I believe that the Lord was glorified through the praise of the choir. As I was walking into the church, I almost slipped on the ice. I pray that the Lord’s grace will be on all of thsoe who have gathered, regardless of the inclement weather.
In English, the first month of the year is called January. January comes from the god names Janus. Janus had two heads. These two heads were facing in opposite directions. Janus represents a club and a key. January, then, represents that we kick out the previous and open the new. Today is the first Sunday of the new year.
As I mentioned during the last service, there are two types of time: kronos and kairos. Kronos is time that simply passes, and kairos is the tiemt hat the Lord measures. The time that we gather in prayer, the time that we seek the Lord would all be kairos time. I pray that the Lord will push out all that is old and unclean and fill us up with new blessings that will multiply in our lives. Just as the Lord awakens us in the morning with new blessings and hopes, I pray that this new year will be the same.
Today’s message is from one of the most important books of bible, Romans. The book of Romans delineates clearly who we are supposed to be as Christians. From chapters on through twelve, the book of Romans theoretically explains how we are to act as Christians. The message tells us that we must prioritize properly. We must understand what must come first. We must completely understand what it is that God wants with our lives as we embark on this new year. Apostle Paul writes that we must move according to the visions of Christ. He also writes that it is only through worship that we can come to understand the true intentions for the Lord. Today’s message will be about the energy that drives the year.
Today’s message will go over three things. The first is that we must have the proper perspectives and goals. As Christians, even if things fall apart and don’t go according to our will, we must have a proper direction and goal in mind. As we walk the Christian walk, we cannot simply act according to our gut. We must have a clear goal and direction. And we should also reflect upon our own behaviors and analyze whether or not we are serving others and seeking the Lord. One of the greatest hindrances in our lives is dwelling on the past.
In Philippians, Apostle Paul wrote to the Philippi church that he was looking to what was ahead. As Christians, we have the goal of the great riches of heaven ahead of us. The second is that we should live lives of prayer and praise. The Lord has given each of us a purpose and goal. For us to be able to completely understand and recognize the purpose of our lives and what God’s wants for us, we must seek him in prayer. If we were to make an analogy with a car, praise is like the ignition. And prayer is like the engine. It is only with both that we can function. Apostle Paul wrote that we should offer our lives and living sacrifices. It is through this that we will come to know the great plans the Lord has for us.
The today’s scripture text discusses the many talents in the church. If you put too much of an emphasis on talents, this can lead to division within the church. This was one of the reasons that the Corinthian church fell. However, there are great talents that the Lord has granted through the Holy Spirit. The talent that is indicated in today’s scripture is the talent of the Father, the talent in which we serve others. The second is the gift of the Son, the talent with which we serve the church. Today’s scripture is mostly about the gifts of the Lord. We must seek the great gifts of the Lord. And with the gifts we receive, we should serve the church. The messages that are emphasized the most in today’s scripture is that we must conquer evil with good, and that we must love. A famous Korean philosopher once said that the thing he fears the most is himself. As such, depending on the thoughts that enter our hearts, our behavior and our lives can be altered. This world is filled with great greed and jealousy and hate. This is not because we are lacking in food or money or shelter. This is because we are lacking in love. Apostle Paul wrote that if it was possible, we should get along with everyone. He also wrote that we should take revenge for the wrongdoings against us for that is beyond our authority. Instead, Apostle Paul writes that we should love them and make them come to repentance on their own volition.
Conquering evil with good is the Christian way. It is only when we rely on the strength of the Lord that we can approach all things with love. Even leaders of the church struggle with love. However, nowhere in the word does it tell us to hate or to fight. As Christians, what we are to do is to love and discipline ourselves so that the Lord will take care of our problems. We should relinquish ourselves and let the Holy Spirit guide us. If we look in verse 11, it tells us to stay fervent in our faith. This verse is warning us of complacency. There are times when we start to think that what we have is sufficient or when we start to become lazy in our Christian walk. However, if we act according to our desires and not according to the Lord’s, sometimes it becomes extremely difficult to restore our faith. In verse 12 it is written that we should be joyful in hope. This hope is referring to the hope of salvation and heaven. Then it is written that we should be patient in difficulties and be diligent in prayer. In any community, we see people who seem to get along with everyone. However, if we are properly living as Christians, there will be times when we are persecuted. It is written that as Christians, we will face persecution. The reason the expression “if it is possible” was specifically written was to indicate that we should try to be at peace with everyone as long as it is within our power. It is through Habakkuk 2:4 that Apostle Paul came to Christ and started to write the book of Romans. Many religious reformers and leaders focused on this passage: Salvation is found in faith alone. We have great hope in the salvation of Christ.
In Korean culture, we greet people in the new year by saying, “Receive many new year blessings.” Koreans really like blessings, so much so that we speak of it. If we look at traditional Korean blankets, silverware, and even chamber pots, the character for ‘blessing’ is written. However, blessings are not something than be owned. According to the bible, the truest blessing is being close to God. Blessings flow from Zion, the church that Jesus left behind that is just like him. It is through the church that blessings for our family and lives. The church that we mention here is not referring to the physical building, but the community of gathered believers. We are saved through our faith and blessed through our actions.
In the Alps, there are sheep and shepherds. Throughout the day, the sheep graze. There is a tradition amongst the shepherds. The shepherds on the higher side of the mountain shout to those below them, “The Lord has guided and protected us today.” The shepherds below reply the same way and they descend the mountain together. The shepherd life can be dangerous as there can be wild animals that come to attack the flock. Similarly, our lives are a result of the guidance and protection of the Ebenezer of our God. The Lord has guided us in the past and protected us until now.
In this new year, our Ebenezer God will provide us with the best things. It is this kind of faith that we much have in the Lord. We should have faith in the Lord who provided in the past, who guides us in the present, and will provide in the future.
In other versions of the bible, the scripture of Psalm 108 says verses along the lines of, “My heart is steadfast. My heart is fixed to God.” The question is then, on what is the heart fixed? The person who wrote Psalm 108 was David, who used to be a shepherd. He had a good voice and wrote praises for the Lord. According to the scripture, David will no longer praise simply with his lips, but also with his heart and mind. We must praise knowing precisely what we are praising. Hymnals are praises we sing to glorify God. Gospels are mostly praises that are targeted for nonbelievers. Contemporary Christian Music is often testaments of believers. The last category with be the most recent sort of praise that is a bit of a combination of the aforementioned.
There is a Korean hymn that was written by a Korean person during Korea’s oppression from japan. While the Korean people were losing hope, this man looked for a way to restore hope to the people. This man was of a wealthy background, but he went to a poor countryside to teach the little kids. his family were opposed to his decision, but he continued. From this he wrote a hymn, about the rolling hills that he knew was not of Japan. Martin Luther, one who led the Protestant Reformation, wrote the hymn about our Lord being our steadfast fortress. At the time, Luther was going through conflicts with the church. Pouring our hearts and souls into praise means that we not only understand the lyrics, but also know the back story of the lyrics. Today’s scripture from Psalm 108 is a repetitive chapter that was already written before. There was a special reason for this. This was because David was in a very difficult situation. He wrote this during a time when he was facing his foes and fighting them. Even in the midst of his struggles, he wrote Psalm 108 and praised God as he relied on God. This means that we should not only be praising God in times of goodness, but in times of struggle as much.
In the New Testament, Apostle Paul and Silas went into Macedonia to spread the Gospel, but unlike what they had expected, they were imprisoned almost immediately. However, they praised the Lord, which led to their liberation from prison. We must praise knowing who the praise is for, knowing who the target audience for the praise is. Tis is our God. Like the title of today’s praise, I will praise my God. Today’s scripture from Psalm indicates that even though David was struggling, he was steadfast and made up his mind to fix his heart on God. David wrote that he will “awaken the dawn.” Throughout the bible, many of our forefathers of faith came to know the Lord during the early morning.
One of the most dramatic prayers of the bible is Daniel’s. During the era of Daniel, the world was corrupt and unjust, a time in which keeping faith was virtually impossible. Even during the dictatorship of Nebachanezer, Daniel and his friends risked their lives to stay pure before the Lord. In today’s scripture, Daniel refuses the food given to him by the King. To remain pure before the Lord, he made up his mind to keep himself clean. He made up his mind to not defile himself by eating food presented before an idol. He also made up his mind to pray to God three times a day. Even though he knew that if he prayed to anyone other than the king, he would be thrown into the lions den. He was then thrown into the lion’s den, but the Lord provided and saved him. Daniel was more of a politician than a prophet. He was able to stay as an important figure in the government even though there were three changes of rulers during his time. This was possible because he remained consistent and timeless in his actions toward the Lord. We often find that people try to figure out what God’s will is and people try to mix and match God’s will according to their tastes and preferences. However, in the word it is clear that the Lord’s will for us to be thankful always and pray continually. There were more people who were against David than for him. however, David gave thanks for his adversaries all the same. If we look in verse 6 it is written, “Save us and help us with your right hand, that those you love may be delivered.” If there is one more thing we should resolve to do in this year other than draw nearer to the Lord, it is to reach out to those in need of love and mercy. We should not turn a blind eye to those in need of help, but love them with the Love of God, We all need love. I need love, and you need love. The wealthy need love and the poor need love as well. We should pray that we can move the hearts of people with love.
I told a few people already, but during the holidays, someone left a message on our answering machine. This person was from Elmhurst, and the person said that he has called several churches, but no one wanted to hear his story. His son is mentally retarded and he is suffering from Parkinson’s disease. He can’t receive anymore treatment because of finances and he needs to pay for his rent for his apartment. It was a very busy time during the holidays, but he kept calling me. This was at 2PM on a Saturday, and I checked my account and saw that I had a little to share. I went straight to the public parking lot in queens and heard him out. I’m not trying to brag about my act of kindness, but I’m saying that there are times when the Lord moves us to act. If we look in Proverbs 16, it is written that those who stand firm in the Lord is blessed. The message that the Lord gave us is like the steering wheel of a car. The ignition is like the praise, but the scripture directs our lives.
I pray that the new year will be filled with the blessings of the Lord. Apostle Paul stood by the scripture of Habakkuk who said that the righteous stand on faith alone. The greatest strength to guide us through the year is the Lord’s will. We must remember a few things. The first is that we must hold the Word of God. The second is that we should praise the Lord. the third is that we should help and love our neighbors. I pray that we will become a people and church who will reach out to others. Let us pray. (Rev. Jaewoong Chang’s Sermon)