Sermon(Ps 19): New life of a man who has experienced God

The original Korean text: https://blog.naver.com/stevision/50025252185

 

 

 

Scripture reading: Ps 19

>> 1 The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. 2 Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge. 3 There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard; 4 yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, 5 which comes forth like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and like a strong man runs its course with joy. ... 7 The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; 8 the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9 the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever; the ordinances of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. ... <<

 

In general, what happens to those who have experienced God directly is that the whole world suddenly looks different in their eyes. Suddenly, it can't be more beautiful! The sun, moon, stars and flowers are all chorus. They are singing God's glory. Flying birds and beautifully singing birds do not know that they are God's creatures. They just are eating, singing joyfully, flying without worry or complex thought. But truly strangely, those who have met God look at the birds, and to them they seem to be dancing before God and praising God. When a pretty baby is sleeping quietly, the baby is sleeping comfortably after suckling without any thought, but when others see it, the baby is telling manifestly them what person its mother is. A mother holding a pretty baby sleeping in her arms is definitely as beautiful as her baby and enjoys greater joy than her baby. Is not the picture of the mother holding the baby more beautiful than the picture of the baby alone?

 

Yes, my brethren! The sun, the moon, the stars, and all on this earth are silently shouting the glory of God. Many stars speak eloquently of the vastness and infinite power of God, even if they do not speak aloud. The bright sun is calling out the vitality of God. All creatures sustain life by receiving the warmth of the sun. Who can hide from the bright sun of the day? Who can hide from God, the Light and the Truth? Beautiful flowers reveal the beauty of God. Everyone, what more do I need to say? We, seeing the world with our eyes, see God's vastness, wisdom, vitality, and beauty.

 

   

When every creature goes on the path God ordained, it has infinite value. As the sun, moon, and stars go on their appointed paths, they reveal the glory of God, and they themselves boast of their infinite worth to all. When the sun and the earth do not go their own way, they fall from unlimited value to worthlessness. The sun resting at the midheaven for several years is itself an infinite catastrophe, but it has infinite value as it goes its way. If the sun rises in the morning and sets in the evening, its footsteps are majestic, but it becomes hopelessly ugly and useless if it wanders uncontrollably here and there.

 

He who has met God discovers the glory of God in seeing the world he created. He can see the God existing behind the vast and beautiful world. The God infinitely beautiful and wise who moves the world by immutable law, appears in front of him. Therefore, those who have met God will have precious knowledge of God. This knowledge can not be proved by the natural science formula, nor can be obtained by philosophical speculation. It is the knowledge that one who met God understands when he realizes in seeing the world that the world is the creation of God. Brethren, the exact knowledge about God is very precious indeed. Some people have a wrong knowledge of God and bow to stones or woods even though they have a good university degree or a doctor's degree from a well-known university. They do so because they are ignorant of God. But we christians know the God correctly. So we can live an honorable life. How can we meet and know the God? No other way. We meet God when we believe in the God who has come as a man to us. When we believe in Jesus, we will meet God and know him correctly, and we will live as good human beings on this earth and have eternal life. “I(Jesus) and the Father(God the Father) are one. (Jn 10:30)” “I(Jesus) am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me. (Jn 14:6)” “Have I(Jesus) been with you so long, and yet you do not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father. (Jn 14:9)” Yong-ok Kim whose nom de plume is Do-ol graduated from theological college and later received a Ph D. from Harvard University and taught philosophy at Korea University. He presumptuously tries to interpret the Bible even though he refuses to acknowledge Jesus as the God and the Saviour. How can a man be so stupid? If Jesus were not the real God, wasn't his behavior of asserting such remarks that of a religious swindler? The reason why I'm saying this is that he's doing something too absurd because he, not believing in Jesus as the Lord, argues that the original Christian teachings were so and so.

 

Yes, Brethren! Yong-ok Kim shows absurd attitude because he hasn't met God. He who has met God feels the existence of God and gives thanks and gratitude to God wholeheartedly when he hears the truths that the sun, the moon and the stars tell silently, even though others do not explain God to him at his ears with a megaphone. By the way, I wonder why Yong-ok Kim goes around and says that he graduated from theological college. Perhaps he does not know that Judas Iscariot is bragging to the people now in the hell that he was a disciple of Jesus. Therefore a Harvard doctorate is not so great! Of course, the degree is good in itself, however the holder of the degree somewhat lacks (religious) character. That's the problem. A true scholar should know something about Christianity first, then argue on Christianity, shouldn't he? It's pathetic that a man claiming himself to be a scholar should be expressing his own thoughts unilaterally and impudently.

 

Today's text is a poem that David wrote when he saw the new heaven and earth after he had met the God privately and discovered the world and himself anew and been deeply moved thereby. on what did David resolve when he saw the God who moved the world? Just as the sun, moon and stars proclaim the glory of God in silence, David himself pledges not to praise God only by his mouth, but to manifest the glory of God through his sincere acts in silence. Brethren, it is a great disgrace to God if a man of dirty conduct praises God with his mouth. However, it is infinitely precious to glorify God through one's true life, and to praise God with beautiful poems and songs as well. And he who lives so is more beautiful and precious than the sun and the moon and the stars. As the sun goes its way decided by God, shining its light upon the world, so David wants to be a light of the world and to go the way God pleases.

 

David wants to be a man of God. So he also wants to praise God's glory and majesty with soundless loud voice, in the world God created, with all other creatures. To do so, David resolves to live the right life God teaches. Just as all creatures reveal God's glory, dignity and infinite wisdom when they go on their way that God has given them, so David reveals God's glory through his life when he keeps the laws God has given him. David deeply meditated on God's law given to man.

 

God's laws given to man are as follows:

1.You shall have no other gods before Me.

2.You shall not make idols.

3.You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.

4.Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

5.Honor your father and your mother.

6.You shall not murder.

7.You shall not commit adultery.

8.You shall not steal.

9.You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

10.You shall not covet.

 

What was David's assessment of the commandments of God? “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. (v. 7)” David says that the law of God is never defective in helping man live a good and holy life. God gave us perfect laws as he gave the perfect natural laws to the universe. If any provision in this law is excluded, human beings will fall; and if any narrow human view is added to the law, human beings will fall. When the dead soul begins to keep the commandments of God without elimination or addition, the soul is restored and alive. According to David's experience, the law of God opened the way to life for him when he kept it without elimination or addition. When David stood before God, he abandoned his wisdom and will, fully opened his heart to the word of God, and thoroughly obeyed his command. So David had wealth, dignity, honor, glory and even longevity. My dear brethren, do you want to be perfect men? Do you want to enjoy an abundant life? Then engrave the perfect law of God on your heart, and live according to it!

 

“The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. (v. 7)” The Bible can not lie. The Bible clearly states who was blessed, who was punished, and why they were blessed or punished. So, when foolish people see the events recorded in the Bible, they become wise by being awakened and living up to the commandments of God. David was the one who lived such a wise life. And David realized that the precepts of the Lord were right and the commandment of the Lord was pure (v. 8). And he said that the ordinances of the Lord were true and righteous altogether (v. 9). The word of God made David evade a punishment of death and become an honest man, a wise man, an innocent man, and a righteous man, so that it made him a perfect man.

 

Thus David really really loved God's law. “More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. (v. 10)” David did not fall because of money. David did not sin to get physical pleasures. Because he wanted to resemble God. David wanted to resemble the God and be a perfect man, thus he wanted to keep the law of God rather than to enjoy all sweet pleasures the world could offer him. Keeping the law of God was not a pain for him for the sins of the world have disgusted him, and his cleanness and righteousness have given him joy.

 

Yes, my brethren! He who has met God lives like David, looking to God. He desires to be a beautiful and perfect creature of God. So he wants what he is now to be God's glory. Just as the sun, moon, and stars silently proclaim the glory of God by going the way given to them, so he, too, wants to declare the glory of God by his life lived in accordance with God's law. Of course, he also is a human being, and there can be sins and crimes with him. But he always aspires to be honest in heart (v. 13). Because if he honestly tells God, he always hears his prayer, and forgives him, and restores him to his most perfect being. “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. (v. 14)”

 

My brethren, a pop singer sings a song 'Human being is more beautiful than flower'. Yes! When a person lives the right life that God has given him, he becomes more beautiful than flowers and precious than pure gold. Brethren, love God. Love his commandments. Then you'll be really a precious and beautiful believer. Then all who see you will see in you the luster of God's glory. God is invisible to man's eyes, but he is in believers and through them shows his truthfulness, goodness, beauty, holiness, and majesty.

 

I pray that you obey the word of God for the sake of God's glory in the world, and live a blessed life, in Jesus' name. Amen!

 

Chong Tack Kim

 

                              - Dongtoma Sunshine Church -