. And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, "Go over and join this chariot." So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?" And he said, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this:
"Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter
and like a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he opens not his mouth.
In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who can describe his generation?
For his life is taken away from the earth."
And the eunuch said to Philip, "About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?" Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?" And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.
{Rev. Charles Han}
Something happened down in Florida recently. A very unlikely divine appointment.
This passage also describes a very unlikely divine appointment. Philip and this Ethiopian eunuch. Philip had no business sharing with this eunuch w/o the intervention of the Holy Spirit.
God sovereignly and graciously breaks us out to accomplish His mission.
Looking at our church and where we were, you can see how God has been redirecting this church. I've asked God whether He will change our church to be less inward focused and actually reach out to people who don't know Christ. This passage gives me hope. God can change the direction and movement of the church. The church was told in Acts 1 to witness to the ends of the earth. But they stayed in Jerusalem... until persecution broke out and the church was scattered. This tells me that God will direct us even when it is not in our plan.
Philip was led by the Spirit to go down to Gaza. Ok. Then Philip is led to run beside the chariot of this Ethiopian official. And then see this, the EASIEST evangelism opportunity ever! This guy is reading from the word and he is confused. God had arranged it all perfectly.
The Gospel breaks through all barriers to redeem all peoples.
Philip, a middle-class Jew. This Ethiopian high ranking official, wealthy, Gentile eunuch. They were so dissimilar. Not only that, but eunuchs are considered unclean under Jewish Law. According to traditional wisdom at the time, Philip had no business even talking with this man.
When we look for the movement of the kingdom in the 21st century, we see the greatest growth in Latin America & Africa. So how did this happen? Most missionaries came with a colonial mindset. Missionaries tried to westernize the Africans to convert them. There was no movement. However, when local leaders understood how the Gospel met them in their culture, it exploded with growth. Africans did not need to become like European or American to become Christians. God met them where they were.
The Gospel challenges us to reach those we would normally have no business associating with.
We are not called to just reach people who look and dress like us. The gospel should also challenge us to meet those outside of our circle of friends. Not to completely ignore people like us, but to welcome those who are unlike us. To embrace not only those who are like us, but people who need the Gospel regardless of how dissimilar they are compared to us.
The Ethiopian eunuch was wealthy. He had a chariot, even though most people walked or rode horses. He had power and influence as a high ranking finance official. He was able to make this long trip. But even though he had all this, something was missing. How do we know? Because he made this long, treacherous trip to Israel. Somehow he heard of this God of Israel. But he would have been turned away from the Temple. Why? Because he was a eunuch, ritually unclean. He would only have been able to go around the courts. And he even bought scrolls of the Jewish Law, very expensive in those times. But he did not understand it. He did not find what he was looking for.... This is when Philip comes and meets him.
Many commentators have speculated that the eunuch would have read on further and ran into Isaiah 56:3-5...
"Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD say,
"The LORD will surely separate me from his people";
and let not the eunuch say,
"Behold, I am a dry tree."
For thus says the LORD:"To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,
who choose the things that please me
and hold fast my covenant,
I will give in my house and within my walls
a monument and a name
better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name
that shall not be cut off."
Surely, this would have impacted the heart of this Ethiopian eunuch unlike anything else. To know that he had a place, even having forsaking family & marriage. That he had a legacy in Jesus...
May 2, 2010
Fighting with the Full Armor of God: The Shoes of the Gospel of Peace (Part 2)
{Ephesians 6:10-15}
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.
[Rev. Dwight Yoo]
How does the Gospel of peace ready us to stand and fight.
Have you ever gotten into a fight? If you have, you know that traction is important. It is important to have good footing. For the Romans, as we mentioned last week, the soldiers wore shoes with spikes on the bottom, like cleats.
The Gospel of Peace gives us the Eagerness to stand and fight.
The gospel gets sweeter as we hear more of it. As we learn more about ourselves, we see how undeserving we are... but we also learn how immensely loved we are.
Ever since Adam & Eve, the human heart has rebelled from God. All of our hearts are bent away from God because of sin. (Romans 8:7-8) To put it simply, the human heart is at war with God.
Jesus died for us while we were still rebelling. while we were still going where we wanted. (Isaiah 53:5-6) Not only do we have peace with God through Jesus. We have also been reconciled with God. It is like we had a strained relationship... and now there is love and restoration of our relationship with God. (Romans 8:31-39) For those in Christ, the God of the universe is always for you. This knowledge will give us a cheerful eagerness to fight.
We stand with an Eagerness of Love.
For a christian, we see our sin & His love. What keeps us from sin and keeps us fighting? We remember God's love for us & try to please God. We will resist sin because we know God's love for us is so great. Our God has been so good to us, we wish to honor Him.
We stand with an Eagerness of Sure Victory & Glory.
We gladly enter warfare. If God is for us, we will gladly & eagerly enter battle. We are promised victory in the war. We may get beat up and scraped, but we will be victorious. Why? Because the God of the universe is for us. We will not ultimately fail. We may lose some battles, but the war is already won by God.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.
[Rev. Dwight Yoo]
How does the Gospel of peace ready us to stand and fight.
Have you ever gotten into a fight? If you have, you know that traction is important. It is important to have good footing. For the Romans, as we mentioned last week, the soldiers wore shoes with spikes on the bottom, like cleats.
The Gospel of Peace gives us the Eagerness to stand and fight.
The gospel gets sweeter as we hear more of it. As we learn more about ourselves, we see how undeserving we are... but we also learn how immensely loved we are.
Ever since Adam & Eve, the human heart has rebelled from God. All of our hearts are bent away from God because of sin. (Romans 8:7-8) To put it simply, the human heart is at war with God.
Jesus died for us while we were still rebelling. while we were still going where we wanted. (Isaiah 53:5-6) Not only do we have peace with God through Jesus. We have also been reconciled with God. It is like we had a strained relationship... and now there is love and restoration of our relationship with God. (Romans 8:31-39) For those in Christ, the God of the universe is always for you. This knowledge will give us a cheerful eagerness to fight.
We stand with an Eagerness of Love.
For a christian, we see our sin & His love. What keeps us from sin and keeps us fighting? We remember God's love for us & try to please God. We will resist sin because we know God's love for us is so great. Our God has been so good to us, we wish to honor Him.
We stand with an Eagerness of Sure Victory & Glory.
We gladly enter warfare. If God is for us, we will gladly & eagerly enter battle. We are promised victory in the war. We may get beat up and scraped, but we will be victorious. Why? Because the God of the universe is for us. We will not ultimately fail. We may lose some battles, but the war is already won by God.
Apr 25, 2010
Fighting with the Full Armor of God: The Shoes of the Gospel of Peace (Part 1)
{Ephesians 6:10-18}
and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.
[Rev. Dwight Yoo]
Caliga - Roman shoes that soldiers wore. They were flexible and it made the army very mobile. These shoes had thick metal spikes on the bottom that gave lots of traction, much like clets. They had thick soles that protected soldiers feet from various spikes and traps used by their enemies.
"readiness given by the gospel of peace" can mean two things. In this sermon I will cover one, and I will cover another one later. We will cover that the gospel is something we should be ready to deliver. When you are trying to deliver the gospel, this is spiritual battle. There are also other biblical reference to the feet that deliver the gospel/salvation.
"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news,
who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation,
who says to Zion, 'Your God reigns.' " - Isaiah 52:7
"How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!" - Romans 10:14-15
Two main points
The Gospel is the Good News of Peace for the Religious and Irreligious
Living in the Gospel prepares us to Deliver the Gospel
The Gospel literally means "Good News". When we read about other countries, we hear statistics that 80% plus people are "christian." But that doesn't mean much... because there are many christians that don't know the Gospel. They are culturally raised in a church, but do not have a relationship with Christ. Because of this, we continue to send missionaries to preach the Gospel. For those who are religious, they feel they just need to follow rules x, y, & z. If they follow the rules and do enough, God would be pleased. But that is NOT what the Gospel says. The Gospel says we can NEVER do enough. We cannot live lives good enough. But the Gospel says that Christ has done it for us. So we try to live good lives not because we have to earn salvation, but rather we live lives having already received everything through Christ.
For the irreligious, they don't care about earning salvation. But the gospel is multi-faceted. Shalom. Fullness & wholeness in all of creation. No more racism, poverty, or death. The irreligious don't care about about earning points with God. But they are also disturbed by death, by brokenness, by all these things that are messed up. We can tell them about a God who is restoring. A God who sent His son to restore the whole world, the relationships, everything. The kingdom that God is creating is one where everything works as it should. We are to be a foretaste of heaven. A citizen representative of heaven.
The Good News has to be Good News to us - In order to be a good messenger, you need to live in the Gospel. Is the Gospel good news to you? If something is not important or meaningful, you will not share it. You will talk about those things that are precious to us. If the Gospel is precious, we will easily discuss it and commend it to our friends. For us, the news always gets better each time we hear it. When we first accept it, it is good. But then we learn more... and it gets more amazing. God not only loves us. He wants us to work with Him. He has adopted us into His family.
Allow the Gospel to speak to your inadequacy - You are not winning because of clever arguments. You are not reaching people because you have impeccable character. People are reached because God works through you. God works through even our inadequacies. God opens eyes, He softens hearts.
Allow the Gospel to speak to your Unworthiness - Our motives are always impure. If we waited until our motives were pure to serve, we would never serve. The devil would point out our previous mistakes to keep us on the sidelines. We should stand on the Gospel when we feel unworthy. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." - 1 John 1:9
and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.
[Rev. Dwight Yoo]
Caliga - Roman shoes that soldiers wore. They were flexible and it made the army very mobile. These shoes had thick metal spikes on the bottom that gave lots of traction, much like clets. They had thick soles that protected soldiers feet from various spikes and traps used by their enemies.
"readiness given by the gospel of peace" can mean two things. In this sermon I will cover one, and I will cover another one later. We will cover that the gospel is something we should be ready to deliver. When you are trying to deliver the gospel, this is spiritual battle. There are also other biblical reference to the feet that deliver the gospel/salvation.
"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news,
who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation,
who says to Zion, 'Your God reigns.' " - Isaiah 52:7
"How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!" - Romans 10:14-15
Two main points
The Gospel is the Good News of Peace for the Religious and Irreligious
Living in the Gospel prepares us to Deliver the Gospel
The Gospel literally means "Good News". When we read about other countries, we hear statistics that 80% plus people are "christian." But that doesn't mean much... because there are many christians that don't know the Gospel. They are culturally raised in a church, but do not have a relationship with Christ. Because of this, we continue to send missionaries to preach the Gospel. For those who are religious, they feel they just need to follow rules x, y, & z. If they follow the rules and do enough, God would be pleased. But that is NOT what the Gospel says. The Gospel says we can NEVER do enough. We cannot live lives good enough. But the Gospel says that Christ has done it for us. So we try to live good lives not because we have to earn salvation, but rather we live lives having already received everything through Christ.
For the irreligious, they don't care about earning salvation. But the gospel is multi-faceted. Shalom. Fullness & wholeness in all of creation. No more racism, poverty, or death. The irreligious don't care about about earning points with God. But they are also disturbed by death, by brokenness, by all these things that are messed up. We can tell them about a God who is restoring. A God who sent His son to restore the whole world, the relationships, everything. The kingdom that God is creating is one where everything works as it should. We are to be a foretaste of heaven. A citizen representative of heaven.
The Good News has to be Good News to us - In order to be a good messenger, you need to live in the Gospel. Is the Gospel good news to you? If something is not important or meaningful, you will not share it. You will talk about those things that are precious to us. If the Gospel is precious, we will easily discuss it and commend it to our friends. For us, the news always gets better each time we hear it. When we first accept it, it is good. But then we learn more... and it gets more amazing. God not only loves us. He wants us to work with Him. He has adopted us into His family.
Allow the Gospel to speak to your inadequacy - You are not winning because of clever arguments. You are not reaching people because you have impeccable character. People are reached because God works through you. God works through even our inadequacies. God opens eyes, He softens hearts.
Allow the Gospel to speak to your Unworthiness - Our motives are always impure. If we waited until our motives were pure to serve, we would never serve. The devil would point out our previous mistakes to keep us on the sidelines. We should stand on the Gospel when we feel unworthy. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." - 1 John 1:9
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)