Return to the bosom of God’s love-2

⁸ 여호와는 자비로우시며 은혜로우시며 노하기를 더디 하시며 인자하심이 풍부하시도다 ⁹ 항상 경책지 아니하시며 노를 영원히 품지 아니하시리로다 ¹⁰ 우리의 죄를 따라 처치하지 아니하시며 우리의 죄악을 따라 갚지 아니하셨으니 ¹¹ 이는 하늘이 땅에서 높음 같이 그를 경외하는 자에게 그 인자하심이 크심이로다 ¹² 동이 서에서 먼 것 같이 우리 죄과를 우리에게서 멀리 옮기셨으며 ¹³ 아비가 자식을 불쌍히 여김 같이 여호와께서 자기를 경외하는 자를 불쌍히 여기시나니

 ¹⁴ 이는 저가 우리의 체질을 아시며 우리가 진토임을 기억하심이로다. ¹⁵ 인생은 그 날이 풀과 같으며 그 영화가 들의 꽃과 같도다 ¹⁶ 그것은 바람이 지나면 없어지나니 그 곳이 다시 알지 못하거니와 ¹⁷ 여호와의 인자하심은 자기를 경외하는 자에게 영원부터 영원까지 이르며 그의 의는 자손의 자손에게 미치리니 ¹⁸ 곧 그 언약을 지키고 그 법도를 기억하여 행하는 자에게로다. ⁸ The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. ⁹ He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. ¹⁰ He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. ¹¹ For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; ¹² as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. ¹³ As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him. ¹⁴ For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. ¹⁵ As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; ¹⁶ for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. ¹⁷ But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children, ¹⁸ to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments. (Ps. 103:8-18)

¹³ 저가 귀고리와 패물로 장식하고 그 연애하는 자를 따라가서 나를 잊어버리고 향을 살라 바알 들을 섬긴 시일을 따라 내가 저에게 벌을 주리라 나 여호와의 말이니라 ¹⁴ 그러므로 내가 저를 개유하여 거친 들로 데리고 가서 말로 위로하고

 ¹⁵ 거기서 비로소 저의 포도원을 저에게 주고 아골 골짜기로 소망의 문을 삼아 주리니 저가 거기서 응대하기를 어렸을 때와 애굽 땅에서 올라 오던 날과 같이 하리라 ¹⁶ 여호와께서 이르시되 그 날에 네가 나를 내 남편이라 일컫고 다시는 내 바알 이라 일컫지 아니하리라 ¹⁷ 내가 바알 들의 이름을 저의 입에서 제하여 다시는 그 이름을 기억하여 일컬음이 없게 하리라 ¹⁸ 그 날에는 내가 저희를 위하여 들짐승과 공중의 새와 땅의 곤충으로 더불어 언약을 세우며 또 이 땅에서 활과 칼을 꺾어 전쟁을 없이 하고 저희로 평안히 눕게 하리라 ¹⁹ 내가 네게 장가들어 영원히 살되 의와 공변됨과 은총과 긍휼히 여김으로 네게 장가들며 ²⁰ 진실함으로 네게 장가들리니 네가 여호와를 알리라 ²¹ 여호와께서 가라사대 그 날에 내가 응하리라 나는 하늘에 응하고 하늘은 땅에 응하고 ²² 땅은 곡식과 포도주와 기름에 응하고 또 이것들은 이스르엘에 응하리라 ²³ 내가 나를 위하여 저를 이 땅에 심고 긍휼히 여김을 받지 못하였던 자를 긍휼히 여기며 내 백성 아니었던 자에게 향하여 이르기를 너는 내 백성이라 하리니 저희는 이르기를 주는 내 하나님이시라 하리라. And I will punish her for the feast days of the Baals when she burned offerings to them and adorned herself with her ring and jewelry, and went after her lovers and forgot me, declares the LORD. ¹⁴ "Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. ¹⁵ And there I will give her her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth, as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt. ¹⁶ "And in that day, declares the LORD, you will call me 'My Husband,' and no longer will you call me 'My Baal.' ¹⁷ For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, and they shall be remembered by name no more. ¹⁸ And I will make for them a covenant on that day with the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land, and I will make you lie down in safety. ¹⁹ And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. ²⁰ I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the LORD. ²¹ "And in that day I will answer, declares the LORD, I will answer the heavens, and they shall answer the earth, ²² and the earth shall answer the grain, the wine, and the oil, and they shall answer Jezreel, ²³ and I will sow her for myself in the land. And I will have mercy on No Mercy, and I will say to Not My People, 'You are my people'; and he shall say, 'You are my God.'" (Hos. 2:13-23)

FCF: We may betray God by idolatry and commit spiritual adultery.

주제: 하나님의 사랑은 변치 않기에 그분 사랑의 품으로 돌아와야 합니다.

Theme: Since God’s love is unchanging, we must return to the bosom of His love.

Introduction: I have read the following story. There is a small island named Nauru, located between Australia and Hawaii. The whole island was a strip phosphate ore mine. After the Second World War, it was freed from the reigning world powers and became an independent nation. The entire country was covered with phosphate ore mines. Because it was an opencut mine, they didn’t need a special technology to dig up phosphate ores. They simply had to mine and sell them. They became rich. The national average per capita income was $20,000 during the 1980s. Education, medical service, and housing expenses were offered free. The Nauru people had chartered flights to go shopping to Singapore or Hawaii. They drove expensive foreign cars. Most of them didn’t cook; instead, they consumed imported instant food. Since they had more than enough, they didn’t work, falling into a self-indulgent lifestyle. They assumed their prosperity would last forever. However, their phosphate ore mines began to be depleted at the beginning of 1990. Almost 90% of the population were obese, diabetic patients. In 2003, phosphate ores were officially depleted. In 2005, Nauru was finally declared bankrupt. The beautiful island was smeared with a spirit of despair and defeat.          

The unfortunate story of this nation reflects an aspect of modern life that seeks to outperform others to succeed. Modern people wish to live without concerns for educational, medical, and housing services. They wish to make enough money not to worry about their future. Of course, they want to drive expensive cars. They dream of flying abroad for touring and shopping. They believe such a life must be happy. So, they chase after it by working hard and competing hard to have high-paying jobs. They are willing to do anything to reach their goals. Once they have materialistic prosperity, they turn to fun and excitement. The more they attempt to fill themselves with pleasures in order to overcome monotony and boredom of life, the more their hearts feel of nothingness. They feel like being slowly depleted in the reservoirs of their souls. They keep trying to fill their inner voids. But materialistic abundance won’t make them fulfilled. Pleasure-seeking won’t make them truly happy. At the end, they go spiritually and morally bankrupt. They wallow in a pit of despair and guilt.

The people of Israel, the northern kingdom, sought to live materialistically an abundant life. They turned to Baal, a god of fertility, who they believed would bring them prosperity, success, and happiness. Indeed, they were enjoying their national prosperity and security during the reign of Jeroboam II. They presumed that their devotion to Baalism brought them what they wished. They felt idolatry paid them off. Unfortunately, they abandoned Yahweh their covenant God, the true Source of life. In the covenantal relationship, Yahweh called Himself as their spiritual Husband and the Israelites as His wife. The covenant was like a binding marriage contract in which Yahweh bound Himself with Israel for good. However, Israel went after other gods, that is, other lovers; in so doing, they spiritually prostituted themselves. Yahweh called their idolatry as spiritual adultery. Spiritual adultery arises from lust for fertility and prosperity. Desire for success is nothing wrong in and of itself. It is simply natural. However, if it replaces God, it becomes idolatry. If it seeks to fulfill its goal through false gods, it is idolatry. Despite Israel’s spiritual adultery, Yahweh never broke His covenant with them because of His unchanging love for them. Though He had to discipline them, Yahweh never gave them up despite their spiritual infidelity.  

   Like the unfaithful Israelites, we may trust and love things or people more than God and pursue them for our personal gains. Or we may call upon the names of strange gods to grant us what we desire to have. Pursuing a god of fertility, a god of prosperity, a god of consumerism, a god of pleasures, they try to establish our own kingdom apart from God the Creator and Savior. Sometimes, we wonder why we feel like our hearts were depleted, emptied without knowing idolatry, which is covetousness that never brings us a sense of fulfillment and contentment. Due to our secret idols, we may end up in suffering dissatisfaction, emptiness, disasters, or diseases. Today, Hosea calls on us to return to the bosom of God’s love because His love is unchanging. Abandoning our secret, adulterous love of the world, we must return to the bosom of God’s unchanging love so that we will experience fullness of God’s life in our hearts. Last Sunday, we talked about we should return to the bosom of God’s love that disciplines us. Today, we will deal with the second point, which is we should…

I.              징계하시는 하나님 사랑의 품으로 돌아오라.

Return to the bosom of God’s love that disciplines us.

II.            포기하지 않으시는 하나님 사랑의 품으로 돌아오라.

Return to the bosom of God’s love that never gives up on us.

During the last three quarters of the eighth century, the prophet Hosea called on the people of the northern kingdom to return to Yahweh their covenant God from spiritual adultery. He delivered a heart-moving message of Yahweh to them, calling on them to abandon Baalism. He showed them how unfailingly Yahweh still loved them even though He had to punish them severely. In particular, Hosea makes his readers to feel God’s broken heart. He opens our hearts to feel the wounded heart of God who suffered pain, anger, and love toward the Israelites His covenantal partner who bent on going after other gods. Yahweh commanded the prophet to bring back Gomer his adulterous wife. Hosea well knew how painful it would be to betrayed by one’s spouse. So, he understood the wounded heart of God. Also, he understood the unchanging, loyal love of God. Even though He had to punish Israel His covenantal spouse for her spiritual adultery, God still loved Israel by keeping His covenantal fidelity to her. However, Israel, without realizing God’s faithful love for her, complained Yahweh abandoned her when she was taken captive by Assyria. The Assyrian captivity was something unthinkable to her even though it was already forewarned repeatedly by Hosea.

When we go through trials, hardships in life as a result of our forsaking God’s love, we tend to believe that God has abandoned us. Instead of thinking about the fact that we have abandoned God, we tend to believe God has betrayed us and failed to keep His promises for us. We may say, “I have done my best to serve God. See what’s happening in my life? There is nothing but pain and agony. I can’t believe God is doing all this to me. Where is He now? What is He doing?” Well, we have to sit down in the presence of God and see how we have failed God by going after things of this world. We have to see our hardships as God’s discipline against our idolatry, that is, spiritual adultery. Anything we try to love and trust other than God is an idol to us. It may be material or immaterial. The people of Israel relied on the bounties and power of a false deity Baal, which could do nothing. They relied on their wealth, power, and status. The priests and the politicians used their power and privileges to rake more wealth for their future. The kings relied on foreign powers to secure national freedom and security from threats of the surrounding nations. For their spiritual adultery, Yahweh had to carry out His discipline as promised in the covenant with them. It was so painful and unbearable. They were wallowing in a pit of despair and self-pity, assuming that God abandoned them for good. Their assumption was wrong.

Listen to what Yahweh says through Hosea: ⁴ 내가 사람의 줄 곧 사랑의 줄로 저희를 이끌었고 저희에게 대하여 그 목에서 멍에를 벗기는 자 같이 되었으며 저희 앞에 먹을 것을 두었었노라 ⁵ 저희가 애굽 땅으로 다시 가지 못하겠거늘 내게 돌아 오기를 싫어하니 앗수르 사람이 그 임금이 될 것이라 ⁶ 칼이 저희의 성읍들을 치며 빗장을 깨뜨려 없이 하리니 이는 저희의 계책을 인함이니라 ⁷ 내 백성이 결심하고 내게서 물러가나니 비록 저희를 불러 위에 계신 자에게로 돌아오라 할찌라도 일어나는 자가 하나도 없도다 ⁸ 에브라임이여 내가 어찌 너를 놓겠느냐 이스라엘이여 내가 어찌 너를 버리겠느냐 내가 어찌 너를 아드마 같이 놓겠느냐 어찌 너를 스보임 같이 두겠느냐 내 마음이 내 속에서 돌아서 나의 긍휼이 온전히 불붙듯 하도다 ⁹ 내가 나의 맹렬한 진노를 발하지 아니하며 내가 다시는 에브라임을 멸하지 아니하리니 이는 내가 사람이 아니요 하나님임이라 나는 네 가운데 거하는 거룩한 자니 진노함으로 네게 임하지 아니하리라. ⁴ I led them with cords of kindness, with the bands of love, and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws, and I bent down to them and fed them. ⁵ They shall not return to the land of Egypt, but Assyria shall be their king, because they have refused to return to me. ⁶ The sword shall rage against their cities, consume the bars of their gates, and devour them because of their own counsels. ⁷ My people are bent on turning away from me, and though they call out to the Most High, he shall not raise them up at all. ⁸ How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender. ⁹ I will not execute my burning anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and not a man, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath (Hos. 11:4-9).

Hosea opens the heart of God recoiling and burning in love toward her rebellious covenant spouse. Yahweh couldn’t sit down while watching the Israelites suffering in pain. His heart was broken. It was churning within Himself. It was so tender and warm like that of a mother for her suckling. This demonstrates God’s unfailing, unchanging love. It stresses the point that God never gives up on His chosen people. The entire history of Israel, including her exiles, demonstrates such a love of God. Even though the Israelites had been unfaithful through their history, God had been faithful to them. As He promised in His covenant with Abraham and Moses, God had been longsuffering with them, merciful to them. He had let them through the wilderness and led into the Promised Land since He delivered them out of Egypt. But they were bent on turning way from Yahweh. They were resistant to turning back to God. Despite all this, Yahweh still says, “How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel?” “My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender.” “I am God and not a man, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath.” Even in Hosea 2:14-15, God says, “그러므로 이제 내가 그를 꾀어서, 빈 들로 데리고 가겠다. 거기에서 내가 그를 다정한 말로 달래 주겠다. 그런 다음에, 내가 거기에서 포도원을 그에게 되돌려 주고, 아골 평원이 희망의 문이 되게 하면, 그는 젊을 때처럼, 이집트 땅에서 올라올 때처럼, 거기에서 나를 기쁘게 대할 것이다(새번역 성경). ¹⁴ "Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. ¹⁵ And there I will give her her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth, as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt.

Though false gods and foreign kings betrayed them, God would never betray them. Instead, God would allure His people and bring them into the wilderness and speak tenderly to them. Notice the word “allure.” It is a word of man applied to God to describe God’s tender, passionate love for His people. It pictures the love of God who was trying to persuade the rebellious people with kind and charming words. He reminded the people of Israel of the first love of Yahweh for their ancestors. That same love had never changed. God’s love would remain the same with Israel. So, the people of Israel should remember it and return to the bosom of God’s unchanging love. God couldn’t but to act according to what He promised to the people of Israel. Moses said this to the second generation of the Exodus as follows:  이 모든 일이 네게 임하여 환난을 당하다가 끝날에 네가 네 하나님 여호와께로 돌아와서 그 말씀을 청종하리니 ³¹ 네 하나님 여호와는 자비하신 하나님이심이라 그가 너를 버리지 아니하시며 너를 멸하지 아니하시며 네 열조에게 맹세하신 언약을 잊지 아니하시리라. ³⁰ When you are in tribulation, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, you will return to the LORD your God and obey his voice. ³¹ For the LORD your God is a merciful God. He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that he swore to them (Deut. 4:30-31).

This is what we realize while returning to God from years of our sinful lives. This is what a Christian business confessed after he suffered much. He was relentlessly working for his business. Bu he was a Sunday Christian. He greeted God during Sunday worship. But he felt no love for God. He kept motions he learned through the years. But he had no vital, close relationship with God. It was because he was solely preoccupied with his business. He relied on his business skills and knowledge to prosper his business. He tried to rely on people who could help him out. But he didn’t turn to God for help. Despite all his efforts, his business went bankrupt. There was nothing he could do. At that time, he came back and knelt down before God, complaining, “Why have You, Lord, let me down? Why have You not helped me? Don’t you see I have been keeping Sunday worship?” He tried to pray. He felt as if the whole heaven were shut down against him. He spent hours pleading with God. Slowly, his initial complaint began to a heartfelt repentance. Finally, he heard God speaking tenderly to him. He realized God was there having been waiting for Him. He thought he was forsaken by God. But he realized God had never forsaken him. God had been with him though he was unable to sense His presence due to his preoccupation with his own business, that is, his idolatry.   

The people of God often suffer a lack of sense of God’s presence during their fiery trials. Painful times are neither a sign of God’s absence nor a denial of God’s love. God eternally loves His chosen people. He can’t give them up. Listen to this: ¹⁴ 오직 시온이 이르기를 여호와께서 나를 버리시며 주께서 나를 잊으셨다 하였거니와 ¹⁵ 여인이 어찌 그 젖먹는 자식을 잊겠으며 자기 태에서 난 아들을 긍휼히 여기지 않겠느냐 그들은 혹시 잊을찌라도 나는 너를 잊지 아니할 것이라. 내가 너를 내 손바닥에 새겼고 너의 성벽이 항상 내 앞에 있나니. ¹⁴ But Zion said, "The LORD has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me." ¹⁵ "Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. ¹⁶ Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me (Isa. 49:14-16).

The motherhood for children is naturally longsuffering, tender, warm, strong. But God’s love is supernaturally longsuffering, tender, warm, and strong. Though man’s love is emotional and fickle, God’s love is volitional and permanent. Even parental love changes but divine love changes not. The psalmist says it this way: 내 부모는 나를 버렸으나 여호와는 나를 영접하시리이다. For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the LORD will take me in (Ps. 27:10). Once in a while, we read sad news of parents abusing their children and abandoning them. However, God has engraved our names on the palms of His hands. He watches all of us all the time. Once we realize this truth, we will shout with the psalmist as follows: 주께서 생명의 길로 내게 보이시리니 주의 앞에는 기쁨이 충만하고 주의 우편에는 영원한 즐거움이 있나이다. You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore (Ps. 16:11).

However, we often cry out like David this way: 여호와여 어느 때까지니이까 나를 영영히 잊으시나이까 주의 얼굴을 나에게서 언제까지 숨기시겠나이까? How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? (Ps. 13:1). We may wonder why God doesn’t answer our prayers. God’s inaction for us in a certain time seems to indicate that He neither cares for us nor loves us. However, God’s love for us in Christ is infinite. The apostle Paul says, ³¹ 그런즉 이 일에 대하여 우리가 무슨 말 하리요 만일 하나님이 우리를 위하시면 누가 우리를 대적하리요 ³² 자기 아들을 아끼지 아니하시고 우리 모든 사람을 위하여 내어주신 이가 어찌 그 아들과 함께 모든 것을 우리에게 은사로 주지 아니하시겠느뇨. ³¹ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? (Rom. 8:31-32).

Our problem is a failure to take God’s love for granted and really appreciate and appropriate God’s love. So, our love for Him tends to be ephemeral and mercenary. But God tender-heartedly acts despite His love being betrayed, offended, and wounded. He courageously acts for us and comes to find us out.

Idolatry, that is, spiritual adultery, is rampant everywhere, including the church. Instead of loving God wholeheartedly, we are always tempted to love money. Paul warns us against mammon worship this way: 돈을 사랑함이 일만 악의 뿌리가 되나니 이것을 사모하는 자들이 미혹을 받아 믿음에서 떠나 많은 근심으로써 자기를 찔렀도다. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs (1 Tim. 6:10). As a matter of fact, the people of Israel committed Baal worship out of covetousness. Covetousness is the root of idolatry. Thus, we should learn to be content with what we have, that is, what God has given us. We should learn to be content with God’s unchanging love. If we turn away from it, we will fall into a pit of idolatry. We must be reminded of the following exhortation: 돈을 사랑치 말고 있는 바를 족한 줄로 알라 그가 친히 말씀하시기를 내가 과연 너희를 버리지 아니하고 과연 너희를 떠나지 아니하리라 하셨느니라. Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Heb. 13:5). With regard to idolatry, we can easily apply the promise of God’s unfailing love to our lives.

But most of us today suffer lack of zeal or monotony of life. Or we may drag ourselves day in and day out to live an exciting life in the cycle of monotonous daily routines. In such a life, we may not feel threatened by dangers of life but feel powerless before boredom of life. Is God really with us in such a situation? Has God not forsaken us in this monotonous, ordinary routines? Well, Oswald Chambers gives us some insight on it as follows: 때때로 나로 하여금 “하나님이 나를 버리실거야” 라고 생각하게 하는 것은 삶의 어려움이 아니라 지루한 일입니다. 어렵게 올라야 할 산도 없고 주어진 비전도 없고 놀랍거나 아름다운 것도 없는 매일 반복되는 일상입니다. 이러한 가운데서 하나님이 “내가 결코 너를 버리지 않을 것이야”라고 말씀하시는 것을 들을 수 있을까요? 우리는 하나님이 어떤 놀라운 일을 행하실 것이며 어떻게든 나를 그러한 일에 적합하도록 준비시켜 주실 것이란 생각을 가집니다. 그러나 우리가 은혜 가운데 계속 행하다 보면 하나님이 바로 현재 이 순간 여기에서 자신을 영화롭게 하시고 있다는 것을 발견하게 됩니다. 만약 우리가 하나님이 우리에게 하시는 “내가 결코 너를 버리지 않을거야”란 말씀을 듣는다면 가장 놀라운 힘이 솟아나며 평범한 날들 가운데 일상적인 방법으로 하나님 찬양함을 배우게 될 것입니다. “Sometimes it is not difficulty that makes me think God will forsake me, but drudgery. There is no Hill Difficulty to climb, no vision given, nothing wonderful or beautiful, just the commonplace day in and day out—can I hear God’s say-so in these things? We have the idea that God is going to do some exceptional thing, that He is preparing and fitting us for some extraordinary thing by and by, but as we go on in grace we find that God is glorifying Himself here and now, in the present minute. If we have God’s say-so behind us, the most amazing strength comes, and we learn to sing in the ordinary days and ways.”

God is always with us in Christ. If we feel nothing about God’s unchanging love, we are having a ho-hum relationship with God. But it is ok. Living together with God through our everyday routines is an indescribable blessing of God. We don’t need trying to excite ourselves with something new or refreshing. God’s love grants us newness and vitality in our souls. God’s love refreshes the whole universe. It reverses deadness into vitality. It reverses monotony into excitement. It reverses lament into praise. God’s love is life to us. If we forget this, we will turn to something or someone else as a cheap substitute for God’s genuine love. Let’s pay heed to the following word: 내 백성이 두가지 악을 행하였나니 곧 생수의 근원되는 나를 버린 것과 스스로 웅덩이를 판 것인데 그것은 물을 저축지 못할 터진 웅덩이니라. for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water (Jer. 2:13). We must turn back to the bosom of God’s love, that is, the fountain of life.

Conclusion: Where do we find such a fountain of life? Well, the answer is the cross of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ died for us to deliver us from the curse of sin. God has demonstrated His love through the redemptive death of His Son Jesus Christ on the cross. A certain medieval monk announced he would be preaching next Sunday evening on "The Love of God." As the shadows fell and the light ceased to come in through the cathedral windows, the congregation gathered. In the darkness of the altar, the monk lighted a candle and carried it to the crucifix. First of all, he illumined the crown of thorns, next, the two wounded hands, then the marks of the spear wound. In the hush that fell, he blew out the candle and left the chancel. There was nothing else to say. 

Christ’s vicarious death for us is incontestable evidence of God’s unfailing, unchanging love. I have reading a following story, which goes like this: There were ten thousand people gathered in a place. A man, holding a new fifty-dollar bill, shouted, “Is there anybody that wants this fifty-dollar bill?” Many here and there raised their hands high. So, he crumpled the bill and asked, “Do you still want this crumpled bill?” Still, many raised their hands as before. This time, he trampled on it and made it tattered, and asked, “Is there still anyone who wants it?” Still, there were some who raised their hands.” A moral lesson taught by this story is that God still wants you even though you have been crumpled, trampled, spitted on, and tattered. Even though you may seem worthless, God still loves you in Christ. Do you know how much your worth is? The Bible says you are more valuable than the whole world. It is because you are made in the image of God. Then, why do you still try to fill our void in your heart with the trappings of this world. Don’t you know God loves you more than anything else in the world? God doesn’t give up on you.

Now, Christ invites us to come unto Him. He is not inviting us to an abundance of life. Instead, He is inviting us to Himself. He says, 수고하고 무거운 짐진 자들아 다 내게로 오라 내가 너희를 쉬게 하리라. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matt. 11:28). We must come back to Him. And we must drink of God’s unchanging love out of the foundation of Jesus’ cross. He promises us rest from our restless pursuit of prosperity and self-realization. He promises us rest from our relentless pursuit of things that never satisfy. He promises us rest from the bondage and curse of sin. So, we don’t need to linger or hesitate. We simply come. Forsaking our love for things of this world, we must come back to the vast bosom of God’s love in Christ. This love disciplines us when we live for covetousness. This tender love never gives up on us because we are kept forever in Christ.

So, let’s return to the welcoming and embracing bosom of God’s love. Let’s take rest in His love. No matter what we suffer, let’s be convinced of God’s unfailing love whereby we live daily with contentment with God: 그러나 이 모든 일에 우리를 사랑하시는 이로 말미암아 우리가 넉넉히 이기느니라 ³⁸ 내가 확신하노니 사망이나 생명이나 천사들이나 권세자들이나 현재 일이나 장래 일이나 능력이나 ³⁹ 높음이나 깊음이나 다른 아무 피조물이라도 우리를 우리 주 그리스도 예수 안에 있는 하나님의 사랑에서 끊을 수 없으리라. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 8:37-39).

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 평강 주시기를 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).