Sermon(Ps 22): The benefits of extreme suffering

The original Korean text: https://blog.naver.com/stevision/50025252514

 

 

>> 1 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning? 2 O my God, I cry by day, but thou dost not answer; and by night, but find no rest. ... 4 In thee our fathers trusted; they trusted, and thou didst deliver them. .... 10 Upon thee was I cast from my birth, and since my mother bore me thou hast been my God. .... 14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax, it is melted within my breast. .... 16 Yea, dogs are round about me; a company of evildoers encircle me; they have pierced my hands and feet. 17 I can count all my bones - they stare and gloat over me; 18 they divide my garments among them, and for my raiment they cast lots. .... 26 The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord! May your hearts live for ever! ... 28 For dominion belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations. .... (Ps 22) <<

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Has your heart ever melted? If you throw a pretty waxen doll on a heated iron plate, it will melt and lose its form, and be flattened. The heart that cannot be lowered anymore - this is a heart melted down like a flattened wax. Many people have the melted heart these days. It's not easy to get a job. You must get a job after graduation to be get married and to fulfill your duty as a son or a daughter. However you have no job now even several years after graduation. So you even have lost the will to live. The self-portrait of such a man melts away, losing its form. Dreams of such a man dissolve, losing forms. His pride also melts. So does his passion. He has no more tears to shed now. He just lives because he has no courage to die. He can do nothing but breathe. The middle-aged men in Korea, who departed their companies and failed in their own business and in finding new jobs but are deeply in debt, maybe are deeply discouraged now. They wish they could earn at least the money for their children's education, but it's not easy. There are sick people in the world. If they are young, their hearts melt out of dispair.

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But there are some successful men in the world. They underwent hard time before, so their heart melted; but they have overcome all the problems, and now they are living a rich and happy life. I hope all of you will be like them. My brethren, today's biblical text is David's poem. Our Lord Jesus recited a verse of this poem when he was suffering on the cross. My brethren, in what position is Jesus now? In all glory, sitting on the right hand of the Father! If you, too, have overcome the hardships patiently, you'll have more precious glory than ever before.

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What is David suffering now? David's enemies are strong like bulls, ferocious like lions, and are attacking on him like a swarm of dogs. His enemies rob him of all that he has. They even take away all his clothes except his boxer shorts. Threat to life and shame melt David's heart. But what really bothers him is God's carelessness. "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning? (v. 1)" Everyone around him does not treat him as a human. "I am a worm, and no man; scorned by men, and despised by the people. (v. 6)" But those who saw David felt absurd. They knew well that David had loved God. But God didn't care even though David had been praying to God for help in such a long suffering. So they mocked David's God as well as David. >All who see me mock at me, they make mouths at me, they wag their heads; "He committed his cause to the Lord; let him deliver him, let him rescue him, for he delights in him!" (v. 7, 8)<

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What did David do in this situation?

David looked at the faithful God. God is invisible to us at the time ‘now’. But he has left his manifest traces in the history. At the time 'now' David is looking at the God clearly reflected in the past history. "Yet thou art holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. In thee our fathers trusted; they trusted, and thou didst deliver them. (v. 3, 4)" David saw the God who was in the songs of praise in Israel. When did Israel sing praises to God? Israelites always sang to the Lord whenever they defeated their enemies who were much stronger than they, because the victory was a gift given them by God. Israelites sang the song of victory joyfully after they had passed the threat of death. on the contrary, the enemies could have 100% won the battle, but they were defeated and lost a lot of lives, because things went wrong with them thanks to some unexpected accidents. Israel's songs of victory were always hymns to God. Those songs of victory were transmitted from generation to generation, and were still sung in the days of David. There was the name of God in the songs of victory. 'Oh, I see! God is in the praises of Israel. He is in the thanks-giving of Israel.' Yes, my brethren! God is holy, so he never forsakes his people Israel, and he has the grace to give them victory over their enemies. David saw that ancestors of Israel called to God for help whenever they met danger; and that they, depending on him, defeated enemies without being put to shame. Being defeated by an enemy is a great shame. If you are defeated in the battle, your incompetence will be known to all, you will be called a cursed man, your children will be sold as slaves, and your wife will be defiled by the enemy. What a shame! But Israel didn't taste such a shame. Because they cried to God and overcame and beat their enemy. David, seeing clearly the holy and faithful God reflected in the history of Israel, now is eagerly seeking his help. The God who is in the hymns of Israel is the one who loves his people, pays heed to the circumstances of his people, hears the groan of his people and answers the prayer and supplication of his people who seek help from him. >Then the Lord said, "I have seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, .... And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring forth my people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt." (Ex 3:7-10)< My brethren, see clearly how faithful the God was before, and depend on him.

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David confesses that the God is his God. "Yet thou art he who took me from the womb; thou didst keep me safe upon my mother's breasts. Upon thee was I cast from my birth, and since my mother bore me thou has been my God. (v. 9, 10)" Hereby David confesses that his life is the Lord's. He confesses his whole life is in the Lord. So he said, "Be not far from me, for trouble is near and there is none to help. (v. 11)" When Hezekiah got sick and was about to die, he prayed to God for mercy, saying that he had lived a faithful life before God. God prolonged his life by 15 years. My brethren, let your life always be faithful before God. If you live as God's people every day, God will be your God in the days of trouble. Israelites, in times of affluence and peace, betrayed God, fell into idolatry and killed God's prophets. When the enemy invaded Israel, they cried out in tears for help from God; but God thoroughly ignored their prayer. You are God's people and his possession if you always live a Christian life, keeping his commandments and worshipping him. David was a devout believer recognized by God, himself, and others. So his prayer had power. He boldly cried to God. Would God forsake such a beloved son as David? Would he hand over David to the dog-like gangsters? The holy Father can't do that. Holiness, unlike mere goodness or beauty, has the power to subdue the evil. There are infinite goodness and power in the holiness. God is good, so he hates the evil and loves the righteous people. He is almighty, so he can defeat all evil forces. "Deliver my soul from the sword, my life from the power of the dog! (v. 20)" There is no reason for God, the ruler of the whole universe, to abandon David who humbly asks for help.

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David vows that he will live a life for God's glory if God delivers him. "I will tell of thy name to my brethren; in the midst of the congregation I will praise thee. (v. 22)" Who can sing praises to God? Is it a praise to God if a man committing adultery and theft sings a praise of God? No! David, who is living a recognized righteous life, now promises to praise God. Our beautiful and righteous lives make God glorious, and our holy praises make him pleased. only a few people live righteous lives and praise God like David. God will not abandon such precious men but will surely save them for his glory's sake.

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My brethren, a candle can have a new form when it has completely melted. The shape of myself that I have formed so far needs to be re-formed. It must be re-formed into a new man of God. To be so re-formed, we must undergo the process of melting. The future image of myself that I've dreamed of should be melted down. Instead, the present myself must be re-formed into a new man that God wants me to be. My desire should be melted while God's plan must be planted in me; my trivial ability must be melted while I must be equipped with God's power; my pride must be melted while the glory of God must be revealed; my hot temper must be melted while there must be only the obedience to God in me; the knowledge of the world that has been accumulated in my head so far must be melted while only humility and the Holy Spirit occupy my heart. This happens naturally when our hearts melt by pain in the course of our life. The earlier the time of pain in your life, the better for you. If you are born again a man of God when young, you can be used as more worthy person by God. Usually, as the intensity of the pain is great and the time of the pain is long, the heart of the sufferer easily melts. Nevertheless, if God keeps silent long, it is not because God has forsaken him but because God wants to change him completely.

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I had my heart melt for two full years, from the end of my sophomore year to the end of my senior year in university. I suffered a serious illness then. I realized then first that it is a sad thing for humans to suffer. My eyes to see the suffering people were opened then. I feel sorry for those who suffer pain. Paradoxically, I found during the painful period that God is sad when humans suffer. I've learned through the suffering that there is a timetable of God for me. No matter how hard and frequently I prayed and importuned God, God didn't answer when it was not time to answer, but when the appointed time had come, the problem of disease was suddenly solved as the sky is suddenly cleared of dark clouds. And I can trust in God thanks to that. I am not afraid of problems of life, seeing that God changed such a difficult problem into a good result. Of course, there were a few times of pain after that; but is there anyone who lives without any problems of life? Everyone has problems and pain while living in the world.

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Maybe David had some good results after he had suffered the melting of his heart during the period of his pain. Perhaps David as king might have removed all the evildoers who committed wicked sins because they were quite powerful. David could be a good king who, knowing the pain and the tears of the weak people, made every effort to solve their problems and to help them. He knew the pain of the weak because he himself had suffered the pain of the weak. Above all, David could administer his kingdom without worry, thinking of God who helped him whenever he was in danger. Did he have to worry when a war broke out, if God was with him? You don't have worry or fear if you have experienced the power of God in your life. Like this, David went through the time of the melting of heart, was born again a righteous king, and ruled as a king whom God loved for a long time, and died in peace. Who can say the time of his suffering was harmful to him? My brethren, be born again a man of God in your days of suffering. Trust in God and bear and wait in this difficult time. Pray to God if you have strength to pray, and praise God if you have strength to praise. Your suffering ripens your faith and benefits a lot of people.

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May God solve your problems at the best time. May you be born again a righteous Christian through the present suffering. May you willingly help others who are in trouble.

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Chong Tack Kim

                                    - Dongtoma Sunshine Church -

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