Pastor Lim, Jung Suk (Daegu Pyunggang Church)
Today we come to the last Sunday of this year. While we send off this year, looking back, there was truly an eventful year.
There are debates standing tall against one another without compromise. A backwards moving economy. A culture covered in sin. An Education / SAT Scandal and cheating.
Especially a six nation summit. North Korean Nuclear issues left without a complete answer. We have been through all these international situations this year.
In all of this confusion, through this past year to the last Sunday, we have been able to peacefully give service. This is all through the grace and mercy of the Lord our God.
Because at that time things were very difficult but as time passed we saw that everything was by the will of God. At the time of crisis we may not have known this, but as we pass through and overcome, everything is or was a process as gods teaching and discipline. So Through all these things I am able to grow and improve my faith and character. Now I understand.
Each and everyone are different, by size or difficulty, but someone said it like this.
Even though all these problems, I have nothing to be thankful for.
There may be people that think this way.
Even if I think about it again and again, in their own memories, there were more bad than good things remembered. So this may be how they are able to think this way. Like one day, my healthy body was suddenly very sick. My work and my job were suddenly lost. My business that was once doing well is now broke. My once happy family now has a large crisis. Yes, maybe because of all this they are able to think this way. That they have nothing to be thankful for.
But loving fellow Christians, even though all this, we always have a reason to give thanks. Because we are all Christians, We are existing and at anytime should be thankful we are always and in every circumstance living and giving thanks. It is because we are of that existence. Mostly to us because we have faith.
Today’s scripture, to me and to us, if we are Christians, how are we thankful and what are we full of thanks for? There are 6 things that I would like to point out to you. These 6 things are what we will look at one by one. Now we will share in the mercy..
First, Christians should be able to be full of thanks because we have received Christ Jesus as Lord.
Today’s scripture verse 6:
6So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him,
This is a very basic principle. This most basic reason of thankfulness is told in this scripture. We should never forget this basic principle.
This means that inside this short sentence, it tells clearly how you received Jesus. He was received as Christ the Lord.
This receiving as Christ is connected with sin. So through Jesus I have received my salvation and the Lord is connected to my Life. So I have received Jesus by my Lord, as my king.
About this point, the angel has told us clearly of the birth of Jesus Christ.
Luke 2:10-11
10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
Jesus has been born for us. What is Jesus to us? Christ and Lord.
11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
Actually the Christian life begins right here. This was the start of receiving Jesus as Christ. This was the start of receiving Jesus as the Lord.
Also, all of the things that have been done, this is the enormous mercy of god, and the enormous grace of God. This grace is full of the Lord.
In all of this, some are sitting here now, in the past they didn’t believe in Jesus. And they have been struggling. Now they know of Jesus and believe in Jesus, so they receive Jesus as the Christ and they receive Jesus as the Lord. There are some like this in our church. Those people before passing the end of this year, by the bottom of my heart I am sincerely full of thanks to my Lord our God.
Also, even all of us, before we received Jesus as our Christ and as our Lord, the lord of my life were ourselves...If we had a problem; first I would feel fear. Then I would use my experience and knowledge to try to solve what ever problem. I have tried many different ways of my own. But now, even when a problem occurs, I am not afraid, as I was in the past. I only express my faith and I am coming closer to my God my Father with faith through prayer. This is what I am now. So I am able to be full of thanks to my Lord God.
Because it is that much my life is changed. My life is now at a higher level.
2 Corinthians 5:17
17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
If in Christ, If in Christ. I am a new creation.
Non Christians do not understand what this means. And they may never understand. But we do know. we do understand just what this means.
It is that much that one man and one sinner into Jesus Christ, and so they have received Christ as their Lord. They have received Jesus as the admitted lord of their life. This is very important.
Second, a reason for us to be full of thanks is that we are able to continue living in Jesus Christ.
6So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him,
This means, those who ever receives Christ Jesus as Lord; they are able to live in Jesus and continue to live this way. How are we to continue to do this? Live in Jesus. How do we continue to live in Jesus?
If I feel like it, I do it. If I don’t feel like it, I don’t do it. If people who compliment and they are without compliment they quit. This isn’t what I mean. Always they will continue under any circumstances.
Especially here in Korea. There is a long history of culture. There is the Buddhist religion, Confucianism and especially Shamanism. Because of all this, they didn’t even notice the strange path they were following.
So it is not forgotten that the Christians should stay in and live in and continue to live in Christ. So what does this in mean more specifically.?
That is, in the arms of Jesus. inside Jesus himself. This is what it means. But also it means to stay in the word and live following the word. We can explain and understand this. We are staying in the will of the Lord and live following the will of the Lord. This is yet another way we are able to understand this. To us, living in the 21 century, we can understand this more clearly. This is easier to explain.
The scripture says in
1 Corinthians 13:11
11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.
What does this mean? This means we have received Jesus as the Christ and Lord. And if we continue to live in him, the way we talk, think and reason will not be like that of a child but will be like that of a grown man. If I tell you more clearly, to talk like a Christian and think like a Christian and reason like a Christian, we will be born again in a new creation. A new existence.
So if we continue to live in him, anyone of these people will automatically throw all their childish ways away. So they will be able to give thanks to the Lord.
Third, another reason for us to be full of thanks is this. We are rooted.
rooted and built up in him,
This word rooted means, like the roots of a vegetable under the ground. Of the Christian life, where do the roots go? Yes, they should be rooted to Christ. So, if the roots of life are put well into Christ. That is a good reason to be full of thanks to God.
Now I would like to tell you a short story. In Baltimore Maryland in the U.S. at John Hopkins University, among the professors there is one named Kelly. He is always wears a rose in his front breast pocket. This professor is a Christian. Also he gets a lot of respect from the students. So, his students, like the professor began to put flowers in the breast pocket of their coats. The problem here was that the students weren’t able to keep their flowers for more than a day with out them drying out. But the professor he could keep the flowers alive and well for more than a couple days. So the students all wondered and thought this was strange, so one day they asked this professor Kelly how he does it.
Professor, how does this happen to our flowers? They can only make it one day. How come your flowers last a couple days?
Professor Kelly answered like this,
Oh, this is nothing special, in my pocket I keep a small vase to put the flower in. so, in my chest pocket, this flower does not dry out really fast.
The students finally understood. and today’s scripture is a lot like this.
What I mean is, when we received Jesus as Christ and Lord, and we also continue to live in him, even though this, the important thing is where the roots are placed. So the roots of life need to go straight down into Jesus Christ, so we will be able to be full of thanks to the Lord our God.
As we know through common sense, the roots will spread very well. And a strong root requires lots of nutrients. Our root of life in Jesus Christ will spread down well, and this is very important.
If we are able to this, the next thing will know is we are a big healthy tree that doesn’t move in any storm or wind. If a big storm comes and the wind blows we might shake a bit. But it will never happen that we will be uprooted.
Among the Christians in Church, if they have a little problem, they might pack up and move out. They might give up easy. This is not the best thing to do.
New Christians who have just started to believe and those who have had faith for a long time. Their differences are right here.
This is their roots. Even when they are shaken, it will never happen that they will be up rooted.
So, the root of life and the root of faith should go very deep into Jesus Christ. All of the focus in our life, this should be the main focus and this is what we should continue to work on.
The prophet Jeremiah said this.
Jeremiah 17:5-8
5This is what the LORD says:
"Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who depends on flesh for his strength
and whose heart turns away from the LORD.
6He will be like a bush in the wastelands;
he will not see prosperity when it comes.
He will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
in a salt land where no one lives.
7"But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him.
8He will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit."
How beautiful these words are.
I was able to think very deeply about this life and the root of this life. What is the life where the roots are going down deep into Jesus Christ?
That is, the Q.T. The QT is the quiet time and the way we spend it. The way we read and meditate in the word for our lives.
Anyway this QT or any other way, the important thing is, the root of our faith. That the roots are going down deep into Jesus Christ. This is something we should never forget.
Fourth. The reason we should be full of thanks to god is that we have received Jesus as Christ and we continue to live in him and we are rooted up in him. and we built in him.
rooted and built up in him,
This word, built up in him, two weeks ago the title of my sermon was the praise of Simeon. Let’s take a moment to look back at that scripture.
Luke 2:34
34Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against,
Who will be rising up in Israel? That is god. and this is to be spoken against. This is only for the salvation of the world.
Ok, let’s look at other scripture about being built up.
Jeremiah 31:4
4I will build you up again
and you will be rebuilt, O Virgin Israel.
Again you will take up your tambourines
and go out to dance with the joyful.
1 Timothy 2:7
7And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle--I am telling the truth, I am not lying--and a teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles.
When we look at this word about being built up, it does not mean something they can do themselves. They are built up by the power of God. Looking at it this way, we can understand, that even today’s scripture it was meant in this same way.
rooted and built up in him,
So this word, built up, build is word about architecture. Like the way the roots go down, we make sure that the basic foundation is completely built. then the next word is that we build up the main frame work. Who built up this framework? This was built by Jesus, my Christ and my Lord.
Fifth, the reason we should have great thankfulness in God is that we have received Jesus as Christ and Lord, we continue to live in him, we are rooted and built up in him and now we are strengthened in the faith as we were taught we continue to be taught through Jesus. For this we should have great thankfulness. This is in verse 7.
strengthened in the faith as you were taught,
Here the word is taught. What does this mean to us? This is that we were taught the word of Christ. Looking at other places in the bible there are other mentions of taught.
Psalms 19:8
8The precepts of the LORD are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
2 Timothy 3:16
16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
If we look at this scripture the taught is surely shown in the word of God. Generally we are sinners and this sinner has received Jesus as the Christ, and we continue to live in him. Also we are rooted and build up in him. Then we are strengthened in the faith as you were taught... This is why we should have great thanks.
Sixth, what is the reason for our thankfulness? Lastly because of our strength in faith.For this we should be full of thanks.
rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
Actually we have been running for the strengthening of our faith. If this is built up well, and we work out for this, we are truly overflowing with thankfulness...
In closing, loving fellow Christians.
In Germany a middle aged Gentleman had tongue cancer and had to have his tongue removed. At the moment of removing his tongue the doctor asked him a question.
Are there any last words you wish to say? You will never be able to talk again after we cut out your tongue.
If you have any last words you want to say, you can say them now.
At that moment, this gentleman thought deeply for a while. Tears began to flow down his cheeks and he said, “Oh my Lord Jesus, Thank you! Thank you Lord Jesus, Thank you my Lord Jesus.”
Loving fellow Christians. Today is the last Sunday of the year. If you have sent off this year, how is your attitude as this year comes to a close?
Do you want to close this year full of complaints and blame? Or do you want to close out this year overflowing with thankfulness?
Today we come to the last Sunday of this year. While we send off this year, looking back, there was truly an eventful year.
There are debates standing tall against one another without compromise. A backwards moving economy. A culture covered in sin. An Education / SAT Scandal and cheating.
Especially a six nation summit. North Korean Nuclear issues left without a complete answer. We have been through all these international situations this year.
In all of this confusion, through this past year to the last Sunday, we have been able to peacefully give service. This is all through the grace and mercy of the Lord our God.
Because at that time things were very difficult but as time passed we saw that everything was by the will of God. At the time of crisis we may not have known this, but as we pass through and overcome, everything is or was a process as gods teaching and discipline. So Through all these things I am able to grow and improve my faith and character. Now I understand.
Each and everyone are different, by size or difficulty, but someone said it like this.
Even though all these problems, I have nothing to be thankful for.
There may be people that think this way.
Even if I think about it again and again, in their own memories, there were more bad than good things remembered. So this may be how they are able to think this way. Like one day, my healthy body was suddenly very sick. My work and my job were suddenly lost. My business that was once doing well is now broke. My once happy family now has a large crisis. Yes, maybe because of all this they are able to think this way. That they have nothing to be thankful for.
But loving fellow Christians, even though all this, we always have a reason to give thanks. Because we are all Christians, We are existing and at anytime should be thankful we are always and in every circumstance living and giving thanks. It is because we are of that existence. Mostly to us because we have faith.
Today’s scripture, to me and to us, if we are Christians, how are we thankful and what are we full of thanks for? There are 6 things that I would like to point out to you. These 6 things are what we will look at one by one. Now we will share in the mercy..
First, Christians should be able to be full of thanks because we have received Christ Jesus as Lord.
Today’s scripture verse 6:
6So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him,
This is a very basic principle. This most basic reason of thankfulness is told in this scripture. We should never forget this basic principle.
This means that inside this short sentence, it tells clearly how you received Jesus. He was received as Christ the Lord.
This receiving as Christ is connected with sin. So through Jesus I have received my salvation and the Lord is connected to my Life. So I have received Jesus by my Lord, as my king.
About this point, the angel has told us clearly of the birth of Jesus Christ.
Luke 2:10-11
10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
Jesus has been born for us. What is Jesus to us? Christ and Lord.
11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
Actually the Christian life begins right here. This was the start of receiving Jesus as Christ. This was the start of receiving Jesus as the Lord.
Also, all of the things that have been done, this is the enormous mercy of god, and the enormous grace of God. This grace is full of the Lord.
In all of this, some are sitting here now, in the past they didn’t believe in Jesus. And they have been struggling. Now they know of Jesus and believe in Jesus, so they receive Jesus as the Christ and they receive Jesus as the Lord. There are some like this in our church. Those people before passing the end of this year, by the bottom of my heart I am sincerely full of thanks to my Lord our God.
Also, even all of us, before we received Jesus as our Christ and as our Lord, the lord of my life were ourselves...If we had a problem; first I would feel fear. Then I would use my experience and knowledge to try to solve what ever problem. I have tried many different ways of my own. But now, even when a problem occurs, I am not afraid, as I was in the past. I only express my faith and I am coming closer to my God my Father with faith through prayer. This is what I am now. So I am able to be full of thanks to my Lord God.
Because it is that much my life is changed. My life is now at a higher level.
2 Corinthians 5:17
17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
If in Christ, If in Christ. I am a new creation.
Non Christians do not understand what this means. And they may never understand. But we do know. we do understand just what this means.
It is that much that one man and one sinner into Jesus Christ, and so they have received Christ as their Lord. They have received Jesus as the admitted lord of their life. This is very important.
Second, a reason for us to be full of thanks is that we are able to continue living in Jesus Christ.
6So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him,
This means, those who ever receives Christ Jesus as Lord; they are able to live in Jesus and continue to live this way. How are we to continue to do this? Live in Jesus. How do we continue to live in Jesus?
If I feel like it, I do it. If I don’t feel like it, I don’t do it. If people who compliment and they are without compliment they quit. This isn’t what I mean. Always they will continue under any circumstances.
Especially here in Korea. There is a long history of culture. There is the Buddhist religion, Confucianism and especially Shamanism. Because of all this, they didn’t even notice the strange path they were following.
So it is not forgotten that the Christians should stay in and live in and continue to live in Christ. So what does this in mean more specifically.?
That is, in the arms of Jesus. inside Jesus himself. This is what it means. But also it means to stay in the word and live following the word. We can explain and understand this. We are staying in the will of the Lord and live following the will of the Lord. This is yet another way we are able to understand this. To us, living in the 21 century, we can understand this more clearly. This is easier to explain.
The scripture says in
1 Corinthians 13:11
11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.
What does this mean? This means we have received Jesus as the Christ and Lord. And if we continue to live in him, the way we talk, think and reason will not be like that of a child but will be like that of a grown man. If I tell you more clearly, to talk like a Christian and think like a Christian and reason like a Christian, we will be born again in a new creation. A new existence.
So if we continue to live in him, anyone of these people will automatically throw all their childish ways away. So they will be able to give thanks to the Lord.
Third, another reason for us to be full of thanks is this. We are rooted.
rooted and built up in him,
This word rooted means, like the roots of a vegetable under the ground. Of the Christian life, where do the roots go? Yes, they should be rooted to Christ. So, if the roots of life are put well into Christ. That is a good reason to be full of thanks to God.
Now I would like to tell you a short story. In Baltimore Maryland in the U.S. at John Hopkins University, among the professors there is one named Kelly. He is always wears a rose in his front breast pocket. This professor is a Christian. Also he gets a lot of respect from the students. So, his students, like the professor began to put flowers in the breast pocket of their coats. The problem here was that the students weren’t able to keep their flowers for more than a day with out them drying out. But the professor he could keep the flowers alive and well for more than a couple days. So the students all wondered and thought this was strange, so one day they asked this professor Kelly how he does it.
Professor, how does this happen to our flowers? They can only make it one day. How come your flowers last a couple days?
Professor Kelly answered like this,
Oh, this is nothing special, in my pocket I keep a small vase to put the flower in. so, in my chest pocket, this flower does not dry out really fast.
The students finally understood. and today’s scripture is a lot like this.
What I mean is, when we received Jesus as Christ and Lord, and we also continue to live in him, even though this, the important thing is where the roots are placed. So the roots of life need to go straight down into Jesus Christ, so we will be able to be full of thanks to the Lord our God.
As we know through common sense, the roots will spread very well. And a strong root requires lots of nutrients. Our root of life in Jesus Christ will spread down well, and this is very important.
If we are able to this, the next thing will know is we are a big healthy tree that doesn’t move in any storm or wind. If a big storm comes and the wind blows we might shake a bit. But it will never happen that we will be uprooted.
Among the Christians in Church, if they have a little problem, they might pack up and move out. They might give up easy. This is not the best thing to do.
New Christians who have just started to believe and those who have had faith for a long time. Their differences are right here.
This is their roots. Even when they are shaken, it will never happen that they will be up rooted.
So, the root of life and the root of faith should go very deep into Jesus Christ. All of the focus in our life, this should be the main focus and this is what we should continue to work on.
The prophet Jeremiah said this.
Jeremiah 17:5-8
5This is what the LORD says:
"Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who depends on flesh for his strength
and whose heart turns away from the LORD.
6He will be like a bush in the wastelands;
he will not see prosperity when it comes.
He will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
in a salt land where no one lives.
7"But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him.
8He will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit."
How beautiful these words are.
I was able to think very deeply about this life and the root of this life. What is the life where the roots are going down deep into Jesus Christ?
That is, the Q.T. The QT is the quiet time and the way we spend it. The way we read and meditate in the word for our lives.
Anyway this QT or any other way, the important thing is, the root of our faith. That the roots are going down deep into Jesus Christ. This is something we should never forget.
Fourth. The reason we should be full of thanks to god is that we have received Jesus as Christ and we continue to live in him and we are rooted up in him. and we built in him.
rooted and built up in him,
This word, built up in him, two weeks ago the title of my sermon was the praise of Simeon. Let’s take a moment to look back at that scripture.
Luke 2:34
34Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against,
Who will be rising up in Israel? That is god. and this is to be spoken against. This is only for the salvation of the world.
Ok, let’s look at other scripture about being built up.
Jeremiah 31:4
4I will build you up again
and you will be rebuilt, O Virgin Israel.
Again you will take up your tambourines
and go out to dance with the joyful.
1 Timothy 2:7
7And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle--I am telling the truth, I am not lying--and a teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles.
When we look at this word about being built up, it does not mean something they can do themselves. They are built up by the power of God. Looking at it this way, we can understand, that even today’s scripture it was meant in this same way.
rooted and built up in him,
So this word, built up, build is word about architecture. Like the way the roots go down, we make sure that the basic foundation is completely built. then the next word is that we build up the main frame work. Who built up this framework? This was built by Jesus, my Christ and my Lord.
Fifth, the reason we should have great thankfulness in God is that we have received Jesus as Christ and Lord, we continue to live in him, we are rooted and built up in him and now we are strengthened in the faith as we were taught we continue to be taught through Jesus. For this we should have great thankfulness. This is in verse 7.
strengthened in the faith as you were taught,
Here the word is taught. What does this mean to us? This is that we were taught the word of Christ. Looking at other places in the bible there are other mentions of taught.
Psalms 19:8
8The precepts of the LORD are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
2 Timothy 3:16
16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
If we look at this scripture the taught is surely shown in the word of God. Generally we are sinners and this sinner has received Jesus as the Christ, and we continue to live in him. Also we are rooted and build up in him. Then we are strengthened in the faith as you were taught... This is why we should have great thanks.
Sixth, what is the reason for our thankfulness? Lastly because of our strength in faith.For this we should be full of thanks.
rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
Actually we have been running for the strengthening of our faith. If this is built up well, and we work out for this, we are truly overflowing with thankfulness...
In closing, loving fellow Christians.
In Germany a middle aged Gentleman had tongue cancer and had to have his tongue removed. At the moment of removing his tongue the doctor asked him a question.
Are there any last words you wish to say? You will never be able to talk again after we cut out your tongue.
If you have any last words you want to say, you can say them now.
At that moment, this gentleman thought deeply for a while. Tears began to flow down his cheeks and he said, “Oh my Lord Jesus, Thank you! Thank you Lord Jesus, Thank you my Lord Jesus.”
Loving fellow Christians. Today is the last Sunday of the year. If you have sent off this year, how is your attitude as this year comes to a close?
Do you want to close this year full of complaints and blame? Or do you want to close out this year overflowing with thankfulness?
