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 Sermon > Official Service |
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Title |
God who searches our hearts |
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Speaker |
Rev. Jaerock Lee |
Bible |
1Th 2:4 |
Date |
2004-01-25 |
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The omniscient and omnipotent God searches minds and hearts, and controls life and death, woe and blessing. Not one sparrow falls to the ground without God's consent and even the hairs of our head have all been counted. (Matthew 10:29-30) God perceives our thoughts from afar and also is familiar with all our ways. He knows beforehand what kinds of words and actions we will have.
Then, as God searches our hearts, one of you may be scared of God with fear? Naturally he who lives in darkness will fear. But anyone who tries to live and dwell in the light will be always overflowed with joy and thanks. As God judges everyone by perfect justice, God will repay each of you according to your deeds. He will give rewards for your goodness.
God never lets good people go through ambiguous hardships by incorrect judgment as people do in the world. God notes even the smallest goodness you do secretly and remembers it so that he may repay you the equivalent rewards later.
Therefore, You, children of God, should work out your salvation with fear and trembling till the day the Lord comes again. Moreover, if you were appointed to his service in church, you should be faithful to your duty with better attitude than other saints.
1. The work you have received in the Lord
As it says in 1 Thessalonians 2:4, "we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel," God appointed us serve Him as deacons, senior deacons, elders, church staffs, pastors and ministers. But, everyone cannot be appointed to the service. They should be qualified for the service and be judged worthy to be entrusted. Their most fundamental and important mission is to guide many souls to salvation through spreading the gospel. This is to please God who thinks one soul more valuable than the whole world.
In order to fulfill your ministry, all of you should know clearly what is the will of God toward our church workers and what is important to save the unbelievers. You should check all the time whether you please God or not. If you are not in accordance with the will of God or your shepherd to please man around you, it is of no use. It just comes from your sinful mind.
If it is really God's will, you should follow the God's will without reading other's face believing God will work out for the good in everything in the end.
2. The will of God toward our church workers
Then, what is the will of God who searches our hearts toward our church workers?
1) Regain your first love and continue to love God higher.
Do you have still the delight you had when you met Jesus Christ at first? Do you enjoy always the joy and thanks you had when your all sins were forgiven? When you were appointed to the service at first, how you were faithful to your shepherd, your colleagues and members? Please check up your attitude. (Ephesians 6:5-7)
Those who are never cold in their first love are always grateful to God and Jesus Christ with consistent faithfulness. Jesus came to the earth to serve others. So, your attitude and mind to serve others should never be changed even if you are appointed to the higher ministry as time passes. Your enthusiasm and obedience and love to accomplish the Kingdom of God should not become cold or you should not be idle with your duty.
If you love God with the same love as at first and are faithful to His kingdom much more than before, God will be pleased with you so much.
Then what is the way to regain the first love? (Revelation 2:4-5)
For example, if a man who keeps the time for prayers came late often and he thinks that omitting prayer a few times will be OK, he should repent and do the things he did at first. A man who are eager to meeting together were absent from the meeting sometimes, he should repent and do the things he did at first. If your love for God became cold, it is because the worldly things came into your heart. (1John 2:15)
Therefore, clear yourself of thoroughly the cravings of sinful man, the lust of your eyes and the boasting of what you have and do, and regain your first love. Have greater love to God day by day as your soul is getting along well so that you can participate in accomplishing the unhindered works of God.
2) Get rid of the sinful nature and take captive every thought to take it obedient to Christ.
As it says in Romans 8:6, "The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace," if your mind sets on what the Spirit desires, your mind will be full of peace. But, if your mind is controlled by the sinful nature, you cannot enjoy peace. This is why you have untruth in your heart such as pride, jealousy, and envy and finally you are led by the sinful nature.
For example, some workers or some department in our church are well known to the saints according to the characteristic of the duty, but other workers or department serves the church unexposed. In this case, because the exploit of your duty doesn't showed before all the saints, if you think, 'I am of little importance," it just comes from your own thinking. When you think like this, you are led by the sinful nature.
If you lose your heart controlled by the sinful nature, you will be naturally kept away from God. In addition to this, if you see other colleagues play an active part and become known to everybody giving glory to God, and then you may be shrunk back and disappointed at yourself. If you do so, it is the proof that you have jealousy in your deep heart and you do never rejoice with the truth. If you have no jealousy or pride, you will be never be influenced by the sinful nature deep in your heart. By this, you won't lose delight and peace in your heart. On the contrary, you can be delighted that we altogether give glory to God. You can be thankful to be a member of the church, which is accomplishing the kingdom, and righteousness of God greatly.
So, as a worker of our church, when you see the wonderful works performing by God, you should share your heart with others and rejoice at them together. God who searches our hearts knows well who is faithful to the smallest duty with all his heart. Therefore, all of you should be devoted to your duty with overflowing joy believing truly God and replacing the sinful mind with the mind controlled by the Spirit.
By the way, someone doesn't like to be entrusted with some duty in church. It also results from the sinful nature in your heart. It says in Acts 6:3, "Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them." Although Philip and Stephen are deacons, they performed wonderful miraculous works. So, you should not think 'Anyone can serve as deacon, if he goes to church every Sunday.' You should not think little of the duty of deacon and you should not become lazy with the duty of deacon
Another reason God wants us to get rid of all our sinful mind is that God wants complete obedience from us. As it says in Romans 8:7, "The sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so," most of people cannot obey God because they are controlled by the sinful mind. Although he says 'Yes' in the presence, if he turn back and do something, he is controlled by his own thinking method and view the problem in his place.
Likewise, if you view the problems in the limit of yourself, you will feel heavy by yourself and cannot obey God completely. Only when you don't have the sinful mind at all, you can view all the things by the eyes of faith and can fulfill your duty by true obedience.
3) Believe in God truly who will bring every deed into judgment and give to everyone according to what he has done.
It says in Hebrew 11:6, "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." If you are faithful to your duty with faith and love, it will be piled up in heaven as rewards. Especially, pastors and ministers and church works will be specially received in heaven. This is why God has searched all their deeds. God knows well they gave up all the wealth and fame they can have on the earth in order to dedicate themselves to God's kingdom by the love for God the Father and Jesus Christ.
God doesn't forget all goodness you did secretly on earth and prepares for the reward for it in heaven. God will be pleased with those who are faithful with a few things with joy and thanks for he loves the shepherd. As God will bring everything into judgment whether it is good or evil, bear in mind that you should do good in a good motives so that you may be devoted fully to your duty loving God and your members.
Dear congregation,
Now, you have known what is the will of God who searches our hearts. I urge you to continue to love God greatly hoping to receive the heavenly rewards and getting rid of all kinds of your sinful nature. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ you will be a hero or heroine playing a key role in the unhindered works of the Father. |
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