Sermon(Ps 53): Life seeking after God

The original Korean text: https://blog.naver.com/stevision/50026355927

 

 

 

Scripture reading: Ps 53

 

>> 1 The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity; there is none that does good. 2 God looks down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there are any that are wise, that seek after God. 3 They have all fallen away; they are all alike depraved; there is none that does good, no, not one. 4 Have those who work evil no understanding, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call upon God? 5 There they are, in great terror, in terror such as has not been! For God will scatter the bones of the ungodly; they will be put to shame, for God has rejected them. 6 O that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion! When God restores the fortunes of his people, Jacob will rejoice and Israel be glad. <<

 

There are some people in the world who live without knowing God. Some atheists or non-Christians are as good in their life as Christians. It is unreasonable to define all their deeds as evil just because they live without knowing God. Some pious theologians would like to verify the truth of the above text of the Bible, saying that their good works are in essence evil because they do them to show their righteousness. But how can we conclude that all non-Christians in the world do good deeds to reveal their righteousness? I think some of them really do good deeds humbly and secretly. The question is, what is good? However good a son may be in the eyes of the world, if he does not regard his parents as his parents, all his good conduct will lose its value. If you give charity with others' money, yet go around claiming that you do it with your money, you are a wicked swindler. Such are those who do the worldly good without knowing God. As long as they do not recognize God the Father, who created them, as their Father, and understand all the blessings God has given them as their accomplishment, they are wicked from the religious point of view. Sometimes they live humbly, doing the good, but not knowing they are severely wicked. For all human beings, the goodness is first to think what they have received and to thank him who gave them blessing. That's the fundamental goodness. Also, the goodness is to help others who are poorer than I with what I've received and what I've earned. A non-Christian who does good to others humbly is wicked as a result of not doing the fundamental good. Then is a man not a good man for he has helped none because he has nothing? Yes, he is! It is the good for a man acknowledging the grace of God to live without sins. He is the object of God's infinite love and the object of God's joy just because he is a creature of God. How can a man giving joy to God be called a wicked man? God recognizes him who pleases God to be a good creature.

 

The wicked man in today's text of Ps 53 does not recognize the God as his Lord but is corrupt and lives in abominable sins. Thieves, robbers, swindlers, homosexuals who refuse to be treated, undutiful sons, addicts, gamblers, swapping couples, adulterers, all of them are corrupt. These wicked men are foolish and corrupt so that they will continue to sin all their life and be cast into the fire of hell. We Christians should not live such a dirty, cursed life. Our Savior Jesus shed his blood on the cross to forgive our past sins. If we think of the grace of Jesus even a little, we'll never commit dirty sin again. If you believe in Jesus and continue to do such evil things, you will fall into hell without having a chance to repent again. Do not deceive yourself! If a man thinks he is a Christian, yet lives in such sins, he is never a Christian. He'll go to the eternal hell, thinking himself to be a Christian until his death and the last judgment. He insulted the grace of the blood of Jesus by his dirty life, so naturally he falsely believe he has been forgiven, until his death, and be cast into the eternal hell.

 

God looks down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there are any that are wise, that seek after God (v. 2). Those who work evil have no understanding (v. 4) A man of understanding keeps away from sin. God sees if there are any who are honest and want to live according to God's will. God sees if there are any who would obey God’s word. David was such a man. He suffered much from the wicked but did not soil his hands with evil deeds. He hated falsehood because he was honest, and never betrayed others. He tried to know God's will and to obey him. God sees if there is a man like David in the world. Why? In order to bless such a man. The holy heavenly blessings and the fruitful earthly blessings come upon those who seek after God. May all of you be eager to seek after God.

 

How then can we become ones who seek after God? First, we need to be qualified to meet God. You might as well refuse to meet God as seek God without the qualification. God is the holy one. He stays away from unclean hearts, unclean homes, and unclean groups. Try as they may, dirty men can't find God. No matter how much they seek God's comfort and help, he remains silent. He turns away his face from them. If your face is dirty, you should wash it with soap. Wash your face with soap, and seek your beloved with your clean face, then his (or her) face will turn towards you. God has given all of us all-powerful soap to wash away all the dirty sins. The soap is the blood of Jesus. If you are an unrighteous man and a sinner before God, you are entitled to meet God by washing your sins on the merit of the blood of Jesus. Some Christians are living against their conscience. You should pray for repentance and wash away your sins as quickly as possible. Don't you know what your sin is? Of course, it is a manifest sin to violate the Ten Commandments. But nowadays Christians do not regard some obvious sinful deeds as sin. It is a sin to do private business on the Lord's day. It's definitely a sin to speculate in real estate purposely and to take away other people's money unfairly. It is a sin similar to theft or robbery. It is also a sin to enter the priesthood without permission. You can enter the priesthood not when God doesn't object but after God permits. It is also a sin to profane the temple of God by allowing those who do not repent but continue to commit dirty sins to enter the temple. (Never allow the homosexuals whom God abhors to enter the church. God will depart the church the moment they come into the church even one step.) It is also a sin not to pay taxes honestly. It is also a sin to tolerate the dirty culture that permeates the society. Christians at least should not neglect the campaign for expulsion of anti-Christian decadent culture. It is also a sin to bring the teachings of other religions different from the Bible into Christian thought. It is also a sin not to excommunicate those self-proclaimed clerics (pastors and fathers who associate with Buddhism) who destroy the purity of the gospel. It is also a sin for a Christian clergyman to engage in political activities. It is a sin for an elder to become the president of presbytery and to preside over the ordination of pastor in the presbyterian church. It is a grave sin for a pastor to hand down the Lord's church to his son despite all opposition and criticism. It is also a sin for a minister to continue to hold power in the church after retirement. It is really a wicked sin to use the church basement for a cemetery for the saints. It is a sin for a denomination to establish seminaries recklessly and to ordain pastors recklessly. There are many unqualified seminaries. And many uncalled unqualified laymen study theology there at their will and are ordained a pastor without God's permission, so that they degrade the Christian priesthood. It is a sin to try only to increase the number of believers by fair means or foul. If there are believers more than adequate number, shouldn't we divide the church into two? It is a sin to hold Sunday's main worship service many (four or six) times although the nearest neighbor church is empty. It is normal for the daytime worship service to be held once on Sunday. If the believers increases in number enough, they have to divide up the area and build another church. But why should a pastor who has increased the number of believers do an imperial ministry, not establishing another church, but ministering the worship service many times a day? It is a sin for the pastors to form factions and to do politics in the denomination. It is a sin for a pastor to regard the saints as his own property and to minister too covetously. It is a bad conscience to go to a large church after deserting a small church because serving God in small church is hard. You have a bad conscience if you, ignoring a near small church, go to a distant large church where the daytime worship service is held many times on Sunday. It is a bad conscience to give too little salary to a jundosa (an evangelist). It is a bad conscience for a pastor to travel too often. It is a bad conscience for a pastor to be too greedy for academic degrees. It is a bad conscience to force the saints to offer up too much to church. We should create an atmosphere of presenting offering happily and voluntarily. It is a sin to love only to accumulate money. It is a sin not to serve the church as a believer though there is much free time. Those who seek after God must have nothing to do with these sins.

 

Next, one who seeks after God seeks God's help in tribulation. Those who keep away from sin are not of the world, and are persecuted by the world. At this time, he who keeps away from sin seeks God's help. The people of the world try to overcome their troubles in evil ways, and sometimes they seek help from others, but those who seek God take refuge only in God. He who seeks after God sees God as a strong and high fortress. I'm a (quite nice) guy, so I'll leave everything and run to a beautiful girl crying for help to me, in order to help her with anything I can do. This is my heart. Isn't it the greatest delight of a man to help a girl who is in a difficult situation and to hear "Thank you!" from her? Such is my heart, but I am but an imperfect and incompetent man. Then, how will the mind of God be, the God who is good, omniscient and omnipotent? When we live a life that is far from sin and ask God for help whenever we need it, God is very pleased to help us. The problem is, if he helps us when we live in sin, he will become the sponsor of the sinners. Therefore he can't help us then. My brethren, are you in trouble now? Resolve first the problem of sin that you haven't quitted yet. And after that, stretch out your hands not to the world but to the God who is good and almighty and loves you. He will hold your hand and raise you up. If you ask for help not to the God but to the people in times of trouble, he will be greatly disappointed in you. God's response comes at the most appropriate time and situation. So God's answer looks tardy to a man of little faith. However if we just have patience, we can have the most reliable supporter in the world. May all of you be those who seek God in times of trouble.

 

Next, we are seeking after God when we live according to the law of God. Sometimes the ethics and laws of the world are against the laws and principles of God. If, at this time, you boldly follow God's laws and principles, you are a man who seeks after God. Today what percentage of men and women are biological (real) virgins and bachelors who haven't had sex before marriage? A considerable number of Christians do not observe the strict law of virginity. This is not the life of those who seek after God. Premarital chastity (or virginity) is God's law. To violate it on purpose is to disregard him (the God). Political power, which used to kill people mercilessly in the old days, tries to abolish the death penalty in accordance with the teachings of the demon wearing a mask of democracy and human rights. This is a global trend these days. But democracy and human rights are not damaged by the death penalty. Is a nation not democratic because it keeps the death penalty? Is there a violation of human rights because the death penalty takes effect? What an ignorant and foolish logic! Rather, the abolition of the death penalty undermines democracy and human rights. Christians are seeking after God if they firmly reject the foolish ideas of modern times and insist on the death penalty as the Bible teaches. He who rejects his own foolish thoughts, who abandons his greed and obeys God's word, is a seeker of God. He who loves God and his neighbors is the good example. We must turn our back on the world in which evil spirits are in power and look at and proceed toward the God of truth and eternal life. Some people claim that their thoughts and will are God's thoughts and will. It is insolence, self-righteousness and haughtiness. In short, they are so ignorant of the Bible that they behave like that. Those who preach should pay particular attention to that. A politician-supporting sermon which is not based on the good and evil that the Bible defines is an example of such insolence, self-righteousness and haughtiness. Is it right to support a politician in the sermon? Preaching is the time to proclaim the will and glory of God. May all of you be those who live according to the will of God always. To live in obedience to the word of God is such a life.

 

Like this, a man seeking after God is wise, is clean in heart thanks to the forgiveness of sins, lives under God's protection, does good works in God. God created man as one who seeks after him. We live up to the purpose of creation when we live a life of seeking after God. When we live so, we are God's delight, and he allows us eternal life. Of course, then he allows us also a victorious life on earth and a blessed life without want. My beloved brethren, stop the life of darkness, be those who seek after God, our Creator.

 

May the abundant grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be upon you!

 

Chong Tack Kim

 

                                    - Dongtoma Sunshine Church -