Rev. Young Jin Cho
Dear brothers and sisters! I am glad to see you again after I enjoyed 6 months of sabbatical leave in your prayers. I thank our lord for his changeless support for our church and me. And I greatly appreciate my colleagues and elders and other church members from my deep heart.
As I stand at the pulpit after the sabbatical leave, I am concerned as well as I thank for that when I began the sabbatical leave you asked me to gain 10 # of body weight, but my old scale didn''t show any increase in my weight. We know that Moses covered his face because of brightness when he came down from the Mt. after the forty days of prayer. However I didn''t have that kind of brightness even after 6 months of rest. You might expect a prominent sermon because it is the first sermon after 6 months of preparation but I am afraid that I can''t meet, your expectation. Continuously I would like to ask you to pray for me and accept me as I am.
Someone said, "there is no great life, but there is the great dream," It reminds us the importance of a goal. We read a letter to Philippians from the Apostle Paul. His letter challenged us and impressed us.
Apostle Paul was in prison. He spent day by day without knowing tomorrow. But he had a clear goal. He expressed his strong life goal to the Philippians who cared about Paul.
I
Today''s scripture challenges us. It asks us where we are running after. Nowadays, what is your goal? What goal are you pressing on toward? Are you floating around without direction?
A French entomologist, J.A. Pablo found very important behaviors of gnats. One of them at front starts to fly in a circle, the rest of them follows him obliviously without direction or reason. Even foods are given to them, they do not pay attention to them and they keep flying in a circle for seven days. Finally they end up being starved to death.
This kind of phenomenon can be found in other species. By statistics 87% of the human go through life like gnats. They make money, seek success, and joy because other people believe that this is the way to live. Do I question about where I came from and where I will be going, purpose of life, direction, and goal? When I have hardship in my life do I live in abandonment rather than struggling to solve difficult issues?
Is it okay to live like this? Do you want to give up your life without questioning its goal or reality? I assume that dogs and cats do not ask about their goals in life. Human beings as a creation of God are the Lord of all other creations set before him by God, should ask this question. We must struggle to seek the lofty goal of life.
Apostle Paul asks the same question in today''s scripture. We can recollect our past life in Paul''s perspective. Do you have a goal? What kind of goal do you press on?
II
If you have a goal to press on, what is it? What is your purpose of life from your heart?
Many people seek "success." Every one wants success such as making a fortune or promotion in a company or recognition from many people. All of us press on toward a goal of success. Sometimes we sacrifice others in order to win the severe competition. We seek to live with more, higher, wider things, ignoring the still and small voice of our conscience within.
Let''s look into the goal of success, which is chased by a lot of people. Brothers and Sisters! What is the success? Can you call the worldly success a real success? Is it worth to seek it? Can that kind of success become the goal we should press on?
In order to get an answer for the question, let''s focus our attention on Apostle Paul''s confession. Is his life successful, for us to follow? Is it fit to the purpose of my life?
He was not a well-to-do person. He was not a powerful person or politically. He was not a popular person. He was hit and stoned and faced criticism and opposition. He barely escaped death and suffered the poverty. However he ran to the last, toward the glory of resurrection and the goal found in Jesus and call from God. Finally he was imprisoned and lost his one and only life for the glorious goal. In the worldly perspective he was a loser and a failure. But he achieved real success in God''s perspective. He lived an everlasting and victorious life.
We can find three important elements in Paul''s successful life.
(1) First, he was a truly successful person who concerned about others and their success as well as his. Apostle Paul lived that kind of life. He spread gospel to the end of the earth in order to share the joy of finding new life in Jesus. He didn''t mind suffering for Jesus.
A lot of people sacrifice their neighbor and families for their own success. In a competitive society, they step on others and deceive others while running fast. They sacrifice their neighbors and friends to serve the idol of "success". The successes can give them temporary joys and contentment. However they experience anxiety after short-lived joys. Why? Hey are surrounded by people who degrade them and use them as a sacrifice for their success. Those who succeeded at the cost of others can be easily victims of competition. Therefore true success can be achieved when we help others to succeed.
(2) Second, True success means inner success and richness as well as outward success. We try to achieve success worldly. If you don''t find joy when you are in a high position, can it be real success? If you feel empty when you have a lot, and if you feel poor when you become famous, can you think you achieve true success?
We know Ernest Hemingway who received the Novel Prize. He was born in a faithful family. Young Hemingway was a faithful church member. But he left God when he achieved fame and wealth. He lived in emptiness. He wrote these words ate the last phrase of his life. "I am living in emptiness like an electric vacuum bulb which is not connected to the electric source." Finally he committed suicide. He contributed a lot to literature. However can we tell that he lived a successful life truly without abundant inner life? A Korean poet, Chun, Sang Byung wrote a poem "my poverty" while he was suffering from sickness and poverty.
Even though I am miserably poor,
I shall not be in want.
My four brothers live opulent in Pusan,
I hate to ask their help.
Some publishing Companies support me,
A few fellow writers help me.
Therefore I don''t feel inconvenient.
Only I thank heaven
I am happy even in poverty.
Money is not related to happiness.
The rich should pass through the eye of a needle.
Who is the true rich man? Who enjoyed inner richness? Hemingway? Or the poet, Chun, Sang Byung?
(3) Third, Success in eternity, in other words, in front of God is more important than success on the earth.
Even though we enjoy wealth and success on the earth, we are failure if our Lord says that he does not know us. When we go across the Jordan River. Therefore Apostle Paul cries out repeatedly," I press on toward the goal. To win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." The resurrection, which he wants to participate in, his goal, and the prize, signifies the goal in eternity.
Dear friends, True success and failure in our lives do not depend on the wealth we accumulate, or fame we once achieved or a high position we reached. I don''t mean that their things are not important. Surely they are important. However we should not forget to move important things. We don''t know whether we are successful or a failure until we stand in front of our Lord. We should not judge our success and failure impatiently.
Living as a Christian means being born again of one''s goals. Believers should have different perspectives toward try success. WE need the same goal, which Apostle Paul pressed on. We should live with the goal of true success.
III
What is the changed attitude of a born again goalkeeper? That is the life, which forgets what is behind and streaming toward what is ahead without considering himself yet to have taken hold of it.
(1) In Phil 3:13 Apostle Paul confessed that he forgot what was behind and started training toward what is ahead. The things behind could include a proud job as well as a shameful past. He pressed on toward the goal without clinging to the past.
Clinging to the past prevents us from going forward. We can easily find that people who brag about lives in Korean experience hardship in adopting themselves to an immigrants life. The wise runs forward, forgetting what is behind.
Let''s forget what is behind. I don''t mean we should forget our good historical lessons. We should forget what is behind in order to not to indulge in our pride of the past and to live freely without clinging to the shameful failure in the past.
(2) The next important things in the attitude of not considering himself lets to have taken hold of it. 3:12,13 says repeatedly "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect.
It shows that Paul runs forward with open mindedness. People who press on toward the eternal goal need humble and open mind. Our lives stall when we think we have already been made perfect. We can''t go forward when we think we have already obtained all this.
I appreciate my wife because she is the opposite party in our family. She reminded me of my stubbornness during sabbatical leave. She warned me that I should open to new ideas and plans rather than clinging to the past experience.
After the sabbatical leave, I wanted to begin with determination to run forward without considering myself yet to have taken hold of it. I am now 56 years of age. I have 14 years to go if I retire at the age of 70. I have only 10 years if I retire little bit early. It woke me up. I made a new prayer list of concerns. The first concern is "Help me pray." I believe I cannot stand without God''s help. Prayer is the basic source of ministry. The second is "Help me to love." Ministry is the life of love. Third is "Help me to be sincere." I should work sincerely before Jesus without change.
Dear brother and sisters! Let''s press on toward the goal off true success. Let''s seek inner success beyond external things, running toward eternal success before the Lord, forgetting what is behind and without considering ourselves yet to have taken hold of. Lets try to transform our lives while looking into the born again goal of success, preparing to stand before our Lord.
I read this story in Rev. Lee, Jae Chul''s sermon. A few years ago, a Portuguese famous singer, Rodriguez Amelia, passed away. Portuguese cabinet proclaimed three days of mourning. All Portuguese expressed deep sympathy. When six people were carrying out her coffin over their shoulder, after her funeral service, which was held in Lisbon Chapel, all the guests stood up and clapped their hands. All other guests outside of the chapel continuously clapped their hands as a token of love and sympathy.
I wished to live a life that our church members would clap their hands when I end my life. However. I wish to have a welcoming party where our forefathers of faith clap their hands when I go to the Lord after I finish my earthly life.
Dear brother and sisters! Lets live the life that deserves cheers and applause. Lets press on toward a glorious goal.
Dear brothers and sisters! I am glad to see you again after I enjoyed 6 months of sabbatical leave in your prayers. I thank our lord for his changeless support for our church and me. And I greatly appreciate my colleagues and elders and other church members from my deep heart.
As I stand at the pulpit after the sabbatical leave, I am concerned as well as I thank for that when I began the sabbatical leave you asked me to gain 10 # of body weight, but my old scale didn''t show any increase in my weight. We know that Moses covered his face because of brightness when he came down from the Mt. after the forty days of prayer. However I didn''t have that kind of brightness even after 6 months of rest. You might expect a prominent sermon because it is the first sermon after 6 months of preparation but I am afraid that I can''t meet, your expectation. Continuously I would like to ask you to pray for me and accept me as I am.
Someone said, "there is no great life, but there is the great dream," It reminds us the importance of a goal. We read a letter to Philippians from the Apostle Paul. His letter challenged us and impressed us.
Apostle Paul was in prison. He spent day by day without knowing tomorrow. But he had a clear goal. He expressed his strong life goal to the Philippians who cared about Paul.
I
Today''s scripture challenges us. It asks us where we are running after. Nowadays, what is your goal? What goal are you pressing on toward? Are you floating around without direction?
A French entomologist, J.A. Pablo found very important behaviors of gnats. One of them at front starts to fly in a circle, the rest of them follows him obliviously without direction or reason. Even foods are given to them, they do not pay attention to them and they keep flying in a circle for seven days. Finally they end up being starved to death.
This kind of phenomenon can be found in other species. By statistics 87% of the human go through life like gnats. They make money, seek success, and joy because other people believe that this is the way to live. Do I question about where I came from and where I will be going, purpose of life, direction, and goal? When I have hardship in my life do I live in abandonment rather than struggling to solve difficult issues?
Is it okay to live like this? Do you want to give up your life without questioning its goal or reality? I assume that dogs and cats do not ask about their goals in life. Human beings as a creation of God are the Lord of all other creations set before him by God, should ask this question. We must struggle to seek the lofty goal of life.
Apostle Paul asks the same question in today''s scripture. We can recollect our past life in Paul''s perspective. Do you have a goal? What kind of goal do you press on?
II
If you have a goal to press on, what is it? What is your purpose of life from your heart?
Many people seek "success." Every one wants success such as making a fortune or promotion in a company or recognition from many people. All of us press on toward a goal of success. Sometimes we sacrifice others in order to win the severe competition. We seek to live with more, higher, wider things, ignoring the still and small voice of our conscience within.
Let''s look into the goal of success, which is chased by a lot of people. Brothers and Sisters! What is the success? Can you call the worldly success a real success? Is it worth to seek it? Can that kind of success become the goal we should press on?
In order to get an answer for the question, let''s focus our attention on Apostle Paul''s confession. Is his life successful, for us to follow? Is it fit to the purpose of my life?
He was not a well-to-do person. He was not a powerful person or politically. He was not a popular person. He was hit and stoned and faced criticism and opposition. He barely escaped death and suffered the poverty. However he ran to the last, toward the glory of resurrection and the goal found in Jesus and call from God. Finally he was imprisoned and lost his one and only life for the glorious goal. In the worldly perspective he was a loser and a failure. But he achieved real success in God''s perspective. He lived an everlasting and victorious life.
We can find three important elements in Paul''s successful life.
(1) First, he was a truly successful person who concerned about others and their success as well as his. Apostle Paul lived that kind of life. He spread gospel to the end of the earth in order to share the joy of finding new life in Jesus. He didn''t mind suffering for Jesus.
A lot of people sacrifice their neighbor and families for their own success. In a competitive society, they step on others and deceive others while running fast. They sacrifice their neighbors and friends to serve the idol of "success". The successes can give them temporary joys and contentment. However they experience anxiety after short-lived joys. Why? Hey are surrounded by people who degrade them and use them as a sacrifice for their success. Those who succeeded at the cost of others can be easily victims of competition. Therefore true success can be achieved when we help others to succeed.
(2) Second, True success means inner success and richness as well as outward success. We try to achieve success worldly. If you don''t find joy when you are in a high position, can it be real success? If you feel empty when you have a lot, and if you feel poor when you become famous, can you think you achieve true success?
We know Ernest Hemingway who received the Novel Prize. He was born in a faithful family. Young Hemingway was a faithful church member. But he left God when he achieved fame and wealth. He lived in emptiness. He wrote these words ate the last phrase of his life. "I am living in emptiness like an electric vacuum bulb which is not connected to the electric source." Finally he committed suicide. He contributed a lot to literature. However can we tell that he lived a successful life truly without abundant inner life? A Korean poet, Chun, Sang Byung wrote a poem "my poverty" while he was suffering from sickness and poverty.
Even though I am miserably poor,
I shall not be in want.
My four brothers live opulent in Pusan,
I hate to ask their help.
Some publishing Companies support me,
A few fellow writers help me.
Therefore I don''t feel inconvenient.
Only I thank heaven
I am happy even in poverty.
Money is not related to happiness.
The rich should pass through the eye of a needle.
Who is the true rich man? Who enjoyed inner richness? Hemingway? Or the poet, Chun, Sang Byung?
(3) Third, Success in eternity, in other words, in front of God is more important than success on the earth.
Even though we enjoy wealth and success on the earth, we are failure if our Lord says that he does not know us. When we go across the Jordan River. Therefore Apostle Paul cries out repeatedly," I press on toward the goal. To win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." The resurrection, which he wants to participate in, his goal, and the prize, signifies the goal in eternity.
Dear friends, True success and failure in our lives do not depend on the wealth we accumulate, or fame we once achieved or a high position we reached. I don''t mean that their things are not important. Surely they are important. However we should not forget to move important things. We don''t know whether we are successful or a failure until we stand in front of our Lord. We should not judge our success and failure impatiently.
Living as a Christian means being born again of one''s goals. Believers should have different perspectives toward try success. WE need the same goal, which Apostle Paul pressed on. We should live with the goal of true success.
III
What is the changed attitude of a born again goalkeeper? That is the life, which forgets what is behind and streaming toward what is ahead without considering himself yet to have taken hold of it.
(1) In Phil 3:13 Apostle Paul confessed that he forgot what was behind and started training toward what is ahead. The things behind could include a proud job as well as a shameful past. He pressed on toward the goal without clinging to the past.
Clinging to the past prevents us from going forward. We can easily find that people who brag about lives in Korean experience hardship in adopting themselves to an immigrants life. The wise runs forward, forgetting what is behind.
Let''s forget what is behind. I don''t mean we should forget our good historical lessons. We should forget what is behind in order to not to indulge in our pride of the past and to live freely without clinging to the shameful failure in the past.
(2) The next important things in the attitude of not considering himself lets to have taken hold of it. 3:12,13 says repeatedly "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect.
It shows that Paul runs forward with open mindedness. People who press on toward the eternal goal need humble and open mind. Our lives stall when we think we have already been made perfect. We can''t go forward when we think we have already obtained all this.
I appreciate my wife because she is the opposite party in our family. She reminded me of my stubbornness during sabbatical leave. She warned me that I should open to new ideas and plans rather than clinging to the past experience.
After the sabbatical leave, I wanted to begin with determination to run forward without considering myself yet to have taken hold of it. I am now 56 years of age. I have 14 years to go if I retire at the age of 70. I have only 10 years if I retire little bit early. It woke me up. I made a new prayer list of concerns. The first concern is "Help me pray." I believe I cannot stand without God''s help. Prayer is the basic source of ministry. The second is "Help me to love." Ministry is the life of love. Third is "Help me to be sincere." I should work sincerely before Jesus without change.
Dear brother and sisters! Let''s press on toward the goal off true success. Let''s seek inner success beyond external things, running toward eternal success before the Lord, forgetting what is behind and without considering ourselves yet to have taken hold of. Lets try to transform our lives while looking into the born again goal of success, preparing to stand before our Lord.
I read this story in Rev. Lee, Jae Chul''s sermon. A few years ago, a Portuguese famous singer, Rodriguez Amelia, passed away. Portuguese cabinet proclaimed three days of mourning. All Portuguese expressed deep sympathy. When six people were carrying out her coffin over their shoulder, after her funeral service, which was held in Lisbon Chapel, all the guests stood up and clapped their hands. All other guests outside of the chapel continuously clapped their hands as a token of love and sympathy.
I wished to live a life that our church members would clap their hands when I end my life. However. I wish to have a welcoming party where our forefathers of faith clap their hands when I go to the Lord after I finish my earthly life.
Dear brother and sisters! Lets live the life that deserves cheers and applause. Lets press on toward a glorious goal.
