Jesus-commending Faith-3

믿음은 바라는 것들의 실상이요 보지 못하는 것들의 증거니 ² 선진들이 이로써 증거를 얻었느니라 ³ 믿음으로 모든 세계가 하나님의 말씀으로 지어진 줄을 우리가 아나니 보이는 것은 나타난 것으로 말미암아 된 것이 아니니라…⁵ 믿음으로 에녹은 죽음을 보지 않고 옮기웠으니 하나님이 저를 옮기심으로 다시 보이지 아니하니라 저는 옮기우기 전에 하나님을 기쁘시게 하는 자라 하는 증거를 받았느니라 ⁶ 믿음이 없이는 기쁘시게 못하나니 하나님께 나아가는 자는 반드시 그가 계신 것과 또한 그가 자기를 찾는 자들에게 상 주시는 이심을 믿어야 할찌니라. Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. ² For by it the people of old received their commendation. ³ By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible….⁵ By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. ⁶ 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. (Heb. 11:1-6)

⁵ 예수께서 가버나움에 들어가시니 한 백부장이 나아와 간구하여 ⁶ 가로되 주여 내 하인이 중풍병으로 집에 누워 몹시 괴로와하나이다 ⁷ 가라사대 내가 가서 고쳐 주리라 ⁸ 백부장이 대답하여 가로되 주여 내 집에 들어오심을 나는 감당치 못하겠사오니 다만 말씀으로만 하옵소서 그러면 내 하인이 낫겠삽나이다 ⁹ 나도 남의 수하에 있는 사람이요 내 아래도 군사가 있으니 이더러 가라 하면 가고 저더러 오라 하면 오고 내 종더러 이것을 하라 하면 하나이다 ¹⁰ 예수께서 들으시고 기이히 여겨 좇는 자들에게 이르시되 내가 진실로 너희에게 이르노니 이스라엘 중 아무에게서도 이만한 믿음을 만나보지 못하였노라 ¹¹ 또 너희에게 이르노니 동서로부터 많은 사람이 이르러 아브라함과 이삭과 야곱과 함께 천국에 앉으려니와 ¹² 나라의 본 자손들은 바깥 어두운데 쫓겨나 거기서 울며 이를 갊이 있으리라 ¹³ 예수께서 백부장에게 이르시되 가라 네 믿은 대로 될찌어다 하시니 그 시로 하인이 나으니라. ⁵ When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, ⁶ "Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly." ⁷ And he said to him, "I will come and heal him." ⁸ But the centurion replied, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁹ For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." ¹⁰ When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, "Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. ¹¹ I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, ¹² while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." ¹³ And to the centurion Jesus said, "Go; let it be done for you as you have believed." And the servant was healed at that very moment. (Matt. 8:5-13)

FCF: We have a tendency of doubt and unbelief as Jesus’ healing power.

주제: 예수님은 만물을 다스리는 권세를 지니셨기에 하나님을 기쁘시게 하려면 예수님에 대한 믿음을 실천해야 합니다.

Theme: Because Jesus has divine authority over all creation, we must practice faith in Jesus to please God.

Introduction: As we have been going through the coronavirus pandemic, the whole world has suffered incalculable pains and losses. People in general have been suffering financially, physically, and psychologically. Tens of millions lost their precious lives to that invisible virus. The churches of Christ were not exempt from the onslaught of the Covid-19. One third of Korean churches in America closed down, I heard. Some say ten thousand churches in Korea have disappeared. A lot of churches are significantly struggling. A lot of their members have not returned to their churches. What is more painful is that reliability rates of Christianity have gone down because of the ways some churches responded to the government restrictions due to the Covid-19. Some ignored the government’s Covid mandates to worship God. The liberal media denounced them and reported them as superstitious sects or cults. Indeed, the Salvation cult violated the Covid restrictions and served as the carriers and spreaders of the virus. They were condemned alongside with Korean Christians. Korean Christians were condemned as lawless people. Today, people predict that Christian churches will disappear into history. Some say Christian churches are on the decline all over the world. In particular, churches in both America and Korea are drastically losing their memberships. A lot of them are trying their best to survive the decline of the Christian faith.

Some analyzed why Christianity is on the decline. They suggest that disappearance of theological education in the church, moral declension, secularization, materialism, or church marketing movement have contributed to the decline of Christianity. I think the underlying reason for all this is loss of the Christian faith. We must listen to the warning the Lord Jesus gives us even today: 그러나 인자가 올 때에 세상에서 믿음을 보겠느냐 하시니라. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" (Lk. 18:8). Apparently, true believers of Christ do not occupy the majority. Many profess, “We believe in Jesus Christ.” But Jesus warns, “Many profess false faith.” True faith disappears in our lives. Or it doesn’t play an important role in our everyday life. If faith goes wrong, everything goes wrong as far as Christian life is concerned. Surely, we are living in the end times. Though we do not know when Christ returns, we are sure we are living at the end of the last days.

The apostle Paul warns Timothy about people in the last days as follows: 네가 이것을 알라 말세에 고통하는 때가 이르리니 ² 사람들은 자기를 사랑하며 돈을 사랑하며 자긍하며 교만하며 훼방하며 부모를 거역하며 감사치 아니하며 거룩하지 아니하며. But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. ² For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy (2 Tim. 3:1-2). Our Lord Jesus says how to go through the last days as follows: ¹² 불법이 성하므로 많은 사람의 사랑이 식어지리라 ¹³ 그러나 끝까지 견디는 자는 구원을 얻으리라. ¹² And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. ¹³ But the one who endures to the end will be saved (Matt. 24:12-13). Lawlessness and lovelessness sum up the mentality and actions of moderners. The only one we can withstand the decay of the world is to endure to the end by faith in Christ. So, if faith goes wrong, everything will be in jeopardy.

We have been considering the faith of the centurion. Jesus marveled at his faith and praised him as follows: 이스라엘 중 아무에게서도 이만한 믿음을 만나보지 못하였노라 ¹¹ 또 너희에게 이르노니 동서로부터 많은 사람이 이르러 아브라함과 이삭과 야곱과 함께 천국에 앉으려니와 ¹² 나라의 본 자손들은 바깥 어두운데 쫓겨나 거기서 울며 이를 갊이 있으리라. , "Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. ¹¹ I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, ¹² while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." The whole story calls our attention to the following truth: Jesus has divine authority over all creation. The Roman centurion believed Jesus as the divine authority over time and space. His faith so pleased Jesus Christ that He blessed him and answered his request. We learn here that we should practice faith in Jesus Christ in order to please God. The centurion’s faith draws the Lord’s attention and approval because it goes beyond the ethnic boundaries, the secular worldview boundaries. Also, his faith goes beyond self-centered boundaries. My third point is that you should  

I.               민족적 테두리를 초월하는 예수님께 대한 믿음을 실천하라.

Practice faith in Jesus that exceeds your ethnic boundaries.

II.             세계관적 테두리를 초월하는 예수님께 대한 믿음을 실천하라.

Practice faith in Jesus that exceeds your secular worldview boundaries.

III.           자기 중심적 테두리를 초월하는 예수님께 대한 믿음을 실천하라.

Practice faith in Jesus that exceeds your self-centered boundaries.

One day, a Roman centurion came to Jesus and asked Him to heal his paralyzed servant. At his request, Jesus would come to heal him. However, the centurion believed Jesus’ word would be powerful enough to heal him. Listen to what he said: 주여 내 집에 들어오심을 나는 감당치 못하겠사오니 다만 말씀으로만 하옵소서 그러면 내 하인이 낫겠삽나이다. "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed” (Matt. 8:8). Jesus marveled at the statement of his faith and answered his request, praising his faith. The centurion really pleased the Lord by his faith. Then, what was so special and praiseworthy about his faith? First, his faith was praiseworthy because he was a Gentile. He used to believe many gods, worshiping the Roman emperor as a god. In terms of his ethic background, his faith was least expected. The majority of Jews rejected Jesus because Jesus was from a humble and lowly background. They regarded Him as a son of the carpenter. On the contrary, the centurion trusted Jesus not only as a divine healer, but also God who would control time and space.

Furthermore, what impressed Jesus was his humility, use of his possessions, and concern for the one sick and powerless. His faith in Jesus was not a mere rhetoric, but a practical reality. He practiced his faith in a selfless way. He didn’t seek self-promotion from the Lord. He didn’t seek his own health, or more wealth from the Lord. Rather, he sought the Lord by faith for the benefits of others. Truly, he truly believed in the authority, power, and love of Jesus Christ. As mentioned above, we see in three ways he practiced faith in Christ, which we may learn the following.

First, we should practice faith in Jesus so that we be humble before God and people. The centurion felt unworthy to invite Him to his house before Jesus Christ, as John the Baptist felt unworthy to baptize Jesus. The fact he felt unworthy before Jesus reveals he truly believed in the divine presence and authority of Jesus Christ. Solomon admitted in his temple dedicatory prayer that the temple was nothing so as to contain the presence of Yahweh, the Creator of the entire universe. No man-made temple is big or glorious enough to have the presence of the infinite God. Solomon knew it well. This Gentile centurion recognized the divine greatness of Jesus and humbly said, “Please, say the word to heal my servant.” The healthy sense of his unworthiness kept him humble before God and people. If he had been self-centered and arrogant, he wouldn’t have come to Jesus. He wouldn’t have got along with the Jews, the people subjugated by the Romans. But he was admired by the Jewish elders who pleaded with Jesus for the sake of the centurion. They mentioned the centurion was worthy of His help because he built a synagogue for the Jews. All this reveals the centurion was a man of humility and integrity.

Humility comes when we recognize the true authority of Jesus Christ. Though He makes friendship with us by love, we shouldn’t treat him in a self-centered way. As we recognized His divine authority, we are to confess our unworthiness due to our sinfulness and corruptions in our hearts. As soon as we forget the fact that we are sinners unworthy of His presence, we become proud before God and others. If we are humble before God, we are to be humble before people. Some people act like they are humble before God. But they are very puffed up before fellow believers. It is because they fail to practice faith in the authority of Jesus. Without humility, we can’t practice obedience to Jesus. Apart from humility, faith remains self-centered and lifeless.

Today, the world praises self-love, self-glory, or self-promotion. It stirs up people to commit self-absorption. Even Christians seem to be wrongly taught that they are to love self. Self-protection, self-care, that is, taking care of one’s needs is biblical. However, loving self in a selfish way is antithetical to the way of Jesus Christ. As long as we are absorbed in self, we won’t see any changes in relation to God and people. In a self-centered perspective, people are competitors. They are to be used for self-happiness. Even God is used for one’s self-centered happiness. Arrogant self-esteem is promoted. Then, people are not satisfied with anything. They are grumbling. If the centurion had been self-centered, he would have been like Naaman the Syrian army general who complained against Elisha who simply said, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan river.” Naaman was angry because he felt he didn’t receive a welcome worthy of his military position. So, he was about to return to Syria.

Such a proud disposition is in our hearts, too. But faith in the authority of Jesus makes us humble. Peter, as soon as he felt the divine authority and presence of Jesus, fell down at Jesus’ knees and said, 주여 나를 떠나소서 나는 죄인이로소이다. "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord" (Lk. 5:8). Peter caught nothing throughout the night. But as soon as he obeyed the word of Jesus, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch,” Peter and his friends caught many fish. Such an experience taught him about the person and authority of Jesus and made him confess his unworthiness before the presence of Jesus. Knowing the authority of Jesus and our unworthiness lead us to true faith and humility. The centurion knew exactly where he belonged to in terms of his military or social ranks. He didn’t lord over his subordinates. He didn’t refuse to submit to his superiors. Rather, he respected those worthy and those needy as well. Instead of making him proud, his faith made him truly humble. His faith made him go beyond his self-centered boundaries.

Secular humanism dethrones God and enthrones mankind. To a lot of moderners, God is irrelevant. They worship man, not God. The purpose of life is man’s happiness through self-fulfillment. James Engel summarized the belief system and the presuppositions that commonly prevail among what he calls modern man: “God, if He exists at all, is just an impersonal moral force. Man basically has the capacity within himself to improve morally and make the right choices. Happiness consists of unlimited material acquisition. There really is no objective basis for right and wrong. The supernatural is just a figment of someone's imagination. If a person lives a "good life", the eternal destiny is assured. The Bible is nothing other than a book written by man.” Modern man praises self-reliance rather than self-denial. However, Jesus commands us to deny ourselves. We see man’s pride in the statement of George Gordon Liddy, Watergate conspirator: 나는 내 안에서 내가 필요로 하는 모든 것과 내가 필요로 할 모든 것을 얻었습니다. 나는 큰 믿음의 사람입니다. 내 믿음은 죠지 골든 리디에 대한 믿음입니다. 나는 결코 내 자신을 실패케 하지 않았습니다. "I have found within myself all I need and all I ever shall need. I am a man of great faith, but my faith is in George Gordon Liddy. I have never failed me." If we truly believe in the person and authority of Jesus Christ, we are to go beyond our self-centered boundaries and practice humility before God and people.

Second, we should practice faith in Jesus so that we may be generous for God and people. The centurion earned trust and admiration from the Jewish elders. The elders were not forced to come to Jesus to ask Him to heal the centurion’s servant. The elders were eager to help the centurion because they believed he was a man worthy of Jesus’ help. We know from their evaluation of the centurion how they thought of him: 이 일을 하시는 것이 이 사람에게는 합당하니이다 ⁵ 저가 우리 민족을 사랑하고 또한 우리를 위하여 회당을 지었나이다. "He is worthy to have you do this for him, ⁵ for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue" (Lk. 7:4-5). They admired him for having built them a synagogue out of love for the people of Israel.

The centurion didn’t build them a synagogue to earn a good reputation among the Jews. He didn’t build it to spread the news how generous he was. He didn’t build it to earn respect so that he could do his business easily among the Jews. He did it because he loved the people of Israel. That’s why the elders commended the centurion for his generosity. His generosity was not from his inborn nature, but from his faith. He must have learned the law of God in the synagogue. He must have learned about the coming Messiah of Israel. Having heard of all that Jesus did and taught, the centurion became a God-fearing believer of Jesus Christ. As a God-fearer, he came to love Yahweh and His people as well. So, he was able to open his purse for the construction of a synagogue. A synagogue was a place of worship. The people of Israel gathered together in synagogues to learn the law of God, pray, and worship. So, the centurion donated a sizable amount of money to a right and noble cause. He profusely used his materials for God and His people.

This tells a lot about his faith. A lot of Pharisees put their offerings into the box so that they would broadcast their piety and generosity. The Lord condemned such a hypocritical act. However, He praised the two pennies a widow put into the box. He said, “She gave everything she had to God.” When He heard the centurion built a synagogue, Jesus, knowing all things about him, was willing to come to heal his paralyzed servant. Jesus knew the centurion’s faith was not bogus, but genuine. He even said, “"Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.” Jesus must have recognized the Gentile centurion as a great man of faith who was willing to spend his materials for the cause of God. His act of generosity was not separated from his faith in God. We do not know how much it cost to build a synagogue. But we may say it cost him much. As a military person, the centurion could have used his power to rake money out of poor Jews. However, he used his power to build a place of worship. This fact tells that he was a true man of faith.

Our use of money tells us a lot about our faith and our hearts. The Lord says, ¹⁹ 너희를 위하여 보물을 땅에 쌓아 두지 말라 거기는 좀과 동록이 해하며 도적이 구멍을 뚫고 도적질하느니라 ²⁰ 오직 너희를 위하여 보물을 하늘에 쌓아 두라 거기는 좀이나 동록이 해하지 못하며 도적이 구멍을 뚫지도 못하고 도적질도 못하느니라 ²¹ 네 보물 있는 그 곳에는 네 마음도 있느니라. ¹⁹ "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, ²⁰ but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matt. 6:19-21). Our natural tendency is to love and rely on money rather than God. But faith in Jesus leads us to love and rely on God and use money for God and people. Our self-centeredness keeps saying, “Keep all that to yourself.” But faith says, “Sharing it with others.” The centurion’s heart was with God and His people. So, he was a true man of character who was swayed not by the love of money, but by the love of God and people. We need to practice faith in Jesus to use our materials for God and people. When we use our money, we must put faith in the following promise: 나의 하나님이 그리스도 예수 안에서 영광 가운데 그 풍성한대로 너희 모든 쓸 것을 채우시리라. And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:19).

In "One Nation Under God," Barry Kosmin and Seymour Lachman of the City University of New York assembled data from 113,000 respondents years ago. The survey determined that nearly 1/3 of the adult U.S. population (18 and over) is now "totally secular" in its spiritual outlook! It also found that only 19 percent of adult Americans regularly practice their faith. The rest are described as "moderately religious" (22 percent), "barely" or nominally religious (29 percent) and agnostics and atheists (7.5 percent). The survey has an important message for the religiously and politically conservative who are interested in reversing the downward cultural spiral. It is unlikely that the 19 percent whose faith affects their lives and worldview can change the moral and social conditions of our country through political means alone. The survey was taken years ago. The percent of Americans practicing their faith is much less. Their influence is not great enough to stem the decadence of the world.

In Korea, unfortunately, people are concerned about the moral conditions of Christians and churches. Some contend it is because of disappearance of theological education from the churches that the churches are so weak to withstand the secularization of the churches, materialism, moral decay of Christians. The root of all this lies in man’s self-centeredness, man’s selfish individualism. As long as we are self-centered in relationship, perspective, quest, and everyday life, our faith is paralyzed and practiced for our personal, selfish purposes. We must shun materialism. We try to seek happiness through new products, devices, or goods. We use faith to seek materialistic happiness. Some prosperity gospellers preach the false message we will be wealthy if we plant seed money to God. But Jesus Christ became poor to give us spiritual riches in Him. We are to practice faith in Jesus in matter matters to exceed our self-centered boundaries. Selfish people, whether rich or poor, are stingy. But true people of faith are called to be generous because Jesus is generous in having given Himself to us. They strive beyond self-centeredness by practicing faith in true riches in Christ. Jim Peterson said, 자기 중심적인 태도는 죄악을 낳고, 하나님과의 분리를 가져온다. “Self-centered attitude beget sin, which causes separation from God.”       

Third, we should practice faith in Jesus so that we may love God and people. The centurion exercised his faith in Jesus to intercede for his paralyzed servant. In those days, servants were regarded as the master’s property. The master had authority to do what he deemed to be right for his servants. He could kill him. The centurion didn’t need to do anything for his paralyzed servant. In fact, due to his paralysis, his servant was useless in terms of his labor force. He was a cumbersome burden. However, the centurion, a person who would be a man of integrity and responsibility, pleaded with Jesus for healing. Luke says how the centurion loved his servant: 어떤 백부장의 사랑하는 종이 병들어 죽게 되었더니. Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him (Lk. 7:2). The servant was about to die of his illness. The centurion could have let him die in his time. But he was willing to do all things necessary for his healing. He highly regarded his servant. He must have seen his servant, not according to his monetary worth, but according to his view of man, God-image-bearer. So, he came to Jesus and pled with Him for healing.

The centurion practiced his faith in Jesus, not for his sake, but for the sake of his dying servant. He was certain that Jesus had power to restore his servant. He was certain that Jesus had mercy to restore his servant. Seeing his love for the servant and humility in his faith, Jesus commended him and did according to his request. The centurion was from a Gentile nation the Jews regarded as a dog. However, the centurion trusted Jesus as the authority over all creation. So, Jesus marveled at his faith and praised him for his faith. From the centurion, we learn that we should practice faith in Jesus as the authority over all creation. We should practice faith in Jesus on behalf of those unworthy and needy. The centurion was truly concerned about the socially marginalized, powerless one. So, he truly loved his dying servant. He had compassion on him. He couldn’t sit down, watching him dying. He had to do something for his healing.

A great number of sick people came to Jesus for healing. Parents came to Jesus for healing of their ill children. But the centurion came to Jesus for healing of his sick servant. There were four friends of a paralytic, who tore the roof to let down their friend before Jesus for healing. Jesus saw their faith and healed him. But the centurion was unique in beseeching Jesus for his dying servant. We must beseech Jesus for the sake of others, in particular, those unprotected, impoverished, or abandoned. Yahweh said, ¹⁸ 고아와 과부를 위하여 신원하시며 나그네를 사랑하사 그에게 식물과 의복을 주시나니 ¹⁹ 너희는 나그네를 사랑하라 전에 너희도 애굽 땅에서 나그네 되었었음이니.¹⁸ He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. ¹⁹ Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt (Deut. 10:18-19). God protects such powerless people by love. We must be God’s faithful people who render such people help. The apostle James defines true religion as follows: ²⁶ 누구든지 스스로 경건하다 생각하며 자기 혀를 재갈 먹이지 아니하고 자기 마음을 속이면 이 사람의 경건은 헛것이라 ²⁷ 하나님 아버지 앞에서 정결하고 더러움이 없는 경건은 곧 고아와 과부를 그 환난 중에 돌아보고 또 자기를 지켜 세속에 물들지 아니하는 이것이니라. ²⁶ If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. ²⁷ Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world (Jas. 1:26-27). True faithfulness and devotion to God lies in our loving care and concern for the weak, powerless, or underprivileged.       

I have read a very good article about Tim Tebow in Fox News. For years, Tim Tebow, the former NFL quarterback has been actively involved in efforts to stop human trafficking all over the globe. He firmly believes he has been called to help innocent victims of human trafficking. He is building a new Tim Tebow Foundation Protection Center in Thailand for 40 girls at a time. His mission statement is 믿음, 소망, 사랑을 가장 큰 결핍의 어두운 시간에 밝은 빛을 필요로 하는 자들에게 전하는 것입니다. to bring faith, hope and love to those needing a brighter day in their darkest hour of need. Tebow also said, "It's easy for people to show up on others' best day. We want to be there on their worst day. We want to be able to help them on their worst day, so that one day they will have their best day." Tebow added, "One of our non-negotiables is that we're on a rescue mission because we believe that Christ was on a rescue mission for us — and we've got to be on a rescue mission for humanity." "And so it's just so personal, because every single one of these lives is so valuable," he said. "They're so loved by God and they better be loved by us."

He also shared this powerful message: "I think we often take for granted how easily we get to live in peace. But the truth is so many people don't. Some of them never have, not even for a day. They’ve never lived a life free from danger."

He went on, "Just put yourself in their shoes just for a second, and imagine living in fear every single day. Knowing that the people who were supposed to value you instead sold you. The people who were supposed to love you instead abused you. The people who were supposed to treasure you instead exploited you." 우리의 사명은 가장 한 많은 보호와 친절과 사랑을 제공하는 것이며 사람들에게 진리를 보여주는 것입니다. "Our job is simply to provide as much protection, kindness and love as possible, and point them to the Truth. Tebow went on: "In my life, too often I have wanted to do good, but I haven’t. I haven’t acted fast enough … I haven’t pushed hard enough." Now, however, he's challenging himself — and challenging others — to help him in the fight against human trafficking. He also came back to his faith: "They were worth Him dying for. They are worth us fighting for."

I would quote some comments on Tim Tebow’s efforts of faith for human trafficking victims: One commenter says, “I’m not very religious myself, but I’ve always gotten the feeling that Tebow is completely genuine. He seems to really care and does a lot of great work in the service of others.” Another commenter says, “I have to admire a person who could easily just sit back and enjoy his life, but he chooses to sacrifice his life and finances to help people that he doesn't even know. He is a far better person than me and probably a much better person than those that can't resist making negative comments about the article. Even if you don't believe in God or a higher power this type of person has something within him that makes him different.”

Christianity is a religion of faith. Faith is a vital principle whereby we Christians live our everyday life. Though it is invisible, it is manifested in a variety of qualities, attitudes, or deeds. It is authenticated when it is practiced. If it is not practiced, it is like a parked car. Faith is not for a mere display, but for a real life. A parked expensive, luxurious SUV in the front yard may suggest the owner of it must be rich. However, if it stays in the place for years without being driven, what is its true worth? Its utility remains uselessly buried. If we don’t practice our faith for a real life, people will not recognize we are God’s people. If we say we are believers of Christ, people expect us to demonstrate something of Christlikeness, that is, righteousness.

Indeed, we preach the blessed doctrine of justification by faith to the world. We proclaim the gospel we are justified by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, who died for the remission of our sin on the cross and rose again for our justification. God declares us to be righteous in His sight. He regards us as if we had never sinned. When He sees us in Christ, God sees Christ’s perfect righteousness imputed to us. We say to people, “If you believe in Jesus Christ, you will be justified by grace, too.” Our correct understanding of justification by faith alone is vital in our Christian life. Faith is not a dead theory, but a vital force. It is a God-ordained means whereby we receive not only the righteousness of Christ but also practice righteousness in our real life. It is essential in our justification and sanctification.

But the problem is found in faith separated from a real life. Faith that only talks, but not works is dead. Many Christians talk about how they have got to believe in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. However, they don’t honor the Lordship of Jesus Christ. They don’t live according to the sovereign control of Jesus Christ. They still live according to their sinful desires and thoughts. They don’t recognize the presence of Jesus Christ. Though they say they believe in God, their faith brings about no change in the way they live. Then, the question is, “Is your faith alive or dead? Is it real faith whereby you are justified before God?”

Saving faith is working faith. It works through love. Paul says, 그리스도 예수 안에서는 할례나 무할례가 효력이 없되 사랑으로써 역사하는 믿음 뿐이니라. “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love” (Gal. 5:6). Faith brings about a real change in the way we understand and interact with the world, and we live in the world. Faith goes beyond the church walls and works in a real setting where we work, raise our children, run our businesses, study, treat our neighbors, and so on. Faith is not bound by race, ethnicity, or secularism. Faith is freely working together with love.

Love is an incontestable fruit of faith. Counting on the presence, power, and protection of God, faith results in love, that is, love for God and neighbor. Faith is essential to fulfill the true purpose of the law, the fulfilling of the love command, which is called “righteousness.” When we practice faith to do the socially marginalized good, our faith works for the glory of God and the good of others. Then, it brings joy and delight to God. Also, it brings us a sense of worthwhileness.

He pleaded for the life of his dying servant. His faith was not dead, but alive. He used it not for His own success or prosperity, which most people do, but for the healing of his dying servant. He could have used his faith for his own promotion, because it was his faith. But he didn’t rely on the greatness of his faith. He didn’t think his faith was great. In spite of his high-ranking position, he was a humble man, willing to admit his inadequacy and helplessness. He cared deeply for his servant’s welfare. He humbly relied on His absolute authority for his servant. Jesus marveled at that example of faith and healed his dying servant. He commended him for his wonderful faith.

Conclusion: Paul says, 너희가 믿음에 있는가 너희 자신을 시험하고 너희 자신을 확증하라 예수 그리스도께서 너희 안에 계신 줄을 너희가 스스로 알지 못하느냐 그렇지 않으면 너희가 버리운 자니라. Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?-- unless indeed you fail to meet the test! (2 Cor. 13:5). We must check whether we live by faith or not in our everyday life. Practicing faith in Jesus implies humbling ourselves before God and people, using our materials for God and people, and caring for God and people by love. Faith must be practical, not theoretical. Faith must be used, not abused. Faith must be genuine, not hypocritical. True faith always seeks to work for the benefits of others.

I was doing my daily devotion. I found a very helpful writing germane to our topic. I would like to quote it to you: 나는 2007년부터 13년간 북한에서 아픈 아이들을 치료하는 일을 했다. 어느 날 출석하는 교회에서 예배가 끝나자 나의 담당 지도원이 여러 강도 높은 질문 끝에 이렇게 물었다. “단도직입적으로 묻겠습니다. 윤 선생, 선교사 맞죠?” 그 순간 성령께서 이끄시는 대로 그에게 대답했다. “선생님이 말하는 선교라는 단어와 내가 알고 있는 선교라는 단어에 대한 해석이 서로 다른 것 같은데, 우선 선교라는 단어의 뜻부터 일치시키도록 합시다.” 그는 과거 식민지 시대에 원주민을 다 죽이는 군대의 길잡이들이 선교사였으며, 기독교인들이 명분과 허울 좋은 모습으로 포장하고 이 나라에 들어와 사람들을 죽였다고 흥분하며 이야기를 쏟아 놓았다. 나는 그의 이야기를 듣고 나서 대답했다. “나에게 선교사가 맞느냐고 묻는다면, 맞습니다. 나는 하나님을 사랑하고 이웃을 사랑하려는 목적으로 이 땅에 왔습니다. 예배가 회복되어 이 땅이 하나님의 복을 받는 것이 나의 선교 목적입니다.” 지도원이 한참 듣더니 “윤 선생, 듣고 보니 그건 좋은 선교입니다.”라고 말했다. 북한 사람들 속에서 기독교인으로 산다는 것은, 말이 아닌 삶으로 그리스도의 향기를 드러내야 하는 일이다. 나는 일평생 예배가 없는 땅에서 참된 예배자로 살아가길 원한다. 삶의 예배를 드리면서 말이다-사람으로 길을 내다-윤상혁 Since 2007, I have been involved in treating sick children in North Korea for thirteen years. One day after the worship service, my guardsman asked me several serious questions. At the end, he asked, “I am going to ask you straightforwardly. Dr. Yun, you are a missionary, aren’t you?” At the very moment, I answered him as the Holy Spirit led me. “Let’s match the word you think to be mission with the word I think to be mission. I think your understanding of mission is different from my understanding of mission.” He angrily said Christian missionaries acted as a guide for the troops to kill the natives during the past colonial periods. Christians masqueraded themselves with a just cause and good external appearances, and came into our country, and killed our people. After having heard him saying about his opinion about Christian mission, I answered: “If you ask whether I am a missionary or not, my answer is I am indeed a missionary. I came to this land to love God and neighbor. The purpose of my mission is to make this land restore worship and lead it to receive God’s blessing.” My guardsman heard me saying for a good while and said: “Dr. Yun, I think that is a good mission.” Living as a Christian among North Koreans should be giving off the fragrance of Christ, not by word, but by deed. I want to be live a life of worship throughout my lifetime in a land of no worship. I would like to offer a life of worship to God. This excerpt is taken from the book “Making a way by man” written by Dr. Sang-Hyuk Yun.

In the midst of self-centered culture, religion, and society, we are called to deny self by faith in Jesus Christ. The late professor E-ryeung Lee penned some thoughts on his notebook before he passed away. The name of the book is 남들을 위하여 흘리는 눈물 한 방울 “A drop of tears shed for others.” His wife said the gist of the book is a drop of tears shed for others is the evidence of humanity. Jesus Christ shed tears for sinners like us. He was humble before the Father and people. He became poor and spent the whole of His life for the Father and His people. He perfectly loved God and His people in life and death. Believing in Jesus Christ means following Him. His way is opposite to a self-centered way of the world. We are called to practice faith in Jesus Christ that exceeds our self-centered boundaries. Before we think about the act of our believing, we must think on whom we believe, that is, Jesus Christ. Instead of pumping up our faith, we gaze on Jesus Christ, that is, His beauty, delightful character, and His life of love for God and His people. Let’s set our eyes on the Lord Jesus Christ, which is true faith. Let me leave you with the following scripture: 믿음의 주요 또 온전케 하시는 이인 예수를 바라보자 저는 그 앞에 있는 즐거움을 위하여 십자가를 참으사 부끄러움을 개의치 아니하시더니 하나님 보좌 우편에 앉으셨느니라. looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Heb. 12:2).       

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. 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.