공동체와 양육

Passion special guest

2008.10.12Rev. Francis Chan

Believers can rejoice always because God's grace secures our standing, and the peace of God, which surpasses understanding, guards us so we can give our worries to him. Rejoicing in our names written in the book of life brings glory to the Father.

Grace frees us from the endless race to earn approval

Many young people in Korea live under constant pressure to succeed, and that pressure leads some to despair. Grace is the opposite of this striving, because God gives what we do not deserve. My own childhood was shaped by trying to earn my father's favor, and I was never sure he loved me. Learning that God loves us despite our failures takes us out of that race. We do not need to prove ourselves before we can rest in him.

God created each of us for good works

We often admire the great people of the past and feel they are out of our reach. But James wrote that Elijah was a man just like us, and that truth should change how we see ourselves. Elijah prayed to the same God we pray to, and the Holy Spirit lives in us too. The point of looking at these people is not to say we could never be like them, but to see the powerful God who worked through them. Each of us is a unique creation of God, made to do good works.

Let your soul rest like a weaned child on its mother

Psalm 131 describes a soul that is not proud and does not chase things too great for it. The psalmist says he has calmed and quieted his soul like a weaned child with its mother. Picture a child asleep on a parent's shoulder, with no hunger and no need, simply resting. Our souls should look like that, because our Father sits on the throne and has everything under control. Stress and worry show that we are trying to carry what is his to carry.

Rejoice in the Lord always, because it is a command

Philippians 4:4 says to rejoice in the Lord always, and then repeats the word to make it clear. We may treat this as a cheerful slogan, but it is written as a command, like the commands not to murder or commit adultery. Rejoicing is not an optional mood, and God wants his children to rejoice. When we rejoice, the world sees the joy of our Father and wants to know him. Obeying this command brings glory to God.

Rejoice that your name is written in the book of life

In Luke 10, the seventy-two returned with joy because even the demons submitted to them, and Jesus rejoiced with them. But Jesus told them not to rejoice mainly in their power, because ministry can change in a day. They should rejoice that their names are written in heaven. If we heard God read our name from the book of life, nothing could crush us that day. Our security rests on God's promises in his Word, which we must believe and not doubt.

Give your worries to God and walk away rejoicing

Philippians 4:6 tells us not to be anxious about anything, but to bring every request to God with thanksgiving. Psalm 73 shows that the confusion of the psalmist ended when he entered God's sanctuary and saw things from God's perspective. Compared with the vast universe he created, our biggest problems become small. When we pray, we should hand God the assignment and trust him to act for his glory, rather than picking the worry back up afterward. He heard us the first time, so we can walk away rejoicing.

Apply to Life

  • Let us stop trying to earn God's love and rest in the grace he has already given us.
  • Let us believe that God made each of us as a unique creation for good works and step out in faith.
  • Let us bring our worries to God in prayer and then leave them with him instead of picking them back up.
  • Let us rejoice in the Lord always, especially because our names are written in the book of life.

This summary was made automatically from the sermon's captions and may differ from the sermon.

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