David’s Faith for the Name of God!

김정호목사 

Dr. Jung-Ho Kim, Pastor  

⁴³ 블레셋 사람이 다윗에게 이르되 네가 나를 개로 여기고 막대기를 가지고 내게 나아왔느냐 하고 그 신들의 이름으로 다윗을 저주하고 ⁴⁴ 또 이르되 내게로 오라 내가 네 고기를 공중의 새들과 들짐승들에게 주리라 ⁴⁵ 다윗이 블레셋 사람에게 이르되 너는 칼과 창과 단창으로 내게 오거니와 나는 만군의 여호와의 이름 곧 네가 모욕하는 이스라엘 군대의 하나님의 이름으로 네게 가노라 ⁴⁶ 오늘 여호와께서 너를 내 손에 붙이시리니 내가 너를 쳐서 네 머리를 베고 블레셋 군대의 시체로 오늘날 공중의 새와 땅의 들짐승에게 주어 온 땅으로 이스라엘에 하나님이 계신줄 알게 하겠고 ⁴⁷ 또 여호와의 구원하심이 칼과 창에 있지 아니함을 이 무리로 알게 하리라 전쟁은 여호와께 속한 것인즉 그가 너희를 우리 손에 붙이시리라. ⁴³ And the Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. ⁴⁴ The Philistine said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field." ⁴⁵ Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. ⁴⁶ This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, ⁴⁷ and that all this assembly may know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our hand." (1 Sam. 17:43-47)

FCF: We tend to be paralyzed by fear before a daunting challenge in life.

주제: 하나님은 승리를 주시는 분이기에 그분을 의지하므로 삶의 도전을 당면해야 한다. 

Theme: Because God gives us victory, we must face challenges in life by faith in God.

Introduction 

On Monday, September 24, South Korean music group BTS joined a list of influential speakers invited to talk at the launch of “Youth 2030: The UN Youth Strategy” and “Generation Unlimited Partnership.” Group leader RM, Namjoon Kim, addressed the floor. "It is an incredible honor to be invited to an occasion of such significance for today’s young generation," he began. "Last November, BTS launched the ‘Love Myself’ campaign with UNICEF, built in our belief that true love first begins with loving [yourself]...partnering with UNICEF’s end violence program, to protect young children all over the world from violence." On the one hand, RM’s UN speech was remarkable in that it would encourage many young people living with emotional trouble that they are nobodies in the world and that they don’t see any reason to take care of themselves. In reality, there are a host of young people who live namelessly, aimlessly, and hopelessly. BTS tries to proclaim the message that they should embrace themselves as they are, learn to love themselves as they are, and speak themselves, so that they would not lose themselves and they would release their own potentials in life. In his speech, he talked about his own journey with self-acceptance, while urging young people to love themselves, faults and all, and to speak their true names. Let me quote a part of his speech here: 우리는 자신을 사랑하는 것을 배웠습니다. 자 이제 저는 여러분이 자신에 대하여 말하길 권고합니다. 여러분 모두에게 묻고 싶습니다. 이름은 무엇이며 무엇이 여러분을 신나게 하며 무엇이 여러분의 심장을 뛰게 하고 있습니까? 제게 여러분의 이야기를 해 주세요. 여러분의 목소리를 듣고 싶습니다. 여러분이 확신하는 것이 무엇인지 듣고 싶습니다. 여러분이 누구이든, 어디에서 왔든, 피부색이 어떻든, 성 정체성이 무엇이든, 여러분 자신을 말해 보세요. 저는 김남준입니다. 비티에스의 리더 알엠입니다. 저는 아이돌 스타입니다. 저는 한국의 작은 도시에서 온 가수입니다. 대부분의 사람들처럼 저는 제 인생에서 수많은 실수를 했습니다. 흠도 많습니다. 두려워하는 것도 많습니다. 그러나 저는 자신을 가능한한 있는 그대로 받아드리려 할 것입니다. 조금씩 점점 더 저 자신을 사랑하기 시작하고 있습니다. 여러분의 이름은 무엇입니까? 여러분을 말해 보세요. 정말 감사드립니다. “We have learned to love ourselves, so now I urge you to speak yourself. I’d like to ask all of you, What is your name? What excites you and makes your heart beat? Tell me your story. I want to hear your voice, and I want to hear your conviction. No matter who you are, where you’re from, your skin color, your gender identity, just speak yourself. Find your name and find your voice by speaking yourself. I’m Kim Nam-joon, and also RM of BTS. I am an idol, and I am an artist from a small town in Korea. Like most people, I’ve made many and plenty mistakes in my life. I have many faults, and I have many more fears, but I’m going to embrace myself as hard as I can, and I’m starting to love myself gradually, just little by little. What is your name? Speak yourself. Thank you very much.”

I will not attempt to denigrate or assassinate Mr. Kim’s character He surely tried to deliver a point here and there in his message. Indeed, he may be positively serving the world in his own way. I don’t know whether he is a Christian or not. I think he attempts to make this world better through his songs and influence. However, his address is filled with “self.” He calls attention to our “self.” Of course, we Christians won’t expect him to preach the gospel in the UN floor. However, we must be careful not to accept his message with no discernment. Let’s ask whether his message “love yourself” or “speak yourself” overall coincides with the message of Jesus Christ: 아무든지 나를 따라 오려거든 자기를 부인하고 자기 십자가를 지고 나를 좇을 것이니라. Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me (Matt. 16:24). Jesus says, “Deny yourself,” assuming people already love themselves too much and too selfishly. Isn’t this what we witness in the world? Individuals, communities, or countries are engaged in self-promotion, self-aggrandizement, and self-worship. Self gets in the way of living a true life given by God. We have too much “self” in our hearts. So, the Lord says, 누구든지 제 목숨을 구원코자 하면 잃을 것이요 누구든지 나를 위하여 제 목숨을 잃으면 찾으리라. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it (Matt. 16:25). Jesus defines a good life not as life for self, but as life for God. Self-love is assumed. The Bible defines it as natural urges to do anything for self-preservation. Selfish self-love is never endorsed in the Bible. Rather, love for God and neighbor is what Jesus exhorts us to practice. Surely, David was one of those who denied themselves and were willing to die for the Name of God. If he had loved himself selfishly, David would not have risked his life to fight with Goliath. Rather, he overcame fear of death by trusting God alone and committed his life into the almighty hands of God. The ultimate purpose of David’s faith was not to express his own voice or ideas, but to display the glory of God. RM’s message is completely unblibical. We must reject Mr. Kim’s message because it glorifies “self.” So far, we have been dealing with David’s faith against the great challenge of Goliath. The proposition we have been studying is that we should face challenges in life by faith in God because God gives us victory. So far we have dealt with two major points: faith confronts challenges instead of flinching from them and faith acts on experiencing God. We have covered the reality of faith and the nature of faith. Now, we will talk about the purpose or motive of faith, that is, faith…

I. 믿음은 도전을 대면한다.

 Faith faces challenges.

II. 믿음은 하나님을 경험함에서 행동한다.

 Faith acts by experiencing God.

III. 믿음은 하나님을 영화롭게 한다.

 Faith glorifies God.

Listen to the famous words of David uttered in response to the taunting words of Goliath: 너는 칼과 창과 단창으로 내게 오거니와 나는 만군의 여호와의 이름 곧 네가 모욕하는 이스라엘 군대의 하나님의 이름으로 네게 가노라 ⁴⁶ 오늘 여호와께서 너를 내 손에 붙이시리니 내가 너를 쳐서 네 머리를 베고 블레셋 군대의 시체로 오늘날 공중의 새와 땅의 들짐승에게 주어 온 땅으로 이스라엘에 하나님이 계신줄 알게 하겠고 ⁴⁷ 또 여호와의 구원하심이 칼과 창에 있지 아니함을 이 무리로 알게 하리라 전쟁은 여호와께 속한 것인즉 그가 너희를 우리 손에 붙이시리라. "You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. ⁴⁶ This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, ⁴⁷ and that all this assembly may know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our hand."

God grants us faith so that we can bring glory and honor to His holy name. The Giver of faith is God. So, we must use it for the purpose of the Giver of faith. The purpose for which we are to exercise our faith against challenges is not merely to have victory, but primarily to display the glory of God to the world. When he was about to go and fight Goliath, David intended to reveal the magnificent name of Yahweh to the world. David was not a man of selfish ambition that sought to mark his name to the world. He didn’t intend to enrich himself or be the king’s son-in-law by defeating Goliath. In this fight, he was concerned about the reputation of God and the glory of God, not about his own safety and name. The motive of his undertaking of Goliath’s challenge was to glorify God. In other words, the motive of his faith was not to receive rewards from Saul, but to bring glory to the name of Yahweh.

So, he couldn’t overlook the blasphemy Goliath hurled against Yahweh and His people. He was infuriated because Goliath was defying the armies of the living God. His anger was holy and righteous. The rest of the Israeli soldiers had no room for righteous indignation in their hearts because they were simply terrified by the gigantic Goliath. However, David’s anger was an expression of his zeal for the name of Yahweh. Remember Jesus was indignant when He saw people desecrating the temple of God for monetary gains by selling and buying. The Lord’s zeal for the glory of the Father couldn’t be quenched by any means except He took action to correct the malpractices in the temple. Likewise, David couldn’t sit down idly watching Goliath keep taunting the name of Yahweh. He felt righteous anger, which drove him to take the gauntlet against Goliath. In other words, David had unquenchable passion for the Lord.

Again, he was eager to restore the glory of God that was smeared with the taunts of Goliath and the fears of the Israelites. By beheading the blaspheming enemy of Yahweh, David desperately desired to bring back the reputation of Yahweh and show Yahweh was the true Sovereign of the whole world. Without trusting God, David wouldn’t dare to take action against Goliath. Surely, the eyes of David’s faith were set on God and His glorious name; so he was able to take the challenge of Goliath courageously. For David, the name of Yahweh was important more than anything else, even his own life. David wouldn’t tolerate anything that defames the name of God. He was ready to do anything to keep the name of God glorious. Fighting with Goliath was a matter of life and death. It was not a matter of sport or entertainment. In other words, David was willing to die for the name of Yahweh while trying to remove Goliath who was blaspheming the name of Yahweh.

To bring glory to God, first, faith relies on God alone to please Him. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Hebrews 11:6 says, 믿음이 없이는 기쁘시게 못하나니 하나님께 나아가는 자는 반드시 그가 계신 것과 또한 그가 자기를 찾는 자들에게 상 주시는 이심을 믿어야 할찌니라. “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” Glorifying God is equal to pleasing God. Doubtlessly, David’s victory brought great joy to Yahweh. David trusted that Yahweh was a caring Father, a divine Warrior who fights for His own children. Living and dying for the Father arose from the desire to please Him. God was not worried about David’s safety because He would be able to protect him from the hand of Goliath. When His people hid themselves from Goliath, the enemies assumed that Israel’s God was impotent, not real. God was not pleased with His people’s timidity or selfish self-preservation. But, He was greatly pleased by the fact that there was one young man who was willing to die for His glorious name. Faith always intends to please God, which means to glorify God. If we want to glorify God, we must act on faith against challenges. At the same time, acting on faith should be intended to please and glorify God.

Find how firmly David trusted God alone in these verses. David was no fool. He knew how dangerous Goliath was. But he believed battle is the LORD’s. So, he trusted God would give victory to His people. Of course, Goliath was infuriated at David. He was fighting for his own god, probably Dagon. At the same time, he was fighting for his own fame. He was bragging about his military expertise, trophies, and prowess. But, Goliath foolishly underestimated David as a young boy. He cursed David, for he was coming to him with a shepherd stick as if he were a dog. In spite of all these curses and taunts, David didn’t feel threatened because he was confident of the Lord’s intervention for him. No matter how Goliath threatened David, David refused to open his heart to Goliath’s curses. Rather, he pronounced victory against Goliath. In his famous words, David expressed his faith in Yahweh’s power, intervention, and victory. Faith in God is a way to bring glory to God.

Second, faith fights for the reputation of God to glorify God. David contrasted himself with Goliath. Goliath relied on his weapons, whereas David relied on the name of Yahweh. Though it might seem the Lord’s name wouldn’t be helpful, yet His name meant everything to David. The name “Yahweh” meant God’s character and activities demonstrated in Israel’s history. God’s name itself represents God Himself and everything about Him. Now, David was fighting for God’s name, relying on the power of His name. Like a prophet of God, David predicted that God would deliver his enemy into his hand and that he would strike him down and would give the corpses of the Philistines to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth. The purpose of his fight was to show that God was among His people and He was the Divine Warrior who would fight for His people. He refused to fight for his own glory; but he fought for God’s glory. He exercised his faith for God’s glory, not for his personal reputation.

For what do we use our faith? We can’t deny the fact that we try to trust God to gain what we desire. We often try to trust God to get rich, healthy, or smart. We try to trust God, so that God would make our children accepted into prestigious colleges or God would grant us our wishes. Here, we employ our faith to fulfill our desires. But biblical faith always intends to display the glorious name of God, not our names. If we are not concerned for God’s will and His glory, we are simply using God for our personal profits. David sets a good example for us here to learn to fight for God’s glory in faith. The ultimate reason we trust God for enormous challenges in life is not to make our courage publicized unto the world, but to publicize the great name of God to the whole world.

There could have been some in Israel who felt constrained to fight Goliath for Saul’s rewards. However, they knew that their lives were much more precious than Saul’s rewards. So, they decided not to take Goliath’s challenge, to preserve their lives. However, David was not concerned about his personal life. Though he might lose his life while fighting Goliath, he was ready to sacrifice himself to preserve the honor of God and save his people from the Philistines. David’s faith was driven not by his personal gain, but by the Lord’s glory and his people’s freedom. David transformed Goliath’s challenge as an opportunity to glorify God’s great name. Although his brother Eliab accused him of being proud and deceitful, David got over his accusation and was able to act on faith because he was more concerned about God’s fame. David fought for the grand cause of God, not for his personal cause. The fight with Goliath was not personal. David fought as God’s representative. So, his fight was for God. In this fight, he exercised boldly his faith in God alone.

Our problem is that we won’t try to do anything if not for our personal benefits. Even in the matter of exercising our faith, we can’t exclude our selfish gains. We are by nature living for ourselves. Living for the glory of God goes against our natural tendency. We simply desire to display our own glory. A brilliant but bitter agnostic writer toured Europe with his wife and small daughter. He received honors from schools, royalty, and friends. After the family returned home, his daughter, impressed with her father’s fame, said: “Daddy, I guess pretty soon you will know everybody except God.” This man lived for his fame. But J.S. Bach lived for the glory of God. He said, "All music should have no other end and aim than the glory of God and the soul's refreshment; where this is not remembered there is no real music but only a devilish hub-bub." He headed his compositions: "J.J." "Jesus Juva" which means "Jesus help me." He ended them "S.D.G." "Soli Dei gratia" which means "To God alone the praise."

Third, faith intends to evangelize the world for the glory of God. Listen to David again: 온 땅으로 이스라엘에 하나님이 계신줄 알게 하겠고 ⁴⁷ 또 여호와의 구원하심이 칼과 창에 있지 아니함을 이 무리로 알게 하리라. all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, ⁴⁷ and that all this assembly may know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear. David surely fought for the Name of Yahweh. The reason for his risking his life was to spread the Name of Yahweh to the world. He sought to declare Yahweh is a true God who controls the whole universe. David sought to make others believe the God of Israel through his victory. When the Philistine Goliath defied the Name of Yahweh, he didn’t know the power of that Name. He simply despised the Person of Yahweh by calling His holy name in vain. He incurred upon himself God’s wrath. He violated the Third Commandment: 너는 너의 하나님 여호와의 이름을 망령되이 일컫지 말라 나 여호와는 나의 이름을 망령되이 일컫는 자를 죄 없다 하지 아니하리라. "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain (Ex. 20:7). Not only was Goliath David’s enemy, but also he was the enemy of Yahweh. He may have won against David. But he could never win against Yahweh. Yahweh has no rival.

Later in Israel’s history, the servants of the Assyrian king Sennecherib insulted the Name of Yahweh. Hezekiah had no military power to defeat the army of Assyria. He sent his servants to Isaiah. Isaiah delivered God’s word to Hezekiah: 너희는 너희 주에게 이렇게 고하라 여호와께서 말씀하시되 너희의 들은바 앗수르 왕의 종들이 나를 능욕한 말을 인하여 두려워 말라 ⁷ 보라 내가 신을 그의 속에 두리니 그가 풍성을 듣고 그 고토로 돌아갈 것이며 또 내가 그를 그 고토에서 칼에 죽게 하리라 하셨느니라. "Say to your master, 'Thus says the LORD: Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the young men of the king of Assyria have reviled me. ⁷ Behold, I will put a spirit in him, so that he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land, and I will make him fall by the sword in his own land'" (Isa. 37:6-7). The vast army of Assyria was no match with Yahweh. Goliath was certain no match with Yahweh. David, Yahweh’s chosen vessel, was given opportunity to kill Goliath, so that he would show the world that Yahweh is the only Potentate who rules over the entire world.

When people in the world hear the victory of David against Goliath, they will learn that David’s God is a true God. He is worthy of worship. Both the Israelites and the Philistines heard of the story of David and Goliath. Both of them came to realize that Yahweh is the only true God. Some of the Philistines may have recognized the power of Yahweh. Certainly, some of the Israelites experienced Yahweh’s deliverance by the hands of David. They came to trust God alone. David’s victory was the victory of Yahweh against the idols of Philistine. David was used in God’s mighty hand to declare the power and sovereignty of God over the world. Faith always seeks to reveal the person and work of God to the world, so that they may get to know Him and receive Him as their own God. This is what faith does for the glory of God.

Peter and John raised a crippled beggar at the gate of the temple by the power of Jesus’ name. The beggar was begging for life there. There was no way for him to survive. He was at the mercy of the kind-hearted passersby. Peter and John had no money to help him out. But they had an eternally better thing for him. Listen to what Peter said, 은과 금은 내게 없거니와 내게 있는 것으로 네게 주노니 곧 나사렛 예수 그리스도의 이름으로 걸으라 하고.But Peter said, "I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!" (Acts 3:6). Peter and John trusted the power of the name of Jesus Christ. The Name represents the whole Person and Work of Jesus Christ. The Name of Jesus is the Name of Creator, King, and Sovereign of the universe. It is a powerful Name. It is a wonderful Name. It is a gracious Name. It is a wonder-working Name. It is a salvific Name.

By this Name, Peter healed this poor man of his congenital disability. He declared the gospel of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He said of the Name as follows: ¹⁵ 생명의 주를 죽였도다 그러나 하나님이 죽은자 가운데서 살리셨으니 우리가 이 일에 증인이로라 ¹⁶ 그 이름을 믿으므로 그 이름이 너희 보고 아는 이 사람을 성하게 하였나니 예수로 말미암아 난 믿음이 너희 모든 사람 앞에서 이같이 완전히 낫게 하였느니라. ¹⁵ and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. ¹⁶ And his name-- by faith in his name-- has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all (Acts 3:15-16).

Peter declared the saving Name of Jesus Christ and performed many miracles by that Name. Later, he died for the Name of Jesus Christ. Through his death for the Name, Peter offered himself to God to glorify His Name. Through his death, Peter followed the steps of the Lord Jesus and glorified the Father. The Lord Jesus Christ lived and died for the Name of the Father. He worked hard for the glory of the Father. He fought for the glory of the Father. He glorified Him through His redemptive death. Listen to Jesus’ high priestly prayer: ⁴ 아버지께서 내게 하라고 주신 일을 내가 이루어 아버지를 이 세상에서 영화롭게 하였사오니 ⁵ 아버지여 창세 전에 내가 아버지와 함께 가졌던 영화로써 지금도 아버지와 함께 나를 영화롭게 하옵소서 ⁶ 세상 중에서 내게 주신 사람들에게 내가 아버지의 이름을 나타내었나이다 저희는 아버지의 것이었는데 내게 주셨으며 저희는 아버지의 말씀을 지키었나이다. ⁴ I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. ⁵ And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. ⁶ "I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word (Jn. 17:4-6).

I found this story in My QT, Living Life yesterday. The story goes like this. The late Rev. Gyong-Jik Han, who was known for his piety in Korea, had a deacon immigrate to America. This man used to serve the Lord so faithfully in Young-Rak Church. Even in America, he and his wife worked hard, while continuing to serve the Lord faithfully. They received a lot of material blessings from the Lord. Then, they visited Korea in twenty years and came to see Pastor Han. They were overjoyed in tears as they met with Pastor Han. They gave him an envelop, saying: “영락교회에 다닐 때 목사님은 하나님의 말씀으로 저희를 양육해 주셨습니다. 저희가 이민 가서 믿음을 지키며 작은 일에 충성했더니 하나님이 이렇게 복을 주셨습니다. 여기 작은 물질을 가져왔는데 하나님의 영광을 위해 사용해 주십시오.” You nurtured us through the word of God when we were attending Young-Rak Church. Afterwards, we went to America and tried to be faithful over little things. God has blessed us with a lot of material blessings. I have brought this small offering. Please, use it for the glory of God.” It was no small money. It was almost a million dollars. He kept it in safety at home.

Next day, he unexpectedly had two visitors at home. They were a husband and his wife who were church pioneers. They fell into financial straits, while trying to purchase a land for church building. Pastor Han, having heard of their trouble, handed that money over to them. He shared with them the story of how he received the money. He said to them: “이것을 가져가서 부채를 갚고 신실하게 목회하시오. 한 영혼이 천하보다 귀하니 한 영혼을 내 몸처럼 사랑하시오.” “Please, take this money and pay off your debt. Then, shepherd your church faithfully. Please, love one soul as your body because the soul is more precious than the whole world.” They shed their tears with gratitude. They paid off their debt. They never forgot the word “Love a soul as your body.” Their church experienced a great revival. Spreading the saving Name of Jesus Christ to the whole world is a sure way to glorify God. Using whatever we have, we have to do all to fulfill the Great Commission. To fulfill this commission of Christ, we must have fight, sacrifice, and die for the glory of God. Remember David was willing to die for the glory of God. Indeed, God exalted David for his great act of faith.      

Jesus revealed who God is and what the Father does in His Son to people. He died and rose again for them. In so doing, He glorified His Father. The Father glorified His Son and exalted Him. The apostle Paul said of it as follows: ⁸ 사람의 모양으로 나타나셨으매 자기를 낮추시고 죽기까지 복종하셨으니 곧 십자가에 죽으심이라 ⁹ 이러므로 하나님이 그를 지극히 높여 모든 이름 위에 뛰어난 이름을 주사 ¹⁰ 하늘에 있는 자들과 땅에 있는 자들과 땅 아래 있는 자들로 모든 무릎을 예수의 이름에 꿇게 하시고 ¹¹ 모든 입으로 예수 그리스도를 주라 시인하여 하나님 아버지께 영광을 돌리게 하셨느니라. ⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. ⁹ Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil. 2:8-11). Do you believe the most excellent, saving, enabling Name of Jesus Christ? Have you experienced the saving power of His Name? If you have, do you rely on His powerful Name to fight for the glory of God? Or do you fight for your own name? We have to fight for the Name of Jesus Christ. To glorify God, we must trust and praise the Name of Jesus Christ.

IV. 믿음은 다른 이들에게 영향을 준다.

 Faith affects others.

Conclusion 

I have found an interesting story in my Quiet Time, Living Life. A church elder shared a story of his son who applied to a famous company in Korea. His son graduated from a college in America. He submitted his application, took a test, and had an interview. He was finally accepted. He began to work for the company. This elder met with the company’s vice-chairman whom he had known for a long time. They had a conversation with each other. The vice-chairman said of his son as follows: “장로님, 아들 잘 키우셨습니다. 네? 무슨 말씀이신지요? 신입사원들이 제출한 자기 소개서를 쭉 보던 중 유독 형진이의 자기소개서가 눈에 들어왔어요. 인생의 최종적인 목표가 무엇인가?라는 회사 측 질문에 형진이가 뭐라고 썼는지 아세요? 뭐라고 썼는데요? 마태복음 6장 33절이라고 썼더라고요. 하나님 나라와 그의 의를 구하는 것이지요. 제가 그걸 보고 정말 감동받았습니다. 이제 막 대학을 졸업한 청년이 어떻게 인생의 최종 목적에 대하여 이렇게 말할 수 있나 놀랐습니다.” “Elder Park, you have a great son.” “What do you mean by that?” “I noticed your son’s letter of self-introduction out of many letters. Do you know what your son Hyung-Jin answered to the question ‘What is the ultimate purpose of your life?’” “What did he say?” He wrote Matt. 6:33: Seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness. I was greatly moved when I saw that. I was surprised by the fact of how the recent college graduate was able to articulate his purpose this way.” The father was so proud of his son. He was greatly moved by the fact that his son didn’t write an excellent self-introduction but sought the kingdom of God and His righteousness. This young man didn’t hide his Christian identity and purpose. He found the purpose of his life in the Lord. Faith seeks the kingdom of God and His righteousness.    

So, faith glorifies God. So far, we have learned the challenging reality of faith, the experiential nature of faith, and the motive of God-glorifying faith. This is something we must learn from David. Instead of fleeing from them, we must take challenges by faith in God. We must act on experiencing God. We must exercise faith to experience God. Also, we must take action by faith for the glory of God. We must pray for God-glorifying faith, not for selfish faith. Each time we act on faith, we must make sure we direct our faith to bring honor and glory to the name of God in Christ. We find so many Christians today in the church of Christ who seek to have great faith for the fulfillment of their personal desires. We must bring our faith back to what it ought to be. Having an unwavering faith is important; but if it is only for our selfish gains, it definitely swerves from the right path of faith. Biblical faith always intends to magnify its Giver, not to fulfill our desires. While tackling challenges, God-glorifying faith seeks to please God, exalt the reputation of God, and spread the Name of God to the world. No matter what we do, we must do all for the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31). We are to take challenges as opportunities to glorify God. We must study, work, or fight hard for the glory of God. We must do all to please God. We must do all for the reputation of God. And we must do all to make God known to the world. We definitely need God’s enabling grace so that we can live by faith, not by sight. We have live and die for the glory of God. We must rely on the glorious Name of Christ so that we can glorify God forever. Living for the glory of God is a best and worthy life we can live. God certainly honors, rewards, and exalts those who live and die for His Name. 

Let me close my message with some lyrics of “What a Beautiful Name” written by  Brooke Ligertwood and Ben Fielding: You were the Word at the beginning. One With God the Lord Most High. Your hidden glory in creation. Now revealed in You our Christ. What a beautiful Name it is. What a beautiful Name it is. The Name of Jesus Christ my King….You didn't want heaven without us. So Jesus, You brought heaven down. My sin was great, Your love was greater. What could separate us now. What a wonderful Name it is. What a wonderful Name it is. The Name of Jesus Christ my King. What a wonderful Name it is. Nothing compares to this….How sweet is your name, Lord, how good You are. Love to sing in the name of the Lord, love to sing for you all? Death could not hold You, the veil tore before You. You silenced the boast, of sin and grave. The heavens are roaring, the praise of Your glory. For You are raised to life again. You have no rival, You have no equal. Now and forever, Our God reigns. Yours is the Kingdom, Yours is the glory. Yours is the Name, above all names. What a powerful Name it is. What a powerful Name it is. The Name of Jesus Christ my King. What a powerful Name it is. Nothing can stand against. This beautiful, wonderful, and powerful Name we must trust for our salvation and for God’s glory. In the midst of challenges in life, let’s trust and fight for this glorious Name. 

Benediction  

²⁴ 여호와는 네게 복을 주시고 너를 지키시기를 원하며 ²⁵ 여호와는 그 얼굴로 네게 비취사 은혜 베푸시기를 원하며 ²⁶ 여호와는 그 얼굴을 네게로 향하여 드사 평강주시기를 원하노라. ²⁴ The LORD bless you and keep you; ²⁵ the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; ²⁶ the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. (Num. 6:24-26)