Pray for the church-3-ii

⁹ 만일 너희 속에 하나님의 영이 거하시면 너희가 육신에 있지 아니하고 영에 있나니 누구든지 그리스도의 영이 없으면 그리스도의 사람이 아니라 ¹⁰ 또 그리스도께서 너희 안에 계시면 몸은 죄로 인하여 죽은 것이나 영은 의를 인하여 산 것이니라 ¹¹ 예수를 죽은 자 가운데서 살리신 이의 영이 너희 안에 거하시면 그리스도 예수를 죽은 자 가운데서 살리신 이가 너희 안에 거하시는 그의 영으로 말미암아 너희 죽을 몸도 살리시리라. ⁹ You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. ¹⁰ But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. ¹¹ If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. (Rom. 8:9-11 ESV)

¹⁴ 이러하므로 내가 하늘과 땅에 있는 각 족속에게 ¹⁵ 이름을 주신 아버지 앞에 무릎을 꿇고 비노니 ¹⁶ 그 영광의 풍성을 따라 그의 성령으로 말미암아 너희 속 사람을 능력으로 강건하게 하옵시며 ¹⁷ 믿음으로 말미암아 그리스도께서 너희 마음에 계시게 하옵시고 너희가 사랑 가운데서 뿌리가 박히고 터가 굳어져서 ¹⁸ 능히 모든 성도와 함께 지식에 넘치는 그리스도의 사랑을 알아 ¹⁹ 그 넓이와 길이와 높이와 깊이가 어떠함을 깨달아 하나님의 모든 충만하신 것으로 너희에게 충만하게 하시기를 구하노라 ²⁰ 우리 가운데서 역사하시는 능력대로 우리의 온갖 구하는 것이나 생각하는 것에 더 넘치도록 능히 하실 이에게 ²¹ 교회 안에서와 그리스도 예수 안에서 영광이 대대로 영원 무궁하기를 원하노라 아멘. ¹⁴ For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, ¹⁶ that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith-- that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸ may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, ¹⁹ and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. ²⁰ Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Eph. 3:14-21 ESV)

FCF: We tend to forget to pray for the spiritual well-being or unity of the church.

주제: 하나님은 우리가 구하는 것 이상으로 응답하시기에 교회를 위해 우리의 주권자 아버지께 기도해야 합니다.

Theme: Because God answers more than we ask, we must pray to our sovereign Father for the church.

Introduction: Almost every Christian knows the importance of prayer in a Christian ministry and life. But only a few make a habit of praying consistently. What we truly need is prayer, not lectures on it. Our Grace Church needs it, too. We need to pray for the church as Paul did, knowing God works in answer to our prayers. Five ministerial students were visiting in London on a hot Sunday in July. While they were waiting for the doors of the church to open, a man approached and asked, "여러분, 교회의 난방 장치를 보시겠습니까?" “Gentlemen, would you like to see the heating apparatus of the church?” They thought, "7월의 더운 날에 난방 시스템을 보여주고 싶다는 게 얼마나 괴상한가!" “How queer he is to want to show us the heating system on a hot day in July!” Following him, they came to a door. He quietly opened it and whispered: “There, sirs, is our heating apparatus!” Some seven hundred intercessors were kneeling in prayer, seeking an outpouring of God’s Spirit upon the service which was soon to begin in the Tabernacle. That unknown guide was Charles Spurgeon the great pastor of the pulpit himself!

What is fueling the fire in our church’s furnace—a powerless program or a praying people? Paul knew the answer well: a praying people. We need to fuel the spiritual generator of our church through prayer. We have been thinking about Paul’s prayer for the Ephesian church that suffered a division between the Jewish group and the Gentile group. In Ephesians 3:14-21, we find to whom Paul prayed and what Paul prayed for. The text teaches this universal truth: “God answers more than we ask or think.” This truth demands us to pray to our sovereign Father for the church. So far, we have covered the first three points: 1) pray to the sovereign Father, 2) pray for your inner person to be strong, and 3) pray for Christ to dwell in your heart. Last Lord’s Day, we covered the first part of the third point, which concerned the significance and benefits of Christ’s presence in our hearts. Today, I will discuss the rest of the third point.    

I.               주권자 아버지께 기도하세요.

Pray to the Sovereign Father

II.             속사람이 강건해 지도록 기도하세요.

Pray for your inner person to be strong.

III.           그리스도께서 마음에 거하도록 기도하세요.

Pray for Christ to dwell in your heart.

Before I do it, let me summarize the last week’s message. Paul’s prayer for Christ’s presence in the hearts of the Ephesian believers reveals how significant and beneficial Christ’s dwelling in one’s heart is. Christ ascended into heaven, promising His disciples that He would send the Holy Spirit to them. Also, He promised that He shall be with them always to the end of the world. He kept the promise by sending the Holy Spirit to them. They were filled with the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. The Holy Spirit indwelling their hearts represents the spiritual presence of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit teaches us about Jesus Christ. He guides us through the word of God. He empowers us to do the things Christ commanded us to do. Christ does His powerful work within our hearts through the Holy Spirit. So, we need Christ’s presence in our hearts. The heart is the best place where Christ works for us through the Holy Spirit. The heart is the only place where Christ works for His people. When the Holy Spirit fills us, it implies our hearts are filled with Christ.

Likewise, Christ indwells us through the Holy Spirit. As said earlier, our hearts are the best, only locus where Christ dwells to do His works of fellowship, companionship, guidance, rulership, and sanctification. So, Christ has chosen to dwell in our hearts at our regeneration. However, our hearts are a place where our total depravity lies. Our hearts are like a tank filled with all the rotten corruptions of sins. No education or politics can transform man’s corrupt heart. No scientific breakthroughs can change it. Nothing but Christ can change it. Only Christ can clean them up, forgive them, and transform them. So, Christ has to come and put His presence in our hearts. Apart from Christ’s presence, our hearts won’t change. Christ’s presence alone is God’s solution to all the problems that originated in our sinful hearts. It is God’s answer to our insecurity, pride, loneliness, worry, fear, depression, disbelief, despair, discord, disappointment, etc. Christ’s presence in our hearts is the source of wisdom, joy, peace, righteousness, comfort, hope, and strength. Knowing it well, Paul must have prayed that Christ would dwell in their hearts.     

Now, let me answer the second question “What does it mean to have Christ live in our hearts?”  The answer is Christ and we live together in the houses of our hearts. Let’s call the heart a house or home. The Greek word used in v. 17 is “katoikeo” which means to “live in a locality for any length of time, live, dwell, reside, or settle.” Paul uses it figuratively here. The believer’s heart is a home where Christ dwells. It is not a temporary stay, but a permanent residence. In other words, Christ indwells our hearts forever in that Christ is eternally united with us. Our hearts are the common house where Christ and we live together. Our hearts are our home and Christ’s home as well. But there are billions of people in the world whose hearts have no presence of Christ because they refuse to invite Christ into their hearts.

The Bible clearly shows us how to welcome Christ into our hearts. The Lord Jesus still says, “볼찌어다 내가 문밖에 서서 두드리노니 누구든지 내 음성을 듣고 문을 열면 내가 그에게로 들어가 그로 더불어 먹고 그는 나로 더불어 먹으리라. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me” (Rev. 3:20). Do you have Christ dwell in your heart today? Do you want to know how you have Christ dwell in your heart?” How do we open our hearts to Christ so that Christ can come into our hearts? It is by faith. The apostle John says: 영접하는 자 곧 그 이름을 믿는 자들에게는 하나님의 자녀가 되는 권세를 주셨으니. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God (Jn. 1:12). The apostle Paul says: 사람이 마음으로 믿어 의에 이르고 입으로 시인하여 구원에 이르느니라. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved (Rom. 10:10).

You can welcome Christ into your heart through faith. When you are united with Christ, you become a new creation. The apostle Paul says: 그런즉 누구든지 그리스도 안에 있으면 새로운 피조물이라 이전 것은 지나갔으니 보라 새것이 되었도다. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come (2 Cor. 5:17). Then, there is no condemnation against you (Rom. 8:1). You are free in Christ to serve God in love (Gal. 5:1). Christ’s dwelling in the church and our hearts are not something new in the Bible. This biblical concept runs through the entire Bible. After God created Adam and Eve, He placed them in the Garden of Eden, where He would enjoy fellowshipping with them. God’s being with them was one of God’s creation purposes. God created them so that they would glorify God and enjoy Him forever. However, this ultimate purpose seemed to be aborted by the fall of Adam and Eve. Sin prevented them from glorifying and enjoying Him.

However, God came to them by grace and led them back to Him. Adam and Eve were the first recipients of God’s redemptive grace. God’s plan of redemption was ultimately fulfilled in the person and work of Christ. The Old Testament foretold the coming of the Messiah who would fulfill the plan of redemption. To prepare for the fulfillment of God’s redemption, God called Abraham and entered into a covenant with him. God called Moses to deliver Israel from the bondage of Pharaoh. God commanded Moses to build the Tabernacle, which represented the presence of God among His people. The people of Israel completed the Tabernacle. While traveling toward the Promised Land, Yahweh was in the midst of Israel’s camp. The Tabernacle was placed in the center of Israel’s camp. The Tabernacle was replaced with the Temple later on in Israel’s history. God dwelt with His people although His people frequently broke the covenant with Him. God faithfully kept His covenant that He would be their God and they would be His people.

God’s covenantal faithfulness was manifested in the visible sign of His presence among His people. No matter how they felt and wondered where God was while suffering from fiery trials, God never left them nor forsook them. God was always with them. Whenever foreign powers threatened them, they turned to Egypt or Assyria for help rather than to Yahweh their King. In so doing, they compromised their covenantal faithfulness. However, Yahweh patiently bore their disloyalty and loved them with His unfailing covenantal faithfulness. The entire Old Testament is a written testimony to God’s covenantal love. God loved His people. God desired to be with them. God constantly reminded them He was in their midst protecting, providing for, and guiding them. The Tabernacle or the Temple was a visible reminder that Yahweh was in their midst.     

We find this biblical concept throughout the Old and New Testaments. When Christ came to the world, He tabernacled among His people with grace and truth. The apostle John put it this way: 말씀이 육신이 되어 우리 가운데 거하시매 우리가 그 영광을 보니 아버지의 독생자의 영광이요 은혜와 진리가 충만하더라. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth (Jn. 1:14). Paul reminded the Corinthians that they were the temple of the Holy Spirit: 하나님의 성전과 우상이 어찌 일치가 되리요 우리는 살아 계신 하나님의 성전이라 이와 같이 하나님께서 가라사대 내가 저희 가운데 거하며 두루 행하여 나는 저희 하나님이 되고 저희는 나의 백성이 되리라 하셨느니라. What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, "I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people (2 Cor. 6:16).

            In Eph. 2:22, he says, 너희도 성령 안에서 하나님의 거하실 처소가 되기 위하여 예수 안에서 함께 지어져 가느니라. “In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” Here we see why God has saved us. He has saved us so that He would live together with us. The pillars of cloud and fire, the tabernacle, the temple, Christ’s incarnation, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit testify to the truth that Christ came down from His glorious throne to dwell with His people. So, the ultimate purpose of salvation is that God and His people live together in love and harmony forever. This was the purpose of God’s creation. We can fulfill it by glorifying Him and enjoying Him forever. Not only is Christ within the church, but He is also within our hearts. Paul says, 하나님이 그들로 하여금 이 비밀의 영광이 이방인 가운데 어떻게 풍성한 것을 알게 하려하심이라 이 비밀은 너희 안에 계신 그리스도시니 곧 영광의 소망이니라. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory (Col. 1:27).

Paul has realized the importance of union with Christ. He has applied Christ’s living presence in the believer’s heart by faith. Listen to what Paul says in Gal. 2:20: 내가 그리스도와 함께 십자가에 못 박혔나니 그런즉 이제는 내가 산 것이 아니요 오직 내 안에 그리스도께서 사신 것이라 이제 내가 육체 가운데 사는 것은 나를 사랑하사 나를 위하여 자기 몸을 버리신 하나님의 아들을 믿는 믿음 안에서 사는 것이라. “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Christ living in our hearts is what God designed when He saved us from the bondage of sin and death. Here, we see God’s passionate love for His people. Christ’s presence in our hearts is evidence of His passionate love for us. Christ’s living in our hearts refers to His blessed union with us. It reveals how close Christ is to us. It shows Christ’s passion to be with us.

Paul knew it well. He teaches our union with Christ with his favorite formula “in Christ.” This prepositional phrase occurs 164 times in his letters. As Paul says, we are in Christ and Christ is in us. We are intimately, mysteriously, and eternally united with Christ. Christ and we are one. This is one of the greatest blessings we have in Christ.  We can scarcely find a parallel use to “in Christ” in ordinary life. If an intimate friend of Churchill who had spent many years with him and then had given a decade to the writing of his life were talking to us about that great man, he might sum up his relationship with him in a wide variety of ways. He might say that he feared him, admired him, revered him, or even loved him. But he never would say, 나는 처칠 안에 있는 사람이다. “I am a man in Churchill.” It would never occur to him to use such a phrase.

But Paul was, above everything else, “a man in Christ.” Can you say, “I am in Christ and Christ is in me”? Paul prayed for Christ to make a home in the hearts of the Ephesian believers. We must ask God for the same blessing: Christ dwelling in our hearts. If we have Christ in our hearts, we have everything we need. We must respond to Christ’s love in worship by faith. Our worship is a response of our hearts to the loving presence of Christ. Living in the consciousness of Christ’s loving presence is the key to glorifying God and enjoying Him forever. It is a way to sanctification. It leads us to healing from emotional wounds, wicked thoughts, unholy feelings, or wrong attitudes. The fact we long for Christ in our hearts reveals our love and need for Christ. There is no greater blessing than Christ’s living in our hearts. Do you believe it and apply it to your life? You need Christ every hour in life. If you have Christ in your heart and life, you have everything for a meaningful and happy life.

However, we tend to appreciate the blessings and significance of Christ’s presence in our hearts only when we feel helpless before a fiery trial. When everything goes well, we feel no need for Christ. Our self-sufficiency blocks our eyes from desiring Christ in our hearts. So, God breaks the citadel of our self-complacency, adequacy, and sufficiency by throwing us into moments of helplessness and pushing us to the corner of our limitations. Our feeling of Christ’s absence during our trials is natural. It should drive us to seek God more than anything else. In a real-life setting, we often wonder where Christ is, crying out, “Where are you, Lord? How long will you tarry from helping me?”

David put it this way: 여호와여 어느 때까지니이까 나를 영영히 잊으시나이까 주의 얼굴을 나에게서 언제까지 숨기시겠나이까 ² 내가 나의 영혼에 경영하고 종일토록 마음에 근심하기를 어느 때까지 하오며 내 원수가 나를 쳐서 자긍하기를 어느 때까지 하리이까 How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? ² How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? (Ps. 13:1-2). David here laments the long absence of God while his enemy was exalted over him. According to God’s covenantal promise, Yahweh never left David nor forsook him. But David felt that way because he was under the dominion of his enemy. Honestly describing his trouble as the absence of God’s presence, David uttered his absolute need for God’s speedy intervention.

Does anyone of you feel like David here? You may have been praying for God’s answer to your prayers for your unsaved family members, your unruly children, your shaky relationship with your spouse, your financial straits, your debilitating health issues, or your uncertain future. You may have been battling with depression, anxiety, loneliness, emptiness, or insecurity in your heart. You may have felt weary of your inner struggles that have gone nowhere with no fruits. You may have felt like giving up your efforts to improve your life while silently and sadly sipping the bitter taste of your deathly existence. You may have felt powerless and helpless. It is ok for you to feel this way. You are not alone here. Well-known Bible figures, including David, felt that way. One thing they did in such circumstances was cry out to God. In their prayer, they poured out their hearts before God. They honestly uttered their frustrations first. They offered their petitions. Then, they expressed their trust in God with confidence in God’s answer and a vow to praise Him. Many lament psalms show the progress from frustration and sadness to faith, confidence, and joy of praise. The closing of these lament psalms is characterized by unwavering trust, confidence, and joy of praise. 

Let me prove this point in the closing Ps. 13 one of the Davidic laments. After his initial frustration, David asked the Lord to consider him and answer his prayer. After his petition, David trusted in Yahweh and closed his prayer with confidence of His salvation and with a vow to praise: ⁵ 나는 오직 주의 인자하심을 의뢰하였사오니 내 마음은 주의 구원을 기뻐하리이다 ⁶ 내가 여호와를 찬송하리니 이는 나를 후대하심이로다. ⁵ But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. ⁶ I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me (Ps. 13:5-6). David trusted in Yahweh’s unfailing covenantal love which was his only hope, strength, and joy. With trust in Yahweh’s love, David was confident of Yahweh’s future vindication. So, he chose to rejoice in His salvation and praise God for His goodness.

What do we learn from this? The answer is related to my third question “How can we enjoy Christ’s presence in our hearts?” It is through faith in God’s unchanging, unfailing, unending love and faithfulness. Paul also says in v. 17, 믿음으로 말미암아 그리스도께서 너희 마음에 계시게 하옵시고 너희가 사랑 가운데서 뿌리가 박히고 터가 굳어져서 “so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love.” Because we are already rooted and grounded in Christ’s love, we have Christ’s presence in our hearts. How do we know this blessed truth? It is through faith in Christ and His love. Notice Paul ties Christ’s presence in one’s heart with faith in Christ and His love. Without faith in Christ and His love, we cannot know from experience Christ’s presence in our hearts. Faith is God-given means whereby we see, hear, and talk with Christ in our souls. It connects the visible with the invisible, the earth with heaven, the present with the future, and the tangible with the intangible.

By faith, we commune with Christ in our hearts. By faith, we walk with Christ through our spiritual journey to the celestial city. By faith, we rejoice and sing praises to God amid fiery trials. Savannah Guthrie says in her book “Mostly What God Does”: "하나님이 어디에 계신지 궁금하다면 그분을 찬양하세요. 갑자기 그분의 임재 안에 있게 될 것입니다." “If you’re wondering where God is, praise Him. Suddenly, you will be in His presence.” Mostly what God does is to love us.” This leads us to praise Him. Because God knows when we can bring ourselves to a place of gratitude, to look beyond ourselves and to Him, it is a great blessing to our hearts. Surely, God is the Object of our love. We express our love for Him and His love for us in praise. When we praise in joy, our hearts feel the presence of Christ, being filled with the brightly shining glory of God.

The author shares the story of Joni Eareckson Tada in her book: Joni was just seventeen years old, an athletic young girl from Maryland when she dove into shallow water and broke her neck. She was immediately paralyzed from the neck down — quadriplegic. Joni has since lived a beautiful, honest life of faith and service. Joni was once invited to Larry King Live. She told the story of how she came to faith. She said she had not been a devout person before the diving accident. In the excruciating weeks and months later, lying in her hospital bed, her prospective life was suddenly snatched away. Her despair became unbearable she wished to die. She even tried to accomplish it-to break her neck again, right there in her bed. Her paralysis left her unable to complete the task. Joni told a story about the moment everything changed for her. Some family friends had come to her hospital room to cheer her up. They supplied pizza and watched NCAA football. As she says, they “treated me as a human being,” not an invalid. They also brought their Bibles. Though she wasn’t very religious, Joni said their kindness earned them the right to open them. The verse that transformed her life was this one: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thess. 5:18).  

This verse was not a verse of encouragement. Nor was a verse promising a better life in eternity. It gave nothing to her; on the contrary, it asked something. It was calling Joni to gratitude, someone from whom so much had been taken. Give thanks? Seriously? And yet that is exactly what turned her life around. Joni herself said she didn’t understand it right away. She didn’t spend every waking moment from that day forward in a state of radiant rapture. Life was hard. Someone still had to lift her out of bed, bathe her, and feed her. Some days it took all she had to go on. 하지만 어찌된 일인지 찬양과 감사는 그녀에게 가장 강력한 치료법이었습니다. 그리고 그녀는 자신이 약하다고 느낄수록, 할 수 없다고 느낄수록 하나님은 더 강해지셨다고 말했습니다. But somehow, praise and gratitude were her most potent healer. And she said that the weaker she felt, the more unable to do it, the stronger God became.

당신이 어떤 일을 겪고 어떻게 느끼든, 즉시 분위기를 바꾸고 싶다면, 즉시 공기를 바꾸고 싶다면, 그분을 찬양하십시오. Whatever you go through and however you feel, if you want to immediately alter the atmosphere, if you want to instantly change the air, praise Him. Praise can transform your negative thoughts and destructive feelings into thoughts and feelings of faith and lead you to the presence of God. It is because God inhabits the praises of His people 하나님은 이스라엘의 찬송 중에 거하십니다 (Ps. 22:3). Again, Savannah Guthrie says, "하나님이 어디에 계신지 궁금하다면 그분을 찬양하세요. 갑자기 여러분은 그분의 임재 안에 있을 것입니다. 그분의 주소를 찾고 있다면 이곳이 바로 그분이 계신 곳입니다." If you are wondering where God is, praise Him. Suddenly, you will be in His presence. If you’re looking for His address, this is where He lives. 

However, we often don’t feel like giving thanks to God when we go through a painful trial. Our spiritual sight may be dimmed by our sinful desires, the world’s allurements, or Satan’s temptations. The eyes of our faith are so blurred by such things that we are incapable of sensing Christ’s presence in our hearts. Our spiritual sensitivity is calloused and inoperative. In such a time, we must do this: “Believe and pray.” Whether we feel the presence of Christ in our hearts or not, we must believe Christ is still there with us. Our insensitivity doesn’t mean that Christ is not in our hearts. In other words, the reality of Christ’s presence in our hearts doesn’t change. However, our spiritual sense of it in our daily lives may change, depending on how closely we walk with Christ by faith. In a time when we don’t feel anything about Christ’s presence in our hearts, we must believe it because Christ dwells in our hearts. We must regard it as real.

Surely, faith follows the truth of God, not our feelings. We don’t make our feelings a touchstone of our spiritual life. If we follow whatever our feelings stir us to do or wherever our feelings lead us, we will surely fail seriously in our faith life. Today, modern people follow what they feel rather than what is right. Dr. Burk Parsons says, "과거 세대에는 "옳다고 생각하는 것을 하라"는 말을 들었습니다. 하지만 지난 수십 년 동안 대부분의 사람들은 "옳다고 느끼는 대로 하라"는 문화를 배워왔습니다. 또한 진정한 자유는 우리가 옳다고 알고 있는 것을 할 수 있는 능력이라고 배우기보다는 옳다고 느끼는 것을 하는 것이 자유의 정의라고 배워왔습니다." “In generations past, we were told, “Do what you know is right.” But for decades now, most people have been taught by the culture, “Do what feels right.” Furthermore, they have been taught that doing whatever feels right is the definition of freedom rather than being taught that true freedom is the ability to do what we know is right.” 

Moderners attempt to bring reality in line with their feelings. But we should not be deceived by our whimsical feelings. We may fall into displeasure, loneliness, depression, despair, shame, or emptiness. We may feel as if we are not truly saved. We may feel as if Christ has departed from us because of our serious habitual sins. We may suffer from Satan’s convicting accusations about our sinfulness. We must remember our feelings sometimes try to deceive us. We should not let our feelings override the truth of God. We must preach the gospel of Christ to our feelings and ask the Lord to help us not forget that we are in Christ and Christ is in us. We must never let the truth of God conform to our flippant feelings, but we must always make our feelings conform to the truth of God.    

God has given us feelings. Feelings serve us when they are interpreted rightly. Our joy, sadness, or anger have their places in our faith life. But they can’t be the touchstone of our faith life. Only the truth of God is the touchstone by which everything should be evaluated or assessed. We must keep the word of God by faith, whether we feel the presence of Christ in our hearts or not. We must love Christ with all our hearts. That is what the word of God leads us to do. John 14:23 says, 예수께서 대답하여 가라사대 사람이 나를 사랑하면 내 말을 지키리니 내 아버지께서 저를 사랑하실 것이요 우리가 저에게 와서 거처를 저와 함께 하리라. Jesus answered him, "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”

What occupies your heart now? Is it Christ, His joy, His truth, and His love, or your negative, destructive feelings such as depression, despair, or disbelief? Since we are an incomplete being, we may have Christ and other things competing with each other in our hearts. We have righteousness and unrighteousness fighting each other in our hearts. We may have the joy of salvation and the depression of harsh reality cohabitating in our hearts. We must fight all these negative feelings with the truth of God and the presence of Christ. We must refuse to hoard lustful things or sinful junks of this world into our hearts.

A while ago, I watched a TV program featuring two types of hoarding disorder. The first type of hoarding disorder appears among old folks who hoard the things that they think to be valuable. They go out and collect things like boxes, empty cans, electric devices, etc. They never throw them away. They stack them in their houses. Every room of their houses is filled with junk items they have collected. The other type of hoarding disorder appears among some young people who never throw away their trash from their houses. Their houses are filled with food garbage. They have never cleaned up their houses for years. They sleep in a small space surrounded by stacks of trash. Trash has been accumulated to the top of each room. When one woman hired a cleaning crew to clean up her entire apartment, it took several days to clean it up. Tons of trash were thrown away. They lived in such a horrible, unhealthy environment in their houses. So, they never invited anyone, including their family members. The doors to their houses are firmly shut down. They are under chronic depression and a sense of guilt. They have no hope for the future. They simply exist without enjoying any fellowship with others. This kind of hoarding disorder reflects what’s inside their hearts. Their hearts are lonely, lazy, hurt, helpless, and depressed. In particular, these young hoarders seek to be free from their disorder. But they keep failing and repeating their sinful disorder.

What about you? Are you hoarding emotional garbage like depression, unforgiving spirit, bitterness, despair, hurts, or emptiness into the house of your heart? Have you sought to remove them out of your heart? What have you done to clean it up? As we have discussed so far, we know Christ is the answer to all the problems of our hearts. We must bring our helpless hearts to Christ. We must invite Christ into their hearts by faith. We must let Him rule over our hearts. We must let Him remove all the negative thoughts, feelings, and motives from our hearts. We must let Him operate our sinful heart surgery so that we can stay healthy and strong in our faith life.            

Also, we must be careful what we should let into our hearts. If we pour bad news of this world into our hearts, we will feel sad, pessimistic, or cynical. But if we pour the word of Christ into our hearts, we will be filled with confidence, hope, and encouragement. Let’s pay attention to the following text: ¹⁵ 그리스도의 평강이 너희 마음을 주장하게 하라 평강을 위하여 너희가 한 몸으로 부르심을 받았나니 또한 너희는 감사하는 자가 되라 ¹⁶ 그리스도의 말씀이 너희 속에 풍성히 거하여 모든 지혜로 피차 가르치며 권면하고 시와 찬미와 신령한 노래를 부르며 마음에 감사함으로 하나님을 찬양하고 ¹⁷ 또 무엇을 하든지 말에나 일에나 다 주 예수의 이름으로 하고 그를 힘입어 하나님 아버지께 감사하라. ¹⁵ And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him (Col. 3:15-17).

We must have the peace and word of Christ in our hearts. We must have the praises and thanks for Christ in our hearts. This is the way we enjoy Christ’s presence in our hearts, ministries, and lives. Again, we can do all this by faith and prayer. Faith grows with prayer and word. Apart from prayer and word, faith loses its vitality. Faith breathes in and out the breath of prayer and eats the bread of God’s Word. How can we enjoy the presence of Christ in our hearts? How can we stay conscious of it in our daily lives? How can we apply it to our hardships? It is by believing and praying. Here, believing is equal to praying. Our faith flourishes with our constant prayer.

Paul knew it well. So, he knelt before the sovereign Father in prayer for the Ephesian church. He encouraged the Corinthians this way: 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). Now, let’s pray for God’s presence in our hearts so that we can glorify God and enjoy Him forever. We must do the same, not only for our faith life but also for our fellow believers in the church. We need to pray and work for the unity of the church. We need to pray our fellow brothers and sisters in the church will be strengthened with divine power in their inner persons and Christ will dwell in their hearts by faith.   

IV.           그리스도의 사랑으로 충만해지도록 기도하세요.

Pray to be filled with the love of Christ.

V.             하나님의 영광을 위하여 기도하세요.  

Pray for the glory of God.

Conclusion: Christ is the solution to all the problems of our hearts. We need Christ in our hearts every moment of life. Do you feel a dire need for Christ’s presence in your heart and life? We can have Him in our hearts and lives by faith and prayer. Andrew Bonar lost his wife in 1864, his “dear, dear Isobella.” “O what a wound,” he cried. Eighteen years later he could write: "그때는 인생이 다시는 가벼울 수 없다고 생각했지만, 그리스도를 더 많이 누릴수록 더 많은 것을 감당할 수 있다는 것을 알게 되었습니다.   진정으로 그리스도를 찾았을 때 우리는 혼자서도 세상을 헤쳐 나갈 수 있습니다." “I thought then that life could never again be lightsome, but I find that the more of Christ we enjoy, the more we are able to bear. When we have truly found Christ, we can go through the world alone.” Can you say the same thing as Andrew Bonar?

Is your heart a home of Christ or a den of Satan? Does Christ feel at home in your heart? Or does Satan feel at home in your heart? Let me ask this way. Do you feel comfortable with Christ being in your heart? Or do you feel comfortable with Satan being in your heart? Is your heart Christ’s throne? Or is it Satan’s playground? Only Christ stays in your heart if you are a believer. But Satan constantly tries to confuse and affect your heart. Imagine you are living together with Christ in the house of your heart. Getting used to living with Christ in your heart takes your lifetime. You should learn to see, hear, and talk with Christ. Don’t push Christ into the corner of your house. Invite Him to take the throne of your heart. Christ won’t force your heart to do things you don’t like. Christ won’t do anything against your free will. So, ask God to make your heart a home for Christ. Then, Christ will occupy your heart and stay there with you forever.

Christ’s presence in your heart means everything to you. You will have love, peace, joy, confidence, a sense of meaning and purpose, etc. Above all, you will have the fullness of God in your heart. What a blessing you have in Christ! Let’s enjoy this blessing . Let’s ask Christ to fill our minds, hearts, and souls. St. Patrick prayed to be filled with Christ as follows. "그리스도여, 나와 함께 하소서, 그리스도여, 내 안에, 그리스도여, 내 뒤에, 그리스도여, 내 앞에, 그리스도여, 내 옆에 계십소서. 그리스도여, 나를 얻으시고, 그리스도여, 나를 위로하고 회복시키소서, 그리스도여, 내 아래에, 그리스도여, 내 위에 계십소서. 그리스도여, 조용한 가운데나, 그리스도여, 위험 가운데나 함께 하소서. 그리스도여, 나를 사랑하는 모든 사람의 마음 속에, 그리스도여, 친구와 나그네의 입 속에 계십소서." “Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me; Christ to comfort and restore me; Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.”

This prayer shows how fervently St. Patrick longed to be filled with Christ inside and outside. Do you long, thirst, and crave for Christ in your heart? Christ lived, died, and rose again from the dead for us. And now He intercedes for us in heaven and will return for us. He certainly deserves all our heartfelt devotion and worship. What we need most is Christ. Christ is the answer to your insecurity, emptiness, longlines, depression, worry, fear, sins, resentment, regrets, meaninglessness, helplessness, powerlessness, and unforgiving spirit in your heart. We must make sure we live together with Christ every day. Let me leave you with the following promise of Christ:

볼찌어다 내가 세상 끝날까지 너희와 항상 함께 있으리라 하시니라. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matt. 28:20). Surely, Christ is always with us by dwelling in our hearts! Let’s all pray that all of us the Grace Church may enjoy Christ’s presence in our hearts for God’s glory and our good!

Benediction: ²⁰ 우리 가운데서 역사하시는 능력대로 우리의 온갖 구하는 것이나 생각하는 것에 더 넘치도록 능히 하실 이에게 ²¹ 교회 안에서와 그리스도 예수 안에서 영광이 대대로 영원 무궁하기를 원하노라 아멘. ²⁰ Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Eph. 3:20-21)